Capt Rian Kwai

Woman In the Mirror Captain Rian "Kiwi" Kwai Joined gods, who is that woman in the mirror? Rian stared at her reflection for 5 full minutes, trying to find something in the spotted waif in front of her that she recognized. Her spots were dull. Her skin shallow and sickly. Her hair was an overgrown nest. She carried enough baggage under her eyes for two trips to the Alpha quadrant. And if she turned sideways, she might loose her reflection altogether. This was not the woman she remembered. Nor did the little rest she received do much to improve her appearance. Granted, she had just awoken from a nap, so that might explain the hair thing. But still...Why did Wydown assessment have to be so spot on? She looked like crap. Well, this just sucks, Rian thought as she sank back down on her bunk in her temporary quarters. What am I going to do now? If the meds from the station doctors didn't start working and showing results soon, she would be forced to try that damned home remedy Rue had foisted on her. And she wasn't about to do that until Dr Weber took a look at the ingredients. Rian sat quietly for a moment, reviewing her options: • Option A: The 'Just Eat It" model - force normal foods down her throat at normal time feeding times and hope that everything stayed down. • Option B: The 'Just Survive It' - which was to survive on bland tasteless MREs for the next two weeks in hopes that the meds showed results. • Option C: “Get another opinion” – The station doctors didn’t know Rian’s history. And Rue seemed too nutty to trust. Too bad Weber was off duty at the moment. • Option D: “The ‘harebrained home remedy.” – Self explanatory. A cup of tea to keep her from yakking up food. Oh wouldn't that make Wydown happy? • Option E: “Food Challenge” – Figure out which foods did not make a encore appearance in the refresher toilet and try to survive on those. A kinder, gentler version of “just eat it.” • Option F: “Overstock Cases Bismuth Subsalicylate*” – Would this be acceptable to StarFleet? • Option G: ‘Panic’ – while not truly an option, it was contemplated for a short time. It troubled Rian to know that “Whoa is me” option (The sympathy ploy) was shot down faster than “Panic”. • Option H: “The shot in the dark” – experimenting with any or all of the above option in hopes that something would trigger a reaction. Also known as the “Hail Mary” pass to the humans. • Option I – “Transplant The Digestive System” – Not sure where Rian got this option, but considering where her thought process was degrading, it followed in natural order to “panic”, “shot in the dark” and “whoa”. • Option J – “Upload the Brain” – Maybe she could become like Holly and….no, this is was getting a bit silly. • Option K – “Consult The Fellow Freckled Ones.” – consult civilian Trill medical corps for help. They knew her body’s chemistry better than any creatures. Maybe they’d figure something out. Rian frowned. The person she’d normally bounce these ideas off of was off ship and, hell, probably wasn’t speaking her to her anymore anyway. So where did she go from here? She glanced at the mirror again. Joined gods, who is that woman in the mirror? And what were we going to do about her? (*Bismuth subsalicylate – active ingredient in Pepto Bismal)

Victim of Her Own Conspiracy Rian Kwai’s Side of the Story… “How did you get her into sickbay so easily?”Captain Kwai glanced at Commander Wydown in amazement while the two of them followed the medical technician and the Admiral’s medical chair into sickbay. The medtech ushered the Admiral on to one of the private exam rooms, several of the doctors and nurses buzzing around her more in deference to her rank than her actual injury. Both officers paused at the door, watching BluRox disappear from view. “Did you drug her? Blackmail? Hypnosis? Wacked her on the head?” “Nah. I just told her that I needed her to go to sickbay as bait to get you checked out.” Rue Wydown grinned, rocking back on her heals. Huh? She did what??? Rian turned to look at Rue head on, “Why in the Alpha Quadrant would you tell her that?” “Because you look like crap, luv.” She gently pinched Kwai’s elbow and escorted her to the first vacant biobed while simultaneously waving over one of the nursing staff. The comment offended Rian but the woman was not giving her much time to react as she dominated the airspace with speech. “C’mon, won’t take a tick. Sit here and let ‘em have a look at you, mate.” Wydown whispered something to the nurse, who nodded and disappeared. Meanwhile, while Wydown was distracted, Kwai made her attempt to slip past the woman and out the door. The faster the escape, the better, before the woman hijacked her whole day. Unfortunately it was by maintaining a firm grip on Rian’s elbow that Wydown managed to keep the Captain in place until one of the station doctors appeared. “Luv, ye gotta set a good example for ‘er. If you walk, she will. And ye know what shape she’s in. So just suck it up and be a good lass.” “Joined gods.” Rian signed, exasperated. What have I gotten myself into? “Whot’s a matter. Afraid of a little jiggery pokery?” “You can say that.” Rue stood back out of the way to allow the station doctor to start his work. She leaned against the wall, arms crossed and legs crossed at the ankles. “Oh, it’s nothin’ luv. Not like they’re gonna mutate your DNA with a simple scan.” “Oh, you’d be surprised what these quacks can do these days.” Rian sighed, watching the doctor wave his scanning wand. Rian’s distrust of doctors stemmed back to her experiences with J’Rom, the mad scientist who thought he could create a master race of mutated humanoid beings. Not only had she had to endure that crazy nut, but the following examinations by the Republic’s doctors as they tried to unmutate her body were no space walk either. Rian scowled at the doctor scanning her, who then rolled his eyes to Wydown, muttering something Rian couldn’t hear under his breath. “Ye callin’ those in the medical profession quacks?”Rue asked the doctor’s apparent unasked question. As annoyed as she was with the situation, and with Commander Wydown, Kwai seemed to think better than to offend the doctor currently waiving medical equipment in her face. She spoke softly, nodding her head towards a group huddled around the replicator. “Not all. Just those mad scientist type over there.” Rue glanced in the direction of the huddled medical staff. Honestly, to Rian, none of them looked particularly threatening. In fact they looked rather dull. But she was looking for something to distract the nosy Excalibur first officer, “Oh, I see what ye mean. That one over there looks like a nutter.” Rue smiled, seeming to poke fun at Kwai. Rian’s patience with Wydown was wearing thin. The human woman was odd and not like any of the humans Rian had encountered before. Not only did Rian have to struggle with Wydown’s odd jumbled dialect with slang references that Rian understood to be from several regions of Terra squashed together in a weird cadence, but she also had to contend with Rue’s obvious enthusiasm for Kwai’s discomfort. The Trill opened her mouth to snap at the woman, but Kwai’s retort was cut off by a loud commotion in the lobby of sickbay. The doctor currently scanning the Trill stopped abruptly, and with a hasty apology, and left both the human and the trill executive officers wondering what was going on. They watched as the whole story revealed itself moments later as a badly burned station crewmember being hustled through sickbay with several doctors (including Kwai’s) and nurses hovering around him. “Joined gods, now I’ll never get out of here.” Rian muttered exasperated. Rue had watch the Trill for a moment before stepping forward “Ye mind if I…?” She picked up a tricorder from a neighboring station, alarming Rian. “It’ll get ye out of here faster. You know, I used to be in medical. Well, before that nutter in the Captain’s chair decided I’d be a good first officer. Not sure whot he was thinking.” She grinned, again a large toothy grin Kwai was struggling to get used to, as she watched the readings on the tricorder. After a moment she looked up again. “What happened to ye, luv? I know you were attacked, I read the report that the Admiral gave us. But I’d like to hear it for you.” “You want to know about the Oest?” Rian paused, watching Rue nod seriously. “I’ll tell you about the Oest.” She spoke softly, recalling the highlights of her incarceration with the alien race. Everything from the pain sensor bracelet to the experiments on creating a melded breed, it was there in detail. She only hesitated when it came to explaining her role in the breeding program verses Dr Weber’s. This is when she felt the roiling in her stomach over something other than food. Rian felt overwhelmingly guilty that Weber had been subjected to such a horrible experiment and somehow Rian had been spared a portion of it. Joined gods, she wished that she could have done something to stop it. “Let me get this straight. They essentially poisoned you to save you?” “Aye. So I was told. So to speak, since it was done with telepathy.” “Have ye told your Admiral this part yet?” Oh Errrika. She’s going to kill me. Or put me in a bubble and not let me out of her sight again. Rian was trying to figure out a way to describe how overly protective the Admiral was of her crew. She’d be lucky if she was allowed to lead another away mission five years down the line just with the facts presented so far. Rian could only imagine what would happen once she told BluRox the rest of the saga. Instead, all Kwai could come up with the subject changing: “She’s got enough on her plate. Besides, Weber’s in worse shape than I. Although if you can find someone to pull the probe out, you can keep it for your records. Maybe your people would like to study it in case they’re up against the Oest if you all return to the Gamma Quadrant.” Rian indicated its location with her splayed fingers in the area where her shoulder met her neck. “We’ve got Weber’s. And I believe we still have to remove Bardolph’s soon.” She paused. “That reminders me, I should have him looked at too.” “Do you ever slow down?”Wydown asked as she moved back over to the neighboring station, rooting around for the instrument she needed. Once found, she returned to Kwai’s side and activated the device. “Do you?” “Oh I know me limits.” She grinned again, that odd toothy grin, and started to dig out the offending probe. Rian knew Rue felt the Captain wince under her digging, but she kept on going. And talking to distract the young woman. “I think ye better tell the Admiral. She’s worried about ye. And ye need to start putting some weight back on. Someone could knock you over just by breathin’ on ye.” “I’m not…..” Rian stopped, struggling to explain how she felt. She took another slow inhale of breath before she continued, “I’m finding it difficult to keep much down these days.” She frowned. “About the only thing that appeals to my stomach have been the MRE’s.” “Have ye tried the onion rings in Quarks? They can do miracles.” Wydown grinned, pulling out the small sensor device and dropped it into tray, the sound making Rian wince. She pressed a small cloth against the wound while she fidgeted with a regenerator to seal and heal the wound. “That just doesn’t even sound good to me.” Rian struggled to keep the bile from rising to her mouth. Rue completed her work with the regenerator, then tipped Rian’s chin up to look the Excalibur’s first officer in the eye. “Look, in a few minutes, the station doc is going to come back out here and scan ye again for the official record. He’s going to give you some meds to try to correct the damage to ye stomach lining. He’ll suggest rest and relaxation. And he’ll send you on your way.” She paused. “Ye need more than that. Ye need to detoxify your blood and organs. From what I read on the scan, you’ll be carrying around this crap for months, maybe even a year or more. Even two weeks of that med isn’t going to help. And you’ll get real bored of MRE’s after six months.” “And how do you suggest I do that?” Rian was annoyed with the lecture. “A tea.” She nodded. “I’ll show you were to get the ingredients here. And write you the recipe. It’s not half bad. Actually it’s quiet brilliant.” The woman sounded sincere, but she also seemed a bit off kilter. Could she trust her? “A tea, seriously? You think a tea is going to help me?” Rian tried to hide the doubt from her voice. She really questioned this woman’s sanity. “Aye. “ Rue put her hands on Rian’s shoulder. “Look, luv. I know don’t know me from Eve, but I’ve got a lot of experience here. Where I come from, well, let’s just say ye have to have a strong constitution to survive there. You do what I say, and in a few weeks you’ll be off the meds and putting on the weight again. Even enjoying a pint or two.” “I don’t know.” She studied the woman carefully. She wasn’t seriously suggesting this, was she? “Just try it. Two weeks. And if you’re a smart girl, like I think ye are, you’ll do the research. You’ll see I mean ye no harm, luv.” She picked up the tray, seeing the station doctor disengaging from the group crowded around the burn victim. “I’m going to take this back to me ship. I’ll meet ye in a few minutes outside, by Quarks and we’ll take it from there, aye?” “Fine.” Rian nodded slight. I’ll look into it. If nothing else but to make her go away. “Fantastic.” Rue grinned again in a way that Rian thought Wydown thought was calming, but did the complete opposite to Rian’s nerves. Joined gods, what have I done? (And for the other side of the same story, check out Commander Rue Wydown’s log on the USS Excalibur’s message board).

Can't Take Cookies from Strangers by Captain Rian Kwai New ship smell. Yum. Well, it wasn’t exactly new. But it was clean and didn’t resemble a beat up, chewed up hockey puck. Rian leaned back in her chair, folding her hands together in her lap as she listened to Captain Corizon and Admiral BluRox continue with the beginning pleasantries of their discussion. Her home had looked like this once upon a time ago. And now it was……. She glanced briefly over her shoulder at Republic’s saucer section, as the Excalibur’s shuttles and fighters buzzed around her. She’d lived 90% of her life in space. She knew the dangers and the risks. She wasn’t that naive when she joined Starfleet. But Republic was her home. And it was breaking her heart to see it like this. It was almost enough to make her wish Republic had not come back for Kwai, Weber and Bardolph and the rest of the abducted. Almost. She turned her attention back to the Captain or Admiral before they could sense her distraction. There were enough claws and fangs in the room to scare anyone straight. She inhaled deeply, quietly, and glanced at the hospitality spread in front of them. Joined gods, I have no stomach for any of it. She glanced at Admiral BluRox, hoping that Errricka couldn’t sense what her Executive Officer was thinking. Rian had been systematically poisoned during her abduction by the Oest, something she hadn’t told Errricka just yet. The Oest who conversed with her (if that was one called it) had said it was for her own protection to keep her out of the breeding program. Since then, nothing but the MRE’s had seemed appetizing to Rian’s pallet. She had a bad feeling that she was going to have to add this little factoid to their conversation with Captain Corizon. That wouldn't sit well with BluRox - finding out what that her Executive Officer had omitted some information. But she also knew that the Admiral had a protective streak when it came to her crew, and Rian would have felt even more guilty for laying this on her as well. Oh well. Yet another personality twitch Rian was going to have to conquer. So the question was, did she try to keep up appearances and take io of the refreshments presented to the Republic command staff and pick at it, or did she refuse completely. Which would cause the least amount of suspicion that she was hesitant to take food from strangers? She had a feeling she was doomed no matter which choice she made. Ooooh spite.

[Cptn Corizon] I am like one of those rescue dogs. [Cptn Corizon] I even bring whiskey. [Fiona Weber] Arf. Arf. Arf. [Fiona Weber] Did we turn on the UT for barking. [Cptn Corizon] Oh Fi-fi [Fiona Weber] I don't think I have enough time to brush up on my Yip and Growl dialects. Blu> Sets the UT on Bark. I gotta point out - We got Whiskey too on our ship. Mind you he's a security officer who likes to pester the married Chief Engineer, but he's our Whiskey just the same.

There was a battle going on within Rian Kwai. Sensing the weakness of Composure, Fear and Panic began their assault on Intelligent Thought. Common Sense was struggling to rally against the onslaught as several of its compatriots were sidelined with injuries. Composure was having a nervous breakdown. And Concentration….well....it burned out with an overdose of Adrenaline a few minutes ago. The only thing keeping Anarchy at bay was shear Stubbornness. All due to the realization that Rian was much sicker than she had admitted to herself earlier. She didn’t know what was causing this reaction within her body. Was it the chemicals they used to send them to sleep? The implant? The food? The water? The air? Was it because she was a Trill? Or was it because she was just more vulnerable/susceptible? Something was affecting her more seriously than the other human captives and that alarmed her. Really, really alarming her. Rian never did play the part of ‘damsel in distress’ well. She had no patience for it, nor did she ever see where it served a purpose but to incite panic in others. She was not trying for martyrdom by downplaying what was going on within her own body. Kwai was just trying to keep the rest of the crew safe and focused on escape, not on her own deteriorating situation. Unfortunately, she feared it may be backfiring on her if she didn’t regain some semblance of control of her own senses. So the Trill drew strength from two sources. The obvious choice - the wall where she currently propped herself up against and would refuse to move away from until the room stopped spinning. The not so obvious choice - the Robinson child, who’d back she rubbed gently to sooth him as much as herself. Hopefully, with these two sources of comfort, the Trill would be able to function again. If not, Fear would certainly win this battle. But hopefully not the war.

Same Plot, Different Story… While Freak Out and Control Freak had a knock down drag fight over who would control Free Will, Composure seized control. In the interim, Fear, Panic, Anxiety and Worry sat in the back corner, shiftily planning a mutiny at any signs of weakness on the part of Composure’s lieutenant Common Sense. Intellect was peeved it couldn’t go on vacation during this riot and therefore threw toddler fits at odd moments. And Curiosity….well…it was on Sensory Overload, and nearly out of commission. Adrenaline, oblivious on its effects on the power struggle going on, was partying like a teenager with the ‘rents on vacation. The Trill was genuinely surprised with herself. Previous experiences taken into account, she should have been curled up on the floor, a fetal positioned quivering mass of Jello. Incoherent and incapacitated by previous abductions/mad scientists experimentations. How many times had this happened to her now? Three…four…five? Instead, Captain Rian Kwai had managed to focus her energies, however fruitless the efforts were, in trying to determine how to get out of the cell (where the heck where the door seams anyway?), examining the substances the aliens brought to them (was it food or a craft project?), and trying to keep the best track of her people she could. She was, pardon the expression, calm cool and collected. As of yet Panic had yet to launch a successful assault on Composure. What she was having a hard time grasping was all the questions zooming warp speed around in her mind. They were threatening to overwhelm her… Why were they taken from their ship? Why *these* specific crew members? Why not others? Why the surgical procedures? Was something implanted under the skin? What was the intention of these aliens? Was this food or what? (The paste tasted tasty, but the bugs left little to be desired in taste. Combining them didn’t help much…Maybe if they were chocolate covered?) What was going to happen to them? Where were they going? Why aren’t the universal translators working? What’s happened to those two crew members a moment ago? Would the……… Rian shook her head to try to bring order to the cacophony ringing in her brain. Using what little Concentration she had left, she contemplated another bug-paste combination quietly. This staying relaxed business was going to take a lot of energy. Composure needed Tranquility to remain in control She just hoped Common Sense wouldn’t take that vacation Intelligence had planned or else Anarchy was moving in. ~~~ By the way, I think this might be number 5 for Rian. :) So she's doing rather well, considering.... 1. J'Rom and the spider/wasp experiment 2. Jem Haddar sleeper cell abduction 3. Cardassian POW camp (got locked in a box with that one) 4. Prophets' "Teach 'em a lesson" abduction of the whole crew 5. Strange alien goo/bug group Any others?

Rian’s eyes tracked Commander Kawalas-Ace as she left the room. It was only when the door shut that she allowed herself to relax and exhale the breath she’d been holding since dismissing her mission XO. “Well, either I’ve lit a fire under her, or ….” Rian massaged the back of her neck. “…we’re on to plan B. Or is it C? D, maybe? Huhboy.” The Trill did not like being put in this position. Taking over the spot where Kania should be. It felt like every day Rian reported to duty, she was rubbing the Commander’s nose in it. A colossal guilt trip with every glance at the OPS station. Sheesh. But she wasn’t about to shirk off duty either. Or sabotage a mission. Either Kania was going have to exhibit some gumption to retake her post, or Rian was going to have to find another way to motivate the Bajorian. Rian exhaled again, reflecting on the current mission status. She’d just authorized a smaller away team mission, with a less trigger happy security detail, and a more definitive objective. For lack of a better description: A poop patrol. Either this was going to be a stroke of brilliance for the information they’d garner. Or she was going to be teased mercilessly about this directive for a long time. Joined gods, as long as everyone returned safely this time she didn’t give a darn what they teased her about. At least they’d be one step closer to completing their mission objectives. And she’d be one step closer to completing her command test. In the meantime, with a to-do list that stretched the memory capacity of her PADD, the Trill headed for the bridge herself to monitor the fact finding mission. Never in her life had she wished more to be a carefree Ensign on brig babysitting duty.

Feedback on Mission Objectives - Briefing Joint Log with Admiral BluRox and Capt Kwai Rian slouched down in the conference room chair until it cradled her head as she stared up at the ceiling. In her mind’s eye, she was trying to puzzle together what the crew had learned so far, what she hadn’t had a chance to ask yet…because she hadn’t thought of it yet, and what the next objective should be if they continued with the mission. After a few moments of quiet contemplation (or spinning her wheels) she heard familiar foot falls as someone entered the room. Rian didn’t need to turn around to know who it was. Years of sitting at the OPS station with her back to the rest of the crew had taught Rian how to identify who was on the bridge just by the sound of their gait. With the exception of the junior crewmembers or those, like Dr Weber, who rarely made an appearance on the bridge, she knew who was heralded by every slide, thump and click of the heel. “The away team used weapons of deadly force in a confined space in an area of questionable construction. It’s a wonder we even bother with phasers set on stun any more.” Rian slowly sat up and swiveled in the conference room to face Admiral BluRox. She smiled wryly. “I need help here. No shame in asking for it, is there?” “Not in the least,” Blu replied as she crossed the room, pulling out another chair and taking a seat. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve sat talking to myself pondering that same thought. “Ok, so the first thing I can suggest is that you clarify, just what is your mission? Why are you here? What are you trying to figure out? Should I just get out of Dodge? No, no….that last one was a joke,” Errrika paused a moment. “Wait, not exactly. It is a valid question that you have to ask yourself. Are the risks of this mission worth risking my teams?” "Well, my thought is an investigative mission. We might not necessarily be able to help these people, but we can figure out what caused it so we can learn from their mistakes, as well as determine if this planet is still a danger to space travelers in the area.” Rian folded her hands on the table. “As far as the mission risking the away team members, that I’m still evaluating. I forgot to ask Joy and Weber about the air quality content, but then again, they still may be analyzing that. We know there are unfriendlies down there, but that’s not unusual in an exploratory mission. So right now, the risks are still being measured. Except for one….” Rian paused for a moment, then glanced up at BluRox. “This might be too risky only because of the crew’s capabilities. I’m feeling like our people can be more of a danger to themselves than whatever they might encounter on that planet.” Blu chuckled a bit at Rian's last statement, "Yes, they have that amazing capability, don't they?” She continued, "Ok, let's step back and look at your first objective. Why are we in the Gamma Quadrant? Ok...that’s easy enough, we're here to survey what changes have taken place since the Dominion War and the Founders becoming pretty much ‘hands off' of many of the known worlds here when they went off to become more....’at peace’ ... with themselves,” she drew quotation marks in the air with her claws. “We are also to look at those areas that we had previously little access to, due to Dominion control, which is why we are where we are today. We're to find what planets are capable of life, resources are in abundance, and who or what may be controlling them.” Blu paused a moment, noting that the young captain had been trying to get a word in edgewise, “I'm running on here, why don't I give you a moment to comment Rian." Rian nodded, "Okay so have we met the first objective yet? We know that this planet has the capacity of intelligent albeit primitive life, has full resources to support such life, and they appear to be governing themselves for the most part. Interestingly enough though, they don't appear to have had Dominion control or influence. It's not necessarily an out of the way system, so that's not it. Maybe the Dominion felt that this planet’s resources were not sustainable to their mission. Or that this place was just too much of a danger." “I'd be willing to be on the latter. The Dominon used to rule with a heavy hand and marshaled their resources like the well fed army that they were. No, I'd bet that they left this area alone, out of fear of whatever destroyed this civilization. Perhaps they chose not to fight an enemy, that they could not see?” Blu shrugged. Kwai leaned back in her chair again, "That's my thought as well. Whatever this was, it appears to be self-generated. At least that's what I theorize from the translated transmissions. It wasn't a naturally occurring event. More like something that was engineered into the food products to make them 'better' but instead, poisoned the population unintentionally." Blu shifted in her seat, “Ok, so we've established why we are here. So, now we move on to our second point. What are we trying to figure out? What is the evidence pointing towards already? What have the crew found from their preliminary investigations? List out what you know already, starting with the overall planet.” Rian began her accounting of what they’d learned so far, “An M-Class planet. Sparsely populated with intelligent life forms. Most in small communities located some distance from what was perceived as once being large population centers or cities. Those urban areas have been left to decay approximately one thousand or so Terrain years...at least from our estimates." Rian took a deep breath and continued. "Translations from transmission recordings recovered from derelict planetary satellites indicate some sort of biological disaster with the food sources resulting in the deaths of thousands, perhaps millions of individuals. Those translations also report people fleeing from the densely populated urban areas, and possibly quarantines of those centers." "While no direct visual confirmation was made, it appears that some descendants of the planetary people may be hunting or scavenging or something...in the decaying ruins of the cities. What we don't currently know is the extent of biological disaster on the descendants of the planetary inhabitants and if it still poses a risk to those who visit this place. Anything I'm missing?" "From what I've read, that pretty much sums things up. I'm pleased that you've stayed abreast of all the reports.” "I'm trying to. It's a lot to sort out,” Rian answered. “Ok,” Errrika paused a moment, steepling her fingers. “It always is. I've yet to find in the job description where they promised me anything would be easy. Though, I'd love just to have one mission that was nothing but easy, for a change," she grinned back at Rian. "Alright, as I was about to say, you've defined your mission parameters. You've determined the basic scenario that you are about to enter. Now down to the finer details. Looking at what the crew has found on the satellites, there is evidence that this was some sort of biological disaster, which you already noted. Looking also at the probes and scans of the planet and the larger cities, the decay of the buildings and infrastructure shows it seems to be a natural decay, not weapons induced, such as an explosion. Although that was questionable in a few locations across the planet. Further scans seem to warrant that some sort of destruction of these areas took place. But overall, no. The broadcasts on the recordings also noted what you had defined....the biological aspect. And you managed this well by sending your Away teams down in Biosuits until they could ascertain if the location were still of any danger. So far, you're getting an A. This takes us to the Away Teams. Tell me who you sent, why, and what they found. And, of course, any results.” “I sent a team of six lead officers, there were several junior officers also in attendance. Cmdr Kawalas was to lead the mission. She's mission XO.” Rian paused, trying to describe her decision at this point. “I...well...it was either her or myself and as mission CO, I felt I was needed to remain here on the ship and direct traffic so to speak. Dr Weber and Lt. Commander Joy were sent for their obvious science backgrounds in medical and general atmospheric studies. Johnson, as a representative from engineering and Robinson and Bardolph to provide security. Originally Jax was to join the away team, but I pulled her at the last minute because far too many of our senior officers were assigned. Mr Johnson substituted." “As to what they found. Mr Johnson reported they located a governmental headquarters. Several interesting hieroglyphs or other writing that they're trying to decipher. Nothing negligible was found as far as the soil samples. Nor any tissue samples taken, but that's not a surprise considering how much time has passed. I don't know about the air samples yet. And then there's the encounter with the unfriendlies. Ensign Jorge was a victim of some sort of fatal assault, but with no witnesses, we don't know who or what caused it. Of course, that's when all hell broke loose and the away mission dissolved into chaotic beam out.” “Yes, we've got to work on that beam-out bit. The last few missions...way too close,” Blu commented. “Or our away mission protocols need to improve!” Rian snapped, still steaming over the incident. Errrika sighed, “I’m thinking my next away mission, might be permanently away. I just may decide to retire and let you have the bloody ship.” “No, you are not retiring. You're not allowed to. Over my dead body in fact, " Rian got up and started pacing. Errika grinned, “Not retiring? You do realize that some criminals serve life sentences that are less than the 15 years I’ve already been on this ship?” Rian’s only answer was to scowl at the Admiral. BluRox continued on, “Alright, so the away teams. They were only assigned to check out the largest city, looking for data as to what happened. Has anything been done to check out the small enclaves of inhabitants living out in the forest and mountainous areas? And this will bring us to another whole question I'll have to pose to you after your answer. Besides going back to the Away team data first of course, but I’m getting ahead of myself.” "I want to send an away team back down to check out the smaller groups, but I also want to make sure they do it in a safe way, both for themselves and for the inhabitants. This means no grenades and no use of deadly force unless absolutely necessary. Dr Weber wants live tissue samples, but I don't think we can go about getting those without permission. So there has to be a way to scan passively and get the material she and Joy need to analysis. Whether it’s to find a recently abandoned camp site, or scanning a group from a distance, or even using recent burial sites, they’re still trying to determine what might be best." “Ok...let's go back. So, the teams split up, they didn't find much more than what we already knew, but we lost a crewman. Whose team was he on?” “Robinsons, from what I understand. Kawalas had taken her team to another portion of the area. So that would have been Robinson, Johnson and..." she frowned. "I'm not sure I was clear on whom third member of the team was. Let me check my notes.” The Trill paused in her pacing to take a moment to scroll down her padd, "Weber, that's right." “No matter on each team make up, I was just curious who the head of his team was. Will should know enough to keep an eye on his less experienced team members.” Kwai frowned, “He was also the one detonated the grenades." “We'll have to come back to that. So, they found the ensign dead, a rather grizzly death if I recall.” "Yes, the throat and stomach lacerated. Liver removed. We weren't able to retrieve his body." “If I may, I have two possible observations. One, many tribal hunting cultures, will often once killing an animal, will take the liver as a trophy or to eat, as it is one of the most nutritious organs of the body. Second, if you've ever seen wild animals hunt, often once they kill their prey, they will often disembowel the victim, eating the liver before anything else. So, it's possible that what attacked the ensign, could have been some sort of sentient that was either hunting or hungry, or, that some sort of creature killed him, also due to hunger. Just a hypothesis of course. You said that nobody saw the attacker?” “According to those on the Ensign’s team, he had become slightly separated from the group when the attack occurred. No one in his group saw what had happened, they had only found him afterwards. They said it only took a few moments for the attack to occur...so who or whatever did this was a very skilled hunter.” “Hmmm, Ok, so now on to the part where the team felt threatened. Something was approaching, and a grenade was used, without finding out if the target were sentient or not? What happened to Starfleet Regulations and weapons on stun? And yes, I know this is not the first time. I am also taking note, that they did also get the rest of the team back alive after using them though.” “I don't know what happened or why they thought this was appropriate action. We don't shoot to kill around here. We're not Romulans or Klingons for goodness sake. And to......" she paused, realizing she was ranting, her arms flapping at her side as she madly paced. Whether she realized it or not, BluRox had given Kwai and opening to vent her frustrations. Rian barely reigned herself in before her rant got herself off track. She glanced over at Blu and willed her arms to stay still. "How do I ensure that proper protocol is followed? I know I can reiterate that must be followed, but how do I ensure that use their heads next time?" “You're in charge, so it's not my place to tell you how you should do this. Each commanding officer has their own method that works best for them, while still garnering the respect of the crew. I do not wish to undermine your authority, but some things to consider would be retraining, counseling, disciplinary action It's going to have to be your call. If I make a decision that they clearly know is mine, they'll look right past you to me, which is why I've been trying to stay out of the way. Normally for these qualification missions, I would not even be on the ship.” “But we're in the Gamma Quadrant and it's not like we can drop you off at the nearest Starbucks." Rian cracked a smile. "I'll figure something out. Not sure what, but... I'll muddle through that one." “Better a Starbucks than a Cinnabon store?” “Cinnabons can be bad for your health. Especially if thrown.” “Well, we both survived that at least. That was not one of my most stellar missions either. We lost several crew members if you recall. Most notably of those lost, Commander Kawalas's husband Ace. She's never quite been the same since. And that was my fault.” “Ok, now back to the outlying settlements, and in fact, for the city as well. This culture, though they had satellites, really was never a space faring race from what we've seen. We have to now think about the Prime Directive. Should we even be bothering this place? As for approaching and taking samples, my first thought would be no. As for defiling burial grounds for remains, again, I would say no way. But that is me, not you. This is your mission, however disturbing burial grounds could upset a race so badly, and it might never recover. It sounds foul, but perhaps the first plan would be to collect.... waste. The body sheds epithelial cells in the digestive tract. I'm sure the doctor could isolate some and run her tests from that?” “Actually, that's not a bad idea. Don't most archeologist find loads of valuable information through garbage dumps?” “I wasn’t speaking of their food waste. I was thinking of, how's a nice way to say it. Scat.” “I know that's what you were thinking...I'm thinking a bit more broadly. If we're going to examine the latrine, then why not the trash too? In for a penny, in for a pound? I mean, if I'm going to send down a team on poop patrol.........." The Trill shrugged." “Oh, that's fine, trash is an excellent way to go, I just meant if they wanted DNA samples that the scat was the scat was the way to go.” Rian nodded. “It's a less intrusive way to handle the situation. It's either that or I contact Starfleet and let them send a team who might specialize in this type of social study.” “Alright, so as I see it, you have a few choices. Pack up your ball and go home. Or, you continue to investigate. I can't make this call for you this time. Sorry. “I know, but at least you've given me a few things to think about. Thanks for the feedback too.” Blu stood and stretched a bit. “I think I'm going to go hit the gym for a bit, then go take a nap. I'll leave you to your thoughts. You've got several very important decisions to make. You also have an XO to bounce ideas off of as needed. Don't forget your department heads too.” The Trill nodded, then glanced back at her PADD before her. While she had to still sort through the direction this away mission was to take, her thoughts were at the very least a little less muddled.

Okay, let's nip this one in the bud before more people end up in the doghouse. Rian took a deep breath before entering the Admiral's Ready Room. Where she'd finally developed a back bone, the Trill couldn't say. If this all had happen just a few short years ago, Rian would have cowering behind her OPS or Nav console, praying not to find the Caitian's claws embedded in her chair. She'd always the type to stay in the background, quiet, meek. The most trouble she got into was when Devon, Chioban, Evie or Sian dragged her down kicking and screaming. Now, well, maybe it was the holiday with the Prophets that did it? Or the chaos with the Earth for Terrans people? Or maybe it was that Rian was just plain mad about the whole shoreleave fiasco. Whatever it was, she was prepared to face the Admiral with her head held high no matter how sharp those claws were. As she entered the room, Rian began before BluRox could interrupt her, "Before you start, let me explain." She held her hand up in the universal sign for 'stop' as she talked. "About the officer switch down at the planet. After you gave me to the order to send Joy down to the planet, I had her report to the transporter room so I could give her the details what was going to happen. Joy then expressed a concern that she would not be able to perform her duties due to both a conflict legally and ethically. A potential programming meltdown." Barely taking a breath the Trill continued. "I had to make a split second decision. I know time was not on our side, so rather than send an officer who may or may not be able to follow a directive, I made the decision to carry out the order instead. I can at least deal wrestle with my own internal moral obligations later. And based upon that…that…" she pointed at the door towards the bridge, before uttering an untranslatable Trillian curse. "…@#$% display, I don't think I'll have any trouble sleeping tonight." Rian jabbed an index finger at herself, "And yes, I will admit, I forgot that the Executive Officer and the Captain of the ship aren't supposed to be off ship at the same time like that. But I've only been in the position for less than twenty-four hours so it's not something drilled into my head…yet. I promise I'll do my best not to make the mistake again." "And…and…" she held her hand up again. "Don't blame Mr. Robinson or his staff for the lunatics running around the asylum right now. That was my doing. This time." She smiled briefly. "They were finished with their task in the brig and were in danger of making a nuisance of themselves down there. Dr Weber said she could supervise them in another project, so I released them into her care. When things escalated, I was the one who told them to report to duty stations." "Now, unfortunately, they've made a mess in sickbay. Not completely their fault – the ship stopping suddenly was a contributing factor. To fix it, I've given Captain Kawalas, err, Commander Kawalas instructions that the group is to report to regular duty shifts but personal 'free time' has been suspended until they clean up sickbay and complete Dr Weber's project." "The good news is that this leaves you free to play 'Good Cop' while I take the role of 'Bad Cop'. You can let them off long enough to attend the seasonal holiday party. If you want, that is. Which is totally your call, but anyway.." Rian took another draw of breath, launching into another monologue before Blu could cut her off. "Errrika, I'm not telling you all of this to request forgiveness. I want you to know I gave a lot of thought to my decisions…." She paused. "…well except part about the XO/CO roles for away teams, but the rest of it was pretty sound. Anyway, I stand by what I've done. I have logical reasons for doing the things I did." "So, any questions? Is there anything else I can help you with?" The Trill flashed her most honest self-depreciating smile she could muster as she waited to see what the Admiral would say….now that Kwai was giving her a chance to talk.

Choose fast Kwai: — Send the requested officer down - an android who may malfunction due to the widely conflicting legal and moral obligations, Or — Send another officer down who could follow a direct order without conflict or question, but would be wrestling with her own conscious and moral obligations later? Weigh the odds. No matter what choice you have, you're going to muck things up. Just how bad depends on what you decide now. Do what you're told and hope that Joy doesn't have a meltdown? Or do what you see is the best solution and ask for forgiveness later? So which is it, Kwai? A big "oh spite" moment occurred after Rian slipped into the courtroom smuggling the transport enhancer device. While trying to remain inconspicuous (and how can you really blend into the background when you've got spots?) and yet move to the most optimal spot for the device to work, Rian realized one thing: You're supposed to be acting as the XO, you dope. Executive officers weren't supposed to do this. An executive officer wouldn't put all of the upper senior officers in this position – she would have sent another officer in Joy's place, not gone herself. She wouldn't have left the ship while the admiral was also planet-side. Doh! If she'd been in a private location, Kwai would have smack herself in the head. Against a wall. Repeatedly. As it was, the Trill had been more worried about the urgency of the situation than her newly acquired position on the ship. Well, she'd only been appointed a few hours ago, one could hardly blame her for forgetting. Right? Ha! And she could offer a plausible explanation of her actions. Considering just how close they'd come to watching the execution of the Republics two officers, her quick reactions to Joy's assertions probably preserved BluRox's plans and the officer's lives. Still, Rian knew she'd be beating herself up over the decisions, as well as the moral conflict of the jailbreak scenario for a while. Yes, she felt as if these crew members need to be punished. But even in the Federation the accidental nature of the incident was taken into consideration during sentencing. The death sentence for an accident was extreme. On the other hand, the Republic crew did not have the right to inflict the Federation laws on this culture. It was a no-win situation for the Trill. No wonder Joy was concerned about her protocols. Let them die. Rescue and punish according to Federation laws. Neither decision was the lesser of two evils. All Rian could hope for was that she made the right decision for that moment in time.

I've been playing around with a free website called Meez.com to create wee little animated avatars this week. It's been fun creating a little character - putting funny clothing items together, hair colors not seen in nature and backgrounds. For those of us not techologically savvy to mess with Paintshop, etc, it seems to do the trick.

Updated. Although I'm sure I'm gonna get another crack about the aging of my character ::smirks::