[Christmas Minisode] Constellation Christmas!

[Jamie McConnell]

Personal Quarters

Jamie had walked back home holding the box Benitez had given her with a determined and quite deliberate delicacy.  She was breathless by the time she arrived and not because the box was heavy.  It weighed heavy by the sheer mystery of it.  All through her small trek she tried to guess what was inside, but could not.  She would have to open it to me sure.
The doctor's rooms lit up as she stepped through the threshold and Jamie immediately crossed the room towards her dining table where she set the box down gently.  Her emerald colored orbs studied the tin colored box for a moment before realizing that she had a personal message on her terminal.  The box was soon forgotten as she realized that it was a message from her husband.
A breath escaped from flushed lips as her entire being tingled with anticipation.  Jamie reached out with shaky fingers and activated the message as a she sat down before the console.  Tears filled her eyes as her husband's handsome face appeared before her.  Jamie brought her hand up to her lips and pressed it against them, almost as if trying to keep herself from crying out gleefully...

Message begins, Cayden's face appears on the screen, illuminated only by the light of the computer he is using. Darkness fills the background behind him, intermittent lights from computer consoles blinking out as personnel pass them in the dark. The low hum of a shuttle's impulse engines is recorded as well.

Cayden gives the screen a tired smile and begins to speak.
"Hey there my beautiful wife. I know it's been a bit since I've sent you a message but work has been busy."
Cayden gives a slight chuckle as he continues.
"When you join Starfleet you imagine flying around on a starship, exploring the galaxy and seeking out new civilizations. It seems there was some fine print I didn't read somewhere."
Looking down for a moment, the light illuminates Cayden's closely trimmed hair. Running his hand over his hair with his left hand, he looked back at the screen.
"I'm sure you don't want to hear about all of the nonsense."
Letting out a sigh, Cayden continued.
"I heard that you were assigned to the Columbus as the CMO. Congrats, my love, though I knew you would be the CMO wherever you ended up.....and soon I'll be done with this assignment and we can pick up where we left off." He said with a slight wink.
A figure stops and taps Cayden on his shoulder. The outline of Andorian antennae are seen, as the figure leans down and whispers into Cayden's ear. After the shadow stepped back, Cayden turned and addressed him.
"Get the team ready to go. We'll confirm target identity and proceed."
Letting out a sigh, Cayden turned back to the screen.
"Sorry about that my love. Work seems to never end. I wanted you to know that I love you and can't wait to get back to you. I just gotta stay focused on the mission ahead and the reason I do it. Regardless of what the folks back home believe, there is evil in the universe. It's people like me and my guys, that make sure that evil doesn't make its way to those that we love."
Sitting back for a moment, he stared at something just off screen. Reaching for it, he picked it up and brought it into view of the recorder. The back of an old-fashioned photograph could be seen, held in his fingers. As he looked at it, the light of the screen reflected briefly off a tear that had escaped his eye and streamed down his face. Turning the image around, he showed it to the recorder.
"This is the first photo we had made together, after you became my wife. I remember that day so vividly.. and that night." He said with a chuckle.
"I love you, Mrs. McConnell. You are my North Star, my guide home. I know it's hard on you because it's hard for me....I'm just glad that we have each other."
A chiming sound is heard behind Cayden and he cracks a half smile.
"Duty calls, my love. Have a Merry Christmas and we'll celebrate when I get home...a lot. I miss you and I love you. Remember why we do this: we go into the darkness to keep those that we love, in the light."
Kissing his index finger and middle finger, Cayden pressed them to the screen.
"Soon, my love."
Leaning forward, Cayden presses a button off screen and the screen goes black.
End Message.

"I love you, my husband.." she responded knowing that he couldn't really hear her.  There would be no way to respond, or at least for him to receive her message anytime soon.  Still it was the best gift she could have received and she took a moment to soak in its warmth.

Jamie could feel tears drift down her cheek, their warmth surely leaving trails before she wiped them away with her fingers.  "Thank you, my love..." She spoke to Cayden's image, deciding to replay his message a few more hundred times before returning to the mystery of the box.  Her heart felt as if it would beat it's way out of her chest every time he smiled.  She knew that like her, her heart wanted to be with him so bad that it hurt.
Jamie nodded at his parting words and agreed....soon... soon...

[Ashley Weir]

[Truffle's]

To say Ashley felt embarrassed would be an understatement at this point. She almost certainly would've worn something other than the tight red dress she had if she'd know both the captain and admiral aboard the station would be in the bar with her. But here she stood looking at her boss and the most powerful person in the fleet. They weren't far enough from her for any chance of not being noticed, she only hoped they didn't think less of her because of it.

[Malcolm Adeyemi]

[Truffle's Bar]

Thomas entered the main doors and walked up to the bar tender.  He placed his hands on the bar and looked intently to the bar tender.  He then asked "Is there a Captain Luke Stafford here?"

As he walked around the room he noticed two gentlemen drinking.  One of them was wearing a Admiral's Uniform the other was wearing a Captain.  Most people would have been intimidated seeing command officer's but as a former Captain he could care less.  He walked up to the table and said "Excuse, are you Captain Luke Stafford?  I am sorry to interrupt your drink"

[Truffle's]

"Not at all," Stafford said. He was still on his feet from greeting the admiral, and could extend a hand to the new man. There was something about him, something that reminded him of himself. The way he carried himself.

"Please, join us," He indicated, gesturing to him and Newberry.

[Truffles]

"Please don't stand and can we lose formalities for now? It's Christmas after all, Captain." Chris asked as he raised his mug of Ale. This had to be by far one of his favorite places on the Starbase in teams of a restaurant and bar.

"Cheers," He replied before gulping a good portion down. "What has you so worn out right now?"

[Truffle's]

Stafford wearily sat. He picked a bit at the mug of ale, wiping off some condensation and contemplating the deep blue color of the stuff.

"I'm sure you heard about the business on the Athena right before I left." He said. "A booby trap left by a vindictive Section 31 officer?"

[Steve Marshall]

Truffles Entrance

Steve had spent some time reviewing the comings and goings with in the bar when he spotted the star base commanding officer. " Excuse me sir"  Steve stood to attention " I am Lt Steve Marshall I was on leave when I inherited this young lady. Short and long of it I have been assigned to this station now in order to look after this little one".

Steve still couldn't believe that he had become legal guardian " So sir at short notice I have nothing arranged her on station. I am even sure that your security chief is unware that I have a transfer here. Just wondered where I start to put things into place for my self and my ward..

[Malcolm Adeyemi]

Truffles Entrance

Steve had spent some time reviewing the comings and goings with in the bar when he spotted the star base commanding officer. " Excuse me sir"  Steve stood to attention " I am Lt Steve Marshall I was on leave when I inherited this young lady. Short and long of it I have been assigned to this station now in order to look after this little one".

Steve still couldn't believe that he had become legal guardian " So sir at short notice I have nothing arranged her on station. I am even sure that your security chief is unware that I have a transfer here. Just wondered where I start to put things into place for my self and my ward..

[Truffle's]

"Lieutenant...Marshall, was it?" Stafford extended his hand yet again. It seemed to be his time of the day for meeting people. "You and your family are welcome. There are worse places for a child to grow up than on the Starbase Columbus."

"No worries at all, Lieutenant. You and yours can bed down wherever you like. Until we get you some quarters situated you can take my personal adjutant's. They're located around the corner from my own dwelling, and it's not a bad spot to hang your hat. We'll sort things out after the holidays." Stafford told the other man. "But enough about that. Welcome to the Starbase Columbus, lieutenant."

[James A. Hawke]

[Truffle's]

"Not at all," Stafford said. He was still on his feet from greeting the admiral, and could extend a hand to the new man. There was something about him, something that reminded him of himself. The way he carried himself.

"Please, join us," He indicated, gesturing to him and Newberry.

Thomas gave a slight nod in appreciation of the offer.  By the looks of it, he could tell that the two men were seasoned veterans.  He responded "Thank you and pleasure to meet you both, Captain and Admiral, the name is Thomas Jett, Captain of the S.S. Falcon"
He remained standing as he looked at the Bartender.  He politely requested "Ma'am may I get, some Andorian Ale?  Thank you".  He remained standing as he waited for his Ale as he listened to the conversation.

[Truffles]

"Please don't stand and can we lose formalities for now? It's Christmas after all, Captain." Chris asked as he raised his mug of Ale. This had to be by far one of his favorite places on the Starbase in teams of a restaurant and bar.

"Cheers," He replied before gulping a good portion down. "What has you so worn out right now?"

Stafford wearily sat. He picked a bit at the mug of ale, wiping off some condensation and contemplating the deep blue color of the stuff.

"I'm sure you heard about the business on the Athena right before I left." He said. "A booby trap left by a vindictive Section 31 officer?"

One of the Bartenders gave Thomas a glass of Andorian Ale.  As soon as he was able he was able to take a sip of the blue liquid on the glass.  During his travels he has developed an affinity for Andorian Ale   which the blue liquid had a tendency of getting individuals drunk rather quickly.  The drink was as strong as he remembered.

Before he could take a seat he noticed the Captain worn from his duties.  It was a sight that reminded of himself when he was in a similar position.  The tractor beam incident was an issue that could wait; he remembered how it felt to receive a constant barrage of bad news and making decisions sometimes you needed time off from the day to day struggles.  The incident resulted with no loss of a life and no one was hurt.

The topic of the conversation was something that picked his interest.  Section 31.  Thomas was familiar with the organization and perhaps too familiar he knows the consequence of going against the organization and loosing first hand.  He slowly took a seat on the same table as the other two gentlemen.

The Freighter Captain was about to have a small statement when he was interrupted by a Lieutenant reporting in.  He observed the Lieutenant reporting in and the Commanding Officer's surprising yet general officer to place a Lieutenant and a little ward in a place until the situation could be sorted out.  As he looked at the Lieutenant introducing himself he spotted at the distance a young woman wearing a red dress.  The commanding officer showed that he cared for his crew like an extended family.  His crew might not know how lucky they are having an officer like that.

Thomas turned to the girl and mentioned "And what is your name, young Lady?.  Mine is Tom"

As he asked the girl he looked at the Admiral and Captain and said "Luke...do you mind if I call you Luke?  Take it from personal experience there is a time and a place for everything...right now it looks like you need to have some fun.  Besides I would not recommend to talk about the other thing, you don't want to mess with them besides they have eyes and hears everywhere...like that young woman in the corner of the bar wearing a red dress [i.e. Ashley]...she has been looking at this table with great interest...and I wonder why?"

[Michael J. Tritter]

Tritter had been focused on reviewing the video footage, he was waiting for the analysis of the faces to come back... On three of the four, nothing would come back, but one would come back with a name. At least the Security Chief had somewhere to start. He would than run their name through the database, they would come back with a lengthy history of theft and shady dealings, which is typical Ferengi anyways. The man knew where they hung about, he was often found hanging around the various Cargo bays, as he is trying to shore up business from the docking Star Ships and swindle folks accordingly.

The Security Chief would than rise to his feet and exit his office. The man still had his phaser rifle strapped to his back and a phaser pistol strapped in a mid-thigh holster. The man was never without at least the phaser pistol, and preferred to keep a rifle with him as well. He made his way out of the Security Station and to a nearby turbo lift. He decided to actually skip the turbo lift and walk through the few nearby decks, ducking occasionally to not hit his head on the bulkheads, as the Star Base was not designed for folks who are seven feet tall.

He would than exit to one of the nearby Cargo Bays, stepped out and was watching various ship crews shuffle around their wares, he noticed several Ferengis around, he noticed one tried to sneak away once they saw him. They were dressed totally in black, and he guessed that must be his man. He turned on a heel and moved quickly to apprehend the man, they would run away from him once he got near them in the side hallway. He would than step up the pace and it took maybe one hundred feet for him to catch up and successfully catch the Ferengi, who would try to fight him and he would push them, face first against the wall, he put his left forearm on their back, running from one side to the other and by their shoulder blades.

He proceeded to secure their hands behind their back and escort them out towards Main Security, he put his right hand on their upper left arm and proceeded to lead them to Main Security. They tried to squirm away and try to get away from the Security Chief, which was highly unsuccessful, he would easily lead the man back to Main Security for further Interrogation and questioning. Once he returned to Main Security, he walked down a Hallway, ending up outside of one of the Interrogation Rooms. He proceeded to pat the man down and removed a small knife, as well as a few... strange items. He than proceeded to put the man in the Interrogation Room, securing him to the table and locking the door. He would than log the items into evidence... Soon, it would be time for the fun part, but he wanted to find the others first.

He would proceed to head back out, he informed one of his junior officers to stand guard and not let the Ferengi leave, as well as to not fall for their tricks. He exited the Security Officer, than made his way through the decks and back to the Cargo Bay, he would proceed to make some small talk with the various docked ship crews about what had been going on. The man had an oddly easy time getting information from them, as he was very good at having a natural conversation with people and getting them to divulge information, his twenty years of law enforcement experience came in very handy with this, despite his appearance and demeanor, he had a unique way to relating people and getting the information he needed.

[Chris Newberry]

[Truffle's]

"Not at all," Stafford said. He was still on his feet from greeting the admiral, and could extend a hand to the new man. There was something about him, something that reminded him of himself. The way he carried himself.

"Please, join us," He indicated, gesturing to him and Newberry.

[Truffle's]

Stafford wearily sat. He picked a bit at the mug of ale, wiping off some condensation and contemplating the deep blue color of the stuff.

"I'm sure you heard about the business on the Athena right before I left." He said. "A booby trap left by a vindictive Section 31 officer?"

[Truffle's]

To say Ashley felt embarrassed would be an understatement at this point. She almost certainly would've worn something other than the tight red dress she had if she'd know both the captain and admiral aboard the station would be in the bar with her. But here she stood looking at her boss and the most powerful person in the fleet. They weren't far enough from her for any chance of not being noticed, she only hoped they didn't think less of her because of it.

"Welcome to Columbus, Captain. Hope your travels here were kind and without piracy that's becoming more common on the shipping lanes in this area of space," The admiral responded before looking at Luke concerning his statement.

"I will only say I am dealing with it, and meet me in my ofice with Ensign Kinun in two hours, though you might want to visit him in his quarters before then." He responded before standing up and waving the one wearing a red dress over. "I need to leave to deal with some stuff down in the cargo bay, but you should invite the young lady over to join you."

The admiral proceeded to leave the establishment and heading for the turbolift.

Truffles Entrance

Steve had spent some time reviewing the comings and goings with in the bar when he spotted the star base commanding officer. " Excuse me sir" Steve stood to attention " I am Lt Steve Marshall I was on leave when I inherited this young lady. Short and long of it I have been assigned to this station now in order to look after this little one".

Steve still couldn't believe that he had become legal guardian " So sir at short notice I have nothing arranged her on station. I am even sure that your security chief is unware that I have a transfer here. Just wondered where I start to put things into place for my self and my ward..

[Truffles]

Mr. Truffles hands a menu to Mr. Marshal and his ward. "If you wish to order anything, let me know." Truffles spoke up before placing two large cups of frosty clear water near them.

"Everything on the house tonight. Free of charge!"

Tritter had been focused on reviewing the video footage, he was waiting for the analysis of the faces to come back... On three of the four, nothing would come back, but one would come back with a name. At least the Security Chief had somewhere to start. He would than run their name through the database, they would come back with a lengthy history of theft and shady dealings, which is typical Ferengi anyways. The man knew where they hung about, he was often found hanging around the various Cargo bays, as he is trying to shore up business from the docking Star Ships and swindle folks accordingly.

The Security Chief would than rise to his feet and exit his office. The man still had his phaser rifle strapped to his back and a phaser pistol strapped in a mid-thigh holster. The man was never without at least the phaser pistol, and preferred to keep a rifle with him as well. He made his way out of the Security Station and to a nearby turbo lift. He decided to actually skip the turbo lift and walk through the few nearby decks, ducking occasionally to not hit his head on the bulkheads, as the Star Base was not designed for folks who are seven feet tall.

He would than exit to one of the nearby Cargo Bays, stepped out and was watching various ship crews shuffle around their wares, he noticed several Ferengis around, he noticed one tried to sneak away once they saw him. They were dressed totally in black, and he guessed that must be his man. He turned on a heel and moved quickly to apprehend the man, they would run away from him once he got near them in the side hallway. He would than step up the pace and it took maybe one hundred feet for him to catch up and successfully catch the Ferengi, who would try to fight him and he would push them, face first against the wall, he put his left forearm on their back, running from one side to the other and by their shoulder blades.

He proceeded to secure their hands behind their back and escort them out towards Main Security, he put his right hand on their upper left arm and proceeded to lead them to Main Security. They tried to squirm away and try to get away from the Security Chief, which was highly unsuccessful, he would easily lead the man back to Main Security for further Interrogation and questioning. Once he returned to Main Security, he walked down a Hallway, ending up outside of one of the Interrogation Rooms. He proceeded to pat the man down and removed a small knife, as well as a few... strange items. He than proceeded to put the man in the Interrogation Room, securing him to the table and locking the door. He would than log the items into evidence... Soon, it would be time for the fun part, but he wanted to find the others first.

He would proceed to head back out, he informed one of his junior officers to stand guard and not let the Ferengi leave, as well as to not fall for their tricks. He exited the Security Officer, than made his way through the decks and back to the Cargo Bay, he would proceed to make some small talk with the various docked ship crews about what had been going on. The man had an oddly easy time getting information from them, as he was very good at having a natural conversation with people and getting them to divulge information, his twenty years of law enforcement experience came in very handy with this, despite his appearance and demeanor, he had a unique way to relating people and getting the information he needed.

[Cargo Bay, Lower Decks]

The admiral made it down to the cargo bay just as he notice Lieutenant Tritter escorting a smelly rat out but he didn't look too happy and neither did the admiral. It would seem the other three stinky rats got away and now it was a bit personal. Making his way into the cargo bay proper, he made his way around sniffing towards one of the side corridors were the smell was coming from the worst.

As soon as he made it into the hallway with the doors swishing shut behind him, his form vastly changed from a humanoid to a roaring White Lion. His form was unique and rare amount the Katorlian, but in this form, his eyes were crystal blue, the rarest possible.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDY2OAjZgio (for your roaring needs)

As the transformation is completed, the lion gave out a series of ear-splitting roar that could be heard from the cargo bay and possible a deck or two above and below the cargo bay. With that he leaps off across the hallway, while bouncing off some of the walls following the smell fo the three remaining Ferengi's.

Within minutes he had tracked down the three fleeing rats but now had to deal with a new problem. Seem they had messed with the doors jamming it. In anger, he roared even louder than before he started to ram the door causing lion sized dents to appear on both sides scaring the Ferengi's inside.

Lucky for him, they were all gathered together hiding in a nearby room, unlucky for the lion, the security chief arrived back just in time to hear the roar and was coming to investigate.

[Michael J. Tritter]

[Cargo Bay, Lower Decks]

The admiral made it down to the cargo bay just as he notice Lieutenant Tritter escorting a smelly rat out but he didn't look too happy and neither did the admiral. It would seem the other three stinky rats got away and now it was a bit personal. Making his way into the cargo bay proper, he made his way around sniffing towards one of the side corridors were the smell was coming from the worst.

As soon as he made it into the hallway with the doors swishing shut behind him, his form vastly changed from a humanoid to a roaring White Lion. His form was unique and rare amount the Katorlian, but in this form, his eyes were crystal blue, the rarest possible.

Note: Picture removed for conciseness

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDY2OAjZgio (for your roaring needs)

As the transformation is completed, the lion gave out a series of ear-splitting roar that could be heard from the cargo bay and possible a deck or two above and below the cargo bay. With that he leaps off across the hallway, while bouncing off some of the walls following the smell fo the three remaining Ferengi's.

Within minutes he had tracked down the three fleeing rats but now had to deal with a new problem. Seem they had messed with the doors jamming it. In anger, he roared even louder than before he started to ram the door causing lion sized dents to appear on both sides scaring the Ferengi's inside.

Lucky for him, they were all gathered together hiding in a nearby room, unlucky for the lion, the security chief arrived back just in time to hear the roar and was coming to investigate.

Tritter had been in the middle of a... discussion, he saw three Ferengi go running and than when he heard a loud roar, the immediate thought of "What the hell are they trading on this Station?" came to mind. The man immediately made his way towards the sound, perhaps against his better judgement, but he was not the type to avoid a situation simply because it may be uncomfortable. He than studied the animal closely, watching it try to bash through the door. He instinctively covered the phaser pistol with his right hand, in case he ends up getting attacked. One thing his past experiences gave him, would be experience to handle these situations that are new to him with a certain confidence that would be hard for most others to find.

He stepped closer towards the animal, he carried himself in a confident but careful fashion, he saw the Ferengi run into the room, the Lion was trying to beat the door down. Tritter knew he could bypass the door, but he would need the animal out of his way. He kept moving closer, he kept a close eye on the Lion as he made his way towards the door. He figured the Ferengi at this point would be ready to get the hell out of the room they are barricaded in right now.

[Chris Newberry]

Tritter had been in the middle of a... discussion, he saw three Ferengi go running and than when he heard a loud roar, the immediate thought of "What the hell are they trading on this Station?" came to mind. The man immediately made his way towards the sound, perhaps against his better judgement, but he was not the type to avoid a situation simply because it may be uncomfortable. He than studied the animal closely, watching it try to bash through the door. He instinctively covered the phaser pistol with his right hand, in case he ends up getting attacked. One thing his past experiences gave him, would be experience to handle these situations that are new to him with a certain confidence that would be hard for most others to find.

He stepped closer towards the animal, he carried himself in a confident but careful fashion, he saw the Ferengi run into the room, the Lion was trying to beat the door down. Tritter knew he could bypass the door, but he would need the animal out of his way. He kept moving closer, he kept a close eye on the Lion as he made his way towards the door. He figured the Ferengi at this point would be ready to get the hell out of the room they are barricaded in right now.

He turned his head and followed the approach of the Security Chief closely as he moved closer to the door. Before the Chief reached it, he lowered his head to eye level and had a staring contest with the Chief. After a few moments of a staring contest but finding what he was looking for, he moved away from the door before turning back towards it giving the Chief room to open it.

He sat down with his hind legs folding under him before proceeding to to watch the Lieutenant with interest. His tail beating against the floor was the only noise and movement coming from the lion, that also showed his amusement. If the Lieutenant looked closely, he would notice the Lion smirking somewhat at him, drawing his memory to an earlier encounter in Truffles B&G.

[Michael J. Tritter]

He turned his head and followed the approach of the Security Chief closely as he moved closer to the door. Before the Chief reached it, he lowered his head to eye level and had a staring contest with the Chief. After a few moments of a staring contest but finding what he was looking for, he moved away from the door before turning back towards it giving the Chief room to open it.

He sat down with his hind legs folding under him before proceeding to to watch the Lieutenant with interest. His tail beating against the floor was the only noise and movement coming from the lion, that also showed his amusement. If the Lieutenant looked closely, he would notice the Lion smirking somewhat at him, drawing his memory to an earlier encounter in Truffles B&G.

Tritter kept his eyes on the Lion as he stepped over to the door, he keyed for the door to open, it only slid open part way. He sighed to himself, he would have to turn his back on the Lion to open the door. He had a feeling he wouldn't be eaten, but he could also be entirely wrong and they could just be waiting for him to turn his back to proceed to attack him. He stepped closer to the door, turned to face it, he than put both hands into the three inch slit between the door halves. He would than proceed to slide the two door halves apart, it wasn't a super hard task for him, but it did require some significant effort on his part, but it was by no means undo-able for him.

The doors slid open, his gaze immediately landed on the three Ferengi, who were pinned against the far wall, he half expected to find a urine puddle on the floor, Ferengis are cowards that way. He looked towards the man, he would step slightly to the side, so that they could see the Lion over his left shoulder, he than looked at them and said "You can either go with me or I can let him have fun with you, your choice" The men looked between eachother, than to the Lion and back to the Chief. Damn Ferengis for being indecisive as well, it took them about a minute to answer with, "We will go with you"

The Chief looked over his shoulder to the Lion, he reminded himself to figure out how a Lion got on the Station, but since they didn't attack him, it can wait. He proceeded to step inside where the Ferengis were and proceeded to secure their hands behind their backs, as he would have an interesting time holding onto three of them, since he didn't have four arms. He would proceed to grab one of them around the upper arm with his right hand and he would verbally guide the other two, so he could make sure they wouldn't get away from him, he used the turbo lift to get to Main Security in a faster fashion, and a more manageable way because he had to babysit three Rats.

He would than secure each of them in a separate interrogation room, so he could pit them against each-other. He had a good game plan in his head, but he knew that this would be fun to say the least.

[Steve Marshall]

[Truffle's]

"Lieutenant...Marshall, was it?" Stafford extended his hand yet again. It seemed to be his time of the day for meeting people. "You and your family are welcome. There are worse places for a child to grow up than on the Starbase Columbus."

"No worries at all, Lieutenant. You and yours can bed down wherever you like. Until we get you some quarters situated you can take my personal adjutant's. They're located around the corner from my own dwelling, and it's not a bad spot to hang your hat. We'll sort things out after the holidays." Stafford told the other man. "But enough about that. Welcome to the Starbase Columbus, lieutenant."

Marshall was taken aback by the captains kindest " Thank you sir" he shook th mans hand " if it's ok with you I would like to get Katie settled in it's been a long trip for her" He turned to see the girl put a hand over her mouth to yawn.

[Michael J. Tritter]

Tritter had been taking some time to let the Ferengi's stew... He had a game plan in mind to figure out what is going on. But he hadn't heard from Harmon or Reede for a decent bit of time, he would tap his comm badge, "Ensign Harmon and Cadet Reede, how are things going" He was standing at the end of the hallway, Tritter knew how to... make them stress out and eventually crack, he knew the game to play and he enjoyed it. He would for a few more moments until he would hear back from the Cadet and Ensign.

So much for this having been a relaxed Holiday, but such is life.

[Steve Marshall]

Steve seemed taken aback when the young girl grabbed his hand as they walked to the quarters. There where so many things going through his mind questions he wanted answering and he was sure she had the same thoughts also. They remained silent as they walked to their destination. Katie felt safe for the first time since she heard the news of the death of her parents a few weeks back. She had shed so many tears and turned down the chance to talk to the many people who asked her.

She grabbed her uncles hand she felt he had questions that he wanted to ask and she had questions to not sure how to broach the subjects. After all he had not spoken. Or even given her any inkling of his intentions. She didn't think he was cold hearted it was to much for him to comprehend. They had reached the room assigned to them and then they stepped into it with the awkwardness now stifling.

" Katie for both of us this is going to be hard" He sat down on the chair and motioned her to join him. She sat on the bed tears started to trickle down her young face, for now it was also to much for her. " That's it let go its not a sign of weakness" he didn't know what to do to comfort her.  "  You don't need to worry about a thing from now on I will look after you from now on" he said quietly and gently.

Her sobs were uncontrollable at this point. She was looking at the floor if she was searching for answers that weren't forth coming. " Why has this happened uncle Steve?" . A good question and valid response was needed but to be honest he didn't know. " Hun I really don't know why this has happened. I want you to know to I am here and together we will work this out I promise. Your mum and dad would want you to remain strong. " A Pointless statement by him. How can a small girl expect to remain strong when her whole world has been torn out from under her. He noticed that she had cried her self to sleep so he left her to sleep after putting a blanket over her.     

[Chris Newberry]

Marshall was taken aback by the captains kindest " Thank you sir" he shook th mans hand " if it's ok with you I would like to get Katie settled in it's been a long trip for her" He turned to see the girl put a hand over her mouth to yawn.

[Admiral Office, an hour later]

A refreshed admiral now fully back in his humanoid form sat behind his desk with a bottle of Andorian Ale and a few large mist glasses of cold milk. He was cycling through the reports concerning a few major issues among the starbase crew. One, in particular, he would like to know if he was going to accept the proposal. Tapping his comm badge,

Ensign Kinun, report to my office, immediately! Newberry out!

Sitting back in his chair, he hoped his daughter was enjoying the presents he got her and wished he could be down there but he had to tie up these matters first.