S1E9 The Bright Side of Life

[Olivia Briggs]

[Crew Lounge]

Lek had finished his meal and was sipping his Slug-o-Cola when manager arrived. He looked up at Liv with a friendly smile as he replied.

"Actually, I was just finishing up, so I do not require anything. Other than to thank you for stocking up on tube grubs and a Ferengi beverage. I know Starfleet is rather squeamish about live food. It was nice of you to do so."

PO2 Rayek
[Lounge]

Rayek turned his attention to Mrs. Briggs when Lek responded to her query.  He studied her reaction to Lek's jagged-toothed smile and appreciation.  From what he'd seen and read about the woman so far she held no discrimination but rarely socialized with the crew other than her husband, which he supposed was part of the marital contract.

When she turned her attention to him, Rayek nodded his head slightly towards his empty cup, "Another spiced chai tea, if you would please."

[Lounge]

Liv saw Lizzie and her little girl Alys sit down at the table next to Lek and Rayek and acknowledged her friends smile with one of her own just as Lieutenant Lek answered her first and smiled back. Happy to hear how appreciative he was regarding her stocking food suitable for his diet. " Anytime Mr Lek, I'm glad they were okay for you and I always believe in making sure everyone has something they prefer or are used too" she replied in her usual friendly way.

Then as Rayek gave his order and spoke to Lizzie she couldn't help but grin before she wrote his request down and answered him " Certainly I'll get that for you " she said again in her usual way before turning her attention to her friend.

" What can I get for you Lizzie and does the adorable Alys need anything?" she asked thinking how cute she looked in her outfit and how even though there was a few months between them that there was another baby on board for Elijah to be friends with and wondered how Rayek would respond to the offer to hold her.

[Lizzie Vaughan]

[Lounge]

Liv saw Lizzie and her little girl Alys sit down at the table next to Lek and Rayek and acknowledged her friends smile with one of her own just as Lieutenant Lek answered her first and smiled back. Happy to hear how appreciative he was regarding her stocking food suitable for his diet. " Anytime Mr Lek, I'm glad they were okay for you and I always believe in making sure everyone has something they prefer or are used too" she replied in her usual friendly way.

Then as Rayek gave his order and spoke to Lizzie she couldn't help but grin before she wrote his request down and answered him " Certainly I'll get that for you " she said again in her usual way before turning her attention to her friend.

" What can I get for you Lizzie and does the adorable Alys need anything?" she asked thinking how cute she looked in her outfit and how even though there was a few months between them that there was another baby on board for Elijah to be friends with and wondered how Rayek would respond to the offer to hold her.

Lounge

Lizzie turned as Olivia greeted her.

"Hi Olivia." She replied. "Can I have a jug of peach iced tea with ice please and Madam here." She said, indicating Alys. "Would like some watered down pure apple juice. Oh and can you put in in a bottle, she still makes too much mess with sippy cups." She paused. "Also, can we have a selection of biscuits, including some chocolate ones. Thank you." She finished.

[Rayek trLhoell]

PO2 Rayek
[Lounge]

Deck 8 - Lounge

Lizzie nodded in greeting to Rayek.

"Mr Rayek." She replied with a smile. "And no, this is my adopted Daughter Alys." She paused and gave an involuntary giggle at his attempt at humour. "I don't remember if you were with us about 7 months ago when we assisted a Cardassian vessel. One of her crew gave birth to this little one and because of her heritage, abandoned her. I decided I could not allow her to grow up in foster care so I adopted her." She paused. "Would you like to hold her? She loves meeting new people." She asked as Alys was now looking at Rayek and waving her arms.

Rayek nodded slightly at the clarifying information - adoptive daughter.  He smiled.  At her comment about a mission several month past, he shook his head.  "Before my time."

As Dr. Vaughan went on to explain the situation, Rayek observed the child.  Ah, yes he could see the mixed Bajoran heritage now ever so slightly.  Interesting.  "That was quite generous of you to take her in, Doctor."

But when Dr. Vaughan offered to have him hold Alys, Rayek balked. "Um, are you certain? I know nothing of babies, I might inadvertently break her."  He eyed the infant as it waved its tiny arms towards him, and looked to Lek for male support in his attempt to back out of the offer.

[Lizzie Vaughan]

PO2 Rayek
[Lounge]

Rayek nodded slightly at the clarifying information - adoptive daughter.  He smiled.  At her comment about a mission several month past, he shook his head.  "Before my time."

As Dr. Vaughan went on to explain the situation, Rayek observed the child.  Ah, yes he could see the mixed Bajoran heritage now ever so slightly.  Interesting.  "That was quite generous of you to take her in, Doctor."

But when Dr. Vaughan offered to have him hold Alys, Rayek balked. "Um, are you certain? I know nothing of babies, I might inadvertently break her."  He eyed the infant as it waved its tiny arms towards him, and looked to Lek for male support in his attempt to back out of the offer.

Lounge

Lizzie turned back to Rayek.

"Oh I doubt you'd break her." She replied. "All you have to do is let her sit on your lap and keep hold of her." She paused. "You don't have to if you are uncomfortable with it, I just thought I would offer." She finished.

[Lek]

PO2 Rayek
[Lounge]

Rayek seemed taken aback by Lek's comment for a moment, looking almost insulted.  "Maladaptive?! Really?!"  Rayek prided himself on being adaptable to nearly every situation.  He was a survivor after all.  To be potentially considered on a maladaptive path was disturbing. "That is your opinion, and you are entitled to it, but whatever way you look at it 'knowledge is power' and is a means to better your situation, whether it be through scheming blackmail, or .... writing a holonovel." His tone conveyed just what he thought of the idea of writing holonovels.

[Crew Lounge]

Lek sighed heavily and looked extremely disappointed.

"Now you are just getting defensive. Maladaptive, at least as how Counselor Maddux explained it to me, is, an adaptation that is harmful. It doesn't mean it doesn't work, it just doesn't benefit the individual. A common example is when someone is attempted to avoid or cope with a trauma of some sort, they choose some sort of substance to bury that thing that bothers them rather than deal with the issue.

"From what I am hearing, your desire for 'knowledge is power' is not to learn, not to better society, and not to become a better person. It is only for your own self-aggrandizement. You want to have power over others, that rarely ends well, especially if your goal is blackmail.

"If you continue on this path, you will never break out of your own causality loop of Einstein's definition of insanity. You left the Romulan empire for a reason, no different than I left Feringinar. The difference I see between us is, you brought your empire with you and I did not bring the Ferengi Alliance with me.

"Ultimately, the choices you make are your own, but if this is the path you seek, you will perforce have to walk it alone as even as another outcast, I find no merit in having power over the others in the crew, regardless of how they may treat me. I would hope you would reconsider your current choice, but the most amazing thing about choices, is that there are an infinite number of them and you can change them. I cannot wish you luck on your quest for revenge, but I can wish you luck on finding peace."

[Lounge]

Liv saw Lizzie and her little girl Alys sit down at the table next to Lek and Rayek and acknowledged her friends smile with one of her own just as Lieutenant Lek answered her first and smiled back. Happy to hear how appreciative he was regarding her stocking food suitable for his diet. " Anytime Mr Lek, I'm glad they were okay for you and I always believe in making sure everyone has something they prefer or are used too" she replied in her usual friendly way.

"One thing I have learned about those in the service industry is they rarely get thanked enough for what they do, and I do thank you for making the effort. I must however, bid you all good afternoon as I must return to engineering. Good day."

[Olivia Briggs]

Lounge

Lizzie turned as Olivia greeted her.

"Hi Olivia." She replied. "Can I have a jug of peach iced tea with ice please and Madam here." She said, indicating Alys. "Would like some watered down pure apple juice. Oh and can you put in in a bottle, she still makes too much mess with sippy cups." She paused. "Also, can we have a selection of biscuits, including some chocolate ones. Thank you." She finished.

[Crew Lounge]
"One thing I have learned about those in the service industry is they rarely get thanked enough for what they do, and I do thank you for making the effort. I must however, bid you all good afternoon as I must return to engineering. Good day."

[Lounge]

Liv smiled as Lizzie made her request knowing all too well what it was like to have a child who hadn't quite mastered the sippy cup remembering her own experience with Elijah. Writing it all down under Rayek's order. " Sure I can get you all of that and yes I remember when Elijah was like that " she said listening to the exchange between her and Rayek. " I'm sure you won't break her Mr Rayek" she commented unsure what had gone on exactly between him and Mr Lek before Lek spoke again and bid them goodbye.

" Well its much appreciated Mr Lek and I understand, I'll hopefully see you again soon" she said then returned her attention to the others.

" I'll go and grab these and be back shortly" she said leaving them for a few moments to fill their orders.

[Rhymus Cleroux]

Hydroponics Bay

Bonnie shook her head and smiled. "I doubt I'd have gone to ask if you hadn't suggested to. I'm surprised that I managed to get it, to be honest." Bonnie took the seeds off the side and went back into the greenhouse. The nutrient rich liquid had already been distributed about the trays so all Bonnie had to do was put the seeds into the trays.

"They should take about a month to grow. It's quicker than normal with the nutrient rich liquid. They should be done in no time." Bonnie gave the man some seeds and pointed to one of the small trays. "You can plant them in there. The majority of the space is for fruit and vegetables so there's more variety in the menu." She paused for a moment and grinned slightly. "Better than stuff out of the replicator. I'll hand it over to the mess hall manager and she can do what she wants with it."

Bonnie continued to plant the seeds into the racks and decided to make some small talk while they were planting. "So, what is the mission about then? It seems to be quieter than normal. It's usually chaotic about now." Bonnie asked as she planted the seeds. The mission seemed to be slow for everyone involved. The time she'd spent on the bridge consisted of her sitting and doing scans which came back with the same or similar readings every time. She wondered if they'd been put here so they wouldn't cause any more trouble for the admirality back home. But it seemed quiet to Bonnie, too quiet.

[Deck 19 - Hydroponics Bay]

Rhymus took the offered seeds, and began planting them in the instructed rack. It was pretty simple stuff, hard to screw up.

"As far as anyone can tell we're simply here to keep an eye on the Tholians. Not that they've been up to anything, mind you. Just for the sake of keeping an eye on them. I believe this is Starfleet Command's ever-so-subtle way of telling Captain Torngate we aren't much use to them at the moment. I can agree it's a bit too quiet, but my idea of 'quiet' and 'not quiet' is rather different from the norm."

[Lizzie Vaughan]

[Lounge]

Liv smiled as Lizzie made her request knowing all too well what it was like to have a child who hadn't quite mastered the sippy cup remembering her own experience with Elijah. Writing it all down under Rayek's order. " Sure I can get you all of that and yes I remember when Elijah was like that " she said listening to the exchange between her and Rayek. " I'm sure you won't break her Mr Rayek" she commented unsure what had gone on exactly between him and Mr Lek before Lek spoke again and bid them goodbye.

" Well its much appreciated Mr Lek and I understand, I'll hopefully see you again soon" she said then returned her attention to the others.

" I'll go and grab these and be back shortly" she said leaving them for a few moments to fill their orders.

Lounge

Lizzie nodded.

"Thanks Liv." She replied before taking Alys' favourite purple teddy out of the bag and handing it to the little girl to try and get her to sit still.

She then turned so she ws facing both Lek and Rayek.

"Anyone else think that this sip is on it's last legs?" She asked. "We're patrolling the border with Tholian space. Nothing ever happens. From what I've heard it's a death sentence for a Starship. This patrol is usually given to ships that are about to be scraped or Mothballed." She added, keenly looking at the two men.

[Lek]

Lounge

Lizzie nodded.

"Thanks Liv." She replied before taking Alys' favourite purple teddy out of the bag and handing it to the little girl to try and get her to sit still.

She then turned so she ws facing both Lek and Rayek.

"Anyone else think that this sip is on it's last legs?" She asked. "We're patrolling the border with Tholian space. Nothing ever happens. From what I've heard it's a death sentence for a Starship. This patrol is usually given to ships that are about to be scraped or Mothballed." She added, keenly looking at the two men.

[Crew Lounge]

Lek's remarkable hearing caused him to stop in his tracks and return to talk to the doctor.

"This is an old ship, but she's still got useful service left in her Doctor. Not unlike an elderly patient, just because she is old, does not mean she serves no purpose. The Tholian border has to be patrolled, no reason why the Challenger can't be the one to do it."

[Lizzie Vaughan]

[Crew Lounge]

Lek's remarkable hearing caused him to stop in his tracks and return to talk to the doctor.

"This is an old ship, but she's still got useful service left in her Doctor. Not unlike an elderly patient, just because she is old, does not mean she serves no purpose. The Tholian border has to be patrolled, no reason why the Challenger can't be the one to do it."

Lounge

Lizzie nodded in agreement and faced Lek directly.

"Oh I don't disagree with you on that." She replied. "It's just that this particular patrol, along with one or two others, are very high on the last mission for an ageing ship list. If you look back at the records for the ships that have completed this patrol, you will find that most of them are retired in one way or another shortly afterwards."  She added.

[Bonnie Moors]

[Deck 19 - Hydroponics Bay]

Rhymus took the offered seeds, and began planting them in the instructed rack. It was pretty simple stuff, hard to screw up.

"As far as anyone can tell we're simply here to keep an eye on the Tholians. Not that they've been up to anything, mind you. Just for the sake of keeping an eye on them. I believe this is Starfleet Command's ever-so-subtle way of telling Captain Torngate we aren't much use to them at the moment. I can agree it's a bit too quiet, but my idea of 'quiet' and 'not quiet' is rather different from the norm."

Deck 19 - Hydroponics Bay

Bonnie shrugged towards Rhymus. "It seems unfair really. I think we've been unlucky rather than a nuisance. We have a good team on board, we could be utilised well." Bonnie planted the last seed in the rack and placed the spare seeds in a storage box. She turned around to face Rhymus and smiled as he finished planting the seeds in the rack. "Anyway, I'm not complaining. I've actually had my free time for myself for once. I get most of the department reports done in my work shift." It felt strange to Bonnie talking about doing reports. She didn't expect to be the chief of science, it was a highly unusual occurrence to have a civilian working on a ship in a position like hers, giving her more power seemed like a strange choice to Bonnie, but she'd learnt enough to take her chances when she was offered one and this was the same.

Bonnie exited the greenhouse and watched as Rhymus followed her out. She closed the door and looked at the console next to the greenhouse. "Right, the environmental system for the greenhouse seems to be working. It'll be the perfect temperature in there to grow the roses."

Bonnie turned back from the greenhouse and smiled. "Well, we've got that sorted out. Thank you again, for everything."

Bonnie looked over to Rhymus and smiled. "Well, we're done here for now. I just need to wait for them to grow. I'm hungry, you want to head over to the mess hall and get something to eat?" She finished.

[Rhymus Cleroux]

Deck 19 - Hydroponics Bay

Bonnie shrugged towards Rhymus. "It seems unfair really. I think we've been unlucky rather than a nuisance. We have a good team on board, we could be utilised well." Bonnie planted the last seed in the rack and placed the spare seeds in a storage box. She turned around to face Rhymus and smiled as he finished planting the seeds in the rack. "Anyway, I'm not complaining. I've actually had my free time for myself for once. I get most of the department reports done in my work shift." It felt strange to Bonnie talking about doing reports. She didn't expect to be the chief of science, it was a highly unusual occurrence to have a civilian working on a ship in a position like hers, giving her more power seemed like a strange choice to Bonnie, but she'd learnt enough to take her chances when she was offered one and this was the same.

Bonnie exited the greenhouse and watched as Rhymus followed her out. She closed the door and looked at the console next to the greenhouse. "Right, the environmental system for the greenhouse seems to be working. It'll be the perfect temperature in there to grow the roses."

Bonnie turned back from the greenhouse and smiled. "Well, we've got that sorted out. Thank you again, for everything."

Bonnie looked over to Rhymus and smiled. "Well, we're done here for now. I just need to wait for them to grow. I'm hungry, you want to head over to the mess hall and get something to eat?" She finished.

[Deck 19 - Corridors]

"I was going to suggest lunch. Good thinking."

Allowing Bonnie to lead the way, they both made their way to the Lounge.

[Deck 8 - Lounge]

Rhymus and Bonnie came into the Lounge, finding an empty table to sit at.

"So," He said as he got comfortable. "What's new from the Bridge? Anything interesting?"

[Bonnie Moors]

[Deck 19 - Corridors]

"I was going to suggest lunch. Good thinking."

Allowing Bonnie to lead the way, they both made their way to the Lounge.

[Deck 8 - Lounge]

Rhymus and Bonnie came into the Lounge, finding an empty table to sit at.

"So," He said as he got comfortable. "What's new from the Bridge? Anything interesting?"

Deck 8 - The lounge

Bonnie led the way from her newly established lab in the basement of the ship; it took them a short amount of time to make it up to deck 8, the turbolift made the journey nice and quick. Once they'd arrived, Bonnie led the way into the room and quickly got a coffee from the replicator before making her way over to a table with Rhymus.

Bonnie sat down opposite coffee and placed the coffee down on the table in front of her. She rested her hands on the hot plastic cup and got comfortable before Rhymus begun to speak. "I've heard nothing from anyone about this mission other than the fact that we're patrolling the border. I go to my shift and little happens, we just get the same scan results every time and yet we repeat them anyway." She shrugged. "I guess it's just one of those missions for science, we have little to do and just let everyone else do their thing." Bonnie paused for a moment and sipped some of her coffee. The coffee tasted better than it usually did, the temperature was perfect and the coffee tasted different, better than it usually did. She wondered if they'd done some work on the replicator. Bonnie looked back up to Rhymus after taking a sip and smiled. "I've spent most of my time doing paperwork and getting up to date with everything. It seemed that the last chief had left it in quite the mess. I'm finally getting the department back to some form of order." She finished.

[Lek]

Lounge

Lizzie nodded in agreement and faced Lek directly.

"Oh I don't disagree with you on that." She replied. "It's just that this particular patrol, along with one or two others, are very high on the last mission for an ageing ship list. If you look back at the records for the ships that have completed this patrol, you will find that most of them are retired in one way or another shortly afterwards."  She added.

[Crew Lounge]

Lek's expression saddened as he listened to the doctor and his response was quiet.

"That is most disappointing. After all she's been through, she deserves better than mothballs or, Blessed Exchequer forbid, the breakers yard."

He took a deep breath and continued.

"Regardless, I must return to engineering. I bid you good day."

Lek was troubled all the way back to his duty station and to quell his disquiet, he dove back into his shield modifications.

[Dylan Torngate]

[Lounge]

Dylan cracked his neck back and forth in the back as he stopped looking around, or more appropriately, off into space. He'd half been trying to listen in on conversations, but hadn't been in his corner of the room able to hear much. Nonetheless, he doubted very much if his presence was noticed. He'd been sitting in the back corner of the room in one of the more dark areas.

But. his time here grew short. He had places to be, people to see, and paperwork to slug through. He stood, shrugging his shoulders as he stretched muscles and walked directly, but not too quickly, to the exit. There was no need to seem like he was in a rush to get out of there. He hugged the wall for the most part, exiting the room without a word.

[Corridor]

Dylan walked down the hallways, no real place to go at the moment, unless he actually wanted to do work. He'd convinced himself he was going to work toward working on his actual work, and for now getting out of the Lounge was a good start. He knew as well as anyone absolutely nothing interesting was going to happen for weeks.

Predictably, the thought had no sooner crossed his mind when something interesting happened.

[Bridge]

A comms message cut through the relative dullness and quiet of the Bridge. An urgent call... from Tholian space. Being on a distress frequency, it was immediately played on the speakers, being filtered through the Universal Translator.

This is the Tholian Colony Estrene. We are requesting Assistance. Please respond.

The Duty Officer frowned, and tapped their chest. Bridge to Captain and XO. Please report to the Bridge. Yellow Alert.