386: For This One Wish

by Keiran O'Sullivan
80630.1200
Immediately following A Time to Speak
Soundtrack: Two Lights by Five For Fighting

-=County Cork, Ireland, Earth=-

(...continued)


"I'll go." She promised. "First, do something for me, Keiran. Please."

His first instinct was to promise her anything. Yet at the last moment he held back, knowing there was the very real danger she may ask something of him that he was simply incapable of.

He waited for her to specify what she wanted before moving or speaking again.

"Stop wearing it, Keiran."

"What?"

She let the tips of her fingers gently brush against the ring on his left hand. "This. Stop wearing it."

"Zanh Liis,"

"Unless it's not there. You tell me it's not there, and this is only the O'Sullivan family crest to you and I'll withdraw the request." Liis tugged at the ring twice before letting go.

He knew better than to pretend it wasn't there. She'd see the deception in his eyes and simply rip the ring from his hand to inspect it herself; looking for the inscription where she would indeed surely find it.

"Don't ask me that, Liis. Please."

She reached up, taking his face into her hands. "This timeline, here and now, is all we've got. You can't find happiness if you won't even try. You told me yourself, when..."

*When I was dying and you were holding me as if your own life depended upon mine.* She finished the thought in her head without speaking it aloud.

"Keiran, you have to let go."

"In my own way," he promised. "In my own time."

There was that word again. Time.

"The very thought of you suffering that way, I," she stopped and shook her head. "Give me this one thing, at least. This small peace to take away with me."

"All right, darlin', all right. Don't cry," he whispered, finally brushing her hair back gently out of her eyes. "I'll take it off."

He removed the ring from his hand and tucked it into his jacket pocket.

"Thank you."

Now that it was really the end, she didn't know what she was going to do without being able to turn and see that he was just over her shoulder, keeping watch.

She threw her arms around him, and held on.

Her embrace was so intense, so emotionally and physically powerful that Keiran reeled.

As painful as it was he returned it just the same, holding her close. Just in case the Fates were so unkind that this was to be the last time he would ever see her in his lifetime- in this version of history or any other.

"I don't think I can say goodbye," she confessed, burying her face into his shoulder.

"'Tis not goodbye, Zanh Liis," he whispered, running his hand through her hair before placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Could never be."

He stopped just short of telling her that he loved her.

She already knew.

"The Steady Hand to Victory," Liis whispered the saying into his ear in Bajoran this time, as she finally released her hold on him.

She stepped back and tapped her badge.

"Zanh to Serendipity." Her voice was hoarse and broken as she gave the word. "One to beam up."

He held his hand up in a silent gesture of farewell; his eyes staying fixed on hers until the last shimmer of her image had faded with the beam of the transporter.

Then she was gone, leaving Keiran standing alone once again in the empty meadow, a man somehow out of his time, still trying to get home.

He reached into his pocket and withdrew the ring.

He tilted it toward the newborn moonlight, examining the interior of the band. Staring at the inscription that she had been so eager for him to forget.

It was the stardate of their wedding anniversary.

He gently ran his fingertip over the numbers before slowly sliding the ring back into place, where it had been since the day she put it on him.

"I'm sorry, Liis," he whispered to the open sky. "It stays."

His hands shook as he carried out his last duty of obligation before leaving this location.

He unclipped the Temporal Compass from his belt.

Apparently, in some twisted way History was now, at least for the moment, satisfied.

They were both alive. She was going her way, he was going his...and the compass had once again gone dark.

He sighed deeply, then reached up and tapped his badge just as she had done.

"O'Sullivan to Perseids,"

[Here, Captain. Are you finished down on the planet?] The voice of his First Officer Ashton Ledbetter inquired from aboard the ship assigned to Keiran's command.

-The ship that Keiran had once named in honor of Zanh Liis' favorite celestial light show.

He shuddered, looking up into the starry sky over Ireland.

*Serendipity, too, was still up there somewhere...*

"Aye," he spoke at last. "Just about."

[Ready to beam you aboard at your command, Sir.]

"Stand by."

Keiran's vision went blurry as he stared into the distance. The ghostly image of the house that once was filled his senses again- even as memories of Zanh Liis did.

He could smell the flowers in their garden. See the warm light radiating from every window, spilling out of their home to light the dark as day came to an end.

He heard again the unmistakable sound of her laughter as she pretended to trip over his feet so he'd think she still didn't know how to dance. He felt the shiver he'd experienced as her eyes lit up, every time he pulled her near to kiss her.

Keiran's skin tingled with the memory of her touch, his heart safely anchored by the weight of her emotions.

The last song they had ever danced to played out in his head.

*If only we'd had more time.*

As despair threatened to overtake him completely, it gave way to a stunning realization.

This was the beginning of a time they had never experienced before.

An old English proverb whispered hope into his ear in the way that nothing else had, through years of stolen time.

"Every dog hath its day."

Could it be that if he just held on, that he too would have his day and be victorious over the greatest adversary he'd ever faced- Time itself?

His mind began spinning with newly established facts that sparked a cascade of possibilities.

At the end of this Jump they were both alive. What was more they were both aware, even though they were apart.

This was, to his knowledge, the first time that she had retained her memories of him-what could that mean for their future?

Could he have opened her heart just enough that perhaps the next variation of the timeline would be the one that finally brought them together- for good?

The very thought was enough to give the man a rope to hang on to, and a renewed sense of determination to continue the work entrusted to him.

The image of their house, which had been so clear a moment before began to flicker and fade like the waning flame of a dying candle.

Keiran snapped his eyes shut tightly.

He was going to hold on to that vision- to what he saw and experienced in this place with his heart, not his eyes- and it was going to sustain him.

That fact that she would remember would sustain him.

He sighed softly as he finally responded to the increasingly frantic hails of his First Officer, who was worried that the com line had gone quiet.

[Captain O'Sullivan?]

"Aye, 'm here." Keiran whispered, eyes still closed so his last memory here would be the one of what had once been, instead of what currently was.

He reminded himself of the age old saying, so commonly used among those in his profession:
'There will always be another time.'

"Energize."
Captain Keiran O'Sullivan
USS Perseids, NX 57871
Timeline Control Division
Temporal Investigations

-=/\=-

385:A Time to Speak

by -=/\=- Zanh Liis
80630.0400
Evening, the same day as Used
------------------------------------
-----------------------------------

-=County Cork, Ireland; Earth=-

His day of wandering had ended just as Jonas Vox suggested it would.

While that bothered Keiran a little, it really didn't surprise him much. He really had no choice but to come here, and face this place again.

He stood in silence beneath the tree in the meadow he remembered so well, and for so many reasons.

Remembering.

Grieving.

He had so much on his mind, he didn't know if he could ever process it all. So much on his heart, he didn't know how he could survive it all.

As he watched the sunlight fade at the dimming of this dark day, he knew that he had no other choice but to try.

He had no idea that even as he was asking himself for the hundredth time how he was going to begin again without Zanh Liis in his life, that she was about to materialize less than a meter away from his current location.

"O'Sullivan."

"Captain." He shifted from his leaning position and stood respectfully tall. "I thought you'd returned to the Sera hours ago."

"Soon."

"How did ya find me?"

"Educated guess." Liis gave a dismissive wave of her hand as she took a step toward him.

In response, Keiran took an equal step back.

"Pretty damned good one, I'd say." He wasn't sure he believed her, but decided not to press the issue. He folded his arms defensively as he realized that there was a much more important question he should ask, as she really had no reason to be here.

"Can I ask why you've come?"

"Curiosity. Vox wouldn't answer a question and I thought perhaps you might."

He nodded slowly. "Sure enough. If I can."

"Well, it's not in my nature to go sending my former officers out there into the Universe with no idea what's to become of them," she explained. "Where do you go from here?"

"I have to find my son," Keiran confided sadly, "What's more, there is a dangerous man on the loose out there who has a hell of a lot more information about the Sera and her crew in his head than I'd like."

*Breaux.* She thought angrily, before purposely suppressing the emotion and casually clapping her hands together once.

"Well, they tell me that Officer O'Sullivan always gets his man. I'm sure that the future is in good hands with you looking after it."

*If only O'Sullivan had half as much luck at getting his woman,* thought Keiran.

"Thanks. 'Tis kind of ya to say it, Captain."

Liis clasped her hands behind her back and squeezed them tightly, digging her short, unmanicured fingernails into her palms to keep herself present in the moment.

She only had to keep herself together a little bit longer.

Long enough to get through the overwhelming awkwardness of this situation. To offer the proper goodbye she hoped would bring the man closure to a part of his past that so clearly haunted him.

"They also tell me that we were friends once, you and I. Is that correct?"

"Aye." Keiran smiled wistfully, thinking back to better days. "We were that."

"Then let me offer you some friendly advice, O'Sullivan. Something tells me that there is one other man you need to find while you're running around out there." She advanced by two more steps, backing him up against the tree and leaving him nowhere to run.

"Who would that be, then?" Keiran shifted nervously, totally missing the meaning of her statement at first. He watched as her expression darkened like a threatening sky. She tilted her head sadly, her eyes speaking for her once again.

Only then did he understand that she meant for him to find himself.

"Bit late for that." She was standing so close to him. He stretched out his hand toward her. *I only want to touch her hair, one last time.*

Realizing what he was about to do, Keiran drew his arm back to his chest.

"No." Liis insisted, "Never too late to set things right."

*Is what I've always hoped for us, Zanh Liis. If only you could understand that.*

Liis knew that the time left for talking was short. This was the way it had to be; they both had their jobs to do. The moment had come to shake his hand, turn around, and walk away.

Frantic words screamed through her mind as she contemplated following through on that plan.

*I can't. I just can't do this to him.*

She felt the tremor rising in her from the soles of her feet upward, and she began to shake as she was forced to face reality.

She stood in silence for several seconds, thinking. Making a deal with herself- giving herself one last chance to stop the momentum at work here.

*If he doesn't look up at me now when I speak...if he avoids my eyes or if there is no discernable response in his at hearing me say his given name, then I will keep to the plan I've rehearsed since the moment I left Vox' office. *

*Yes. If he looks away, I will leave well enough alone.*

Finally, she spoke.

"Keiran."

O'Sullivan jolted.

Though it was obvious that it hurt him to do so, he looked up and into her eyes, questioning.

In that instant, the sorrow she saw in him made her final decision for her. She knew for certain what she had to do to set things right.

She drew a long, slow breath inward.

"Sixteen, and three."

She glanced up, away into the foliage of the tree that sheltered them. She allowed the palm of her left hand to rest against the rough bark of the trunk for support.

The leaves overhead rustled softly in the early evening breeze, in their own way gasping in response to her remark.

Keiran O'Sullivan's heart seemed to beat backward.

"What did you say?"

"Sixteen and three." Liis droned, finally allowing her eyes to meet his again. "The number of rules and sub-sections of the code of conduct we broke under this tree."

Keiran's throat constricted as his mind and heart railed against the meaning of her words.

*God, no. It is not possible-*

"This is where the arbor was." She pushed off from the tree, taking several paces forward and to the West before stopping at the appropriate location.

She looked back at him sadly, over her shoulder. "It was warm, just like it is now, the night we were married here in that variant of 2380."

She felt gutted by the sight of the shock, horror, and finally the heartache that was etched across his handsome face.

"The house was just over there." She gestured into the distance with an open palm. "The wall facing the garden, that was where our bedroom window was." She had tears in her eyes. Her hand elevated and began twisting the chain of her earring.

"You set it facing that direction on purpose. So I could watch the sun set every night." Her voice dropped to a mere whisper. "The rising of the moon as the stars came out."

"Oh my God. Liis." Keiran staggered forward, his hands taking hold of her shoulders. His eyes flashed at first confusion and then desperation as he began to grasp that she remembered so much more than she had allowed anyone to believe up until this point.

"Do you think he bought it?" She asked softly, gracefully wrapping her arms around herself to try to stop the shaking. Her hands came to rest on opposite shoulders, atop his as they remained where he'd placed them.

"Vox?"

She nodded.

"God, yes. You gave a consummate performance, I..." he paused, "Even I believed you."

"Good." Her jaw set defiantly as she stared through him for a moment, to some unknown, unseen point in the distance. "These things belong to us, Keiran. You and I and no one else."

Keiran extricated his hands and turned away, leaning an arm against the tree and his head down upon it. "I'm so sorry, Liis. I didn't want you to know."

"The truth. Speak it to me, if no one else." Quickly, she ducked under his arm. She lifted his face, demanding to not only be looked upon but truly seen by this man. "Would you really rather I'd forgotten?"

Silence stood between them for a long time before he finally answered her question.

"No."

Only now could he admit this, even to himself.

"The fact that you didn't know, after all that we'd," he stumbled over the words as he tried to speak them. "It was killin' me, Liis, but I-" he stuttered once more. "I didn't want you to have to carry it. I wanted to do it for you. For us both."

"If recovering these memories has taught me anything, it's that contrary to what you believe, the burden is not yours alone, Keiran. The blame for what went wrong is not yours alone."

He couldn't begin to fathom what she meant.

"It's like I told you, all those years ago. I was there. I had a choice in the matter each time. While you've been putting yourself through hell in all the ages in between those times and this- that was the one thing you never allowed yourself to accept. The truth that I was just as responsible for everything that happened, and the outcome, as you were. I want you to believe it now, even if you believe nothing else I have ever said to you."

She swallowed deeply, the last of her composure melting away. "I don't even know if it matters to you anymore,"

She trembled still as she reached for his forearms and took hold. Her hands slid down his wrists and over his palms, catching his fingers and entwining them with her own.

"But if it does mean anything at all to you, then it's worth it to me. It hurts," she paused, the same pain he was suffering evident in her as well now. "So badly. But it is worth it."

He stared at her in disbelief as she answered his next unspoken question.

"Yes, Keiran. Even the burden of remembering how happy we were, during the one year that was ours alone." Tears rolled silently down her face.

"You've been through so much to protect me. Before, and since. Given up everything you wanted so I could have the life that was meant for me." She shook her head, "If the only thing I can do for you in the now that we're living is to carry the memories of what we were, then I will hold on to them for all I'm worth. I promise, I will remember you." She closed her eyes. "I will remember everything."

He was silent a long time, not knowing what to do or say. He couldn't begin to tell her how much it meant that she could remember.

That she wanted to remember.

Again his mind and heart dared to beg the question- *What if this time, later down the road, I might be the one who wins History's favor?*

Then, he began to wonder about something else.

"Are you going to tell him?" Keiran didn't need to specify the 'him' he was referring to.

"I don't know." Liis opened her eyes again and sighed, replying with complete honesty. "For once, I haven't thought that far ahead."

The sun was setting on the horizon, and as he watched the first of the evening's stars appear above, Keiran felt his heart would break in his very chest if he had to be in this place with her a moment longer.

Knowing that she knew what she knew- and that she was determined to hold on to that knowledge, consequences be damned...

He needed to physically remove himself from this situation before he did something that would cost them both dearly.

*Again.*

"Tis gettin' late, Zanh Liis. You'd best not keep the Sera waiting any longer."

Liis stared at him, still grasping his hands, unwilling to release them just yet.

"I'll go. First, do something for me, Keiran," she asked softly. "Please."

-=/\=-Zanh Liis
Captain of the Serendipity

384: Move Along

by Jariel Camen
80629.17
Awhile after Used: Part Two
--------------------------

Soundtrack: Move Along by The All American Rejects
-----------------------------

-=Quarters of Salvek and Lair, USS Serendipity=-


"Camen." Lair Kellyn raised her eyebrows in surprise as she opened the door to her quarters. She had not expected to see him, not with all that was swirling around him at the moment. "Please come in."

[[Thank you,]] Jariel signed out of habit. He still had not yet decided if he would continue signing, it seemed more personal, and people had an easier time opening up to him. A part of him honestly enjoyed being known as the silent gardener.

"What can I do for you?" She asked.

[[I have a favor to ask, Kellyn.]]

"Name it." Jariel had done so much for her over the years she would not hesitate to fulfill any request he had.

[[Liis transported to a location on the surface a while ago, I was wondering, if you could check to see if she has left it, and beam me there.]]

Kellyn's shoulders slumped. She knew Liis and Keiran had left the ship together and it didn't take a Warp field theorist to realize they had gone to Temporal Investigations.

"Camen, I don't know. Maybe that's not the best idea."

On top of her own reservations for the Vedek's well being, Kellyn had frankly had her fill of people sneaking off the ship lately.

"I want to see it. Just once." He said simply. "I probably won't even get in the front door. Besides I could have lifted that coordinates myself and just gone, but I did not want to raise any alarm."

Jariel's last statement was meant to appease her misgivings surrounding Avery Breaux.

"All right," She said with a sigh. "But only if I can go with you."

He had wanted to go alone, but in the fragile state he was in he had no idea if what he saw down there may be too much to handle. It would only be logical for Kellyn to be there as well, just in case the experience overwhelmed him. She was a Bajoran at heart, but also the wife of a Vulcan. She had her head on straight, of that there was no doubt.

[[Agreed.]]

They left together, walking to the transporter room. "How are you?" She asked.

"I don't know." He sighed heavily. "There's only one thing left I'm sure of right now."

Kellyn nodded in understanding. "If there is one thing to be sure of, that’s the best one possible. Even MiM could see how you feel."

Camen laughed for the first time he could remember in a great while.

They entered the transporter room, and Camen walked up to the pad. Kellyn checked the scanners and coordinates.

"Clear." She said simply. She set the delay on the transporter and took her place next to him.

Moments later they were on the streets of Earth.

"This way," She said, checking her tricorder.

Soon they stood before a large, nondescript building. Trees swayed back and forth in the breeze on the grounds, and large white clouds floated harmlessly overhead.

This place was, by all outward appearances, average. A place no person happening by ever would have given a second glance to.

Kellyn led the way through the front door. A man sat at a desk before a bank of turbolifts, plucking away at the terminal in front of him. Music played overhead that threatened to drive Camen mad if he were exposed to it for more than a few moments.

"Can I help you?" The man asked, looking up from his display.

Camen stepped past Kellyn and up to the desk. "I would like to see Admiral Vox."

"Never heard of him, try Starfleet Command." The man went back to his terminal.

"I know he's here." Camen insisted.

The man looked at Camen, then back at his screen again. He tapped buttons for a few moments, and Kellyn began to grow impatient.

"Are you even going to answer him?" She asked finally. The man held up his finger to silence her. Camen cringed wondering if Kellyn would send said finger hurtling across the room, but she kept her peace.

"Answers here require the correct question. We don't give tours, at least not just to anyone wandering in off the street." The man said, as a smile played out across his face. "Yes, the correct question indeed."

*Just anyone. * Camen thought, and his stomach began to twist in pain. He thought he might be ill, as the realization of what the correct question may be came to him.

"Tell the Admiral," Camen said with a lump in his throat. "That the Kai wishes to speak to him."

There was a hiss from the bank of turbolifts, as one of the doors opened. The man at the desk went back to his business as Camen and Kellyn entered the lift. A woman waited for them there.

"Jariel Camen, Lair Kellyn, welcome." She said.

There was silence, as the woman led them through the maze of corridors and turbolifts, before arriving at that same door labeled 'Janitorial Staff Only Beyond This Point'.

"The Admiral will be with you in a moment." Their escort said, leaving them before the door.

"But, wait a minute..." Kellyn began to protest.

"It's OK." Jariel said, patting her hand.

They waited in silence for five minutes... ten minutes... Kellyn folded her arms across her chest. She hated to be kept waiting. At last the door gave a heavy creak and opened.

Admiral Vox stood at the entrance, and behind him, a world like nothing Camen could ever have imagined.

"Please come in." Vox said. Camen stepped through onto the polished floor, and heard the echo of his footfalls seemingly travel through time itself.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Vox announced in a booming voice. The men and women filling the room paused and turned towards the Admiral. "Lunch!"

It only took a few short moments, but every terminal in the room went dark. The officers secured their stations and vanished behind the dark walls through doorways the eye could not even see. What was a bustling command center a moment before, was now silent.

Silent except for the ticking.

Vox and Kellyn stood at the entrance, as Camen walked across the empty hall. He scanned the room, looking at the clocks that adorned the walls, including the largest of them all, Polaris. The ticking filling the room was hypnotic.

Vox walked up beside Jariel.

"I remember you." Camen said.

"Of course you do. We met when I came aboard the Serendipity previously."

"That's not what I meant."

"I know." Vox replied, his hands clasp firmly behind his back.

"Why did you come to me there, and ask about her?"

Vox shrugged. "Curiosity. What can I say. I'm a romantic at heart."

"Right." Camen said with a slight roll of his eyes.

"I needed to understand you. Zanh Liis is important to us, and you are important to her. You play a crucial role here, even though you've never set foot in this place until today. Come."

Vox led him to the bank of clocks along the wall. There was a doorway beside the bank, which Vox opened by placing his hand on the scanner. The room curved seemingly forever, with an infinite amount of small clocks adorning every square centimeter of the walls.

"One of these is you. Not sure which one. I try to stay out of here, it makes me dizzy."

Vox shut the door, and pointed up. “Have you looked at the ceiling yet?”

Camen cast his eyes up at the sparkling mural of the galaxy above. He felt a tear form in his eye at the sight of it.

“Beautiful isn’t it?”

“It’s not that.” Camen said, as he shook his head. “I just wonder how many times she has looked up at this ceiling in awe. How many times has she returned here, to start everything over again, for my sake. To set right a wrong she could never accept.”

Across the room Kellyn waited patiently. She saw the glimmer of a tear roll down Camen’s cheek, and her heart ached for him and all he must be feeling to be standing in this place.

“You didn’t come here to look at the ceiling, Vedek Jariel.”

“No.” He said, looking back down at the Admiral. “I feel as if Zanh Liis and I have always been on a journey, and this place is the hub from which it all begins. I knew it existed but I needed to see it for myself. I had to experience this part of her.”

“I think lunch is almost over.” Vox said, indicating that he needed to get his people back to work.

Jariel dropped to a knee, and pressed the palm of his hand to the perfectly polished floor. The cool tile warmed slightly at his touch, and he closed his eyes, committing the feeling of this place to memory.

Standing back up, he shook the Admiral’s hand.

Officers began to filter back into the room, as Camen met with Kellyn at the exit. As the door swung shut, the computers once again came to life, and those inside resumed the task of keeping time in order.

Vedek Jariel Camen
Ship’s Chaplain
USS Serendipity NCC-2012

383: Used: Part Two

by Keiran O'Sullivan
80630.0300

...continued from Part One


Zanh Liis exited the room, and the moment the doors shut Keiran crumpled into the closest chair. Holding his head in his hands, he began to sob.

Vox simply continued his work on Liis' compass as O'Sullivan broke down.

"My time on the Sera. It was just another Jump," Keiran whispered a moment later, between breaths. "Wasn't it, Jonas? You never intended for me to stay there is right. You..." he shook violently. "You used me."

"Yes, Keiran, and we will continue to use you. That is your job. To be used as we see fit." Vox' voice rose uncharacteristically in volume for a moment before he centered himself and dropped it down once again.

"She's alive, isn't she? Or isn't that enough for you anymore?"

"But you knew this would happen to me. That if history was set right, at some point first contact with the Sylph would take place and I'd get all of the memories back. That I'd have to grieve losing her all over again."

"Yes." Vox admitted clinically as he selected another tool from his kit and kept working. "I knew."

"Bastard," Keiran growled. "Now what happens? How can I live this way? Knowing that now she doesn't know me at all, not even just the past few months? At least I had that. Now that's gone as well."

"Does it matter to you that much? That she doesn't remember the tragedies of the past as you do? You didn't want her to know before, and now," Vox paused and held up his hands. "I don't know what you want, O'Sullivan. You're her Guardian, and she's alive. What the hell more can you ask for?"

"So much more than that," Keiran whispered. He exhaled slowly, trying to regulate his breathing and pull himself together.

He wiped at his eyes and finally looked up. "Where to now? Sir."

"Back to your command," Vox replied. "Breaux needs to be dealt with."

"I'd have dealt with him a long time ago if you hadn't tied my hands." Keiran couldn't help but fire just one shot, knowing that he'd been right not to trust the man, at any point.

Vox ignored the remark. "He needs to be apprehended. So apprehend him."

"What about my boy?"

"If the situation with Carrick gets out of control, we will allow you to intervene, as promised. Not a moment before."

That answer was not enough to satisfy O'Sullivan. Still, he feigned agreement. "Aye, Sir."

Vox seemed certain now that he'd reset and repaired the broken components of Liis' compass. He set it aside and snapped his fingers rapidly, wordlessly demanding to be shown O'Sullivan's as well.

Keiran rose, detached it from his belt and handed it over.

When Vox saw that it was still lit, he swore. "What's this about?"

"What's what about?"

"I don't understand," he complained, tapping the compass in frustration. "Your Jump is over. You've been reassigned, you have your new orders. The compass should reflect that you're on the right track." He glared at O'Sullivan, wondering what, if anything, the man was hiding.

"Don't look at me like that, I don't understand it either."

Vox' patience was at an end as he tossed the device back at his operative.

"Well figure it out, Keiran. Before you leave Earth. Otherwise, no good can come of it."

Keiran was once again approaching panic. He needed to get out of this room, into some daylight and fresh air or he risked becoming physically ill again. "Are we through?"

"For now. Your ship should be ready to pick you up in about eight hours."

"Eight hours? Jesus Christ, Jonas. What the hell do I do in the meantime?"

"I wouldn't recommend eating." Vox' tone was condescending, to say the least. "Why don't you go home, Keiran. It's been an awfully long time."

*I have no home to go back to.* Keiran thought. *And you know it.*

"I'll find some way to keep myself out of trouble." He looked at Vox, and indicated the hidden door he knew existed just beyond the mural on the wall behind the desk. "Let me go out the back way. Please? Just this time. Don't make me walk past her when I leave."

"All right." Vox figured that it was the least he could do, for a man who had done his duty so thoroughly and at such great personal cost.

After Keiran had gone, Vox asked for Zanh to be sent back in.

"About damned time," she complained. "What's left? You going to ground me for taking the car out without permission?"

"It's fixed. Take better care of it in future." He handed the compass back to her, and she secured it to her belt. "You are certain there is nothing else I need to know before you leave?" Vox prodded one last time, to be sure.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Zanh cursed under her breath. "We don't have secrets, do we? You know the rules. I'm not allowed to keep them from you. And you get to keep them from me any damn time you want."

"That's the way it works, Zanh Liis." He pointed to the bars on his collar.

"Maybe. But I don't have to like it."

"You never did."

"That is one thing I definitely remember about working for you." Liis concluded bitterly.

"Shall we beam you back to the Sera directly?"

"No. I'm going for a good, long walk before I go back."

"What's the matter, Zanh Liis? Trouble in paradise?" Vox referred flippantly to her relationship with the Vedek. That was a poor choice and her eyes flashed fire in response.

"Bite me, Jonas. I'm tired. Jariel is tired. We both need a vacation."

"Well, talk to Salvek when you get back. By then he will have planned one for you with my blessing."

"Joy. Salvek is the perfect person to plan a romantic getaway for Jariel and I."

"I could ask Reece to do it."

Liis eyes widened in horror at the thought. "Forget I said anything."

In the corridor behind the hidden panel in the wall, Keiran lingered, able to clearly hear everything said on the other side.

The moment he heard her mention Jariel's name, he knew that it was really over.

Things were once again as they were meant to be.

She had forgotten him, and she loved the Vedek, still.

Why couldn't he just be happy about it? At least for her sake if not his own?

He continued asking himself that exact question over and over again as he wandered back out into the city streets, with no clear destination in mind.

-------------------
Lt. Commander Keiran O'Sullivan
Former Chief of Security
USS Serendipity NCC-2012

382: Used: Part One

by Keiran O'Sullivan
80630.0400
Following A Time to Keep Silent
-=Soundtrack: Lost? by Coldplay=-
---------------------------

-=Office of Admiral Jonas Vox, Temporal Investigations HQ=-


"Why would you think I was going to reassign him?" Vox asked coyly.

"Admiral," Liis' lip curled upward at one corner. "There is nothing wrong with me when it comes to remembering how you operate."

Vox flinched. Nothing wrong indeed.

"He was never meant to stay on the Sera forever. He helped with her launch, and now we have need of his services elsewhere. That being the case, we are going to reassign him. Simple as that."

"Hello? I am in the bloody room!" Keiran objected.

"Well if that is the case, then I want to close ranks." Zanh continued, disregarding O'Sullivan's exclamation. "I do not want to bring two new members of senior staff aboard at the same time, especially given our recent loss." She was too angry with Breaux to speak his name aloud. "I have got to have another CMO."

"You have a suggestion, then?"

"Let me combine Tactical and Security. Promote Zander Blakeslee to the job. They've done it for years on much larger ships than ours, and Zander is more than capable."

Vox glanced over at Keiran, who was now staring blankly out the window. Without turning, O'Sullivan nodded his approval. He knew that Blakeslee was indeed qualified-and trustworthy.

"As you wish. Promote him before or after shore leave, up to you."

Liis was growing ever more tired and anxious to leave by the moment. "Now that's all settled, if there's nothing else,"

"Actually, there is one more thing, Zanh Liis. Your compass, if you please."

*Shit,* Liis thought. She'd nearly forgotten. She handed it over reluctantly, and Vox sighed.

He turned to the top drawer of his desk and retrieved a cloth roll. Inside of it were tiny tools, similar to the kind a jeweler would use to set diamonds. He placed a loupe to his eye and set to working on the compass immediately.

"Do you have any idea how much one of these costs, Zanh Liis? Not to mention what could've happened if it had gone off and you'd missed the warning because you smashed the living hell out of it. Again."

"I've...done that before?"

"Yes."

"Yes."

O'Sullivan and Vox both replied in unison.

"I see. But it didn't go off did it?" Liis fussed. "Just open up the almighty supply locker and give me another. You know, I have never really been sure that one ever worked right to begin with."

"Not a new one," Vox replied sternly. "This one. You know it's yours specifically and can't so easily be replaced. I'll have it repaired momentarily."

"Seriously? I can't have a different one?"

"Seriously. And next time, the cost of the parts and labor for repairs comes out of your pay."

Liis roared. "Like you pay me. Can I go now?"

"In just a few minutes. I need to speak to Mr. O'Sullivan before I send him on his way, and then with you one last time. Wait outside."

Liis fumed. "Great. Well, I guess this is where we part company," She approached O'Sullivan, holding out her hand toward him. "Thank you for your service, Commander. I'd like to say that it's been nice knowing you...but I wouldn't know. So."

As jaded as he was, Jonas Vox still winced as he glanced up and saw the look that crossed O'Sullivan's face.

Instead of taking her hand, Keiran chose to stand at attention. "It's been an honor to serve with ye, Captain Zanh. Good luck with The Alchemy Project."

Liis withdrew her unshaken hand after a moment and headed for the door.

"Take care, O'Sullivan. Tick tock, Jonas. I am a woman with things to do and places to go. Don't keep me waiting long!"

------------------------
Lt. Commander Keiran O'Sullivan
Former Chief of Security
USS Serendipity NCC-2012

381: A Time to Keep Silence

by -=/\=- Zanh Liis
80630.0300
Following Unfinished

-=Earth: Near the hidden headquarters of Temporal Investigations=-

As usual, for security purposes they materialized a safe distance from their actual destination.

The building was nothing special when viewed from the outside. It was lost, in fact, amid the towering artificial peaks of the roofs that comprised the sillouette of the city skyline.

As they walked, neither Zanh nor O'Sullivan seemed in the mood to talk, and that suited the other just fine.

Liis was trying to conserve her strength, and Keiran was simply trying to maintain his determination that he would get through this day, no matter what it brought.

He'd made it this far.

Approaching the rear entrance of the building, Keiran keyed a clearance code into the access panel and the door slid open.

Next, they took the tedious trip through the lift system; Liis staring up at the ceiling most of the time, Keiran staring down at his boots. She felt like she was ready to jump out of her skin, just from the sheer amount of energy radiating from the man toward her.

At last they stepped through the final doorway, and back into the dark world they both knew so well, memory resequencing notwithstanding.

Keiran strode ahead of her as Liis paused in the grand lobby. No matter how many times she came here, the view always had the same effect on her.

"The Admiral is waiting for you," An escort approached, ready to take them to Vox, it seemed. "I'm Ensign Landry Steele, it's a pleasure to meet you both," Vox' assistant offered sincerely. "I've heard so much about you."

Even as she smiled at O'Sullivan, Landry's eyes narrowed a bit as she surveyed Captain Zanh Liis. *So, this is the nightmare,* Landry thought. *She doesn't look so tough...*

She decided to take the friendly approach.

"Is there anything I can get for you, Captain? Commander? Coffee? Or another beverage perhaps,"

"We are not here for the f**king mid-morning tea service, Ensign." Zanh snapped, her nerves fraying more by the second. "Vox. Now."

*Okay, so maybe she is that tough.* Landry reconsidered. "Yes, Sir. Right this way. He wants to see you together, then one at a time."

"How much time does he think I have?" Zanh snarled back.

"Is that some sort of joke, Sir?"

"Absolutely not."

"Sorry, Sir." They reached the lobby outside Vox' office and Landry paused. "I'll be right back."

Keiran looked up at the ceiling and whistled softly, shaking his head. "We have logged a lot of time in this hallway waiting to go into that room. Sure brings back memories."

Liis stared at him blankly, blinking rapidly. "Does it?"

"Aye. Does at that." Keiran wished he hadn't said anything and changed tack. "For myself, anyway. Don't worry, Captain Zanh. This will all be over soon." Keiran offered the reassurance more to soothe his own nerves than for any other reason. *Yes. It'll all be over soon.*

Ensign Steele reappeared, gesturing for them to follow. "If you please,"

"Thank ya, Landry." Keiran said softly, with sincerity.

*At least HE has manners...* Landry thought even as she smiled up at O'Sullivan. *Unlike that stone cold biotch...*

"Anytime, Sir." She answered O'Sullivan before she turned to Vox. "Captain Zanh and Commander O'Sullivan, Admiral,"

Landry was happy to part company with at least half of the visiting duo at this point and she begged Vox' permission to leave without uttering another word.

"Thank you, Landry. You may go."

*Thank GOD...*

"Thank you, Sir." The doors closed behind her, and Liis and Keiran turned their full attention to the man behind the desk.

"So." Vox said, sitting down again in his chair and clasping his hands atop the surface. "How is everyone doing this fine Monday morning?"

"Wonderful!" Liis replied, rolling her eyes. "Never better! How the hell do you think we are, Jonas? We just got through serving as lab rats for some self-important culture of meddling telepaths. I wouldn't recommend it."

"You'll forgive the Captain, Sir? She's is still quite exhausted. She's here AMA, after all," O'Sullivan began.

"I know that. I'm the one who demanded it." Vox cut him off short. "Have a seat, Keiran."

He wanted to observe Liis' behavior in O'Sullivan's company, without Keiran speaking up to defend her every second, as was his habit for more years than Vox could count.

O'Sullivan glared at him, knowing full well that 'have a seat' was Vox-speak for 'shut up.' Slowly, he sat down.

"Captain Zanh, now is when you tell me exactly what you remember about your encounter with the..." Vox read from the information Salvek had transmitted previously. "Sylph."

"I remember that I thought my brain was going to explode." Liis replied, staring him straight in the eyes. "I remember that when I woke up, they were telling me that I have officers serving aboard my ship that I had no memory of."

"Officers such as,"

"Such as him." Zanh said, jerking a thumb in O'Sullivan's direction. Keiran felt a knife twisting in his stomach as she talked of him as though he was, and always had been, a complete stranger.

"Lt. Commander O'Sullivan." Vox prompted.

"Yes. Lt. Commander O'Sullivan." Liis nodded to Keiran. "Sorry. I may seem a little off my game but I don't like it when I am told by everyone I know and trust that there are things I should know and can't remember. Are you sure you have had nothing to do with this, Vox?"

"You mean with your most recent memory loss? Of course not, Zanh Liis. TI has not attempted to resequence you in years. You know that it never really worked on you to begin with." Vox was telling less than a half truth now, and he knew it. But he was, after all, doing it for her own good.

"You don't remember Lt. Commander O'Sullivan coming aboard the Sera just before she left space dock the first time?" he pressed.

"Why is this so important to you people!" Liis threw her hands into the air in frustration.

"I already told Salvek. I already told the LMH. I've already told anyone who has asked me. I don't know! I wish I could tell you that I remembered the man. I wish I could tell you that I remembered working with him for TI, and the time he has apparently served my crew very well. I wish I could," She stopped.

"But you can't." Vox finished. Liis neither moved nor spoke.

"Excuse me," Keiran interrupted, bolting from his chair and into the lavatory, unable to fight the nausea he'd been battling a moment longer.

"Maybe he's the one who left Sickbay too soon." Liis shook her head and folded her arms again.

*Deja vu all over again,* Vox thought, rolling his eyes to the ceiling guiltily as Keiran slammed the door.

As was par for the man, that guilt only lasted a moment before fading into nothingness.

He decided to take this opportunity of a moment alone to finish up his urgent business with Liis. It was obvious she was stressed beyond reason, and he knew it was only wise to push her so far.

"Salvek has informed me about Avery Breaux, and the full details of the Sylph encounter. I want you to know we are all very lucky that Dabin Reece was on the bridge when he was, or the outcome of things would have been vastly different."

"My little yappy Reece? Come on," Liis laughed incredulously. "I mean, you know I love him, though I don't like admitting it in public. But-" She stared at him. "Spotted? Hyper? That Dabin Reece?"

"Yes, Zanh Liis, that Dabin Reece. We all owe him a huge debt of gratitude. Sometime when you're feeling better, I'll tell you all about the day he saved the world as we know it and both of your ships while screwing around with his toy paddleball."

"No way."

"Stranger things have happened,"

"Have they?"

"Oh they have, believe me. There was the time-"

Liis was in no mood for his reminiscences, especially given the current state of her memory.

"Isn't there some sort of bylaw in the code of conduct that says it's considered rude to play 'remember when' with someone who can't join in the fun?"

Vox blinked at her slowly, stopping cold.

They heard the noise of running water beyond the door on the opposite wall. A moment later O'Sullivan finally reappeared, still looking peaked. "Sorry."

Zanh waved his apology off. "No need. Feeling better?"

"As better as I think I'll feel today, Captain."

"Oh, well...good then." Liis nodded. "So, Admiral. While I might not be aware of everything that Mr. O'Sullivan has done in the service of my ship and crew, it seems that everyone aboard thinks the world of him. Is there a way that I can dissuede you from reassigning him?"

=/\=-Zanh Liis
Commanding Officer
USS Serendipity NCC-2012

380: Lost Friend

by Lt. (jg) Rada Dengar
80630.23
Following Betrayed

-=Main Engineering; USS Alchemy=-


Rada sighed in frustration. Here they were searching every square millimetre of the Alchemy for any thing which their former crewmate could have done to it before leaving and all he could think was how he didn’t understand why.

Halliday observed this and after clearing his throat began to form a question, the words however were no where to be found.

Even though he knew he would regret it, Rada reluctantly turned to Halliday and asked "Is there something you want to ask me?" in a tone much less pleasant than he’d intended.

Halliday could tell that Rada was trying to be angry but was more hurt than anything else. He knew that whilst many people onboard had remained wary of Breaux since the rumours about him began to circulate, Rada had never stopped trusting him and it would seem had never doubted where the doctor’s loyalties would be when it came down to a choice between Starfleet and whatever his other life was, that was, until now.

Rada turned his attention back to the wall and the scans which he knew may very well be useless as they would have been anticipated.

Halliday knew that a man just slapped from the dark was in no position to be questioned about the hand. It was for this reason that he chose an observation over a question.

"There was no way we could have seen this coming," he said.

Rada didn’t reply. A moment of utter silence passed between them before the next words were spoken.

"So we can’t blame ourselves for what has happened," Halliday added.

It was clear that Rada’s mind was drifting now. He stopped examining the wall and lowered his tricorder to his side. He didn’t turn around to face Halliday and spoke without focus.

"As Engineers we’re trained to development our skills of analysis. We’re supposed to be able to offer explanations and solutions to any problems we encounter,"

Halliday nodded in agreement and even though Rada couldn’t see it, he could read the void.

"An explanation, however, is something which eludes me now. Commander Breaux, Avery, he was my friend and yet his actions now baffle me. Of course I was always aware of his opinions of Starfleet and especially the bureaucracy involved. We all knew them. He seemed to consider bureaucracy to be both Starfleet’s master and captor. Yet how he could do this now is beyond my comprehension.

"For more years than I have lived, Avery had dreamt of serving as the Chief Medical Officer on a Starship. It was a common point of discussion when I first met the man. A dream he never let out of his sight. Finally, he had obtained the position here on the Sera and it seems he was willing to give it all away in a heartbeat."

Rada shook his head, reminding himself that he really must stop having these little chats with Halliday.

He turned to the man and apologized. "I’m sorry. I’m sure if Avery were here he’d be able to put it much more poetically that I can."

Halliday laughed a little remembering Breaux’s poetic nature, it was not exactly standard to an Engineer. Rada however was not laughing and he internally scalded himself now, thinking that in his time as Chief Engineer Avery was allowed a disgusting amount of access to Starfleet’s most precious resources.

He had a million chances to plant a monitoring device were it his goal to spy on them although Rada doubted that this were the case. Avery was smart enough to know that he’d not soon be allowed back onboard to collect any stored data and that it would therefore have to be sent somewhere off ship, such transmissions could easily be tracked to their destination and considering the value the man placed on his privacy Rada did not believe he would have risked it.

What really concerned him was that the Starfleet operation guidelines read in reverse gave an effective how to list of sabotage of this ship. These same guidelines had been issued to every Engineer in the Sera’s compliment.

That was assuming that his intention was that kind, they could very easily be looking for a bomb. With the strategic placement of even the smallest device, antimatter containment could be lost in an instant; there would be no survivors and

Rada wasn’t sure anymore whether Avery would even care.

"Where do you think he’s gone?" asked Halliday although they both knew the answer. Working with the man long enough suspicions arise, a certain theme to the political agenda is observed and a position of sympathiser is expected. Now observing the tactics with which he escaped, they could only conclude that it was much more than sympathising and they could be sure now who they were dealing with.

"There is only one place he could have gone. It seems that no matter what happens he’s always with them," commented Rada.

Was Avery the prey with his foot caught in the jaws of the beast as it dragged him back to its den? Or was he merely a man, retreating to the comfort of the only life which had ever truly suited him? That was at least something Rada could understand, a chance to return to a former life was as close enough for most to the very definition of temptation. Perhaps it was a matter as simple as Avery giving in.

Whatever it was, it really didn’t matter to Rada anymore.

*But why now?* Rada thought to himself. It was the timing more than anything else which he couldn’t believe.

"Breaux was now a doctor and he chose to leave the ship at a time when so many crew members were just recovering. More to the point he was once an Engineer and a damn good one as far as I was concerned, that he would leave his ship in this state in incongruent with everything I thought I understood of his dedication to this crew. It seems that I never really knew the man." Rada mused to himself, not allowing any question for Jack to answer to find its place in his words.

"Do you really believe that?" asked Halliday, not really expecting an answer himself.

"Perhaps there was nothing he could do about the timing. They plan everything ahead for months, sometimes years," he added, intentionally not naming the Maquis. When you’d lost someone to them you daren’t speak their name lest you tarnish the memory of a fallen comrade.

Were they a traitor gone to the Romulans then perhaps they should best be remembered as such, but the unnamed group existed in an area far too grey for the decision to be made. Rada heard their name all the same though.

"I don’t really know what I believe any more," he muttered, lifting the tricorder up to resume his scans.

He had looked to Avery for guidance as Breaux himself had no doubt looked to Kellyn in his short stint in Rada’s current position. It was of course the tradition for the Chief Engineer to seek this from those who had filled the role before them, to attempt to follow in their footsteps.

The path left by Avery’s steps had now been revealed and Rada found himself sickened by their direction. He’d spent so long trying to follow them that he was not sure how he’d get back. He hated his friend for doing this to him.

"We’d better get back to work," he said turning to Halliday "We’ve got a lot of ship to cover,"

"Aye, Sir," replied Halliday, but Rada recalled a particular tradition of the Chief Engineers on this ship which he intended to honour.

"Please, call me Rada."

Lt. (jg) Rada Dengar
Chief Engineer
USS Serendipity NCC-2012

379: Unfinished

By Jariel, Zanh and Blane
80629.23
Following Betrayed

-=Personal Quarters of the Captain=-


Camen jumped, startled at the sound of the door opening. He had been so lost in his own thoughts he completely forgot she might show up.

He didn't know why she hadn't wanted him to come to Sickbay, though he had theorized in his own mind.

The last time they had really had a chance to speak he had walked out on her, too hurt and jealous to look her in the eye. Perhaps she was angry with him, or thought he was angry with her, or perhaps she just didn't want anything to do with him anymore.

He saw her and nearly blurted out "I love you", but the words caught in his throat. He was too self-conscious suddenly to reveal that he could speak.

[[Do you want me to leave?]]

"No." She said simply. "I have to take care business on Earth. I can’t begin to discuss anything with you before then. I'll be back."

[[TI?]]

"Yeah."

He wanted so badly to go with her and see this place that had had such an effect on everything she was. That was neither possible nor appropriate right now, however. She needed her space to deal with whatever it was they wanted her for.

He didn't even know what she remembered at this point, and could not even stand to ask. She was obviously in a hurry to get this meeting over with, and he would wait till her mind was clear before speaking with her. She had promised she would be back, and that was all he could have ever asked her for right now.

Her hands shook for an instant as she reached into the closet and they brushed against all his shirts hanging neatly there, as they always did. She bit her lip and reached deeper inside, beyond them.

She needed to find her Temporal Compass. It wasn't where it was supposed to be.

"Camen, do you know where it is?" She did not have to specify what ‘it’ was.

[[Yes,]] He moved over to the coffee table and picked up what remained of the device, handing it to her. [[I found it on the floor when I came home.]] The word home was painful to sign, and he couldn’t even fathom speaking it. Did she still consider this his home?

Their home?

[[It’s broken,]] he warned.

Liis shrugged. ”Well that probably happened when I smashed it against the wall.”

He knew better than to ask.

Liis had gone around the corner and into the shower and Camen paced the room, waiting for her return. When she appeared again some time later, she was wearing her civilian clothing- dressed all in black with her favorite leather jacket and boots to match.

The biggest shock was that when she reappeared, her hair was several shades darker than it had been when she'd gone into the bathroom; restored to the pitch black he remembered from so many years before.

From childhood.

She noticed the expression on his face as she ran her hands through it to work out the knots and shrugged once more. "Black. Like my mood."

*Dark angel,* he thought. Her earring jingled softly as she walked, and Camen closed his eyes. *Steady, man...*

[[Liis, do you want me to throw a few things into a bag for you?]]

“No.” She blurted curtly, adding “Thank you.” She knew that if she were gone longer than a few hours, TI would take care of anything she had in the way of physical needs for food, clothing or shelter.

She tucked the broken halves of the compass into her jacket pocket, clipped a phaser to her belt where it could not be seen, and turned toward the door.

Camen knocked on the table to get her attention.

[[Are you certain you’ll be coming home?]] he signed weakly. It was a question about her heart, not her location.

Before she could form the words to try to answer, Salvek rang the bell.

“We’re not finished here.”

That sentence was all she had the energy to offer him as she walked past him without stopping and wordlessly followed Salvek down the hall.

“I hope not,” Camen said aloud to the empty room after she’d gone.

-=Transporter Room=-


O'Sullivan arrived ahead of schedule by a few minutes and was glad to find TC Blane standing by, chatting with the crewman at the controls.

Feeling he had something left he needed to say to Blane, Keiran asked the transporter op to step out for a moment.

The crewman looked to TC for approval, and Blane gave it in the form of a single nod.

Once they were alone, Keiran looked at Blane with a mixture of genuine respect and admiration. "You're a hell of a man, Thomas Blane. I'm honored to have served with you."

TC frowned. "You make it sound like a thing of the past."

"Only because it is." Keiran replied wistfully. He held his hand out toward the Sera's second officer.

"Next time you're good and hungry, you ought to know that a six course meal including Prime Rib, lobster, and a bottle of London's finest reserve is bought, paid for and waiting for you at Illusions. It's the least I could do. I owe you one, Blane. Thank you for all you did that unfortunate evening that I would like so much to forget."

TC accepted O'Sullivan's hand and shook it firmly.

“Next time I’ll be the one to get shit faced and silly.” He nodded. “May the wind keep your sails full and calm waters prevail for your future.”

"Same to ya, Blane."

Zanh Liis entered the room, a storm cloud in humanoid form as she blew past Blane without making eye contact with him. She stepped up onto the transporter and folded her arms impatiently.. "Let's get this over with, shall we?"

"I'll be right behind ya, Captain, please, wait for me at the other end? I just need a moment longer." Keiran asked.

Liis seemed unaffected by the request. "Whatever. Salvek, just send me already."

The three men watched as she vanished, then they were in the room alone.

"Salvek, Blane," Keiran locked eyes with each man in turn. "I'm chargin' ye with a very important duty. In my absence, just promise me that you'll look after her."

"Always have," TC reassured him, "Always will."

Salvek merely nodded.

Keiran took his place and looked around the Sera's transporter room for what he believed to be the last time. "My gratitude, to you both. Energize."


-------------------

Jariel Camen
Ship’s Chaplain
USS Serendipity NCC-2012


and

Zanh Liis
Commanding Officer
USS Serendipity NCC-2012

and


Commander TC Blane
Second Officer
USS Serendipity NCC-2012

378: Quite a Welcome

by Avery Breaux
80629.23
Following Red Sky at Morning

-=Maquis Transport Ship=-


Breaux had materialized on the pad of the small transport and was greeted by several grins from those he'd worked with years ago. "Where is she?" he asked pointedly.

Dalak spoke first, as was his way, having spent many years in the Bajoran Resistance, he was no wallflower, "First tell us why?"

Breaux shot him a glance as Bollar answered Avery's question, "Earth. Rome. She's in Rome."

Breaux heard Bollar but stepped closer to Dalak, "Is that a challenge of some sort? Because all I really want to do is get to Rome. She called, I'm answering, what's the mystery?" Breaux's face bore no expression and he began to remove his Starfleet tunic as he spoke.

Dalak leaned his head back slightly, "Why would you give up your position in Starfleet after all these years? We understood you to have turned...turncoat."

The transport had already begun its escape from the Sera.

Breaux began laughing as he quickly changed into civilian clothes. Clothes that Alessa brought for him. He continued to laugh and finally Dalak interceded, "Why? We all want to know."

Breaux immediately became silent and stood face to face with Dalak, "We? We want to know? Or just you Dalak? It was you as I recall who had issues with the way I handled Bellus Prime." Breaux grinned widely, "So is it we? Or just you?"

Breaux sensed Alessa stepping forward, he hadn't even greeted her properly, but time was of the essence.It would always be the case now. Avery held up a hand to slow her progress; he didn't want the showdown interrupted.

"We? Or you?" Breaux asked again.

Dalak tensed, "I want to know."

Breaux began laughing which eased the tension in the small cabin considerably.

"That's good. I was afraid you'd lost your fire. I mean, it's been years...I thought you might have gone soft!" He continued to laugh as he slid on the second boot.

"Dalak, you always keep us guessing." He laughed again as he stood, "Sometimes we thought you were always striving for power among our cells."

Dalak interrupted, "She is stupid...Nolan should have known better to immerse herself in this."

Breaux continued to laugh, "Oh, she's pig-headed...and fiery, and all that, and yes, she probably..."

Dalak poked a finger in Breaux's chest, "We will not be led around the galaxy by her. She is not more important than our cause."

Breaux could barely catch his breath he was laughing so hard, "Yes! Yes! This is the welcome I was hoping for, it's just as I foresaw," he laughed and stamped one foot on the ground, "Yes, Dalak. Thank you for reminding me of one of the most important aspects of espionage,"

Breaux drove his fist into Dalak's forehead which sent the man reeling into the bulkhead.

There was no longer any laughter filling the cabin.

Blood rushed from the gash above the Bajoran's nose and ran profusely down the front of his shirt.

Avery stood over him, "I know it's been a while, but one of the things about this business, is that you never, never trust anyone...You are an idiot. We put you off the first chance we have. You've always been an idiot, and you should never touch any of us.Don't question us. And don't stand up."

Dalak of course bounced to his feet which only resulted in Breaux pummeling him until Dalak could stand no longer and lay on the bloodied deck writhing in pain. His groans were inaudible and relentless.

Breaux headed to the front of the cabin where he met with Warren, an old friend. "Warren!" They clasped hands and Breaux fell into the co-pilot seat. "Still playing hide and seek with the Federation??" Breaux quizzed playfully.

"They make it easy," responded his old friend. "Glad you're back." Without missing a beat, he added, "We'll make sure Angela is safe."

Breaux nodded.

The lime-green light on the center console illuminated showing an airlock opening, and as quickly as it had gone green, it shone red.

Breaux looked up, "What?"

Alessa came to the front of the vessel with Avery and Warren. "Dalak. Check the rear monitor."

Breaux quickly snapped on the rear viewing monitor and saw Dalak's lifeless body turning like a leaf as it fell behind their vessel. He'd gone out the airlock.

Breaux quickly turned to Alessa. She answered his look, as she passively stared out the front portal, "He must have attacked Bollar."

Avery spun around in his chair and saw Bollar walking toward them in the small passageway that ran from the rear compartment to the pilot compartment. Bollar spoke first, "Dalak got off sooner than expected."

Breaux was about to question him, but Bollar saved him the trouble.

"Avery, there's been a lot of water under the bridge. It's not you."

Avery turned slowly in his chair, Alessa putting an arm around him and resting her head on his shoulder.

Breaux thought of Angela, and his contacts in Rome.

=====
Avery Breaux
Maquis

377: Betrayed

80629.19
by Lair Kellyn
Following Red Sky at Morning
Soundtrack: Joining You by Alanis Morrisette
-------------------------------

-=Main Engineering, USS Serendipity=-


Rada Dengar, who had been running around the ship like a madman trying to coordinate repairs in addition to performing them himself, hurried into Main Engineering.

The moment he saw the look on Kellyn's face, he didn't have to ask what was wrong. He only knew that whatever it was, it was terribly, terribly wrong.

"It's Avery." Kellyn said softly, unable to look at Rada for fear of losing her tenuous hold on her composure, and her temper.

"His command codes were locked out of the Alchemy the moment he left the ship on his last...adventure," Rada offered helpfully, and Kellyn nodded.

"But his Sera codes..."

"He could have found a work-around. Yes." Rada said without hesitation, knowing the skills of the man in question. He knew what Starfleet would ask of him before they even sent the order, and immediately Dengar began gathering a team- for inspection, and potential damage control.

"Alchemy first!" Kellyn called, running out the door, heading for the bridge. "Alchemy always has to come first!"

Kellyn hailed Salvek before even reaching the bridge. "Breaux is the one who transported, and I'd bet my life he's not coming back."

Salvek knew already that whomever had left had no intention of returning.

By the time he had commanded use of the tractor beam to stop the plummeting transport ship from leaving, it was too late. Breaux's timing had been impeccable. He took advantage of a split second of weakness, when everyone was tired and Sera's defenses were strained to the point that by the time they figured out what was happening, it was too late to stop it.

[Acknowledged.] Salvek folded his hands and brought his index fingers to his lips, as everyone on the bridge sat in stunned silence. [You have the bridge, Mr. Blane.] Salvek bolted from the command chair after a moment, heading into Zanh Liis' Ready Room.

He secured a channel and requested a link to Admiral Vox. He stewed silently as he waited...how was he going to break this news to the Captain? She'd had such high hopes for the man...

[Salvek, what's going on up there? We suddenly have klaxons and alarms ringing off the hook down here.]

"It would seem, Admiral, that your plan to use Avery Breaux to Starfleet's advantage has backfired. He has vanished, taking along with him everything he learned aboard this ship about The Alchemy Project and our crew."

[Goddamn it,] Vox pounded his fist once against his desk. He would never have admitted it to anyone but the first thing that came to his mind was the fact that Keiran O'Sullivan had sternly warned him against trying to turn Breaux back to the 'light'. Keiran had predicted it would fail, and once again the Security Chief's instincts had been dead on.

Breaux would not buckle under, not for Starfleet, not for anything or anyone. He was what he was- a rogue- and a brilliant one at that.

[First thing I want you to do is sweep the Alchemy for anything that shouldn't be aboard. Then we're going to have to put Sera into lockdown and go over her with a fine tooth comb to be certain that the doctor's engineering alter-ego did not leave any lovely parting gifts designated to go off later.]

Explosives were the last of Vox' worries as to what Breaux may have planted- his worry was surveillance equipment or tracking devices.

"I will put our engineering team on it immediately, Admiral. What do you want us to do after that?"

[We will send a team aboard to debrief the crew concerning their experiences with your telepathic Healer friends. Then, we will release the crew for a few weeks shore leave until we can be certain that it's safe for Sera to resume her mission.]

"What of the Alchemy during that time?"

[We'll send her somewhere. For some reason. I don't care, make one up. Just get keep her and Sera apart for the time being. Perfect chance for you to test out the repairs to the Transwarp drive that Kellyn has worked so hard on.]

In truth Salvek looked forward to the chance to test the limits of the Alchemy once again, so he offered no argument. Before he could ask his next question, Vox continued.

[Pick a destination and then as many as can fit are welcome to go with you if they choose. Otherwise they are free to do as they wish until they receive the recall order. I would estimate between sixteen and twenty days until the Sera is ready to be reinhabited. Tell them to mind their badges and keep an ear to the ground for the signal to return.]

"As you wish, Sir."

[Salvek, I know you're not going to want to do this,] Vox paused and leaned closer to the screen. [But even if it's against medical advice, I need Zanh Liis down here, and I need Keiran O'Sullivan down here. As soon as possible. They know the coordinates. Be sure they bring their...equipment.] Vox instructed, referring in this manner to their Temporal Compasses. [That's all for now. Enjoy your time off, it'll likely be the last you get for a long while. Vox out.]

Indeed, Salvek did not like the idea of sending Zanh Liis anywhere, let alone anywhere alone with Keiran O'Sullivan.

She had been awake for hours now, conscious, oriented to her surroundings. But she had no memory of the man, from any timeline it seemed. The look on O'Sullivan's face when Salvek had stopped in to check on him earlier was one that troubled the Vulcan. He knew what it was like, even as he was to feel pain over the loss of love, and he would not wish the experience on any man, let alone one with a heart as big as O'Sullivan's.

Orders, however, were orders. He knew that of all people, Zanh and O'Sullivan would be the first to tell him that the situation demanded that they carry out the Admiral's request with all due haste.

Before that happened, however, he had to have a talk with Zanh Liis.

Alone.


-=Sickbay=-


"Captain," Salvek greeted her softly, "You are looking much better than when I saw you last."

"Gee, thanks Salvek. Knowing how I must've looked then, I guess I'll try to take that as a compliment." Liis pushed her barely touched tray of food away from before her. She saw the look on his face and knew, even though he seemed typically emotionless, that something was bothering him. "Out with it."

"Captain?"

"Everyone is whispering around here. Last time I checked I was still in command of this ship and..." she paused, her brow furrowing. "I am still in command of the ship, right?"

"Only temporarily relieved of duty, Zanh Liis, due to your loss of consciousness."

"Oh yeah. That." She pulled the blanket up tighter around her, feeling a chill suddenly. "So tell me already."

"Avery Breaux." He needed to say no more.

"Damn." The look on her face told him that though the news was upsetting, it was not at all surprising. Apparently, her memory of past events when it came to the rest of her crew seemed to be untouched by recent occurrences aboard ship. "Vox wants my head, doesn't he?"

"I do not believe so, Captain, but he is asking to see you as soon as possible. He wants you to bring,"

"I know what he wants me to bring," she interrupted. "I had better get dressed,"

The LMH approached as he saw her trying to stand. "Now wait just a cotton pickin' minute,"

"Save it, Dalton." Liis waved him away. "I've been back to the land of the living for hours. You said yourself that I'm 'stable'." She almost chuckled at the thought, one of the few things she had rarely if ever been called at any time in her life was 'stable'.

"I have to go. Note your objection, but I'm outta here. I have to make a house call."

"You can't go alone, I just won't have it." McKay protested. "Commander Salvek,"

"She will not be going alone." Salvek said, and his words worried McKay for a moment, until he actually spoke them and then they terrified him.

"Oh no, you're not."

"Yes, we are. She must accompany Lt. Commander O'Sullivan to see Admiral Vox."

"O'Sullivan," Liis said, concentration evident on her face. "That was the gentleman you mentioned before, Doctor. Wasn't it?"

"Yes," McKay glared at Salvek. "The one that you do not remember, Captain."

"Salvek, I know this man?"

Now Salvek was in a predicament. He had three seconds to make up a story on the fly that would appease her- and he figured that it would also serve to test once and for all if anything about Keiran could jog her memory.

"Yes, Captain, he has served as our Chief of Security since the Serendipity's launch. You served together for a time, before he came aboard here. With Temporal Investigations." He waited to see what she would say in response to the next bit of information. "The alien interference with your brain activity. Do you remember? I told you about it before."

"Yeah, I remember that part. Huh." Liis shrugged. "That must be why I don't remember him now. Far as working with him for TI, they must have resequenced the bejesus out of me when we were done with our mission."

"That is our understanding of the matter, Captain." Salvek replied, seemingly satisfied that she was not seeking any deeper explanation.

"Well, I can't go to the surface in my jammies here and I won't go where I'm going in uniform." Liis explained. "I need to get to my quarters."

"Here, Captain," McKay returned her uniform to her, to change into for the journey back. "We'll step out and let you get decent."

"Thank you." As Liis began to change, she hoped she had the strength to get through whatever manner of torture that Vox had in store for her this time.

When she was dressed, she stepped out from behind the curtain. "Doctor, I appreciate everything you've done. You have Sickbay from this moment, until we see what we're going to do about getting a new CMO to replace the outlaw Mr. Breaux."

"Shall I gather any and all information Breaux may have left in the computer, Captain?"

"Yes. And lock out his command codes, if that hasn't been already done."

"Yes Sir." He eyed her as Salvek assisted her toward the door, she was still a little unsteady on her feet. "My objection to your premature departure will be noted in my log, Captain."

"Aye aye." Zanh saluted him with two fingers, and then vanished out the door, leaning upon the strong arm of her friend and first officer.

Upon reaching the quarters she knew that she shared with Jariel, Liis hesitated. She'd asked that he not be allowed to come see her in Sickbay after she'd regained consciousness. She needed to clear her head, and just try to get her bearings before seeing him. She knew his feelings would likely be hurt, she only hoped not too badly.

"Shall I go in with you, Captain?" Salvek inquired. "Or shall I leave you and come back for you in half an hour?"

"Half an hour, please Salvek. I'll be all right."

"If you need anything, I will not be far from you," he offered and she thanked him. He stood by and watched, waiting until she vanished through the doors to move down the hall.

His next visit would be to O'Sullivan.

*****

Keiran was already packing his bag when he invited Salvek to enter his quarters. He didn't have much to take with him, TI operatives were always taught to travel light.

The compass was lit- he knew what that meant. He would not be returning here after visiting the planet.

He didn't know if he could bring himself to leave- not until the moment a few hours ago when he had walked past Zanh's bed on his way out of Sickbay and seen for himself that no flicker of recognition at the sight of him showed in her eyes.

He had underestimated how badly that would hurt, considering the way she had looked at him at points during the past few days. Now, he was nothing but grateful that he would certainly be reassigned.

To stay here would be mean a slow and painful death for whatever might remain of his soul.

"Time for me to go, it would seem." Keiran held his hand out toward the Vulcan. "'Tis truly been an honor to serve with ye, Salvek. With the whole of the Sera's crew, and your family." His expression grew even more melancholy if that was possible. "You've a lovely family. Always take care of them first, before an'athing else."

Salvek accepted his hand and shook it. "I will heed your words. It has been an honor for me to serve with you as well Lt. Commander." Salvek paused. "The Admiral is requesting the two of you pay him a visit. Together."

"Worry not. Was to be expected."

"Will you be able to manage?"

"I'm hanging on by a bloody thread, man. But I am hanging on." Keiran assured him. "I will do my duty, and hold my tongue."

Salvek nodded. "I will have her in the transporter room in twenty four minutes."

"I'll be waitin'-" O'Sullivan's words were cut short by the sound of someone leaning on his door bell. "Who in blazes? In with ye, then, before you break off the button." He called.

Standing before him a second later with arms folded and a scowl straight from Hell on his face, stood young Ensign Cristiane.

"So. The rumors are true." Dane spat, analyzing O'Sullivan's bag on the bed and his manner of dress. Keiran was dressed simply for inconspicuous travel, in a pair of jeans, a plain button down shirt, and a brown leather jacket. "You are leaving."

"Twenty-two minutes, transporter room three," Salvek said, taking his leave so Dane could say his goodbyes to the man who had become the closest thing to a father figure he had ever had.

Keiran turned his attention fully to the angry young man before him. "Aye. Leavin', I am."

"You son of a bitch." Dane snarled. "Going gets a little tough and you just pick up and go? What is it, a nice cushy desk job so you won't have to deal with the likes of me anymore? Or are you going to retire completely and sit around on your ass all day?"

"Dane," Keiran admonished gently, "My leaving has nothin' to do with wanting to get away from the Sera, least of all from you, boy. Don't you know by now how much your progress matters to me? How proud I am of how far you've come?"

"I couldn't have come this far if you hadn't been wringing my neck at every turn." Dane sounded more panicked than angry now. "What will happen to that momentum if you leave? Can't you...just...ask them to let you stay?"

"Dane," Keiran put a strong hand on the young man's shoulder, "If I could stay, I would stay. You have to know that."

"But why do you have to leave?" Dane bit the inside of his cheek to try to stop his sadness from rising from deep within to the surface where they would be seen. "It's her fault, isn't it. She did something and," he turned away, "God, I hate her!"

"Don't you talk about your Captain that way. Truth be told, boy, she's the one who is most responsible for any growin' you've done since you got here. I just minded her orders, did what she asked with regard to you. If you don't think she has lost sleep over you, cried plenty of tears when no one was lookin', not to mention putting her life at risk to save your ass more than once, lest ye forget- then you're a lot dimmer than I thought."

"But she's the Captain. If it's not her fault, then whose is it?" Dane needed someone to blame for this latest proof that anyone he dared to begin to respect, or care about, would leave him in the end.

"'s no one's fault, boy. It just is."

"If you're being reassigned and you don't have a choice, can't you take me with you?" His eyes held more genuine emotion than Keiran had ever seen in the kid before. "Please, Commander. Don't leave me here."

"This is where you're meant to be for now. In future, that may change. In the meantime, I promise you, son, I won't lose track of you."

"You'll write." Dane said sarcastically, turning toward the window.

Keiran stepped up behind him, and put a steady hand on his shoulder once again.

"Aye. I will. Mind that."

Dane shrugged the hand off. "Go to Hell, O'Sullivan." He stomped toward the doors, not looking back as he plowed through them. "I hope you rot there."

-----------------------
Commander Lair Kellyn
Director of Engineering Research and Development
The Alchemy Project

376: Red Sky at Morning

by Avery Breaux and Lair Kellyn
Hours After By Default
80629.0830 
Soundtrack: Gimme Shelter
-The Rolling Stones

-=Sickbay=-


Avery Breaux double checked the readouts on his computer screen, just to make certain one last time with his own two eyes.

Serendipity was definitely in her own layer of space.

Within two hours the small transport ships would be well within transporter range. Three ships, just as always. Breaux smiled at the precision of the renegades he'd worked with in the past.

Turning the care of the Captain over to the LMH once again, he stepped outside of Sickbay under the pretense of gleaning a different perspective on Liis' case.

He was well beyond the fatigue stage-now he was so tired, he couldn't be tired.

All he could was forge ahead to finish his task.

He moved slowly down the corridor. He'd told the med staff he'd be back in a couple of hours.

He moved instinctively toward the arboretum.

He found Lair Kellyn laying on her back on the grass, tools spread out around her as she enjoyed a quiet moment after finishing emergency repairs to the inner hull.

*Gods know everyone deserves a quiet moment after all we've just been through.*

She beamed when she saw him. Her pleasant approach was met with a solemn look, and she sat up.

"Avery?"

"Kellyn," he dropped heavily down onto one knee on the lawn beside her, diving right into the conversation. With true friends, there was no need for opening pleasantries when you had something you needed to say.

"This struggle with Zanh Liis. The entire struggle," he was referring to his own personal struggle with living in the confines of the Starfleet edict, and the struggles Lair had herself endured. "It forces us to choose."

She looked at him quizzically.

"Sorry, haven't had sleep in some time." He paused and then added confidently, "I think you and I are kindred spirits somehow."

Her expression told him that she knew full well what he meant.

"In many ways," Kellyn replied, wondering where all of this was going. "Avery, if-"

Before she could finish, he had already returned to his feet. She jumped to hers as well, confused even still as he reached out and clasped her hand in both of his.

"Thanks for listening." His grasp tightened around her long, delicate fingers. "Thanks for being my friend." He looked around at several of the flowering trees before glancing back at her. "I have to get back to Sickbay, I'll let you enjoy your moment of solitude."

"O...kay. See you later."

She began to gather up her tools, still perplexed by his behavior. She didn't have time to think about it now, though; the rest of their conversation would have to wait until later. The list of micro fractures to the hull was long, and the energy of the engineering staff, running short.

As Avery looked back at Lair Kellyn from the doorway of the Arboretum one last time, he could only hope that at some point in the future she would understand his decision.

She certainly didn't have to agree with it, but if they were soul mates of a sort, she would be able comprehend his reasons, even if no one else could.

-=Sickbay=-


Zanh Liis became aware of her surroundings. Slowly.

She'd been close to waking up more than once, but couldn't quite complete the journey until now.

She could have sworn at points she heard Jariel speaking to her. Rather, reading to her. Passages from her favorite poem, Locksley Hall by Tennyson.

*What an odd thing to dream.*

Finally forcing at first one eyelid open and then the other, Liis groaned. The lids were practically fixed shut with a crystalline residue that burned her eyes upon contact.

The remnants, she imagined, of what must have been tears.

She was alone.

For this, she was grateful. For an instant before she opened her eyes she feared who may be standing there, awaiting her return. She was too spent to put on a happy face at this moment or to pretend that she was okay- for anyone's benefit.

As she stretched her arms over her head a motion detector alerted the LMH, who was standing nearby and going over her latest test results again.

"Wakey wakey..." Dalton McKay drawled, a slow smile crossing his face. He patted her on the hand before beginning a neurological exam of her pupillary light response and other reflexes. "Good to have you back. Can you tell me your name?"

"Liis," she strained to swallow, her throat parched as she blinked, eyes struggling to focus in the brightness of the lights. "Zanh Liis."

McKay procured a glass of water and held the straw to her lips so she could drink. She sighed, thanking him with her eyes.

"Do you know where you are?"

"Sickbay," Liis rested her head back against the pillow, pushing the water away now. "Serendipity."

"Two for two," McKay offered encouragingly. "Tell me, Zanh Liis, what's the date?"

Liis thought for a moment. Her eyes rolled upward toward the ceiling.

She didn't know the answer to the question.

Her heart rate began to accelerate at the realization and the resulting stress from it, and McKay once again patted her on the arm.

"It's okay. You rest now. Relax. I'll get you another blanket, you feel a bit chilly to me."

As he moved toward the curtain, McKay asked her one last question. "Do you know what your job is here?"

"I..." Liis paused, licking her dry lips again before continuing, "I am the captain of this ship."

McKay grinned with satisfaction. "Damn right you are." As he moved away he asked the nurse to summon the Vedek.

"Wait." Liis called, struggling in a futile attempt to sit up. "Please,"

McKay popped his head back around the curtain, confused. "Captain?"

"Not yet." She pleaded. "Just, not yet."

McKay nodded his understanding while trying to hide his surprise. *At least she knows who the Vedek is,* he thought. He then dared to ask if she wanted to see anyone else.

"Like who?" Liis asked groggily, rubbing her aching eyes.

"Like Salvek, or Mr. Blane, or..." he paused, "Keiran O'Sullivan."

A puzzled expression overtook Liis' features as she considered the last name he offered her for several seconds before responding.

"Who is that?"

As the man she was inquiring about lay still in a biobed behind another curtain nearby, tears formed in his eyes at the sound of her voice and the words that she spoke.

Then another sort of alarm sounded, one that demanded his full and immediate attention.

Keiran looked over at the tray beside the bed. His compass, silent for so long, was silent no longer.

Red light illuminated its face in intermittent flashes. A soft beeping began to rise in pitch and volume even as he fumbled to grab the device and silence it once more- before anyone else saw or heard it.

Once the eerie warning tone was muted, Keiran picked up his combadge from beside him. He cleared his throat.

"O'Sullivan to Salvek."

-=A short time later =-


On the bridge of the USS Serendipity, Salvek was reading an encrypted, text-only message that had just come in from Admiral Vox in response to the rapid-fire bulletin he'd sent to Command. The one informing Vox of the ship's encounter with the Sylph, the resulting damage to ship, crew, and Captain...and informing Vox that Keiran O'Sullivan needed to speak with him in person, as soon as possible.

The Admiral's response was succinct.

[Get the hell home.]


-=Deck Four=-


The distress call from the first disguised Maquis transport came in and the bridge officers predictably scurried about to help those in need. Even as Sera limped along on wounded paws of her own.

Avery moved down the corridor toward the transporter room. He stopped and looked down the long hallway at the flash of Starfleet uniforms. He smiled.

Engineering crewman Halliday came toward Avery, on his way to his next repair job. Breaux raised his hand to stop the young man, "Excuse me crewman, can you make certain that Lair Kellyn gets this PADD?" He smiled.

"Certainly Doctor, I'll see right to it."

"Thank you."

Avery stepped into the unattended transporter room. Making certain the controls were set for his beam out, he set the timer and stepped up onto the pad. Within moments he shimmered into his past life.

The distressed transport began spinning wildly and descending all at the same time. All Bridge focus was on the small ship. The other two transports scattered in different directions at breakneck speed.

The ship in peril held the attention of the Sera's command crew even though the transport was reported. The beam out appeared to go to all three of the ships, but...that couldn't be. The Warp core of the tiny vessel was dangerously close to an overload.

Crewman Halliday found Kellyn walking through Engineering, on the way to return some tools she'd borrowed to Chief Dengar.

"Commander Lair? This is for you."

She thanked him and took the PADD. Flipping it on, she became alarmed immediately when she saw that it contained only one sentence- an old proverb of her people.

"Ideas have consequences."

*Oh, Avery, what have you done?*

Chaos erupted around her as the bridge demanded more information from Engineering about who had beamed without authorization- and where they had gone.

Her heart and spirits sank beneath the weight of the answer to both questions.

"May the Prophets guide your steps, Avery Breaux," she whispered. "We will meet again one day. When we do, I hope that you will remember that you once considered me to be your friend."

With the things he knew of The Alchemy Project, the Sera and her crew...Avery Breaux, the now former CMO of the very ship upon which she stood, represented a very real threat.

Though her world spun out of control around her, Lair Kellyn knew one thing for sure in this moment.

She had to tell Salvek- right now.

---------------------------------
Avery Breaux
Former Starfleet Officer

and

Commander Lair Kellyn
Engineering Research and Development
The Alchemy Project