From: ueh@pool.sunyit.edu (Eric Hausgaard)
Subject: ST: 3GEN [1/9]
Organization: State University of New York -- Institute of Technology
Date: Thu, 8 Oct 1992 04:38:57 GMT

                STAR TREK:  THE THIRD GENERATION
                       on Shadowlands BBS
              Created and Edited by Rebecca J. Anderson

--------------------------------------------------------------------
CHARACTERS:                                WRITTEN BY:
Captain Gabriele Lestat....................Lori Hewson
Commander Jacqueline Picard................Rebecca J. Anderson
Commander James N'Dok......................Tim Ingram
Commander Gwyn Davies......................Rebecca J. Anderson
Lt. Commander Barnabas Cole................Warren Postma
Lt. Commander Nikctalos D'pyrann...........Geza A. R. Reilly
Lt. Commander Mac Scott....................Dan McMillan
Counsellor T'Pryn..........................Rebecca J. Anderson
Centurion Salek............................Adam Gilchrist
Lt. Maverint Slike.........................Steve Mahler
Lt. Konnu..................................Russ Foubert
Moriarty...................................Rebecca J. Anderson
The Wruokior/MuLorien......................Keith Mills
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From:  Cmdr. Jacqueline Picard

     Jack sat in Ten-Forward nursing a cup of Earl Grey and a
tension headache that would have killed a healthy Klingon.  "You
can't have a headache," her mother would have said.  "We cured
headaches long ago."  Mind you, she'd said the same thing to Jack's
father just before that whole mess over the U.S.S. Stargazer blew
up and Ferengi started popping out of the woodwork.
     Jack was pretty sure there weren't any Ferengi hanging around
this sector trying to mess with her mind, but that was small
comfort.  A battle with the Ferengi would be a welcome relief from
the strain she felt right now.
     The Captain was being impossible.  Again.  They hadn't told
Jack about this when she'd been promoted.  Or maybe they had, and
she'd been too wrapped up in the thrill of signing on with the
legendary Enterprise to notice.
     "Can I sit down?"
     Jack looked up to see Guinan standing over her.  "What?  Oh,
yes, of course."  She liked the woman, but she found it distracting
that she had no eyebrows.  It always made her want to take out a
pencil and draw some on.
     Guinan looked back at her with coffee-coloured, startlingly
candid eyes.  "You're very like your mother, you know.  When I see
you, it's like watching her ghost.  Until you open your mouth, and
then I _know_ who your father is."
     "Was," corrected Jack automatically.
     Guinan shrugged.  "Do you see Wesley much?"
     Jack shook her head, staring into the steaming depths of her
tea.  "Hardly at all.  He's got a lot on his mind since he took the
chair."
     "I hear the Victoria's a good ship."
     "Not as good as this one.  I told him he should have stuck it
out, but who am I?"
     "His sister."
     "Half-sister."
     "It doesn't make any difference to him.  He adores you, you
know that.  But he wasn't about to step on your toes.  From what I
hear, nobody, but _nobody_ wants to do that."  Guinan smiled. 
"Wesley's a good Captain.  He was getting too old to be playing
First Officer anyway.  Someday this ship will come to him...but
until then, you're here.  There's a Crusher on the Enterprise, and
that's all that matters."
     "I wish it were," muttered Jack.
     "Jacqueline," said Guinan softly, leaning forward, "just let
it go.  You're new here.  It's hard, but it'll pass.  Soon you
won't be able to remember a time when you didn't love this ship and
everybody in it like your own breath and blood."
     "Even the Captain?"
     "Even," said Guinan with a half-smile, "the Captain."
     "You sound like a prophetess," said Jack.  "I hope you are."
     "Trust me."
     "Commander Jacqueline Picard," said the intercom, "report to
the bridge."
     "Responding," said Jack, getting up from her seat.  She looked
longingly back at her cup of tea (Earl Grey, hot), flickered a
smile at Guinan and headed out the door.
     Guinan picked up Jack's tea and sipped it thoughtfully.  She
made a face and put it down.  "Gods, Jean-Luc," she murmured to the
stars shooting by outside, "what did you ever see in this stuff?"


From:  Doctor James N'dok

Medical Log - Stardate 49801.2
------------------------------
     It has been 2 hours since the alien infection invaded Starbase
133.  Approximately 20% of the crew and 30% of the colonists have
been infected.  I am working on a solution in which to heal the
ailment:  however, all tries so far have been unsuccessful.  The
disease causes terrible rotting of the skin.  I have called the
disease "Annexia" and am looking for a cure.  It does not respond
to conventional treatment.  I only hope the cure comes soon...
 

From:  Cmdr. Jacqueline Picard

     "Hello, Dr. N'Dok," said Jack to the familiar face on the
council room monitor, "and how are we feeling today?"
     "Gads, you're just like your mother sometimes."
     Jack half-smiled at the rueful tone in James' voice.  "She was
pretty hard on you, as I recall."
     "But a good teacher."
     "I know.  I'm sure the folks at Starbase 133 will be sorry to
see you go."
     James' eyes went wide.  "Go?  You mean I've been accepted?"  
     "Certainly.  You'll like Captain K'anrok, I hear the D'Ken's
a good ship--"
     "A Klingon ship?  I didn't even -- Jack, you'd better be
kidding me."
     "We referred you," said Jack serenely.  "We'll be taking Dr.
Saalen on when we get to Starbase 68 -- you remember Dr. Saalen,
don't you?  I hear you and she were great friends back on Delta-
V..."
    "You've _got_ to be kidding me."
     N'Dok sounded so desperate that Jack couldn't help but laugh. 
"Of course I am, James.  Congratulations, and I'll be the first one
to welcome you on board the Enterprise.  We'll be docking at
Starbase 133 at 0900 hours."
     "Jack," said James, "when I get on that ship, I'm going to
take you down to Ten Forward, and buy the biggest stein of
synthehol you ever did see--"
     "Yes?"
     "--and pour every last drop of it down your neck."
     "Transmission ends," said Jack blithely, and reached over to
switch off the viewscreen.
     "No," said James.  "Not yet."
     Now he sounded serious.  Jack sat back in her chair and said
quietly, "What is it?"
     "There's disease here.  A bad one, Jack.  I've tried
everything I could think of, but it isn't enough.  I don't know how
long it'll take to bring it under control.  It may not even be safe
for the Enterprise to dock at the Starbase until I can find the
cure."
     "That bad?" asked Jack.
     "Yeah.  That bad."
     "I'll notify the Captain.  Keep in touch, and if we can help
in any way, let us know."
     "Tell me," said James.  "Was there any...opposition to my
application for C.M.O.?"
     "Well, the Captain didn't know you very well," mused Jack,
"and I had to supply some background detail... but otherwise, no. 
Not from me, if that's what you want to know."
     "The Captain didn't--"  James looked baffled.  "Jack, I
thought your half-brother was Captain of the Enterprise!"
     "Wesley?  No.  He's on the Victoria, for now at least."     
     "So who's your Captain, then?"
     Jack took a deep breath.  "You'll meet her soon enough.  I've
got to go, James.  See you in a few hours."
     "I sure hope so," said James fervently, and the viewscreen
went black.


From:  Doctor James N'dok

     "Doctor!" said the voice over the intercom.
     "Yes, Commander?"
     "N'Dok!  The Annexia has become VERY, VERY serious...
casualties have risen to 500.  And James..."  The Commander sounded
very worried.  "The Admiral has it.  It's pretty serious."
     James got himself a stress injection.  His anxiety levels were
very high, and he felt frustrated beyond belief.
     "Understood, sir..."
     "N'Dok.  You're a GOOD doctor, an EXCELLENT doctor.  Remember?
You're going to be the new C.M.O on the Enterprise."
     "One disease. I was trained on Delta V!  How ?!? ..."
     "Just keep trying... That's all we can expect."
     "Yes, Commander."
     After a brief conversation with the computer, he left the room
to visit Starbase 133's Counsellor.

     "James!" said the Counsellor as he entered her office.
     "Hello, Aliana.  How are you?" 
     "Fine.  But you aren't... What's wrong?"
     James gazed speechlessly into the dark, warm eyes of
Starbase's 133's Counsellor. 
     "Sit down," she commanded. 
     "Huh?" 
     "Sit!"  Aliana was a very aggressive woman.  Not many
disobeyed her.
     He sighed.  "All right.  I know you're going to drag it out of
me... So... I may as well tell you." 
     "Go on." 
     "You've seen the effects of Annexia, right?" 
     Aliana paused for a moment. "Yes. I have." 
     "I can't cure it.  I'm a Doctor, Aliana.  TRAINED on Delta V.
I can't cure it." 
     "James.  Don't be so hard on yourself.  You know you're
trying.  We know.  Just do your best. That's all we can expect." 
     James bolted up. 
     "Yeah?  Well maybe my best just isn't good enough!" 
     He stormed off out of the room.  Aliana's cry of "James!" was
never heard.


From:  Mac Scott                  

     Mac stared at his computer screen with horror.  "What the
blazes is that?  I must notify the captain immediately!" 
     "Engineering to bridge!"  Mac's voice was noticibly agitated. 
     "Bridge acknowledged."  It was the voice of Jacqueline Picard.
What had happened to the captain?  Mac had been on the Enterprise
now for over a week, and he had still to meet or see the captain. 
He was beginning to wonder if the Enterprise had a captain. 
Although Commander Picard was more than efficient at filling in for
the captain, whoever that was. 
     "What's up, Mr. Scott?" 
     "Well, there's some sort of field breaching the hull.  The
usual sensors don't seem to pick it up.  I wouldn't have noticed
except the field seems to be causing strange fluxuations in the
warp drive." 
     "Okay, Mr. Scott.  Give us a full analysis and report in one
hour.  Bridge out."


From:  Captain Gabriele Lestat      

     Captain Lestat was standing in the doorway of her Ready Room
and the Bridge.  She'd heard the conversation between Mr. Scott and
Commander Picard.  No one seemed to notice her, and that's the way
it seemed to have been ever since she arrived at her new command.
     She knew very well the capabilities of her First Officer, and
was comfortable enought to leave her the Comm. for the time being. 
It took time for a crew to become used to a new Captain, and a new 
ship.  Most of the Enterprises compliment was made up of new but
competent crew members.  Captain Gabriele Lestat felt it best to
stand back and observe the workings of the new crew, and their 
relationship with their new 'home', the proud flagship of the 
Federation.  If the crew knew they were being observed, or even 
aware that their new Captain was assessing them, they would be
stiff and possibly too eager to please, thus not show her a proper 
sampling of their behavior.
     However, Gabriele was both impressed and disappointed with her
new First Officer.  True, her capabilities were outstanding--they
would have to be--yet the tension between them would be a source of
great stress for both of them, if not resolved soon.  Professional
respect was one thing, but the relationship between Captain and
First Officer would have to be one of total trust and an almost
single mind to be shared.  At least, that was her opinion. 
     Gabriele had not gone through Starfleet through the 
command channels, but the sciences.  For three years, she served
aboard the U.S.S. Excalibur as C.M.O. before making the difficult
transfer from Blue to Red.  She had even had the honour of meeting
Dr. Crusher, her First Officer's mother.  Jacqueline was very much
like her mother, and much like Gabriele herself, perhaps that was
part of their problem. 
     "Commander Picard," she said in an authoritative voice.  The
Commander turned to her, momentarily surprised at her presence.
     "Yes, Ma'am?" she replied. 
     "Can I see you in my Ready Room please?"  Gabriele gave the
Bridge to Lieutenant Berringer, and headed into the Ready Room. 
Jack followed.


From:  Cmdr. Jacqueline Picard

     "How may I help you, Captain?" said Jack.  She stood before
Lestat's desk, head held high, legs braced and hands behind her
back in formal salute.
     Gabriele shook her head ruefully.  "At ease, Number One.  If
there's anyone on this whole ship who should be able to relax in
the presence of their Captain, it's you."
     Jack let her hands drop to her sides, and assumed a more
comfortable position.  "As you wish, ma'am."
     "Please, don't call me ma'am," said Gabriele.  "You make me
sound like Queen Victoria."
     A ghost of a smile touched Jack's lips.  So the Captain had a
sense of humour after all.  Perhaps she had judged this woman too
harshly.  She wasn't ordinarily the type to jump to conclusions
about people, but something about this woman had rubbed her the
wrong way when they'd first met a week ago on Starbase 165.  Funny,
though, the more she thought about it the more she couldn't really
remember what it was.
     "Tell me, Commander," said Gabriele, getting up from her seat
and walking over to stand by Jack's side, "do you not feel that a
Captain and a First Officer should be able to work together?"
     "I do, yes."
     "But it seems to me that something is hindering us.  Neither
of us is foolish enough to think that in a mere seven days two
strangers can become the best of friends, but it would lift a great
burden from my mind if we could at least get to know each other a
little.  Do you know that half the ship doesn't seem to know I
exist?  You've been doing my work for me."
     Jack stiffened.  "I beg your pardon."
     "Don't mistake me," warned Gabriele.  "I am not criticizing
your performance in the least.  You show an almost alarming
competence.  I do know that before the Enterprise picked me up at
Starbase 165, you were in command.  Only for a little while, of
course, but still it's not an easy thing to give up."
     "No," said Jack quietly.
     "However," Gabriele continued in a crisper voice, "we are all
called upon to make sacrifices.  No doubt you will indeed be a
Captain someday.  But at this point you are my First Officer, and
I would very much like to see you work in that capacity."
     Jack was silent.
     "Do you understand?" asked Captain Lestat.
     "It is required in stewards," said Jack unexpectedly, "that
one be found faithful.  She who is faithful in little will also be
faithful in much."  She smiled, and her eyes met Gabriele's for the
first time since the interview began.  "I have been under some
strain of late.  But I will be a good steward of the trust you have
placed in me, Captain."
     "I could wish for nothing more," said Gabriele.  "Now.  Shall
we conduct the interview with our Chief of Engineering?  I hear
that Lieutenant Commander Scott has discovered something
rather...unusual."
     "Certainly," said Jack.  "I'll call him in."


From:  Doctor James N'dok 

     "The CURE!" exclaimed James, leaping up from his computer
console. "THIS COULD BE IT!" 
     He pressed his communicator. 
     "Commander?" 
     "Yes?  James?  Is that you?" 
     "Yes Commander!  I think I've found a cure!" 
     "A cure?  Are you sure?" 
     "Well, I'm not positive yet, but I'm going to try it with a
patient." 
     "Do that." 
     Silence.  The excitement grew in him.  JACK! he thought. I've
GOT TO tell Jack! 


From:  Barnabas Cole 

     Barnabas Cole lay in bed, long awake, waiting for the
inevitable. 
     "Commander Cole?" 
     The young female voice over the intercom held poorly concealed
traces of excitement. 
     He twisted until his arms could reach the console.  He gave
his bed a fond look over his shoulder and stood up. 
     "Barnabas here... What have you got Krystan?" 
     "Yes, Sir.  The tests have all been finished. Half of the
samples have been contaminated, but the uncontaminated ones are
still alive and working.  From our first results I'd estimate that
an air recycler built with these active cells, we can turn water
into air supplies." 
     "Uhh.  What was in the contaminated specimens?" 
     "Nicotine, sir." 
     "These bacteria have a habit?  Fascinating.  We'll talk
later." 
     His voice took on the tone of a father reproving a daughter. 
There was a slight pause, a stifled laugh in the background. 
     "If you say so, sir.  Krystan out." 
     Starfleet was forever given Barnabas Cole the tasks that
nobody else wanted.  When it came to anything toxic or anything
that most teams were too scared to do, Barnabas Cole was given the
job.  Now, rather unexpectedly, he had been pulled away from the
mining planets which he had been assigned to and had been assigned
to the Enterprise, the proudest and the fastest, the flagship of
Starfleet's Galaxy class ships. 
     Barnabas walked to the food dispenser. 
     "Barnabas Cole.  Special diet C-7-A." 
     The dispenser hummed to life.  A large glass mug filled with
a strong black liquid appeared.  He grabbed it and headed to the
back of his cabin.  The starscape visible through his viewport held
a planet in the lower left corner.  He saw his own face in the
window, and quickly turned away.  He ran his fingers through his
silver-gray hair, set down his coffee and set off with purposeful
strides towards the turbo-lifts. 
     A younger self smiled from a picture on his commode; his hair
was black, his fair skinned features had been chiselled out
sharply, and his eyes were a shade of hazel.  As the door closed
behind him, he pushed down thoughts of the man who had been forever
lost, closed his silver eyes, and paused a moment.  His lips moved
in the silence, while the turbo-lift carried him to the bridge. 
     His first day of duty on the Starship Enterprise had begun. 
     Jacqueline Picard was standing outside the turbolift as the
door opened.  He stood and looked fearfully at her, hoping perhaps
she wouldn't recognize him.  For the first time that day, Barnabas
Cole didn't know what to say. 


From:  Cmdr. Jacqueline Picard

     Jack stared at the silver-haired, silver-eyed, pale-skinned
man in Starfleet gold as though seeing a ghost.  She had expected
to see Chief Engineer Scott in the turbolift; instead, there
was...him.
     "You?" she whispered.
     "Yes."
     "But you left Starfleet.  You said you were never coming back
after the--"
     "The incident.  Yes.  But I have the right to change my mind,
do I not?"
     "What are you doing here?"
     "Didn't they tell you?  I've been signed on as Science
Officer."
     "Science--"  Her voice was hoarse.  She cleared her throat and
went on, "That's quite a step up, isn't it?"
     "I haven't been idle these past two years, you know."
     "You never were."
     "Look who's talking," said the figure with a slightly nervous
laugh.  "Last time we talked, you were just a lieutenant on the
Copernicus.  Now you're here--and First Officer, at that."
     "Yes, well... it was something I had to do."
     "And that's the way I feel about coming back."
     "Did anybody--recognize you?"
     He shook his head.  "Only you.  And I'm glad of it, really. 
I got tired of being poked at by every doctor and scientist in
Starfleet... and after a few months I made sure they got pretty
tired of me too.  That part's over.  For now, anyway."
     "Good," said Jack.  She stepped aside, let him pass by on his
way to the Ops console.  The lieutenant who'd been sitting in the
chair quietly got up and left as Barnabas approached, though not
without a curious glance at his superior's strange appearance.
     The glance would have been somewhat more than curious, thought
Jack ruefully, if the lieutenant had only known how Barnabas Cole
had become that way.  Jack had been there when the incident
happened.  She'd seen it all.  But Barnabas had made her promise
not to tell anyone, and she wasn't about to break that promise now.
     She took a deep breath, composing herself, and turned back to
the Captain's ready room.  No doubt Lt. Cmdr. Scott would put in
his appearance there soon.


From:  Mac Scott

     "Captain Lestat, I'm Chief of Engineering Scott.  I've got a
report about a strange warp field oncoming from Starbase 133."
     "Yes, I know who you are Chief Scott.  Have a seat please. 
You've met Commander Picard of course?"
     "Yes, Captain, I have."  He shifted uncomfortably in his
chair.  "Might I say it's a pleasure to finally meet you, Captain."
     "Oh...ah, yes.  Let's have that report, Chief."
     "Well there's not much to tell.  Except that the source seems
to have disappeared.  It was just a steady pulse, getting stronger
as we neared the Starbase, and then nothing.  But I managed to
locate the source.  It was coming from the medical section of the
Starbase."
     "Nothing else to report, Chief?"
     "No captain, that's all I can tell you.  One minute it was
there, the next...gone!"
     "Thank you Chief Scott.  Dismissed."
     "Thank God for that!" whispered Mac to himself as he left the
room.  I guess I'll get to the bottom of it some other time, he
thought.  I don't think I want to stick around for a cat fight
either.  Commander Picard didn't say a word the whole time I was in
there.  Scary!
     With those thoughts slowly dwindling off, Chief Mac Scott
returned to engineering.


From:  Captain Lestat              
    
     Captain Lestat watched the Chief Engineer nervously walk out of
the chambers.  She was rather pensive about the latest occurances
that were keeping the ship from gaining the remainder of its crew.
The doctor in her, that was still very consuming despite her new
position, made her wish she could aid the new C.M.O. in his search
for the cure.  But, her duties were now far more wide in scale and
she couldn't allow herself the luxury of delving yet again into the
world of complicated cell structures and electrical/chemical
reactions that made up the human body, no matter how tempting.
     The Captain now turned to the Commander who looked to be
concentrating on something.  Her eyebrows were closely knit
together.
     "Interesting man Number One," said Gabriele, her chair now
turned facing Jack.  The Commander, taken away from her thoughts,
looked at Gabriele as she continued, "Very nervous though, he
looked as if he expected one of us to bite him.  Perhaps he should
run a diagnostic on his own food replicator; his coffee may contain
too much caffeine."  
     Jack smiled.  "You may very well be correct Ma'...", the
paused and corrected herself, "Captain."  The thought that she had
been lucky to have such a First Officer as Jack crossed Gabriele's
mind.  Her impression had improved 100% now that they have spoken
more.  
     "I tell you what Number One, when we are alone, why don't we
put ourselves on a first name basis.  It may be against tradition,
but I would think that things will be far more comfortable that
way." 
     "Okay, Gabriele, that sounds reasonable.  Now what do you
think of the Engineer's report?"
     Gabriele was quiet for a moment, then sat back in her chair,
and ran a hand through her black, shoulder length hair.  "I think
that we should have a talk with our new C.M.O. and find out what he
is doing."


From:  Cmdr. Jacqueline Picard

     The Enterprise glided in to dock at Starbase 133 only a few
hours later.  After receiving the all clear, Jack and Captain
Lestat entered the space station to find a flushed and exultant
N'Dok there to greet them.  All around them, the station's crew
bore livid scars, a sharp reminder of the disease that had gripped
the Starbase only hours before.  But even these marks were fading
fast.
     "I did it, Jack!" crowed James.
     "So I see.  Congratulations.  How did you do it?"
     "Well, I'd been looking for some sort of organic cure.  But
then I found that the bacteria could be killed by theta waves.  I
set up a steady pulse, and--"
     Jack held up a hand in sudden comprehension.  "Wait.  Those
theta waves would be pretty powerful, wouldn't they?  They'd extend
beyond the Starbase, perhaps?"
     "Oh, yeah.  Definitely."
     "Do theta waves have any documented effect on warp drives?"
     "Um, I'm not sure.  Why?"
     "Just a hunch I had.  We'll check it out when we get back to
the Enterprise; I have a feeling this may solve a mystery.  Well,
are you packed and ready to go?"
     "You bet.  My replacement just arrived, I've taken my leave--
oh, Captain Lestat, my apologies."  The young doctor reddened and
saluted the amused Gabriele.  "I'm so sorry, Captain.  I didn't see
you."
     "Being overlooked seems to be my lot in life," replied
Gabriele cheerfully.  "I'm getting used to it.  I welcome you to
the Enterprise, Doctor; shall we go on board?"
                         *    *    *
     "We are due in two days to pick up our new Security Officer at
Starbase 168.  Our Counsellor will be arriving soon afterward, and
then we will be ready to undertake our first mission."  Gabriele
folded her hands and gazed down the length of the council table at
her small contingent of officers.  Jack was at her right, beside
her the mysterious silver-eyed Science Officer Barnabas Cole;
across the table sat the curmudgeonly but loyal Chief of
Engineering, Mac Scott, and the new arrival James N'Dok, who
somehow managed to look rakish even in Starfleet medical green. 
They were an odd group, and with two officers yet to come, would
likely just get odder.  But there was promise here, as well.
     Jack glanced over at Barnabas, but the chrome-coloured eyes
never wavered from their contemplation of the Captain as Gabriele
went on, "This is the newly outfitted flagship of the Federation. 
You well know the glory associated with the name of Enterprise. 
You also know the names of the many great men and women who have
served Starfleet aboard this ship over the past two centuries.  I
trust that each one of you will continue in that tradition,
upholding the honour of this ship and making for yourselves a place
in history fully equal to those who have gone so bravely before. 
I do not ask this.  I _expect_ it of you, just as I demand it of
myself.  And from what I have learned of each of you over the past
few days I feel that you may very well be able to meet those high
but noble expectations."  
     She paused, her eyes flickering to the viewport beside her and
the stars beyond, and a little smile touched her lips.  "Well," she
said.  "I've delivered the speech; very pretty, isn't it?  But what
It amounts to is this:  do your best, and try not to blow us all up
if you can possibly avoid it.  And if Dr. N'Dok drops any virulent
bacterial cultures I want to know immediately--"
     James leaped to his feet, eyes widening.  "I know you!  I had
you for first-year virology on Delta V!"
     "Well, so you did," said Gabriele pleasantly.  "I do hope
that's not your bedside manner, Doctor, or I can predict an
alarming increase in heart failure among your patients."
     Jack bent her head to hide her smile as N'Dok sank slowly back
into his chair.  Beside her, however, Barnabas' face remained
impassive.  Jack found herself wondering if, for this one, the old
wounds would ever heal...


From:  Cmdr. Jacqueline Picard

     Jack fell into step beside Barnabas as they left the council
room.  "So," she said, "How does it feel to be Science Officer?"
     "Strange," said Barnabas frankly.  He stepped onto the
turbolift; Jack followed.  "Bridge," he said, and the lift began to
hum its way up the shaft.
     "What do you mean, strange?" said Jack.
     "Just what I said.  For the last year I've been working on all
the most dangerous and dirty jobs in Starfleet.  Once the doctors
figured out what I could do, my superiors figured out how to
exploit those capabilities.  Nobody really asked me what I wanted. 
Then, all of a sudden, this promotion to Science Officer on the
flagship of the Federation.  Are they trying to make it up to me,
or something?"
     The muscles of his face were rippling like liquid mercury, the
features sliding in and out of focus.  "You're shifting, Barnabas,"
said Jack in a tight voice.  "Stop it."
     His chrome-coloured eyes flashed to her, startled; then his
face eased into its usual shape.  "Sorry," he said.  "That doesn't
happen often."
     "No.  You're upset, and I can understand why.  But there's
nothing to worry about now.  Whatever the reasons, you've got the
Ops position now, and nobody's going to take that away from you. 
Or they'll have to deal with me.  You deserve this, Barnabas. 
You've worked for it.  And nobody in Starfleet could do the job
better.  I believe that."
     The doors hissed open.  They stepped out onto the bridge, to
find a nervous-looking ensign waiting for them.  "I was just about
to call you, Commander," he said to Jack.  "We've been receiving
sub-space transmissions from an unknown ship."
     "What kind of transmissions?" said Barnabas sharply.
     "We don't know, sir.  The computer doesn't recognize the
language, but we've got the universal translator working on it."
     "That's a good start."  Jack tapped her badge.  "Captain
Lestat?"
     "Acknowledged, Number One," said Gabriele's voice.  "What
seems to be the problem?"
     "I think you're needed on the bridge, Captain," said Jack.

     "And the translator is still unable to decipher these
transmissions?" said Gabriele, eyes narrowing as she scanned the
seemingly random waveforms undulating across the Tactical console.
     "We've tried modifying the range, and searching for repeating
patterns that might indicate common words, and we've sent greetings
in over a thousand languages, but...nothing."  Barnabas shrugged. 
"It's got to be a message of some sort, but we can't do anything
until we know what it means."
     "Are you sure it's a message?" said Jack suddenly.  Barnabas
and Gabriele looked at her.  "I mean," she went on, "what if it's
a data transmission rather than an attempt at verbal
communication?"
     "The computer knows the difference," said Barnabas.
     "It would recognize known data formats, yes.  But what about
a protocol it couldn't recognize?  Something new.  Maybe it's not
meant for us at all.  It could be an exchange of data between two
alien ships, or stations, or planets, and we're simply getting in
the way."
     "What might they be transmitting?" asked Gabriele.
     "I don't know," admitted Jack.  "But it might be enlightening
to find out."


From:  Capt. Gabriele Lestat

     Gabriele was just as stumped at the rest of the bridge crew.
The eager Ensign had taken his place at the helm control a little
too quickly.  That was to be expected of a new crew.  Barnabas had
taken his place at Science Stn. 1. and was presently flashing his
hands about the board with a confidant adeptness that reassured
Gabriele.  
     "Talk to me, Mr. Cole."  She was standing behind the Ensign's
chair but moved toward her chair when she noticed how nervous he
got.
     "I'm receiving the same information as before Captain, but now
I'm picking up some traces of radiation...curious.  That does not
indicate a ship."
     "On screen, Ensign."
     The crew gazed out at the stars.  There was not a ship in
sight.  
     "Magnify 100 times."  
     Now, a small dot appeared in the upper right side of the
screen.
     "Isolate and magnify 1000 times Sector 23.7, Ensign." said the
Commander.  There appeared a red planet, still quite far off.
     "What can you tell me of that planet, Mr. Leibowitz?" Gabriele
asked of the Ensign.
     "It is 3000.53 kilometers away.  It's called..."  He paused,
looking for its name on the sector chart.  "Mursatt 1."
     Barnabas picked it up from there.  "Mursatt 1 is a class D
planet.  Its thin atmosphere is mainly sulfur dioxide, and can
protect the planet from the intensely charged particles in the
nearby radiation belt.  So that's what the reading was."  His
silver eyes remained on the panel as he read off the vital
information.  "The planet maintains an enormous magnetic field most
likely caused by the highly charged electrocurrents in its liquid
metal core."  
     Gabriele and Jack looked at each other and frowned.  
     "I think I'm beginning to understand now," said Gabriele. 
"Where is the nearest sun, Mr. Cole?"  
     "The nearest sun to this planet went supernova three weeks
ago."
     "I see as well," said the Commander. "If the sun still
existed, Mursatt 1 would have captured the charged particles
ejected by it. As is now stands, the magnetic field is attracting
all interstellar gas and dust.  Mursatt 1 must be the largest
relative planet in this system?"
     "You're correct, Commander."
     "So, what we're saying is that it is very likely that the
matter in its core can undergo thermonuclear reactions.  Do you
recall that fact that was drilled into us in Planetary classes? 
'The largest planet is a star that failed'.  Is it likely, Mr.
Cole, that we are picking up intermittent charges of dust, gas,
radio particles and electrocurrents travelling to the planet via
the radiation belt?"
     "Very likely, Captain."  He continued to look curiously at
her.
     "Ensign," said Gabriele, "set course for the next starbase. 
Warp factor 6."
     "Aye, Captain."
     "Engage," said Gabriele as she crossed her legs and carelessly
tossed her hair behind her shoulders.


From:  Cmdr. Jacqueline Picard

     "You called for me, Captain?" asked Jack.
     "Yes," said Gabriele.  "Come in, Number One."  As Jack stepped
into the ready room, and the door hissed shut behind her, the
Captain lifted her eyes from the small viewscreen on her desk and
smiled.  "Have a seat," she said, indicating the chair before her. 
Jack sat.
     "I've just been reviewing the applications for bridge crew,"
Gabriele said.  "As you are aware, we still lack a Counsellor, a
Tactical Officer, and a Chief of Security."
     "And a Transporter Chief," Jack added.
     "Yes.  But the filling of that particular position is not as
urgent as the others.  Have you reviewed the applications at all
yourself?"
     "No," admitted Jack.  "I didn't wish to encroach on your
territory, so to speak."
     Gabriele's eyebrow lifted.  "No fear of that, Number One.  I
value your input.  Well, then.  There are some... rather unusual
candidates applying for all three positions.  Starfleet has already
sent me several communiques about these candidates, and other
Captains have told me I'd be a fool to look twice at any of them. 
Still, as you must know by now, I have a slightly warped sense of
humour, and the more I look at these personnel records the more
these three appeal to me."
     "I can't begin to imagine what they must be like," said Jack
curiously.  "Who's the applicant for Counsellor?"
     "Her name is T'Pryn."
     "A Vulcan Counsellor?"  Jack wasn't easily startled, but the
complete ludicrousness of the concept shocked her.  "How--"
     "You'll have to review her file yourself," said Gabriele. 
"But despite the warnings from my peers, I think she sounds
absolutely fascinating, and I'd like to give her the chance.  So
far her record has been exemplary -- it seems to be the mere
concept of the thing that throws Starfleet for a loop.  Still, they
had no excuse not to let her graduate."
     "A Vulcan Counsellor," murmured Jack again.  "I can hardly
believe it."
     "That isn't even the strangest of our applicants," said
Gabriele.  "There's a Borg and a Romulan in the lot as well -- not
applying for Counsellor," she amended as Jack's eyes widened, "for
Tactical and Security.  But all I can say is, we're definitely
following in the grand old tradition of the Enterprise -- the
weirdest crew in the galaxy."
     Jack whistled tunelessly under her breath.  "Captain, I think
this might be a little too unusual."
     "Maybe," said Gabriele cheerfully.  "But something about it
tickles my fancy -- especially that girl T'Pryn.  But don't let me
convince you.  Review the files yourself--" she pushed a crystal
across the desk-- "and let me know what you think."
     "I'll do that, Captain," said Jack, taking the crystal and
getting to her feet.  "Permission to leave."
     "Permission granted," said Gabriele.  "Oh," she added as Jack
turned to leave, "did you notice Ensign Leibowitz's behaviour on
the bridge today?  I wonder if he's not...perhaps a little
inexperienced to be on the bridge?"
     "I was thinking that myself," said Jack.  "Would you accept a
suggestion for a replacement?"
     "Certainly.  Who did you have in mind?"
     "Lieutenant Maverint Slike.  He seems to be a responsible
sort, and I've heard nothing but good reports of his work so far." 
    "So have I, and I agree," said Gabriele. "He's married to Dr.
Tanthis, isn't he?  She's a good worker too -- Dr. N'Dok is quite
pleased with her.  Well, I'll have a talk with Mr. Leibowitz and
suggest that there might be a more suitable vehicle for his unique
capabilities elsewhere on the ship.  Feel free to notify Lieutenant
Slike of his new position."
    "I'll do that," said Jack.


From:  Nikctalos D'Pyrann

     Borg number 889, 349, 246, 345, 001 sat in his quarters at
Starbase 168.
     Having been isolated within his rooms, barren of any form of
creature comfort or appliance, was the only true way for him to
show his excitement.
     For you see, the Borg designated number 889, 349, 246, 345,
001 was unique in all the universe. He was to be appointed, if
accepted by the ships's captain, to be the Chief of Security on the
flag ship of Starfleet, the U.S.S. Enterprise. What's more, he was
the first Borg inducted into Starfleet, having sought political
asylum from his Borg compatriots some years ago.
     Borg number 889, 349, 246, 345, 001 was the first Borg that
was separated from the Borglink group mind. He saw himself as an
individual, full of hopes and dreams, just like any other sentient,
not roped in by the Borg's mechanical mind. His problem was that
while he had these feelings, he could not express them. Evolution
(or what passed for evolution among the Borg) could only work
limited miracles. It had freed his mind, true, but it had not also
freed his hands and mouth so he could express those joys and
emotions.
     But now he had a bigger problem than his lack of social
skills. For while he was no longer connected per se to the
Borglink, he still needed the fine line of mental contact to
survive. In other words, he needed the mental touch of his
'brothers' in order to live, but could do without losing his
consciousness to the good of the race.
     Unfortunately, the other Borg had different intentions. They
did not appreciate his going renegade, and wanted him back, wanted
him to conform to the ways and means of Borg society. So they used
the Borglink all Borg need to continue living to pound at his mind,
in the hopes that one day, he would give in.
     And right now, mostly due to the approach of the Enterprise,
he was mentally weak. The chances of a Borg attack on his brain
succeeding were at least possible, and even a possibility when
dealing with the Borg is too much.
     So, he needed a distraction.
     Rising from his seat, he crossed the room to the Computer
Control Panel, and plugged his left wrist appendage in.
     +Computer.+ he sent to the machine, +Estimated time of
arrival, U.S.S. Enterprise.+
     "Twelve hours, forty-five minutes." the Computer piped aloud,
unnecessarily.
     +Upon arrival of U.S.S. Enterprise send alert to Holodeck
seventeen. End of line.+
     He then broke the contact.
     Travelling to Holodeck seventeen, Borg number 889, 349, 246,
345, 001 thought of the program he had to run.
     For he understood that number 889, 349, 245, 345, 001 was
hardly an acceptable title for a fully-fledged Starfleet officer.
In order to interact among the Humans, he must have something they
all had, something they took for granted, and something which he
could only find by scanning the ancient files held within the
Starbase's Holodeck.
     A name.


From:  Lt. Maverint Slike

     Maverint sat in what he liked to call his "easy chair",
located beneath the "space"-light window in his living quarters. It
was a term he had picked up from a very early holographic record
his great-great grandfather had compiled for him to view on his
18th birthday. With that compilation, Mav had learned more about
the past than he could ever have learned in any educational center
in the galaxy... as far as Mav was concerned. And of the stories
Mav's great-great grandfather had left him that were
intermixed loosely with important historical occurances,
Maverint's favorite was "The Easy Chair". His great-great
grandfather always slipped in the fact that no matter what ever
happened, how crazy life became, it would all disappear when he
slumped down into his comfortable old chair.
     Reflecting on that for a moment, Mav put down his tac-board
with which he had been calculating possible derivatives that could
increase the effect of the tractor beam. Being a Lieutenant
qualified him to work more with his brains than his hands, and
sometimes that just got to Mav.
     "A desk job" Mav thought and laughed softly to himself,
recalling another old saying his grandfather used. His eyes drifted
across the quarters, very dimly lit as per Mav's preference. Murals
and sculptures adorned the room, just as it seemed they did in
every other set of lodgings on the ship he had been in.
     "Just like everyone else..." Mav sighed. Then his eye caught
her silhouette in the more brightly lit doorway leading to the
bedroom. "And then again..." he added.
     Kate walked over to him, padding across the floor in her bare
feet, having just stole a nap between shifts and the adoring arms
of her husband of a scant two months. She had come in exhausted and
dropped listlessly into Mav's lap as he sat in his chair working.
After quicky drifting off, Mav settled her into their bed and
resumed his work. Now she padded towards him, her eyes bright and
sparkling from the rest. Without a word between them, she took hold
of him by the collar, pulled him up and kissed him deeply.
     "I forgot to say 'Honey, I'm home' when I came back, didn't
I?" Kate said after pulling back into Mav's encompassing arms.    
     "I forgive you..." he replied smiling, then kissed her again.
They both slumped gently down into the easy chair. "We were in the
middle of something when you got called in, remember?" Maverint
smirked.
     "Yes, I do..." her voice trailed off, brushing her cheek
against Mav's, breathing lightly into Mav's ear.
     Suddenly the attention blip sounded and a voice passed through
the air to Mav and Kate seated rather ackwardly in the chair. Mav
straightened up in alarm, as did Kate, and he gave a reply for the
voice to go ahead.
     "This is Commander Jacqueline Picard, Lt. Slike." A slight
chill ran down Mav's spine. "I'm sorry I couldn't meet with you in
person, but my duties have kept me occupied other than a few
moments." 
     "I understand." Mav replies calmly.
     "Your services have come highly recommended for the CON
position on the bridge and, as of now, are immeadiately needed.
Will you accept this new assignment?"
     "Yes Sir! Uhhh..." Mav responded quickly, then floundered
uneasily, realizing his slip.
     "Understood, Lieutenant." the voice replied, a stifled snicker
in its reply. "You are due for duty in 20 minutes. Picard out."
     Kate hugged Maverint tightly, herself overjoyed at the turn of
events. "My man at the helm..." she purred.

      Maverint walked calmly onto the bridge, giving it only a
quick glance. He knew his duty, having served at the CON of the his
old assignment aboard a Sovereign Class Battlecruiser for the
better part of three years. He excused the ensign from the CON and
sat down. 
      "Good to have you on the team." a voice said behind him from
one of the command chairs.
      Turning around in his chair, Mav faced Jack. "Thank you...
Ma'am."  They exchanged smiles, then Mav turned back to the CON.


From:  Cmdr. Jacqueline Picard

     Jack stood by the viewport in her quarters, staring out into
space.  She wanted to look at the stars, but her eyes refused to
obey; they kept flickering back to her own ghostly reflection in
the port's glassy surface.
     Guinan was right:  Jack was the image of her mother.  The soft
red-gold hair, the fine features, all were Beverly's.  All except
for those piercing, ice-blue eyes, the eyes everyone who had known
Jean-Luc Picard recognized at once.
     There was a good deal more of her father's mettle in Jack than
her delicate beauty suggested.  Ordinarily her voice was soft, but
it cracked out like thunder when her temper got the better of her;
she could turn heads on the other side of Ten-Forward with that
voice, or startle even an admiral into silence.  She rarely used
it, however.  One of the things that had ensured her meteoric rise
through the ranks of Starfleet was a cool head and an iron will. 
And those were things she owed to both her parents.
     Right now Jack was exceedingly tired, though her self-control
was rigid enough that the only visible mark of that weariness was
the pale blue circles beneath her eyes.  She hadn't been sleeping
well of late.  A lot of responsibility, a lot of pressure, maybe a
bit of loneliness mixed in with it as well...
     "All right," she said to her own reflection, "a lot of
loneliness."
     She had made many friends on the Copernicus, but had left them
all when she signed on to the Enterprise.  She didn't regret the
decision in the least:  what could be more exciting than to be
First Officer of the flagship of the Federation?  But still, it
hadn't been easy.  Gabriele was a good deal easier to get along
with than Jack had dreamed her new Captain could be, but they
weren't fast friends -- at least, not yet.  And of course, there
was Barnabas, who used to be a good friend, but the pain of what
had happened to him had driven a wedge between them.  Every time he
saw her, he was bound to remember what his life had been like
before the accident.  She could hardly blame him for avoiding her. 
She only hoped, for his sake, that soon he would find somebody--
anybody--to talk to.
     Jack pondered whether she felt like going down to Ten-Forward,
or perhaps going for a horseback ride on the Holodeck.  She didn't
really feel like doing either.  She could, however, take a look at
those applications Gabriele had given her.  Crossing the room to
her console, she slid the crystal into its slot and sat down, her
eyes narrowing as the holographic image of a male Borg coalesced in
the air above her.  The computer's dispassionate voice began,
"Name:  Borg number 889, 349, 246, 345, 001.  Graduated from
Starfleet, Stardate 49805.3.  Rank:  Lieutenant. 
Qualifications..."
     Jack listened to the entire file and found herself both
surprised and impressed.  Of course, she had heard about this
Borg's defection and his subsequent application for Starfleet: 
both had made headlines when they happened a few years back.  It
had been totally unprecedented on the part of Starfleet to accept
into the Academy a member of a race still at war with the
Federation, but he had passed all of the tests with top marks, and
both the psychological profiles and the data the Borg had allowed
them to download from his mental coprocessor had checked out so
cleanly there seemed no reason whatsoever to reject him.  Still,
Gabriele had said that she'd been warned against accepting him...
were those warnings born of foresight, or merely prejudice?  After
viewing the file, Jack still wasn't sure.  But there were some
pretty good testimonials appended to the file from a number of
officers and crew at the Borg's previous posting, Starbase 168-- 
including a brief word in his favor from Captain Solok, who Jack
knew from experience to be a canny judge of character and a hard
man to impress.
     The next file was no less interesting.  This was the Vulcan
female who'd applied for Counsellor -- T'Pryn was her name.  She'd
been bonded once, but her husband had died shortly afterward in the
destruction of the mining colony on Eridani V.  After that, she'd
entered the Academy.  The rest of the file was nothing short of
riveting.  As with the Borg, T'Pryn's record was exemplary, her
psychological profile flawless.  Appended to the file was a clip of
T'Pryn expertly counselling a distraught cadet.  Jack was intrigued
-- no, more than intrigued, she was convinced.  She could certainly
understand why, given the unusual nature of the "experiment" T'Pryn
described in the file, so many of her fellow Vulcans would be
alarmed at the prospect of her remaining in Starfleet.  But was
that cause not to accept such a spectacularly qualified candidate? 
Not to Jack, and she suspected not to Gabriele either.
     The third file was an application for an exchange, not a
permanent position.  A Romulan.  She and Gabriele would have to do
some serious talking about that one, but again, the record looked
good.  Jack leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes, fingers
massaging her temples to work out the tension.  Well, she'd done
her duty; now she might be able to bring herself to relax. 
Yawning, she got up from the chair and headed for her bedroom.


From:  Centurion Salek

     Salek was fuming. He was in his quarters on board the Amaloch.
He had just received news, via subspace, that the Praetor had
chosen him to be the exchange officer between the Romulan Empire
and the Federation.
     *I'm sure the enmity between our families had absolutely
nothing to do with your decision, mighty Praetor,* he thought. There
had long been harsh feelings, and not a few deaths, between the
Praetor's family and that of Salek's. *This is just his way of
getting rid of me. Probably hoping someone in Starfleet will take me
out for him.*  Salek re-read the orders:

  To: Centurion Salek, serving on the Amaloch.
From: Romulan High Command, Praetor's Section

     Congratulations, Centurion Salek! Due to the history of your
     loyal service to the Romulan race, as well as your exemplary
     performances aboard the Amaloch, you have been selected as an
     exchange officer. The Federation will be sending your
     replacement within 3 Myriaps. You will be expected to leave
     immediately upon his arrival, to rendezvous with the
     Federation Starship Enterprise, NCC-1701-F, where you will
     serve under Captain Lestat.

     You will be required to fill out a Starfleet transfer request,
     which must first be approved by your new Captain. It has been
     enclosed here. Fill it out and transmit it with all due haste. 
     I am positive you will be accepted.

-- 
         "Seize the moment, Mirabor...Seize the moment" -- Picard 
==============================================================================
    Even *I* don't want my opinions      |  Eric Hausgaard VP Comp Sci Club  
    All Flames/E-mail to ueh@sunyit.edu  |   SUNY Institute of Treknology 
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