FSE

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Title: Salvage

IDP 2005,2009,2020,2021

Episode 10

By:Vakash Darkbane

Edited by: Saurex Conoway

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The repairs to the starship Aether were not going well. Two weeks had passed and the ship was still sitting in dry dock at Starbase 186. There had been many setbacks in trying to get the ship back to operational status, but at times it felt like there wasn't any progress being made at all. The worst part was that there had been assurances from Starfleet command that the vessel would be functional in one week.

Jayna De'Sol was not accustomed to any member of her crew not meeting her expectations, so she called a meeting with her Chief Engineer and her brother, the Commanding Officer, to try to figure out what was going on. Starfleet HQ had been on her case constantly wanting to know why one of their newest and supposedly best ships was laid up in dry-dock and she didn't have any explanation for them. She had her suspicions, but she was determined to get to the bottom of the matter.

She met her two crewmembers in the engineering section of the crippled ship.

"I know you are doing everything you can Donnika, but what is the hold up?" Captain Jayna De'sol asked patiently.

The Altairian female looked frustrated as her scales flushed a dark green. "I'm tryink Keptain, but I think zee Raptor did a helluva a lot more damage then we realized. Zee portside of zee saucer section will 'ave to be entirely rebuilt. Zee warp stresses as well as zee damage 'as made it not safe to use anymore. Not to mention zee power grid. It's a damn mess and zee whole think may need to be redone."

"I have been informed we have three more weeks to get this ship up and running. I know there is more to what you are telling me then what you let on," Jayna said. "What exactly is the problem, Donnika?"

"Well, at first, we couldn't get a damn bay for several days because Admiral Leyton's Akira 'ad priority on repairs. Zen when zey were finally away, zee dock master informed me that our placement in the slip roster got lost." Donnika took a deep breath, clearly frustrated. "Not to mention every time I order a part I need to complete the repairs, it mysteriously vanishes or gets shipped off to some other place. It's like I can 'ardly do anything without any delays and zee station itself is waiting on re-supply for their industrial replicators. Zee repairs to Akira pretty much used up the supplies."

Jayna finally could see what was going on here. They were purposely being railroaded by Admiral Leyton because she didn't follow through with his orders earlier regarding the destruction of the Raptor during the devastating Epsilon Three computer tests. Even though the immediate investigation afterward showed she was within her rights to make that call, Leyton was still throwing a fit. At the current rate, it could be several months before they would be mobile again, more than enough reason for Admiral Leyton to find another excuse to give her headaches.

"Ok, so we're getting bureaucratically corn-holed," Jayna surmised. "Fine. We'll use other means of acquiring supplies, as we have in the past. Nikolai, contact your man at Starfleet Salvage."

Nikolai raised a scaly brow. "What for?"

"I know a good ship full of parts sitting out there just rusting that we could probably get our hands on. I'll talk to the station's Captain and find out what they're going to do with the hulk of the Fearless in bay six."

"Surely you're not thinking about cannibalizing that ship...so recently after..." Donnika gasped.

"I'm not thrilled about it," Jayna snapped back, "but I want the Aether back up and running as quickly as possible. Since it seems no one has made an effort to do anything with it other than let it sit there it's time to do something drastic. I know it's been cleared, so it's fair game for salvage."

"Captain," said Nikolai, "that is highly unorthodox, sir."

Jayna pursed her lips and drummed her fingers on the darkened engineering master control table. "Well, I do know of one other option...but it's a stretch."

"Hopefully it's a little less ghoulish," Nikolai replied.

"Maybe a lot less ghoulish, but more devious," Jayna said.

"What do you 'ave in mind?" Donnika asked.

"I hate to pry Nikolai," Jayna said, "but how close are you and Mrs. Phoenix?"

Nikolai's eyes bugged slightly and his tail twitched. "Um...well that's still up for debate, but we do keep in touch quite often..."

"Don't bullshit me Nikolai! I know you weren't in your quarters last night," Jayna said, smirking. "I'll take it that you two have a thing and leave it at that."

Donnika gave her brother a quizzical look.

"Do you know who she is?" Jayna asked him.

"Well, yes, but I don't understand what you are insinuating here Captain," Nikolai said, a bit confused.

"She's the daughter of one of the largest starship magnets of the Lylat System. They also were contracted to build this ship. They've been doing business with the Confederation before they even joined us," Jayna explained. "This means she's probably got contacts to scrap yards and anything else that we might need." A wicked smirk crossed Jayna's muzzle. "That would give us a convenient way to subvert our dear Admiral's stupid little game. Do you think you can do that for me, Commander?"

"I am not entirely comfortable with it Captain," Nikolai admitted. "Why not ask Commander Martinez to assist us?"

"He's too busy with his own affairs to help us. The Raptor has been on constant patrols since we limped back here. Fara will be much easier to get to." Jayna said, dancing around the question. In truth, she was still angry at Harry for what had happened and hadn't convinced herself otherwise yet. Regardless, Nikolai did hear her out.

"I just don't want to use her," Nikolai said stiffly.

"Might I remind you that shit runs down hill, Commander?" Jayna said, "and there is a lot of it coming this way if we don't get our tails moving."

"Understood," Nikolai sighed.

"Donnika, do your best," Jayna said, walking over to her and patting her on the shoulder. "I'll do everything I can to help."

Donnika sighed. "Thank you, Keptain."

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some new recruits I need to induct into our little family," Jayna said, dismissing the two.

"Do you want me to come along, sir?" Nikolai asked. "That is usually my job."

"No, you do what I need you to do," she said sternly. "Keep in touch."

With that she left engineering.

She walked alone, heading for the main docking section. As she did, her thoughts drifted off to her missing crewmates that had served as her bridge officers. Arin Pasky, her navigator, so young--only been with them for two years--with so much ahead of him, but an excellent helmsman for his youth. Kelly Serin, one of the best tactical officers she ever had, and a friend. Phillp Caz, another reliable communications officer who always kept the equipment up and she never had to look over his shoulder. Then there were the ones she didn't know that well: Karlyle, her science officer, an Altairian, and Miranda, a Cornerian feline, her con officer. They had been recent additions and she just hadn't had the time to get to know them beyond their records. They were competent officers and she had learned that one of them enjoyed racquetball. She was planning on playing a game with them later that day.

That day...the fateful day they were suddenly taken from her. It all served to make her sorrow that much greater.

If only it had been his fault, then she could hate him for it and get past it, but it was that damn machine. The Epsilon Three computer, which had taken over the Raptor, and mercilessly cut her people--her friends--down, showing no more remorse than erasing a corrupt file. That is why she didn't want to talk to him. If only she could hate him for it, then she could move on.

Harry had told her he had done everything to stop that machine. The officer part of her believed him. The woman part did not.

She glanced down at her left sleeve and saw the small tattoo on her arm.

John...were you wrong? She thought to herself as she irritatedly pulled her sleeve back down.

A memory from her past flashed into her stream of consciousness.

* * *

"Your greatest weakness is your inability to detach yourself completely from your emotions." She remembered her mentor saying to her on the day she had obtained her first command. The Admiral had paid her a visit before the original Aether disembarked. She remembered he was starting to show signs of a slow, incurable disease he had contracted off-world. He still stood tall, but she could tell he was in pain.

"I was one of your best students." She had said. "Why are you suddenly showing doubts in my abilities? Especially today, of all days?"

John stood, looking at the small portal of her ready room. "When it comes to your ship and your crew, there is nothing but cold logic. But, when it comes to yourself, your heart gets in the way and it conflicts with that part of you." He paused and then turned to look at her, his hawk like gaze boring into her, making her feel like a cadet all over again. "Until you can overcome this, it will always trouble you."

She remembered being frustrated. How dare he pull this stunt on her ship?

"Then what do I need to do to overcome this?"

He walked over to her and gently grasped her arm and pushed her sleeve back, revealing the puzzle piece tattoo. "I've already given you the answer to that, so it's up to you to figure it out."

He tapped his forehead knowingly and released her forearm.

* * *

She had spent many years trying to find the mate to her piece and it was a great relief when she had found it. The one thing that bothered her was how someone who didn't graduate until almost half a decade later from the Academy would wind up with that particular piece.

When she had found the one with the correct piece at last, she felt she had at last become complete, but now she found herself doubting Admiral Kramer's nearly prophetic pairing.

She had to trust Harry. If she ever hoped to overcome her weakness she couldn't just shut him out. Then the memories of her friends moved to the forefront of her mind and again the flames of anger rekindled, blocking out everything else.

She was approaching the docking area. She would have to address her new additions to the crew soon, so she quickly changed her train of thought back to the task at hand.

* * *

"Nikolai, why are you acting so down?" Fara asked, then caught herself. "Well...other than the obvious."

He had taken her to one of the station's nicer eateries and Fara had even put on a nice dress. Her blonde hair had grown out even a bit more. He had complimented her on the look. Since the events of a few weeks ago Fara had been on a Psychiatric Furlough once again at the advice of the station's counselor. Despite Nikolai's concern, she seemed to be doing better than she had when they had met. So,they had been spending a lot of time in each other's company. Unlike Captain De'Sol, he harbored no ill will toward the Raptor and its crew. All things considered, they did everything they could to try to stop the Epsilon Three. Nikolai often tried not to speak of his shipmates that were killed and Fara tried not to either, much to his appreciation.

"It's nothing. We're just having problems getting the ship put back together," he said, trying to avoid the subject.

"Like what?" Fara asked, pausing before she plunged her fork back into her pasta.

"We aren't receiving the parts we order, replication requests are getting lost, the list just goes on and on," Nikolai replied sourly.

Fara took a sip of wine and looked at him thoughtfully. "Might this have something to do with the Admiral's speedy repair and departure from the station?"

"I did not say that," Nikolai said, blanking his expression.

"I'm no stranger to Admiral Leyton's little tantrums," Fara said quietly. "That bastard did everything he could to stall development on the Raptor, simply because Fleet HQ gave me approval for the new starship and totally shot down his weapons program. He made us pay for every inch of progress."

"Really?" Nikolai asked, suddenly feeling better that he had brought it up.

Fara took a bite of her food, twirled her fork and then another swig of wine. "Hell, to be perfectly honest with you? I snuck aboard the Akira and replaced two coil mounts with some worn ones from the Raptor while they were getting that ship mobile again." She leaned back in her chair and let out a satisfied, maniacal giggle. "He'll be wondering why they keep vibrating when they pass warp five for the next year or two till they have another refit."

Nikolai grinned. "My dear vixen, your capacity for vengeance astounds me."

"Better keep that in mind in case you want to break this off," Fara sneered.

"I assure you, I am duly warned," Nikolai smirked back.

Fara smiled. "So, what all are you guys needing? I can get my hands on practically anything."

"Well, we need to basically rebuild the Aether in the shortest amount of time possible." Nikolai said.

"I'll need a list," Fara chuckled, "I ain't psychic!"

"I'll arrange a meeting with my Captain. She seems to have an idea of what we need."

"Fine, but can it wait till after our date?" Fara asked, her smile shifting to a playful grin.

"Why of course," Nikolai replied.

"Good! As much as I'd love to irritate the Admiral, this is our time," she said, taking another bite.

The tension Nikolai had been carrying all day evaporated. This was going much better than he had planned. With Fara actively wanting to help, he didn't need to feel guilty about asking.

After dinner they walked along the upper rim of the promenade, looking down at the ships docked there as they passed each window. Suddenly, an alarm sounded.

"ATTENTION ALL RAPTOR PERSONNEL, REPORT TO THE RAPTOR IMMEDIATELY FOR DEPARTURE!" The station's deck master announced and then general quarters sounded.

The people in the promenade started making their way to the interior of the station as the shop owners quickly locked up. Fara flinched almost instinctively, but caught herself. She didn't have to go this time.

"Are you ok?" Nikolai asked.

"Yeah, it's just a habit. Let's watch it leave," Fara said. "I've always wanted to do that."

"But we should probably get to your place before security finds us," Nikolai pointed out.

"Don't worry about it! That alarm is just to get the civilians out of the way. We'll have plenty of time," Fara said, dragging him over to the window and looking down at the Raptor as it sat in dry dock. Its lights suddenly sprang to life. Nikolai watched with intrigue as Fara seemed to be counting down something.

"What is it you are doing?"

"Oh, it's from one of our drills. We have till the count of seventy five to make it onboard the ship, or you get left," Fara said. "This is probably the first time I won't be going out during an alarm."

She continued counting and then, right as she finished, the deck shuddered, the Raptor disengaged from the magnetic clamps and station umbilical, and slowly backed out of the slip. Its ablative armor engaged, causing its shape to shift slightly as the armor slid over the more sensitive areas of the ship.

"Must be something bad," Fara mused. "Harry never throws the armor up unless Xox or one of his goons is blatantly charging the station."

The ship soon disappeared out of sight as it passed the station's major pylons.

"Well, that's the show. We'd better go," Fara said, leading Nikolai away from the window.

* * *

The Next Day

Nikolai, Fara and Captain De'Sol met shortly before lunch the next day on the engineering deck of the Aether.

"So, this is Fara Phoenix," Captain De'Sol said after Nikolai formerly introduced her. "I heard a lot about you while Commander Martinez was on my ship."

"I hope it was all good," Fara smirked.

Jayna nodded. "So, you think you can help us?"

"Sure. Just let me know what you need and I'll help you get your hands on it." Fara said. "Nikolai tells me you're pressed for time."

"You have no idea," Jayna replied before launching into her list. "In short, I want to get my old ship out of the scrap yard, or at least the saucer part of the hull. Our current ship's structural integrity is compromised and I think if we can simply swap saucer modules, that would be half the battle."

"That shouldn't be too hard to do. Come on Captain! Give me something else," Fara smirked.

"We may need a new bridge module and a whole lot more odds and ends," Jayna said, reaching over and grabbing a datapad from the master display table and handing it to Fara.

"Captain, you insult me! Give me something hard to do," Fara grinned. "I'll get you all this stuff, with one condition."

"Name it."

"He comes with me," Fara said, pointing to Nikolai.

Jana looked mildly annoyed. "Fine. His knowledge of the ship is fairly extensive. He would be better help than anyone else would." Jayna admitted. She was hoping to have him oversee the repairs, but now she would have to do it. "He's not allowed to enjoy it too much."

Fara grinned at him. "I'll make sure he doesn't."

"Just come through with your promise, Ms. Phoenix," Jayna said curtly. "Do not let me down. You have four days."

"Ha! Prepare to not be disappointed!" Fara said. "Come on, Nikolai," she said, turning and hooking her arm around his and leading her off. "We have a shuttle flight to book."

"What makes you think we'll be able to slip away so easily?" Nikolai asked, intrigued.

"Oh, trust me, I have permission from my head-shrink to leave anytime I feel like it. She thinks it'd be a good idea if I got out of here for a while." Fara shrugged. "Besides, it's been a while since I've been home. It'll be a treat."

"You mean Corneria?"

"Well, yes. The main Confederation salvage yard is over in the Corsair system. We may as well swing by while we're there. It's been a while since I've been to the old house. I wonder if it's still standing."

* * *

It didn't take much for them to round up a long range shuttle and within the next hour or two they were heading away from Starbase 186, into Confederation space, towards the Corsair system.

"I hope you brought your toothbrush," Fara said as she leaned back in the comfy pilot's seat.

Nikolai only grinned. "I don't know whether or not I should be grateful for you taking me along. The Captain was not pleased with your request."

"She's a starship Captain. She's dealt with worse," Fara shrugged and then a look of horror crossed her face. "Damn it...sorry!"

Nikolai was quiet for a moment. "Sometimes your bluntness does more harm than good."

"I didn't mean anything by it," Fara said apologetically.

"It's ok...myself...I am fine," Nikolai replied softly. "My people believe that death is just another type of rebirth. When we are approached by death, it is a mixture of both sorrow and rejoicing. I know my friends have moved on to their next lives by now. It does not make me miss them less, but I know they have been reborn somewhere else."

Fara felt some mild relief. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"Don't worry about it," Nikolai said, checking the readings. "Have you already called your contact in the yard yet?"

"Yeah, I have, but I do have a few other calls to make," Fara replied. "Look, I feel like a heel, do you want to talk about it?"

"There is nothing to talk about. What is done is done. No point in dwelling on it," Nikolai said without looking at her. "I could use a drink though. Is that a good replicator?"

"Give me a few minutes with it and it will be," Fara smiled gently.

"Altairian Whiskey then," Nikolai said, finally looking at her and smiling. "Two glasses."

Fara felt a little relieved. She knew he wasn't terribly upset if he was wanting to drink and have company.

"I'll get right on it," she said with a relieved smile.

It only took six hours for them to arrive at the Lylat system at high warp. Fara drummed her fingers on the console. She had just been on the vid-phone for nearly thirty minutes, trying to locate the original Aether. The Altairian whisky had helped pass the time and she was glad Nikolai could handle it a lot better then she could, or the shuttle would be flying itself.

"Ok, Fara I found it."

"Bronte! How the hell does a starship get lost in a scrap yard?" Fara growled.

"Because it's a scrap yard that's several thousand kilometers across," the elderly swine grumbled. "Besides, as per Con-fed frickin' regulations, their stuff has to be stored properly! But, I found her. They've pretty much gutted her except for a basic flight system and the star drive. To tell you the truth, I was thinking of doing something with it myself, as they just threw it away."

"That's great as long as it's still space worthy," Fara said.

"That she is, but young miss," the pig said, leaning toward the monitor, "money still talks out in these parts. You didn't think I was going to let anything leave this place for free, did you?"

Fara's expression shifted to annoyance. "It's a starship. You don't own it."

"Actually, I do as soon as they hauled it here. Now, I'm thinking maybe about 500 mil credits sounds like a good price." Bronte smirked. "And that's letting it go for cheap."

"That's a lot of damn money!" Fara growled.

"Well, seeing as how you are needing this thing pronto and I haven't got a chance to make anything off the salvage, I'm not handing it out for free," Bronte snorted.

"Well, I can't just pull that much money out of my ass!" Fara snapped at the monitor, baring her teeth.

"No need to get upset. It's just business, Ms. Phoenix," Bronte said.

Fara nearly said something else, but she felt Nikolai's scaled hand on her shoulder and he knelt toward the monitor.

"Who the hell is he?" Bronte sneered at the monitor.

"Commander Nikolai Korova, Starship Aether. I have been sent here to retrieve our old ship."

"Is this some kind of a joke? I don't care about the uniform! I'm not dealing with a stinking liz--"

"He's an Altairian," Fara cut him off patiently, "and he's not from Venom. You'd better have some candor, because anything you say to him will get back to Starfleet."

"We appreciate your cooperation," Nikolai said, squeezing Fara's shoulder to get her to be quiet. "We will acquire the funds as soon as we can and get back to you as quickly as we can."

"Whatever. Look, either get me the money or I'll misplace the ship again, is that understood?" Bronte sighed, leaning back, still glaring at Nikolai on the screen.

"Perfectly clear," Fara sighed as the channel cut off.

"What a charming fellow," Nikolai growled. "Now what do we do?"

"We go talk to my father," Fara sighed. "I'm damn glad you have that uniform on, because I doubt you're going to be mister popular back home."

"Whatever they say or do doesn't matter to me," Nikolai said, sliding back into the pilot chair. "I'm not from this part of the galaxy."

Fara hoped he was right. Nikolai's appearance was a lot more draconic looking when compared to the salamander like bodies of the Venomian lizards. Although things had been fairly quiet, there was still a lot of animosity towards reptilians in the Lylat system.

* * *

That Evening

Jayna was in her station quarters, fixing her supper. She had gotten used to having her meals prepared for her, but her steward....

She stopped the thought immediately and clenched her fists. She took a deep breath, walked over to the record player she had transferred over from the Aether, and started some music playing.

Regardless, she always enjoyed cooking. It was a reliable distraction. She had gotten Captain Stiles to give her full access to the station's resources and she already had the yard crews working on removing the damaged saucer from the Aether.

Jayna had tried to get her hands dirty to help, but her people were too damn good at what they did. When she tried to jump in and help, she'd find herself getting in the way. Finally she gave up and slunk away to take care of other matters.

She missed Nikolai, but, on reflection, he'd probably be doing about the same thing she was if he had stayed. At least she'd have someone to talk to or play a game of chess with. She smirked. He hadn't beaten her once since they started playing almost four years ago.

She smelled smoke and snapped her attention back to what she was doing. Quickly, she turned down the heat on the stir fry she was making. An alarm sounded and she quickly hit the acknowledge key above the stove to keep her food from being doused in flame retardant by the fire suppression system. She felt a shudder in the deck and looked out the windows of her quarters.

The Raptor slid in gracefully between the doors, disappearing from view as it returned to its slip. She watched it disappear and then sighed, returning back to the task at hand. Now she felt very restless. Perhaps after supper she would take that run she'd been meaning to have. With her regular routine being interrupted as of late, it probably would do her some good.

* * *

Fara and Nikolai's shuttle arrived in Corneria orbit. The planet was in the middle of winter and it's skies were filled with clouds, obscuring the land masses below. The shuttle was buffeted by high wins as they entered the upper atmosphere.

"Great, we showed up in the middle of a blizzard," Nikolai muttered.

"Well sorry! I've been on a space station for the last couple of years. It's kinda hard to keep track of what the home planet is doing, especially on a moment's notice," Fara snipped as she called her father's estate's shuttle pad.

"Are you sure we can't land somewhere warmer?" Nikolai asked. "Maybe the southern hemisphere, you know, the part pointed at the primary?"

"Well, that would be a good idea, but there isn't anywhere to land down there anymore." Fara replied. "Things haven't been great for Corneria."

Nikolai brought the shuttle through the storm and they were soon zooming over the pockmarked snow covered surface of Corneria towards what appeared to be a large estate house at one time.

Nikolai saw the lights on the shuttle pad snap on and the controller granted them permission to land. As they passed over the ruins, Nikolai noticed at least one wing seemed to be standing and showed signs of life, despite the burnt and horrendously damaged rest of the structure.

"This was your home?" Nikolai asked.

Fara nodded. "Wars do that to places. Dad's managed to keep the one remaining wing open and hopes to get the place restored."

"It looks like it will take a considerable effort," Nikolai said.

Fara harrumphed. "You don't know half of it! The ol' home planet is not exactly one of the rising tourist attractions of the Confederation."

"Are those armed guards?" Nikolai asked, pointing through the forward view port at the heavily jacketed black-clad guards patrolling the compound.

"Yeah," Fara sighed, "there are still raiders, privateers, and other scum that still cause problems. Even with Confederation help, it'll probably be years before Corneria can be normal."

"I am not familiar with your world's history. I will have to look into it," Nikolai said, fascinated.

"Believe me, you'll be better off doing it when you have a lot of free time," Fara replied as the shuttle touched down. "You get this thing powered down, I'll go in the back and replicate you something warmer to wear."

"Much obliged," Nikolai said with a toothy grin, looking warily at the flurry of snow outside the window.

As they exited the shuttle--Nikolai in a parka and Fara in a wind coat--a tall, red haired vixen greeted them who was also decked in winter garb.

"Mr. Phoenix sends his regards, but with his health, he can't meet you in this weather."

"Hello Emillia," Fara said, "Nikolai, this is my father's personal assistant, Emillia Lockheart."

"P-p-pleasure," Nikolai shivered, "if w-w-we could move this inside?"

Fara had to stifle a laugh. Nikolai looked absolutely miserable and had even wrapped his tail around his midsection in an attempt to stay warm.

"Of course," Emillia nodded. "This way please."

She led them down the pad into a somewhat sheltered walkway and finally into what remained of the once grand Phoenix mansion. Once inside, it was almost like they had stepped into another world, save for the ferra-plaster walls at the end of the hall with a space heater running nearby.

"I apologize for the lack of a formal greeting," Emillia said, slipping off her coat, revealing a very lean and athletic build for a fennec. Nikolai also noticed she didn't seem too much older than Fara. "But your visit was very impromptu, Ms. Fara."

"Don't worry about it," Fara said, taking her coat off. "I don't need any of that pizzazz anyway."

"Is your friend going to be ok?" Emillia asked.

Fara looked over at Nikolai, who now looked slightly more blue than his usual green. "On his planet, winter is something that happens to other people," Fara chuckled.

"We'll move deeper into the house. This hall is quite drafty." Emillla said, leading them down into the wing of the mansion.

"I-I hope you h-h-have a hot mud bath," Nikoali chartered.

"I'm sure you can be accommodated," Emillia said. "Your father will have rooms for the both of you."

"Much appreciated," Fara said as they rounded a corner and seemed to enter a study.

"Fara!" A raspy voice said happily as an emaciated figure got up from a chair next to the fire. A whir of mechanical motors could be heard as he moved towards them. As he drew nearer, Nikolai could see he was walking with the aid of an exo-frame fixed to his legs. "My dear...it's been so long."

"Hi dad," Fara said, walking up and hugging him. "How are you doing?"

Reginald Phoenix coughed and then adjusted his glasses. "As well as I can be. Who is your friend?"

"This is Commander Korova, who we're helping get the ship rounded up for."

"Ah, yes. Forgive me, my condition has me in lots of pain constantly. It is hard to remember things," Reginald said apologetically, extending his paw.

Nikolai shook it and noticed that the old fox looked to be in pretty poor shape. He wondered what had happened to him.

"Your help is much appreciated, but we have run into a small snag." Nikolai said.

"What would that be?" Reginald asked.

"The scrap yard man wants 500 mil credits for the ship," Fara grumbled.

Reginald seemed to focus on a thought. "That is quite a lot of money...especially these days. It will take some time." He turned to Emillia. "Contact my accountant while I treat our guests to supper."

Emillia nodded. "It will probably be some time tomorrow. The storm is creating a lot of interference with global communications."

"Damn that weather," Reginald sighed. "I used to like winter...then the rain of death happened and the planet's never been the same since. Get to it as soon as you can."

Emillia nodded and excused herself from the room.

"I did manage to have supper prepared, Fara, if you wouldn't mind," Reginald said, offering his arm.

"Sure dad," Fara said, helping him as they moved towards the dining room, which had been at one time a type of observatory.

"Sir, if you don't mind me asking," Nikolai said, finally taking his parka off as he started feeling warm again, "what has you so ill? Surely with Confederation medical care they can help you."

Reginald scoffed. "Their science has merely prolonged my life, not improved it. I'm afraid there isn't anything that can be done for it..." He paused for a breath. "I was the unintended target for an assassins strike on our president during the First Lylat War. A type of degenerative neruo-toxin, so they tell me."

"You are damn lucky they were able to at least save you," Fara said.

Reginald made a strange expression and then patted his daughter on the paw. "Let's not talk of the ancient past. Come, let's eat and you can tell me what's happened since we last spoke."

* * *

A run, it turned out, was exactly what she needed.

Thankfully, someone along the line had decided to put a jogging path around the habitat ring of Starbase 186, so those inclined to do so would have plenty of room to go about their business without running anyone over.

Jayna had already got a good pace going, but there were still annoyances. In her jogging get-up, she was getting some unwanted stares from starbase personnel. That was what she missed about her ship. Every guy on the Aether knew better. Although, it was flattering that for being in her mid-thirties, she could still turn the heads of greenhorns.

The run felt good. She could feel some of the recent stress peeling off as her mind focused on something other than her current worries and she just listened to her steady, solid breathing and the steady beat of her feet on the carpeted deck.

She rounded a corner and slammed into something. As she went down, she heard a loud pop and felt an odd pressure in her ankle, causing her to yell out an expletive in surprise, not to mention falling onto her ass on the way down. As the stun of the fall faded, her eyes focused on a face she had been trying to avoid.

"Captain! Are you ok?" Harry asked, looking across from her.

"I'm fine," she snapped at him. "What the hell are you doing on the running path, Commander?"

"I'm not on the jogging path," Harry said earnestly. "You came around the corner and plowed right into me." He went to gather up his datapad, which had gone bouncing to the other side of the corridor.

She wasn't inclined to believe him, but then noticed that she was indeed not on the marked jogging path anymore.

"I was...distracted. Sorry," she huffed, trying to get back up.

"Do you need help?" Harry asked, holding a hand out to her.

She shooed his offered hand away. "No, Commander that will be all." She grunted, getting back to her feet. "I don't need you--FUCK!" She yelped as she dropped to a knee again, a surge of pain running up her leg and to the base of her skull.

"I think your ankle is dislocated," Harry said. "It's not sitting at the right angle."

"I think it is too," she gasped, squeezing her eye's closed. "It's a damn old injury!" She said, almost howling.

"Captain, being as I don't think you want to be beamed to sickbay," Harry said, lifting the leg and observing it, "I could get it back in and help you limp to sickbay."

Jayna glared at him, but nodded. "Just don't--OW! Goddamn it!" She couldn't hold the howl back as Harry cranked her joint back into place.

"Got it," he said as though discussing the day's weather.

"Damnit Harry! I oughta kick your ass all over this corridor with that leg!" She snapped at him, eyes tearing up a bit.

"Sorry," Harry said apologetically. "I thought we were only on formal terms?"

"I'm going to formally plant your head in that bulkhead," She moaned, feeling some relief at the stray foot being attached to her leg properly again. "Now help me up and get me to sickbay." There was a half-breath's pause before she added, "please."

Harry obliged her and helped her to her feet. She draped her arm over his shoulder.

"This is humiliating!" Jayna growled as they hobbled down the corridor.

"Maybe you'll watch where you're going next time," Harry chuckled.

"I have a lot on my mind," she said, grinding her teeth from both the pain in her ankle and the weight on her mind.

Harry merely nodded. "I hear you've been having a lot of trouble getting the Aether space worthy again."

"Could be," Jayna replied tensely. "Please tell me there is a turbo-lift that will get us close."

"Just a little bit further," Harry answered.

It was quiet for a moment as Jayna fought the statement forming in her mind. Eventually it bullied it's way out of her.

"Yes, by the way, we need help with the Aether. I've got your CO to give me a good chunk of your yard dogs to help, but I have to basically take my ship apart and put it back together as soon as I have the parts."

She winced again as she came down on the damaged ankle. Harry got her to a turbo-lift and they moved inside when it stopped. Jayna leaned against the wall and took a deep breath.

"Infirmary," Harry said to the computer when it prompted for a destination.

"You know...I'm still angry with you," she glared.

Harry nodded but the action failed to hide his silent sigh.

"So...don't take this as 'I'm ok with what's happened' or that you and I are on any terms either for that matter," Jayna grunted.

"I don't expect you to forgive me," Harry said, "but if I'm going to help you, we need to be able to communicate properly."

"Fine," Jayna agreed, "just don't expect anything more."

"Understood," Harry said, his voice so emotionless it came out hollow. With that, the turbo-lift slid to a stop and the door opened. He then moved to help her again.

"Can I ask one more thing," he asked.

"Don't push it."

"Can we at least try to maintain some professional cordiality towards each other?"

"I'll think about it after the pain medication kicks in," Jayna said curtly as they left the turbo lift.

* * *

Dinner had been quite interesting. Fara and Nikolai sat facing each other with her father at the head of the table. The meal had actually been some sort of steak, but while Fara and her father ate theirs, Nikolai had only a little bit and ate more of the salad.

"I'm sorry, I forgot that Altairians can be a bit more vegetarian in their diet," Reginald said.

"It is fine. As you said, the visit was very hastily planned," Nikolai said. "Now, in regards to this little fee, what are you wanting in compensation, Mr. Phoenix?"

Reginald laughed a bit, although it sounded more like a coughing fit.

"Commander, the Confederation has given me more than enough via my deals with them. They provide the weapons and armor for my guards, the heating units that are keeping us warm, and power for this house. Not to mention an infusion of funds into the local proprietors, at least until Corneria is off the money standard and fully immersed in the Confederation of Free Worlds."

"How long do you think that will take?" Nikolai asked.

"Who knows? A lot of younger people left when the opportunity presented itself." Reginald shrugged. "I can't blame them. The Lylat System is in utter ruins. Those who didn't go to the Confederation moved to the Corsair System or established colonies on other worlds of the local group." He sighed. "This house had been in my family for generations. But, now? Like me and my line...it's just another crumbling ruin on a once beautiful world."

"Dad..." Fara said.

"Forgive me," Reginald said, "but, to answer your question...I don't know when. There is so much discord on the surface right now. The Cornerian Military is about the only thing we have resembling a government or law and order anymore."

"That is very unfortunate." Nikolai said sincerely.

"It's a very long story and it would take way too long to tell," Reginald said, "so let's not dwell on such things."

"I can understand that," Nikolai said, taking a drink. "Worry only tends to shorten one's life."

Fara shot him a warning glare. She wasn't sure if that was a backhanded comment at her or not.

"Very true," Reginald chuckled, lifting his glass. "Here's to better days to come."

"So, how did you get from Corneria to here Fara?" Nikolai asked. "You never really told me the tale."

Fara laughed. "Just woke up from what I'm told was a near death coma at the right time."

"Were you sick?" asked Nikolai concernedly.

"She contracted a rather nasty virus that put her down for a long time." Reginald said, cutting in rather sharply. "We are very lucky that she is among us now." Reginald said reaching over and touching his daughter affectionately on the arm.

For an instant, Nikolai saw something in Reginald's expression. It was something unusual, something in the older fox's eyes but he couldn't make out.

"I pretty much threw myself into the pathfinder project," Fara shrugged, taking a long drink of wine. "Never really thought to look back."

"Yes," Reginald said, "in regard to that, there are some things we do need to go over."

"Dad! I really don't want to do this right now, especially when we have a guest," Fara pleaded.

"I suppose you are right, but I'm not going to be around forever," Reginald said sternly.

"I know dad, but I have a lot on my plate right now," Fara said, pouring herself more wine. "Maybe when things get a little less hectic we'll try to have that conversation. Besides, this was just a surprise visit to help my friend here."

"Ah yes, of course, of course," Reginald relented. "Will you need any other help getting the ship you require back to Starbase 186?"

"To be honest sir," Nikolai replied, "we need all the help we can get."

"Let me make some calls," Reginald said. "Arspace Dynamics has people all over the quadrant. I'm sure not all of them are terribly busy at the moment."

"I appreciate it, but we are having problems with our own bureaucracy," Nikolai said sourly. "We have had nothing but delays in trying to get my ship back into working order."

"My dear Commander Korova," Reginald smirked, "Arspace Dynamics functions within the Confederation. I can give you the manpower and anything else you need to complete the task. Just say the word and you can have it."

"Well, I have no idea what my Captain has planned, other than she's wanting to bash the Aether back together as quickly as possible." Nikolai shrugged. "Time is not on our side."

"I will try to get in touch with Captain...De'Sol, was it," Reginald asked and Nikolai nodded in response, "and see what I can do for you. Meanwhile,we are here to try and enjoy the most of your stay here. Unfortunately, I can't do anything about the weather."

Emillia entered the room. "Reginald, our guest's rooms are ready for them."

"Very good," Reginald said. "I don't have much to entertain with. The library is still intact and we do have video screens that tap into the Confederation Network, so you can keep in touch with your comrades, weather depending of course."

"If you wouldn't mind, sir," Nikolai said politely, "I would not mind seeing the library after dinner."

"Be my guest," Reginald said. "I could use some time to chat with Fara, so help yourself."

* * *

Later, in the Library

After dinner, Nikolai tried to contact Captain De'Sol, but the communications terminal showed him that no connections were currently available. Not knowing what else to do, he decided to look through the collection of books. For anyone else, this might have been an impossible task. Since meeting Fara, however, he'd learn to read Cornerian, so he could easily read the titles without relying on something to translate them for him.

The library was decent sized, for a private collection, and ranged from ancient leather bound tomes to a small digital data archive. He found himself digging through a book about the Global Civil War--apparently the last conflict on Corneria that wasn't extraterrestrial. He didn't like killing time with this, things being tight as they were, but he would just have to ride this out.

He was still concerned about the old husk of the Aether. Would it be space worthy enough to make the six light year trip back to the starbase? Even if it made it, the amount of work required to swap the two saucer sections...he sighed and shivered again, feeling the cold in the house bite into him.

"I hope you are finding something to your liking," Emillia said, stepping into the room and closing the door.

"I have," Nikolai said, looking up at her, "but I'm a bit cold now."

Emillia nodded and walked over to a wall panel and activated the heater. "That should take care of it for now."

Nikolai felt warm air being pumped into the room and nodded in appreciation.

"Reginald and Fara wanted some time alone to catch up?" Emillia asked.

"Yes. So, what all is it you do for the Phoenix's?"

"A lot," Emilia replied, "since Fara has been too busy abroad, I help her father manage his affairs here at home. I'm also his bodyguard."

"How long have you worked for them?" Nikolai asked.

"Only the last few years," she replied. "They had someone before me, but she passed away. Before that, I was just a merc for hire."

"I take it you are well taken care of?"

Emillia nodded.

"If you ever get tired of it, there is always the Starfleet," Nikolai noted. "It tends to be a little less dangerous."

"I've thought about it, but...I owe Reginald...a lot," Emillia said. "Although it sounds great. The marines stationed here seem to be happy with it."

"There is a detachment here?" Nikolai asked.

Emillia chuckled. "Who do you think the guys in the black coats are? Your people go to an awful lot of trouble making my job easier."

Suddenly there was a bright flash and the roar of an explosion that illuminated the window and the whole frame of the house shook.

"Speaking of which," Emillia said, putting a hand on the blaster holstered at her hip.

The sound of weapons fire was heard and she bolted out the door with Nikolai following her.

"Damn raiders are attacking again! You'd think they'd lay off for one night," she snarled as they ran.

"If you have a Confederation phaser rifle, I will assist you," Nikolai said as he ran along beside her. She pulled a comlink from her belt. "Reginald! I hope you are somewhere safe."

"Fara and I are in the shelter. Do you have any idea what happened?" Reginald asked.

"Not yet. We're heading to the com center right now. I'll keep you posted," Emillia said as they entered another part of the building that seemed to be a more recent add-on. Nikolai immediately realized this must be where the marine detachment was as Emillia opened a weapons locker and tossed him a coat as well as a phaser rifle.

"I hope you are ready for a fight," Emillia said, grabbing another coat and another rifle.

"I may as well assist," Nikolai said, thumbing the weapons setting down to stun.

Emillia snatched a pair of headsets and tossed him one, then went outside through the hatch. Nikolai frowned at the blizzard outside, braced himself and headed out into it.

He followed Emillia up at catwalk and into a concrete bunker that thankfully had a space heater in it. Two marines were firing their phasers into the swirling mass of snow with the aid of eye scanners.

"Commander Korova," Nikolai said, "how may I assist you gentlemen and how many of them are there?"

The marine glanced over at him. "Twenty x-rays and the shield generator is only partially functional. It looks like they hit your shuttle with an RPG."

Nikolai cursed in Altairian as he adjusted the headset and glanced out into the blizzard. With his now enhanced vision, he was able to better see a volley of bullets ricochet off the bunkers wall. Emillia had already set up and was steadily pumping shots out into the blizzard.

Nikolai managed to pop up once and drop two figures with stun bursts from his rifle. He quickly dropped down as a grenade slammed into the bunker and nearly deafened him.

"I wouldn't advise stun sir!" One of the marines shouted at him. "They just come back for more!"

Emillia got a few more shots off and then dove for cover, holding her hand up to her ear.

"Gentlemen, the shield will be up shortly. We just need to hold them off for a few more moments." She reported, popping up and downing two more raiders drawing close to the compound.

"I think we can handle that. Are you ready, commander?" The marine asked.

Nikolai nodded stiffly and again they popped up, firing at the advancing raiders, who were firing blindly at the lights of the compound, hoping to hit something. Nikolai and the rest returned a volley of crimson streams. Three more attackers went down and in the next moment, the shield bubble popped up. The entire Phoenix Estate was now enveloped in a force field bubble.

"Charlie niner to Delta six. Are there x-rays inside the AO?" The apparent leader of the detachment said into a com set. After a beat, he shut down his rifle. "All clear ladies. Let's head inside before we freeze our tails off." He took off the mask that he had covering his face, revealing him to be a Catarian. "Major Karmak, sir," he said politely to Nikolai.

"A pleasure," Nikolai said.

"Thanks for the help. We didn't think you fleet types could shoot a phaser rifle straight to save your hides." He said, packing up his equipment and motioning his men to do the same.

Nikolai slung his rifle over his shoulder. "We can continue this back inside. This weather is not too good for me over prolonged periods."

Major Karmak nodded and returned to gathering up the equipment

Later, Inside the House

"Do those attacks happen often?" Nikolai asked.

"Off and on, depending on whatever it is they think they can get out of it," Karmak shrugged, taking off his gear. "It just keeps things exciting, that's all."

"I would prefer not to have the excitement." Emillia added.

"How many of you are stationed here?"

"About fifteen of us. There were more, but some of the early raiders actually knew their business." Karmak grunted. "Then they finally managed to get us a decent, although somewhat unreliable, shield generator. Now all we do is hold them off until that force field is back up."

"I'm surprised the situation isn't any better here," Nikolai said. "It's not like the Lylat system is on the fringe of our territory."

"Well, location isn't the problem. It's that the majority of the populace doesn't agree with the articles of the Confederation because they simply don't trust their government." Karmak snorted. "Just a lot of bad blood on this planet, doesn't help that Mr. Phoenix is one of the targets of that."

"The threat is past. They don't have anything that can damage the shield." Emillia said. "You can rest easy now."

"Well, with the shields up, could I interest you two in a few drinks and a game of pool? Not much else to do with the shields up and this storm, Commander?"

"I must decline," Nikolai smiled. "I have my own matter I need to attend to while here."

"I would like to Major," Emillia replied, "but I too have some things I need to take care of as well."

"Suit yourselves," Karmak shrugged. "Thanks again for the help," he said, walking away and chatting with the others as they lugged their equipment down the hall.

"They are good people," Emillia said, watching them go. "You look a bit tired Commander."

"All this excitement has been quite tiring. I think a full night's sleep would be a good idea. Tomorrow we must take off again and try to get most of a starship back to Starbase 186." He stopped. "Blast it! That's right! Our shuttle got obliterated!"

"I will see that you have adequate transportation, as well as personnel," Emillia said. "Mr. Phoenix seems intent on helping you to the fullest extent. When you wake up tomorrow everything will be taken care of."

"Thank you," Nikolai said. "I'll try to rest easy."

* * *

A Bit Later

"Come in," Fara said, waking up. She couldn't remember getting tired or how she got in her room again, but maybe she just needed the rest.

Nikolai entered the room dressed in a single color sleeping pants and shirt. "Did I disturb you?"

Fara shook her head and yawned, stretching. "What have you been up to?"

"Some reading. We no longer have a shuttle," he informed her dryly, "some raiders attacked the compound."

"Wow, and I slept right through it?" Fara chuckled. "The shuttle is just a shuttle. Are you ok?

"I assisted the marines and Ms. Lockheart in fending off some raiders," Nikolai replied. "It was quite...exciting."

"I'm glad I missed it then," Fara said, noticing now she didn't remember even changing into her sleeping blouse. "So, what are we going to use to get around with now that we are shuttleless?"

"I was told it would be taken care of," Nikolai replied, observing the room. It reminded him of her quarters, fairly spartan except for several sets of small hand tools. One wall had several merit awards from primary school and her diploma from the Cornerian Academy. A few old toys were scattered about, but the most used of the lot seemed to be a small tool bench with some tools carefully arranged on it.

"Let me guess, this is where you spent a lot of your time?" Nikolai said, picking up a small welder and looking at it.

Fara sat up in the bed and drew her knees up to her chest. "Yeah, I built my first anti-grav unit there." She said, remembering fondly. "It only worked for about a day and then the transactor coil exploded."

"I always had to share with my sister," Nikolai chuckled. "She would hide my tools when I wouldn't let her use the bench."

"I have got to meet her," Fara chuckled. "Harry told me a little about her; she seems like a handful."

"She means well. She just sometimes lets her good intentions get ahead of her job." Nikolai said. "I'm sure she's cursing me for not being on board the Aether to help her."

"You'll be back soon enough," Fara said. "You trust your old crew, don't you?"

"Indeed."

"Then she'll be well taken care of," Fara said, scooting to the end of the bed.

There was suddenly a knock at the open door. They both looked to see Emillia standing there.

"Sorry to interrupt," she said apologetically. "I just have an update. Mr. Phoenix has a full crew rounded up to meet you at the scrapyard and the funds have already been transferred. He's requested that I accompany you back to Starbase 186 to make sure everything goes smoothly."

"That's fine. Anything else?" Fara asked.

"I would prefer an early start, probably 0730, out of here by 0800 if possible," Emillia said.

"No problem," Nikolai said. "Anything else?"

Emillia shook her head. "Have a good night you two. Commander, I trust you enjoyed your mud bath?"

"Madame, you have no idea," Nikolai said appreciatively.

Emillia bowed. "Good night."

Nikolai waited until he heard her walk down the hall, his tail twitching a bit.

"Something on your mind?" Fara asked coyly.

"Yes. The heating unit in my room will not turn up high enough," he said, shutting the door. "I am not looking forward to spending the night there."

Fara chuckled. "What? Do you want to sleep in here?"

Nikolai nodded. "I don't think I will get any sleep if I stay in there."

"Is this just a ploy to get in bed with me or are you really cold?"

"I am really, really, serious," Nikolai said, drooping his ear flaps slightly and shivering visibly.

Fara laughed. "Awww! That's not fair, you giving me the puppy dog look!"

"What would your father say if he found out?" Nikolai asked apprehensively. "We are in his house."

"So?" Fara shrugged. "I'm a big girl. He's learned to stay out of my business over the years. Oh, let me guess, it's a taboo on your world?"

"At least until we are...joined," Nikolai said. "It's a respect thing."

"Have you never stayed over at a girl's parent's house before?"

"No," Nikolai chuckled, "like I said, it's not something we Altarians do."

"Don't worry about it, Nick," she said, standing up and rubbing the side of his face. "I won't tell anybody if you won't."

* * *

One of the things the Aether needed was a set of new warp nacelles, seeing as the redesign called for two instead of three, per Captain De'Sol's orders. This was going to require some serious improvised engineering. Since the only usable, and easily accessible, nacelles were from the wreck of the Fearless, and the ever decreasing amount of time to get flying again, she had little choice but to go speak to Captain Stiles.

"Captain De'Sol. Come in, have a seat," Stiles said warmly, looking up from his reports. "I hope my station is treating you well."

"As well as it can," Jayna said, sitting in the seat across from him. "I have a big favor I need to ask of you."

"Being?" Stiles asked.

"I'll be up front with you, one captain to another," Jayna said, "I have an extremely tight deadline from Headquarters to get my ship operational. However, someone up top doesn't like me too well and every time my crew orders parts, they mysteriously get lost."

"I see," Stiles said, looking concerned.

"Now, I'll really cut to the quick. The Fearless is sitting in drydock, collecting dust. She's a dead hulk, but she has a lot of parts I need right now." She shifted, still remembering how Nikolai had pointed out the ghoulishness of such a thing, especially considering that the ship was untouched since its previous crew's corpses were removed. "With your permission, since according to regulations it's yours to do with as you see fit. I'm aware of the ramifications of what I'm asking, but I need the Aether back up and running as quickly as possible."

Stiles hmmed and leaned back in his chair, musing it over. "That's probably the most unusual request I've ever gotten. Hell, unorthodox doesn't' even cover what you are asking." He thought for a few moments more. "What exactly is it you need from the Fearless?"

Jayna pulled a small data chip from her pocket and handed it to him. "A list of what can be pulled off of the Fearless, starting with the nacelles, some power couplers, major parts we're not able to get our hands on at the moment."

Stiles took the device and uploaded the list to his terminal. He whistled as he skimmed it. "You are asking a lot here. I know I haven't had the yard dogs thoroughly salvage her and this is a lot to explain away as 'going to waste' when we're doing inventory."

"Like I said, one Captain to another, I am asking you a big favor," Jayna said.

"This is a mammoth favor, Captain." Stiles said pointedly. "This outweighs nearly any other request I've ever gotten."

"Name your price, that's all I'm asking," Jayna said coolly.

Stiles steepled his fingers and tapped them together. "I hear you have a fine collection of old wines from across the quadrant...or is that just a rumor?"

Jayna's face twitched. It wasn't that they couldn't be replaced, but it took a lot of work just to get what she had. The good stuff was kept in a storage facility back home on Termia. "It's not just a rumor," Jayna relented after regaining her composure.

"I have an anniversary coming up and my wife loves Mangrovian wine. Do you happen to have a few bottles? Possibly something from a century ago or longer?"

"Yes," Jayna said, forcing a smile. Damn, she thought to herself. She only had about four such bottles and they took a lot of boring dinners with the ambassador from that world to obtain. "How many would you like?"

"Two should suffice, one for us and one for my Dockmaster to keep his mouth shut, and make this little list," he said, pointing to the printout on the screen, "disappear. We keep this between us and hope no one starts looking too close. Do we have a deal?"

Two bottles? Damn! That's going to take some work to get back, she thought.

"Deal," she replied. "I'll have them sent as soon as I get the first wave of parts."

"I'll get my people on it right away," Stiles smiled broadly, "a pleasure doing business with you, Captain."

"Thank you, Captain," Jayna said, a bit relieved. It cost her, but she now had what she needed and the station's yard dogs to do the work for her. She stood up to leave.

"I hope you don't need anything else but if you do, you know where to find me." Stiles said going back to his work.

"I surely hope not, Captain," Jayna said, exiting through the double sliding doors. She walked down into ops and entered the turbolift.

"Computer, patch me through to Commander Nikolai Korova please."

She hadn't heard from him yet and was starting to get a bit annoyed. Maybe he was taking this little break a bit too seriously.

* * *

Corneria

A communicator chirped on the floor of Fara's room.

"Nnnngh! Tell them to go away! We're not here!" Fara groaned, nuzzling her head into Nikolai's lukewarm scaly chest.

"I can't," Nikolai yawned, "the storm must have let up. I need to answer." He tried to move to grab the device, but Fara was dead weight across his chest and arms. He sat up. She yelped as she rolled off him and tumbled from the bed, taking the covers with her, making a muffled, furry thump as she hit the floor.

Nikolai shivered, realizing now that the portable heater in the room wasn't doing nearly an adequate job and activated the communicator as picked it up.

"Korova here."

"I'd like a status report Commander. You are a bit overdue," Jayna stated.

"I am sorry Captain, but we have been experiencing difficulties since we got here. Our shuttle was destroyed and communications with the satellite network have been dicey at best."

"Did we get the old gal or not? That's my main concern." Jayna demanded. "I got the other needs taken care of, so we're waiting on you now."

"We've got it, Captain," Nikolai said, feeling Fara toss the blankets onto the bed and snuggle up next to him, pressing herself against his back, straddling his tail.

"How long until you get back?" Jayna asked.

"I'll let you know as soon as I know. I'm not sure of our exact method of getting the old Aether back to starbase, but I'll keep you apprised."

"She's very pushy, isn't she?" Fara snickered.

"Are you alone?" Jayna asked. "What was that?"

"No, I'm not," Nikolai replied. "I have company. I would have taken this privately, but the only video terminal is in an extremely cold part of the house and it's only o-four hundred in the morning, sir."

"Understood. I'll catch up with you later on what we've accomplished back here."

"Aye sir," Nikolai replied.

"Good night, Commander," Jayna said with a small inflection of amusement as she closed the channel.

"Yes, she is very demanding," Nikolai said.

"Poor Nikolai...always getting pushed around by mean girls," Fara snickered, reaching for a blanket and quickly wrapping them both in it, noticing Nikolai starting to shiver.

"She's not just any girl. She's my Captain...big difference," Nikolai smirked.

"And what am I? Just the 'girlfriend'?" Fara said, tickling his ribs.

"You are whatever you want to be to me," Nikolai smiled, leaning back to kiss her neck. "But you can't nail me for insubordination."

"Wanna bet?"

* * *

Jayna entered her quarters shortly after getting off the lift. As she did, she ordered the shutters to be opened and replicated a cup of coffee before going to stand by the windows overlooking her once beautiful starship, now shot to pieces.

So far so good. The rest was just a matter of racing against the clock. All that was left to do was sit back and wait.

Well that wouldn't do.

She finished her coffee and set the cup down on a table. She headed down towards her ship, certain there was something she could do to help.

* * *

The Next Day

Starbase 186's yard crews worked overnight to remove the nacelles from the damaged Fearless and send them over to be attached to the Aether. As soon as they were connected, the Aether's broken nacelles were hauled off for scrap. They then proceeded to start discreetly stripping the Fearless of other needed parts and shipping them to the Aether's cargo bays via transporter.

Harry got the call early that morning from Captain De'sol to help her Engineer, Donika Korova, with attaching the older parts. Apparently, the young engineer wasn't familiar with retrograding and was having problems attaching the older nacelles to the newer ship's systems. He agreed to head straight down there to help with the repairs.

A string of Altairian curses echoed through the newly attached port nacelle of the Aether, followed by the crash of tools as Harry climbed down into the inactive plasma injector relay.

Two of the Aethers engineers looked in the direction of the sound with worry. It was never good when Donnika blew her stack, however; they quickly snapped to attention when they spotted Harry.

"Problem?" Harry asked, recognizing one of them from his stay on the ship.

"We are experiencing complications getting the nacelles to integrate with the new software as well as the physical connections," the crewman reported, "as I'm sure you can tell."

Harry raised a brow as he heard a new curse he'd yet to hear in Altairian that implied that the object of her anger tended to fornicate with flaming dead bodies of farm animals.

"At ease, I'll take care of it," Harry said. "It's been a while, but I think I can still remember my way around an older J25 plasma relay interface." He said, walking over to a ladder and climbing down inside the nacelle. "That is, if she doesn't start beating on it first."

It was quite a climb down until he reached the base of the nacelle. Harry saw the tool kit that had been thrown into the bulkhead and could still hear Donnika ranting down inside the open hatchway. He walked up to the open hatchway and peered down inside of it.

"Lieutenant?" He called patiently.

Donnika's head snapped up from what she was working on and she bared her teeth before she recognized him.

"Commander Martinez? Vat are you doink here?"

"I was told you need all the help you can get, Donnika."

"You don't know zee half of it!" She growled.

"What is the problem?" Harry asked calmly.

"Zee plasma interlinks are not wanting to sync up with zee metaphasic inductors, two different ages of technology! Zee time for zis...zis...stupidity is not what I have!"

"Let me get your tools," Harry offered. "I know a few tricks that might help."

Donnika looked relieved. "At least someone knows somethink!"

In a few moments, Harry dropped down into the conduit with her with her formerly scattered tools.

"Didn't you work on these when your brother was in charge?" He asked.

"He wouldn't let me anywhere near zee old engines," Donnika sighed. "He didn't want me tinkerink with what he said was already perfect. Now, before zee damn ince--" she caught herself.

"You knew how to work on the new ship," Harry completed, "but now you are at a disadvantage."

Donnika sighed and nodded. "I 'ave not much time to get zis ship operational. I wish he was here to help."

"Don't worry Lieutenant," Harry smiled, "you will have all the help you can deal with and Commander Korova is in good hands. As long as my crew and I aren't interrupted, we'll be helping with the repairs as much as possible. It's the least we can do." He looked down into the conduit and instantly saw what the problem was. "There's the issue, there...the P12 conduit on the newer units actually goes in the P8 connection on the older conduits. It's so simple you won't ever need to be shown it again."

"Thank you," Donnika sighed gratefully.

"Not a problem," Harry said, setting to work and starting to unfasten a few connectors. "I'll need a virbo spanner...grab a couple of R type links."

"Right, I think we 'ave some up in zee equipment room. I'll go get it," she said climbing back up the hatch.

Harry shook his head and humed as he worked. He always did enjoy working on the equipment that made up a starship, but Fara was pretty adamant about not letting just anybody touch any part of the Raptor with a tool in their hand.

Donnika slid back down the ladder with the parts and handed them to him. Harry already had everything disconnected and was ready for her.

"Now watch and learn," Harry said as she handed him the connectors.

Harry then took off the conduits and attached the connectors. He plugged them into auxillary ports on the connect hardpoint. After that, he locked them down and then popped open the trunk they were connected to and pulled out two or three ODN chips and then a circuit board and worked to get them all talking to each other. "Now...get in close, 'cause this is tricky."

Donnika leaned in and watched as he used a small solder to cross a few circuit ends.

"Why are you jumping the S13 circuits," Donnika asked, leaning in a bit too close over his shoulder. Their cheeks brushed and he caught a whiff of her Altairian pheromones. Harry was suddenly not very interested in what he was doing and started to shake his head.

Donnika blushed and backed up.

"Sorry Commander!" She groaned, flushing deeply. "I am just impressed by your knowledge...and...I am so sorry!"

"It's ok," he said, trying to shake off the effect. "Get me a couple of 49K Hrtz capacitors. If I remember right, and wait a bit so I can get some air. "

"Sorry, again," she said, blushing even deeper and scurrying up the ladder.

Harry smacked his muzzle and tried to shake off the effects, but he knew it would be a few minutes before his head cleared. When he worked with her before, he made sure to keep a respectable distance to avoid that happening. The biochemical release of pheromones with skin on skin contact with an Altairian could really pull a whopper on someone. Although, Harry wondered if he could get that close again.

Now that he was experiencing it, he knew now why Fara was so loopy over Nikolai.

"Damn it!" He cursed as he set the circuit board down and smacked himself across the muzzle again as his mind started to wander...again.

"Are you ok?" Donnika called back down the hatchway. "I've got the parts."

"No, I'm not ok," he chuckled, rubbing the side of his face. "You got me pretty good." He called back, staring at her rump as she climbed back down the ladder.

"I am so sorry," she apologized again as she approached. "I really didn't--"

Harry held his paw up. "Don't! Let's just focus on what...we're doing...not each other...ok?"

Donnika smiled. "Yes, of course."

He handed her the circuit board. "Let's do this. You do the work, like I planned, and I'll stand over here and instruct you."

"Ok," she said, turning to kneel down to reach into the equipment trunk and walking with a bit too much saunter. "Ready when you are Har--Commander!"

"Sure," Harry said, trying to stay focused on something other than her tail. "Take the caps and use them to close off the 209 and 456 junctions, since we're just going to bypass them using 339 and 568. After that ..."

* * *

With the help of an Arspace Technologies starship transport vessel, and a full crew of technicians, assessing the Aether's space worthiness only took half a day. The ship had, in essence, been stripped. The bridge's main consoles were just bare hubs with hastily slapped on plates covering the holes.

"It's a shame," Nikolai noted as he and Fara stood on the bridge, "a shame we had to retire her. Yes, she was old, but she ran like a dream...now look at her!"

"At least Bronte left the damn SIDF generators...the deflector and warp cores are still here too," Fara said, "and it looks like we might be ready to take off here in another few hours. If it weren't for the fact we had the SST, we could probably take her home under her own power."

"About that, how long will it take for us to get back?" Nikolai asked.

"Two days," Fara said, "that's the only downside, but it'd be the safest way for us to get this beast back to Starbase 186."

"What could happen?"

Fara laughed. "Well, anything could happen, considering what happened last night and prior experience! I'd like to get back to home base with as little unnecessary craziness as possible."

Nikolai couldn't help but nod in agreement. "I can see your point."

Emillia appeared on the turbo lift and stepped out into the bridge. "Ms. Phoenix, we should be ready to depart within the next few hours. The inertial clamps will be released soon."

"That's good news," Fara acknowledged. "That will give Nikolai and me time to examine the structural hard connect points."

Emillia put her hand up to an earbud. "It seems we are receiving a long range communication addressed to you, Commander."

"That is probably my Captain," Nikolai said. "Do we still have communications on this ship?"

"Yeah," Fara replied, "give me a second, I just got to power them on." Fara walked over to the pieces of what was left of the communications console. She fiddled with it for a few seconds. The viewer snapped to life and Captain De'Sol's image appeared on the screen.

"What's your status, Commander?" She asked, seeing Nikolai.

"Things are going fairly smoothly. We should be there in approximately two days."

"Two days?" Jayna grumbled, a bit disappointed.

"Captain," Fara said, "we ran into a little trouble on Corneria and we're going to use a starship transport to ensure we get the Aether back safely. It'll take a bit longer for us to get there, but we're bringing extra help and we'll be sure the ship gets there in one piece."

"Very well. We're getting ready to disconnect the hard points on the ship here. I am trusting both of you to make sure that ship is in good shape."

"We already have a plan, sir," Nikolai said crisply. "In fact, we're going to give it a good once over before it gets there."

"That's good to hear."

"How is progress going on your end, Captain?" Nikolai asked.

"The crew has managed to salvage two warp nacelles, the top torpedo array and some vital components from the Fearless. The Raptor crew has been pitching in when they have time and we've actually managed to get the spare parts attached." Jayna said. "If we get that saucer, we'll have a whole starship again."

"Hopefully enough time to get back together with plenty of time to spare," Nikolai smiled his pointy toothed smile.

"We can only hope," Jayna replied. "Get your butts here as soon as we can. We'll try to get the Aether back together as quickly as possible and I really want you back to supervise it."

"Is Lt. Korova having problems?" Nikolai asked.

Jayna rolled her eyes. "She's trying, but this is a little out of her league. Commander Martinez is helping her. The situation still is not the best, but it's better than it has been."

"We will be there in two days with an SST that will have the equipment we need as well as extra people to pitch in." Nikolai said.

"That's great news. We'll be awaiting your return," Jayna said. "De'sol out."

* * *

Later, after the repairs were completed, Harry excused himself. He had to get free of this compulsion left with him from Donnika's pheromones. It was starting to become very irritating, so he made his way to sickbay. Although, the further he got, the more remorseful he became. He was somewhat relieved when the lift opened up and the station's infirmary was only a few steps ahead.

As he entered, Doctor Okan looked up from some vials and bubbling flasks he was working on.

"Commander! What are you doing here? Have you hurt any more senior officers?" He said with a chuckle

"Real funny...and no...this time I have a problem."

Doctor Okan grabbed a medical tricorder and began scanning him. "Do tell?"

"I got a dose of Altairian pheromones," he said. "It was a stupid accident."

"Ah! That would explain your cardio and neuro readings," Doctor Okan said. "For a moment I thought you were having some kind of panic attack."

"Can you do anything for it?" Harry asked. "I'm trying to help out the Aether's engineer get their ship together." He was again thinking some very interesting thoughts of Donnika and shook his head to clear them. "I think I impressed her," he said absentmindedly.

"Oh dear," Okan chuckled, closing the tricorder.

"What...does that mean?"

"Well, usually just casual contact, such as an accidental brush in a hallway or a hand shake can be countered with Amilitriptin." Doctor Oakn explained. "However, in other 'situations' where there is even a mild state of arousal in an Altarian, the only way to resolve it, is the way nature intended it too."

Harry groaned. "You mean...?"

"Yep," Okan laughed. "I can't really do anything for it Commander. The best thing I can say is hope for a call for us to board the Raptor or try to refrain from being around her, but it won't be pleasant."

"You aren't helping," Harry said, "they really need my help but...Donnika is a nice...competent...at what she does, but I don't want to do that."

"I suggest you figure something out, because if you get around her it's going to be harder and harder to break free of it." Okan gasped, wiping a tear from his eye. "Look at Ms. Phoenix for instance. She's quite head-over-heels for Commander Korova."

"Arrgh! I don't need this," Harry said. "I have enough problems at the moment!"

"Sorry Commander, but there is nothing I can give you to help," Okan shrugged.

"Fine...I'll manage...somehow," he moaned. "Thanks Doc."

"Anytime! Oh, and Commander? Tell Captain De'Sol to do the physical therapy I prescribed for her ankle. I don't think she took it to heart."

"I'll tell her," Harry sighed, leaving the infirmary.

He stopped outside sickbay and his combadge beeped.

"Martinez." He said.

"Commander," Donnika's voice said. "I am sorry to disturb you again, but we 'ave another problem."

"Is it a 'problem' problem or something else," asked Harry, catching himself before it was too late.

There was a pause. "I need assistance changing over zee main plasma couplers that will 'ave to connect to the saucer when it gets here."

"I'll be there in a little bit," Harry replied.

"Thank you, sir," Donnika replied.

Regardless of how this was going down, he was just going to have to ride this out if he could. He had promised Jayna he would help as best he could and this wasn't going to stop him or slow him down.

* * *

Several Hours Later

Nikolai and Fara had completed their inspection of the ship. Fortunately, the ship was still structurally sound and would work as well as they hopped. They were both tired and exhausted because it had been a really long day.

"We really got lucky," Fara said. "Usually when a ship like this hits a scrap yard it gets completely gutted for everything it's worth. I guess Bronte was serious about keeping it. I hope he's happy with his damn money."

"The happiness money brings is only fleeting. I'm sure you don't miss it much since you have been away from your home," Nikolai said.

"Well,I never had to worry about it to begin with." Fara replied, "but yeah, it is nice to just not really care about it, although we still have creds."

"Yes, but we don't depend on them." Nikolai replied.

"Yeah, about the only purpose they serve is buying authentic, non-replicated stuff, like booze, souvenirs, art...whatever. Anyways," Fara chuckled, "so, want to go grab something to eat? I'm starving!"

"Sounds good to me," Nikolai smiled his toothy grin.

They walked a little further along and stopped at a door that was standing open.

"Nick, did we open that?" Fara asked.

"I don't believe so," Nikolai said, activating his tricorder and running a scan. "Very unusual."

"Could be the magnetic lock disengaged," Fara suggested, closing it and then looking the device over, "looks like it could have shorted."

The door slowly swung back open.

"Quite unusual," Nikolai frowned. His tricorder showed nothing unusual.

"What is it?" Fara asked.

"Perhaps being a bridge officer has made me a bit paranoid," Nikolai growled, closing the tricorder and deactivating it.

"Paranoia isn't really a bad thing," Fara noted.

Nikolai shrugged. "No, I suppose it isn't my love. Let's get something to eat."

* * *

After nearly a whole day of fighting chemically induced impulses, Harry was exhausted. He felt like he'd been fighting an uphill battle all day and he was starting to consider losing just so it would end. He was walking down the docking corridor when he ran into Jayna, who was approaching from the other direction.

"Commander, if you don't mind me saying, what happened to you?" She asked with some concern. "You look like hell."

"It's taken most of the day to get those nacelles up and running," Harry replied through a yawn. "We got it done...sorry...all we need is...."

"The rest of the ship," Jayna supplied when he lost his train of thought. "Are you sure you're ok? You look miserable...and you're flushed."

Harry groaned and leaned against the wall. "Altairian pheromones..." He groaned.

Jayna started to laugh. "Oh that's just rich!"

"It's not funny! I feel miserable," Harry groaned.

"I'm sorry, it's just that, wow," she laughed. It sounded like this was the funniest thing she'd encountered in awhile. "So what are you doing? Just slugging it out? Commander Martinez is just too tough to give in to a biochemical compulsion?"

"I'm trying to resist and I'm not really succeeding."

"She must have got you good," Jayna chuckled. "You should get a medal for sticking it out this long." She smirked. "You know, it's only going to get worse. When they get you, there is only one way out."

"Don't remind me," Harry groaned. "She's a beau--good officer and I want to take her and--I just don't want to complicate matters."

"Yeah, you are doing that just fine as is." Jayna laughed again. "Come with me. I was looking for you anyway. There is something that might help, but it's not recommended by your physician."

If she was being honest, she did feel kind of bad for Harry. Even low doses of those pheromones were hard to deal with. She could only imagine how miserable he was. On the other hand, she couldn't help but think he deserved it just a little.

"I really do not care what it is...anything to help at this point," Harry sighed.

"Ok. I was going to make supper. Usually Nikolai dines with me," she said offhandedly. "I would appreciate the company and I don't think you should be left alone," She giggled, "especially in that sorry state!"

Harry nodded, eager for any distraction from the impulses screaming through his body.

"Well, come on! Or are you going to stand there looking back at the ship wistfully for the rest of the night?" Jayna said patiently.

Harry shook his head violently. That was exactly what he was doing. "Get me out of here," he said.

"I'll escort you home first, Commander," Jayna said as they started down the corridor. "You could use a shower."

Jayna waited outside Harry's quarters as he freshened up. Part of her was still mad at her for doing any of this. She was supposed to be mad at him. Letting him fall to pieces via a dose of impulse inducing chemicals from one of her crew members sounded like poetic justice. Still, she rubbed the spot on her wrist where she knew the tattoo was lurking under her sleeve.

Once he was ready she led the way back to her quarters. Dinner was prepped and they ate. The food, as usual, was good. The wine flowed easily. They talked as if time were wound back and they were again aboard the Aether. They caught up on what was going on, the simple distraction keeping his mind from wandering. Though, once or twice, the toe of a boot to his shin would stop him mid-pheromone-induced sentence.

Harry was concerned that Jayna seemed to be purposely avoiding talking about recent events, but at least they were talking. They discussed the last stage of the repairs that would involve breaking the Aether into its modular hull components and making the ship whole again with the functioning parts from the older vessel. Occasionally the technical talk would nudge his thoughts towards Donnika, but Jayna managed to steer him back each time.

Harry helped Jayna clean off the table and put the dishes away in the replicator for reprocessing.

"Now what," he asked.

"You still tripping," Jayna asked.

"A little bit," he admitted. The effects were starting to wear off...or the wine was numbing his senses. It was hard to tell.

Jayna chuckled. "Damn it, that was some of the good stuff too." She returned the wine bottle back to the cabinet. "Believe me Harry, I can empathize."

"Really? You've been through this?" Harry asked.

Jayna nodded and chuckled. "Yeah, Nikolai accidentally got me a month ago."

"How'd you deal with it?"

Jayna blushed a little bit. "The way you're supposed to."

Harry raised a brow. "You are kidding?"

Jayna shook her head. "It was that or wander around being miserable like you."

"Probably better not ever let Fara catch wind of that," Harry joked. Cornerian's weren't nearly as open minded as echidnas when it came to intimacy. "How did it happen?"

"He was gallantly trying to save his captain from getting hit by a blaster bolt," Jayna replied. "One of the Coroli factions thought trying to assassinate a Starfleet Captain might make us back off. In the jostle, he grappled me to shield me from the shots and well..." she laughed, shrugging, "I'm sure you can guess the rest."

Harry nodded. They were quiet as they finished cleaning up the dishes and table.

"Seriously though, now what?" Harry hiccupped.

"Well, back in the day," Jayna said pensively, "when Admiral Kramer would run us cadets nearly nuts, we'd play a game. It's a good way to kill a few hours."

"Dakort?" Harry said, "I know it." He hiccupped again. "I've played it a few times."

"Are you on duty?" Jayna asked.

Harry frowned, thinking as hard as he could. "What day is it? I'm having trouble remembering."

"Ilesday," Jayna said.

"Well...I usually go help Captain Stiles with some of his tasks, but I suppose I could ask for a bit of a late start." He really didn't feel like stumbling home at the moment.

"Right then, we'll play it dry and cut back on the booze," Jayna shrugged.

Harry nodded. "Fair enough. Deal it out," he said, walking over to the couch and coffee table where Jayna was already shuffling a deck.

The night went on. Several hands had been played and Harry proved to be fairly adept at it, much to Jayna's annoyance. She had been hoping that with his current condition she could at least beat him at a card game.

"I should have made you keep drinking," she hissed, picking up the cards and shuffling once again.

"Well, you could have saved yourself the trouble if you'd asked me earlier," Harry smirked.

"You beat me in chess too. I thought I'd change it up on you," she said, dealing out another hand.

Harry picked up his cards, tossed two, and drew two more. Jayna looked at her hand and did the same as they began to play. After a few moments she broke the brief silence.

"Commander, may I ask you something?"

"Shoot," he said as he waited for her move.

Jayna put three cards down and then drew three more.

"Back during the...accident," Jayna began, looking at the cards she drew and then cupping the cards in her hand, "when did you notice there was trouble?"

Harry glanced down at the cards face up in front of her. She had a strong lead. It did not look good for him this turn.

"Jayna...they put me through a whole board of inquiry over this," he said wearily, "I don't want to go over it again."

"I want to hear it from you directly, not from a goddamn report," Jayna growled coldly. The way she had tensed up, how she was looking at him, he realized she would not let him dodge out of this. "I appreciate your help, but I want to put you to the test." She said her eyes locked onto him and he shrank back slightly. "We are going to play a game. You don't know what I have in my hand." She held up her cards, showing at least five in her hand. "I assure you that my victory is most assuredly imminent this hand."

Harry raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "So, you've been lulling me into a sense of false security?"

Jayna smiled darkly. "I am going to give you a chance. I'll ask you some questions, the first one has already been asked. If I am satisfied with your answers, I'll play a card to weaken my position. Otherwise, you're finished." She smirked confidently. "However, you will not be able to tell with the cards I have in my hand."

"This hardly sounds fair," Harry replied.

"It isn't. This is a game of trust," said Jayna. "Draw your cards and answer the questions, or fold."

"And...if I lose?"

"Then anything we may have shared, or had, is lost," Jayna replied, her face devoid of emotion. "You will leave here and we will never speak again outside the confines of the uniform. Is that understood?"

"Yes," Harry confirmed, "but, if I win?"

"We shall see," Jayna said, wrapping the table with a knuckle, indicating for him to play.

"The first time I noticed a problem was when the computer was shutting down areas of the ship. My orders were to see that the test was successful and stay out of the way. When the computer attacked a defenseless vessel, I ordered it's deactivation." He glared. "However, the Epsilon Three had tricked us and maintained operation even after our attempts to disable it." He looked at his hand and pulled up the few he thought to play. "We were doing everything we could to stop that machine and finally, once I convinced it that what it was doing was wrong, it destroyed itself."

He played his card to set up the appropriate strategic blocks, but his position on the table was weak at best. He drew a few more cards.

"Go."

He frowned as Jayna made the appropriate plays, but did not capture the high card and remove it from play. It was an unusual strategy, but she still had the upper hand.

She drew, then wrapped the table again. "Did you do everything you could to try to contact the other ships?"

Harry tried to read her, but she had become a statue, utterly devoid of inflection. Her breathing was steady and she seemed calm.

"I had my best people working on the communications systems," Harry replied, "but the computer had locked us out of everything. We had no way to warn the other ships."

Again he made his play. He was still no better off than he was last hand.

"If you knew something was wrong, and your instincts were obviously telling you to act, why didn't you?"

"I was under direct orders from Admiral Leyton not to interfere with the tests, provided there was no danger to the participants. During the first instance of problems, there was no direct threat to anyone. I was assured by the doctor that everything was fine, despite my own misgivings. If I had known then what I do now, I would have pulled the plug on that infernal contraption immediately."

"Do you have any idea what your failure cost me, Harry?" Jayna said with a tinge of anger in her voice. "Ships can be repaired, but the lives of my people who are now gone...because you hesitated." Her anger was building, but she was trying to maintain control. "The lives you have damaged as the result of the deaths of my crew...."

She wrapped her knuckle on the table a little too hard.

Harry folded his cards, made his final play, and then leaned forward.

"I know the cost of my actions. Pasky, Serin, Caz, Karlyle, Miranda...they were good people, fine officers, and we're all the better for knowing them...and the lesser for their absence." Harry took a breath. "If you believe I haven't thought about it every day since and that I don't feel any regret, then I'll go, because if that's the case...you clearly don't know anything about me."

Jayna glanced down at the table, stung, but still angry. Harry had made a bold, if not desperate, play for the game. The play itself was a touch reckless, but not without strategy. Jayna glanced at her hand. Two cards could decide his fate.

"Are you feeling lucky, Commander?" She asked coolly.

"Luck has nothing to do with it," Harry replied equally coolly, "I don't like to lose." He held up his final card with the back facing her, then laid it down slowly on the table. He had to be bluffing, or he was just crazy. She couldn't tell.

Jayna already had a winning trump in play. After running the math of the cards through her head, he couldn't possibly have anything high enough to make his set even viable against her own.

Unless she had lost count...that was possible.

"It's a game of trust, remember? Make your choice," Harry said as she went for her card.

He has to know he was going to lose, she thought. He couldn't win and he knew it, but he was bluffing anyway. He was putting himself, literally, on the chopping block.

She drew her card and placed herself on the same block.

"You know you can't win," she whispered, holding his gaze.

Harry shrugged, but he was staring right back. "I know you Jayna. I trusted you then and I trust you now."

They sat in a standoff, each trying to read the other. Neither was succeeding. The entire situation no hinged on what Jayna did next, and she could feel the weight of it.

"I concede," she said, withdrawing her cards with a single smooth swipe of her hand.

"What? That's it? After all that build up?" Harry inquired with a frown. "What did you have in your hand?"

"You first," Jayna replied.

Harry flipped it over, revealing a three star card.

"You are nuts," Jayna huffed, "calling like that with not nearly enough to back it up? With that drop of points, you wouldn't even be able to play a contesting hand!"

"What did you have?"

Jayna showed her cards.

Harry was genuinely startled. "Damn!"

"I supposed that means I trust you," she said, getting up. "Come here. I want to show you something."

She walked over to a cabinet and extracted a data chip. She grabbed a small datapad and inserted the chip into the back. The wall monitor flickered to life.

"What is this?" Harry asked.

"Hush up and watch."

The Confederation insignia flared into being and a star date from nearly eight months ago appeared underneath, indicating this was a prerecorded message. The video flickered and the image of their mentor, Admiral Kramer, sitting at his desk onboard his vessel came into view.

"Captain De' Sol," his raspy, gravelly voice said politely, "it has been a long time since we talked. Encrypted in this message is a task of utmost importance. I want you to do this for me." He leaned forward and keyed something up. On a small window, Harry could make out his own personnel file. "A long time ago, I told you that you needed to seek your own answers. This Lt. Commander Martinez may have some of them. He is currently in charge of the Raptor, a new prototype vessel. As you can see from his record, he is an exemplary officer that has, due to some complications, been stalled on his advancement up the command ladder. I feel that at this time, due to circumstances, he is beginning to feel encumbered by his current assignment. I need you to guide him Jayna, guide him to understanding his place in the greater scheme of things. You, like him, share the distinction of being one my most promising of students. You also share another common bond, one which neither one of you can begin to imagine. I have already gone through the appropriate channels to promote him. I will need your signature and approval to finalize his promotion"

Admiral Kramer winced and quickly injected himself with something. Harry recalled he had been affected by some sort of mutagenic radiation that had caused a type of untreatable cancer, often causing him to be in great amounts of pain. He slowly regained his composure and continued his message.

"I need you to guide him Jayna. He is more important to you than you know. I need you to trust him...trust him implicitly.

"I wish we could communicate in person, but I understand you have your duties and obligations. I will trust you to carry out this assignment. Admiral Kramer out."

With that the message terminated, leaving them in silence.

"This was a bit before he disappeared, wasn't it?" Harry asked.

Jayna nodded and pulled the data chip. "For once, with that man, I wish I knew just what the hell was going on in that mind of his."

"You and me both," Harry confessed.

"I hope you can now understand my dilemma with you and why we had to do this," she said, putting the chip away. "Jon seems to believe in you and he wants me to as well."

Harry nodded. "Before I came to the Starbase, I was happy where I was...next thing I know I'm being transferred halfway across the quadrant to this ship. It would be nice to know who the hell thought I ought to be put in charge of the Raptor."

"Believe it or not, the beloved Admiral Leyton," Jayna said in an acidic tone. "I've had my sources check it and that guy has a serious grudge against Admiral Kramer."

"What for?"

"The Raptor's development was Kramer's idea," Jayna said. "Fleet HQ took his proposal over one of Leyton's weapons projects. Leyton had to scrap years of development." Jayna walked back to the couch and sat beside Harry. "You, unfortunately, are the only one out of all of us that he can really torment and you being the Raptor's commanding officer? I'm sure he was enjoying making you miserable, being transferred to a project that was starting to be seen as a failure, until you turned that around. In short, you should watch your back around Leyton. I'm sure this little incident has him gunning for you harder than before. He'll be off licking his wounds for the moment, which is why he left the Aether and me high and dry, but I assure you...he will be back."

"I don't know what more he could do to me," said Harry with a slight chuckle.

"Who do you think has been submitting the shipping routes through this quadrant, deliberately placing you in harm's way?" Jayna shrugged. "Sure, it looks safe on paper, but any Captain worth their salt knows the best way to avoid the Urtheans is to stay as far away from them as possible." She sighed and shook her head. "I knew about this, which is why I took the steps to get some relief sent to this sector for you and your crew. You owe me...a lot."

"I can see that now," Harry said. "I have noticed life has gotten slightly easier since we crossed paths."

Jayna gave him a faint smile. "I need to apologize to you. Considering what has happened, I hope you can understand why I had my doubts."

"I understand. I forgive you," Harry replied.

"About this whole damn mess," she said, intertwining her fingers and stretching. "What really gets me is it was just a stupid accident...a stupid, fucking accident that should have never happened and there is really no one to blame." She growled, twisted her hands and closed her eyes. "Sarne...it'd be nice to blame him, but the poor bastard was being pushed too hard and he took a chance and got burned for it."

"Believe me, he didn't handle it all that well," Harry recalled. "We had to sedate him because he just...cracked."

"Just be alert and keep your head up, ok?" Jayna said, turning to face him. "Admiral Leyton is up to something and every instinct I have is screaming that we're the targets. He was backing the Epsilon Three project and I'm sure he was one of those forces of pressure on Sarne.

They sat, staring at each other. The blankness that had presided over their game was gone. She could see how tired he was. He could see how relieved she was. Both could see, if only for a moment, that they were back on the same page.

"Are we good?" Harry asked quietly.

Jayna reached over, squeezing his leg affectionately. "Yeah...we are."

"It's getting late," he noted, "and we've still got two ships in multiple pieces we got to put together starting tomorrow morning."

Jayna nodded as Harry got up to leave. He was wobbling a bit. Even though he had cut off the wine, it still wasn't out of his system.

"Harry..." she whispered, drawing his attention back to her, "you don't have to leave. You can stay here...I...want you to stay here."

As he stood there watching her, he realized that his balance wasn't the greatest. He doubted he could get back to his quarters without collapsing.

"Only on one condition."

"That being?"

"Shower and then bed, nothing else," Harry said. "We've got a ship to put together hopefully tomorrow morning. Also, do you have some detox pills?"

"With the way things have been going Harry," Jayna said with the first real smile he had seen on her in a while, "I don't think that will be a problem."

* * *

The Next Day

The Arspace Dynamics ship transport arrived at the station early in the morning. The old Aether was towed inside and immediately disassembled for the parts that were needed. The whole process took an impressive four days to at least get the ship bolted back in one piece. Everyone who could help did and worked in rotating shifts. With such a tight schedule, everything was checked and double checked with the proceeding shift before they were rotated out.

There was still a lot of work to be done, but the ship was once again in one piece. It was now an amalgam of two designs, and the old saucer's paint job did not match the engineering section. Plus, the older nacelles on the newer pylons looked a bit on the small side. However ugly it was, Captain De'Sol was pleased with the Photon Torpedo Launch platform that had replaced the top nacelle. It gave the Aehter a bit more fire power in exchange for the speed.

Flight and structure tests would need to be done and the interior of the ship was going to be another matter, but due to the rushed circumstances it would have to do. The station's yard dogs, the engineering crew of the Raptor, and the additional crew from Arspace Dynamics, worked on getting the ship operational again. Captain Stiles was more than happy to offload a few older, but functional, heavy duty inertial dampeners, as well as a few other essential parts that the station just had sitting around in its inventory.

Jayna had a mountain of paperwork to submit now, but that could be delayed for a bit. The bureaucrats at HQ would be pitching a fit because of the drastic change to the vessel itself. However, the powers that be were willing to let the little details slide and approved the transfer of her command to this new vessel. The registry numbers for the newer Aether were patched over the old ones on the older components and a prominent, if not crudely painted, suffixed II was added to the end of the ship's name.

Everyone put forth their best effort, and Jayna trusted that everyone was doing their part. They would need to get underway in the next couple of days if they were going to make it on time. She was grateful that, so far, everything had gone smoothly. Regardless of what they did at Starbase 186, the real shake down would have to happen once they got underway. The next day, the final connections had been checked and double checked and the newly assembled Aether II exited the starbase with the Raptor trailing behind as escort.

"Everything going fine over there?" Harry asked on screen.

"So far so good. Everything seems 5 by 5," Jayna replied. She nodded to Nikolai beside her. "Engineering? Are we ready to go to warp?"

"As ready as we can be, bridge," Donnika replied.

"We'll be going up to warp 6 and heading to the following coordinates. Raptor, do you copy?" She asked.

"Yes, we'll be following right along behind you if you need any help," Harry responded on screen.

"Much appreciated. Mr. Epxo, do you have our course plotted and laid in?" Jayna asked her new navigator.

"Yes sir, bearing 312, mark 75 at warp 6," the Bem officer replied, his four hands dancing along the control console. "Awaiting your mark, Captain."

"You are sure we're going to stay in one piece?" She whispered to Nikolai. "You did check her work I hope?"

"I have the utmost confidence in Chief Korova." Nikolai replied calmly.

"I'll hold you to that," Jayna said, making note to try to acquaint herself with some of the newer bridge crew members. "Engage."

The ship lurched forward and the engines thrummed to life. After what seemed like a stall, the stars in the viewer began to streak by.

Jayna and Nikolai exchanged glances.

"Are we at warp?" She asked.

"Aye, sir," the navigator replied.

"Donnika? What was that hiccup?" Jayna asked.

"It appears we 'ave some adjusting to be doink," Donnika replied. "All systems show green though."

"I expect a full report," Jayna replied.

"Don't worry about that," Donnika replied. "I'll get right on it."

"How is the structural integrity field looking, Nikolai?" Jayna asked.

"We are maintaining structural integrity." Nikolai replied. "All stressors appear nominal and no reports of any noticeable damage upon jumping to warp."

"Well, so far so good," Jayna said. She didn't like the way the deck plates rattled, but at least she had a ship again. It was strange being on her old bridge again. She had gotten used to the sleek lines and openness of her ship's previous incarnation. "I think we're going to try to push it just a bit harder."

"Well be right on your...one moment," Harry said, suddenly muting the channel. "I'm sorry Jayna," he said as the channel opened again, "but we're being called away. A Scutta raiding party has been spotted in sector 316. We're being ordered to investigate."

"Don't worry, we'll just take her around the block in the safer part of town," Jayna chuckled. "Happy hunting."

Harry nodded and the screen went blank. On the screen the Raptor's shape changed as it's armor engaged and veered off course. It's cloak engaged, causing it to disappear from sight.

"Should we continue the tests, Captain?" Nikolai asked.

"Might I remind you, Mr. Korova, we are extremely pressed for time," she said, getting out of the Captain's chair.

Nikolai nodded understandingly.

"So, we do what we always do, we press on. Helm, increase speed to warp 8. Let's see what she's got."

"Aye, Captain." Her new helm officer replied.

Again, the deck plates shuddered, but the ship held together as the streaks of light passed by more quickly on the screen. She glanced at Nikolai and he simply gave her a thumbs up to indicate that everything was operating properly.

They had other duties they had to attend to. There was still business back in the Coroli system where their presence was being urgently requested. Once again they would have to jump into that matter, with a cobbled together starship and numerous inexperienced crew. She was definitely going to catch some heat for her acquisition of the older Aether, but fleet HQ had been on her to get back up and running on the double.

A few more days of testing and some hard drilling would hopefully get the ship and crew back in proper running shape.

Out of all that had happened recently, she had salvaged what she could and had gotten her ship back. Despite her own feelings, she had managed to salvage her relationship with Harry, something that brought her no small amount of relief. She no longer felt betrayed. Instead, she felt that she could move on towards whatever lie ahead of her in the future.

The End