The USS Aries Stardate 2260.44

"We've had an explosion in Engineering. We've got wounded," Scotty said. "Is it safe to remain there?" Kirk asked. "I don't know yet Captain I'll check and get back to you on that," Scotty said. "Very well, Kirk out," Kirk said.

In sickbay Owen and the Enterprise doctors had their hands full. Wounded came in but one of the Aries team, Liam, was not breathing. "Diana, cortical stimulator and 70cc of diaphavine," he said as he looked into Liam's eyes. A skull fracture and it's putting pressure on his brain," McCoy said. "We're going to have to put him into a coma to have any chance at saving him," He said.

Scotty didn't think there was any more danger but he began to examine the power conduits that exploded. The system would know if they were weakened and he didn't understand how that much power could have been put into them with all of the backups and redundancies the ship had. He began to look at the console but there didn't appear to be anything out of place there. Except it had been recently put into manual mode. "Uh, Sofia, were you using the power grid console a little while ago?" He asked. She had seen Liam using it, but only for a moment.

Diana had been working overtime in sickbay since they had encountered the Aries. There were just so many wounded and now they had more. She quickly grabbed the cortical stimulator and prepared 70 ccs of diaphavine in a hypospray. She handed Dr. McCoy the hypospray first and then the cortical stimulator. His vitals were extremely weak and weakening. 

Sofia had located Silas and he was alright, much to her relief. She heard Scotty's question and she walked over to where he was standing by a console. "No, I haven't touched the power grid console. Liam had been using it for a moment." She saw what Scotty had seen. "It was put into manual mode. So either someone overloaded the power conduits accidentally...or on purpose."

Scotty was not ready to start pointing fingers. Mistakes happened, especially in Engineering. “Well I doubt he’d do it deliberately. He looked very hurt,” Scotty said. “Where’s the other guy? Oh there...” he said as he found Naoko. “Naoko, thanks for helping, Scotty said as he stepped over to him. “I’ve never seen anything like that,” Naoko said. He really was shaken. He hadn’t expected that things would happen so close to him.

“But none of this is getting anything fixed,” he said. Keenser had been watching Naoko and he had seen him at the console but he didn’t think to say anything. He hadn’t heard what Scotty and Sofia were talking about and he could se the console himself.

“I don’t like em,” he said to Scotty and Sofia as Naoko moved away.

—————

“We’re losing him!” McCoy said as he applied more meds into his system. “Try 50cc of adronamine,” Own said. Diana’s eyes went big at the suggestion. That was not a usual course of treatment. “I’ve used it in the past,” Owen said. McCoy knew Liam was dying. “Do it!” McCoy told Diana and she loaded the hypo and injected it into him. At first his heart rate began to increase along with his brain function. But then he began to crash. They all continued to work desperately on him hit eventually, Liam passed.

“Ok, call it,” McCoy said and looked at the time. “0830” Owen said and looked sick.

Sofia looked down at Keenser and nodded. "I don't either," she said honestly. "I just get a weird feeling from him." She was quiet a moment before looking at Keenser again. "Did you see anyone at the power grid console before the explosion?"

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Elyse, meanwhile, went to see Jim. She asked to speak to him privately and they went to his ready room. He would be able to tell that she hadn't slept. "Captain, I just wanted to apologize for my behavior last night. I should not have come to your quarters and made such accusations towards the Aries crew. I...I'm not handling my brother's death very well."

Keenser didn't say anything he just made a gesture and pointed over his shoulder with his thumb. Naoko left the Aries to get a bite to eat. He had had enough of ration packs to last him a lifetime and he wanted real, Japanese food. He had a PADD with him when he finally got his meal. The more people that died that knew about the mutiny, or took a hand in it, the more the rest of them could pin on them. He wasn't above blaming the dead. In fact he much preferred that. There was one person that he needed to get rid of now. Genevieve Auclair. Naoko had a thing for her at one time but she had seen through his facade of kindness. Naoko hadn't a kind bone in his body.

Jenu had been hungry, being pregnant made her so quite often of late and she decided to get some real food. She had an odd craving that involved something sweet and something salty. She parused the offerings, she had never seen anything like the food the Chef here on the Enterprise could make. Fresh food, a holodeck, these people were coddled she thought. But in that same thought she was jealous as well. Fiona was also getting a bite to eat while she could. As Jeni made her selections and moved to go sit down she saw Naoko. When her keen eyes looked at what he held her eyes grew large at first then narrowed as if her eyes alone could stab daggers into the man's back. He had Owen's PADD. She'd recognize that beat up thing anywhere. She decided to sit across from Naoko who looked up surprised to see her. He hastily shut off the PADD and tried to look nonchelant. Fiona being the curious and quite nosy woman that she was decided to move down the table to the deserts. Not to select anything, but to listen to what these two were saying.

"Do you think having that is going to help you in some way!?" Jeni hissed in anger and outrage. "Half of those experiments were done by you!" She said trying to keep her voice down but not doing a very good job. She was furious. "Now, I'm willing to forgive this transgression but you will give that PADD to me, right now," she said warningly. Naoko just ate his noodles.

"Oh I bet you would like me to give it to you. I'll have to pass on that I'm afraid. I've removed any reference to myself. Only your 'precious' Owen can be fingered for whats in it now," Naoko said. Jeni looked to be about to spit at him she was so angry. "No logs, no witnesses, no accounts of me being involved in your little mutiny. You see, I went along with you so I wouldn't be killed or marooned on some planet somewhere...At least that's what I'll say," he said. 'That is, after he gets his hands around Genevieve's pretty little neck', he thought.

"You should go check on Liam," He said as Jeni got up. "I think he might be dying...as we speak," Naoko said as he sat back and put a relaxed arm over his chair. Fiona saw the PADD on the table next to him. And for a moment Jeni looked poised to snatch it from him but Naoko shifted and placed his hand over it. "You're making a mistake Naoko. One that might be hazardous to your health," Jeni warned then tossed her napkin over the untouched food and headed toward the turbolift to head to sickbay.

Diana pulled the sheet over Liam's head and McCoy and Own went into McCoy's office.

Fiona had been quite hungry. Everyone was working overtime and she had skipped breakfast. However, as she stood in line she began to overhear Jeni, the Aries' acting captain, and Naoko, the ship's science officer, talking...or arguing was more like it. Fiona was quite the gossip around the Enterprise and so she began to listen much more closely. She was picking up food selections, but she was truly no longer hungry. She strained her ears to hear as much as possible and what she heard shocked her. She kept a straight face though. She didn't want to give away that she had heard them. She had suspected that something strange was going on with the Aries, but now she knew it. They just needed proof. 

She picked up her tray and walked over to where Kal was sitting. He was sitting far enough away from Naoko that she could talk to him. She immediately began to tell him what she had overheard. 

"We need to get our hands on that PADD. I don't know what 'experiments' they were doing, but it's clear that they don't want people to know about it."

Kirk gestured for her to sit near him and he waited for her to sit. "Elyse, I would expect you to be affected. You loved your brother, everyone can see that. What you're feeling is completely natural. We all expect to have time and we almost never have it," he said. "If you need a few days to collect yourself, use them. I know you're wary of the holodeck but there are a few programs that are just landscapes. I know you love to swim, try that...Maybe even get McCoy out of sickbay for a change," He suggested. "You need to time grieve and to heal Elyse. Give yourself that time," Kirk suggested. "If you would prefer, I could...speak to your parents," Kirk offered.

Elyse was grateful that Jim was so understanding, but she still felt extremely embarrassed by her behavior. She sighed and then shook her head when he offered to speak to her parents. "I appreciate the offer, but they should hear it from me. I'm also going to have to speak to Levi's fiancee. They were supposed to be getting married in three months."

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Jeni walked into sickbay just as they were removing Liam's body. She found Owen alone in McCoy's office. She walked in and closed the door behind her. "What happened to him?"

Kirk winced. "Well, you know whats best. I wanted to talk to you about McCoy...if you don't mind?" Kirk asked. He had been moody and difficult lately and he wanted to address that with her.

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Owen took a sip of Bourbon from a glass that McCoy had left for him. He downed it in one gulp then refiled his glass. "I removed a problem. He was dying but there was a chance he'd survive. He was injured in engineering," Owen said.

Elyse hadn't spoken to Leonard since the night before when she had tried to force him to do the autopsy on Levi's body. She had meant to go talk to him next. "What about him?"

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Jeni sighed and then looked at Owen. "Well, we might have to remove another one. Naoko has your PADD and he's removed any trace of himself from those experiments or the mutiny. If this goes south he's planning on pinning it all on us and making himself out to look completely innocent."

"Well, is there...anything I should know that might cause him to be...difficult? I've had...complaints from some of his staff,: Kirk said. "I mean, I won't pry into your personal business but if there is something you could do, I would greatly appreciate it," Kirk said.

Owen paused, mid drink. And then set the glass down. "Uh, what? How in the HELL, did he get THAT!?" He asked as he stood up. He began to pace. "Fuck, fuck, fuck! I know there was something smug about that asshole!" Owen growled.

Elyse sighed and rubbed her head and then looked at Jim. "It probably has to do with the holodeck incident. Between Carter's death and the fight he and I had he's probably just upset. It probably didn't help that I demanded he do an autopsy on Levi's body last night...which he refused to do."

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Jeni looked at him. "I don't know how he got it, but it was definitely yours. What the hell are we going to do Owen? I'm worried enough as it is about Genevieve. I think I scared her into submission, but Naoko is a loose canon."

Kirk rubbed his forehead. “Well, now I think you know the downside of fraternization,” Kirk said. “If there is anything you can do...I’d appreciate it. I know he’s been over worked lately. But I’d hate to pull him off duty,” Kirk said.

He heard the panic in Jeni’s voice. “I have to think...” he began but she kept talking and he gestured sharply. “Jeni...shut...up! I have to think!” He said harshly and he grabbed the crest of his nose as he thought about what to do.

“Let’s see if Gene can get those codes. We be patent and we see what she can do,” he said.

Elyse sighed and looked down. She was already dealing with a lot emotionally. She wasn’t sure she needed this on her plate too, but she nodded. “Yes, Captain.”

She stood up and left the ready room and walked down to sickbay. Diana told her that he had gone back to their quarters for a little while. She thanked her and headed that way. She walked inside and the door closed behind her. She was just barely holding herself together.

“I’m sorry for last night Leonard. I was extremely upset about my brother’s death, but I was out of line.”

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Jeni was taken aback by the way Owen spoke to her. He hadn’t spoken to her like that since before they become lovers. She knew though that he was feeling the same stress she was. She nodded a little at what he said. If Gene could get those codes from Silas then they could take what they needed from the Enterprise to escape.

She wrapped her arms around Owen and rested her forehead against his. “Everything is going to be fine. Just think about our future. In seven months we will have a child.”

Leonard moved up to the mini bar and poured two glasses of Bourbon. He used the ice cube maker and he plopped one perfect cube into her glass then turned and handed it to her.

“You don’t need to apologize. I just don’t like to be shut out. I feel as if that’s what you’ve been doing. Something this important, this...horrible and you act as if its just your problem alone. Elyse, I know you’re stressed, I know you’re an independent woman. But do you think that this job, what we do here is as important as our family? I don’t,” He said as he took a sip of his drink.

“I don’t want us to go down the paths so many couples go down. We get involved into what we’re doing so much we forget that we have responsibilities to the person we spoke promises to. We made promises, and lately, well, we both have not been keeping to them. Sure we are affectionate but there’s more to being married than just that. I still feel bad for how I acted with the holodeck...thing. I doubt I’ll ever be able to forget how terrible I was toward you. I am trying to forgive myself but it’s not been easy. Especially now. In some ways, I think you still hold that against me. In this, with your brother, I know you’re hurting. But you refuse to see that you don’t have to grieve alone. I know I didn’t know him. But I know you and I’m here for you. I can make time. I will make time. You just need to ask me to,” Leonard said. “You just need to admit that you need me to,” He said.

The one thing she never had to do around Leonard is guess about where he was at. He was usually plain and blunt in what he was thinking and feeling and she never had to guess...for long, if he had an issue with her. She would always be able to count on that from him. He was honest with her, in all things. Even in things she didn’t want to hear.

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Silas had the weld goggles pressed to his face as he finished welding back together a support structure. He shut off the welder and removed them when checked to see his work. The Enterprise engineers had been able to fix many of the downed bulkhead support in Engineering and soon they would cut free all of the supports that had fallen, then repair the floor plating. He thought he smelled something...sweet. No, maybe flowers? Or honey? He couldn’t be certain. When he turned around he saw Genevieve there, looking at him. Her smile made him smile. Silas had soot on his face and his hands were filthy but that only made him look more rugged. He also had a bit of stubble on his face. He had barely took a moment for himself in the last 48 hours. He liked fixing things.

“Well, aren’t you a pretty sight,” He said with a smile. He sighed taking her all in. She wa beautiful. Very much so. “I was just about to get a bite to eat, ya hungry?” he asked.

Elyse took the glass of bourbon from Leonard, but she just held it in her hand as she listened to what he had to say. She said nothing, and just let him speak his mind. As he spoke, tears slowly filled her eyes. They were not tears of anger, or even sadness...but they were tears of relief...relief that she didn't have to go through this alone. Elyse was a fiercely independent woman, but deep down she needed Leonard...needed him more than she could ever say. She had just had to let herself know that. 

She downed the glass of bourbon in one swallow and put the glass down and moved over to her husband. She moved into his accepting arms and she pressed her head against his chest. "I do need you Leonard," she said through her tears and then kissed him.

They both desperately needed a shower. They took one together and let the warm water soothe them as they just held one another. Afterwards, Leonard used the replicator to fix them something to eat. Elyse told Leonard stories about Levi. Some made her laugh, others made her cry. She felt as if this wound in her heart would never heal. She knew that in time it would get better, but having Leonard there helped her.

"I still need to call my parents and tell them...and I have to call Jennifer, his fiancee. Will you be here with me while I do that?"

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Gene didn't want to deceive Silas. She wasn't that kind of woman. She was an honest, hardworking woman and she liked Silas. However, if Jeni and Owen were caught she knew that they would find a way to implicate her in the mutiny, though she had had no part of it. She needed to take care of her father. He was the reason she was doing this and she desperately clung to that thought.

She smiled and nodded when Silas asked if she was hungry. She didn't really have an appetite, but she pretended she did. "Yes, I am." Her plan was to eventually get him back to his quarters. She would sleep with him and while he was sleeping she would find the Engineering codes.

“You know I will,” McCoy said as he slid open Elyse’s robe to expose her pale flesh beneath. Pink nipples, perfectly sized for her firm, athletic breasts were still erect from the shower. He was obvious in looking at her, he wanted Elyse to know that he liked her body. That he thought about her in all kinds of ways. McCoy was in a robe as well, the same kind, even the same size and color. She was well groomed down below but he liked seeing the red hair there. It was bright in color just like the hair on her head.

“Is there...anyway I can help you relieve this stress you feel?” He asked as he put his hands on her hips and drew closer to her. “Why don’t you lay back in our bed and let your doctor see what he can do for you,” McCoy whispered into her ear. Even through the robe he felt her body react to him. Her flesh prickled and he smiled as he kissed her neck.

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“Well, to be honest, I was tossed out of the Academy. I resigned during a board inquiry involving the death of a fellow student. I was head of Red Squad and well, we were training for an Illegal maneuver we’d all be performing during the graduation ceremony. My friend died during training. To save the others I took full responsibility and resigned. After that I wallowed in self pity for a while,” He said.

“Then, my sister, who is a Science Officer here helped me get this job,” he said. He talked as he ate and didn’t notice she wasn’t really eating. More picking at her food. “Hey! We have a couple hours, I could show you the Holodeck?” He suggested. There were stations that had holodeck arcades on them but those had been few and far between. He wondered if she had ever been in one. Most in Starfleet hadn’t. Silas couldn’t get over how beautiful and sexy Genevieve was. The way she rested her hand on her neck and the way her dark curls fluttered down her arm. Her dark eyes looked...impatient...and maybe worried though. And he didn’t understand that.

“Uh, Gene...is there something wrong? Did I say something to offend you?” he asked. Silas knew women and he was getting alot of mixed signals from Gene right then. Her body language was spot on and she asked questions and such but her eyes were a different matter altogether.

Elyse loved Leonard very much. He was about 8 years older than her but the two of them just clicked. They worked well together and Elyse saw past Leonard's grumpiness to who he truly was. He was a man who was dedicated to his work and cared desperately for the people in his care. He would do anything to save them. He didn't get a lot of glory doing the work he did, but he didn't want it either. But Elyse and Jim both knew he was a hero and that the ship wouldn't be the same without him...neither would Elyse's life. He had changed it in so many positive ways that she couldn't name only one. He had made her see that there was so much more to life than just Starfleet and because of him she felt she could accomplish anything. 

Elyse's skin prickled at her husband's words in her ear. He would be able to feel her body react to him. Her breath quickened, as did her heartbeat. For the first time in days Elyse smiled a little. Elyse got looked at by a lot of the men on the ship, but none of them made her feel the way Leonard did when he looked at her. She shrugged out of her robe and let it slip from her shoulders before laying back in their bed. She needed Leonard desperately...not just sexually, but also intimately. She needed to not feel alone.

"Well, Doctor?" she said with a slight grin.

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Gene's stomach was tied up in knots. She knew what she needed to do and she kept telling herself that everything was going to be alright, but she couldn't stop from feeling sick about it all. She had never wanted to be involved in all of this, but now, here she was getting ready to deceive a great guy. 

She was listening to what he was saying only in part and was pushing the food around on her plate. However, at the same time, she was trying to ensure that Silas was physically attracted to her. Gene had never lured a man into bed before. It just wasn't her way, but she was going to have to today.

She looked up at Silas when she heard what he said. "Oh, sorry. No, you haven't offended me Silas. I suppose I'm just still grieving the loss of my friends (which was true). The holodeck sounds nice, but could we just go back to your quarters and talk?"

Elyse had long legs and McCoy kissed her feet and then the inside of her ankles and then her calves. He loved her calves, especially in heels.. He kissed her knees and then he spread her legs more to get at her thighs and then the inside of her thighs. When he attacked her center it didn’t take very long at all for him to elicit the response he wanted from his wife. Her whole body shook as he wifed off his face then shifted onto the bed. She seemed to like it when he entered her right away after he did that. Her moans when he just held himself deep inside made him smile. And then, after her body stopped trembling, he began to move.

After he had forced another orgasm out of her, the second was never as easily as the first, he let her sleep for a while. He woke first and she only began to stir when she smelled coffee. McCoy waved a cup under her nose and he saw her nose twitch and her lips curl up into a smile.

“Is this a good time to mention that you’re late for your shift?” McCoy said with a grin. After that, Elyse was a flurry of motion. Clothes being slapped on, a brush being hastily ran through her hair. He held up the cup to her and she hastily taking hot swallows of coffee. With a kiss and a promise for them to have a real date night soon She was out of their room. Mccoy was behind her when she stopped dead. In the turbolift, looking at her with that grin he always had when he looked at her, Levi was there. He was wearing his dark uniform. It was still an official one but not one commonly worn. His grin faded though and his face took on a disappointed look. Disappointment towards her she knew.

“Elyse? Are you alright? Honey?” McCoy asked and he moved in front of her. When she looked over his shoulder now, Levi was gone.

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Kirk had his hands firmly on Amara’s shoulders. He was behind her and as he pounded her from behind she shifted right back into him. They both groaned as they finally stopped. His warm seed flowed into her and made her feel suddenly weak but Kirk kept her where she was. His groans, he had a good one this time, made her smile though he couldn’t see that. She was already dressed and he was too but he had said some things to her that got her all riled up. It was quick this time but no less pleasurable for that.

Finally Kirk pulled back then hobbled to the bathroom to clean up. “I know...we’re late!” He said apologetically. He had been going after her alot in the past few days and she could guess why. He was attracted to Jeni, the acting Captain of the Aries.

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Silas’s room had a few things in it. He was a collector of odd things and he had a few family photos here and there but otherwise it wasn’t much changed. “I’m sorry, I don’t have a replicator...those are for senior officers only,” he said as they came into his room. “So, what is it that you’d like to talk about?” he asked as he turned to face her.

Elyse had needed that night with Leonard. She needed to be needed by him, just as she needed him. They hadn't made love in several days and passion seemed to explode between them. Afterwards, Elyse fell asleep in his arms. She hadn't slept in 24 hours and she was asleep in mere minutes. It was the smell of coffee that woke her up. Leonard had let her oversleep and she jumped up and quickly began to get dressed. "Why didn't you wake me up?" Thankfully, the coffee wasn't too hot so she was able to drink it more quickly. There was no time for breakfast. She would need to eat something later when she got her first break. 

She and Leonard left their quarters at the same time and headed for the turbo lift. She pressed the call button and when the doors opened Leonard would see her stop short and visibly tense up. Her eyes widened at what she was seeing...Levi as she had known him. His skin was pink and his eyes were full of life as he looked at her. He looked just as handsome as always, but slowly his grin transformed into a look of disappointment. 

When Leonard moved in front of her he would see her face had gone pale and she was trembling as tears came to her eyes. "He was just there...Levi. I swear I saw him. He was looking straight at him."

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Amara was well aware that James was attracted to Jeni. She knew his type, but she also knew he wasn't going to act on it, which was why he had been going after her a lot lately. Amara didn't mind. She and James both had high sex drives and that was one of the many reasons they were so compatible. Amara and James never really minded if the other one looked at someone else, as long as it didn't go past that. In fact, when they had encountered the USS Olympia a few months ago Amara had been so sexually attracted to the First Officer that she had attacked James back in their quarters. They had barely made it to the bed and had broken a lamp in the process of getting there. 

"You're the Captain, James," she reminded him with a grin as she fixed herself up. "It doesn't matter if you're late. Whose going to call you out on it? Spock? I don't think so. And since I'm with you it doesn't matter if I'm late...unless you're planning on blaming me for us being late?"

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Gene was getting more and more nervous about this whole thing and wanted to just get it over with. She knew that she was going to need to get him logged in to his PADD in order for her to pull up the Engineering Codes. Then, once he was asleep, she could make note of them to give to Jeni. She hated herself for this. But what other choice did she have?

"Uh, actually, would it be alright if I used your PADD to complete a task I need to do? Mine is God knows where at this point."

McCoy looked at the turbolift again then looked back at her and put his hands onto her arms. Two crewman gave her a look as they moved past them and others were coming up the hall so he pulled Elyse aside. "Elyse, there's no one there," He said softly. "You were just thinking about him and you thought you saw him...that's all this was," He said confidently. He wiped away the tears that found there way onto her cheeks.

"Elyse honey, you gotta pull it together," McCoy said gently.

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Kirk paused in wiping himself off. "Well yes, And in that case, I order you back here at 1200 hours," He said with a grin.

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Silas shrugged, he thought there was something off about the woman but if she had things to do, who was he to stop her? He plugged in his access code and handed her his PADD. "I'm going to...uh, go take a shower, if you don't mind?" Silas asked. When she smiled and nodded he moved to his room. He shucked off his clothes and in the mirror from the wall to her right she caught a glimpse of his backside as he moved from the bedroom to the bathroom. He had a cute, tight butt and strong legs.

Elyse knew that Levi hadn't really been there and that she had been imagining it. However, it had still felt so real to her. And why was he looking at her with such disappointment? She began to think back to her gut feeling about his death. However, there was no real evidence to conclude that he had, in fact, been murdered. 

She looked at her husband and then slowly nodded. "I know...I know. I'm sorry. I'm fine now...I promise."

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Amara grinned over at him when she heard his "order." 

"Yes, Captain."

When they were both ready, they left their quarters together to head to the bridge. Thankfully, they weren't alone in the Turbo Lift, otherwise, they would have likely ended up making out, and that would have only made it that much more difficult for them on the bridge.

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Gene thought about writing down the codes right then, but she didn't know how long Silas would be in the shower for. She happened to glance up just as Silas was walking from the bedroom from the bathroom and got a good look at his backside and legs. She felt her mouth go dry for a moment as a genuine wave of desire washed over her. It had been a while since she had last been in a relationship. 

She waited there for a few minutes before she stood up and walked back into the bedroom. She took off her clothes and then stepped into the bathroom. She saw his look of surprise when she stepped into the shower with him. However, she didn't give him time to speak. She slipped her arms around his neck and began to kiss him.

Scotty was waiting for him when they came onto the bridge. “I know that the Aries would be one more ship for Starfleet to put out into the field but she’ll need a space dock to fix what’s ailin err,” Scotty said. Kirk frowned. “Is that hit professional opinion Scotty?” Kirk asked. “Aye sir an she’ll require a tow as well an that would drag us far from our mission I suspect,” he added. Kirk thought about that for a while. And then nodded. “Very well,” he said and tapped his chair.

“Captain Tetniar, please come to the bridge,” Kirk said. Jeni was under Owen and he was going at her hot and heavy. She was close to an orgasm right then.

Sofia and Scotty had stayed up quite late discussing the Aries and the realities of what they were facing. They knew that Kirk wanted to try and fix it and they knew that Starfleet didn't want to lose another ship, but they knew that they were out of their capacity to fix it where it was now and with the equipment they had. In many places, the ship was going to need to be rebuilt entirely. A job that would take months...if not longer. Their decided opinion was that it was beyond reasonable repair. 

Sofia stood near Scotty on the bridge as he spoke to Kirk. Kirk glanced at her and she nodded in agreement with what Scotty said.

Jeni and Owen were really going at it that morning. Jeni's hormones were going crazy and they just couldn't seem to get enough of each other. She grunted with each thrust and she ordered him to go harder and faster. She was so close to an orgasm and she wanted it. However, hearing Captain Kirk's voice over the intercom startled her and she had Owen stop for a moment so she could respond. "I'll be there shortly," she said and then looked at Owen expectantly for him to continue.

Owen turned Jeni over onto her stomach and then mounter her again. He was relentless on how hard he made love to her. He grabbed hold of her hands and she intertwined their fingers. She surrendered to the pleasure of what he was doing to her. And her orgasm moved through her like a storm. The fact that he continued only made even more powerful until he came inside of her. She twisted her neck and his lips were right there to kiss hers. Her fierce eyes looked into his gentle ones and she was reminded again why she was doing all of this. For Owen, for their child. Owen helped her up and they quickly cleaned themselves up and made themselves presentable.

Jeni was directed to the ready room. By this time everyone was on the bridge though Owen went back to sickbay. Everyone but Fiona. Kal couldn't slip away right away but he knew Elyse would be there soon. He had told Fiona what she'd need to do to get into Naoko's quarters.

Kirk, Spock, Scotty and Sofia were in the ready room. "Good morning Captain, sit please," Kirk gestured. As she did he didn't mince words. "I've come to a decision, one I do not take lightly. My engineers have determined that the Aries will need a spacedock to complete repairs. The Enterprise just doesn't have the resources to spare and to continue on in our mission. For this reason I'd like you and what remains of your crew to join the Enterprise. We are do to meet up with a Terrarite freighter soon for re-supply. They will take all of you back into Federation Space and then to Starfleet HQ for reassignment," Kirk said.