Court and Cargo

Posted on Sunday, 8 November 2020 - 1:50pm by Captain Barret Stillwater & Lieutenant T'Lanna Vali

Mission: Operation: Ouroboros
Location: USS Standing Bear | Deck 01 | Ready Room
Timeline: MD 1

::ON::

Now she was finally out of Sickbay having put on some of the weight she lost, T’Lanna made her way to see Commander Stillwater. She was facing a tough decision in a shorter time than expected and she was struggling with it. Walking up to his door she pressed the chime and waited for an answer.

Commander Stillwater at his desk with a mug of tea in hand as he sat watching the holographic display of the latest FNS report. Its times like this that make me glad I am not living on earth he thought to himself as he watched as a group of humans acted barbarically, pushing a Romulan adolescent down and stomping on him in the streets in broad daylight in Battleboro, Vermont. The chime of his door alerted him to the presence of someone wishing to speak with him. He allowed the holo-footage to continue to play atop his desk as he accessed the holographic control display, allowing the visitor entrance. The doorway parted and Stillwater responded "Come in," as he sat down the tea and muted to audio of the report.

It was the Ship's Psychologist who walked into his Ready Room. "Lieutenant Vali, please come in and make yourself at home," he said warmly. "Help yourself to tea or whatever you'd like. I was just catching up on the recent news circulating from Earth" he said gesturing to the footage. "It's difficult for me to come to grips with all of this," he said shaking his head. "When I left Starfleet behind, turned away from the Federation and headed to Prarie to settle down with Talarn, I knew this was no longer the Federation and Starfleet that I was honored to serve, but this" he explained with a sigh. "This barbarism is unsettling."

T’Lanna headed for the replicator and got herself a juice before gently taking a seat and making herself comfortable. It seemed odd to be carrying a bump around, but then circumstances had changed significantly. “I know it’s crazy!” She rested her hand on her stomach as she sipped her juice.

"How are you feeling...and handling all of this?" inquired Stillwater gesturing to her evident 'baby bump' which had progressed recently, much more than normal. "I read the medical reports. Sounds like you were of particular interest to those aliens, they were not simply messing around with your Borg implants and nanites, but apparently very curious about your gestation period."

“Well I wasn’t expecting to wake up from my implant removal seven months pregnant!” T’Lanna offered a smile. “Doctor Rose wants me to put on some of the weight I lost from the all the nutrients the rapid growth took out of me, but all in all I feel quite well. I’m more tired but that’s to be expected. I’ll admit, I wish Raith was awake I need him.”

Stillwater took a deep breath. "They did a number on him, but I am confident that we will be able to wake him and bring I'm out of his current catatonic state without losing his personality and identity," the Commanding Officer said reassuringly. "He and the others that were taken such as yourself are going to need you. Your support right now is more crucial then ever as the abductees are on a slow yet steady road to recovery."

T’Lanna nodded. “I’ll be there for them, we all need to look out for each other.” She offered a warm smile. “This ...” She motioned to her stomach. “Is just earlier than I expected. Actually I ... I’m struggling with the thought of leaving my son behind. I’m not sure I can face being separated from him.”

"I am not sure that you are going to have to, Lieutenant," Stillwater replied. "I'm not fond of placing children or civilians in general at risk, and a patrol vessel like the Standing Bear is at the forefront of risk, but we are in the Federation's front and back yards, not gallivanting another quadrant. It will never be a 'family ship,' but home is what you make of it. I'm contemplating taking one of our four cargo bays and having it remodeled into a suitable place for child care and education."

T’Lanna looked at Barrett in surprise. “Seriously!?” Her smile practically shone. “I wouldn’t have to be separated from my son!” She was so excited she wanted to jump up and down for joy. “It would mean ... more than I can say!”

"You are a valued member of crew, Lieutenant," Barret replied. "I will endeavor to keep you here as long as I can and the best that I can. I would like to keep this crew under my command," added Stillwater with a small smile. "Unfortunately, I will yet again need to find a new Chief Engineer."

T’Lanna nodded still grinning like a Cheshire Cat. “Well we can hope one will turn up soon Sir, in the meantime you have a good crew in engineering and there’s the Ops staff as well.”

'Yes, I do," replied Stillwater. "I am looking forward to Lieutenant Kolani getting back to work once medically cleared to do so," added Stillwater. Barret's eyes were drawn back to the holo news report. "This mess....I do not envy those stationed on Earth right now having to deal with this unrest."

T’Lanna nodded in agreement. “Neither do I. It’s alarming and to be honest I’m glad to be here away from it all. I don’t envy those who have to deal with it.

"We are close enough though, and we are about to be closer," Stillwater said. "Jupiter station. As soon as we dock, the crew will have the luxury of heading to Earth. I have some business tend to on Earth myself, and so do you, lieutenant" added the Commanding Officer, reaching for a PaDD and handing it over to T'Lanna. "You're being summoned by the Judge Advocate General's office, apparently we're going to be one of the nearest starships with a qualified Psychologist. The defense team for a court-martial hearing is seeking you to provide expert testimony."

“Ohh?” T’Lanna took the PADD and read through the details. “This shouldn’t take too long, I don’t want to be away from the ship for any length of time incase Raith needs me. Besides I’ll feel more comfortable being here.” She smiled. “I’m still not used to being Seven months pregnant, it’s ... strange to say the least.”

"Ship's not going anywhere for a while," Stillwater replied with a chuckle. "We certainly will not leave without you. I do not know very much about the case, but it does seem to be one that's heavily weighted. You may be required for several days or just a few hours. My best advice would be to clear your schedule, lieutenant. We'll be here."

“Yes Sir” T’Lanna smiled warmly. “I’ll have to study up on the case so I know what’s ahead of me.”

"Agreed," Stillwater said. "Do you have anything else that you'd like to discuss?"

“Am I allowed to tell the others about not having to give up my son? I think I’ll burst if I have to keep it to myself!” She grinned. “Unless of course you’d prefer I didn’t say anything?”

Stillwater smiled and sipped from his mug of tea, setting it aside briefly to respond. "Your medical and personal business is your own. How you choose and who you choose to disclose that is up to you. I do not see any potential danger to the ship nor its crew in you telling them. Besides, secrets do not last very long aboard a nine deck starship. One word gets out what I am having done to a cargo bay and the entire ship will know by day's end."

T’Lanna grinned. “That’s true! News travels fast on any size starship it doesn’t matter how many decks it has. We’re all one big family and this ship has become home to me in a very short space of time. I wouldn’t want to go anywhere else, not if I had a choice.” She smiled warmly.

"So very true," replied Stillwater. "I'll leave you to your court case, lieutenant. I'll see to it that the cargo bay gets worked on while we are at Jupiter Station."

“Aye Sir” T’Lanna nodded and smiled as she slowly got to her feet. It was a whole new experience with the size bump she now had. “I’ll endeavour to make my testimony as impartial as I can, I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me.”

Stillwater nodded. "You'll do just fine."

::OFF::