Bridge - 0847 hrs

As he waited for the turbolift, Mac cast another somewhat befuddled glance back at the closed door to the Captain’s ready room. He still couldn’t quite grasp what had just happened in the small office adjacent to the Discovery’s bridge. Despite having more than earned it, he hadn’t been so much as officially reprimanded for his lapse of judgment let alone tossed in the brig as he had almost expected to happen but, when he left the room, he felt more like he had been “called onto the carpet” than he ever had before in his entire tenure with the Fleet… it was a difficult thing to define clearly but, somehow, what had just transpired in that ready room meant more to Mac than even being accepted into the Academy had.

Chroist but I’m wrecked, he thought, suddenly realizing how exhausted he was, and trying to stifle a yawn. He turned as the door to the lift opened and immediately thumped squarely into someone else. The collision knocked the half-stifled yawn from the TAC Officer’s lungs in the form of a loud ‘Oooof!’ and had knocked the other party flat on their bum and sent a PADD clattering to the deck.

“Ach, fer the luv o’…” Mac started, caught completely off guard by the incident; then, he blinked noticing the PADD and the blonde haired junior looey in science blues on the floor in front of him. Keely, isn’it? Right, the lass go’ bit by tha’ fargin’ vine sairpent on Gavin. Wha’ izzit she does? Somethin’ wi’ plants er sommat… Stop talkin’ ta yerself an’ help th’ lass ta ‘er feet…
“‘Scuse me, Keely,” he rumbled as he stooped to retrieve the PADD she had fumbled and then, as he rose, extended his free hand to help her up, “Are ye a’right, lass? I reckon I should’nae stand atop th’ lift door.”

The Xenobotanist got to her feet and smiled shyly up at him as she dusted herself off. “Sorry, too,” she said, “I guess I should watch where I’m going.”

The CTO offered a faint shake of his head; “Tha’s a diff’cult thing ta do when where yer goin’ is hid behind a door, aye?” Once she had situated herself, Mac offered the PADD back. “There ye go, Keely,” he said from behind a rather tired smile, “I ‘ope I dinnae ruffle yer feathers too much,” He stepped aside after she took the PADD, providing her with unimpeded access to the gangway, “Ye have a grand marnin’.”

Bridge - 0847 hrs

"Ye have a grand marnin’" he said in an accent that reminded Natalie of half the people in her grandmother's home town.

Natalie's accent was tinged with Scottish tones but not so strongly brogue as her fellow officer MacTavish, hers was watered down from her earlier upbringing in Canada and a great deal of time in American holonovels growing up. She smiled at him. "Thanks, you too, MacTavish." she replied as she passed him to head to the bridge.

The Captain was in his ready room so with a nod to the officers manning their bridge stations she went to the door and rang the chime, waiting to be invited in.

Tag: Captain Blair

Stardate: 2366.10.22
USS Discovery, captain's ready room - 0850

The meeting with MacTavish had gone well - better than Noah had really dared to hope. Of course, odds were very good that by helping the 20, he had created a political enemy; threatening Drummond with a reprimand had been nothing more than blackmail and favoritism, and anyone would be able to see that. Admiral Drummond himself was not a particularly influential flag officer, but he was a flag officer, nonetheless; Noah had the feeling that this incident would not be soon forgotten or forgiven.

Ah, well - there would be time to pay for this sin later. For now, the captain had an intel report to tend to. Of course, the chime picked that instand to interrupt his studying.

"Come in," he answered. Glancing up, he saw a strawberry-blonde junior grade lieutenant in science blues. Too young for you, boy, he mused.

"What can I do for you, lieutenant...Keely, isn't it?" Blair felt fairly certain that he had the name right - with his habit of dropping by the labs whenever possible, he had a passing familiarity with many of the crew. He was fairly certain that the woman did something with plants.

OOC: respond here, Keely!

The captain nodded. "I was putting together my itenary for the morning's staff meeting; I think tht this will need to be addressed. Thank you, lieutenant."

Stardate: 2366.10.22
USS Discovery, captain's ready room - 0850



"Come in," Natalie heard and she complied with the order, stepping through the swishing door and into the Captain's Ready Room. "Hello, Sir." she greeted.

"What can I do for you, lieutenant...Keely, isn't it?" Blair asked, he seemed distracted so she tried not to waste anymore time with pleasantries and got right down to business.

"I have a report from Xenobotany on our preliminary findings on the Starfleet owned samples of Mntiasha tree roots from Rautos Prime. It seems we have already eliminated one of the four trees as a bad choice for protien extraction, sir, we're working on the rest." she said in her usual, efficiently spoken, yet soft voiced way.

The captain nodded. "I was putting together my itenary for the morning's staff meeting; I think that this will need to be addressed. Thank you, lieutenant."

"Your very welcome, sir." she replied with a curt nod and a smile as he dismissed her. As she headed back to the lab she was still working on that problem with the 'bad' tree. She wondered if it was worth trying again but from a different tact. She had to ask Yates what her thoughts were. Keely had an idea but it would need more than one head and pair of hands to get done.

USS Discovery, Deck 15 – Main Security
2366.10.22, 0900 hours – Stardate: 43836.7

Tuvar had managed to relax a small bit the previous night. After the meet and greet, she had just wandered off to sit by herself in order to enjoy her meal and lull in her thoughts. It was there that she had remained until Mac had come to speak to her for a moment or two. The report of what she had to work with now sat on her desk, and she was curious to who this person was that shared the name of MacTavish. It was not something that she was going to take lightly for any reason. She had seen too many lives lost to take anything that was even a possibility of a threat lightly.

The ability to follow logical lines of thought that was the most common characteristic in many vulcans was not lost to her. Although she so often allowed her passions to persuade her in her thinking, Tuvar still possessed the ability to follow the lines of intel that had been presented to her. She no longer wondered why Mac had been so tight and wound up the previous day.

Pressing her comm she spoke sternly, “Tuvar to MacTavish, please report to Main Security when you have the opportunity, out.”

OOC: Eol, could you possibly send me a copy of the swing scheduling chart. I do not remember where a put the other copy all those many weeks ago.

Stardate: 2366.10.22
USS Discovery, TAC Office, Deck 8 – 0900

The door hissed open and Chief Zamudio looked up from her display, a little surprised that the Lt had returned so quickly. “That was quick,” she quipped when Mac stalked through the door, “Taking Mueller off the top sheet?”

Mac shook his head; “No’ jus’ yet, Chief,” he said, “let th’ lad run things fer a bit longer, aye? I’ve go’ some things ta do an’ Jeffrey’ll likely be a better call if ye need anythin’.”

“You got it, boss,” she replied, eyeing the usually gruff Scotsman as he strode passed her, “Are you okay, sir?”

“Aye, Michelle,” he nodded without glancing back as he stepped through the door into his own office, “jus’ had a long night an’ the marnin’ caught me off guard’s all. Carry on, Chief.”

“Aye, sir,” the TAC department’s Staff NCO blinked. Wow! An explanation and he calls me by my first name? There is something going on.

As the door sealed shut behind him, Jack finally allowed himself that yawn that he had been holding back since he had first rolled out of Chan’s bed and, then, inspired by the relief of the yawn and still afforded the luxury of privacy, stretched and physically cracked his neck and back. “Coffee,” he rumbled at the replicator, “Blue Mountain.” The machine blipped its confirmation and, as Jack rounded his desk, he grabbed the steaming mug from the port and took a decidedly slow pull from it as he lowered himself into his chair.

“Computer, location of Ensign Anthony Drummond,” he requested, reclining a bit and letting his eyes close for a minute.

=/\=Ensign Drummond is currently located on Deck Four. Upper Phaser Support; Foreport.=/\=

Grand! Jack sighed, Tha’ means th’ lads one o’ mine er one o’ Waldgrave’s. Either way, tha’s a fine ‘ow’s yer mum, innit? If Drummond was TAC – which Jack was fairly sure he wasn’t – then the kid would likely bristle under Jack’s command unless the apology he intended to offer was well received… Nephew o’ a fargin’ Admiral? No’ bloody likely… and if the kid was ENG, then the new CEO’s ‘second memory’ of the TAC Chief would likely be that Mac was the one who roughed up one of her boys. Ach, an’ I still need ta get doon ta Engineerin’ an’ gab wi’ Lt Commander Waldgrave aboot the weapons systems…
“Time?”

=/\=The time is zero-nine-zero-three hours.=/\=

Jack opened his eyes, leaned forward, and took another swig of his coffee before setting the mug down on his desk. Th’ lass’s prob’ly still nailin’ down ‘er staff an’ gettin’ th’ feel o’ th’ ship, he mused, resting his elbows on his desk and rubbing his temples, I reckon I c’n catch up wi’ ‘er after th’ staff meetin’; tha’s no’ far off…
“Location of Counselor Averaci?”

=/\=Counselor Averaci is in his office.=/\=

“O’ course ‘e is,” Mac sighed. Mebbe I’ll jus’ grab a minute wi’ him after th’ staff meetin’, ‘s well. I cannae make meself do this jus’ yet…
=/\=Tuvar to MacTavish…=/\=

The Scot’s eyes had just fell shut again as he contemplated which task he needed to accomplish first but they snapped open as if he had been caught sleeping when the half-vulcan SEC Chief’s voice sounded over his combadge.

=/\=…Please report to Main Security when you have the opportunity. Out.=/\=

I reckon tha’ cuts et, then, he chuckled as he reached for his coffee. Tuvar had found Ian’s name in the intel files he had had Jeffrey deliver to her earlier and she had questions. An’ she sounds’s ef she’s a’ready figgered oot th’ answers, aye? I bloody luv that green-blood.
After swallowing a mouthful of coffee, Jack tapped his badge and replied; “Sure theng, Lieutenant. D’ye wanna hash this oot face ta face afore the staff meetin’, then, er would ye be wantin’ ta wait wait an’ hear th’ whole bloody lot wi’ the rest?”

He knew what her answer was going to be, of course, and he was already out of his seat and moving for the door, taking the remains of his coffee with him. As he made his way through the outer office he nodded to Zamudio; “I’ll be in Main Security til th’ staff meetin’, Chief.”

Immediately following her acknowledgement, Jack tapped his badge again; “On me way, Tuvar.”

((OOC: Jack’s heading to confab with Tuvar… Vesper, feel free to kick that convo off, if you like… Sec roster is on the way to you…. RK and Kicktoria - if Mac doesn't catch up with Chris or Kat before the staff meeting, you'll both definitely be seeing him after. ))

Stardate: 2366.10.22
Lt Hemlos’ quarters: 0445 hrs


“There’s no getting past this one Jack old boy!” A heinous laugh emanated from Kelsey Gavison as he poked at Jack with a light tazer through a heavy barred door. A deep musty odor permeated the air of the dungeon like cell. Jack screamed in pain with every touch of the weapon while curling up in a tight little ball. His face contorted in agony.
“STOP IT!!” Chantelle yelled from what seemed to be the opposite end of a long dark tunnel. Gavison merely laughed harder as he reveled at the anguish he was inflicting on Jack. “PLEASE, don’t do this“ she sobbed as he continued his torture. “please, please” is all she could say…


Chantelle awoke with a start…her heart beating wildly. Instinctively she reached over for Jack. In the dim light she could see the emptiness where she had laid in his protective embrace just a couple hours before. “Jack?” she called anxiously. There was no reply. She hastily gathered the sheet around her naked body and padded out into the living area. “Jack?” she called…still no reply. She brushed a dark tumble of hair from her sleepy eyes and was starting toward the bathroom when she noticed her uniform had been folded and laid on the arm of her sofa. Sighing loudly, she gathered up the material and sat down on the edge of the chair still trembling. “oh Jack” she whispered…”what am I to do with you my love”?
She pulled the sheet tighter about her and ordered a cup of Chamomile tea with Honey from the replicator.

Replaying the events of the past few hours she shivered when she thought about the scuffle with the Ensign. “that poor kid” she thought. She kept going through the scenario trying to rationalize Jacks’ actions. It just didn’t make sense. There was definitely something going on and she had to find out what it was. “If Jack won’t tell me what’s going on, perhaps someone else will.

“Computer, what shift is Lt Jeffrey Mueller working today”?

Stadate: 2366.10.22 USS Discovery, Gavison Quarters – 0630
He’d been careful not to wake his wife and child where they lay sleeping cuddled together on the mattress as he rolled out of bed. The carpeted floor of the cabin was warm, the air comfortable, and the lighting off, so it wasn’t difficult to remain as quiet as a burglar exiting the room. The ion shower was refreshing and within fifteen minutes the XO was cleaned, groomed, dressed in his pressed reds and ordering a cup of coffee from the replicator while reviewing last night’s reports over his PADD. With the volume of activity on board a Galaxy Class Kel wouldn’t be through the reports until mid morning, so the earlier start he got, the better.

There’d been some strange sensor readings at 0136, but they’d passed quickly and were determined to be magnetic interference from a passing meteor rock, a lift hydraulic had a bit of a spasm on deck fifteen requiring some attention from engineering, and two children had been admitted to medical in order to treat some abnormalities in their breathing--God! What kind of fear that must’ve put into the parents! Done with the cursory review of the least involved events, Kelsey sipped at his coffee and pushed through to security. This was always the first thing on his list of detailed review since the well-being of the ship was his primary concern in the morning. Normally there were small issues with a sleep walker, an accident on one of the night shifts, or something minor concerning a…

Commander Gavison’s mug stalled pressed against his lips, the steaming coffee building condensation on his mustaches. His eyes narrowed while they scanned the report, then reread the names.

“Damn,” he uttered as he set the coffee mug on the table and strode towards the door. “Damn!” he hissed as he passed through it into the hall. What the hell is the man thinking!? The XO rounded the corner and breezed by two red shirts. He’s a bloody command officer! The fargin’ idiot! A small, yellow-skinned alien in a blue uniform had to jump out of his path as Kelsey rounded another corner and headed straight for the lift. Muttering an apology Commander Gavison entered and declared his destination as the Bridge. I’ll ring his fargin’ neck if he’s done anything to discredit the Captain or this ship. Kelsey’s face was a mask of grim determination as he impatiently waited on the turbo lift. I’ll personally throw his scrawny ass in the brig. The political fallout of this incident could ruin the man—Kelsey’s breath froze in his lungs. Are you actually worried about Jack MacTavish’s career? His head cocked just slightly to the side as a puzzled expression swept his face. Oh, my God! You are! Of course you are, he’s a member of your crew. You worry about each member of your crew no matter how bull-headed and pea-brained they are. The lift opened admitting Kelsey onto the bridge.

Returning the salutes he passed straight through and went to the Captain’s ready room. So why aren’t you worried about Drummond? Stopping in front of the door, Kelsey composed himself, shoving the disconcerting concern he felt for MacTavish to the side for later evaluation. He pressed the button and waited for the captain’s permission to enter.

=/\= Come in. =/\=

Kelsey did as he was told, his face, once again, a mask of grim thought.

“Good morning, commander. You’re here early. Did Kaila keep you from sleeping?”

“No sir, she slept fine.” Should he preface this? The sudden realization that Noah might think he was sabotaging Jack’s command entered his head and Kelsey paused for the briefest of moments. If Noah would believe that of me, he doesn’t know me at all and I might as well be serving on some station somewhere. “I thought that you should see this.”

When Captain Blair accepted the PADD from him, Kelsey dropped into a guarded attention. He didn’t look at the captain in an attempt to read his response, but carefully held his gaze on the passing stars so as not to appear too interested, but still retain the elevated level of concern that something of this nature called for.

“Thank you for bringing this matter to my attention. I will deal with it.” Noah’s voice spoke volumes. It was well within Gavison’s jurisdiction to handle the matter should he go by textbook command rules, but that left all sorts of sticky on the walls, so he was only too happy to relinquish the responsibility.

“Aye, sir.”

With that handled, Kelsey turned sharply on his heel and stepped back onto the Bridge.

---

USS Discovery, Bridge – 0844
It had been Kelsey’s intention to provide Sherry a bouquet of flowers when she woke up, but the incident with Jack had pushed the idea from his head… until he saw the 2O cross from the turbo lift and enter the captain’s ready room. Then the details of the report fluttered to life in his head and he found himself tightly squeezing his eyes shut in a silent, “Doh!”

Tapping the control interface on the left arm of the captain’s chair, Kelsey brought up the Operations console. He thumbed through the replicator options until he found what he was looking for and selected delivery. When he was finished he wondered briefly if she’d think it childish of him for ordering three times as many flowers as MacTavish had provided, but dismissed it outright as an improbability, awash as she’d be in flowers when the red shirted deliveryman arrived.

With Jack in getting the discipline he deserved, the flowers ordered, and the ship sailing smoothly through the black of space, Commander Gavison considered the little information he had on the Aldor V. It seemed to be just like any other number of colonies on the outside. Beset by some mysterious disease that the Federation had managed to concoct a cure for, the Discovery was their only hope. Dr. Milkens had also seemed your everyday scientist, even a bit on the absent-minded professor side of the meter a bit. Everything appeared to be in order and that meant that he had nothing really to offer but to sit and listen to the mission debriefing later that morning. So, like every other good officer, he dedicated himself to making sure everyone else had all the information they needed to present come meeting time.

“Lieutenant Zara,” he began calmly, speaking to the back of her head. “Please make ready a plotted course to Aldor V complete with the usual detail concerning neighboring planets, constructs, etc.. You’ll need it for the meeting later.”

“Commander Gavison to Commander Waldgrave,” Kelsey tapped his badge and waited for her response. “Commander, please have a report ready on the feasible means for transporting the vaccine to the surface of Aldor V. Please consider the possibility of transporter difficulties… and you may want to follow up with Dr. White concerning the impact transporters might have on the vaccine—if any. Please have your report ready for our meeting later this morning.

OOC: response.

“Thank you Commander.” Tapping his badge he closed communication only to open it again right afterward. “Commander Gavison to Dr. White.”

When the 3O had answered, Kel continued, “Doctor, would you please provide a report on the status of your department concerning readiness to administer the vaccine should it be required, preparedness concerning the possibility of treatment aboard the Discovery, and get together with Commander Waldgrave concerning any transportation requirements for the vaccine?” He didn’t need to include that White might want to speak with Dr. Milkens if he hadn’t already.

OOC: response.

Closing the communication, he immediately opened it again. “Commander Gavison to Lieutenant Raines.”

=/\= Raines here, sir. =/\=

“Lieutenant, please make sure a staffing and shift report is ready for this morning’s meeting concerning the responsibilities for aiding in the delivery and administration of the vaccine to Aldor V. I’d also like a current report of any additional supplies we might be able to offer should their condition be worse than reported. Feel free to get with Dr. White concerning eventualities.”

OOC: response.

“Thank you.” Ending that communication, Kelsey tapped his badge once more. “Lieutenant Tuvar.”

“Lieutenant Tuvar, please make ready a report on all possible security risks entailed in our drop of the vaccine on Aldor V, an outline for security measures in the chance that we might have to aid the government in maintaining order, administering the vaccine, etc., and a plan for constant security personnel escorts of key dignitaries during the delivery.”

OOC: response.

Gavison sat back in the captain’s chair, fully aware of the fact that most of these individuals had more than likely already begun their reports before he’d contacted them, but secure in the hope that his redundant instruction had helped jog their memories concerning one point or another they might have overlooked.

Stardate: 2366.10.22
USS Discovery, captain's ready room - 0940

For what felt like the umpteenth time this morning, the door chime sounded. Noah bit back a flash of irritation and invited the person to enter. For a moment, he considered having Amanda keep everyone else away for the rest of the morning, but knew that such a thing would hardly be productive.

The hatch opened, revealing the tall, attractive, dark-haired woman they had picked up from the Valmont. "Good morning, Commander Walgrave," Noah spoke by way of introduction. "I trust that you've had a chance to at least glance over your new situation?"

OOC: any reply

Blair nodded. "It's my understanding that you are to be assigned permanent quarters at some point today in senior officer country; I believe that mister Raines had to juggle some things in an effort to get your new home ready."

OOC: reply, or not

"Commnder," the captain continued, "you will find that I offer - and expect - a great deal of autonomy from my senior staff and department heads. You are the engineer here, and from the looks of your service record, a competant officer, as well. It's a shame that you never got to meet Commander Avanti - I think that the two of you could have had some interesting discussions on the subject of warp technology."

Noah grinned. "But I digress. The point is that you are the most qualified person on this ship to run engineering. Therefore, I expect you to do it, but I will stay out of your way and allow it to happen. If you need the assistance of myself or any of the rest of the staff, do not hesitate to ask. Now, do you have any questions?"

OOC: if so, I'll answer.

The captain nodded. "There will be a senior staff meeting at 1030 in the observation lounge Don't worry - I try to keep meeting short and to the point. Regadless, though, you are naturally expected to attend."

OOC: any further additions or edits...

"Very well. I will see you at the staff meeting, then. Oh, and once again, welcome to the Discovery, commander."

Stardate: 2366.10.22
USS Discovery, observation lounge - 1025

Noah welcomed the last of his senior staff in his customary manner - standing by the door, offering a face to face greeting as they entered. Once everyone was seated, the captain took his place at the head of the table.

"Thank you all for coming," he began. "This meeting should, by all rights, be a short one. For now, let me turn the meetin over to Doctor Joseph Milkens. Doctor?"

The white-haired scientist took the floor. "I'm not sure what I really have to add," he stated in a thin voice. "There is a plague sweeping Aldor V. I have developed a vaccine to protect the uninfected Aldorians from it, but the materials do not replicate well; thus, the need to physically transport the vaccine, rather than simply send the formula to them." He paused for a moment.

"The vaccine works in a manner similar to the first smallpox vaccines on earth - in those days, scientists discovered that individuals infected with a much less severe virus known as cowpox were immune to the deadly smallpox."

"At any rate," he continued, "my vaccine is, in fact, a genetically engineered disease of its own. It is relatively harmless to Aldorians, yet it protects them from the full plague. It is extremely water-soluble, and can be taken orally; we intend to seed the major water supplies with it, and thus protect the populace."

"However," he warned, "the vaccine is dangerous to humans - the infection is quite deadly to us, so we must take special care when handling my cargo. Is that understood?"

After deciding that it was, indeed, clear, the doctor yielded the floor to the captain.

"Thank you, doctor," Blair stated. "We expect to arrive at Aldor V in approximately seventy-two hours." He looked at the bajoran helmsman for a moment. "We are on schedule, are we not, Lieutenant Zara?"

OOC: assuming an affirmative

"We must keep our guard up," the captain explained. "I have been made aware that one or more terrorist organizations are known to have active operations or sympathizers in the Aldor system. Obviously, I cannot stress enough how dangerous it could be if this medicine were used for any other purpose."

"With that in mind," Blair continued, "I turn the meeting over to Lieutenant MacTavish. Mister MacTavish, I understand that you have more specific information pertinent to this mission?"

Stardate: 2366.10.22
CSO'S Office: 0800 hrs

The morning had been a blur for Chantelle, her mind full of the events that had taken place the night before…both before and after she and Jack had arrived at her quarters.
She had tried to return to sleep after her cup of tea but finally gave up on the idea and just took a shower and dressed. Her intent was to find Lt Mueller first thing before the staff meeting and try to get some answers.

“Computer..time please”

< the time is 0745 hrs> the mechanical female voice said indifferently.

‘Locate Lt Jeffrey Mueller”
< Lt Mueller is in the TAC office >

Chantelle grabbed her com badge on the way out the door and pulled her long tresses up in a loose bun and headed for her office. It was 0810 when she contacted him.

Jeffrey’s comm. Badge beeped right in the middle of his first sip of coffee.
Wiping his mouth hastily he tapped his badge and answered
< Lt Mueller here >

< Lt Mueller, this is Lt Hemlos, please report to my office asap >

Jeffrey was surprised to be getting a summons to the Science Department and even more so getting one to the CSO’s office.

He tapped his badge < aye sir > he said a bit confused.
He took another gulp of coffee and on his way out of the TAC department he alerted Michelle of his destination.

He reached Chantelle’s office in just a few minutes and upon entering, offered the appropriate greetings from a JG.

“Sit down Lt. Mueller” she said. It was more a request than a command.
He watched her as she rose from her seat behind an ornate cherry wood desk.
She was nervous but bound to get to the bottom of the problem Jack was having.

“I, I really don’t know how to approach this subject Lt. You and Lt MacTavish work closely together and I know he holds you in high regard. He trusts you…your uh, your judgment and ah, and I suspect that you may feel the same about him.” she said reluctantly, trying not to read anything into the relationship.

Jeffrey sat quietly allowing her to finish her statement.

“I’d even go so far as to say he considers you a, ah, a friend actually”
She looked at the Lt momentarily wishing she could read what he was thinking.

Jeffrey felt a bit uneasy at the suggestion that Mac considered him a friend.
He squirmed a little in his chair. Of course Jeffrey had come to hold Mac in high regard as well, but was never really certain just where he stood with the Scotsman other than being Mac’s personal Monkey Boy that is.

Chantelle continued. “ My point is this…assuming that you two do consider the other a friend I would hope if there is something going on his private life that is bothering him he might say something to you about it” There! She had said it. She looked at Jeffrey and waited for his reply.

He sighed and straightened in his chair. “Sir, I don’t know how to respond to that”
She could tell he was deliberating within himself.

“Just be honest Lt.” She turned and strode back behind her desk to put a little distance between them. “ I understand that you would want to keep a confidence between a friend, but I hope that you would be willing to break that confidence if it would help that friend.” She sat down and looked him in the eye. “I don’t know if you are aware that Lt. MacTavish…Jack and I are…have been uh…very close lately”

Jeffrey smiled inwardly at that. Of course he knew…everyone knew.
“Yes sir, I do know” he admitted.

She drew in a deep breath and smiled slightly at his honesty.
‘Then you should realize that I only want the best for him. I want him to be happy and calm and everything else that comes from being close to someone entails.
The reason I asked you to come here was to ask you if there is anything that is going on with Jack and his job that may be causing him more stress than usual.” she asked point
blank.

Jeffery leaned back in his seat and contemplated her comments for a moment before answering. He could plainly see her feelings for Mac ran deep and she was having a hard time wrangling any info out of him. He knew Mac had been under stress lately but with the news of Ian being on Aldor V it had skyrocketed. He could tell Mac was head over heels for her as well. The mention of her name was all it took to bring a smile to his gruff features and frankly anything Jeffrey could do to make Mac more tolerable was worth the risk of his ire.

“Sir” he said reluctantly, obviously struggling with his response.
“It’s his Brother…Ian…he’s on Aldor V”

-Sciences
Xenobotany Lab 1017 hrs-

Natalie Keely had been discussing their problem with Leanna Yates and Roger Whitetail. All of them were becoming more and more frustrated as it became clear that they had nearly killed one of their precious four trees for nothing. The Mntiasha tree root samples were not getting them as far as they'd hoped and it took several hours for them to discover why that was. Part of the problem wasn't the samples themselves, which were fine, but that the protien analysis they had run, eight times now, had proven to them one simple yet complicated thing Starfleet Medical seemed to have overlooked; It wasn't just the trees that were preventing the illness of the Rautian Plague from advancing in the areas where it grew, it was a combination of the trees with some other plant that they had not yet researched. Apparently this choice bit of information was overlooked in the reactions of Starfleet Medical's earlier test subjects. The vaccine would be incomplete and completely ineffective if they couldn't find the other plant that activated the protien in the root to bring out it's healing qualities.

Natalie ran a hand through her hair, pushing a stray pair of curls back into the clip she had the majority of her unruly hair held back in. She sighed her frustration as they looked over their research results so far. "So...basically, our hands are tied until we can catalogue every single plant that lives in the same vacinity as the Mntiasha plants on Rautos Prime."

"Or maybe even all the living organisms, not just the plant life, it might be a bacteria or a fungus that sets the protiens off." added Roger.

"...or an insect, or even a snake." chimed in Leanna.

Natalie shot her a look as if to say, 'yeah, thanks for that.' "So, anyone ever catalogued the life on this planet before? Is there something we can look for in Starfleet records?"

Roger shook his head, "Probably not, it's still a fairly new world to the Starfleet trade routes and not even an official Federation world."

"Any Federation worlds near them who might have a resource on the Raoutos Prime various species that we could borrow or trade for?" she asked.

Roger shrugged, "I can check that out for you, Lt." he answered ready to spring into action.

She nodded, "Yes, please do that Rog." she said, turning to Yates. "We're on our way to Aldor V and this is also an important life-saving situation so we cannot ask for priority in this matter but if we can't find any known resources to turn to we may have to request that on our way back we make a stop at Routos Prime to request sending an away team to collect samples..."

"They have refused us more Mntiasha Trees..." began Leanna.

"...yes, Mntiasha Trees,not everything else, right? Perhaps we can convince them that we are only trying to help them and get them to allow us even just a few samples of their various species in that environment. I mean, it would behoove them to allow this, wouldn't it?"

Leanna nodded, "I think it makes sense. Maybe we could charter a shuttle and send a team, meet up with the ship when we're done."

Natalie shrugged, "We can propose the idea anyway. The worst that could happen is we get told 'not right now'. It's worth a try. I will set up the written proposal using our data collected so far from our previous eight tests. I have to contact the head of sciences and see what they think of all of this." she said as both of them got into action.

Tag: PC -Sciences Officers

Stardate: 2366.10.22
USS Discovery; Observation Lounge – 1015 hrs

As Lt MacTavish approached the Observation Lounge, he took advantage of the split second of alone time to rub at his eyes again. Ach, he grumbled as his hand slid away from his eye and passed over his cheek, did I ferget ta shave this marnin’? Fer th’ luv o’… The stubble on his cheeks and chin was scarcely noticeable more than likely, but it was just another, subtle reminder to the TAC Officer that he had been ‘off his game’ for the past twenty-four hours or so, and that little annoyance crashed into the warpcore breach of the multitude of other thoughts that had been pinging around in his mind.

Et ain’t gonna make yer day none the shorter, Jackie-boy, he reminded himself as the door swept open, Wi’ wha’ yer aboot ta do, ye’ll likely no’ be getting’ th’ time ta shave fer days. As he had come to expect, Captain Blair was waiting on the other side of the door, and was ready with a greeting and a shake of the hand. The only other officer to precede Mac to the meeting was, of course, Commander Gavison. Had there been anyone else in the room, Jack imagined, the Captain would have been a little less personal with his hello this go round.

“Jack,” the Captain nodded, “You’re still considering my earlier recommendations, I hope?”

Jack nodded as he shook Noah’s hand; “Aye, sair. I’ve no’ ‘ad th’ opportunity ta make an appointment wi’ th’ ‘eadshrinker as yet, but I’ll be sure ta ‘ave one made afore me shift’s up. Et’s been a bloody riot o’ a marnin’, sair.”

Blair seemed satisfied with that response, offering the TAC Officer a somewhat reassuring smile before releasing his hand and allowing him to continue on to his seat. Jack settled, at first, into the chair that he normally occupied, then, glancing to his right, realized that Avanti wasn’t in the 2O’s seat. He smirked, shook his head, and as protocol indicated, slid himself into the 2O’s chair… Fargin’ amazed I e’en ‘eld on ta tha’, too, he mused… Until that very moment he hadn’t even considered that, when he had throttled Ens Drummond, he had done so as not just the TAC Chief but as the Second Officer of the boat, as well. Grand!
His gaze traveled across the table to Gavison, then, and he offered a weak smile. “G’marnin’, sair,” he said, “I reckon I owe ye an apology, ‘s well. Me moment o’ stupidity las’ night likely reflected ‘s poorly on ye’s it did meself an,’ fer tha’, Kel, I am sorra.”

(OOC: response…)

The other staff members had started filtering in as MacTavish concluded his end of the conversation with a nod. As such and with at least one other of the necessary apologies out of the way, the TAC Officer put those matters aside for the time-being and to the more urgent business of the staff meeting. It wasn’t too much later that all of the senior staff were in their places and Blair left his vigil by the door and took his own seat.

"Thank you all for coming," he began. "This meeting should, by all rights, be a short one. For now, let me turn the meeting over to Doctor Joseph Milkens. Doctor?"

“I'm not sure what I really have to add," the white-haired scientist stated in a thin voice. "There is a plague sweeping Aldor V. I have developed a vaccine to protect the uninfected Aldorians from it, but the materials do not replicate well; thus, the need to physically transport the vaccine, rather than simply send the formula to them."

Jack arched a brow. The fact that this vaccine the Doctor was touting couldn’t be sent to the surface via transporter had just tossed another little variable into the extensive equation that had been writing and re-writing itself in Mac’s head since he had found Ian’s name on those reports. Tha’s jus’ beau'iful, he scowled inwardly as he made a quick entry into his notes, Wha’ other lit’le ‘dinnae run wi’ scissors’ advice’ve ye go’ then? He returned his gaze to Miliken’s just as the man started to explain how the vaccine worked and a brief history on the precedents validating its use. Most of it fell into the “eggheads only” category of Mac’s mental filing system, though, and he had started to think that moving the stuff to the surface of Aldor V was going to be the worst of the tactical considerations that Miliken would dig up. Just as Jack was about to shift his attentions from the scientist to his own notes, though, Miliken’s words set off a red alert klaxon in the TAC Officer’s head.

"…the vaccine is dangerous to humans - the infection is quite deadly to us, so we must take special care when handling my cargo…"

Oh, Jayzus! If Ian es lurkin’ aboot Aldor V, I ‘ope ‘e’s no’ go’ whiff o’ this…
"Thank you, doctor," Blair stated, retaking the floor. Mac made a few more furious entries on his PADD and cast more than one concerned glance around the table as the Captain continued.

"We expect to arrive at Aldor V in approximately seventy-two hours." He looked at the bajoran helmsman for a moment. "We are on schedule, are we not, Lieutenant Zara?"

Mali gave her report and, as she did, the knot in Mac’s stomach tightened. O’ course we’re on bloody schedule, he griped, Tha’s Damali bloody Zara… We may jus’ arrive yesterday! Fer th’ luv o’ heather an’ haggis, lass, please tell me we’ve go’a wee bit o’ time…
"We must keep our guard up," the captain explained. "I have been made aware that one or more terrorist organizations are known to have active operations or sympathizers in the Aldor system. Obviously, I cannot stress enough how dangerous it could be if this medicine were used for any other purpose."

"With that in mind," Blair continued, "I turn the meeting over to Lieutenant MacTavish. Mister MacTavish, I understand that you have more specific information pertinent to this mission?"

“Aye, sair,” Mac replied with a heavy sigh as he got to his feet and tapped a key sequence that would transfer the data on his PADD to the wall mounted display, “an’ given wha’ Dr Miliken’s jus’ said, I’m afraid I’ve go’ a wee bit more’n wha’ I’d set off with.” His grey eyes panned around the table, pausing for a brief instant on each face… Remember ta lookit them faces agin when ye get done, lad; there’ll be tha' much more anticipation I’ll wager…
“There be sev’ral groups tha’ ‘ave active cells in operation in an’ aboot th’ Aldor system,” he began, “an’ normally, none of ‘em’d be much more’n a passin’ concern on a mission such’s we’ve go’ here. Tha’ said, I’ve gotta say tha’ I dinnae think we should be treatin’ this run as anythin’ close ta normal.” Mac’s gaze shifted from Tuvar, with whom he had already addressed a majority of his concerns, to Blair, and then to Gavison; “An’ the good Laird help me, I ‘ope I’m wrong aboot this one.

Computer; file four-one-four-delta-indigo-four-three-eight.” The lounge’s display jumped to life, displaying selected entries from the intelligence files that he had shared, thus far, only with certain TAC and SEC personnel. “A’right. As I said, typically, none o’ th’ groups tha’re in operation in the vicinity of Aldor’d be more’n a minor consideration. None o’ ‘em’re partic’larly large org’nizations an’ vera few of ‘em’ve done anythin’ ta ‘s much raise’n eyebrow a’ TACCOM er Fleet Intelligence. H’wever, after reviewin’ th’ information repr’sented ‘ere, I believe tha’ we may ‘ave cause fer worry when et comes ta this mission and this group…”

The display changed to display a SF Intel file entitled “Extremist Group Data File: Brothers against the Tyranny of the Federation,” that included a summary of the group’s history, known and suspected operatives, and notes on their activities. His eyes swept over the group again before he continued; “Th’ BTF’s no’ one o’ yer major terrorist orgs, o’ course, but they are one o’ th’ more aggressive anti-Federation groups in th’ lot; they’ve claimed respons’bilty fer er been tied ta more’n 16 bombin’s, kednappin’s, an’ assaults on Federation an’ Federation-friendly assets inna past three months. Tha’s jus’ inna Alpha quadrant. Add ta this tha’ Intel and TACCOM’ve been pickin’ up increased chatter o’ late indicatin’ tha’ there’s somethin’ fairly large-scale brewin’ in the sector fer which we’re bound, no’ ta mention th’ inf’rmation tha’ Dr Miliken’s jus’ shared wi’ th’ lot o’ us, an’ I’m sure ye c’n see where we may jus’ ‘ave a lit’le bit more pingin’ our sensors’n jus’ some group o’ fargin’ whackos lookin’ ta make th’ newscasts.”

Mac’s gaze made the circuit around the table once more before he prompted the display to change again. It was done as much to gage the reaction of the staff and VIPs as it was to prepare himself for the image that would be loaded next; “Next file,” he said, swallowing the stomach knot that had just clawed its way into his throat. The display shifted, displaying a series of surveillance images of a man who closely resembled the Discovery’s CTO. In fact, those who didn’t immediately perceive the slightly larger build, longer hair minus the peppering of gray, and overall less disciplined appearance of the man might have been tricked into believing that they were looking at pictures of a younger Jack. “This lit’le fu…” Jack caught the expletive before it made it fully past his lips and fought for a moment to control the emotion that that damned stomach knot was threatening to tinge his voice with. He glowered for a long moment at the images on the monitor and clasped his hands tightly behind his back lest he unconsciously ball them into fists and throw a punch at the thing. “This man,” he corrected, forcing himself to turn from the display, “is Ian Michael MacTavish. An’ I c’n guarantee ye, ladies an’ gen’lemen, if th’ lad’s so much’s caught the scarcest whiff o’ wha’ we’re deliverin’ ta Aldor V, we’re likely gonna be fairm in ‘is sites…”

((OOC: Must...avoid...carpal...tunnel...
Alright, let’s leave it there for the time being and see what comes of that. There is plenty of room for interjection, questions, etc, throughout this, of course… If there’s nothing “major” I’ll pick this up and finish it soon... Oops! Some mimor liberties taken in the above post, edits if neccesary))

Stardate: 2366.10.22
USS Discovery, observation lounge - 1025

It had been a long night, but Christoph wasn't tired just yet. He had learned years ago how to handle long hours, and knew how to take short rests and catch naps when time permitted. More to the point, a long night exploring a starship that was a work of art more than a conveyance was no great hardship. Doing it in good company certainly did nothing to worsen the experience.

Of course, falling asleep during his first real dty aboard the Dicovery would do him no good, and none to the rest of the crew as well, so he attended with a steaming mug of black coffee in hand. Better safe than sorry, after all.

"Thank you all for coming," he began. "This meeting should, by all rights, be a short one."

((Edited to avoid repeating the meeting over and over))

The history of the general principle of vaccines was not unknown to Arevaci, but he nodded along with recitation as though it were a great revelation. Anything the doctor said might turn out to be critical, and would be counterproductive for anyone to give the impression that any of it was unimportant. The specifics of this particular vaccine were, wihout doubt, even more important, and Christoph made noted of the pertinant points for future reference, just in case he could be of help.

"Mister MacTavish, I understand that you have more specific information pertinent to this mission?"

“Aye, sair,” Mac replied with a heavy sigh as he got to his feet and tapped a key sequence that would transfer the data on his PADD to the wall mounted display, “an’ given wha’ Dr Miliken’s jus’ said, I’m afraid I’ve go’ a wee bit more’n wha’ I’d set off with.” His grey eyes panned around the table, pausing for a brief instant on each face…

Fear, frustration, anger, worry... Something very important was working its way through the poor man's psyche. Christoph leaned forward in his seat, studying the man closely as he delivered his report. The revelation was nothing less than Arevaci had expected. No wonder the MacTavish had been on the edge of control. His own brother and potentially a deadly enemy. It would be enough to break many men, and had.

This situation would bear close watching... very close indeed.

Stadate: 2366.10.22 USS Discovery, Observation Leck – 1010
Kelsey stepped into the observation lounge with a PADD in hand and a smile on his face. He’d just received a message from Sherry that thanked him for the flowers and that set his mind at ease concerning their row, though he wasn’t nearly naïve enough to think that she’d so easily forgotten Lt. Cmdr. Waldgrave.

“Noah,” Kelsey gave his captain an informal nod. When in private like this the two had adopted a more leisurely way about things.

“You’re looking better,” Noah was seated at his customary end of the table going over reports on the tabletop display. He smiled, however, when Kelsey walked around behind him and deposited himself in the usual chair.

“Much better, thank you. Got Sherry some flowers,” Kelsey grinned and set the PADD on the table in front of him. “I swear, Noah. It’s like she just lost whatever logic she once had. I’ve spent some time looking up hormonal variations and related theories—“ The XO whistled and shook his head. “I’m going to see if Dr. White can prescribe something that will take the edge off. I can’t have her going off the deep end just because I spoke with a pretty face.”

“I take it that there was an altercation?”

Kel paused for a moment and then chuckled as he looked over at the captain’s face and realized he hadn’t told Noah about the previous night’s events before the meeting. He’d been too caught up in Jack’s drama this morning and the captain’s door had opened and closed enough this morning to make someone dizzy.

“Oh,” Kelsey grinned broadly. “You won’t believe this—“

The door swished open admitting Lt. MacTavish just at that point. Kel’s smile faded away as the 2O made his way into the room. Noah must’ve caught up on the mood that had swept the three and offered to lighten it a little.

“Jack, you’re still considering my earlier recommendations, I hope?” Noah shook the other man’s hand.

Kelsey briefly wondered just what those recommendations were, but didn’t press. If the captain wanted him to know, he’d tell him.

“Aye, sair. I’ve no’ ‘ad th’ opportunity ta make an appointment wi’ th’ ‘eadshrinker as yet, but I’ll be sure ta ‘ave one made afore me shift’s up. Et’s been a bloody riot o’ a marnin’, sair.”

Kelsey remained silent while Jack took a seat in the wrong chair and sheepishly shifted to the customary 2O’s position. He’d read the results of Noah’s conversation with Ens. Drummond and he was inclined to wonder at the meek demeanor the TAC officer was presenting at the moment. Then, Jack met his gaze and offered a smile.

“G’marnin’, sair,” he said, “I reckon I owe ye an apology, ‘s well. Me moment o’ stupidity las’ night likely reflected ‘s poorly on ye’s it did meself an,’ fer tha’, Kel, I am sorra.”

The XO’s lips thinned for the briefest of moments while he took a deep breath. In the face of an apology from Jack MacTavish, Kelsey knew that the man was taking the situation seriously enough. Releasing his breath, Commander Gavison gave a nod.

“Thank you, Jack.” He had nothing more to add really. What do you say in the wake of an apology concerning one of the biggest faux pas a man could make on his second day as 2O of a Star Fleet vessel of exploration and diplomacy? Had Jack been anything other than senior staff, Kelsey would have raked him over the coals for such a move. But Gavison knew that Blair was covering up for the mistake, probably under the conditions that Dr. Arevaci find some sort of solution to the man’s considerable record of explosions. Luckily, Kel didn’t have to cast about for more to say as Dr. Milkens arrived. This led to a surge of arrivals and within a short period of time the room was full.

"Thank you all for coming," Noah stated in his usual quiet tone. "This meeting should, by all rights, be a short one. For now, let me turn the meeting over to Doctor Joseph Milkens. Doctor?"

Kelsey turned his chair slightly so that he might view the older man during his dialogue. "I'm not sure what I really have to add," Milkens stated in a thin voice. "There is a plague sweeping Aldor V. I have developed a vaccine to protect the uninfected Aldorians from it, but the materials do not replicate well; thus, the need to physically transport the vaccine, rather than simply send the formula to them." He paused for a moment giving Kelsey time to consider the implications behind the statement.

"The vaccine works in a manner similar to the first …”

When the doctor wound down Kelsey had to admit that so far, nothing had been said that would raise too many alarms. They could probably throw a containment field around the vaccine while it was on board the Discovery, assign a retinue of non-human personnel for duty call, and then be merrily on their way once they’d overseen the delivery via a medical transport.

"Thank you, doctor," Blair stated. "We expect to arrive at Aldor V in approximately seventy-two hours." He looked at the Bajoran helmsman for a moment. "We are on schedule, are we not, Lieutenant Zara?"

OOC: assuming an affirmative

"We must keep our guard up," the captain explained. "I have been made aware that one or more terrorist organizations are known to have active operations or sympathizers in the Aldor system. Obviously, I cannot stress enough how dangerous it could be if this medicine were used for any other purpose."

Now that was certainly something Commander Gavison had not been expecting. None-the-less, he remained expressionless and waited for Noah to continue.

Noah turned the time over to MacTavish.

Well, here’s where Jack shines…
“Aye, sair,” Mac replied with a heavy sigh as he got to his feet and tapped a key sequence that would transfer the data on his PADD to the wall mounted display, “an’ given wha’ Dr Miliken’s jus’ said, I’m afraid I’ve go’ a wee bit more’n wha’ I’d set off with…

Kelsey’s eyes narrowed when Jack brought up the personnel file and he couldn’t help but shift so that he was leaning forward in his chair. What the hell? Is that…? No. God, but it looks like him. Don’t tell me this group has definitely targeted the vaccine and used cosmetic surgery to get one of their operatives aboard the Discovery… No, that’d be too elaborate from what I’ve read. Family then? Someone inserted in their organization by Star Fleet most likely.
““This lit’le fu—This man,” Jack said in a voice filled with vehemence as he turned from the screen, “is Ian Michael MacTavish. An’ I c’n guarantee ye, ladies an’ gen’lemen, if th’ lad’s so much’s caught the scarcest whiff o’ wha’ we’re deliverin’ ta Aldor V, we’re likely gonna be fair in ‘is sites…”

The XO fell back in his seat with raised eyebrows and concern showing on his face. Would this relationship between Jack and Ian—strained though it appeared to be—present a security risk? I’ll talk with Dr. Arevaci after the meeting and see what his psych profiling might present. The last thing we need is some sibling rivalry stirring things up, and we certainly don’t need to risk Jack going soft at the wrong time!
With MacTavish’s part finished, but for the questions, Kelsey remained quietly pondering the newest puzzles until the others he’d tasked to present reports spoke up. He had no questions that he could pose to the room at this point, though he was unsure if anything new would present itself in the duration of this meeting.