Deep Space Guardian: Season II-Episode 25

[Founder]

Captain's Log: Stardate 58268.91

I can't say that the past two weeks have been easy. I rescued my chief helmsman's counterpart and her baby. My relationship with Ziona Andreas has taken a turn for the...better. I almost lost my friend Archer to the brutal regime of Fito. His ship was so damaged that it took seventeen shuttles to tractor and lift it back into space. It was salvageable though. Something very rare when a Federation ship crash lands. It was sent to Utopia Planetia for much needed repairs. Archer and his crew are staying onboard the station for now. On our way back from Akamia, I discovered that Major Katran was onboard the Guardian. I pressed him for questions as to what was going on. He simply told me that he went on a recue mission, trying to save civilians. A brave fellow indeed. Speaking of Akamia, the planet is now back in Federation hands. The Empire doesn't seem to mind. At least, I don't think so. There hasn't been much word from them. Although rumor has it that they were seen in Hydran and Gorn space. I don't put much stock in rumors. Apparently something strange had happened while I was gone on Elerra Prime. It rained for three days straight on the eastern continenant. What was even more strange was that sunlight did not penetrate the clouds. No one onboard could understand why. A survey team was sent to inspect but nothing was found. Even more strange was Admiral Donatra reporting she was missing several engineers. I don't understand it at all and I don't care. I want to just...breath. I feel like I can't catch up because life is thrusting me in every direction. Thankfully, there is very little for me to do today besides my regular hectic schedule. A quadrant renowned archeologist, Cornelius Bach, from Earth is coming to the station today. He is going to excavate an unknown site on Elerra Prime. Starfleet wants more involvement with the planet and I agreed. Something nice and peaceful for once. I'm going to lunch with Ziona and Archer on the holodeck after meeting with Cornelius. Finally, an uneventful day....end log.

[La Forge]

Elerra Prime

The rain came down hard and fast. The rain splashed onto the surface of Elerra Prime. The rain had formed large puddles of dirty water in the soft muddy ground. Small rivers of rainwater had formed in the soft ground, flowing down the slopes of the land.

Above, in the vast black sky, dark rain clouds had blocked out the shining stars. The huge dark rain clouds concealed everything above; no sun, no stars, no space, nothing. The clouds just floated across the skies, dropping rain onto the planet. Strong, harsh winds had developed in the rain storm.

On the surface, foilage was being blown, to and fro. Giant trees swayed back and forth in the strong winds. Branches, twigs, and leaves were torn off the tree and blown about, scattering the landscape. Even some trees were being uprooted. Even the sturdy oak trees were being pulled out of the earth by their thick, gnarly roots. The grass and weeds swayed, violently, in the storm. The foilage was pulled up from the earth, revealing the muddy, dirty, wet ground. Grass blades and other foilage was being tossed about in the savage storm's winds. Bushes were being rattled by the storm's winds, their leaves being plucked from the bushes to join the fray. Flowers were torn apart, their multi-colored petals dancing about in the winds like a bizarre ballet.

In the skies, thunder boomed, echoing across the land, seeming to rattle the very core of the planet. Lightnening hurtled towards the earth from the heavans above. Lightnening bolts zoomed towards the surface of Elerra Prime, crackling towards the earth at the speed of light, crackling like an intense fire.

Far off in the distance, near a vast forest, a lone, huge wooden oak tree, standing in the middle of a vast, empty plain, was hit by a bolt of lightnening. The bolt nearly broke the tree in two, creating a huge wedge right down the center of the tree. A small fire had started in and around the tree. The flames were strong and intense. The old wood was charred to a crisp black color. Leaves and twigs around the tree's burning "corpse", like a graveyard. After a while, the massive fire died down to mere embers, yet the tree had been burned to ashes, barely a stump any longer.

There were no animals in sight for miles. No wonder...this storm was brutal and savage.

----------------------------

Suddenly, the skies opened up and the clouds parted, if only for a second, to let a large, flaming object pass. The flaming object hurtled towards the surface of Elerra Prime, seeming to go faster than light. From the surface, the object's shape was undistinguishable. It looked like a cluster of meteorites, space debris of some kind, or maybe a medium sized meteor.

As the object neared the surface, parts of it were being peeled off, due to the object's intense speed into the entry of the planet's atmosphere, along with the fierce winds. Flaming chunks of the object were torn from the object, being pulled away to the winds. Soon after, up in the skies, many flaming chunks of the object were scattered to the winds, slowly falling to the earth. From the surface, these fragments looked like flaming ghosts.

After what seemed like hours of falling, the object finally came crashing into the planet's surface. The object sent up a shower of dirt, dirty water, and other waste products of the storm. Flaming chunks of the object were tossed up in the crash, falling back down to the surface, seconds later, creating gaping holes in the earth. The object skidded across the surface of the planet, until, at last, the object finally came to a halt about 200 meters from where it crashed. The object left a slick trail in the dirt behind it, about 20 meters in width. The object rocked in place for a bit, the recoil of the sudden crash, in its resting place. A moment or two later, the "crash" was over and the object was motionless.

Upon closer inspection, one could tell what the object was. The object was what was left of the USS Rio Grande, a Starfleet runabout from the Federation starbase, Deep Space Nine.

[Ziona]

DSG, Ziona's Quarters

Ziona awoke in a half-daze, her eyes remaining shut for a moment or two before she opened them, staring up into the darkness of the ceiling. She listened intently. There was silence... a silence she hadn't heard in quite a while. Between the USS Guardian's hum and the constant nerve-wrecking sound of war she wasn't used to the silence. The silence was suffocating her.

With a jolt she sat up in bed and looked around, holding her breath, waiting for something to pop out of the shadows. There was still that silence... that unnerving silence that pervaded all her senses and smothered her breath in her chest... the silence pushed down on her and held her in her own little prison of fear and doubt, uncertainity and anguish.

I'm going out of my mind...She thought for a moment. There was a pause in her mind... a silence in her brain... all memories, thoughts, feelings, fears came to a screeching halt as she sat there, holding the sheets to her chest.

She was safe... she was away from danger... This was Deep Space Guardian and nothing was going to get to her while she was aboard this ship. She wouldn't let it... Ian wouldn't let it... Archer wouldn't let it...

A doubt slithered across the surface of her mind, a snake, poisonous and perilous, waiting to strike at anything that moved. Ziona froze again, staring into the darkness.

"Computer, lights." She spoke quickly. The lights raised up from the ceiling and she squinted against the light and at the fear that something was lurking behind the shadows.

But she was alone... utterly alone in her room, safe... but suffering from this constant torment of silence and sudden awareness that DSG didn't seem like home anymore. It was a prison... a rather comfortable prison, but a prison none-the-less.

After a few more moments hesitation, Ziona got up and moved to the bathroom. She took a quick shower, dressed in rather comfortable street clothes and made her way to the messhall where she was to meet Ian and Archer for lunch.

All the while, down the hall, walking amongst the people who were her collegues and friends, she thought about the silence. She could hear and understand what the other officers were saying... she could sense their emotions... she could understand their thoughts and desires, but there was a silence, cutting through all this emotion and human actions.

Ziona arrived at the messhall and stood for a moment, looking for Ian or Archer. She put on a fake smile, a mask that she knew would at least fool some of the officers... but Ian would notice... Archer would notice... Eventually everyone would notice.

[Lord Borg]

~DSG, Mess Hall~

Archer was in street clothes to, he was off duty for a couple days. He came into the mess hall and put a hand on Ziona's shoulder to announce his arrival. "Hello there..."

[Ziona]

DSG, Messhall

Ziona jumped slightly and turned around to see Archer.



"Oh, hello Captain Archer." She smiled quickly. "It's good to see you're up and about again. We were worried for a bit there that we had lost you."

Ziona turned and glanced around the messhall. Ian was nowhere to be seen. He was probably still in the meeting with the archeologist from Earth.

[Lord Borg]

~DSG, Mess Hall~

Archer nodded. "Your concern is...appriciated, thank you." Archer looked around. "Actually I made a program on the Holodeck... the food of course, is real, not holographic" Archer joked. He wondered if she was ok, he could be wrong but she seemed....preoccupide. With the last few weeks of events, he could understand though

[La Forge]

Elerra Prime

The wreck of the Rio Grande was engulfed in flames, the steel-plated hull melting from the intense heat of the entry into the planet's atmosphere.

Half of the runabout was buried in the mud and the runabout was slowly continuing to be submerged in the mud, like quicksand.

On the exposed portion of the runabout, the words: "USS Rio Grande" were emblazoned onto the hull. The blue letters were slowly peeling off of the hull, singed to a crisp.

The rain splattered against the flaming wreck, sending dark smoke into the dark skies. The rain rolled down the sides of the hull, seeping into the dark mud.

Many pieces of the runabout were scattered across the surrounding landscape. Potholes dotted the soft ground, which were slowly beginning to fill with water. Smoking pieces of metal stuck out of the ground, like jagged monuments. The scene was like a graveyard of metal.

On the upper right portion of the runabout, the door swayed from its hinges, banging against the hull every few seconds due to the strong winds blowing through the area. You could see inside of the the runabout from outside, smoke billowing out of the gaping porthole.

USS Rio Grande, Cockpit

Inside of the runabout, smoke and toxic gases fumed up and about, filling the entire runabout with their hazardous contents. A few scattered flames were dotted about in the compact runabout. Sparks flew from broken consoles. Glass dotted the floor, gleaming in the bright lights of the flames and sparks. Live wires hung from the roof, showering the floor with bright yellow sparks. The smell of the smoke and of charred flesh was overpowering and nauseating. The smoke was too intense to see into the corridor that connected into the cockpit. However, the smoke was rather thin in the cockpit section. The controls up in the front were all broken and aflame. The screens and monitors of the computers were smashed, gaping holes in the shiny screens, which now displayed nothing.

Up in the front, at the controls, sat two Bajoran women. The one in the Captain's Chair was unconscious, yet still alive. Her breathing was very faint, but every few seconds or so, her chest would rise, indicating life. It was remarkable that anything could survive that horrible crash.

However, the other Bajoran woman was not so lucky. The young Bajoran woman in the Co-Captain's chair was obviously dead. A jagged piece of metal jutted from her gut, blood smeared across the spike. A small hole had been made into her chest and the chair she sat at. The piece of metal was most likely a shard of some part of the ship that had broken off during the crash. This young woman was just unlucky enough to have the shard spear her in the chest. The wound was fatal. She probably died instantly. The woman's face expressed fear and shock, her eye's wide, with black marks running down her face, and her mouth open to the fullest extent. During the crash, the woman must have bit off her tounge, as it swam in a puddle of blood in her mouth, which was slowly dripping down her chin. The woman's hair was all tangled up, mixed with blood and sweat. The woman's red uniform was completely soaked in her own blood. Her arms were locked at her sides, gripping the seat, probably bracing for the coming impact. One of the woman's legs, her left, was jammed under the computer consoles, locked in place...

The woman was dead...no doubt about it.

While the body of the dead Bajoran rotted, the eye's of the other Bajoran fluttered open....

Above Elerra Prime

A Valdera-class Romulan warbird flew off, in warp, away from the planet...

[Lord Borg]

~USS Hudson, Cockpit~

Reed sat in the Co-Pilots chair next to the Oaths Science officer. They were running some scans on the planet. Normaly, someone assigned to DSG would do this but Archer pulled some strings and got some of his officers assigned to the mission, to give them something to do while they waited for their ship to be repaired. They were measuring the effects of that raging storm on the entire planet, or rather the storm on that one part, but what effects it had on the entire ecosystem

[Ziona]

DSG, Messhall

Ziona nodded to Archer and glanced around the messhall one more time.

"Does Captain Xavier know to go to the holodeck?" She turned and glanced over at Archer.

[Lord Borg]

~DSG, Mess Hall~

Archer nodded. "Yes, he does actually. Everything is all cleared." Archer held out an arm, and half serious, and half jokingly, but in a gentamly manner: "Shall I escort you M'lady?" Archer gave a half smile to show the joking tone that was supposed to be there...

[Ziona]

DSG, Messhall

Ziona smiled slightly and took his arm jokingly.

"I think that's a grand idea."

She looked once more around the messhall, pushed the thoughts out of her mind and tried to force herself to think that she would have a good time.

[Lord Borg]

DSG, Mess Hall

Archer nodded again and walked with her to the door keeping pace. He was thinking back to his ship, his crew, the station, his friends. Everyone was trying to readjust to life, the scars from the Fito massacure was still there, probably will be for the rest of time, or at least so long as a good deal of the current residents and officers that were here and surrvived the massacure was still on the station. Archer looked over to Ziona, an officer he was starting to get to know, which he was glad to. Ian was busy in a meeting at the moment and would join them shortly, something about a Federation arciologist... he wasnt quite sure. "We haven't had much time to talk... how are you holding up?"

[La Forge]

USS Rio Grande, Cockpit

The woman opened her eyes, with a groan, but she could see nothing. Her vision was gone. Darkness...blackness...everywhere. It felt like she was locked in a dark room with no way out...a black cage...It was a scary sensation.

She could hear ringing in her ears. The sound was so high-pitched and loud. She couldn't get the ringing to stop. The sound was unbearable. It was drilling through her head. The woman grabbed her ears with her hands, trying to make the sound go away. It wouldn't. She clutched her ears, even tighter. The sound was still there. She pressed on her ears with all of her remaining strength, yet the ringing did not stop. She wanted to scream. The sound was driving her crazy. The woman opened her mouth, about to scream, when, suddenly and abruptly, the sound stopped. She couldn't explain it. The sound just...stopped...

However, when she opened her mouth, a trickle of blood dripped out of her mouth, onto her chin. She could feel the cool liquid roll down her chin and neck, leaving a red trail behind it. The liquid dropped down onto her red uniform, leaving a dark red stain on the already red uniform.

The woman felt and looked terrible. Her long brown hair was a matted and tangled mess, strands of hair stuck together with sweat and blood. She had many cuts and bruises on her face. She had a black eye. Blood was smeared all over her face and body. The blood and wounds were fresh, caused by the crash. Her face was covered with soot, making it hard to breath. She would cough occasionally because of the high amounts of toxic fumes in the runabout. She felt light-headed because of these fumes. She couldn't think straight. The only thought that went through her mind was, "Where am I?", over and over and over, like a broken record. Her uniform was ripped, torn, singed, and covered with blood and other fluids. The entire left shoulder portion of her uniform had been ripped off, revealing her bruised shoulder. A huge glass shard jutted from her naked shoulder, the blood on the glass tinting it red. The midriff section of her uniform had been torn badly, too. She had three deep cuts just above her uniform. The cloth on her right leg had been torn off, revealing the pale skin of her leg. Her knee cap was bloody and bruised. The skin covering her knee was gone, revealing the thick, pink muscle beneath. The cloth from her uniform hung on a metal shard, inches from her leg. She was lucky that that shard had missed her in the crash or she would look something like her friend in the Co-Pilot's Chair. Her left leg was broken, as it was sitting in an natural position, curled beneath her seat. The fingers on her right hand were all twisted backwards, broken. Despite the heat of the nearby flames, the woman was extremely cold. Her body was shivering and shaking. It looked like the woman was having convulsions. She was in horrible shape.

Despite all of her wounds, the woman couldn't feel any pain.

--------------

The young woman was Colonel Rydia Melina of Deep Space Nine. She was en route to Deep Space Guardian, along with her friend and co-pilot, Anara Laurent and a Vulcan named Chin'took. The Vulcan and herself were to serve as liason officers aboard Deep Space Guardian. Both of their governments had been curious as to the "happenings" in and around the station. So, the Bajoran and Vulcan governments had sent over two officers from their respective races, to the station, to be their eyes and ears. The Bajoran Government wanted to have Melina go, because of her experience with space stations and the Federation, but Melina refused. However, Melina had reluctantly accepted the position, at the However, during the preparation for this "assignment", the Cardassians and that Nautolian fool, Sit Fito, took the Bajoran sector. A Cardassian Warship found the Rio Grande while it was on its way to Deep Space Guardian. The Cardassians attacked the Rio Grande. While the runabout managed to escape, it sustained heavy damage. The runabout lost its communications array and navigational sensors, along with warp capabilities. Melina and the runabout had been lost in space for some time now...only the Prophets know for how long...it has to be at least a year...having lost contact with DS9 and the others...Until, now, at last, Melina and her runabout had made their way into the Vega System...but, now...things have gone wrong...terribly wrong...

------------

Suddenly, a cold sensation went through Melina's body and Melina's vision came back to her, all at once. It was all so sudden and she was shocked by the sight of the ruined vessel. Moreso, she was amazed to still be alive after that horrid crash. Her vision was still a bit blurry, however.

She looked around, to get her bearings. She was on the USS Rio Grande...

Suddenly, in her mind...

"Anara!"

Melina turned to her right, to check on her Co-Pilot. She could only see the outline of the woman, as the bright flames in the cockpit hindered her already blurry vision.

"Anara?" Melina muttered, her voice raspy and shaky. "Are you there? Anara?" Melina outstretched her good hand and shook the dead Bajoran's shoulder. "Are you okay, Anara?" Melina asked, softly, continuing to shake her friend, gently.

[Founder]

-DSG, OPS-

The turbolift doors opened and an old man, about 5'9, stepped off. He looked around at the large room in awe and wonder. Jones lifted his head and eyed the man carefully. It wasn't eveyday that a civilian entered OPS. Jones was going to complain to Robitaille about getting security measures to ensure that no non-Starfleet personell can enter OPS.

"Can I help you sir?" Jones asked.

The man looked over at him in surprise and mild embarrassment. He had been looking over the shoulder of a young ensign, studying the instruments. Jones stood up and spoke louder, over the beeps and hums of the console and chatter of the crewman.

"Sir?" He called out, "Can I help you?"

The older man smiled and walked over to him.

"Yes," He said, "I think you can. I'm here to meet captain Xavier."

Jones thought about it for a moment and then nodded his head.

"The archeologist," He said, "Of course. Follow me..."

-DSG, Captain's Office-

Ian was reading a PADD that contained the complete biography of Cornelius Bach. One of the most famous archeologist in the history of the Federation. The captain was wary of any visitors. The last time they took a seemingly innocent civilian visitor, they were forced to relive a battle as Maquis. Maquis, destined to die. Ian tried to find anything that made the man hated and bitter, but didn't find much. He had two sons, one daughter, and six wives. The man went through more wives than a Vorta goes through a cloning facility. His daughter was still alive, but he had lost both his sons. One served onboard the USS Enterprise-E and had been assimilated by the Borg. The other son was killed by the Orion Syndicate when he had gone undercover to expose a powerful crime boss. He was discovered and...suffice it to say...his body was never found. Despite all of that, Bach had not suffered any mental break downs. He was known for being rash and blunt. Always in a seemingly happy mood and acted like a know it all. He had visited one counsler who said that he was completely fine and had come to terms with the loss. Ian moved the story forward to see his accomplishments. The man had discovered dozens of artifacts, ruins, and even species(animal and plant life) that were never found before. All of it, he donates to Federation museums. He had gone to the Gamma quadrant before the Dominion war, but was unable to continue his exploits there due to the growing Dominion threat. Now, he was here to explore Elerra Prime. Ian's reading was interrupted by a chime at his door.

"Enter." He called out.

The doors swooshed open and Jones led a friendly face into the room.

"Captain Xavier meet Dr. Cornelius Bach," He said and then looked at the man, "Doctor, this is captain Xavier."

Jones curtly nodded his head and turned to leave. Bach grabbed his arm, but not in a threatening manner.

"Your aritificial eye piece is fascinating!" He said, "You know the Mola tribe on Equa prime thought that red eye meant divinity? Your giant red eye piece would probably make you a god among them!"

The cyborg gave an inward sigh, tired of playing baby sitter.

"Intriguing..." He muttered.

He rushed out of the room, leaving the two men alone. Ian rose from his seat and motioned for Bach to take one in front of the desk. The man ignored the invitation and began to look around the room. He stopped in front of the station showcase. His pudgy finger pointed to the golden DS9 station.

"I noticed so many of you captains have these fancy show cases," He commented, "On Juroh II, in the Ugy Dynasty, every king had a statue of all the towers every king ruled in. You high up people, love to have your fancy toys eh?"

Ian slowly sat down in his seat and laced his fingers together.

"I guess so..." He said, "Welcome to Deep Space Guardian doctor Bach."

Bach looked back at him and gave a wide smile.



Ian couldn't help but feel surprised. This man was so jovial for someone who had lost two sons. Then again, that was years ago. He grieved and it was over with. The man finally took a seat and spoke, in a rather thick German accent.

"Thank you and please call me Cornelius," He said, "I'm still a young man!"

Xavier smiled and chuckled at the comment.

"Of course," He said, "I have to know. What brings you to Elerra Prime?"

Bach had a big slung over one shoulder. He opened it and pulled out a strange artifact. It gave off these wisps of bluish white smoke. He held it out for Ian to see. Ian reached for it, but he pulled it back.

"No touching captain," He said with a smile, "The golden rule of all museums."

Ian rose one eyebrow.

"I wasn't aware you were a museum," He joked, "What is it?"

Bach closed his hand around it.

"I found it on Vulcan," He said, "I found other ones wtih different colors of smoke on other worlds in the Alpha quadrant. None of my collegues seem to know what it is, but I do. All of them are keys to something...it activates it."

Ian folded his arms.

"How can you be so sure?" He asked.

Bach gently placed the device back into his bag.

"Several other worlds have used orbs as keys," He said, "And I asked around and discovered that all of them are connected. Various sources pointed out that my trail ends in Elerra Prime. Apparently the stories have it that very powerful species, their homeworld unknown, came to the Alpha quadrant. They first came to Elerra Prime and due to some war, lost half of their population before finally conquering the planet. Apparently, the had battled gods..."

Ian gave a look of disbeliefe at the story and interrupted.

"I thought you were a scientist, Cornelius," He said, "You put stock in fables and mythology?"

Bach's normally happy face looked very serious.

"All stories have roots in reality captain," He said and then continued, "These..."gods" used the power of illusion. They lost their homeworld and fled into the depths of the underworld. The aliens took the planet and after two millenia created the most perfect of all devices. A device that allows one to control their own destiny!"

Ian's smile quickly faded and he felt sick. The story was rooted in reality. The "gods" sounded a lot like the Zalbogians who lost their world a long time ago. The depths of the underworld was obviously their subterranean temples. He hoped that whatever Bach was seraching for, it wasn't there. Speaking of them, the Titan never seemed to act out on the deal. Before Ian left for Akamia, the Titan said it was time to fight Fito. There was no news of Fito's death on the holonet, but then again the Empire wouldn't publibly distribute that news. Back leaned forward from his seat.

"Are you ok captain?" He asked, "You look pale."

Xavier's eyes shot up to Bach and he pulled out of his thoughts.

"Your story is most interesting," He said, "Do you know...where you are going to start?"

Bach looked confused and nodded.

"Yes," He said, "What you all have coined the "western continent."

Ian sighed in relief. The Zalbogians were on the eastern one.

"Good," He said, "I wish we could talk more, but I am late for a lunch date. I will join you on the planet in a few hours."

Bach nodded and rose from his seat.

"Excellant," He said, "I'll see you then."

Ian led Bach out and both walked out onto OPS. Bach made his way to a turbolift and called for the shuttlebay. Ian looked over at Jones.

"You have OPS Jones." He called out.

He walked into a turbolift and called for the Promenade.

-DSG, Promenade-

Ian saw Archer and Ziona talking near the replimat. He felt a twinge of jealousy, which hit him in surprise. The captain couldn't be feeling that with his crewman. Especially since one is his best friend. They were obviously making their way towards teh holodeck, both in civilian clothing. Ian was still in his uniform, due to being on duty and would be after the lunch. He caught up to them after having to move through a huge crowd.

"Hey guys." He said.

[Ziona]

DSG, Promenade

Ziona turned as she heard Ian's voice and she became lost in her thoughts after a moment. She watched as Ian proceeded towards them, still in his uniform. Subconciously she suddenly let go of Archer's arm and clasped her hands in front of her.

A voice deep in the back of her mind reprimanded her for her actions towards Archer. Another voice in her mind told her it was just a friendly gesture. Either way, she felt crimson rising to her cheeks and she turned her eyes elsewhere, trying to hide her blushing.

"Hello, Captain." She nodded to Ian as he approached, hesitantly making eye contact with him for a moment.

[Founder]

-DSG, Promenade-

Ian looked over at Ziona, who looked beautiful in the civilian clothing. Starfleet uniforms did not do justice to women.

"You are off duty," He said, "Call me Ian, Z.

[Ziona]

DSG, Promenade

Ziona smiled over to Ian and nodded.

"Ok... Ian." She pushed a piece of hair behind her ear and wrapped her fingers in a necklace she was wearing. She didn't conciously realize it but she took a few steps towards Ian and now stood within a foot of him.

[Founder]

-DSG, Promenade-

Ian hugged Ziona, not really caring what people thought.

"Where will we be eating?" He asked.

[Lord Borg]

~DSG, Promenade~

Archer nodded to Ian and moved sligtly so Ian could get between them or more rather, closer to Ziona. Archer knew what was going on, or starting to go on, the man had known Ian for ages, he could read Ian like a book...most times. In his mind, he was kind of sad, knowing that several short years ago, there would have been a fourth person in the group. He wondered if he would ever allow him self to feel love again. There were many lonely nights.

"Where will we be eating?" Ian's voice broke his train of though. Archer looked up staring blankly for a moment. "Oh uh.... I have a program... 19th century italy...."

[Ziona]

DSG, Promenade

Ziona was taken aback by Ian's outright emotion towards her but she hugged him back, her lips brushing his cheek lightly as she did so. She locked eyes with him for a moment before turning them back on Archer. She suddenly felt embarassed.

Her hands dropped in front of her and she clasped them quickly and dropped her eyes to the ground, crimson rising to her cheeks for the second time that day.

She suddenly became aware of the silence pushing into her mind again and she shifted uneasily.

[Lord Borg]

~DSG, Promenade~

Archer turned his head strait when Ziona seemed to stare at Ian. He suddenly felt uneasy and perhaps even a third wheel. He saw the doors to the holosuite he had rented. His mind went over some things to distract him self from the situation. The last several years have been lonely for him, but he had so much as a captain to do, and his honor towards Kianna kept him bound to her. "Um... I thought that it would be interesting...quiet...." Archer suddenly began to wonder if he should find a reason to excuse himself...

[Ziona]

DSG, Promenade

Ziona smiled quickly, this time at Archer.

"It'll give us time to catch up and just relax." She kept her eyes on Archer. "We all need some down time, especially you two."

[Lord Borg]

~DSG, Promenade~

Archer smiled back. It seemed to make him feel better. He looked foward to downtime actually, he at the moment, needed it....

[Ziona]

DSG, Promenade

Ziona smiled at Archer, then at Ian. She suddenly felt about fifty times more at ease. The silence was beginning to fall away and she suddenly felt comfortable with the two men.

"I'm starving actually. I haven't ate in quite a while."

[Lord Borg]

~DSG, Outside the Holosuite~

"Well then.." Archer started. "Your in for a treat....prepare your selves...." The doors opend, inside was a simple room, but with elegant decoation. A white tablecothed table was in the center with three chars at the table. "Welcome to Italy...19th century..."