The Instigator, Pt. 1-4! : "A Glass of Water"

[Frosty]

Okay, this is my first time writing a fanfic, and probably my fourth post, but we�ll look beyond that (and hopefully you�ll look beyond this).

In this odd story of mine we have the USS Instigator. She is a moderately sized vessel with a crew of about 700 and her main function is that of diplomacy and cultural exploration. Few hold the Instigator in high regard, for they think its mission is irrelevant, but Humans have this tendency to like information and they�re usually pretty darn good at getting it. (By the way, I like making up random species, so just pretend they exist)
My main characters :
Ashleigh Emerson, Captain
Sara Grolsch, First Officer
Nido Ha, Chief Engineer
Kate Prescott, Engineer
Rob Simon, Head of Security, Helmsman
David Love, Head Doctor
Alexa Nir, Federation Representative (Negotiator & Expert in Alien Politics), Counselor







THE INSTIGATOR


Episode One � A Glass of Water (Part One)




Captain Ashleigh Emerson felt like he was in the middle of a vast river being swarmed by piranhas. In actuality, the constant flow was that of children streaming through his immaculate vessel. He considered them to be more dangerous than most flesh-eating animals. He frowned in disapproval as they ran by him happily, pressing random buttons and trying to access the computer. They of course could not; the necessary precautions had been made.
The Captain�s first officer, Sara Grolsch, was smirking in vague amusement at her superior�s disgust. A somewhat less technologically advanced species known as the Njd had recently become very friendly with the Federation. Emerson certainly liked them as well, but he was certainly not enjoying their spawn�s little �field trip�.
Sara�s amusement disappeared in a flash when her captain looked down at her. She was petite woman with dark hair hugging her face and accentuating her smile. Her features seemed much more narrow and simply� incorrect when she was not her normal jovial self.
�Oh come on Ashleigh,� she teased, �these children are surely learning a lot from this experience,�
His frown was eternal, �Perhaps, but at the expense of my crew,�
She laughed, �You�re the only one not enjoying their company. Human kids are brats compared to Njd�sh ones; they�re so polite and reasonable. If not a little curious,�
�Too curious for my taste. No one�s getting any work done,�
Sara rolled her eyes, her captain was quite stubborn, �We�re in low orbit and nothing is in need of repair,�
The Captain said nothing, but he seemed to stiffen in resolution. He was most likely going to stand on the bridge all day, scrutinizing sticky-fingered children.
Sara waved her hand in exasperation and dismissal, �Well, you have fun, I�m going to go and do some work like you advised. Maybe there�s a teddy bear lost in the warp core,� she said sarcastically, walking in the direction of the turbolift.

**

Nido smiled as the children surrounded him and asked him questions about the warp core. Some were still staring in awe, their noses crinkled up as they frowned in some sort of contemplation. In must have been a Njd thing to be so critical. Every second they would ask him how it works, why it was glowing, why it was glowing that colour and of course why it was so large. He answered all of them as quickly as if he had just aced his exam back at the academy.
He lifted a boy onto his shoulders as he pointed wildly at a control panel off in the distance, far up the warp core �What�s that for? It must be hard to reach,�
Now it was Nido�s term to squint in scrutiny. He could barely see what the boy was pointing at. One of the teachers of the many local schools that were aboard took a step towards him.
�Njd�s have much better eyesight than humans,� she said. Nido has considered this as soon as she had turned to look at him. Not only had her pupils changed in size, but also in shape. He only figured out what was being pointed at because he knew Engineering like the back of his hand. The panel was a much more manual way of shutting down the warp core and it was indeed meant to be hard to reach. Of course, he couldn�t tell the child.
�That�s top secret classified information, sir,� Nido said, spreading his hands apart in a gesture of helplessness, and still looking upward at the boy clutching at his head, �I�m not authorized to tell anyone that isn�t a member of the crew and an engineer,�
�My name is Askiidh,� he said as a polite afterthought. He then began drumming on the engineer�s head with his fingers in cogitation. His nose crinkled up again, �Then I�ll become an engineer, like you,�
Nido chuckled and removed Askiidh from his shoulders and put him down gently.
�You might need to go through a bit of training back at the Starfleet Academy first,�
He frowned and scampered off to an engineering console, �I can learn everything right here,� he said resolutely.
Nido grinned at the knowledge-hungry child and nodded in acknowledgement, �Take your time,�
The teacher began leading the rest of the children around the vast room as soon as they lost interest in the warp core. Nido, not having any work that called itself to his immediate attention, sat at a computer console next to Askiidh and watched him for a moment as he scanned the data with surprising speed. A schematic of the impulse engines were being closely examined. He was so absorbed in his research that Nido found his presence completely ignored. Oh well. He looked at his own screen and brought up a map of the ship. He watched the many little dots representing the many little Njd�s running around in various areas.
�That�s a lot of kids,� Kate stated laconically as she walked up behind him. He swiveled in his chair to meet her gaze. She laughed as soon as he did so.
�What?� he said, puzzled. She reached out and smoothed his short black hair for him; Askiidh had been bunching and tangling it up into an amusing work of art. Slightly embarrassed, he then continued to flatten it as meticulously as all the other tasks he performed on board the Instigator.
�They�re all so cute,� she said, looking at the mass of children exploring a new area of Engineering.
The main doors suddenly slid open and Sara strolled through looking pleased with herself.
�The captain doesn�t seem to think so, he�d much rather we busy ourselves instead of educate these children,�
Nido smirked, �They seem to have no hesitation delving into our databases for information, I don�t think they need us,�
Sara nodded slowly, considering this, �True,�
�What should we do now?� Kate asked. Her boredom was obvious.
�Computer, what is the time?� Sara asked politely.
�Approximately fourteen hundred hours,� the voice intoned. Whenever she asked it what time it was, it would always respond with an approximate unless she specified otherwise.
�They�ll be leaving in two hours,� she stated, �I think we need some coffee,�

**

A small girl roughly eight years of age was sitting on top of one of the many beds in Sick Bay, her legs kicking randomly over the side as she hummed a tune that was most likely mathematically determined to be the most annoying in the universe. She was the only child there and David was beginning to become irritated, but he refused to show it.
He was currently milling around, picking up small petri dishes of clear fluid and examining them under a very large microscope. He hadn�t looked at the girl once, but he knew she was staring at him with a ridiculous look on her face. Neither of them had said anything.
�What�s your name?� she asked abruptly.
He turned around slowly, �David Love,�
�What�s your job?�
�I�m the doctor,�
�What does the captain call you?�
�Doctor Love,�
She snickered, �I�m glad my last name isn�t that stupid. My name is Fryjn,�
David turned back to his microscope, �Perhaps you should buy a vowel,�
Fryjn looked up from her socks, �What?�
�Nevermind,�
There was a long silence. The term �silence� is only used to describe the absence of speech here, for the girl was currently playing a game that involved jutting her lip out like a large ape, blowing as hard as she could until her hair flew up and she was blue in the face.
�What are you working on?�
�I�m trying to find a way to carry data efficiently in liquids,�
David had researched the Njd earlier that day and had discovered that they clicked their tongue and sprayed a minimal amount of saliva when interested. Due to the current state of his now unsanitary bed, she must have been enthralled.
�That�s sooo plum,� she said, nodding in approval.
He looked up, �What?�
�Nevermind,�
David�s badge beeped and Sara�s voice ensued, �Come and drink some coffee with us doctor, these kids are crazy,�
�Gladly,� he responded. He quickly picked up his experiment and stored it safely. Fryjn�s eyes followed him everywhere.
�What�s coffee?� she asked.
He paused as he was about to leave Sick Bay, �Um, a liquid that stores data extremely efficiently,�
�Sounds plum. Can I come too? I want some. You�re not just going to leave me all alone in here are you� she inquired, �with all this equipment?� she added on tactfully.
David sighed, �I guess that wouldn�t be a good idea. Computer, erect a level ten force field around Fr-
She jumped off the bed and attached herself to his leg, �Please let me come!�
He sighed again, �Fine,�

**

[PicardsTrueLove]

Great start! I'm looking forward to reading more!

[Voy_Girl]

Yeah, great!

[Frosty]

*pretends that people like story* ...yay! I'll post the second part here... because that seems to be what other people do

[Voy_Girl]

Yes, this thread is a good place to post the continuing chapter in...

[Thomas]

Wow! Neat story and great writing.

[Frosty]

Part 2!


**

Sara brought over a tray with four cups of coffee from the replicator and carefully placed it on the glass table. She slumped into a chair gratefully next to Nido and Kate. They all simultaneously took a cup into their hands and inhaled the aroma. It had been a long day. In fact, the day wasn�t even close to being over, which led them all to believe that it was going to be a hideously long day.
�Thank god for caffeine,� Nido said as he took a sip, �These children are very inquisitive, but they�ve been leading me around everywhere like a dog on a leash. I wonder how the captain is keeping his sanity?�
Sara chuckled, �He�s probably hiding in his ready room pretending to be busy,�
The doctor, and Fryjn, then chose this moment to walk into Sara�s quarters. He sat down at the chair left for him and immediately drank about half the coffee. He temporarily forgot the annoying little Njd girl existed. That lasted about a second.
�Hey Fryjn!� Nido said, smiling broadly, �Pull up a chair,�
She did so. David sighed and went to the replicator; he didn�t want her having any caffeine. He brought her back some hot cocoa instead.
He sat down again, �How did you come to meet this lovely young lady, Nido?�
�She was in Engineering earlier. She�s very talkative, almost as bad as Askiihd,�
Fryjn stirred the cocoa with her fingers, �Oh, he�s my brother, he�s crazy. He�s always wanted to be an engineer. He�s probably still staring at the warp core,�
Nido handed her a spoon to use in place of her digits, �Last time I saw him he was accessing just about every file in the Instigator�s database,�
She nodded and drank half the liquid in one gulp, �Sounds like him. This coffee stuff is really good,�
The entrance to Sara�s quarters suddenly beeped to signify a visitor.
�Enter,� she replied.
One of the Njd teachers entered with a scowl on her face. She looked at the table. Fryjn, apparently psychic as well, had slid under it in preparation.
�I know you�re under there,� the woman said, �it�s transparent,�
Fryjn slowly and arduously removed herself from underneath the table and the crewmen�s legs. She stood up and stared at her shoes with a sheepish look on her face.
�You�re supposed to be in the Sickbay with the rest of the group,� she scolded. David sighed and stood next to Fryjn.
�It�s entirely my fault she�s here,� he confessed, �I�ll escort both of you back. I should probably be there anyway, I am the doctor,�
The teacher concurred, but was still looking disapprovingly at the child. She was probably practicing her stern look behind the doorway in secret.
Sara smiled, �Bye Fryjn. Have fun Dave,�

**

After about ever cubic centimetre of the ship had been trod on (including the ceilings) by tiny feet the Njd were just about gone. Only three remained. Two Njd�sh students were currently standing on the Bridge with a teacher to their back and the senior crew of the Instigator facing them. They were both holding things behind their backs. The teacher prodded one of them gently. He stepped forward to the captain.
�On behalf of the Hersi Province Board of Education of the planet Njd Prime,� he recited, �we would like to thank you by presenting you and your crew, but mostly you, with this,�
He pulled out a sculpture of the Instigator made of a beautiful blue-gray clay about a foot long and placed it gently in the captain�s open hands.
The other student stepped forward, �And this,� she said, bringing a sculpture of a building up to the second in command, �it�s our school,� she explained.
The captain�s aloof demeanor was temporarily misplaced as he smiled warmly and replied, �Thank you, these are lovely gifts and the crew and I certainly hope you have learned a lot from us,�
The Njds bowed deeply and were escorted to the transporter room by an ensign. The children twisted their bodies around to wave to Nido. He followed suit and waved back, but slightly less frantically. The crew collectively sighed in the aftermath. It had been a long day and they were eager to get back to their work. The promise of this somehow relaxed them.
The captain turned the sculpture over and over in his hands carefully while he examined it. It was masterfully crafted. He was surprised that a child had made it. Alexa took it from his hands and glanced at it.
�It�s not very accurate,� she stated.
�What do you expect?� Sara said with a little more contempt than she meant to convey, �It was made by a child but it is certainly an amazing job. A lot of effort was put into it,�
�Apparently,� she replied. She glanced at the doctor, �Let�s go see how much damage the little terrors have done in Sickbay,� he nodded and headed off with her.
The captain motioned for Sara to follow him into his ready room so he could put the sculptures down, and as an afterthought mentioned, �Mr. Ha, Mr. Simon, get back to work,�
Nido saluted stiffly and smiled, �It�d be a pleasure,�

**

It was late. At about eleven o�clock Nido�s brain refused to function at its full capacity but he had never taken the time to notice that. He was a bit of a workaholic.
The steady traveling blue lights emanating from the warp core cast a vague glare against the console he was working at. He had been sitting upright an hour ago. Then his position had degenerated slightly and now his chin was in his hand and his entire body appeared to droop in fatigue. His eyes of course were nearly falling to a close. The eerie light was temporarily blocked as Kate walked up behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder.
�Are you awake Nido?� she questioned. He mumbled in response. She put him to the test. She grabbed his cheeks and stretched them apart a few times, making odd squelchy noises. He normally would have swatted her hand away. He instead settled on glaring at her evilly through the back of his head.
�Time to go to bed,� she stated, prodding him in an attempt to irritate him, �What are you even working on?�
Nido then tried to block the screen subtly, but failed.
�Oh come on, you�re just running routine scans. At eleven o�clock. When you should be riding the snoozy train to la-la land,�
He turned around slowly, �Never ever talk like that again,�
Kate grinned, �Want me to read you a bed time story? Tuck you in? Give you a widdle goodnight kiss?�
Nido stood up, �Alright alright! I�m going to sleep, I�ll see you tomorrow,�
She smiled with satisfaction and returned to her work.

�Computer, lights out,� Nido said simply. The computer of course complied but there was still something on in his room. A small computer screen on his desk was glowing faintly. He walked up to it. There was a bedtime story, Jack and the Beanstalk. He assumed Kate had sent it to him as a joke, thought nothing of it, and promptly fell asleep.


**


Don't worry kids, the plot is developing! (I write these like episodes of star trek, so it should be apparent very soon, and of course, more detailed and longer little **star enclosed** chapter things. Tune in next time

[PicardsTrueLove]

Love it so far: you're doing great. Every story needs a bit of character intro.

[Thomas]

Oh yes! I like it.

[Voy_Girl]

Neat!

[Frosty]

David didn�t know that he approved of the Counseling section branching off of Sick Bay. He believed in the quite tangible medical disorders, and even neurological ones, but he didn�t view mental disorders as being real diseases at all. Alexa of course had a degree in neurology, but other than that she didn�t diagnose terrible mental disorders. Most Federation starships didn�t recruit people with several screws loose.
There was nothing he could do to prevent Alexa from working near him, but he certainly didn�t need her breathing down his neck all the time. She seemed to be quite fond of doing that, almost literally. For example, if he were to be craning over a microscope examining something, she would slowly creep up behind him and peer over his shoulder. Sometimes he would realize she was there and simply ignore her, other times her unexpected presence would startle him and he would jump out of his skin. One day when David was particularly jumpy, not having had enough sleep, he sent delicate bacterial culture flying to the ground when Alexa had sneezed approximately a foot from his head. He was beginning to get the impression she had too much time on her hands.
�What?�
�I said,� David replied to his patient slightly louder than before, �you have an ear infection,�
The ensign nodded slowly. David assumed that he probably hadn�t heard what he said. Instead of explaining, he simply administered some antibiotics via hypospray. His patient rubbed his neck and glared at the doctor.
�It�ll clear up soon, you�re relieved of duty until it does. I wouldn�t want a warp core breach to occur simply because you couldn�t hear the head engineer�s instructions,�
�That is highly unlikely,� Alexa interjected.
He gave her a look which he doubted she would be able to decipher, �Thank you for your opinion,� he replied in exasperation.
She cocked an eyebrow, �You are being sarcastic,�
The ensign, still sitting on the bed, looked at the ground.
�Me?� he feigned shock, �No, of course not,�
Alexa�s eyes narrowed, �You�re doing it again,�
David sighed and dismissed his patient. He left gratefully. The doctor returned to his beloved microscope.
�Now you�re walking away from me,� she stated.
He turned around quickly, �Yes, I am, do you know why?�
She blinked.
�No, don�t answer that, I can tell you. In fact, no prognosis, no diagnosis, no antibiotics. I don�t think that would get rid of it,�
�Get rid of what?� she asked heatedly.
�You�re annoying!,� he threw his hands in the air, �Really, really annoying! You constantly observe everything I do, you lounge around in Sick Bay and you examine my experiments. Don�t you have any hobbies you could be engaging yourself in, like the holodeck tennis programs that you seem to have so many of? If not, I think you need more people to counsel, and I don�t think you should be surprised when I check myself in for temporary insanity!,� he soon regained his composure. He contemplated apologizing but simply went back to scrutinizing his experiment.
Alexa was a little taken aback. She stood silently for a few moments and brushed her long black hair behind her ears. It was one of her nervous mannerisms.
�Aren�t you going to ask me why I�m so� annoying?� she said meekly.
David looked up, �Apparently I am. So Alexa, why are you being so annoying?�
�Well I�m not going to tell you,�
He rolled his eyes.
�Yet,� she continued, �but I will, at dinner tonight,�
He failed to conceal his confusion.
She smiled, �Seven o�clock, my quarters. I�ll see you there,� she walked towards the exit, �If you�ll excuse me, the Wimbledon Open calls.

**

Nido was walking down a corridor innocently, heading towards Engineering. This does not imply that he would walk down the hall maliciously if he were in a bad mood or some such thing, but it is merely mentioned to convey that he is going to be accosted by the doctor.
�Hello Nido,� David said, appearing out of what was most likely nowhere, �Where are you headed?�
��Engineering?�
He contemplated this idea, �That will have to do,� they continued walking.
�Do you want to speak with me about something?� Nido ventured.
�Yes, I do. Mostly Al-� he paused, �what the heck is that?�
Nido smiled sheepishly and held some sort of plush toy aloft. It was a six legged lizard-like creature.
�My theory is that Kate gave it to me. I found it in the mess hall at the table where I usually sit,�
�Why on earth would she give you something so hideous?�
�I think it�s some kind of a joke. I haven�t been getting a lot of sleep lately. She transferred a bedtime story to my quarters and this is some sort of a� teddy bear,�
David chuckled, �If I were a kid I think that thing would do the exact opposite of comforting me,�
The door to Engineering slid open as they passed through it. Nido check the room briefly for Kate and when he was unsuccessful he and David leaned on the rail around the warp core to chat.
�So what is it exactly you wanted to talk about?,�
�Well,� David said, a perplexed demeanor replaced his normal casual one, �It�s Alexa,�
Nido made a hand gesture to convey that David should go on.
�She�s been lurking around Sick Bay a lot; watching me. And I recently told her she was driving me crazy, and then she invited me to dine with her tonight,�
Had Nido been drinking some sort of a cocktail, he would have sprayed it out of his mouth in shock.
�Alexa? Invited you to dinner?�
David nodded.
�But she�s so��
�Reserved?� David finished for him.
�Sure. And, well, she�s very attractive,�
�Are you implying that I don�t deserve her?�
Nido scoffed, �I don�t think anyone does. Are you sure this isn�t just some game she�s playing?�
David recalled their conversation earlier. He distinctly remembered when she was offended, and then as she left, slightly coy. Normally she was very frosty and unwilling to express her emotions. He carefully filed her break of character under unusual behavior in his mind.
�I think she was sincere,�
Nido shrugged; dismissing the topic but still not able to believe it, �Well, my advice is go to her little dinner date and have fun. I need to find Kate,�
David waved a goodbye and Nido left him to his own devices. He frowned and looked around him again. Normally he would not ask the computer to locate someone unless it was an emergency. It was unethical. But he was also impatient.
�Computer, locate Kate Prescott,�
Two voices chimed in to respond, the computers and Kate�s own, �Katherine Prescott is in Engineering,�
Nido looked up at the source of the voice and saw her leaning over the rail of the catwalk directly above him. She grinned and made her way to the lift. After a few moments she was beside him.
�What were you doing up there?�
�Listening to your conversation,� she confessed.
He narrowed his eyes in disapproval, �I disapprove,�
�You would,� she said, making him feel like a stuffy old man, �So, about Counselor Nir, she seems to be a bit out our good doctor�s league,�
�And what makes you say that?� he asked, despite the fact that he was trying to prove the same point only moments ago.
�Well, he�s young and foolish and she�s� less young. He�s also very silly and fond of telling bad jokes, and I can just picture her response to that,� she impersonated Alexa with her infamous critical raised eyebrow look.
Nido laughed, �Well, we�ll just have to wait and see what Alexa�s motives are,� he paused momentarily, �On a completely unrelated topic, why on earth did you give this to me?� he displayed the unpleasant plaything again.
Kate looked at it in confusion, �I didn�t give it to you. It sure is ugly though,�
He frowned and looked at it, �Did you transmit that bedtime story to me last night?�
�No, I don�t know what you�re talking about,�
That was certainly odd. Perhaps someone had simply misplaced it. There were some seven hundred people on board the Instigator, and their was most likely no more than ten children.
�I should go and find out who this belongs to, I�ll see you later,� he said as he left, leaving a somewhat confused Kate behind him.

**

Nido sat down at the desk in his quarters and tapped the monitor on it to life. He was curious about who this strange stuffed animal belonged to. Normally he would have simply returned it, but he was curious if it had any likeness to any existing animal. If so, he had certainly never seen such a thing. His interest now aroused, he began looking for such a creature. He found many lizards, some of which were even six-legged (which was no surprise considering the size of Federation databases), but none fit the exact description of the toy. He elbowed it where it lay and its googly eyes spun randomly at him. He soon found exactly what he was looking for. It was called a Heti ice dragon. The picture stared at him in characteristic reptilian evilness and was startlingly similar to the toy, save the eyes.
He looked up its planet of origin and upon seeing it commanded, �Computer, how long ago was a Heti ice dragon toy replicated, and where?�
�Seven hours and four minutes ago, the mess hall,� the computer intoned.
Nido made an assumption, �And how many minutes after that was the file �Jack and the Beanstalk� accessed in my quarters?�
�Twelve,�
He headed off to Captain Emerson to report a stowaway.

**




moooo.........

[PicardsTrueLove]

I like! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! he he write more quick!

[Frosty]

Thank you PicardsTrueLove! I'm writing like a demon, much faster than I normally do so that is good.

[Frosty]

Oh, and thank you Voy_Girl and Chocho_11! I've already read one of your stories Voy_Girl (but I search for more) but nothing of yours Choco_11 *searches*

[Thomas]

Why thank you. Great addition!

One thing I was a little confused about.... at the top you say there is a crew of 70, and in the last chapter you said 700? Typo?

[Frosty]

Whoops, heh, that is supposed to say 700. Thanks chocho_11

[Thomas]

No problem.... I guess I noticed because I had it in my head they were REALLY small.

[Frosty]

Trust me, pointing out my mistakes is good I try to proofread my own work, but whenever I do I miss terrible mistakes. Temporary blindess I suppose

[Voy_Girl]

[Frosty]

I keep forgetting that you can have only one stickied story. I suppose it would be bad if you had like, say, twenty. A bit crowded, no?

Anyway, the next part should be up soon

[Voy_Girl]

[Frosty]

�Enter,� Alexa said pleasantly. David did so, smiling nervously as he saw her seated at a small dining table. There were candles, lit. They were almost the only source of illumination in the room. Romantics would have called it ambiance, David called it dark.
Alexa was looking very attractive; she had done something to her hair, although he could not tell what. He hoped she didn�t quiz him on it. He sat and looked at the meal in front of him. It was some sort of bird. It smelled strongly of curry.
They looked at each other for a few moments. Alexa sighed.
�Computer,� she commanded, �return lights to default setting,� the computer complied, �Doctor,� she continued, �want to go play some tennis?�
He stood up gratefully, �Yes, yes I do,�

**

The captain was sitting in his ready room, perusing reports on warp core stability. He was intensely bored. Although he would never admit it, he enjoyed the company of the Njd children. When none of his officers were looking, he was telling a group of them about the trials and tribulations of the academy and a fellow student who seemed bent on getting him into trouble whenever he could. He told them about his kind professors and his slightly more old and cantankerous ones and the pranks that he and his friends played on them. He had had good friends, now he had much less. He could only assume that being in a position of authority also meant he would have to lead a much more solitary life.
The captain�s door beeped at him and gave permission to enter. It was Nido and the only thing he brought with him was a perplexed expression and a hideous toy. He placed it on Ashleigh�s desk.
�Sir,� Nido said, wasting no time, �there is a stowaway on board. A Njd child,�
He raised an eyebrow, �I doubt that very sincerely,�
�Trust me,�
�Computer, run a detailed scan of the ship for any Njd�sh people,�
They both stared at the animal while the computer searched. The captain had already made the assumption that Nido had made the assumption that it belonged to the child.
�There are no Njd�sh people onboard the Instigator,� the computer replied.
Ashleigh looked at Nido pointedly.
�It�s true captain,� he insisted.
�I doubt very much that there is a child running around on our ship with some sort of cloaking device. What makes you believe that there is?�
�I� I�m sorry captain,� Nido replied, disheartened. He left the room immediately and contemplated as he wandered into the turbolift. Now that he reviewed his thoughts it didn�t really make sense that there was a stowaway. Although the toy was unexplained, and he certainly had no idea how that story had been opened in his room, it did not justify his conclusion. He was left with smaller mysteries, but now he didn�t even care about them. He asked the computer what the time was and he soon found out it was fairly late. He redirected the turbolift to his quarters instead of Engineering; he had worked hard today. That was probably why he was so tired.
He strolled through the door to his quarters.
�Dragon well tea, hot,� he told the replicator. He took the hot cup in his hand and picked up the book he was reading from the table. He sat down heavily on his bed and tried to locate his bookmark. Something suddenly poked him in the back and he jumped off of his bed, spilling tea everywhere. Despite the mild burns he most likely had on his legs, he only swore in two languages. He whipped around to see what was in his bed and he saw a child. A Njd�sh one. To be even more specific, Askiidh, Fryjn�s brother.
�Can I have a glass of water?� he asked politely. Nido put down his cup and book. He was shocked but also somewhat pleased that his theory had been true.
�Why are you in my bed?� he asked.
Askiidh pulled the covers around him tighter, �Trying to sleep obviously. Now if you�d find some other place to go�� he waved him away.
Nido frowned and tapped his communicator, �Security, would you please come to my quarters and apprehend a Njd�sh stowaway, he�s becoming annoying,�
Askiidh�s mouth fell open in shock, �You can�t just do that! I thought we were friends!� he paused, �And why do you need your security team to get rid of me? Shouldn�t you be dealing with me personally? Aren�t you interested in how I�ve been hiding from your scans?�
He�s a persuasive little kid, Nido thought, �I�ll accompany you to your interrogation,�
Askiidh gulped.

**

The captain, his first officer, the doctor, the counselor, Nido and Askiidh met in the conference room for his interrogation. It had been a while since the child had eaten anything, so a proper meal was fixed for him. There was no conversation between mouthfuls of chicken though; he wolfed down the meal in a record time. They all watched in fascination.
Askiidh belched, �That was very good, but I don�t see any dessert here��
Ashleigh glared at him in disapproval, �Perhaps you�ll get it after you answer our questions,�
�Perhaps?�
�Chocolate fudge banana split, right afterwards,�
�What�s chocolate?�
Sara shook her head, �You poor deprived child,� the captain�s glare swept over to her.
�Anyway,� he continued, �how did you stay on my ship without us detecting you?�
Askiidh held a scrap of chicken up to the light and examined it, �You were talking to someone about personal cloaking devices on the bridge, right?�
He nodded.
�That was my father. He�ll probably be pretty angry when he realizes that I stole his prototype,�
�That�s not the least of your worries,� Alexa stated, �Your parents are probably very worried about you. Your teachers are probably worried too, and your parents will blame them for losing you here. You�ve affected a lot of people by staying on the Instigator. Did you consider their feelings?�
David was always amazed how Alexa could be cold and meticulous in one moment, and then when she had to be counselor, thoughtful and gentle the next. Her voice was not scolding; she was merely trying to make the child think about his actions.
Askiidh looked guilty, �I didn�t think of that,�
�Obviously not,� the Ashleigh said, �but why did you choose to stay here in the first place?�
He stared at his plate, still contemplating, �I wanted to be an engineer, like Nido. Njd�sh starships are small and stupid. I like Federation ones,�
�Unfortunately, you can�t stay on it,�
He looked up, �You�ll be contacting Njd Prime, won�t you?�
�I�m afraid s-� the captain was suddenly interrupted by his communicator and Lieutenant Simon�s voice.
�We�re being hailed by the Njd,� he stated.
�Open a channel,�
A screen on the wall flashed into life and an angry Njd�sh person that Ashleigh did not recognize instantly began speaking quickly.
�I am R�grh, High Chancellor of Njd�sh Alien Affairs and you have abducted a Njd�sh citizen, human,� he accused.
�That�s ridiculous,� the captain replied, �We only recently found Askiidh on our ship. He took his father�s cloaking device and remained undetected for a day,�
�You should have scanned your vessel more thoroughly,�
�And maybe you should have done a better of job of keeping track of your citizens,�
The Njd�sh man continued to glare at the captain, �I will believe you for now, but I must know what condition the boy is in,�
Ashleigh didn�t know exactly what he meant by that but responded, �Ask him yourself,�
Askiidh came into view and held his plate aloft, �They gave me chicken,�
R�grh�s resentment seemed to be fading slightly, �I will take this up with the Council and see if the Instigator has committed any crimes. A shuttle will be coming to collect the child,�
And with that, the transmission ended. Askiidh grinned and shrugged.
�So about that chocolate�,�

**



Trust me, Askiidh's got one last trick up his sleeve to stay on the Instigator....

[Seven of Nine]

fantastic!

[Thomas]

Great!

Last trick.... goody.

[Frosty]

There's nothing more annoying than small alien children. I'd avoid them entirely if I were you