Stardate: 74557.23

Time: 2131 hours

Location: Gamma Quadrant

USS Heracles

Vausees sat in the Ready room, her focus on the image of Thý’ella as it was displayed on the holographic monitor that sat on her desk. Thoughts of the last thing that she had done on the bridge of the Heracles played over and over within Vausees mind as she sat there. Over and over she tried to piece together what had happened to cause the Prothypourgós to use Vausees kindness against her. 

A sigh left her lips as she leaned forward and laid her head on her arms; which were folded under her head. She closed her eyes as she lay there on her desk, continuing to try and piece the last week together.

The sound of her door opening and then closing caused her to open her eyes and glances at a woman wearing a yellow uniform that had walked in. A smile crept over her lips as she knew who it was.

“Debbie,” she said as she remained with her head down. “What did I do wrong to have Thý’ella betray us like she did?” Vausees asked Debrah as the woman moved around and behind her Captain and love.

Reaching down she rested her hands on Vausees back and began to rub the stiffness out. As she did she too tried to figure out what had caused a supposed friend to act as she had. When nothing came to mind she leaned down and kissed the only side of Vausees face that she could see and replied, “I wish I knew baby,” she said, “I wish I knew,” she repeated a second time as she squatted down and wrapped her arms around Vausees and the chair.

—

Cody sat in his quarters with his head propped up in his right hand. A pair of blue hands appeared on his chest coming from his shoulders. He looked up and smiled as his eyes came to rest on a smiling blue face, Zyvia. She leaned down and gently placed a kiss on his lips.

“Something troubling your mister?” Zyvia teased as she looked into his eyes.

Cody shook his head, “Not at this moment,” he stated as he returned the kiss.

“Then how about we go to bed and figure out whatever is not troubling you in the morning,” Zyvia said as she slowly stood up from the back of the couch and stepped over it as she moved around to stand in front of Cody.

He watched her movements and then reached up and took her hand to stand up when she offered it to him. The two then headed for a dim lit room of the smaller living room. As they entered Zyvia spun around and leapt up into his arms, her legs locking together at his lower back. Cody carried her to their shared bed and laid her down. His lips once more found her’s as he kissed her deeply. 

Breaking the kiss he looked into her eyes, “Zyvia,” he said softly.

Looking into his eyes she smiled as she placed a finger over his lips. “I know, I love you too,” she stated before dropping her hand away from his mouth and replacing it with her own.

—

Charles placed a hand against his lips as he kissed his fingers before placing them on the monitor that held a smiling woman. “I love you Karen,” he said before she returned the gesture back to him and the monitor turned to black and then to the Federation’s Seal.

He turned and slipped out of his uniform before entering into his rack. A series of clicks could be heard coming from the rack above him as Skirak spoke to him.

“Your wife is a beautiful woman,” the Xindi-insectoid said to Charles as he peaked over the edge of the rack. 

Charles smiled and nodded, “Thank you and that she is.”

“I wonder if I will ever meet someone like her.”

Charles looked into the insect eyes of his Assistant Chief Engineer, “I am sure there is someone out there saying the exact same thing, but about you.”

Skirak nodded his head and laid back in his rack, “I hope you’re right, Chief,” he said before falling to sleep.

Charles laid there smiling as he thought of Skirak and another embracing each other. In a soft whisper he said, “I know I am.”

—

Stardate: 74557.91

Time: 0400 hours

Location: Gamma Quadrant – Angelikós

USS Heracles

A soft chime echoed inside of the mind of Vausees as she lay wrapped around Debrah; the computer was informing her that it was time to wake up. A soft groan escaped Debrah’s lips as she turned over and buried her face into Vausees neck. The chime still echoed in the silence of the room, “Computer silence the alarm-clock,” Debrah said in a groggy voice as she laid tucked up under Vausees chin.

Vausees could not help but smile as she laid in the warmth of the bed; warmed by a pair of bodies that did not want to move from it. Moving her head she leaned down and kissed the platinum colored hair of Debrah as she slowly unwrapped her arms from about her. 

“I don’t want to move either, baby,” she said into the woman’s hair as she kissed it, “but duty is calling for me.”

Debrah knew that Vausees was right, but that didn’t make getting out of bed any easier. Turning her head up she pressed her lips hard into Vausees as she slipped the covers off of both of their nude bodies and headed slowly toward the bathroom and ultimately the sonic shower, knowing all too well that Vausees would be right behind her. As the water began to cascade over her body she smiled as she felt a pair of soft, yet firm, hands slip around her. 

“You sure do know how to tease a woman in the morning don’t you baby,” Vausees said as she placed kisses on Debrah’s back. 

—

–Half an hour later–

Vausees stood in the bathroom, still warm from the shared shower, and looked in the mirror as Debrah walked up behind her in a crisp yellow uniform. A smile crossed her lips as she turned around and ever so carefully adjusted a single pip into place on her loves chest. “There you go, immaculate as always,” she commented as she turned back to adjust her ComBadge into place. 

Turning she followed Debrah out of the Cabin and across the corridor into the main lift that would take them up to deck one and the bridge. After a very short ride the two women exited out of the lift and onto the bridge.

“Captain on deck!” Yelled out a woman dressed in blue as she came to attention.

Vausees looked at Debrah and smiled, “Take your console, Commander,” she said to Debrah before looking at the bridge crew, “As you were,” she ordered as she moved to her seat.

Cody stood up from the Command Chair as Vausees took it. He handed her the Night shifts report.

“Appears that we are in orbit of Angelikós, Captain,” Cody said as he looked at the planet that filled the main viewscreen.

Vausees nodded as she read over the report from the Night shift. She then looked up at the viewscreen.

“Hail them.”

Debrah did as she was ordered and a soft beep replied that the hail had been sent. A moment later Thý’ella appeared on the screen. Vausees eyes narrowed as she saw her.

“Thý’ella,” she said in a slightly lowered tone then one that she had used before with her supposed ally.

Thý’ella could see and hear the anger coming from Vausees, and she closed her white shimmering eyes. “Captain,” is all that she said as she looked at Vausees.

“What did I do to deserve such betrayal, Thý’ella?” Vausees asked as she looked at the Angelikós Zilotís leader.

Thý’ella knew that this conversation was coming and had for the past week thought about what she had done to Vausees and her crew. And how she had hidden the truth from them all, a truth that she wasn’t entirely sure that she was comfortable speaking about; how she and her people were direct descendants of the lost and destroyed ancient civilization called Tkon.

“Vausees, it was not personal, not in the least,” Thý’ella stated as her image looked into the light blue eyes of the Captains. She remained silent for a few moments as she waited for a rebuttal of some sort. When it did not come she spoke up once more, “I think this would be a conversation best held here on Angelikós,” Thý’ella said in a softer tone.

Vausees thought about Thý’ella’s offer and turned to look at Cody and Debrah. Debrah muted the comm system.

“Captain?” Debrah said as she knew that look all too well.

Cody turned to look at Debrah before he returned his attention back to Vausees, “You are not actually thinking about going over there are you?” he asked as he looked between the two women. “I have a bad feeling about it, if in fact you are considering it,” he stated as his eyes stopped on Vausees.

Vausees looked at her love and nodded, as she turned back to the main viewscreen. The comm’s were unmuted, “I will be down shortly,” she stated and then turned away to head toward her ready room. The viewscreen then changed from the image of Thý’ella to the image of the planet. “Commander’s, join me in my ready room,” Vausees ordered as the door to her ready room parted as she neared.

Cody looked at Trever, “The conn is yours Lieutenant,” he said as he followed Vausees and Debrah.

Both Cody and Debrah took a seat across from Vausees as she sat behind her desk. The room was silent as both commanders looked at their Captain. Neither wanted to break the silence as they could see that Vausees was in deep thought, “Babe,” Debrah said as she could not stand the silence any longer.

Vausees moved only her light blue eyes to look at Debrah, however, she still remained silent.

“Talk to us. Tell us what you want,” Debrah said as she looked into the light blue eyes of her lover wanting to confirm what she already knew.

Cody sat there in silence for a moment before he steepled his fingers, “You’re going to go aren’t you,” he stated as he sat there.

Vausees moved just her eyes again as she looked from Debrah to her XO. She nodded, “The only thing is I don’t know if I should,” she stated as she shook her head in frustration. “Part of me needs to know why she did what she did, while another part is telling me that it could be a trap.”

Both Cody and Debrah nodded in agreement. “I think that if you do go that you take a security team with you,” Cody stated as he looked at her.

Debrah nodded with his statement, “I can have a team ready to go in minutes.”

Vausees shook her head, “That won’t be necessary. As I will only be taking Debrah if I must take security with me,” she said as she looked at both of them, “The less that is with me the less of a chance of seeming like a threat or anything like that.”

Cody sighed but understood where she was coming from, “If there is nothing else I will return to the bridge and take command while the two of you are off ship.”

Vausees nodded and stood up. The three of them left the ready room and Cody took the command seat from Trever who had stood up when the door to the room opened.

Vausees and Debrah stood on the transporter pad as they readied themselves for the transport down to the surface of Angelikós. A moment later their bodies were engulfed in light blue and white lights and dematerialized off the pads.