Star Trek: Starbase 777 - memorial-garden

The air felt.. warm. Thick with a syrupy, bitter grief, heavy on the back of her tongue, but no less welcoming. It was the beautiful sort of grief; cherished memories, loose petals scattering from the bouquets placed into the pots of water, a greeting with open arms. Creeping through near silently, Ekhesai counted the different flowering bushes she recognized, the sweet aroma following her through the garden. She could hold the number on one hand. That's kinda embarrassing, isn't it. She put her hands back down to her sides, feeling stiff— don't walk too loudly, or swing your arms, this is a serious place meant to be treated completely 100% seriously. Entering this near-sacred garden was an accident, and she'd only realized when she stumbled upon the signs at the entrance. Or fate, maybe, dragging her by the hand in a way she didn't know yet. Now that she was here, though, Ekhesai felt... loose, a puppet cut from its strings, dropping lifelessly to the floor for the lack of something better to do. She stared into the pool for a long moment, expecting her face to be rippling and distorted and finding it calm and quiet. If her mother was here, would she have someone to remember? Someone to miss? Was Ekhesai even allowed to be here with nothing to grieve? Would honoring fallen soldiers whos faces she never would know earn her a rightful place in the garden, even for a few, fleeting minutes? She didn't know for sure. She took a few steps back, having a seat on one of the benches and staring down at her own feet, hands folded in her lap. Like a child in the market. Don't touch. She felt so tiny compared to the other officers she'd met.. even though she towered over a good portion of them. Would she even be able to make friends here?...

Saren was no stranger to developing new habits and little rituals - something that was an often occurrence for a lot of people. But sometimes, these developments took him time, perhaps longer than it was necessary. Another inadequacy on his part really, because while he never asked around, somehow Saren felt that taking 10 years to only just start making peace with his grief was a stretch. Somehow, despite never asking around, Saren felt like... after a whole decade, people usually were already far into their way of recovery from said grief, long familiar with it, long having it incorporated into their life and normalized. He was brought back from his thoughts when Saren felt a faint tickle on his chin, prompting him to lift his head up, away from delicate, alien flowers he was carrying in his arms. Same flowers he brought to Llaiir Prime when he went to visit it a year ago, for the first time ever since... he was forced to leave it. Only after that visit Saren had the strength to start coming in here and leaving his bouquets in one of the pots. He liked to think that, in a way, he was bringing his people to the station, giving them a chance to see something beyond their home planet. An adventure, change of scenery, something they all so craved back then. It was also something that eased Saren's guilt over the fact that he was one of the few that actually managed to fulfill this wish while still living. We've found a colony like ours, he quietly told the flowers while arranging them better, a gesture to stay there longer. We will figure out what happened to them. I promise. divider

(edited)

00:12

It wasn't long after when he noticed movement. It was somewhat of an unspoken rule of his to not engage with people visiting the memorial garden, but seeing such a young person being here, looking lost, made Saren pause. It took a minute or few of inner debate, but after giving his flower pot a gentle pat on the side, he approached the stranger with soft steps: "Hey," he uttered, eyes briefly flitting over the Trill spots on the side of their face - peculiar green hue - and then stopping to look at their face. Saren was in his civilian clothes, which he hoped made him look... more approachable. "If I am intruding, you are encouraged to say so, but... is everything alright?"

Ekhesai's blurry thoughts melted together to streamline her focus on the shadow above her. She blinked; once, twice, brows knitting lightly together before she looked up to greet the person. Taller and older than she was, if she had to guess, and his voice sounded kind, so... Oh. She should probably actually respond. The young cadet laughed nervously, hand on the back of her neck. "Ah, no, I'm — I mean, yeah, I'm okay! Just a little bit disoriented, I think, it's really nothing to worry about." To keep herself from gesturing wildly while she spoke, Ekhesai scooted over and sat with her hands under her knees. "Sorry, did you want a seat? I didn't mean to take up too much space, I was exploring and ended up here, but I felt bad for leaving after I saw the signs. I thought—" that she was talking too much, even with her voice a soft whisper to be respectful of the general environment around them, and should really, really shut up— "that I should at least. Pay respects. Even if I didn't bring anything. I will next time.." She pressed her lips tightly together to quit her rambling, brain working overtime not to apologize a dozen times to this stranger for doing something as simple as talking. "I'm a cadet, I just got here for my cruise not too long ago, so... I'm nervous, if you couldn't tell," she admitted sheepishly, eyes drifting out until she spotted the bouquet he'd placed in one of the pots, given that she hadn't seen it on her way in. It was really pretty..

13:48

"I'm sorry if that isn't what you were expecting. Thank you for checking up. You probably have more of a right to be here than I do." Still talking about herself. That's enough of that. Ekhesai swallowed and figured she'd just blown one of her first actual social interactions since arriving, but there was no harm in attempting to climb a little higher on an already sinking ship, so, "are— you? Okay, I mean." There was a profound sadness somewhere obscured behind every pair of eyes, in a way that reminded her a little bit of her mother. Grief didn't make someone weak, though. Her mom was the strongest person she knew. "You don't have to tell me. It'd. Be weird if I expected you to, actually.." (edited)

He inclined his head, just a little bit, looking and listening as Ekhesai's hand flew to the back of her neck, nervous energy oozing off of the young Trill?.. Romulan?.. like running water. They do seem to be rather young, his mind supplied, perhaps they were a visitor, or a civilian, or a cadet? "It's fine, really, but I won't say no to your offer," he replied gently, knowing how awkward it would feel to assume that someone needed a seat, only for them to refuse after you've already moved. So Saren sat down on the edge of the bench, his attention still locked on the speaking youngling, nodding along to her speech. Ah, so a cadet? That explained some things. "I see, you were familiarizing yourself with the station. There's no harm in that, as well as visiting this place in general. It has it's purpose, sure, but as long as you stay respectful, it's fine. You don't have to be on some specific level of grief to come here, you know?" It would be a lie to say that Saren didn't feel some sort of relief in the fact that this person seemed to wander in here by accident, not on purpose. Seeing people younger than himself visit the memorial garden... simply made his heart ache. He's been there, after all. Didn't make seeing pain in too young face's any less easier. The cadet's question fished out an inarticulate hum out of Saren, as his gaze briefly flitted back to his bouquet. "Do you mean in general, or do you mean right now? Kidding. Right now, in relation to the reason of why I am I here and why I brought the flowers... Yeah. I am okay. Thank you for asking, cadet." divider

17:24

He went quiet for a brief moment, realizing that his intention on checking up on a person just evolved into a whole conversation. And conversations needed to be, well... sustained. Not wishing to leave the already anxious newcomer in turmoil, Saren continued on: "You probably think that this is a weird way to start your cruise. If it's any help, I don't think that it is, and my stationing here started with me walking into a non-working turbolift and then staying there with an operations officer while he fixed it, just to prove that I could." Poor Renakir, having to endure that. Saren then casted a curious glance towards Ekhesai: "Which department are you? Not a scientist, by chance?"

No harm in that.. Ekhesai's shoulders dropped almost immediately, accompanied by a nervous giggle. Right.. Saren's words put her a little bit more at ease. It was something like impostor syndrome. You had nothing to grieve, nothing to memorialize, so why would you come to a place like this? She liked arranging different bouquets, maybe she'd figure something out for next time... "Thanks, that helps a lot," she said quietly, relieved. "Are you— are you an officer? Or just a civilian? Or, um, something else, I don't know..." The way that he generally held himself and the way he addressed her read the former, but Ekhesai had been wrong before, and wouldn't make any assumptions! There were plenty of officers on board that she'd bumped into, sometimes literally, but never for longer than a few minutes. Not for longer than ..now. Her hands were starting to hurt from sitting on them. She shook them out. Oops. Ekhesai pressed her lips tightly together to keep herself from laughing at the turbolift story. "I tripped head over heels the first day at the academy. I broke my toe.. oh! I'm not blue, sorry. Red, tactical, I wanna go into torpedoes and stuff when I graduate. My — okay, it's bad, but my username in the chatroom is a worm and torpedo pun. Nematode and photon. It's...bad, yeah. So I guess you're science?" She didn't think she was smart enough to be a scientist. Right, proper introductions were probably in order, weren't they? "My name is Ekhesai, by the way. I live on Trill, but my mom's from the Dharvanek house. It's pretty small compared to some of the others, I think.."

"Officer," he nodded affirmatively, not in a particular rush to state what exactly his position here was. Running into a person who, technically, literally, is senior staff during your first few days during your first posting just fresh out of the Academy? Mortifying. Saren... actually knew that feeling. He remembered well the moment of him sitting there by the grass on the road and get approached by someone, only for that Someone to turn out to be, well. The Captain of the damn station. For now he watched the discomfort gradually leave the cadet's posture, gently nodding along to her story, like a ship on the waves of her words, the corners of his lips twitching upwards ever so slightly at the username mention. "Tactical, I see. I feel like I've seen a message or two from you in the chatroom by now. I don't think the name is that bad, but it may be my science bias - and, yes, you are correct. I am a biologist, and... also an assistant Chief. But in training. My name is Saren tr'Lareth. Pleasure to meet you, Ekhesai." He was thankful for his ability to hide his discomfort when he actually tried to do so - because somehow telling this cadet that he was an assistant in training and also from a more... known, House, was a bit... much? On the other hand, he had no idea how much Ekhesai actually knew about House histories. Maybe he was lucky, and not too much. The last thing he wanted to do was scare the poor youngling away. "In any case, I hope you will find your cruise here pleasant. Again, personal bias as someone who has spent nearly three years here, but I feel like 777 is a good place for a cadet. Proximity to Mol'Rihan certainly he-- ah. If you live or visit there, of course. Habitual language, I apologise."

"Oh, good!" The pun being appreciated made Ekhesai smile, especially coming from a biologist. Wait— biologist? Assistant chief? Oh man, was she making a total fool of herself and getting casual with senior staff!? Saren seemed to be completely fine, or at least wanted to ease her nerves a little, but it wasn't exactly helping with the shockwave of a realization. "I'm — I'm glad you liked it," she said quickly, trying to move on to something else before she overthought the entirety of this interaction up to this point. His silent plea had been answered, as when his house name came up, the young cadet's expression was mostly blank. Lareth, huh? Of all the houses her mom had told her about, she'd never mentioned that one. Of course, one couldn't be expected to know every single house that's ever existed, so she brushed it off quickly, fiddling with the end of her uniform to mask the confusion. "It's nice to meet you too." The people on board were really nice for the most part. Saren was no exception. Even if she'd probably broken at least twenty unspoken rules of this place, he was nice to her, and that was all she was really hoping for. "This place is really cool! It's my first time... well, in space for an extended period of time, cause, cruise, but did you— did you have any post before this, or? Three years is a really long time." She'd never been to Mol'rihan. Most of the family vacations were in Federation space, but she'd seen plenty of photos from her friends in the academy! It was pretty, and she really wanted to go someday... "No need to be sorry," she said, waving it off with a bright smile, "I wanna go! Someday... Maybe I'll have a chance to go now that I'm closer to it. Do you? Go, I mean. What kinda stuff do you do there? Hey, what kinda stuff do you study, anyway? Like, bugs, or fish, or?" The cadet was still keeping her voice down, but clearly was in better spirits now that she had someone to talk to.

"I haven't, no," he replied to her inquiry. "And as of currently, I do not plan to relocate, due to a... multitude of reasons, really, both personal and professional. Having a starbase as your first posting or cadet cruise can be, ah... quite an intimidating experience at first, but thinking of it as a big city floating in space helps. You will certainly not get bored here, both on and off duty. And the possibilities for growth, given the amount of available equipment and closeness to major powers of the galaxy and direct involvement in the Khitomer Alliance, are quite vast, for the lack of better words." The tension in his shoulders left as the House name was left without comment or even acknowledged. Good. He just started feeling comfortable being called a Lareth, there was no need to... influence that in a negative way. Or worry the cadet. Or both, at the same time. divider

00:25

Saren perked up ever so slightly upon being asked what he was studying, because of course he did. "Well-- to start, yes I do, every shore leave, living in our estate. My family has been there since the establishment of the Republic, so... we've been living there for five years, as of now. Besides that, most of my research concerning wildlife on the planet is done here, on the station, but I do talk with the researchers on Mol'Rihan quite a lot, they are a resourceful and educated team that is a pleasure to work with. First thing I did here was epohh research - I don't know if you've ever seen one, but they are quite popular as pets now. Fluffy little guys with antennae and hooves, abysmal at surviving in the wild without interference and sanctuary establishment, but currently they are being managed successfully. But my true passion is big predators - something I, quite obviously and unfortunately, can't study live here, but I still work with their samples. Given what had happened to the previous homeworld, it is important to track down traces of bloodlines for yimn'irrhae, or see if there is any possibility to introduce the mogai, or..." He paused. Then let out something akin to a sheepish sigh with an echo of a laugh in there: "Ah. I am rambling, aren't I? I apologize."

The young, starry-eyed cadet seemed to hang onto every word, listening intently as Saren went in depth about his research. She had a big respect for scientists; figured they were much smarter than she was, anyway, and did really important stuff for the 'Fleet. Biology was a subject she'd never really familiarized herself with, but someone with such a big passion for living things could be nothing but a good sign. "Oh, wow, that's so cool," Ekhesai beamed, tugging at the end of her shorts to bring them a little further over her knees. "Mom didn't really tell me much about what Romulus was like. Or— I dunno if she even lived on Romulus, actually, it could've been somewhere else.. so I'm kinda trying to learn more stuff about it, so, um, really, it's kind of helping!" Her smile a little more sheepish, she idly scratched a patch of spots on the side of her neck, tracing one of them under her chin back and forth with a fingertip. Nervous habit. "Oh, wait, actually, I can take a look." She went for the bag strapped to her side, fishing her PADD out to look for yimn'irrhae, mogai, and epohh respectively, very visibly focused on the task at hand. There was something elegantly terrifying about the large predators, like encountering an ancient god in a near-silent wood. Letting out a soft puff of air, she tapped thrice against the side of the PADD before shutting it down. "Okay, those are like, the coolest things I've ever seen. Do their jaws really — how can they do that? How hard can they bite stuff? They're so pretty, I wish I could see one.." (edited)

06:42

Oh, right— "Again, you like, super don't have to be sorry, by the way. I think it's awesome. I like hearing about it a lot, really, honestly, and I've got a whole bunch of questions that I'm trying super hard not to ask at once, y'know? Actually wait, I can think of something to make it up if you still feel bad. Let me just think for a sec..." She racked her brain for any useless Tactical knowledge, freshly crammed into her from most recent exams, "like, uh— the warhead of photon torpedos is crammed full of antimatter? So when it goes off, it makes a matter-antimatter explosion, and floods a whole bunch of ion radiation when it does. Kaboom," she said, making a small explosion gesture with her hands. "And you can fake photon torpedo readings with duranium shadows and thoron fields. To mess with other ships."

If there was one thing that united any and all scientists, no matter their species or language or upbringing, it was the inability to not get excited upon hearing someone call their work or research "cool". Saren, for all his aloofness and humbleness, was not immune to that, and while he could be subtle... the way he sat up just a little bit straighter and turned his body ever so slightly towards Ekhesai... yeah. Nerd. "If you're ever up to reading... a lot of information, there are archives available just for that. After all, you're not the only person from the post-Hobus generation. You would find information about Houses as well," he hummed then, hand sliding over his sides as if in an attempt to warm himself up. "Even mine. Though I warn you, it gets... a bit crazy in some places. But hell if I know, maybe you're into crazy stories." Saren took a polite pause every time Ekhesai would busy herself with the image search. The round-bodied, nimble epohhs, and he couldn't help but squint upon spotting an image of a reddish one, immediately reminding him of Chopin; the terrifyingly beautiful mogai, once a chosen symbol of an oppressive Empire for it's ferocity, now a representation of a free Republic; and of course, the pale not-horses of the great plains. And as soon as Ekhesai trailed off, the scientist sucked in some air, then breathed out, a whisper of "oh-h-h-h my gods I'm so glad somebody asked" leaving his lungs as his ramblings resumed tenfold: divider

21:42

"Okay, so-- the short answer," he cupped his slender palms together, almost like he was holding a sip of water in them, "most vertebrates have their lower jaws either fused into one solid bone, like humanoids for example, or held together via tendons and muscles." He then separated his fingers, leaving a small gap between them: *But yimn'irhhae jaws are positioned like this - like, uh, an Earth snake's are. You can also see the round ends of the jawbone's themselves. Almost like... I don't know how relevant the comparison is, but like a joystick? Which provides the mobility. And then the cheek and neck muscles - you can find pictures of those, they are rather large and pronounced - are able to control them separately and together, however the animal needs, but also hold them in place and restrict the movement, just so that the jaws don't unhinge completely. Their bite force is not the most powerful you can find out there, but it's enough to shatter bones for their marrow, and snatching at unsuspecting limbs. Both bovine, and humanoid." *After he was done channeling his inner Australian horror horse girl, Saren ran his hand through his locks, because one did manage to droop out with all the gesturing, resting on his nose bridge: "Anyways. They're on Mol'Rihan and many colonies - both wild and domesticated. Photos don't do them justice." Ekhesai's ramble about torpedoes was met with genuine interest in the older Romulan's eyes. When she was done, he shrugged his shoulders, a small smile creeping up onto his face: "I mean-- that is pretty cool, and something I didn't know. Such technical things were never my forte, and I have a deep respect for those people who do understand them. Doesn't matter if said people are younger than me both in age and rank."

Making a mental note to do her research ASAP, Ekhesai listened closely. It was almost funny, the little almost back-and-forth motion; okay, your turn, now here's something about my field.. It was the best kind of conversation to have with someone, indulging in each other's interests and responding with equal passion. There was a certain ..for lack of a better word, humanity in it. Listening and being listened to was a really nice feeling. "I love crazy stories," she beamed. "My grandpa tells me all kinds of stuff from when he was in the 'Fleet. It's really unbelievable stuff." She followed Saren's hands with her eyes, almost subconsciously mimicking the movements with her tongue against the bottom of her teeth, imagining a split there in her jaw. It would look... strange, on a humanoid, but no less fascinating to think about on the great, majestic beast. A ghost on the plains, yet more real than ever when their fangs tore into their prey. 'Awesome' was really the only word that came to mind, one silently mouthed as Saren went on, describing them shattering bone marrow, a delightful shudder up her spine she hadn't felt since she was really little; especially when paired with a further fascination. A rightful instinct to be cautious of such a creature, yet simultaneously a thirst for more knowledge.

00:12

Among that tender, childish curiosity, there was an exciting buzz in her chest; a similar sentiment to one Saren silently expressed. Cool. He thought it was cool. Whatever pleasure center of the brain controlled the "super awesome Starfleet officer is TOLERATING YOU!!!!" function was firing off a dozen times a second, and Ekhesai practically lit up like a god damn Christmas tree, blue and black eyes alike dancing with excitement. However; she sobered, realizing again where she was and landing from her place on the clouds back into the garden. Right. Maybe.. "Do you— if you don't have anything else to do, do you wanna talk somewhere else, maybe? Like, um, maybe— you can show me the lab? Or, if you're allowed to do that? I don't know, 'sokay if not," she mumbled, fidgeting with the end of her shirt.

He nodded along, "Ah. Yeah. You are sure to accumulate some of your own tales to tell later - Starfleet has a... tendency, magnetism almost, to attract oddities. Perhaps you'll find a certain charm in it, like some people seem to do?" Ghost encounters, tribble infestation, rabies-inducing spores, Undines, Section 31... he sobered for a moment, met with a hope that someone so young wouldn't have to encounter the less... pleasant things the vast coldness of space could throw at their station. It was the irrational urge to protect the kids - even though Ekhesai, by all means, was not a child. And not even his kid; they literally just met each other. Not wanting to cross some boundary or two, Saren eased somewhat, just flowing along with their dialogue, swatting away his concern. Instead, he chose to concentrate on the way this cadet was straight up beaming when he said that what she told him was cool, a feeling he knew all too well but was worse at expressing it outward. What Ekhesai said next, though, made him blink, then again, before he somewhat sheepishly breathed out a laugh and reached for the back of his neck. "That-- yes, that is a good idea. I, admittedly, got carried away. Laboratories are open for Starfleet officers, and cadets are not the exception, so we are free to go there. You mentioned never seeing epohhs?.."

Senator Juventus seemed thoughtful, even solemn, as she passed through the entrance to the tranquil green space - a marked change from her behavior the entire night. She walked slowly round the garden, keenly observing and appreciating, before joining her staff under the central tree and kneeling to pray - a surprising show of humility, for her at least.

"It is Magna Roman tradition to commit the souls of those fallen too soon to Pluto in the Underworld, so that He may judge them with fairness and mercy." Bellona explained to Paco, standing just a few feet away from her mother and her delegation. "Come. I will not desecrate this sacred tradition, regardless of my feelings for the Senator." Her lips pursed thinly as she led him round the central tree, adjacent to Octavia and her group. Bellona knelt at the base of the tree, hands on her knees, and closed her eyes. (edited)

Being the one who entered last after the others, Paco simply regrouped with Bellona and nodded to what she had said as he walked with her. Paco knelt along with her, his hands clasped together as he prayed silently for his own relatives, who have lost their lives for both Starfleet and the Alliance as a whole. After a couple of moments, he would just silently meditate until Bellona signaled him that everyone else was standing up. Paco was glad that everything had been going very well so far, aside from the lil bits of interaction between Bellona and the Senator, that made him a bit uncomfortable, everything seemed to be going great!

And whilst the group were chatting and having fun, something mysterious lurked in one of the nearby bushes.......

"Well. I believe we'd best move on." Octavia said with a thin smile. She rose to her feet with her staff and nodded to Bellona and Paco too. "There is more, I'm sure. I am eager to see everything you have to offer."

After Paco finished up his prayers and got up, he approached back to the group and nodded to the Senator. *"Mhm! There is a lot of places we have planned for you to see for your visit!" *Paco said with a warm smile, holding up his PADD close to his chest which contained the itinerary for the senators visit. He was quite proud of it. "While we are here, we'll visit the station's more history and culture forward facilities, such as Khitomer History Museum, the Modern Art Gallary, and the Multifaith temple. That last one is my personal favorite. " The scientist explained with a warm smile as always, staying close to the Senator as he led the way. * "Then we'll head over to the station's Commercial Ring which, aside from various businesses who set up shop here in 777, also houses a diverse range of restaurants and cafe's there who carry their culture's cuisines with pride, such as Surak Snacks, Marshall's Munchies, and many more! Good places for us to grab some refreshments too." *He added, being the foodie that he is, not really noticing at all whatever might be lurking in the bushes. He was too busy thinking about the itinerary, and lunch.

And right after Paco had mentioned food, some random guy sprang from the bushes with what appeared to be a make shift knife in hand. "I OBJECT! "Liar, oathbreaker! You swore to protect my wife, and you then swore again to give us help whenever we need it, till the end of our natural lives? I got nothing! Not from you, or anyone else! I pray for Lord Orcus to use your soul as his personal plaything, to experience all the suffering and pain that you swore to alleviate and never did!" and with those words, he sprang up and drove the knife into Octavia's side, hoping to do some crazy damage!

There wasn't really much time in Paco's head to formulate anything else to say, when he saw the knife man spring out of the bushes, only him to step forward and place himself between the disturbed possible assailant and the senator. Paco was frozen in fear for a couple of moments as the man said his speech about the Senator. Of course something like that was inevitable to happen, not every politician was clean, but he never really expected himself to be put into this sort of situation again, close by to someone who was about to get stabbed right in front of his eyes, just like that time in the Science Fair. When the man finished his little speech and ran up towards the Senator, that's when a flight or fight response knocked themselves into his head. "SECURITY!" Paco yelled out as he tried to grab a hold of the man and restrain him, or at least, considering that Paco was much smaller in stature than the average Magna Roman male, block him and the make-shift knife from getting anywhere near the senator for just enough time for Bellona or anyone in security to do something.

Bellona's body moved on its own. She tackled the intruder too, throwing her whole weight into the maneuver, and scrabbled for his weapon. As much as she hated her mother with a passion, letting her get stabbed and die here, on a Federation starbase, in a place dedicated to their fallen, was a huge, huge upset. "What business have you with the Senator?" She barked at the struggling man beneath her. "Why do you invoke Lord Orcus' name in vengeance?" Broken oaths. Orcus was the god of broken oaths. Which meant her mother had sworn upon Him, and broken her vow. But what kind of vow?

"I AM MAXIUMUS DECIMUS AND I WILL NOT STAND FOR THIS!" The man proclaimed as he felt the smaller human trying to wrestle him off of the senator. Very soon, another woman joined in to try and fight him off. He quickly released his grip from the homemade knife and let himself fall to the ground. "YOU PROMISED!! YOU PROMISED MY FAMILY WOULD BE COMPENSATED FOR OUR LOSS, BUT NOTHING CAME! NOTHING! You're a liar and a fraud and deserve to live out the rest of your days in the pits of the underworld! You NEVER cared about the families who were grieving loved ones, you just wanted to say what you thought we wanted to hear to get elected!"

"YOU SHALL STAND FOR NOTHING!" Paco yelled out to the man before Bellona came restrain to restrain the man. He was honestly more focused on the condition of the Senator than looking into the deeper context on what Maximus Gluteus was yelling out, though he had heard what was yelled out and understood some of it. Despite it being unfortunately part of what being in Starfleet was like in reality, it never got easier for Paco to stomach the fact that something like this. Probably never will, and he felt it shouldn't. "Somebody check on the Senator and get Medical!"

"Already on it. I'll do us one better." Bellona slapped her commbadge and yelled into it: "Lieutenant Juventus to sickbay! Three to beam to sickbay! One injured with a puncture wound inflicted with a makeshift bladed weapon to the side! Now!"

Octavia, meanwhile, coughed, and her eyelids fluttered. "Don't know what you're talking about. I did do as I promised." She managed weakly and with a thin smile. A thin trail of red flowed from the corner of her mouth and down her cheek.

*Security quickly rushed in to apprehdn the assailant and the three were beamed to #emergency-department *