<USS Avalon> "Contemplation's of Many Kinds"

"Contemplation's of Many Kinds"
Commander Skyler
 
Skyler left Keith sitting on the bridge staring at the screen as lights  
flickered and monitor's stopped working. Something was bothering her and she  
needed to figure it out. She entered her office noting that everything was in  
the 
dark. Of course it's dark, what else would it be?
 
She found a flashlight and turned it on, setting it on the desk, she sat on  
the couch. She managed to find the stash of her favorite drink, grabbed a  
bottle and opened it. Taking a long drink, she hoped it would quench her 
thirst.  
If it did, it would be the only thing that seemed to be working lately.
 
Before she did anything she attempted to send a message to  engineering and 
sickbay informing them of the situation and the possible  infection of the gel 
packs. Somehow, for some unknown reason the message was  actually sent right 
before her comm system and computer shut down. It's just  as well. I think best 
in the dark. Besides it's not like anyone is going to come  visiting.
 
She knew is some way she was feeling a little sorry for herself and it made  
her feel stupid. She knew how Georgia felt and even after explaining 
everything  to her friend she herself still was unsure of how things stood. 
Change was 
a  part of life. She had told Georgia that. Looking around at different crew  
members she knew the ship itself was going to change. The overall mission of 
the  Avalon was going to change. It had to. With all the children that were 
going to  be arriving, the Avalon would no longer be able to take on the 
riskier  
mission's. It was bound to become more of an exploration vessel. That is if 
they  survived this latest crisis. She just hoped that they didn't end up 
having to be  towed back to earth, that they would be able to go home under 
their 
own  power.
 
Sitting there in the dark she had a sudden thought. Her office and  quarter's 
were holographic in nature. She could change them to anything she  wanted. 
She immediately stood up and rushed over to a panel in the wall.  Removing the 
panel she took the light and peered inside. She wasn't surprised to  see that 
several gel packs were showing signs of infection or even death. Some  still 
showed some signs of being clear of the infection. These packs had to be  
separated from the infected ones before they themselves became infected. 
 
She wasn't an engineer, but she did have her medical background to  fall back 
on. If she took her time and looked at the wiring as veins and  arteries with 
the gel packs being the nerves she should be able to bypass the  bad, thereby 
protecting the good ones. It took her a while to achieve her goal  and by the 
time she was done she was dripping with sweat. She felt a small bit  of pride 
that she had been able to at least apply her background to save some of  the 
gel packs. Now it was time for the final test.
 
"Computer lights."
 
She held her breath and waited. After what seemed an eternity the lights  
came on. They weren't bright at all, but at least they were on. That was a  
start. She knew she should go back to the bridge and attempt the same thing, 
yet  
she had things she wanted to think about. She was torn. Her duty was to the 
ship  and it's captain, yet she also felt a duty to her sister. At the same 
time  
Melanie would be taken care of by her new love. Not to mention the nanny they 
 had come up with, which had thrown Georgia in a tizzy. She would wait until  
Melanie called for her. She was used to being alone and going back to being  
alone would be harder but she wouldn't end up in sickbay half dead over it.  
Melanie had her life, her baby, a new love and Skyler was happy for her, if not 
 maybe a little jealous.
 
She hadn't seen Amelia in a while other than to do daily business. That was  
another relationship she had managed to somehow screw up. She would give her 
the  space she needed. What choice did she have? None really. Taking one last 
drink  she set the bottle down, took a deep breath and walked back out onto the 
bridge.  Keith was just as she had left him, staring at the screen 
absentmindedly. If she  wanted she could probably tell him the ship was being 
boarded by 
tribbles and he  wouldn't notice. He definitely had something on his mind.
 
Returning to her seat she sat down and stared straight ahead. "Sir, I think  
I can restore some minimal power to the bridge if you would like me to?" She 
sat  there and waited for him to answer her or acknowledge her presence. She 
wasn't  about to start tearing into the bridge systems without his permission. 
She may  be stupid at times but she was dumb and didn't have a death wish.

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