---
Thel Ythysi stepped from the turbolift and pulled on his uniform jacket. His antennae twitched toward the various sounds of the main engineering room with the steady hum from the Warp Core dominating all others. He stopped a few steps away from the railing surrounding the core and looked around the familiar room, taking note of the personnel dutifully working on various projects or maintenance. Thel noticed two Ensigns at the Matter/Anti-matter balancer console and decided to check on their progress.
One Ensign was a Bolian male, a little shorter than Thel, but the Chief Engineer was tall for Andorians, which made him taller than most of the staff in the room, if not the ship. The other was a Bajoran female, with long black hair pulled into a pony-tail style revealing the signature earring hoops. He approached the console and looked at the display. Both Ensigns stopped their work, looked up and smiled.
The Bolian said, "good morning, Commander. How may we assist you?"
Thel looked away from the console with raised eyebrows. "Good morning. I'm curious about the technical readout you are working on, would you mind catching me up on the project?"
The Bolian smiled waned slightly. "Of course, Commander." He pointed to the screen, "as you know the Aegis upgrades we received six months ago have been a wonderful addition to the ship, and-"
"Excuse me, but the upgrades were completed eight months ago," interrupted the Bajoran.
Thel stepped in, "Ensign Tamara is correct. Clearly an oversight. As you know, I'm a stickler for detail."
"Yes. Yes, of course, pardon me. As I was saying, Ensign Tamara was running a diagnostic on the outer starboard impulse engine because it was running two percent less efficient over the previous week. I was just passing by when I noticed her progress and was showing her a subroutine that would make the diagnostic perform faster and with greater precision toward results."
Thel looked to Tamara. "What do you think?"
Tamara blushed a little. "Well, sir. He is correct. The subroutine was not a part of my training and I'm seeing it is a better process to use going forward."
Thel nodded and let the silence hang for a few seconds as he looked to both Ensigns. "Well, I will not interfere with good progress. Carry on." As he turned away he tapped his badge and spoke into the air. "Anthi, I just remembered we had a meeting to attend, can we meet on Deck 19?"
There was a pause before the response. "Of course, I'm F-A-B."
Within seconds, Anthi Ythysi materialized next to Thel with a phaser pistol in her hand. The Engineering crew in the room heard the familiar sound of a transporter being used and saw Anthi coalesce, ready for combat. Thel pointed to the Bolian, "him".
Anthi raised her phaser. "Before bad choices are made, you have a moment to explain yourself."
Tamara was surprised and raised her hands, looking from Anthi to the Bolian. The Ensign stood still as if expecting what happened, raised his hands and said, "I mean you no harm, but I must speak with your Captain."
---
"I'm curious, how did you know I was an intruder?'
Thel crossed his arms. "No one refers to me by my rank."
The Bolian smirked, "of course, and this class of ship doesn't have nineteen decks either I suppose?"
Thel shook his head. The doors to the room whispered open and Kathryn Beringer strode into the brig. Noticing her officers, she walked up to the cell shielding and looked at the Ensign. "I'm Captain Kathryn Beringer. You wanted to see me?"
The Bolian responded, "Yes, yet I was hoping to avoid this conversation. You have a very astute crew." He looked to Thel. "One in particular."
"I see, and you are ..."
"Forgive me, I am known as The Traveler."
Kathryn nodded. "I've heard of you. You're famous."
The Traveler nodded serenely. "I apologize for the impertinence, but I was trying not to interfere."
"I applaud your effort, but masquerading as a crew member is interfering. The Federation may be at war, but you are known to us. If you need - or want - something you could have been more obvious."
"Thank you, Captain." He looked around the room then back to Kathryn.
She looked to the security officer and nodded. The shielding flicked and was gone. "I hope you can appreciate the precautions."
"I am not offended, but I do have a request."
"Let's discuss the matter as we walk." Kathryn lead the way out of the Brig.
Once in the hallway, Kathryn slowed to pace with The Traveler as the Andorian siblings walked behind them. She looked at the Bolian and wondered why he maintained his false appearance.
"Because it is easier to mingle with the crew," he said as he looked up to Kathryn. She turned away a little embarrassed.
"Traveler, why are you here?"
He looked back toward Thel before responding. "Ensign Jazik Tamara is a remarkable person. In fact, her qualities are beyond her current perception. I would like to help her become more than she is and take her with me."
Kathryn stopped in her tracks and turned to the false Ensign. "Excuse me?"
The Bolian looked at the three officers in turn. "I know that was abrupt, but I decided to be blunt. Captain, my people have waited for beings of her potential to manifest their abilities naturally. The risk is that they do so under extreme duress. For Tamara, we wish to guide her progression before further risk happens to her."
Anthi took a step forward, "Isn't that interfering with some natural order?"
The Traveler nodded. "We recognize that, but we can sense her potential before she manifests. Such latency reveals she will be a powerful force within the galaxy. We have decided to nurture her so that she will be a force of good. Tamara would be the first we select in this manner."
Kathryn nodded as she was thinking. "You can't take her."
"I understand your point of view, but she needs the proper guidance. In your war, she may never get the chance to be more than she is!"
"That may be true, but is it our place to decide someone else's fate?"
"Technically, as Captain of a starship, you do that on a daily basis."
"This is different. You are talking about telling Tamara she has a ... power ... and that you will take her somewhere far away as a student in an effort to make sure she uses such power for good." Kathryn shook her head. "She needs to be in charge of her own destiny."
Thel's baritone voice responded. "Forgive me Captain, but if Tamara knows about her potential, and refuses to leave, won't that affect her choices until her powers manifest?"
Kathryn looked to The Traveler and raised an eyebrow. "This is getting complicated. From where I'm standing, the fact that I know Tamara is special will alter how I deal with her as a member of this crew. No offense Traveler, but you are forcing me to transfer her off the Solaris to avoid favoritism because she is ... special. I'm not too keen on what's happening here."
The Traveler smiled and closed his eyes as he responded. "I appreciate your thoughts on the matter. Wesley Crusher has taught my people a great many things about your race. In time, I can only hope Jazik Tamara does the same ..."
The hallway slowly filled with light and the three Starfleet officers shielded their eyes from the intense brightness.
---
Thel Ythysi stepped from the turbolift and pulled on his uniform jacket. His antennae twitched toward the various sounds of the main engineering room with the steady hum from the Warp Core dominating all others. He stopped a few steps away from the railing surrounding the core and looked around the familiar room, taking note of the personnel dutifully working on various projects or maintenance. Thel noticed Ensign Tamara at the Matter/Anti-matter balancer console and decided to check on her progress.
Anthi Ythysi - Katheryn Winnick
Thel Ythysi - Kevin Sorbo
The Traveler - Eric Menyuk
Jazik Tamara - Rachel Weisz
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