Content-Language: en =/\= Bridge =/\= Athena sat in the XO chair as requested and felt very overwhelmed. She didn't know if its was about the questions that seemed as numerous as rain d= rops in a storm or if it was the new position she found herself doing. {Temporal inhibitors ... Mcapt helmsman .... new additions to the crew ..... open comm= channels....} She moved her fingers over the display in front of her and ho= ped she remembered the few bridge skills she had acquired but never had to put i= nto practice. {Half the information ..... differences ..... } She shook her he= ad as visual and audio senses seemed to be telling her something that wasn't possible. {The same voice two different reports from two different decks...= .} Athena rubbed a hand over her face and gave her temple a slight rub and then= reported some stats to LtCmdr. Palmer. {Damn headaches coming back ..... }= Ignoring the headache that seemed to be crashing into her mind like a fast moving storm, she skimmed through the information she was receiving and pass= ed along the most important pieces of information. She sensed the unease from Ensign Dexter and looked up to give him a reassuring smile that she herself= didn't feel. Athena could sense the building tension of the crew which under the circumstances seem perfectly normal to her. She could sense what the bridge= crew was feeling most strongly. Her shoulders were straight and stiff with tension a= nd her eyes went from their normal pale light blue to the dark gray of a storm= as she continued to hold the pounding in her head at bay. ~ "No, no; It was my fault," Athena responded. She winced slightly with the= pain that shot through her head and took a deep breath. Athena quirked her lips into a smile and asked, "You wouldn't happen to have something to help with a headache would you?" ~ Athena pulled the ponytail holder from her hair hoping to ease some of the tension from her head. Her fingers lingered at her temples and rubbed them briefly before she shot off some more information the LtCmdr.. She returned= her gaze back to the console and had to wipe away the tears that were beginning= to gather. {Didn't I just take that medication?} ~ She had asked the other woman to join her and although Samantha's expression gave nothing away; Athena sensed a feeling of discomfort. Athena= had been about to add the temptation of chocolate along with the cup of tea when the LtCmdr. had been called to astrometrics. Athena had smiled at the other wom= an and made an offer for another time. Athena had watched as Samantha walked away, but what was bothering was the brief look of relief that seemed to pas= s over the other woman's face that was bothering the counselor. ~ Streams of data and tears were flowing freely. She continued to wipe away the tears and feed the information to Samantha, but things were starting to= get confusing. She massaged her temples and wiped away the stream of tears and tried to concentrate on what she needed to be doing. {Sleeping? Taking medication? Having drinks? Didn't that person just report form... } She h= eld her head and took a deep breath. ~ Athena took a quick look around the bridge and finally asked the ensign sitting at the OPS station what was going on. She noted the look that Harke= r, the helmsman, gave her as she waited for the ensign's reply. ~ She rubbed her temple wondering if the ensign was going to ever answer her question. Finally Athena looked up and realized she had grown quite and the= y were waiting for information from her. ~ She raised her eyebrow as she turned away from the ensign and answered Samantha's question, "I haven't seen or heard anything from the XO since I w= as here last." ~ Athena hoped that was the right answer as she thought {when did I last take that medication.} She felt as though the top of her head was going to blow off. {That might be messy but maybe my head would feel better.} She wiped= the moisture from her cheeks and looked around. {Wait! That answer doesn't mat= ch up. What's happening?} ~ =E2=80=9DCommander, you're needed on the Bridge,=E2=80=9D Nicolas=E2=80= =99 voice said over her commbadge, interrupting her conversation. =E2=80=9CI think you might want to= see this.=E2=80=9D ~ Athena stood and realized that she hadn't been doing what she was supposed to. {What am I supposed to be doing?} She looked at the view screen and sa= w those pod things. {What are those?} ~ "What are those things," Athena ask= ed with intense curiosity. ~ Athena's fingers delved into her hair as if she was holding the top of her head on. {It doesn't make sense.} The tears of frustration and pain contin= ued to stream down her face as she stood there. "They're eggs," she finally sai= d softly. She fell to her knees with the next wave of pain. She sat back on her ankles and laying her head at her knees and her back hunched slightly. Athena resembled a small ball as she began to rock back and forth. {This do= esn't make sense. What's going on?} =/\= End Log =/\= Lt. Athena Wellington Counselor USS Chimera