Posted by Ensign Sharah Fayth (Doctor) in side-sim A Day Off Trenton/Fayth Quarters
It had been a crazy day. Sharah got back to their quarters just before Ashlyn did. A mysterious pod, security risks, contamination risks. And they would be back at it tomorrow. Something that kept popping into Ashlyn’s thoughts was a peanut butter sandwich. Sharah knew Ashlyn preferred ration bars, but if that girl didn’t stop thinking about peanut butter sandwiches, Sharah was going to start craving them.

She hit the shower and was done by the time Ashlyn arrived back. Sharah was dressed in fuzzy pajama pants and a t-shirt covered in cartoon cupcakes on it. “Hey after your shower, I’ve got food.” She went over to the replicator and got the sandwich for Ashlyn and grilled cheese for herself. Sharah sat down and smiled seeing she had a message from Joseph waiting for her. It had been almost a week since she had heard from him. She’d started to worry, but now here was his message, so everything was fine.

Ashlyn took a moment to collect herself when she walked in, then made a catcall at her Betazoid friend. “Fuzzy pants and cupcakes, could I ask for anything more?” The conference all groan in unison at her terrible flirtation, her own snorting laugh revealing it to be a job. “I’ll be in and out in a moment. I’d suggest Parkour first, but engineering is still making upgrades to the holodeck so we can run Trenton Park. I didn’t realize the program had gotten so big!” She wanders into the sonic shower with a playful wave.

It was several days late before Joseph responded to the last message. His face was solemn when he did. “My days were going well, until two days ago, an Ensign was found murdered in the First officer’s hot tub, so I’ve been conducting an investigation.” He rubbed his face with his hands. “I thought it would be exciting, instead it’s just been depressing and stressful.” His eyes were slightly red, indicating he had been in an emotional state recently. “I miss you so much right now. It’s so hard to find the bright spots in life right now. There is a killer on my ship and every day I don’t catch him I jeopardize the lives of every member of this crew.” He took a deep breath. “I hope you can find peace in your life right now sweetheart, it ain’t happening on my end right now.” He rubbed his face again, a frown permeating it. “Just please keep waiting for me, I’ll make it back to you one day, I just need to get through this nightmare first.” He exhaled deeply. “You are the only thing keeping me together right now, even though I can’t be with you. I need you right now more than ever, just get back to me as soon as you can. I love you imzadi.”

Sharah stared at the Star Fleet symbol now showing on her screen, processing what Joseph had just said, slowly. What had happened? Who was it? Were they all okay?

Sharah’s reply is almost immediate. Sharah looks concerned. “I just got off duty Jospeh, darling, I want you to be safe. Or as safe as you can be. Then I want you to remember that your instincts are incredibly refined. I want you to listen to them. Most importantly I want you to remember I will always wait for you. No matter what. No matter how long it takes. Remember when I was sick. Everyone thought it was me or some person attacking me, but it was a parasite. Sometimes you have to change what you consider a symptom or a cause. At first, remember you thought my meditation change was the cause but it was a symptom. I love you. I am worried about this situation, but I know you can figure it out. Stay as safe as you can. I am always here. No matter what.
I miss you, Imzadi.
Love,
Sharah

Sharah heard the shower turn off indicating Ashlyn was done. “ASHLYN! Get in here!” When Ashlyn appeared, Sharah was turned in her seat, looking horrified. “There’s been a murder on Challenger.”
Lt. Fayth, Doctor

Hearing her name called with such urgency, Ashlyn dove into the room with a small phaser in hand. Hitting the ground and rolling behind a tube, she aimed the small phase device scanning for the intruder only to see none. Considering the urgency, there wasn’t a lot of time to make herself decent and clearly didn’t expect there to not be an emergency. “You know…if you really wanted to see me you only had to ask.” When she finished her statement about the murder, Ashlyn gave her a fairly blank expression for a long moment. “Okay, so seeing as how we’re not under attack or being intruded upon, can I have my garments from the bathroom? Then we can talk about this murder.”

Once decent, Ashlyn stretched herself out and sat on top of one of the tubes near Sharah. “So, someone lost their minds and killed someone on the Challenger.” Ashlyn seemed to be expressing this as a matter of fact. “How is Rainns holding up? Have they suspended operations or found a suspect yet?”

• Ensign Ashlyn Trenton
  Security, USS Europa