WATCH WHERE YOU’RE STEPPING! MY CREW IS ON SHORE LEAVE!

[“What kind of intelligent creatures could exist in a thing that small!?” “Intelligence does not necessarily require bulk Mr. Scott.”(Mr. Scott and Mr. Spock, on the bridge of the Enterprise, discussing the ‘ship’ they will come to know as the probe Nomad. (The Changeling, Star Trek: TOS)]

"Captain to Sick Bay!" My conversation with a passenger is interrupted by my s-Mek, Robot's excited message.  As I pay little attention to his urgency, I comment to the passenger, "He always sounds like that.” "Will the Captain PLEASE report to Sick Bay?!?", he calls again. "PLEASE??? That's a new one.", I say. I decide that this time his urgency might be warranted so

I excuse myself from the passenger, a Starfleet officer and hurry to deck four and, the sick bay. I'm met outside by my m-Mek Dickery. "What's happened?", I ask with growing alarm. "I'Aisha . . . Well, I'Aisha has jumped another passenger.", Dickery reports, "A Vulcan." "IS THAT ALL?!?", I reply with great relief. I'Aisha's ‘attacks’ although quite embarrassing have never resulted in anything more serious than a few bruises. Pushing past Dickery I enter Sick Bay, expecting to smooth the whole thing over. I assume a Vulcan will want to forget the matter with great haste.

What I see on the examination table and magnified on the view screen will take me several lifetimes, if ever, to forget. On the table is what appears to be a Vulcan male, in the prime of his life. His left pant leg is rolled up to his knee exposing what at first appears to be a nasty gash in his calf area. The reason Dickery is not treating the wound like he would any other, is that there appears to be ants swarming out of the gash. Looking at the view screen I can see that these are not ants but environment suited creatures working to make emergency repairs to a hull breach. Not unlike what one would see if any ship were to receive such damage. The view screen further shows that although the thing on the table looks and acts like a living creature it is in reality a ‘ship’, with the ‘ants’ I assume as crew.

Calling Robot, Hickery and Dickery over to me, I instruct, “Do nothing to interfere with what's going on unless asked. Robot, when repairs are complete and he is operational again ask him to join me in my Ready Room and, don't take “NO” for an answer!" While I wait for ‘him’, I review the data the ship's computer now contains on him.

Name: Smuel
Sex: Male
Race: Vulcan, Age: 75 years, the human equivalent of mid to late thirties
Height: 1.8288 Meters
Weight: 90.72 Kilograms
Skill: doctor
Miscellaneous: traveling on business, destination Deep Space 9

Details on his construction are, at best, sketchy. He has a skeletal frame that appears humanoid but is made out of an unknown polymer compound. The skin, while looking normal is extremely tough. I assume this is so it can maintain the atmosphere the crew needs. There is an energy source/engineering? area located in the lower body with some sort of power conduits radiating out from it. There appears to be a bridge/control center in the skull.

I decide to see what I'Aisha has to say about the incident, "I'Aisha, please report to my ready room now!" A few moments later I'Aisha is sitting in front of me. "What happened with the Vulcan I'Aisha? Why did you attack him?", I begin. "He Tahhh!",she replies with cat like urgency. The Pa'UR word "Tahhh" translates roughly as odd or strange. "You mean Tahhh for a Vulcan? How?", I inquire. "NO Tahhh for humaoid. He feel Tahhh",she repeats. I know not to press her for further information. If I were Pa"UR I would understand perfectly and after what I saw in sick bay, she probably is not too far off with her description. Just then the turbo lift door opens and around the corner steps Robot with the good doctor in tow. I'Aisha stiffens and bristles as she sees Smuel. "That will be all I'Aisha, you can go back to your duties", I say. I'Aisha passes Smuel VERY carefully, She moves, VERY slowly toward and past him, always facing him, keeping her eyes riveted on him. If Smuel were to make an unexpected move I have no doubt I'Aisha would savagely attack him. After she has past them, she backs around the corner and, into the turbo lift.

"Sit down sir.", I say to Smuel, "After what I have seen it would be illogical to continue your deception on my account." "It would appear so.", Smuel replies in that calm Vulcan way. "Would you mind enlightening me as to your origin and purpose?", I inquire. "Not at all", is his reply, "We come from a world we call Lilln. It lies in the area of space you call the Romulan Neutral Zone. Some time ago our world was visited by these Romulans. We never found out why they were there or what they were studying but their visit gave us a chance to study them. Through them we learned of other worlds and other peoples even more wondrous than the ones called Romulan. We are a very skilled and curious race so it was decided we would some how join these Romulans and explore the universe with them. After much debate it was decided we would build a vessel that could blend in with creatures we wished to study. We can in a mater of hours reconfigure our vessel to appear as almost any humanoid type we wish. We are curious, why did the female Pa'UR attack us?" "She said you felt Tahhh.”, I reply. "Ah, we were afraid of that.", he said like he understood what I'Aisha had meant. "You still haven't told me why you are on my ship or why you are heading to DS9", I press. "The reason we sustained more damage in the Pa'UR's attack than what a real humanoid would have experienced and, the reason the Pa'UR could have sensed something was different about us stems from a common problem. The material that makes up our hull is a complex mixture of polymers. A break down of the hull's material has occurred due to exposure to environmental factors and, we must return to our home world for repairs. At Deep Space 9 we hope to get transport to the Romulan Star Empire.", he informs. Here he pauses for a long while. When he spoke again an unVulcan like sense of seriousness colored his voice, "You are the only humanoid we have ever confided in. What will be your next move Captain?"  Taking a tricorder from the desk I scan him. All readings normal. Wondering what he might or could do if he feared exposure and if Robot, still standing behind him, could control him, I word my reply carefully, "If I thought you were a threat to me, my ship or humankind I would destroy you where you sit. As long as I think you’re safe, I see no need for me to tell anyone of this incident.” "And the Pa'UR?", he asks. "I'Aisha will do as I ask.", I reply. "Then we can consider the mater closed", he concludes. "It would be best if you avoid I'Aisha as much as possible for the rest of the trip", I cautioned. "That goes without saying!",he replies as he rises to leave.

After we dock at Deep Space 9, as I relax in Quarks, I see him and Fleet Captain T'Sarine together. He now looks Romulan. T'Sarine is flirting with him. I wonder if I should say something to her but, I figure he is ‘Fully Functional’ and she might teach him a thing or two.