<div dir="ltr"><span id="gmail-docs-internal-guid-eeebb3b6-7fff-576f-af5e-0f7039bb7756"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:10pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Mission: Murder on the Exeter Express</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;padding:10pt 0pt 0pt"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Day: 2</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;padding:10pt 0pt 0pt"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Stardate: 2445.12.02</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;padding:10pt 0pt 0pt"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;padding:10pt 0pt 0pt"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">(USS Exeter - Acoustics lab - FO Cmdr Ailynn Bracken – 2124)</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;padding:10pt 0pt 0pt"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(29,34,40);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;padding:10pt 0pt 0pt"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(29,34,40);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">“Ailynn why don’t we have a quick break. We have both been up far too long today. Let’s grab some coffee, have a pause and come back to it.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;padding:10pt 0pt 0pt"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(29,34,40);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Ailynn breathed for a few moments, perhaps to an internal count of fifteen, she was deliberately taking slow, deep breaths, the lower part of her lungs filling first, then the upper, slowly her system took on the extra oxygen, and her body began to calm down.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;padding:10pt 0pt 0pt"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(29,34,40);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">“You’re right, and I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you. It was wrong, and you’re being the better person than I. My apologies.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;padding:10pt 0pt 0pt"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;padding:10pt 0pt 0pt"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(29,34,40);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">(Reply Ire.)</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;padding:10pt 0pt 0pt"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;padding:10pt 0pt 0pt"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(29,34,40);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The two officers stood up and left the console, removing the headphones. This being a laboratory, there was a no drinks policy in place, which Ailynn understood, and respected. “There’s a small ante-room that had a standard break table, chairs and a replicator, asides a small window there wasn’t much else.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;padding:10pt 0pt 0pt"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;padding:10pt 0pt 0pt"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">(USS Exeter - Sciences ante-room - FO Cmdr Ailynn Bracken – 2128)</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;padding:10pt 0pt 0pt"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(29,34,40);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">“What would you like?” Ailynn asked as she motioned that Ire sit down.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;padding:10pt 0pt 0pt"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;padding:10pt 0pt 0pt"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(29,34,40);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">(Reply Ire)</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;padding:10pt 0pt 0pt"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;padding:10pt 0pt 0pt"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(29,34,40);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">She repeated his choice to the replicator, and her head leaning against the wall, yawned as the computer replied.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;padding:10pt 0pt 0pt"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(29,34,40);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">[Selection confirmed, please remove item]</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;padding:10pt 0pt 0pt"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(29,34,40);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">(Reply Ire)</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;padding:10pt 0pt 0pt"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(29,34,40);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">She passed over his drink and then turned and ordered her own. Not wanting another coffee, she ordered an orange juice and the procedure was repeated.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;padding:10pt 0pt 0pt"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(29,34,40);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">[Selection confirmed, please remove item]</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;padding:10pt 0pt 0pt"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(29,34,40);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">How she didn’t drop her drink she never knew, but she looked up at Ire and shook her head.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;padding:10pt 0pt 0pt"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(29,34,40);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">“No no no no no no no nooo.” she shook her head. “Tell me you didn’t hear that….” She took a sip of her juice, and then placed it down, then picked at a lock of her hair, and nibbled it as she stood where she’d been. “Pleeeeaaase tell me that you didn’t hear that?”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;padding:10pt 0pt 0pt"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(29,34,40);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">(Reply Ire)</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;padding:10pt 0pt 0pt"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(29,34,40);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">(Posted by Mark)</span></p></span><br class="gmail-Apple-interchange-newline"></div>