Ali arrived back on the Endeavour mid step, coming to a halt very suddenly as she solidified. She quickly stepped down and nearly slipped when a pain bloomed in her head and the lights seemed to flicker for a moment. She stumbled for the nearest comm on the wall as she pressed her hand to her temple to steady the now receding headache. "Bridge, what just happened?" She asked.

"Minor explosion," Chopade replied, adding a location and Ali instantly set off running again.

The doors to the lift opened onto the same deck as the brig and she cautiously stepped into the blackened corridor, with her pistol in one hand and her scanner in the other but steadying the former. The two security personnel were lying prone across the corridor, and she glanced at her scanner long enough to confirm they were still alive. She crouched near to the wall in as a defensive position as she could to take more detailed readings as she called it in to both medical and security.

Thankfully the damage looked worse than it actually was. From what she could tell someone had fired at one of the control panels and caused an electrical surge, which had blown out part of the bulkhead from the damage. Something had set on fire based on the soot, though it was no longer burning.

She took a breath as she leant back against one of the undamaged bulkheads and focused. You know you can't win, Bert.

She felt the shift and the mental retreat at the way she reached out. You really think I don't know what you're trying to do? Ali didn't allow herself to get distracted by her amusement at his response. Let him think she was trying to talk him down, she just needed to reach out to his mind long enough to get a feel for where he was.

You're outnumbered on a ship that knows you're free. How many of us do you think you can fight off? He didn't reply, and Ali didn't care, because she didn't need him to. Her eyes snapped opened as she discovered where he was.

She scrambled to her feet and quickly yet carefully made her way through the corridors with her pistol and scanner raised till she came to the corner before where Barker was. She hooked her scanner back on her belt and gripped her pistol in both hands as she rushed forward to take the shot.

There was no one there, just a scanner hooked into a control panel.

Ali huffed in frustration at Barker's cunning, blowing some stray strands of hair out of her face, then - as a foreboding feeling bloomed in her mind - she ducked to avoid the pistol aimed at her head and span to aim her elbow at Barker's stomach. He knew her too well and chopped downward to deflect the blow. He clipped her wrist and her pistol fell from her hand and skittered across the floor. Her left hand snapped out to grab his wrist - which was now near her midriff - and she followed through with her spin and pushed her other arm under his before gripping his upper arm as she planted her feet, then thrust her hips backward and twisted to half-shoulder throw him to the ground.

Barker jerked his arm to try and yank it out of her grip, but her hold was too firm, though the movement prevented her from being able to use her legs to lock or break his arm. Before she was able to formulate a plan on how to properly subdue him, a sharp pain reverberated through her mind and she pulled back with a yelp of pain. She clutched at her head with both hands as she fought against the intrusion, taking deep breaths to try and control it.

"It didn't have to come to this, you could have stayed out of it!" Barker spat at her as he stood up again.

Ali gritted her teeth. "How could I let you blow up a planet?" She asked. "What then, Bert? Where does it stop?" She demanded as she finally managed to open her eyes through the pain and saw him open his mouth to reply. "No!" She shouted, her frustration and anger boiling over and allowing her to push him out of her mind. He actually took a step back. "Don't insult me by trying to justify it," she added as she continued to push with her mind. It was Barker's turn to press a hand to his head as she turned the tables on him, her desperation and years of anguish overriding her normal boundaries.

He was still wincing by the time she was on her feet and she took the opportunity to force him to release the pistol he still held by using her thumb on a pressure point on the back of his hand, then kicked it away. He turned to glare at her now she was no longer intruding in his mind and jabbed at her head, she dodged with a quick sidestep before going to an uppercut into his stomach. His arm dropped to sweep her arm to the side and she noticed the wound on the side of his leg and flicked the same hand into a back-fist into the wound. He shouted in pain and lurched backward from her.

Ali tried to press her advantage, bearing down on him and continuing to try and land a strike on his torso or neck to stun him, but he kept anticipating her. Equally she was able to counter his attacks just as easily. As their eyes happened to meet whilst both looked for an opening, it occurred to them that their tetnar was working equally to their advantage and disadvantage. Then Ali punched again only for Barker to block her again.

"Ali!"

Her surprise at hearing Grey's voice was all the distraction Barker needed to finally get the upper hand as she avoided the jab but failed to block the hand that went for her neck. One of her hands went to his to try and release him as the other swung wildly towards him, but another pain in her head stopped her at the same time she felt him increase the pressure on her throat.

Her physical resistance stopped so she could focus on her mental barriers, and he span her so that she was in front of him, one arm holding her upper arm and the other still gripping her throat.

"Let her go," Grey demanded. He had picked up Barker's pistol during their struggle and had it pointed at the man.

Barker laughed. "If you shoot, I'll only throw her in front of it," he explained as if it were obvious that he had a hand that couldn't be beaten. Grey narrowed his eyes at the man as if daring him to test his resolve. Suddenly Ali heard a shot and she felt herself being thrown sideways, lashing out at Barker with a fist as he shoved her. Pain seared through her body as the shot hit her square in the torso and before she hit the floor she heard another shot but she was unable to stop the world from blacking out around her to find out what happened.

~-x-~

Ali woke up on the medical bay - or so she assumed as the first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was Narla's concerned face - and she tried to spring bolt upright as she remembered the situation she'd been in when she'd got shot. "What the hell happened?" She demanded as she did, instantly regretting the sudden movement as her ribs flared in pain.

Narla instantly reacted by gently pushing her back down. "You're fine," she assured the younger woman. "More or less," she added with a wry smile, a habit she'd picked up by spending so many years around humans.

"Then why am I in the medical bay?" She asked.

"You got shot," Narla replied, almost as if it were funny. "I need to make sure you're fine, both mentally and physically. Though I have news you might find more important," she added casually and Ali gave her a look to prompt her to get on with it. "Bert Barker is dead."

Ali gaped at Narla for a moment. "He's really..?"

Narla nodded. "He's really dead," she confirmed.

"Did you remove the head to make sure?"

"He's not a vampire from one of your silly human fairy tales, Ali," Narla rebuked softly.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Ali shrugged. "If there's one thing I've learnt; it's that you can never be too sure."

"Well I've double checked all of his vitals and he's safely secured in our morgue," Narla assured her. If she were honest she could understand Ali's doubt. That was why she had double checked before placing him in a freezer.

Ali let out a careful breath as she took that in. It was really over. Barker was dead and not only could he never terrorise the galaxy again, he couldn't try and get into her head again. "Who shot me?" She asked. Right now she didn't want to think about Bert Barker and the toll he'd had on her life. Or the destruction he'd caused.

"Wood," Narla explained. "He took the first shot because he knew Bert would push you in front of it, using a low setting so that you'd recover. Once you were out of the way Robert shot Bert with his own pistol. Shame it happened to be set high enough to kill," she added, but not sounding sorry at all. Ali laughed once at Narla's uncharacteristic lack of concern.

"Robert, huh?" Ali teased.

"I think it's more unusual that none of us call Wood by his given name," Narla replied casually, easily shrugging off Ali's teasing. Partly because she knew Ali did it from a place of affection, but also because she was very good at not getting flustered. A doctor who was easily flustered was not equipped for a life aboard a starship. Ali had to give her that point and so relaxed down to allow Narla to finish fussing, though Narla pointed out that medicine wasn't fussing.

Eventually Ali was let out of the medical bay after a dose of minor painkiller to dull the ache in her ribs so that she could move more easily. Though Narla explicitly warned her not to overexert herself.

Once she was released she headed up to the bridge to report in to Grey. She wasn't entirely sure what was expected of her but given that it was his ship it was only polite that she defer to his authority. That and the fact that she didn't have a ship of her own anymore and technically he had reinstated her.

Upon seeing that she was up and about, Grey called for a senior staff debriefing so that they could finish filling in all the gaps about what just happened. It turned out to be just about the easiest staff meeting he'd ever mediated as, for once, no one was arguing with anyone over conflicting opinions and ideas about how best to resolve a situation.

"How's your head?" Spud asked as she turned to Ali once Grey had called an end to the debrief.

"Much the same, but it'll probably improve now I don't have a criminal in it," Ali retorted with a grin.

"Well, either way, we all deserve an evening off," Grey stated. "We're back in orbit around Kentar, the taurrans are heading home and for the most part the kentarians are fine," he explained, mainly for Ali's benefit as she'd been unconscious during the journey. "Therefore we have the opportunity for a break."

"What he means is that I'm organising a party," Spud corrected. "It's going to be excellent; all night, loud music and drinks. Everyone is going," she added firmly.

"Do you have the authority to give orders?" Chopade asked unsurely.

"I think, technically, it was an invitation," Ali corrected. "Besides, Spud's right, we've earnt this and it's a damn fine way of blowing off some steam after… all this."

"I will remind you that you are on painkillers," Narla interjected. Ali's face fell.

"Great, I help take down one of the sector's most dangerous criminals, get shot for my trouble, and can't even drink in celebration," Ali grumbled.

"Then it's a good thing I'm very selective in the painkillers I give to my patients," Narla corrected with a light, relaxed tone. Ali turned sharply with a hopeful expression fighting its way onto her features. "You will need to come by the medical bay beforehand, but the drug should have worn off by then."

"You are my favourite," Ali decided happily and Narla's tentacles twitched in amusement.

~-x-~

They did all attend, partly because none of them wanted to know what Spud would do to them if they didn't but mostly because they all wanted to unwind and celebrate after the madness they'd somehow survived.

Ali and Spud arrived together to find the place already mostly full with dancing crew members from the Endeavour. "I don't think I've seen them this happy for a while!" Spud shouted happily into Ali's ear as they approached the bar.

"Taking down a terrorist does that!" Ali replied with a wide grin as she ordered their drinks. "Either that or it's the alcohol!" She added, making Spud laugh as they leant on the bar as they waited for their drinks.

Just as they were served Chopade found them and ordered his own drink before the girls all but dragged him after them to the dance floor. He wasn't averse to dancing, but even still he hung back slightly as Spud and Ali let loose with wild euphoria in between sips of their drinks.

They were a physical mess by the time Frost joined them with Lartyne in tow, their drinks half gone, their wits concentrated on not colliding with anyone whilst they danced and completely dishevelled. Frost didn't even wait for an invitation as she joined them, dancing just as wildly as Lartyne and Chopade shared a concerned, wry and amused smile as they danced in a rather more subdued fashion.

They were halfway through their second round - and dancing slightly less exuberantly lest they tire themselves out too quickly - by the time Narla and Grey found them. The latter, a little self conscious of the way the party goers nearby kept half glancing towards him as if he was going to reprimand them or disband the whole affair if he saw something he didn't like. It was one of the detriments to being captain, no matter the situation most of the crew could see you as nothing but their boss, it was a natural instinct. He had hoped having a drink in his hand would go some way to reassuring them that he was simply here to kick back and unwind himself.

No matter how merry Spud and Ali were, they'd clocked it too and they shared a mischievous look that made Narla smile into her own drink. "Twenty says he doesn't," Ali stated.

"Doesn't what?" Lartyne asked, clearly confused and Chopade shrugged.

"I'll take that bet," Spud agreed at the same time, before turning to her captain with a daring glint in her eye. "Down it! Down it!" She started chanting.

"Down it!" Ali joined in as Grey glared at the pair of them but neither were in any mood to back down that easily.

Narla soon joined in as did a few random spectators who hadn't quite clocked on to what was happening. Or more rather, who they were goading into necking their drink. "Down it!" Lartyne suddenly added, getting caught up in the moment. Then, as she realised what she'd done, she froze in place as everyone turned to her in surprise, though Spud and Ali didn't stop chanting but nodded their encouragement.

Grey sighed, but if he were honest, he was grateful for what they were setting out to achieve. With an air of defeat he waved his free arm in a grandiose arc as he leant into his drink to start, lifting it and arching with it as he chugged it down. He made a valiant effort considering he hadn't attempted that since he was a lieutenant, with barely a third left of his pint left in his glass in a single breath. Ali was the first to cheer before everyone else joined in.

They were quickly back to dancing as if nothing unusual had happened and everyone around them was a lot more relaxed about the fact their commanding officer was in their midst at a party. Soon the girls had finished their drinks. "I think you owe me a fresh drink!" Grey suggested, doing his best to make it sound like an order.

"I think we better make it a water!" Ali teased.

Grey almost managed a frown at them that did little more than serve to amuse them. "Who else wants drinks?" Spud asked with a laugh as everyone relayed their orders.

"Try and track Wood down while you're at it," Frost yelled over the music, "then we have the full senior staff roster!"

"He knows what a party is?" Ali questioned, not entire sure if she was joking or not.

Either way they left the dance floor, hands linked so that they didn't lose each other in the crowds until they reached the bar area again. They both gave a quick glance around their surroundings but neither could find their target so they agreed to split up before reconvening after their search to get the round of drinks they were there for.

The whole bar and lounge were so crowded that even after two years of learning to both sneak and steamroll through crowds as the situation determined, in places far worse than this, Ali still struggled to squeeze her way through without a lot of apologies and encouraging people to let her pass. Rolling her eyes and giving out unimpressed looks as a number of patrons hit on her as she tried to make her way through. Luckily none of them tried to grab her so she didn't have to punch anyone.

She managed to find herself a vantage point in a seating area that looked over the dance floor. Finally managing to find their head of security in the sea of people. He was holed up in a corner of the dance floor, his arms wrapped tightly around a woman who he was busy kissing. They'd clearly missed each other if the way they were oblivious to the rest of the world was any indication. Ali froze in wide-eyed shock for a moment, somehow surprised when she knew she shouldn't be. How well could she have said she knew the man? Ignoring the way something clenched unhappily in her chest as she turned on her heel to meet up with Spud again. She quickly internalised it as the natural side effect of actually trusting someone for the first time in a couple of years. It didn't mean anything.

"Any luck?" Spud shouted from where she was leaning on the bar.

"Girlfriend!" Ali explained. Spud looked confused and Ali wasn't sure if she just mouthed the question or just didn't say it loud enough for her to hear over the thumping music. "Booty call then," she corrected with a shrug. "I don't think he wants us disturbing him!"

Spud smirked mischievously and Ali was very tempted to run with it, but she knew that was unfair and so gave her a rueful, chastising look. Spud shrugged - clearly unrepentant for considering it - and instead they collected their drinks before heading back to the dance floor and their waiting recipients.