The Worst Love Triangle Ever (Backpost)

Posted on Wed Aug 19th, 2026 @ 3:24am by Lieutenant Kally Kellerman & Ensign Fiona McCarthy & Ensign Azrael Vaux

5,731 words; about a 29 minute read

Mission: Die Hard: Chimera Edition (side posts)
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: Prior to Station Arrival

Azrael knew several things. 1) Fiona told him in no uncertain terms that if she were to get her birth control shot, HE had to go to sickbay with her: 2) She didn’t want him holding her hand as they walked; and 3) This was going to be very interesting as soon as they hit sickbay. He was quickly reminded of the ancient Chinese curse he’d heard of: ‘May you live in interesting times’, and this seemed like a prime candidate to test out that particular theory. He hadn’t had the proper opportunity the previous night to explain much about himself to Fiona, she hadn’t been much for talking.

There was a wistful smile on his face as he replayed the previous evening in his head, the process of learning how to play her body like a maestro on a fiddle, which wasn’t all that difficult when it came down to it, once you knew which buttons to push. How she looked when pushed to the edge, then over it time and time again. It had been a pity when she’d left for her quarters for the night, but he was certain she’d sleep very well. They usually did when he was done with someone.

“I promised I’d be here with you, here I am.” He said quietly to Fiona as they walked next to each other, “And if the Captain gives you too much shit for being late today, tell her to talk to me.” He raised a hand in pre-emptive defensiveness, “Not that I think you need my help, but I’ve known her far longer than you and I can get her off your back for certain things, this just happens to be one of them.”

Fiona just raised her eye brow. She was a little annoyed to come back to this dreadful place. Last time she was here, the doctor tried to get down her pants and wanted her to get naked. Fiona had declined both of her offers. But now she was here, and she knew she could face some crap from the doctor, because she did not seek permission to have extra curricular activities with another species without clearing it from medical first. Fiona knew that Trill's and Humans had mated in the past, so she had no doubt they would be compatible. "You here, because the doctor needs to make sure we are compatible. And as far as all that emotional shit, thanks," she said, trying to hide the fact, she liked the fact he was sentimental. But she was not going to let him know that.

“Trills and humans are one hundred percent compatible.” He remarked, “I know someone who is actually half human and Joined, though it’s a difficult pairing. What we’re here for is to get you on your birth control so we don’t have an accident.” He glanced down at her, “The doctor has had plenty of opportunity to make sure I’m on mine, it just isn’t as effective as both together.”

"Give me the strength not to strangle that woman." Fiona said, as she started to pray quickly. She needed to keep her composure. She took a few breaths, before looking at Azrael.

"She's not so bad." Azrael said with a slight smile, "This ship takes some getting used to, so do the people on it. No one is here of their own volition, really, so it's a lot of different personalities having to get along."

"She hit on me, and wanted me to get naked. She wanted to boink me. So ya, she is that bad!" Fiona said, not changing her opinion on how she felt about her first meeting with Kally.

The doors to sickbay slid open and Azrael instantly sent his eyes seeking Kally, because here was the really interesting part: he didn’t go to sickbay very often, and while his habits were generally known throughout a certain circle of people, that hadn’t gotten to Fiona yet, she was too new to the ship. finally he spotted the doctor after seeing the young Tialan intern and her boyfriend, giving them a nod of greeting. Of course, he’d already been spotted by her and he saw her bright face approaching.

"Good Morning, Sir!" Kally said, happily, walking up to him, jumping up and grabbing his shoulders, giving him a good solid kiss, then dropping back to her feet giving him a hug. Her smile faded a bit as she saw past his shoulder. "Hello, Ensign," Kally said, a bit less brightly, but no less politely. "What can I do for you?"

Fiona was furious. She could not believe this woman had the audacity to kiss him like that. But then she thought about it, was Azrael a player, did she get played. Her blood went hot with rage, as she tried to be calm. She expected Azrael to snap at the Doctor for kissing him. Especially around her.

Azrael’s eyes blazed for half a moment, but he waited for Fiona before his voice lowered to a soft growl as a sharp hand flicked out and smacked Kally on the ass, “That is not for here, Kally, I’m only ‘Sir’ in private, remember that. Or the punishment will be… More direct.”

"Sorry, Izzy," Kally said, her playful smile returning as she blew him a kiss. "So, as I was saying, what brings you two by?" Her eyes darted between them, trying to read their body language.

"This was a mistake. Nevermind, sorry to bother you." Fiona said, trying not to let her anger fester up. She should have never trusted Azrael. She now felt like a fool for doing so.

"Fiona, stop." Azrael's tone of voice changed to one that brooked no defiance from anyone as his hand went out to a pressure point under the redhead's arm and made her turn towards him, his eyes serious, "There are things you don't understand yet, because we haven't had a chance to talk about them." His voice grew softer, "After all, we met only yesterday, didn't we? We have moved pretty damned fast and you barely know me."

"I think that's the problem, Izzy," Kally said, folding her arms over her chest. "She doesn't know any of us, but she's already convinced of who we are."

"I don't want to be caught up in a lovers quarrel. You should have told me yesterday that you're banging the doctor." Fiona said, as she snapped around, eyes blood shot red with rage. She felt like a fool at this very moment.

"Okay, that's enough. My office, Ensign. Now," Kally ordered, pointing the way.

Fiona glared at her. "Is that an order Lieutenant?" Fiona asked, thinking to herself she should have never joined the ship. She wanted to flee from the area. Now she was caught in some sick fantasy of between the doctor and Azrael.

"Yes," Kally said. "Move, Ensign." She watched her go, then turned back. "You, grab a chair and wait for me," she said, pointing at Azrael. She turned on her heel and followed Fiona into her office. She closed the door behind her and sat down behind her desk, crossing her legs, folding her arms over her chest and glaring at Fiona. "Sit," she ordered.

Fiona was very defensive in stance, as she stayed near the doorway with her arms crossed. Deep down, she wondered what sick game she was in for today. First the Captain had her in a bikini and tried to sleep with her, then the Doctor wanted too. Was she trying to do the same thing today? Fiona was no slut. How dare they think she was.

"I told you to sit down, Ensign," Kally said. She didn't pull rank often, but her dander was up, and she wasn't in a playful mood anymore. She watched Fiona sit down slowly, the two women competing to see whose stare would immolate the other first.

"Why are you here, Ensign?" Kally said after a moment.

"Because you ordered me into the office." Fiona said, as she took a breath. Then went on to say. "Now that's been established, can I go now?" Fiona asked, as she tried to get up, but knew that Kally was going to start nagging her again. Fiona wanted no part of her sick delusional game.

"I don't mean my office, I mean this ship," Kally said. "The vast majority of this crew is not here by choice. We were sent here because of who we are and how we don't fit in, and given your general ire I'm guessing you punched someone you shouldn't have, or told off an Admiral, and now no one else will take you, so they sent you here. Am I in the ballpark?"

"To babysit this crew. Clearly I have my work cut out for me!" Fiona suggested, recalling her conversation with the Captain. But the joke was on the Admiral that assigned her to this ship. She was no snitch, and she was not a puppet either. She had no intention of being a babysitter.

"Clearly," Kally drawled. "So you pissed off enough people to be exiled here, brought along a chip on your shoulder the size of Rigel V, and now you're taking it out on us?"

"Don't even play the victim Doctor. You hit on me, and it was uncalled for. Then I made a up a story about the jerk out there, that we were dating to get you off my ass. And then it turns out he is playboy, screwing all the ladies on the ship. I heard how he talked to you, don't deny it." Fiona said, with fury in her eyes, she was still pissed. If Kally wanted to discuss this problem, she better be ready to face reality. Fiona was going to tell her how messed up this situation was.

Kally raised an eyebrow. "Izzy has not slept with 'all the ladies.'" She looked at her as she realized what the issue really was. "But you slept with him. Right after meeting him, hm?" She drummed her fingers on the table. "So, just so we're on the same page here...you're mad at me for flirting with you, and showing a genuine interest in you, and offering to show you a good time when met, but using him as an excuse when you had no real interest to begin with and them sleeping with him after meeting him was fine because....?"

"You jealous I went after him? Sounds like a you problem to fix, Doctor. Not a me problem. I can nor help you with your own jealously." Fiona said, thinking to herself, well this is awkward. She had no interest in Kally, at first she had no interest in Azrael, but that quickly changed, and she took a chance, and got burned by it. She was deep down jealous that Kally kissed the man she liked and had been screwing him. She allowed her guard to drop, and took a chance. A chance she was starting to regret.

Despite her anger and offense, Kally couldn't help but give a snort of laughter. "Ensign I don't care if you 'went after him.' You're welcome to him. He's my friend. I adore him because he's a sweetheart. But regardless of my physical attentions, my heart belongs to someone else and she and I are very secure in that. I think you and I have different perspectives on physical affection." She sighed and shook her head. "Ensign, I am sorry for being attracted to you, and I'm sorry that you feel it's my fault for having a past with the person you blindly jumped in bed with. I can't change either of those things. So, what is it you want me to do?"

Fiona wanted to yell out, 'not be you.' She took a deep breath. She gathered herself. "What I want, I want a man that does not think he is your dominatrix daddy barking out orders to you. I want a man not going to sleep with half of the ship just because he is so hot, why does he have to be so hot." Fiona started to say, as she started to recall his rock hard abs, and his impressive package from the night before. And that face, the beautiful face. And his soft delicate lips.

Kally would've done a spit take at the phrase "dominatrix daddy" had she been drinking something. "He is hot, I'll grant you," Kally said, nodding. "Fortunately, he's not so full of himself for being that way. And forgive me, but, you two are barely into a situationship, let alone anything else. Izzy and I are close, yes, and we have had a sexual relationship, yes. We're two consenting adults. If you can't accept that, don't date him. But don't get mad because people on this ship had lives before you arrived. That isn't fair to any of us. You either accept Izzy for who he is, and the friendships and other things he's established here, or you don't, and you move on to find someone who better suits you. You don't sit there and blame the rest of the universe for existing."

"So I am suppose to, according to you...accept the fact that you jump on him and plant him a kiss, and I should be okay with that. Despite the fact that we were intimate last night." Fiona asked, shaking her head in disbelief. That audacity of this lady, to make such a suggestion. "Were dating, not in a situationship, he insisted on it. I was going to trick you and the Captain, but it was his idea to date."

"Well that's lovely," Kally said. "And since I'd have had no way of knowing that, I kissed my friend because, unlike you, I'm more expressive with my feelings of affection. So yes, you're supposed to accept that I did something I had no reason not to do at the time. Just as I would have accepted it if you'd kissed him when you walked in."

"Friends don't do what you did. They don't. I can accept you are more expressive with your feelings, but I don't like it. I came here to get permission from you to keep sleeping with him. Since we are from two different species." Fiona said, feeling annoyed, but trying to keep her composure. "Maybe I overacted, but can you see my point of view on it?" Fiona asked, trying to have rational conversation with her.

"I'm trying," Kally said. "But you're point of view seems a bit colored by your unbridled hatred for me." She leaned forward and folded her hands on her desk. "And if you think friends don't kiss, you don't have the right friends. And you are going to really have a hard time accepting other friendships on this ship. I'm not saying you have to suddenly be kissy kissy with everyone, but you really don't have any place telling other people how they should show affection. And if you want permission to keep seeing Izzy, you have it, provided he's willing."

"I was asking professionally not personally for your permission. And no in my experience to include the academy. Friends don't typically kiss, maybe they do on the Chimera, but as a whole I have never seen it outside this ship." Fiona said, feeling a little aggressive and attacked. She took a deep breath. "I am willing to concede the fact I may have over reacted but it was his insistence that we date for real, or relationship. I took a chance, and now I feel like a fool. Is that what you want to hear Doctor?"

"No," Kally said, wearily, "it isn't. And I gave you my professional permission, not my personal permission. And as for the academy..." she shook her head. "Never mind. Ensign, if you and Izzy are now an item, I will, of course, respect that. I hope it works out for you." She stood up and walked to the door, opening it. "Good luck," she said, simply.

"I open up and now your kicking me out." She started to think, there was something serious wrong with this crew, and the doctor was no exception to the rule. She loved how the Doctor skipped over the fact, that she felt like a fool. But maybe this situation was to much for her to handle, now that it was serious. She stood up, and started to walk towards the door.

"If by 'opening up', you mean 'continued to snipe at and shame me'," Kally said. "Then okay. And I'm tired of fighting a war you're determined I lose. You've wanted out since you got here. I'm not kicking you out, I'm letting you out. So make up your mind, Ensign. Do you want to talk or do you want to go?"

"I don't understand your situationship with him. Clearly there is more to the story than I am made aware of. I am sorry, I did not look at it from your perspective. I am big enough to admit, I overreacted when it came to you, in regards to Ensign Azrael Vaux." Fiona said, as she attempted an olive branch to Kally.

Kally kept her arms folded defensively but stepped back inside her office, letting the doors close. She walked over to her couch and sat down, crossing her legs. "Apology accepted," she said, finally. She looked up at Fiona. "If I were you, I'd apologize just as sincerely to him as well."

Fiona listened to what she said, she thought about it for a moment, then shook her head no calmly. "That is a whole other problem. You did not know our situation or what happened the night before but he knew and allowed it to happen. That is harder to get over. I admit that I overreacted with you. But he could have prepped me earlier, telling me about you. We spent the night together last night and woke up together. Instead he allowed you to jump all over him. Right in front of me. Hard thing to over look."

"He didn't 'allow' it," Kally said, "I was just being impulsive. That's like someone 'allowing' someone else to accidentally bump into them." She sighed. "If you insist on making this an issue, I don't think it's going to work out well for you."

She had not considered that he did not allow it. She made an assumption based on her own personal bias against Kally in the moment. She felt guilty about that. "Maybe your right, but I felt there was something there last night between us." Fiona said, feeling a little defeated. She hated being vulnerable. But she could not change her nature of being jealous.

"No one is saying there wasn't," Kally said. "Literally the only person in this equation who was upset over you two is you. And forgive the irony of me saying this, but relationships take work. You need to build trust, communication and understanding. You are fubar-ing all three so far. So I would suggest you stop looking to blame me for the ills of the universe, and focus on whether or not you really want a relationship to continue."

"I would disagree, on the three. I agreed that I over reacted in relation to your actions regarding Vaux. It's not your fault. I should have seen that was normal for the two of you. For that I am sorry. I just don't know how to process your dynamic with him and mine. I think its clear to say I am not comfortable and jealous. He slapped your ass in front of me."

"That was also unexpected," Kally said. "And admittedly looks bad to the uninitiated. But, that's part of our dynamic, and was not meant as a slight against you."

"I am not sure what to do, at some point we should talk to him." Fiona said, feeling a little more relaxed. She was not really upset at her, she was an innocent bystander. However Azrael was another story. She was not sure if she could accept the Kally/Izzy dynamic in its current form.

"That would be the 'communication' part,' Kally said, dryly. "He's right outside," she said, gesturing to the door.

"Yes he is. You may have picked up on the fact that communication is not my strong suit. Especially when emotions are involved. Maybe I should study on Vulcan an purge all emotions." Fiona said jokingly.

"Well, before you try purging your emotions, maybe come to terms with them," Kally said. "You react to things swiftly and you don't actually stop to let your emotions catch up and settle down. Maybe take a little time to see how you actually feel about him and the situation in general."

"As a general rule, I definitely need an improvement on that. However, I am not understanding about you and I want my key or anyone else tell me that I am. I've owned up to my mistakes. My biggest mistake was letting my guard down. That's on me." Fiona pointed out to Kally. She could only blame herself for getting into this mess.

"Letting your guard down isn't a mistake any more than keeping it up is. It's a chance, and we all take them," Kally said. "When I was in secondary school, I was chasing this absolutely gorgeous boy. Tall, muscular, chiseled, a voice so deep it came from his toes." She purred at the memory. "Total sweetheart, and one night at a party, we were a little loosened up and I finally landed him. It was a great night, and afterwards I figured maybe we'd do dinner, or see a soccer game, do some double dating..." she shrugged. "Never got past that night. One great night was all we were destined for. Sometimes? That happens. There's nothing wrong with it. Some people have brief chemistry and walk away with a good memory."

Fiona thought about what Kally was trying to tell her, but she was not thinking double dates, she was thinking how foolish and reckless she had been. "I'm going to pass on the double date, but you're right, Doctor. I need to work on me first. I should not be chasing men on the Chimera." Fiona said, thinking, how could she be so dumb. So naive. She did not know Azrael Vaux. Things happened way too fast, and she got in way over her head. She needed to take a step back and re evaluate the decisions that lead her to this moment.

She can't keep going from one dramatic decision to the next, she'll never find balance that way. She needed to find balance and right now she could not do that. She knew could not find balance with Azrael. She could not balance her own life. Fiona was now lost in her own thoughts.

Kally let her marinate for a moment, then cleared her throat. "Ensign, whatever you decide, do it with kindness. Kindness towards Izzy, and towards yourself. Act in such a way that when you wake up tomorrow, you can look everyone in the eye, including you."

"I'll keep that in mind, Doctor." Fiona said, as she looked down at her hands, resting on her lap. "I'm sure I know what I need to do next, I am just not sure how to do it, without making it seem out of spite." Fiona said, not able to make eye contact with Kally. The doctor had a point, she had to live with her decision. The decision felt heavy. Important decisions are always hard, she knew that. She took a couple deep breaths.

"You do it face-to-face," Kally said, ticking off the points on her fingers. "You do it quickly and cleanly. Don't use ten words when five will do, and be honest about why without sounding like you're blaming someone."

"Five words, let me guess...it's not you it's me!" Fiona said, with a sly cheeky smirk. She could help herself. What she said was absurd and would never work. She waited for Kally's response.

Kally shrugged one shoulder. "Nothing I haven't said," she said. "But I'm sure you'll find a more eloquent way to put it." She stood up and draped her hands behind her back. "Good luck, Ensign."

"Thanks." Fiona said as she stood up to follow Kally out of her office. Her knees felt weak, and her body light. But she was going to pull this awkward moment. She focused on her steps and breathing, trying to compose herself for her inevitable encounter with Azrael.

As the door to Kally's office opened, Azrael briefly considered whether to practice nonchalance at their reappearance or not. In that moment, which had also been given several seconds of thought a few minutes before, he decided that he'd do what he intended to do: he stood, coming into an 'at-ease' position with his feet shoulder-width apart, hands clasped behind him by the time the first of them exited. It had been several minutes and while he had an idea of what the discussion could have been, there was no idea how it actually had gone.

Kally walked up to him and said, calmly, "Ensign McCarthy and I had a good talk, and things are better. She'd like to talk with you now if you don't mind."

"Of course," Azrael said in a measured tone, one intended to not give away anything in his own thoughts, "Should we use your office? Or is it going to be one that... Won't be controversial?"

"That's up to her," Kally said. "I think she's calmed down enough, but if you two would like privacy, you're welcome to use it." She leaned in and muttered, "don't do anything I would do." She patted his shoulder and walked over to a nearby station to get some busy work done.

Fiona was not sure what to make of this situation. Her knees were still weak, as she her stomach felt heavy, and she was still a little light headed. "I prefer to stay out here." Fiona said, as braced herself near a bio bed. She tried not to show how she feeling, by allowing her pride to hide some of the discomfort she was feeling. She looked down at her feet, not wanting to make eye contact with him. Part of her wanted to smack him, and she was resisting the urge.

"Perfectly fine by me." Azrael said cautiously, unsure of what was about to be said. Clearly it wasn't going to be good, at least given her body language. He started to reach out towards her, but stopped. He wanted to see her eyes, to lift her chin to make her make eye contact. But that wasn't his burden to bear.

"I'm not sure what to say to you." Fiona said, as she kept the anger in her. Trying not to let fester to long inside her. She could feel the rage building up. She gripped the bio bed tightly, still looking down. "What am I suppose to say to the guy who slept with me last night, then turns around and slaps another woman's ass , and don't get me started on the sir comment." She managed to say in a calm tone, he tone may have sounded calm, but the fire in her tone would burn through his soul.

Kally's throat clearing rang through Sickbay like a gunshot. She didn't look over but the message was clear that tempers were to be kept in check. She wasn't about to watch all the progress they just made go out the window.

Fiona glanced over at Kally, looking her in the eyes, practically telling her this was her calm. She was trying, but it was not easy. She was really upset at him, and seeing him was only upsetting her. But she was trying.

"Which I haven't had a chance to explain to you." His voice was calmness personified, despite the frustration at the anger in her voice. She probably wasn't even aware it was in there, "Let me ask you this: Did you enjoy last night at least? Even now, in hindsight?"

Fiona could not believe the nerve of this guy. Trying to appeal to her sexual side. In her eyes last night had nothing to do with this morning or his conduct. He made a decision to to smack her ass, and to be some sort of sexual deviant to Kally. This could not be forgiven. "Last night does not erase, what you did this morning." Fiona made very clear to him, as her tone increased briefly in response to his question.

"I can't explain out here in the open." Azrael tried to reason, "But would that even matter if I did?" He asked, trying to be honest about everything with her.

"It did happen, right in front of me, maybe for the Trill species that is okay to do. Human's, mainly this human does not like the guy she is suppose to be dating smacking other girls and doing god knows what with her in private.." Fiona said, as she looked up with blood shot red eyes, holding back tears. She was very angry at him, despite her tone being calm like in nature.

"It's a dynamic between me and her, as she said." His eyes flickered over towards where Tessa and Henry were focused on something, then Erika running a diagnostic on a biobed, "It's a relationship that isn't precisely a relationship. It's... Complicated and not something that can be thrown away as if it's trash. I can try to explain it if you'd like."

Fiona vigorously shook her head no. As she took a moment before saying. "No need, your free to do whatever you want." Fiona said, as she looked over to the others that he was just looking at. In her eyes, she was going to end this nightmare.

He sighed sadly, reaching out to cup Fiona's cheek gently, "I'm sorry, then. It could have been fun, could have worked, but it would take someone willing to listen." His voice was soft, pleasant, no recriminations.

She smacked his hand away gently. "Don't touch me. I am not one of your call girls." Fiona said, as she also took a step back. She thought to herself, wrong move asshole. She wondered how she could have not seen this side of him previously. She could only think, that she did not want to see it. She wondered if this was common behavior with Trill's or was this his sick perversion fantasy. A fantasy she was not going to partake in.

Kally saw the look on Izzy's face from having his hand slapped away and immediately walked over to get between them. She saw Henry turn towards them as well, but subtly held up a hand to keep him back. The last thing she needed was him getting slapped and Tessa turning it into a bloodbath. "You've said your piece, Ensign," she said, quietly. "But I'm not going to have a brawl start in my Sickbay." She looked at each of them as she spoke, not giving blame to one more than the other. "Both of you are to report to your quarters and remain there until you can guarantee that you remain civil in passing going forward."

"I was being civil, he thought it was okay to touch me. He did not ask. He assumed I am going to be okay with what he did. Sorry Doctor, if he puts his hands on me without my consent, I will defend myself. And to be fair, I barely smacked his hand away." Fiona said, in her defense, as she looked over to Kally. She believed, she was holding back on purpose. She was annoyed at his demeanor, making her seem unreasonable, for his actions. The nerve of this man.

“It’s fine.” Azrael said quietly.

"My comments were directed at both of you," Kally said, keeping her voice low. "This has gone far enough, and I'm not letting it escalate further." She looked at Azrael. "Izzy, go back to your quarters, please. I think the Ensign has made it clear she doesn't want further discussion."

Azrael closed his eyes and exhaled deeply, willing the tension to leave himself, then opened them again. Only someone who knew him well would know that everything was still pent up inside him, “I believe you’re right, ma’am.” He said softly, then turned back to Fiona, “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry, for everything.” He nodded and left before there could be any response.

Kally watched him go and when the doors closed, looked at Fiona. "Can I trust you to go to your quarters and cool down?"

"I have a meeting in 30 minutes with the First Officer, so I promise to go there and take a quick vibe shower and report to him." Fiona said, feeling relieved that Azrael Vaux had left the area. "Thank you for listening, and trying. Sorry again for getting mad at you. It was not right of me." Fiona said, hoping she did not take that as a cue to hit on her again. She had to much attention thrown her way over the past twenty four hours.

"We'll work on your temper another time, Ensign," Kally said. "Get going to your quarters."

Fiona was relieved it was over, at least for the moment. She felt defeated, but in a small way she felt that she had the closing she needed. She could move on, and rebuild. She started to head towards the doors, recalling what had happened to her. When she thought about it, it did not seem possible. If she had not gone through it, she was not sure she would have believed herself, on how chaotic things were the last 24 hours. Fiona walked through the doors, getting ready to take her vibe shower. She left sickbay, feeling defeated and accomplished all in one.

Kally watched her go and sighed. One wrong gear and the whole machine can break. She didn't like the feeling this was giving her.

 

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