Elaine scrolled down the screen of her PADD, eyes scanning the tantalizing lines with interest as she poked at her breakfast.

Gar took T'Vinn's hand in his, caressing it gently. It was by all means extremely improper, not to mention illicit.

Her face burst forth with warmth, hotter than the sun that bore down upon them. Her heart pounded on her side. Despite her impassive expression, she felt a familiar heat crawl through her veins.

They were hidden away from the rest of the landing party, nestled like birds between the edges of the boulders.

Nobody could see them.

Nobody could hear them.

T'Vinn's was fighting a war between logic and emotion within herself. Logic told her to pull her hand away from the handsome human but...she simply found she had no reason to.

Oddly—or not so oddly—it was logical to be near him.

Her mind, which had been as tumultuous as a storm cloud, was now still like the watery surface of a cool, placid lake. She was drawn to his dynamic eyes and the way he watched her.

It was too much and not enough at the same time,

She placed her fingertips on his reddened cheek and firmly but gently pulled him down to her—-

"Good morning, Elaine!"

Elaine was quickly jolted back into reality, nearly dropping her PADD.

Miram pulled out a chair, plopping herself next to her. She had a bowl of oatmeal with replicated blueberries and a glass of orange juice.

"Morning to you both," Ch'Zynes sat down on her left, carrying a tray of something blue and slimy. "What are you reading?"

She tried to cover her PADD with her arm but it was too late. "Oh, you know. Reports."

"Morning." Jenner greeted them. "What's this?"

Jenner picked up her PADD, his eyes scrolling through the page she was reading. She could feel herself blushing when his eyes widened when he got to 'that' particular part.

"This is so anatomically incorrect," he stated, but continued to read with fascination. "How does that position even work—"

"Give me that!" Elaine snatched the PADD away from his hands.

"Wait a second," Ch'Zynes narrowed his eyes. "Is that..."

"It is not!" She turned it off. "Now, shoo!"

Miram reached over her shoulder and turned it back on. "Hey, I know this. My roommate at the academy used to read the Galactic Heart series. I loved the fourth novel, although it wasn't as spicy as the rest."

Elaine felt a little bit of her sanity shrivel up and die.

"Don't you people have work to do?" She said, taking an angry bite of her cereal. "Privacy is a right under federation law!"

Ch'Zynes looked delighted at how red her face became. "I didn't take you for the bodice ripper type." He grinned. "Or for you to have an inter species kink."

"Who has an inter species kink?" Dr. Nitu sat down next to Jenner, munching on a protein bar.

Ch'Zynes smiled slyly. "Elaine."

"Listen, my mother had spent a good majority of her life researching different kinds of species, humanoid and otherwise. Nothing could surprise me anymore." She patted her on the back. "Good for you. I'm glad you're broadening your horizons."

Jenner huffed in faux annoyance as the Orion scientist leaned over to peer at the contents. Her brown eyes lit up in recognition, a mischievous twinkle that rivaled her own.

"Do not." Elaine warned.

Nitu said nothing, just gave her a look that could've meant 'I know you're secret' to 'we're totally going to talk about this later.'

"Morning, y'all." Garett decided to make his entrance, sitting down with a whole bowl of fruit. "Did I miss anything?"

Ch'Zynes poked at his blue slimy meal. "Oh nothing, just discussing the Lieutenant's interesting taste in literature."

Elaine rolled her eyes. "If you don't wipe that grin off your face, I'll rip your antenna off and—"

Ch'Zynes just grinned wider.

"Why are you guys crowding around me?" She grouched, shoving her PADD back into her bag. "Don't you have friends?"

"I thought we were your friends," Jenner intoned cooly. He raised her eyebrow.

Elaine ignored the warm, fuzzy feelings the gentle giant brought out in her. Jenner along with her new collective of ensigns were the only ones on this ship who weren't ignoring her completely.

"You're the exception." She said, "Not the rule."

"I call cowshit." Ch'Zynes stabbed his breakfast. "I got beat up by smugglers for you."

Elaine wanted to correct him, technically they were more like pirates.

Nitu cleared her throat. "Z, I thinks it's pronounced 'bullshit.'"

His antena twitched. "I've been saying it wrong for two months and you correct me now."

She shrugged, her raven curls bouncing.

"Questionable literary choices aside," Garret leaned in. "Did you guys hear the news?"

"What news?" Miram said through a mouthful of food.

"Chew and swallow, Tauri." Elaine passed her a napkin out of habit.

Nitu twirled a strand of her curly dark hair, her ruby red lips painted into a smile. "Lieutenant Appar is transferring out."

"The head of the Archeology and Anthropology department?" Miram tilted her head. "Did someone poach him?"

Elaine knew what everyone else was thinking. She wasn't a mind reader by any means but she knew that the Athena had a reputation for taking the screw ups of starfleet.

The ship had a lot of names; The USS Screwball, USS Last Chance, The Ship of Lost Dreams, The ship of Loser, and The Bucket of Bolts, etc.

The list went on.

Getting on the ship is one thing but getting it off to further your career...that's a whole thing nobody talked about.

Especially the captain.

She groaned internally, knowing she'll have to deal with Captain Solmani's mood today.

"I heard him talking about it this morning," Nitu continued, "Apparently he's going to the USS Farragut."

Jenner whistled. "That is impressive."

Elaine pushed her breakfast tray away, her appetite gone. "For him, sure. For us...we're already struggling with border patrols and colony support. Where are we going to find new recruits? We can't just pull them out of our ass."

"Now that would make an impressive read," Jenner said.

She resisted the urge to push his head down into his oatmeal.

+++

"Captain on the Bridge!"

Solmani exited the turbolift to find his bridge crew standing up at their stations for him.

Cortez was already there, a PADD in her hand that no doubt contained a list of names for the upcoming shore leave. He would obviously be going down first since Dr Osler insisted that he 'take a break' or spend two days in sickbay in a medical induced coma.

He wasn't fond of the old doctor, finding his endless optimism grating but he did fix him up when indulged on a little too much Saurian brandy. Dr Osler swore to never tell anyone, even Admiral Grey and for that, Solmani could keep his mouth shut and agree for a mandatory shore leave. Maybe he'll go to a spa or something just to say he's relaxed enough.

He winced as he sat down in the captains chair, his knees protesting a little bit.

"Morning, Captain." Cortez handed him the PADD.

"Miss Cortez," he said. "How's my ship?"

"You mean our ship?" She grinned as he signed off on the rosters with an irritable flourish. "She's leaking some plasma. One of the coils was damaged during Ivor Prime."

Solmani nodded. "And our other problem?"

She lowered her voice. "He's determined, I'm afraid. We're glad for him but..."

"Yeah, I get it." He pulled up the transfer request for Lieutenant Appar.

The young tellarite looked up at him from the picture on his PADD, silently asking to let him go.

His absence would mean that his A&A department would have nobody to lead them. The three ensigns were fresh out of the academy by a few months, temporarily assigned to the Athena before they too would be transferred out to bigger and better ships.

He picked up the stylus and signed off, effectively cutting off any link the young lieutenant had with the Athena for good.

"Did you talk to Admiral Gray?" She asked.

He sighed, his headache threatening to come back. "He said he'll look into it. I doubt it'll be worth anything."

Cortez didn't say anything. Sometimes he was glad she was the only one on this ship that understood him.

"Ensign Barret," he called out. "I need a ship wide hail."

"Aye, Captain."

Solmani read the message from Admiral Grey. Given the events of Ivor Prime, they needed repairs. Admiral Gray must've been in a good mood because he allowed a two day visit to the nearest starbase.

The shipwide whistle sounded. The lower decks would be hearing him loud and clear.

"Attention all crew members, this is the captain speaking." Solmani said, using his 'captain's voice' as Cortez liked to call it. "We are currently en route to Starbase 12 near the for repairs from our encounter at Ivor Prime. We will be docked for two days. Any personnel who wish to take shore leave will consult with their respective department heads. We are estimated to reach there in 10 standard hours. That is all. Solmani out."

He sat back in his chair, watching the stars.

With his announcement, he was certain the crew would be buzzing with activity. Being cooped up in a spaceship for months on end would drive anyone crazy.

He took a scan of his bridge, noticing each of his officers working quietly.

Cortez was at the science officer station, talking quietly with a young lieutenant.

His eyes fell on Lieutenant D'Auerville who was diligently charting stars, adding them to the stellar cartography maps. She hadn't seemed phased by the captain's announcement of shore leave like the others were.

He cleared his throat, catching Cortez's eye.

She tilted her head, lips drawn down into a confused frown. He nodded towards Lieutenant D'Auerville with his chin and something akin to realization lit up in her dark eyes.

"Any plans for shore leave, Captain?" She asked loudly.

There was some chatter on the bridge. Nothing too serious. He pretended he couldn't hear his crew talking about their plans for shoreleave.

He cleared his throat and his crew returned to work, this time talking a little bit more quietly.

"Nothing more than usual. I might stretch my legs a bit. You?"

She pretended to think for a second. "I do need to buy Christmas gifts. I'd rather have them early than later."

He turned in his chair. "What about you, Barret?"

The communications officer looked up shyly, one hand on his head set. "I'm not sure yet, sir."

"That's a shame." He said. "What about you D'Auerville?"

He saw her stiffen as her hand reached for the control panel, her back becoming rigid. She didn't even turn to answer him.

"I have no intention of taking any leave, sir."

He caught Cortez's eyes again. He shrugged and She shook her head at him, returning back to her station.

===

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"I don't know why you're disagreeing." Ch'Zynes looked at the results again, eyes narrowing. "What's the worse that could happen?"

Miram huffed, wiping her hands with a cloth.

The control panel in front of her was in pieces, its circuits were fried when they were attacked by the smugglers. Now she had to go through and meticulously fix it.

Haley had given her several things to do and she suspected he would rather work her through shoreleave.

She had to calibrate thrusters, fix the fried control panels on Deck 6, redirect the plasma flow to stabilize the failing plasma coil, and then scan the warp core because it 'sounded funny' to Haley. And then there were the minor repairs.

It's not that she didn't like working. She was actually loving it. Four years in the academy prepared her for this and she wasn't going to lose out on gaining valuable experience because the work was too hard.

Miram didn't know why she felt so unsatisfied. Haley didn't give her any compliments or encouragement but the other engineers did.

As far as she was concerned, she was doing an adequate job.

But perhaps that was the problem. Adequate wasn't enough for her.

"I'm not seeing anything strange in the data," ch'Zynes handed her the torch. "Warp core is normal as far as I can tell. No fluctuations , no new particles, and no breach of the antimatter containment unit."

She huffed, sliding out from underneath the control panel.

"Haley isn't going to be satisfied with that. He wanted an update on it every two hours."

"Then we'll scan it again." He said. "And again and again and again until he's satisfied."

"Thanks for helping me out."

"I disarmed a bomb and got beaten up for you." He offered her a hand to help her stand up. "It seems I'm stuck with you, Tauri."

"That is the nicest thing you've said."

She dusted herself off.

The control panel was back online and the crystal circuits were no longer fried. Now she just had a billion other things to do.

The joy of being an engineer. Something always needed fixing.

"As I was saying earlier," ch'Zynes sat down in the chair in front of the control panel. "We should definitely visit a bar. I need something that isn't synthetic for once."

Miram rolled up her tool belt, tucking it away in the pocket of her pants. She fidgeted with the rag in her hands, pulling at the loose strings.

"Wait." He twisted around. "Have you never been to a bar before?"

"Of course I have!"

"Then?"

"I've been a few times but only if other people were going. I didn't exactly fit in with the crowd so yeah, not many goings to the bar." She admitted. "I guess I was worried about other things in the academy."

"That settles it then." He laughed. "We'll go. You, me, and the others if they're willing. I'll even buy you a drink."

"That is tempting."

"So that's a yes?" He asked expectantly. "There's a Cardassian Sunrise with your name on it."

Miram huffed, knowing she was losing a battle.

Academy life was fun and interesting...until it wasn't and she was grounded for six whole months.

Vulcans had a saying. Regrets are illogical. But Miram knew that her humanity wouldn't allow her to forget.

"Fine." She said, "I'll finish my duties and ask Haley for shore leave."

Ch'Zynes walked in step with her, his blue eyes lit up with a glimmer or excitement.

"I thought you'd put up more of a fight?"

"With you, I have a hard time saying no. Besides, I always wanted to try a Cardassian Sunrise."

***

Elaine feels her irritation grating on her, making her skin feel prickly and her tongue heavy in her mouth.

The holographic message on her PADD might've as we'll be written in blood.

'Darling, it's me.

I heard you'll be in the sector and I've arranged for you to meet the son of a colleague.

He's very excited to meet you, darling. I've taken the liberty to book the Le Etoile.

You skipped the last two times so you must attend this time.

Do promise me you won't scare him away with talk of your 'space adventures.'

Love, mother.

P.S. Don't show up in uniform. It makes your hair look ghastly.

Her mother had looked the same since the last time she saw her. Pristine clothes, dyed red hair in a complicated updo, and a vibrant shade of mauve decorating her thin lips. She was smiling but Elaine couldn't feel a single bit of warmth that her mothers voice contained.

Many had told her that she looked remarkably like her mother.

Maybe. When she was 30 years younger and didn't change her entire face on a whim.

If she was stronger, she would've snapped the PADD in half and chucked it out of the space lock.

Instead she tucked it away, feeling its weight in her pocket.

She stepped into the turbo lift as the beta shift came out, chattering quietly as they made it to their stations.

"Computer, deck 6."

"Hold it!" Cortez slipped past an ensign and got in. A strand of her neat bun coming out of place. "Thanks, Lieutenant."

Elaine shuffled to the side. "Anytime, Commander."

Commander brushed a strand of her hair back. She offered a small smile to Elaine who returned a slightly strained one in return.

She didn't dislike Commander Cortez. Elaine respected her immensely. She was one of the few people who didn't judge her for her name.

But right now, she wants to be alone.

"So, Lieutenant," she started. "Still haven't changed your mind about shoreleave?"

Elaine resisted the urge to sigh. "No, Ma'am."

"Cmon, Lieutenant. Surely you have something to do? It's the first shoreleave we've had since that incident on starbase 8."

She looked down at her PADD. The screen was off but she knew that the words were still there.

"I have to meet someone," Elaine tugged at her sleeve.

Commander Cortez nodded. "That's good. I'll add you to the roster."

"I'd appreciate that, Ma'am."

"You know, Lieutenant. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were avoiding me," She leaned back against the wall, crossing her arms. "I know the last few months have been difficult—"

Elaine snorted. "That's an understatement."

Commander Cortez continued. "—But one day, if you get assigned to a better ship, I don't want you to regret your time here on the Athena. There's more to Starfleet than the motto you know."

The turbo lift slowed down much to her relief.

"I'll...consider your words, Ma'am."

"Good." Cortez stepped out. "Enjoy shore leave, Lieutenant."

The door shut again, leaving Elaine alone with her thoughts.

She sighed. "Computer, sickbay."

***

Tobin took a sip of his whiskey, relishing in its burn as it went down his throat.

The small bar and restaurant that they squeezed into was slightly packed, a group of ensigns from the USS Archer were there too.

Jenner and Nitu were already there, talking animatedly with a woman on science blues about something sciency.

He noticed Jenner shifting a little close to Nitu, staring down a pair of men who were eyeing the Orion with a not so innocent look in their eyes. Nitu was oblivious to their stares along with Jenner crowding against her side.

'Interesting,' he thought.

Miram sat next to him, munching on a plate of fries and sipping her very pink Cardassian Sunrise. Her drink was a bright mash of tequila and Cardassian rum that created a hue so pink that it was almost neon.

It was strange how a lone Cardassian trader was able to introduce a wildly popular drink within federation borders before getting offed by one of his rivals.

The bar, despite being in space, felt very Terran. It was nothing like the dive bars he visited when he was a young and reckless cadet.

His time at the academy was spent mostly studying with his friends pulling him out for a fair bit of partying after the final exams were done.

Bars weren't unfamiliar to him.

"That guy is looking at you." Miram nudged him with her elbow lightly.

He took another sip. "Which one?"

She made a subtle look back, pretending to fix her curly hair. "The one in the science officer blues. Brunette, pretty eyes, nice jawline."

Tobin chuckled into his drink. "What should I do about it?"

Miram popped a fry into her mouth. "Talk to him. He's been staring for the last five minutes."

"Nah."

She raised an eyebrow. "You know I won't mind if you want to go over to him. I could always call Garret over."

He considered it for just a second before pushing the thought out of his mind. It wasn't uncommon for Starfleet officers to hook up with each other, on and off duty. Being stuck in a ship with three hundred plus people left very little options.

The last relationship went up in flames the moment he got kicked off his previous ship.

"I'm not really into hooking up right now." He said.

There was a commotion on the other side of the bar, drawing everyone's attention.

"What's that?" Miram asked, whipping around.

Ch'Zynes polished off his drink, following her gaze. "Nothing good, that's for sure."

He soon found the source of the commotion.

A lone Vulcan sat on a bar stool, a glass of water in front of her. The two idiots from earlier were harassing her.

She looked classically Vulcan with her pointed ears, long dark hair all the way down to her waist, and dark eyes lined in thick kohl. Her skin was pale, almost like light jade.

Tobin noticed her bright colored clothes, styled similar to those from earth. The Vulcans he had seen preferred their traditional robes and shades of earth tones. She looked like a Terran cardinal in a field of show, similar to the ones he's seen on Christmas cards from earth.

Though her face was impassive, he felt irritated on her behalf.

He's dealt with enough creeps at a bar who wanted to spend the night with someone 'exotic.' He felt his lip curl up in disgust just thinking about it.

"What a bunch of irritating asswipes." He grumbled underneath his breath.

"Yeah." Miram finished sipping the remnants of her drink and placed it down. "You're right, Z. They are irritating."

He sighed. "Miram, no."

"It's not right, Z." She said.

He tried to grab her arm but she slipped from his grasp. Tobin could only watch as her tiny figure snaked through the crowd and made her way over to the two men.

"Your attempts to elicit a reaction from me are futile." The Vulcan woman said in an even voice, flawlessly emotionless. "I am uninterested in you and your baseless 'offer.' Please desist."

"C'mon." The drunk man leaned against the bar, trying to grab her hand. "You're such a frigid b—"

Miram stepped in between him, leveling him with a glare. Her hand encircled his wrist.

"So much for a peaceful night." He sighed, looking up at the bartender. "You should probably alert security."

Tobin downed his drink and leapt off his stool. He made eye contact with Jenner as he passed him.

"We left that sort of bigotry in the 22nd century," she said. "Or did you get the memo a century late?"

Tobin brushed past the two men. One of them, who was a little less drunk than the other, realized that while Tobin was shorter than him, he was Andorian and would definitely knock him on his ass. Of course Tobin wasn't above fighting. His dad has trained him in the martial arts, hoping he would join the imperial guard.

He stared the both of them down, ensuring that he was willing to finish this.

"What my friend is trying to say is that you need to piss off before security arrives." He raised his chin at Garret who was glaring at the men over the rim of his martini. "Unless of course, you want to start something."

The both of them starred the two men down, everyone in the bar watching for who would throw the first punch.

After a tense few seconds, the less drunk man grabbed his friend's shoulder and pulled him away, muttering something xenophobic underneath his breath.

"Yeah! You better walk away!" Miram exclaimed.

He really shouldn't have let her have that third cardassian sunrise.

"Miram, please." Tobin sighed, holding onto her shoulders so she wouldn't fall over. "Not in front of the Vulcan."

"I'm T'Lera, daughter of Siv. Your assistance was not necessary," T'Lera said. "But I thank you for defending me."

"It's only logical to defend yourself from xenophobic bigots." Tobin said, leaning against the bar. "Especially drunk ones who don't know what the word 'no' means."

She tilted her head. "Explain."

"Well..." he glanced at Miram. "People like that will always try to hurt people they think are weak."

Miram gaped at him. "Did you call me weak?"

"Oh, please. I'm admiring your bravery."

"It doesn't sound like that."

T'Lera raised an eyebrow. "Tell me. What is the logic in placing oneself in harm's way? I fail to see the success that this action brings forth."

Miram shrugged. "You're right. But how can I just sit back and watch. I don't like bullies, especially ones who think they can get away with anything."

"Your intentions are admirable. However, it is noble but it is also foolish." She said, "If you wish to defend others you must first be able to defend yourself. If it were not for your..." she glanced at Tobin, "friend, the statistical chance of success was below 10.3 percent."

Tobin grinned at Miram's sheepish expression.

Oh, he liked this one.

"Tobin ch'Zynes." He said.

"I'm Miram Tauri," she said, offering a customary ta'al. "It's nice to meet you."

"Greetings." T'Lera offered her the ta'al. "You are from Starfleet. May I enquire about the starship you are assigned to."

***

Elaine was debating if she should hide underneath the table or make a run for it when her date ordered another glass of wine.

"...Of course, I was able to regain our losses. It's not everyday a supply ship drifts into Klingon territory but with a little ingenuity and some well placed connections I was able to strike a deal with them and get our ship back..."

Elaine took his story with a grain of salt.

If this guy had ever met real Klingons, he'd run in the opposite way crying. Elaine had faced them in actual battle as their ships nearly tore hers into shreds.

The man in front of her was a son of her mothers friend. And by friend...she means business associate.

Ugh.

He was a tall man with an olive complexion. His eyes were green and she could smell the hair gel that emanated from his dark slicked back hair.

Elaine picked up her glass of water and took a dainty sip, focusing on the way a strand of his loose hair bobbed as he spoke animatedly.

He had asked her nothing the entire time. All he did was talk about him and his success and his career and his future plans with her.

Perhaps he was invested in trying to make her feel comfortable by filling the awkward space she had created. Or maybe he'd been on so many hopeless dates arranged by his parents that he was clueless.

She had given him the benefit of the doubt until...

"So when do you plan on quitting Starfleet?"

"Pardon?"

He seemed oblivious to the hard line of her mouth.

"Well, you know." He tilted his head. "Your mother said you'll quit. That's why I agreed to this whole meeting."

Elaine wanted to swap her glass of wine for something stronger.

"I'm not quitting," she stated firmly.

"Oh." He swirled the wine in his glass. "I don't understand. After that whole incident, your career is in ruins. What's the point of staying if you don't have any advancement?"

Elaine put down her glass and leaned forward, ignoring the shrill sound of her mothers voice in her head about etiquette.

Her mother would never stop nagging her. Damn it all.

"You wanna say what you really mean?"

He grinned, amused by her attitude. "I just don't see the point of marrying someone who's in Starfleet? Especially someone who had nothing to their name except their parents' influence."

What. A. Prick.

Elaine swallowed back her words, knowing that it would do her no favors.

Her reputation was in tatters, her career even more so. She had nobody to depend upon. And yet here she was with this rich Asshole who thinks he knows better than her.

"Listen," he said. "Your family might have cut you off but you have their name. I'm the heir to my family fortune and I've made a name for myself. We're a perfect match."

Yeah right!

"I never said I wanted to marry you."

"Then why are you here?"

"Same thing as you." She said, "Obligation."

"So the rumors are true then?"

She grit her teeth. She preferred it when he was talking about himself.

"What rumors?"

"Oh, you know." He waved his hand. "The ones about you buying your way into Starfleet..." he glanced down at the outfit she was wearing. "....and then some."

"You know nothing about me."

He scowled. "Your mother was right about you, you know."

"I'm sure that whatever you've heard is grossly exaggerated." She said, "I'm a navigator. I chart stars and courses to places you'll never get to see. I get to see the stars and you get nothing."

"No. You're just a sheltered, rich girl playing around in space." He spat out, nearly spilling the wine in his hand. "You'll just waste your whole life in space without having anything to show for it."

Elaine had heard those words before, in a professional and non professional sense.

Her parents were willing to do anything to make her come back, even sabotaging her own career if it meant she'd be under their control again.

Who needs enemies when your family resembles a pit of vipers?

She heard a different voice, this time it was Jenner telling her to walk away and ignore him.

Elaine had nothing to lose so she ignored it.

"I hope you have a good evening, Mr...whatever your name is." She said, standing up. "You know, I've met a lot of assholes. Some of them have the decency to try to kill me afterwards but you're in a league of your own.

"And Klingons?! Seriously?! If you really fought against the Klingons, they would've taken your cargo and killed you. They don't take prisoners! You wouldn't survive a week in space even if you had a whole fleet at your disposal, you jackass!"

Elaine could see his mask drop, revealing the monster underneath. "What did you just call me, you ungrateful little wh—"

She grabbed his glass and splashed the wine in his face, her spite satisfied that he would be returning to his fancy ship with his crisp expensive wool suit smelling like wine and defeat.

"Marry you?" She laughed. "Nobody in their right mind would marry a guy as backwards and self centered as you. Last time I checked, it's the 23rd century. Get with the times!"

Elaine grabbed her clutch and hightailed it out of the restaurant. She felt a gush of recycled air hit her along with the synthetic smell.

She turned left not caring where she went. Her heels clicked against the promenade floor.

She replayed the date in her mind, over and over again. She knew she shouldn't let the words get to her but she couldn't help it. If you hear something long enough, you'll start to believe it.

Elaine unbuttoned her blazer, eager to get the constricting material off until she felt someone knock against her shoulder.

Blue hands steadied her, keeping her from falling.

"Lieutenant?" Ch'Zynes looked at her with concern. "You alright? You look really pale."

Miram was behind him, equally confused and concerned.

"I'm fine," she said, straightening up. "I hope you guys had fun on your shore leave."

She brushed his hands off and skittered away, her heart beating hard in her chest.

She needed to be alone.

***

Miram should've left it alone.

Tobin was telling her not to but she couldn't let it go.

The clear glass door whooshed open.

"Hey," she said, peeking her head out. "Are you okay?"

Elaine turned around, wisps of her hair were coming out of her updo, landing on her forehead. She was pale and her red lips were set in a scowl so severe it could sever steel.

She was barefoot, her heels kicked to the side as she stood near the window.

Elaine was beautiful. The lights of the passing starships illuminated the sharp angles of her face and sparkled in the depth of her eyes. Miram wondered if she was imagining it but she looked so small.

"Do I look okay?" She said, "Oh, who am I kidding? I look like shit."

Miram had expected her to be a little bit more harsh. "I still think you look really pretty."

Elaine sighs and sits down on a bench, patting the spot next to her. She opens her clutch. She pulled out a breadstick, handing one to Miram while taking a savage bite out of hers.

"Wanna talk about it?" Miram offered, nibbling on her breadstick. "Or do you want to glare into space."

"Why are you here, Tauri?" She asked. "Shouldn't you be enjoying your shoreleave?"

"All we did was go to a bar and tell some douche bags off."

Elaine snorted. "You? Tell people off?"

"I can be very assertive if I need to be."

"Or when you had a drink or two in you." She finished off the last piece of her breadstick. "Nice to know."

Miram leaned back, spreading her palms out as she stared at the starships. She cataloged them in her mind by class and type, making a note of where they might've been built based off their engines.

She liked the bar. She liked drinking a Cardassian sunrise while she gossiped with Tobin and Niru. She likes teasing Jenner till he lectured them about life choices.

It was nice to spend time in the company of friends.

"So...are you done avoiding the question or do you want to tell me why there's wine stains on your shirt?" She nudged her side. "It's up to you. I have all night and I'm really stubborn."

Miram watched as Elaine plucked at a loose string from her sleeve.

"I nearly got court martialed."

"Shit. I'm sorry."

"Meh. It was a year ago." She shrugged. "A lot of people are keen to remind me about it. You know..bad behavior and all that."

Miram felt a familiar anger bubble up in her. The type of anger that was reserved for things unjust. "That's bullshit."

Elaine laughed. "I punched a superior officer in the face. I don't regret it. I had to save the ship."

"Why?'

"He tried to steer the ship into the neutral zone." She sighed. "There was a chain of command that I violated and the top brass don't like that. It didn't matter that I saved the ship and the crew or the fact I prevented a war between us and the Romulans. Not all of us are like Captain Kirk, we don't always have someone in our corner to back us up."

Miram tilted her head. "What about the Captain?"

"Captain Solmani was injured and Commander Cortez assisting a civilian ship caught in between. Both of them had their own hearings so they couldn't help. Everyone else down the chain of command was either busy or injured and..." Elaine shrugged, laughing. "Can't blame them. I made their life hell because I couldn't follow orders. They put their necks out for me and...I keep fucking it up."

"Bull-fucking-shit!"

"Whoa, there."

"Screw that nonsense." Miram said. "You saved a civilian ship and protected your crew. Sure, were your methods unorthodox? Yeah. But if you didn't the damage would've been catastrophic. The captain and First Officer Cortez know that!"

"Why are you defending me?"

"Because you're my friend." Miram stated and then paused realizing what she said. She looked at Elaine with wide, expecting eyes. "Are we friends?"

Elaine sighed, wondering how she got here but couldn't come up with a coherent answer. "You really want to be friends?"

"I couldn't imagine anyone else."

"I'm really bitchy."

Miram snorted. "Have you met Tobin? He can out bitch anyone."

"I have issues with following orders."

"Well...that's most of the people on the Athena so it's fine."

"Not really but sure." Elaine took out another breadstick and handed it over to Miram. "My only friend was Jenner but I guess it couldn't hurt to have other friends too."

Miram grinned. "Told you I'm stubborn."

Elaine rolled her eyes but she couldn't keep the smile off her face.

++++

Jenner watched as Miram and Elaine walked back into the bar, arm in arm as they giggled about something.

This could either be the start of a beautiful friendship or the start of the biggest headache. Jenner wasn't sure yet.

"Aw, that's sweet." Niru said next to him.

Her lips were stained with wine and Jenner forced himself to look away.

"It's a good thing." Jenner said, taking a sip of his club soda. "I think Elaine needed this."

Nitu regarded the tall woman, tilting her head slightly as she tried to decipher something Jenner couldn't see. "Perhaps you're right. Besides you and I, she doesn't have anyone else on this ship."

Jenner looked around the small bar, noticing faces, new and old. He's seen a lot of these faces but for some reason, it felt different today.

He sighed, pushing the thoughts of his head.

A new song started up from the vintage Terran jukebox sitting in the corner and a murmur of excitement rippled through the crowd as some shuffled towards the dance floor.

He felt someone tug the sleeve of his shirt.

Nitu hopped off her barstool, tying her hair back into a low ponytail.

"C'mon, Jenner." She said, grinning. "Let's dance.

He saw Elaine catch his eyes, giving him a wink and flashing a thumbs up.

Some things never really change.

"I don't dance." He said, sliding off the stool and following her into the crowd. "But I could make an exception just this once." 

TO BE CONTINUED....