Ensigns Log:
Stardate 2264.156
It has taken me several hours to reach Starbase 12.
The shuttle ride has been uneventful and the child two seats ahead of me has stopped screaming. I feel like [censored.]
Oh yeah, I'm more than happy to reach my destination on time.
I'm assigned to the USS Athena, an old Hermes class ship under the command of Captain Mohan Solmani. I'm joining in the middle of its three-year mission.
I can't help but be a little nervous.
I've heard many rumours about the old ship and her captain. Some good and some not...so good.
Trust me, I should know how the rumour mill works given that I've been the victim of it waaaaay too many times. It's like those rigged balloon games at a carnival...sometimes you hit one and most of the time you don't.
But I can't help but wonder what this will mean for my career — not that there's much of a career at this point.
I hope that this time around it will be different.
I just...[sigh]...really, really need this to work.

Miram Tauri feels her shuttle rattle and shake as it approaches Starbase twelve, cutting off her log. Her insides twisting in excitement and fear.

Several of her fellow passengers glanced out the port windows, chattering with excitement as they grew closer to their destination. They've been in the cramped shuttle for almost twenty four hours, eager to disembark and she shared their sentiment.

Miram felt her spirits lift once she saw the starships that were docked. The sun crested over the surface of the bright planet below, throwing its golden light over the well worn hulls of the starships.

Her eyes fell onto the closest one. It was newer than the rest, almost glowing. Although its hull was partially damaged, scorch marks adorning the metal plates like abrasions, It didn't take away from its beauty or splendor .

She put down her PADD, allowing herself to marvel.

Miram loved starships ever since she was a little girl on her home world. They were beautiful and frustrating machines that hurled through space with incredible complexity. She had made it her mission to know every single ship that Starfleet had, even the sub classes that were no longer actively deployed. But this...this was something else.

In front of her was a whole yard full of ships. Different shapes, different classes, and differences vessels. One of these would be her home for the next two years.

The shuttle rattled again causing her press back into her seat. She closed her eyes and wished that she could get off this shuttle faster.

It had taken them fifteen minutes to disembark. Miram was more than relieved. She presented her PADD that had all her paperwork and travel documents to the security officer. He looked at her strangely and then at her PADD. She resisted the urge to squirm, reminding herself that she wasn't breaking any rules. Not this time, at least. He nodded after a long moment, handing it back to her.

"Welcome to Starbase 12, Ensign Tauri. Docking bay six is on the left. Next!"

She smiled, feeling relieved. "Thank you, sir."

She shouldered her bag and stepped through the doors, feeling a whoosh of air as they closed behind her. The entryway had led her to the second floor promenade that overlooked the main complex of starbase 12.

There could be no better representation for the Federation than this.

Tauri leaned on the railing as her eyes followed the teeming masses below. There were shops and stalls, all set up in misshapen ways as their employees echoed their wares. People dove in and out of restaurants and stores, their laughter and words mingling in the air. A cacophony of languages filled her ear.

She felt the pleasant buzz of a being in a crowd, the excitement of something yet to come.

To her left, there was a pair of starfleet officers, two men. One was in engineering red and the other in science blue except his badge indicated he belonged to starfleet medical. They walked past her, snippets of their conversation catching her ear.

"...I'm telling you! Mark my words! If I have to witness those two making eyes at each other, I'll throw myself out of the airlock!"

She heard a sigh.

"You cannae mean that, Len." The man in the red shirt said, his accent strongly Scottish. "You know how those two can be. All they need is wee little push. Just like the one you gave me and my lovely lady."

A frustrated noise. "What am I? A doctor or a Cupid?"

"Well..."

"Don't answer that!"

The man in blue leaned against the railing, staring hard at the crowd below. Miram felt as if she was missing something but couldn't remember what. She couldn't see their faces so couldn't decide if she knew them or not.

The Scottish man laughed heartily. "I think I know what you need. You need some good ol' scotch in ya."

"It ain't bourbon, you can forget about it. No way I'm drinking that swill."

Miram was staring off into space, watching a small Andorian craft cruise by one of the giant space ports.

"Then we'll find a nice bar that has something that isn't swill and some nice company to keep your maudlin thoughts occupied. How's that for ya, Len?"

"I suppose. Better than watching those two pine away."

Miram waited for them to walk away, their voices fading back before she peeled herself off the rail.

Starbase 12 was one of the biggest Starbase on this side of federation space. Might as well explore the known before the unknown.

===

A chime rings out through his cabin as his hands shook.

The tremors dissipated as he brushed his peppered hair away from his face.

Captain Solmani didn't like the wrinkles forming at the corner of his eyes. They say that wisdom comes with age but they forget to mention about the misery and contempt that contributes towards it. In a year, he'll be forty. An aging ship and an aging captain. It was fitting.

Talking to Admiral Grey always left him with an urge to punch the nearest wall. It wasn't the healthiest approach to deal with anger but it was a lot more satisfying that talking with Counsellor Osler.

He heard the door to his quarters slide open.

"Captain," a familiar voice called out. "Are you in here?"

"Just a moment, Cortez." He grabbed a towel and patted his face dry.

Solmani gave himself one more look over, making sure his uniform was neat and his hair was tidy. He knew the circles underneath his eyes would be a giveaway but there was little he could do to fix it.

He stepped out into his quarters. "Cortez," he said, making sure she didn't see the mess his bathroom was. "You look well. How's the crew?"

His first officer just smiled. She regarded him with dark eyes that seemed to pierce right through him. Sometimes it was unnerving how little he had to hide from her. It didn't mean he would ever stop trying.

It's what made her a good first officer.

"Bustling and exciting as ever."

"That's all?"

"We also have some new ensigns." She grinned. "The brass was very particular about them."

"Oh joy," he replied. "Starfleet just loves to send me their most hopeless. I should be a savant at this point."

"You'd hardly be a good saint." She pointed out. "Besides, you have a bleeding heart for the hopeless and forgotten. Admit it."

"You never know, Cortez. If Kirk can do it then who's to say the rest of us can't." He shrugged. "Tea?"

The woman in front of him looked amused by his exasperation. "You're not Kirk."

"For once, I'm glad I'm not."

"How was the meeting with Admiral Grey?" She asked, stepping around his clear attempt to change the subject. "If you're offering me of all people tea then it must've been—"

"—A complete and total shit show." Somani finished. "Not quite, Cortez. But close."

He gestured for her to sit down as he poured himself a cup of tea.

Even though he had a replicator assigned to his personal quarters, a kettle couldn't beat the synthetic taste of a replicator. He was particular about his tea, only trusting himself to make it. The last time an ensign tried to kiss up to him by making tea, he reassigned them to sanitation duty for three whole months

"So?" Commander Cortez tapped her finger on the rim of her mug. "Do you want to tell me or do I have to pry it out of you."

"I'll give you the gist," Somani said, sitting down. "No more stunts like that. We can't risk it. Apparently we're trying not to piss off the Klingons ever since...well, you know."

"I do know." She rolled her eyes. "I shouldn't even be surprised. I'm sure Admiral Grey is ready to reassign you even if you sneeze into the frontier of space wrong."

He smiled wryly. "Don't give him ideas."

"I'd rather follow you than that dilapidated prick, Captain."

"He's our superior but I appreciate the sentiment." He took a sip of his tea, feeling himself relax just a little. "So...who are our new recruits? You know I love it when command gives us the best of the best."

Cortez grinned, handing him over the PADD. "Oh, you're going to love this."

===

The view from the food court was amazing.

Miram could see every single starship coming into dock, starfleet and civilian alike. She felt nostalgic as she thought about her childhood. Miram had spent years aboard her fathers ship, visiting Starbases like these in between work. Despite all that, she was still filled with wonder.

She took a sip of her strawberry milkshake, happy that it wasn't replicated.

"Look!" Someone called out.

Miram did a double take, nearly choking on her drink. She heard it before she saw it, the familiar deep rumble of the massive impulse engines.

She turned slowly, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. She couldn't see the entire ship as it passed by the windows, all she caught was the nacelles with the iconic number: NCC-1701. Miram felt tiny as the ship glided past, its sheer size rendering her thoughts silent.

USS ENTERPRISE

The flagship of Starfleet.

She had heard rumors that the ship was around the sector but she didn't believe it. She thought it was just mindless chatter on the net but...wow.

But why was it docking at Starbase 12? Did it need repairs? Was there some sort of diplomatic meeting of high importance? Where was—

"For god's sake!" Someone muttered next to her. "Even if it's the Enterprise, It's just a ship. Calm down."

Miram snapped herself out of her thoughts and turned to see a woman seated in the row next to her.

For a moment she was struck by how insanely beautiful she was. An oval face with a narrow button nose, a pair of cold hazel eyes and a tall figure that stretched out comfortably in her seat. Her auburn hair was tucked neatly in a half ponytail with a few loose strands curling against a sun kissed forehead.

The woman was dressed in gold, signifying that she was assigned to command. It was a stark difference to the red uniform Miram was wearing. Engineering and Command usually worked on opposite sides of the ship.

She raised a sharp eyebrow when she noticed Miram looking at her.

Miram felt the tip of her ears burn as she was caught staring. She glanced around, hoping to distract herself but everyone else was still preoccupied talking amongst themselves.

"It is the Enterprise," she said. "Who hasn't heard of the Enterprise at this point?"

The woman crossed her arms over her chest. "They're more infamous than famous if you ask me."

"Be nice," the dark skinned man next to her chided gently. He put down his PADD in his lap. "We're all Starfleet here."

He placed a hand on her shoulder which brushed away. Miram observed the exasperated sigh he let out.

He was larger than anyone else here. Tall, very muscular, lovely dark skin and an even lovier pair of warm brown eyes. His hair was pulled back into a bun with gold beads in his braids. While the woman was an icy beauty, he had a warm face.

He was also dressed in blue. Miram glanced down to his badge. He wore the cross of Starfleet Medical proudly.

She scoffed at his statement. "Tell that to the captain."

"Captain?" Miram intoned, her fingers tightening around the strap of her duffel bag. "Which one?"

The woman shrugged. "Ours, of course. Unless you're asking about Captain Kirk."

Miram snorted. "Who doesn't know about Captain Kirk? He's the youngest captain to get his own ship, he's also one of the most decorated officers in Starfleet, he saved Yorktown, and he—-"

"Okay, kid—"

"I'm not a kid. I'm twenty one."

The woman looked amused. "Okay, then. Which ship are you assigned to?"

"USS Athena. Do you know her captain?"

The two exchanged a look. "As in captain Solmani?" The man asked.

"Is there any other?" The woman said.

"I'd hope not." Miram glanced over to the man. "Unless there's two I don't know about."

"Nah, there's only one. Our wonderful Captain Somani." She said, "Just don't get on his bad side and you'll be fine. He runs a tight ship."

"Is the Athena really that bad?" Someone asked her. "It's all just speculation...right?"

Miram looked up to see an Andorian standing in front of her. He was tall but his frame was more wiry. His white hair was straight, falling over his forehead like a mop. He regarded her with curious blue eyes before shifting his gaze back to the Lieutenant.

He was a starfleet academy sweatshirt that was two sizes too big, hanging off of him like a dress in a display window.

"Is someone sitting here?" He asked her, pointing to the chair opposite of her. She shook her head.

The Andorian nodded and seated himself, setting his duffel bag down and scrolling through the menu on the table. He quickly ordered a sunday float.

"Don't you know it's rude to eavesdrop?" The woman asked, tilting her head. "Or do you intend to make it a habit?"

The Andorian regarded her strangely, tilting his head in return, mirroring her action. "If you perceive my 'eavesdropping' as making an inquiry about the vessel I'm assigned to...then no. It is not."

Miram glanced back at the woman as the corners of her painted lips turned upward. She reminded her of a barn cat that liked to play with mice before biting their heads off. It was an unnerving thought.

Many of her former peers had told her that she had a horrible judge of character. She just hoped for the sake of her sanity and career, she was wrong about her assumptions this time.

"Oh, boy. Here we go." The man next to her looked unperturbed and went back to reading something on his PADD.

"Rank and name, kid," she said. "Quickly."

"Ensign Tobin ch'Zynes. Operations." He rattled out. "I'd say 'Pleasure to meet you' but you don't look very happy to do so."

The woman chuckled. "Oh, a wise ass. Haven't seen that before. Gotta admit, that's pretty ballsy."

Tobin shrugged, "I aim to please, Ma'am."

Miram stepped in, sensing the storm gathering behind her eyes. "I'm Ensign Miram Tauri, ma'am. Engineering."

"Oh, yes. You're both new. I am Lieutenant Elaine D'Aureville. Navigator." She gently nudged the man next to her who shot her an irritated look. "This delightful man here is our wonderful doctor, Michael E. Jenner. He'll be the one to fix you up if you get into trouble. You can call him Mike—"

"Don't call me Mike," he said, putting his PADD away, giving up on reading. "It's either Doctor Jenner or Micheal."

Elaine snorted, nudging his side with her elbow. "And you tell me I'm uptight."

He picks up her smoothie, swirling the blue and purple concoction before taking a sip. "You are."

Miram cleared her throat, her own strawberry smoothie forgotten. "So...what's it like being on the Athena?"

"Finally, something interesting to discuss." Tobin leaned forward. "It can't be as bad as the rumors I've heard."

"Well, kid." Elaine said. "It's definitely something."

Miram frowned at Elaine calling him kid.

"Define 'something'," Tobin said.

Elaine just grinned. "Trust me, you'll find out. It's not like you have anywhere else to go."

Miram and Tobin exchanged a look.

"She's exaggerating," Michael said, taking a sip of his smoothie. "Mostly."

===

Commander Doe-Smith looked over the crew roster, checking it twice.

After the last skirmish with the Klingons, something she regretted running from, the crew of the Athena was down by seven.

Casualties in space were nothing new to her. In her fifteen years in Starfleet, she'd seen friends and colleagues die. Some died with dignity and others in pointless tragedy. Either way, they were among the stars and here she remained, dutifully ensuring the safety of the starship Athena.

They still needed a new operation supervisor, a new weapons expert, and a few new engineers.

At least Chief Engineer Haley had his people ready to go. She felt a little sorry for the new recruits. Experience be damned, working under Haley was a special kind of hell. He worked the men under his charge like horses, ensuring they gave him their best every time even if it meant an early grave or early retirement.

She took a sip of her coffee, used to its replicated taste. Nothing could beat the real thing.

She signed off on a few names until she stopped scrolling, one in particular catching her attention,

Elaine D'Auerville.

Now that was a name she hadn't seen for six months.

The last she had seen of the young lieutenant, she was being marched off the ship with a pair of security officers. And now, here she was.

She would have to keep an eye out for this one.

"All set, commander?" Cortez walked in with a stack of data PADD'S balanced precariously. "Anything we need to bring to the captains attention?"

"The ship is as good as it'll be in this condition. As for the crew..." Doe-Smith sighed, glancing at the roster. "Look at this."

"Oh, I see." Cortez placed her PADD'S down, leaning her hip against her desk. "I can't even imagine what it's like for her. It's a miracle they let her back into service."

The commander frowned. "She's lucky she didn't get demoted...or worse. I understand why she did what she did but she's going to have to be careful from now on."

"Leave her to me," Cortez said. "I can make sure nobody bothers her."

"Bother her?" Doe-Smith snorted. "It's not that I'm worried about."

Cortez raised a carefully groomed eyebrow. "Explain, Commander."

She sighed, switching off the screen.

"Off the record, she did the right thing. I can't blame her for it because no matter how I see it, even I would do the same. Hell, anyone on this ship would do it despite what the admiralty says."

Her comm chirped but she ignored it, whatever needed her attention could wait a few seconds.

"But..."

"She had a pretty bright future ahead of her, Cortez. But something like this...it can—will—derail your whole career." She frowned. "We've seen her since the first day she's been assigned. We know her. I just don't want to see all that potential go down the drain because of one incident."

Cortez placed a hand on the Tactical Officer's shoulder. Doe-Smith placed hers on top of it.

"Nothing is going to happen to her. Starfleet found her innocent."

"Is that enough?"

"For now, it will have to be." She smiled gently. "You said it yourself, she's got potential. I'm sure that whatever happens, she will soldier on and we'll be watching."

Doe-smith snorted. "I hope you're right."

===

Tobin knew it was going to be a bad day when the overly excited human latched onto him and dragged him into the bowels of engineering.

He didn't know that a single human being could have so much energy.

Both of them had come from deck six. He had dumped his belongings on his bed unceremoniously and was about to leave when Miram found him, asking him if he wanted to tag along with her. He'd served on the USS Phillipa before his unfortunate reassignment.

He found that humans were a rambunctious sort but their tenacity was inspiring.

Miram—as she so gladly introduced herself—didn't seem to care about who he was or what ship he was from. He addressed her by her last name, Tauri, since it was easier. Given the...regretful circumstances of his last assignment, it was probably for the best.

He didn't come here to make friends.

She was shorter than him, barely coming up to his chest. He wanted to ask if her height was because of a structural anomaly but he feared upsetting her.

"Did we ever bump into each other at the academy?" She asked as they entered the turbo lift.

"I feel as if you'd be hard to miss." He said.

She looked up at him. "You could just say no."

He winced. He wasn't exactly known for his tact.

His childhood was as breezy as wind over a mountainous glacier, his parents parenting style even more so. Tobin never really mastered the empathy aspect of conversation.

He'd lost track of the amount of times he accidentally insulted someone without meaning to.

"I'm not very good with people," he admitted. "Forgive me if I sound harsh."

"Nah, it's cool." Tauri waved it off. "I get it. Machines are easier to understand than humans."

"That's not what I meant but I think I understand what you mean." The turbo lift halted to a gentle stop. "It seems we are here."

Tauri stepped out first, her tool kit strapped to her waist. His own was stowed away in the pockets of his uniform.

It was chaotic.

He could feel the thrum of the warp core as it pulsed rhythmically under his feet. It felt familiar to be here, like coming home after a particularly unpleasant day in the academy.

Tauri had already left. He caught up to her in quick strides.

A man was yelling at people, directing them where they needed to be. He was short—not as short as Tauri—and somewhere in his late thirties with a bushy black mustache and an equally messy mop of hair to match it.

His face was red as he yelled at another group of engineers. Tobin wasn't as familiar with Terran languages as he should be but he was certain there were several colorful expletives in there.

Tauri waited patiently for him to calm down before getting his attention with a salute.

"What do you want?" He asked in a prickly tone.

"I'm Ensign Tauri and this is Ensign Zynes." She said. "We're newly assigned to Athena. We were told to report here, sir."

"Chief Haley," he said, gruffly. "The Captain said to have an eye on the new recruits. I could give less than two shits about what trouble you two may have caused but as long as you're under me, you do what I say, when I say. Got it, Ensigns?"

Tobin felt a prick of irritation. His antennae twitched but he already knew he was on thin ice.

"Yes, sir." He said, forcing the resentment out of his voice.

"Good," Chief Haley huffed. "We leave this star base in two hours. The both of you will inspect the engines from top to bottom to make sure nobody missed anything when we were getting out repairs. You find something, you tell me. Don't go off trying to lone wolf it, I have no intention of cleaning up what's left of you from the plasma converters."

===

"Do you think he meant that?" Miram ask as she scratched her head with the hypospanner.

"Which part?"

"The part about not giving a shit about what we did?" She turned to look for him but couldn't find him in a maze of pipes and steam. "Ch'Zynes?"

He popped his head from behind a leaking coolant pipe, silver hair sticking to his forehead.

"I dare not ask, Tauri."

Miram wasn't sure if she was supposed to call him by his first name or his last. He'd been calling her Tauri and she didn't see the need to correct them.

They were more of acquaintances by circumstance than friends. She was hoping that would change in the next few months.

"This place is absolutely ridiculous!" He held up his hypospanner. "Whoever repaired the ship did a shitty job. Why is the coolant system leaking?! Its supposed to not leak so we don't overheat and explode ourselves into stardust."

Miram silently agreed with him. She tightened her bolts, using her tricorder to see if the pressure levels were back to normal.

"I don't like doing grunt work either, Tobin." She said, blowing a stand of her hair away from her face. "But it's better than being planetside and stuck behind a desk."

Zynes grumbled something in response before disentangling himself from the pipers and sitting down on the gangway. He looked up at her, his antenna twitching.

"This one hell of a first day."

"Yeah," Miram scoffed. "Tell me about it."

It was her first shift on the Athena. She thought she'd have time to get to know her crew mates or go look at the warp core.

Instead, here she was, fixing leaks and checking the hydro pressure of the coolant pipes with a new acquaintance.

She didn't want to admit how she wanted to shrink back when Chief Haley wrote her off. It was like tossing her into the lion's den with a steak wrapped around her neck.

Things weren't pleasant for her aboard her last assignment. She could still feel the effects of the isolation and loneliness that she had been forced into.

It was only a matter of time before she lashed out. Miram didn't even know that lashing out could have such dire consequences.

She climbed down from the ladder, landing next to him.

"Got anything?"

He shrugged. "I'm getting a few weird readings but that might just be the ship being...well, weird. Should I report it to the higher ups?"

"That would be a good idea. Let's move on to the next section." Maia suggested, dusting the dirt off her hands. "One of the senior engineers wants to us to cross check the—"

"Tauri, watch out!"

Zynes warning came too late. Maia heard the pipe burst behind her and the searing hot burst of pain radiating from her arm.

She pulled away, hissing in pain as she tripped over herself, landing on her back.

Ch'Zynes rushed forward, ducking underneath the burst of steam. Unlike her, he didn't bother to censor his words.

Miram was lowkey impressed by how colorful his vocabulary was.

"Are you okay?" Ch'Zynes asked once he sealed the leak.

Miram held up her blistering arm, her face was impassive but the straight line of her mouth indicated anything but. "I'll just wrap it and then I'll head to sickbay later."

He gave her a flat look. "Yeah, how about we don't do that."

"Ch'Zynes..."

"Go," he said sternly, picking up his tools. "I'm sure Dr Jenner will be more than happy to tend to you."

"You sure?"

"Do you want me to repeat myself?"

Miram nodded, walking down the gangway. She glanced behind her to see Tobin studying his tricorder with narrowed eyes before moving further down the corridor and out of site.

===

There was a ritual Elaine followed when she returned to her seat at the conn.

First of all, she made sure her seat and area were spotless.

Second, she checked and double checked her maps, making sure that she didn't screw up like Lieutenant Mcdaber did three months ago. Nobody wanted to end up near the Romulan neutral zone ever again.

Three was the most important. Always be ready when the captain was on deck.

It was comforting to be back at the the conn. Elaine knew the stars as well as she knew the back of her hand. Order and organised chaos. She could handle that.

Now that they had finished repairs, the Athena was ready to go and do whatever command wanted them to do.

She narrowed her eyes as she combed through her charts. Deep space exploration was supposed to be fun and full of adventure. Here she was wondering which borning, dull planet they were going to drop off supplies to.

"Captain on the bridge!"

Elaine took a deep breath in and stood at attention.

Captain Solmani stepped out of the turbo lift. Commander Cortez was right behind him, her honey streaked hair in a neat bun that was as severe as her captain.

A soft murmur of 'good morning, Captain' rang out from the bridge. Elaine could feel how tense everyone was, she didn't have to be an empath to know that. It was all over their faces

The past few months have been especially...brutal.

He cooly looked over the bridge crew, his dark eyes landing on Elaine for a moment before moving on.

She was well aware that she wasn't his favorite person right now.

"At ease." He finally said.

Elaine sat down, her heart doing the flamenco in her chest.

"Status report, Ensign Baker." He called out as he sat down in his seat.

"All crew members accounted for, Captain. Chief engineer Haley is finishing up on the engine."

"Excellent." Somani said. "Inform me immediately when he's done."

"Aye, Captain."

Elaine knew she was going to be called on next. She steeled herself, hardening the placid mask of her face. She had spent hours being interrogated in a court room, this shouldn't rattle her.

"Lieutenant D'Auerville," he said. She braced herself. "I see you're back."

"Aye, Captain." She said, turning around in her chair.

Commander Cortez gave her a curt nod as she passed by her.

Captain Solmani was difficult to read. She couldn't tell if he was displeased or annoyed with her. Putting him in a room with a Vulcan would be equivalent to a highly prized cage match.

She mentally patted herself on the back for not crumbling when everyone was expecting her to.

He smiled, but it didn't feel very warm. "Welcome back," he finally said. "Plot a course to Ivor Prime. The faster we get there, the faster we can get started."

"Aye, sir." She said, turning around in her chair.

She felt prickly. It irked her how she could feel the stares of everyone on her.

Elaine wished she could go back in time and fix everything. It took her five months to get back to the conn, it would take more than that to feel like she earned it

===

The sickbay is a place of comfort and safety.

That is what Dr Osler told Michael when he arrived on the Athena two years ago.

Truer words have never been spoken.

When he was a cadet at the academy, he knew front the moment he sat in the captains chair for the Kobiyahsi Maru that he wasn't destined for command. He took the test on a whim when his mentor told him to try it.

'Just to see how it goes.' That's what he said to him. 'You never know unless you try.'

As expected, he had crashed and failed miserably but his instructors did praise him for trying to save lives.

Key word: trying.

Starfleet Medical was his place and he's never doubted it since. That is until he came face to face with the true horrors of space and his reality shattered like glass.

"Jenner," Dr Osler patted him on the back, starling him out of his work. "Glad to see you back. How was your vacation?"

The elderly man smiled at him. He was dressed in standard Starfleet blue. His pin boasts the cross that all Starfleet Medical personnel had including Jenner.

Dr Osler had a soft spot for Jenner and nobody else.

He shrugged. "The folks on Archer IV were happy to see me. Can't complain too much. Got some rest."

"After that skirmish we got into, I can't blame you, son." Dr Osler said, picking up his data PADD. "You have no idea how understaffed we are. Three years of a perfect record and all it takes is one fight with a few klingons. I should've sacked them all of them if I knew they were going to be cowards."

Jenner started to tune him out. Dr Osler was a brilliant doctor, there was no doubt about that. The only downside to his personality was that he was a bit of a war dog, learning most of his skills in an active war zone, whereas a lecture hall. He was always eager for the unknown and challenging.

Somehow, Jenner was able to withstand the onslaught of working under him.

Jenner always assumed the reason why he got along with Dr Osler was because the both of them shared similar experiences.

"Oi, Jenner!" Dr Osler waved his hand in front of his face. "Are you all the way out in the Beta quadrant or with me?"

Jenner smiled, glancing down at his reports. He hadn't been able to process a single word despite rereading the same lines for thirty minutes.

"I'm as present as I can be."

"As long as you're here both mentally and physically, that's enough for me." Dr Osler replied candidly.

Jenner was about to open his mouth when the doors to the sickbay slide open.

The short woman who he had met earlier—Tara? Talia? He was sure her last name started with a T. He was too annoyed with Elaine to properly pay attention at the time.

She walked in with a towel over her arm, cradling it close to her body.

Her curly brown hair was messier, with strands slipping out of her bun and onto her forehead. It was the opposite of Elaine who never had a hair out of place.

Dr Osler sighed. "I suppose I'll leave you to it. Call me when you're done with your shift. I need to go over some stuff with you."

Jenner nodded absentmindedly.

The woman noticed him immediately after scanning the room. Her brown eyes lit up with recognition.

"Good morning, Dr Jenner." She chirped.

He felt a little bad that she remembered his name when he didn't remember hers.

Jenner smiled, hoping that it didn't look too forced. "Hello, Ensign." He glanced down at her arm which was red and blistering. "I see you got into trouble."

"What? This?" She lifted her arm up. "It's just a burn. Ch'Zynes told me head over here because he's dramatic."

Jenner resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

What was it with Engineers and injuries? It was almost as if they had a compulsive need to avoid the sickbay whenever they got hurt.

He gestured to her to sit on the biobed.

She hopped on, her boots dangling off the ground.

His bio scanner readings didn't show anything abnormal except for an elevated heart rate. Her named flashed up on his screen.

Ensign Miram Tauri, 21 years old, engineering.

"First day jitters?" He asked.

The ensign—Tauri—smiled sheepishly. "That obvious, huh?"

"Well...it's natural." Jenner's PADD beeped. "Being on a new ship can be like that. My first day was a disaster."

"Do I dare to ask what happened?"

Jenner leaned in and lowered his voice. "The captain got food poisoning and eventually the rest of the senior staff. My first mission in space and everyone is vomiting everywhere—yeah, not the best start."

"No way. "

He picked up the dermal regenerator. "Yeah. It was a mess. We couldn't leave without the captain so we were delayed for a whole day."

"That wasn't what I was expecting."

"Oh?"

Tauri shrugged. "Well...You know? Starfleet has a bit of a reputation of getting into trouble. For example...standoffs with the Klingons, getting eaten by alien fauna, or transporter accidents that take you to another universe."

"I think the last one is improbable."

"You never know." Tauri said. "Hey. How long is this going to take?"

Jenner lifted up the dermal regenerator. "Thirty minutes."

He glanced down at her burn, noticing the dark purple blood oozing out of the blisters. This wasn't his first time dealing with aliens but the only species her knew that had purple was the Tellarites and the—

Tauri noticed him looking at her burn, her eyes going wide.

"Oh, that. I can explain—" she started. "You see—"

He signed and placed his hand on her shoulder, keeping her from bolting out of the sickbay.

"Does the captain know?" He asked. She nodded her head. "Then it will be fine. Look, kid—-"

"I'm not a kid—"

"—Fine. Look, Ensign. I'm a doctor. I'm not supposed to judge."

"I have to get back to engineering," Tauri said quietly. She held out her arm.

Jenner didn't miss the obvious deflection. He let it go, knowing that it would only make her mistrust him.

He took her arm and started to get to work.

"I think engineering can spare you for thirty more minutes."

===

Niru juggled the stack of PADDS in her arms as she walked down the hall.

She could smell the cleaning solution the sanitation drones laid down for their departure. Her wrinkled her nose at the lavender scented halls. Her nose was more sensitive than her crew mates.

A new three year mission into the Beta Quadrant.

It wasn't a deep space mission but it was the closest she was going to get.

She sighed, walking into the Biology lab.

Her colleagues were bustling to and fro from their labs, checking and rechecking their equipment before disembarking.

She laid her stack of PADD's down, sighing as she pushed her hair from her face. The pins came loose, causing the carefully curled strands to bounce and shake with each step she took.

"Ensign Niru," Chief Science Officer Goru called out. He poked his head from the corner of his cubicle. "Did you get the data I wanted?"

"Done and done, Sir." She said with a bobby pin poking out from the corner of her mouth.

"Okay. And the new protocols for the botany lab."

"Already updated the new recruits."

His lips curled back to reveal sharp teeth. "Well done. I hope you didn't terrify them too much."

Being one of two Orion's on the Athena meant that there were—of course—rumours that she was a pirate or a siren who lured men with her pheromones or even her sleeping around and blah, blah, blah.

Lieutenant Galia Vro was on the USS Enterprise and nobody batted an eye. Then again, Vro was on flagship under—literally if she believed the rumors—one of the greatest captains that Starfleet had to date.

She shrugged it off like raindrops on a rubber rain coat.

Assumptions and stereotypes were just an idea. It was easy to kill an idea if you didn't give it any power over you.

She shrugged. "Just another day, sir."

Her communicator beeped as she was going to reached for her lab coat.

MEJ-: hi

MEJ: Are you having a weird day too?

Nitu felt a sense of warmth. It was a fleeting thought. She pushed the feeling down, reminding her that it was just a message.

JN: Depends on what you define as weird.

MEJ: Something feels off. I don't know what.

MEJ: Maybe I need sleep.

JN: Sure, it could be that

JN: Or... you could just be nervous

JN: It's a new mission.

JN: We're going back into space

JN: there's lots to consider

JN: don't be so hard on yourself

MEJ: But it's the same old shit

MEJ: I'm sorry

MEJ: I'm being pessimistic

She sighed, leaning agaisnt her station's desk. Jenner had left to Archer IV two months ago and only came back now.

He didn't even say hi.

There had been no messages, not even a vid call. Hell, she would've taken a smoke signal if it meant that Jenner was alive and well.

When it came to Jenner, it was always like this.

Something about the human made her feel unbalanced.

JN: Now, now.

JN: Nothing wrong with that

JN: Where's your famous bedside manner?

MEJ: My bedside manner is well

MEJ: Are you busy?

JN: Just getting stuff ready before launch

JN: Lieutenant Goru is making sure i scare the new recruits into behaving

MEJ: I'm sure you had fun with that

MEJ: Did you introduce them to Napoleon?

JN: No.

JN: He hasn't ate anyone

JN: Yet

MEJ: -_-

MEJ: I will never understand your fascination with plants

MEJ:Especially carnivorous ones

JN: They're green and cute like me

JN: {wink}

MEJ: It's hard to disagree with that

The spot where her heart was supposed to be was doing that strange thing again. She glanced around to see if anyone had noticed her grinning from ear to ear.

She took a deep breath in and pressed the small communicator to her chest.

She had no idea how to even respond to that. She could dismiss with a flippant message, it would make it easy to brush it off.

Nitu's thumbs hovered over the screen.

Jenner was sweet, compassionate, and witty. She wasn't quite sweet, and she didn't think she had that much compassion but her tounge was sharp. Years and years of fighting stereotypes and bullies had led her to have a thick skin—metaphorically speaking.

He managed to get past all that.

Maybe this is why her mother warned her about kind men, human or otherwise. Especially ones who's smile reminded her of a dying star.

JN: Lieutenant Goro is calling me

JN: I'll see you in the mess

JN: Make sure to get some rest

MEJ: ....

MEJ: Ok

She flipped her communicator closed before she convinced herself to head down to sick bay.

Maybe Jenner was right, something felt strange.

Only it was different for both of them.

===

Miram traces over the new skin of her arm, marveling at the smooth texture. It was still sore but Dr Jenner informed her that it would disappear after some rest.

She leaned against the wall in the turbo lift as it took her further down into the heart of the ship.

Dr Jenner wasn't stupid. He wanted to say more but Tauri had purposely changed the subject in a clumsy way, hoping that he'd let it go.

She had taken the necessary precautions when she had applied for Starfleet, even if her father had voiced his resignations over her choice of career several times. She knew that it would be easy to place any blame on her if she failed to disclose her heritage.

Besides, the scientists at Starfleet already knew that.

The turbolift slid open into the engineering room.

It was just as she had left it.

She could hear Chief Engineer Haley scolding a pair of engineers with blistering words. Tauri felt sorry for them but continued back to the spot Zynes was at.

"—Never in my lifetime have I met such incompetence. If we were on any other vessel, I'd have your flung out of the airlock within a heart beat." He turned to an ensign holding a PADD with the schematic of the ship. "Who designed this?!"

"Sir, the area you need to access is too small." The ensign said. Tauri was surprised how steady his voice was.

"I get that but why?!"

He pointed to a point near the nacelles. "Due to the recent refits, the Jeffries tubes are too small, making it difficult to maneuver—"

Haley's face turned almost purple.

"Are you tell me that the idiots who refitted my ship, overlooked a crucial design flaw?"

"Yes, sir?"

He took a deep breath in as his ensigns flinched. Nobody wanted to be in the path of his fury.

"Is there anyway we can get into there without—"

"The droids are repairing the hull, sir."

"What about—"

"The access ports from outside were sealed after the last set of repairs."

"Oh, for fu—"

Haley stopped when he saw her, giving her the full affront of his glare. She shrank back a little bit, sweat breaking out from her pores. She saw one of the ensigns cross themselves. Another went white as a sheet.

"You." He said, an edge to his voice. "Where were you?."

She held up her arm showing off the shiny new patch of skin. "Medbay, Sir."

"Minimize injuries, Emsign."

"Yes, sir."

"Um...sir?" Another ensign raised his hand.

Haley huffed. "This isn't grade school, Ensign O'conell."

"I have an idea."

"Don't we all."

"Just a moment." Tauri didn't like how his eyes were measuring her. She was tempted to slap him. "How tall are you?"

"152 centimetres," she answered back.

"Huh, well..."

The other ensign placed his PADD down and circled her like a vulture as he pulled out a measuring tape.

"O'Conell, what the hell are you thinking?" Haley asked, exasperated.

"Okay...weird idea but..." he picked up his PADD, tapping on it till showed the schematics of the area they needed to access. "So this area is too small for us to fit, matter in fact it would take too long to cut away at the sections. Maybe we could send Tauri in since she's smaller than all of us."

"That's the stupidest idea I've ever heard." Ensign Drew called out. She frowned as she looked at her from head to toe.

Miram wondered if it was going to be like this all the time. Haley ignored Drew's outburst, thinking it over as he stared at the PADD.

Miram did not like the way his mustache twitched.

And thats how Tauri found herself in the Jeffries tubes, crawling in her stomach as the space started to close around her.

Tauri had spent a lot of time in Jeffries tubes. They were the arteries of the ship that could take to anywhere if you knew how to navigate them. Only she was usually crawling on all fours instead of dragging herself through like a lizard.

She had found the couplers that Ensign Drew told her about. Two of them had been extremely corroded and the other was flickering on and off.

Fixing them had been easy. Flux couplers were a dime a dozen.

Miram worked quickly, screwing the panel back into place as she scanned for any more abnormal readings.

A thud could be heard from the dim end of the tube. She froze, laying low. She couldn't reacher her phaser at this angle.

She heard another thud and then some cursing that sounded familiar.

"Ch'Zynes?" Tauri called out cautiously. "Is that you?"

"Tauri?"

A pair of blue antennae came from the bend followed by a very vexed ch'Zynes who struggled to drag himself through.

Tauri crawled towards him. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question?"

"You first." He insisted. "It's hard to explain."

"How'd you get in?"

He shrugged, or tried to in the limited space. "I...may or may not have made a hole in the shuttle bay. I don't think anyone will notice. Hopefully."

"How reassuring," Tauri said.

"Now, here's a better question?" He asked, plopping his head on his hand. "What in the stars are you doing here?"

"I'm repairing a few flux couplers." She raised an eyebrow. "You?"

He gave her an exasperated look before pulling out his tricorder. Her slid it over to her.

"You know that weird frequency we got?"

"Yeah?" Tauri picked it up, watching the green line undulate steadily but at a higher frequency than before. She'd seen those readings before. "Tricobalt? That makes no sense? Why would tricobalt give off energy readings?"

"I'm no scientist but it's not the tricobalt that's giving off the readings." He looked grave. "It's what's attached to it."

===

It was a fascinating thing to watch another starship jump into warp.

Captain Somani couldn't help but feel envious as he watched the white trails of dust from its warp core.

They were still in dock, running behind schedule.

As usual.

The more they waited, the more Admiral Grey would insist on him retiring. He could already hear the words through the port screen.

His coffee was long gone and he was craving another cup. His fingers itched to summon a yeoman but A pointed look from him number one told him not to.

The crew, despite the delay and confusion, we're performing admirably.

Even Lieutenant D'Auerville who was at her station. Her fingers glided over the screen, charting a course that would keep them out of trouble.

It had been six months since the 'incident.' He wasn't fond of the name. It was much more than an incident.

Captain Somani caught the eye of his Number One, Cortez.

She raised her eyebrow sharply, her eyes shinning with curiosity.

His mouth formed a frown as he shook his head. She crossed her arms, raising her eyebrows, indicating for him to do something or he'll hear her complain about it for the next three years.

He fought back a sigh, curling his twitch fingers on the armrest.

"Captain."

"Yes, Lieutenant O'Seri."

The young lieutenant held out a PADD. "The problem with the flux couplers are fixed, sir. Chief Engineer Haley is on stand by."

Thank whatever inter dimensional deity was watching out for him.

"Alright. If we're all set, we can proceed."

He nodded at his helmsman. The Tribillian beamed, his hand resting on the screen ready for launch.

Captain Somani crossed his leg over the other, leaning back in his captains seat.

He flicked his hand forward. "Engage."

He could feel the thrum of the warp drive as it purred to life, the stars before him blurring. There was a small thrill of excitement whenever they went to warp. It never went away despite all the years he spent in space.

The feeling of relief was cut short. He felt the engines die before the bridge titled to the side by a few degrees.

It was only a matter of seconds.

The lights flickered and the control panel short circuited, through bolts of energy where ever it could reach.

"Cortez! Contact—"

Another sudden lurch towards their starboard side sent Somani tumbling towards the ground. He registered the pain just above his left eye but ignored it to help another bridge crew officer off the ground.

The bridge was in chaos, the lights were dim or gone completely, and the stars looked brighter than before.

He wasn't the sort to believe in omens but he was starting to doubt it now.

===

Tauri came to slowly.

The first thing she registered was the splitting headache she had. Next was the sound of her communicator going off. The sound of klaxons nearly drowned out the sound of her communicator.

She flipped it open, barely able to hear the person on the other side.

"Ensign...hear me?...status...?"

Tauri squeezed her eyes shut and willed herself back into the present. Her shoulder was in a lot of pain, almost burning as she tried to move around.

She noticed how Zynes had his arm around her shoulders, shielding her with his body.

Zynes was unconscious, dark blue blood oozing from the cut on his scalp, just below his right antenna.

"Ch'Zynes?!" She tried to shake him awake. "Dammit! Wake up!"

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't scream into my ears, Tauri." He cracked one blue eye open and groaned. "What happened?"

"An explosion."

"You don't say."

Tauri looked up at Zynes, worrying her lower lip. He looked annoyed, his antenna twitching with irritation.

"We should probably go." Tauri tore a piece of her tunic off and pressed the makeshift bandage agaisnt his head. "Are you going to be okay?"

Her communicator beeped again.

"For now, yes." He glanced at her communicator. "You should answer that. I got this."

"Hello?" She answered, flipping it open. "Ensign Tauri Here."

"Ensign!" A gruff voice called out. "What in the ever loving hell are you doing still in a Jeffries tube?"

"Er...We...."

Zynes rolled his eyes, taking the communicator from her. "We were finishing the final repairs, sir."

"And you are?"

"Ensign Zynes, Sir."

Haley sighed. Through the static it sound more like a hiss.

"Alright, you know what. Screw it." He said. "Listen to me very carefully because I hate repeating myself. The main power is out. Currently we're on auxiliary power but I doubt we'll last long if we don't know what's causing this."

Tauri and Ch'Zynes exchanged a worried glance.

Ch'Zynes pulled the communicator closer. "Sir, what do you want us to do?" He glanced around them. "I think the Jeffries tubes are sealed off."

She heard Haley groan from the communicator followed by some very colourful swearing.

"The whole ship is sealed. Nothing is opening no matter how hard we try including the entrance to the Jeffries tubes." He said. "Something is compromising power to life support and the thrusters. The ship will shutdown non essential parts of the ship including the Jeffries tubes. Unfortunately that means you're in non essential part of the ship."

"Oh."

"Well...at least we're we can still breath." Tauri said. It was a poor attempt to mask the fear that was clawing at the pit of her stomach.

Ch'Zynes pushed the communicator back towards her. "Yeah, not all of us are the glass-half-full types."

"Listen to me very carefully, you two," Haley said, his voice grave and even. "Until we have communication back up, I want you two to stay put. I'm sure someone somewhere screwed around with the ship resulting in this clustefu—-er, situation. Do not wander off."

"Understood, we'll await further orders." Tauri said.

"Good. Haley out."

The communicator went dead. Tauri tucked the communicator in her pocket and go on her hands and knees, crawling toward the source of the explosions.

Ch'Zynes hand darted out and grabbed her ankle. "And where exactly do you think you're going?"

"To investigate." She said tugged her foot away. "Can't you feel the air?"

He gave her a strange look. "You wanna elaborate?"

"You heard Commander Haley. Something is compromising the ship," she said, "Mainly the engines. Just before the ship tilted over, there was a large surge of power."

Ch'Zynes pulled out his tricorder which now had a dent on the side. "That when the frequency went up too."

"Exactly, whatever the tricobolt is attacked to is interfering with the plasma stream, thus interfering with the power output, thus—"

"Thus whatever it is, it's siphoning off the energy—-"

"—And gathering it, probably storing it—"

"Which means the power was already diverted and we're already on auxiliary power—"

"—which we're losing."

Tauri paused. "We're losing oxygen too." Her tricorder beeped. "And since we're in the tubes, we're losing it even faster."

Ch'Zynes shook his head. "First day on the job and we're crawling through the jeffry tubes so we don't die of asphyxiation. Just great."

"It could always be worse," she said.

"Please don't say that."

The lights flickered and soon, they were in the darkness once more.

===

The bridge was in chaos.

Elaine could only watch as her screen was filled with flashing warning after warning. The ship was crippled despite the computers telling her the ship was intact.

Battling lines of code conflicted each other, causing the systems program to loop endlessly until it read like a jumbled checker board of red.

"Damage report!" The captain barked out.

The helmsman—Dewy—called out. "Nacelle one is offline, engineering is trying to get it back. Number two is crippled but operating. No response from thrusters, Captain!"

"D'Auerville."

"Sensors also down, sir. There's no hull breach but—" She felt the ship lurch hard to port, making her feel even more unbalanced. "And now we're listing."

"Yes, I can see that."

At least communications were still operation despite most systems shutting down.

"Sir!" The communication officer called out through the chaos. "I have a message from engineering. Communications back online but other systems still not responding."

Somani swivels in his chair. "What is it?"

"The Jeffries tubes have been shut down as well, they're currently working on trying to get through."

"Anybody inside."

"Yes, sir." She paused. "Several people trapped in the labs and engineering due to the ship sealing itself off."

Elaine pulled herself back into her chair, trying to cut through all the red code. Her fingers were flying all over the screen, assessing system after system.

"Sir," one of the communications officers called out. "Haley reports that two of his ensigns were in the Jeffries tubes before they sealed. Several minor injured below decks."

Two ensigns. Elaine felt something cold wash over her.

Cortez didn't look happy as she hauled herself up. "Who?"

The communications officer pressed the tips of his finger against his headset. "Ensign Tauri...? And Ensign Ch'Zynes."

Elaine felt her stomach drop.

===

This isn't how she expected to spend her whole day.

Tauri lifted up her torch, scowling making her way through the closed ducts. It was growing hotter and the air more stale by the minute.

Zynes was behind her, digging through the electrical grid, trying to bring power back online to the ship but failing with each panel he took apart.

She could feel the the gravity shift slightly. The longer they went without power, the quicker they would head into a collision course with the nearest celestial body...which just happened to be the star base.

There were problem about 2 million people on that star base. Not only Starfleet officers but civilians as well. She thought about earlier when she had explored the starbase, gazing at the hundred of faces around her.

The churning feeling came back. She stopped, and swallowing back down. It felt like lead in her stomach. She couldn't begin to imagine how everyone felt outside.

Currently there was a door that was blocking their way. The only way to open it would be to bypass it.

"Any progress?" She croaked out, hoping her voice was even.

"Hardly." Zynes sighed, gritting his teeth. His silvery bags stuck to his forehead, covering the cut. "I'm getting nothing. It's completly dead. If we don't get that door open, we'd done for."

"Whatever is behind that door is causing the fluctuations."

She pulled her hyper torch away, her face flushed with heat. There was no way to manually open the door. They needed Auxiliary power and it was running out.

"Any ideas?" He asked her.

"Ziltch," she said. Picking up her tools again. "This is the only way we can think of."

"We're engineers!"

"Yeah!" Tauri huffed, blowing a stray curl out of her face. "And we're trapped in a Jeffries tube."

Zynes opened his communicator. "Zynes to Haley." He said. "Come in."

They were met with the sound of static.

"It's not a day in Starfleet unless your comms are down, Zynes."

He narrowed his eyes at the opening.

"How thick is this?"

"About three inches." She picked up her hyper torch. "It's a aluminum alloy. I'm pretty sure our plasma torches can get through."

They felt around the tubes through the dim lighting. Tauri used her torch as as approached another sealed hatch.

She placed her hand up to it. "Feel that?" She grinned. "That's air. It's not entirely shut. If we could just—"

Tauri watched as Zynes slammed his fists down on the bolts, sparks flying everywhere. She hid behind a panel, her arms wrapped around herself.

She heard the unmistakably groan of metal giving away followed but a loud bang.

"Alright," Zynes huffed, rubbing his bleeding knuckles. "I think we're through."

Miram blinked, not quite sure how that happened but at this point she didn't want to question anything.

"Wow," she said.

Ch'Zynes grinned. "I know. I'm handsome and strong. You can save your compliments for later.

Tauri rolled her eyes. "Lead the way."

They crawled through the tubes, following the signature.

It wasn't hard to find the signature once they got through the door.

It was like opening a pressurised can. Ch'Zynes had described as if it exploded all over the ship like the entrails of a bloated red bat—whatever that was.

Tauri preferred her analogy.

Tauri didn't want to know what that meant but her mind visualizing it didn't make her innards feel any better.

She could smell the air. It was turning acrid meaning that the life support systems would give out soon if they weren't carful.

It didn't take then too long to find their way to the plasma converters.

Tauri could feel the hair on her arm stand up. The air was static. It reminded her the times on earth just before a thunderstorm.

"Well, I found our problem."

She really wished she was wrong sometimes.

There was a round circular device on the plasma converter.

Tauri lifted up her tricorder.

"Yup. That's Tricolbolt." she said, trying to keep the dread out of her voice. "And if it's what I think it is, we're in serious trouble."

Zynes kneeled down next to it. "Yeah...what the fuck is an explosive device doing here?"

She raised her eyebrows at his use of expletives. "Who cares. Whatever or whoever put this here just crippled the ship."

Zynes groaned, his cheeks turning a darker blue.

"Without the plasma converters, This ship is going no where."

Tricobalt was dangerous. It's proximity to plasma was like a knife toaster dangling over an aquarium.

Tauri had read about Tricobalt bombs when her father was teaching her history. Romulans used them in the 22 century, they could rip starships to pieces and if there was enough, they could even punch a hole in subspace. Theore of course.

She unbuckled her belt of tools and laid it on the ground.

"First we have to get that thing off. We have to work fast."

"But the captain should know—"

"How? Comms are down and We don't have time." Tauri snapped. "That bomb will go off once enough plasma is backup. By the time we alert everyone it'll be too late."

Zynes huffed, his antenna moved wildly indicating his distress. He squatted next to her, holding hand out.

"Any experience diffusing a bomb," he asked.

"No." She willed her hand to stop trembling as she placed a hypospanner in his hand. "You?"

"I believe in on the job experience."

"Not funny."

He shrugged. "Just a little bit."

Tauri saw no wires or a dial. There was only a blinking blue light that attuned itself to her heartbeat.

Her courses at the academy never trained her for these types of scenarios. Her roommate was in security and would brag to whoever was listening that she could do anything—including disarming a bomb.

Now she wondered how her roommate would fare in this situation.

The bomb had an outer plating—also made of Tricobalt.

She carefully deconstructed the outer plating, carful no to move or breath. Zynes was behind her, guiding her carefully.

"I got it," she said, in a trembling voice as she saw the inside. "Shit, Zynes."

"Fuck me." He groaned.

Inside was different. Way, way different. There were so many moving parts, wires cross crossing the other, chips in places they weren't supposed to be, and a slew of blinking lights that had no purpose.

She wasn't ready for this at all.

A timer was already there, a small blue bar that was almost to the end.

"How much time we got left?" She asked Zynes.

It was suddenly so clear how the bomb worked—or more importantly, how it would explode. There was no battery that she could see...that was because the battery was the plasma and the detonator all in one.

Once it had enough plasma, it would set of a charge.

Miram knew her physics, she had to. If plasma came into contact with a voltage high enough, it wouldn't explode per say but expand outwards in a destructive wave, taking everything out for miles.

Them included.

Being barbecued in space wasn't on her list of things to do.

"I'd say around...20 minutes give or take."

"Okay," she said. "We can do this, right?"

Ch'Zynes raised his eyebrow. "You tell me."

She scrunched her eyebrows together.

At least she wasn't trembling and her stomach didn't feel as tight as it once did. At least Ch'Zynes was here with her, which meant she wasn't going to die alone.

Selfish as it was, there were worst ways to go.

"At least we tried."

The corner of his lip lifted up. "Ok then." He glanced down at the innards of the explosive device. "What next?"

"I think these are decoys," she said, pointing at the wires. "It makes no sense where their connected. They should be going to the timers but it's not."

"Gotta love it when bad guys think outside of the box." Ch'Zynes grinned. "But guess, so do we."

"Have an idea?" Tauri's eyes glinted.

"A few." He said. "Do you trust me?"

"I'm literally defusing a bomb with you."
===

Solmani didn't believe in omens.

He didn't.

Fate, destiny, luck and all that philosophical shit ended the moment his daughter died.

The turbo lifts weren't opening. Hell, the entire ship wasn't listening to his commands.

Power was gone, auxiliary power was about to go, communications were only partially restored, and with each passing minute they were tilting towards the side. To to- it all off, they were sealed inside the ship without a way off the floating death trap..

It wouldn't take long for them to crash into the starbase.

Losing his job was least of his worries now.

Cortez was trying to communicate with the starbase but nothing. Their own shipwide comms were staticky at best, garbled at worse.

He gripped the armrest of the conn, feeling the weight of the position more than ever.

Lieutenant D'Auerville was desperately trying to reroute systems. She had some moderate luck in being about to find which systems had been shut down and which were still functioning.

He could only manage how bad it was down in engineering.

She was focusing her efforts in combing through the ship using the sensors. The lieutenant told him it was because she was trying to asses for damage on the hull but he knew that she was concerned for the two engineers trapped in the Jeffries Tube.

"Cotez," he called out. "Once the tubilift is working, I want you to head down to engineering."

===

Basics of Explosive Ordinance 101 wasn't in the academy curriculum but it should have well been.

Ch'Zynes grit his teeth as he slowly pulled the blast cap away. Tauri got to work on snipping the wires since most of them were useless anyway.

There's a few basic components to bombs. The blast cap (the highly explosive charge that could take his arm off,) the the timer (which was still blue,) the batteries (which there wasn't any—great,) the wires (which are useless,) and the outer shell.

Whoever had designed this bomb was looking to do the most damage as possible. There wasn't even an effort to hide the evidence.

He had made to take a few pictures using his tricorder , just in case.

Something wasn't right about this and from the way Tauri was nervously glancing at the blast cap, she probably suspected the same thing too.

"I think I got most of them," Tauri said, tossing the last piece of wire over her shoulder. "So far, so good."

"Now comes the hard part."

He set the blast cap down and brought out his hypotorch.

Both of them got to work, cutting strips of the tricobalt off this the reached the plate that connected to the plasma coils.

Tauri and him exchanged a glance when reached the base, sweating falling into their eyes as the air felt thin. Tauri looked tired.

Long exposure to the plasma coils without protection was dangerous. Tobin could feel himself getting a bit lightheaded.

This was it. Neither of them knew what to do. Their training was different and haven't prepared them at all for this.

"Rock, paper, scissors?" Tauri asked nervously.

"Really?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Someone has to yank this thing off. Either you do or I will."

"We don't know what will happen next."

"Exactly." She said. "Listen, one of us should leave. If anything happens, at least one of us can survive and—."

Ch'Zynes didn't like to argue about philosophy or ethics. Staying, not staying...what did it matter when you were going to die anyway. He was certain that the odds were absolutely shit.

"Would you leave me? Even if you won?" He asked.

He already knew the answer to that question.

Tauri gave him a small smile. "No."

"Then why are you making a decision for both of us?" He asked. "I'm staying and I know so will you, so instead of playing a game to decide who's going to be a martyr, let's just pull this thing off and hope for the best."

"Do you know how many Starfleet rules we are breaking?"

"So many but hey, does it matter?"

Miram snorted. "Nope."

He gripped the edges of the base plate when he could see the containers of plasma attached to it. Four of them were full of bright purplish plasma, the fifth one was nearly full.

"Together on three?"

She nodded, bringing out her hypospanner, separating the final attachments that kept it embedded in the plasma coil. With each turret that came apart, Ch'Zynes could feel the baseplate pulling away.

He felt so tired, his metabolism wasn't designed to survive these type of conditions. But he had to keep going.

Tauri's torch finally cut through the last piece of metal.

Ch'Zynes summoned all his might, feeling the muscles in his arms screaming as he pulled as hard as he could.

He fell backwards, the air rushing out of his lungs as he landed hard on the floor before. The baseplate was still in his hands, the plasma dimming in their containers.

"Holy mother of the stars," Ch'Zynes exclaimed. "I can't believe that worked."

"You're telling me!" Tauri was next to him in an instant, a bright smile on her face. "You did it!"

"Don't you mean we?"

Before Tauri could answer, the ship grumbled as if it was dying before suddenly springing back to life. The engines roared back to life, sending a tremble of energy through the entire ship.

Ch'Zynes felt himself roll as the ship righted itself.

Whatever relief they felt was immediately interrupted by the blaring klaxons.

"That's not good." Ch'Zynes remarked.

"Yeah, let's not stick around to find out."

Tauri scrambled up, stumbling as she grabbed his arm and started to drag him to the opening of the Jeffries tube as the klaxons rang loudly in his ear.

For a moment he was surprised by how strong she was but adrenaline did wonders for humans in terms of strength. He did not question the small miracles in life, he took what he got and forced his feet to move.

The airlock was going to open soon now that they had systems back online.

Sooner everything in this section of the ship would be ejected out into space, including them.

===

They scrambled into the tubes like cats.

Zynes was ahead of her. She could feel the heat as it brushed past them.

Tauri kept her head low, telling herself to keep moving. She could feel the outer vents open and the Jeffries tubes close themselves off, leaving them trapped again.

The sound from the other side of the door was terrifying.

Only four inches of steel alloy kept them from space.

Ch'Zynes still had the plasma containers with him, strapped to his back by the loose fiber optic wires they had cut away. He looked like a blue, glowing, pissed off Rambo as he crawled on.

They both tumbled out of the Jeffries tube and onto the white floors of the engineering room, gasping for air.

Her eyes burned as the lights lit up to 100 percent due to the influx of plasma.

She covered her face, groaning in pain which Ch'Zynes echoed.

"I think I twisted my antena," Ch'Zynes said next to her. "Remind me not to do that again."

"No promises," she said, still wincing.

Tauri felt the throbbing sensation behind her eyes subside before she opened them slowly, squinting at her surroundings.

Haley stood over her and Zynes, his eyebrows pulled together in concern. That expression was far removed from the angry and frustrated man they met earlier this morning.

First Officer Cortez was right next to them. She couldn't read her face. It was impassive as she regarded the sorry sight in front of her.

Tauri offered a sheepish smile which made the cut on her cheek sting.

A couple of ensigns pulled her up and steadied her. She looked over to ch'Zynes whose eyebrows were partially singed. At least his antenna were still intact.

"Get them to medical." Cortez ordered.

"Aye, Commander." Haley echoed.

"Oh, and ensigns," she said, the corners of her lip curling up. "Report to the captain's ready room for debriefing when Dr Jenner clears you."

===

Jenner should say he was surprised to see Tauri and Ch'Zynes but he wasn't.

It hadn't even been a day.

Their red uniforms were singed and stained. Tauri's curly hair was a mess, some strands still smoking. The Andorian looked worse with a laceration on his forehead and singed eyebrows.

"You look...."

"Half dead?" Ch'Zynes supplied.

"Pathetic?" Tauri said from the opposite biobed.

"I'm sure slime devils look better than us."

Tauri laughed. "We look like we got the shit kicked out of us."

"We lost to a ship."

"More specifically, a plasma coil."

"It was a bomb but Let's not get technical."

Jenner resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "I was going to say that you looked alive and healthy. Given how bad the ship was tilting and the damage to engineering, it could've been a lot worse."

Being stuck in a Jeffries Tube as oxygen slowly ran out sounded like a nightmare and he's seen a lot of grisly things in deep space.

All joking aside, both of them were shaken to their cores. Tauri had her arms wrapped around herself to stop herself from shaking and Ch'Zynes just laid in his biobed staring up at the cieling.

No matter how much they smiled and joked, they both knew how close to death they were.

Hell of a first day if you asked him.

He made a mental note to schedule counseling sessions for the both of them.

His communicator chirped from his belt.

NJ: Jenner!

NJ: Are you okay?

NJ: Do you need help in med bay?

MEJ: I'm okay.

MEJ: I'm more worried about a few of the new ensigns but the medbay is fine for now

MEJ: Thanks.

MEJ: Are you hurt?

NJ: Just a few bruises from being tossed around.

NJ: Not too bad. Nothing I can't handle.

NJ: I'll be sending a few people over.

MEJ: I'm happy you're okay

NJ: We'll have to reschedule for tonight

MEJ: I'm sorry

NJ:.....

He stopped himself from typing anything else. His fingers itched to type something else but he closed the communicator and put it away.

He signed, picking up his bio scanner and his dermal regenerator. It was going to be a long day.

Well...longer than it already had been.

===

Captain Somani was a proud man by forty five.

In the 15 years he had put into Starfleet, never had he once seen a sight as sorry as this.

The two ensigns stood in front of him. They were dressed in new uniforms.

If he was younger, he'd have pity on them.

"Allow me to get this straight, Ensign Zynes." He said slowly. "There was a device on the plasma convertor that was meant to implode once it built up enough energy."

"Yes, sir." The Andorian said. He places the now empty container of plasma on the table, a few cracks in the fiber glass.

Solmai narrowed his eyes at the small cracks.

His ship was nearly destroyed, a starbase nearly knocked out of orbit, and members of his crew nearly killed.

Nearly.

It left a bitter taste on the back of his tounge knowing that this and a couple of ensigns were between them and total destruction.

Lieutenant Commander Doe-Smith had already filled him in on everything.

"And instead of alerting security or any of your high command, you go in and dismantle it?"

The younger woman—Ensign Tauri—glanced at Zynes nervously before she opened her mouth.

"Captain. We had no way to contact anyone. The device formed a field that made it impossible and by the time we found it, we had to work fast to dismantle it." She said,

Her hands were clasped in front of her but he could see her tightening her grip on them.

"So you made the decision yourself?" He asked gruffly, "You decided to risk your lives?"

"Aye, Captain. We put it in our reports."

Zynes didn't look as scared as her. His hands were behind his back, eyes staring at Captain Somani.

These two were so unalike but Solmani knew that they would do the same thing again. It was so stupid. What was the point of getting yourself blown up?

He sighed and leaned back in his seat.

Admiral Grey had called him thirty minutes ago under the false pretenses of worrying about him. Of course, it didn't take long for him to needle him for details or suggest—rather heavily—that he should have the ensigns responsible court marshaled.

Fuck, politics.

Fuck the admiralty.

This is why he refused promotion twice. He didn't want to become a bloodsucking leech that used Starfleet regulation as an excuse to do whatever he wanted.

He wanted his soul to reach heaven intact.

"You two," he said, rubbing his forehead. "I'm aware of your service records. I know that the Athena is the last chance for you. If I were any other captain, the both of you would definitely be thrown off for endangering the crew or worse."

"Captain, we're willing to take any disciplinary measures." Ensign Tauri replied.

"Shut it, you." He growled. He softened his tone just a bit when she flinched. "I don't care what you've done on other ships. I don't even care what you've done at the academy. Your records were irrelevant the moment you set forth on this vessel. All I care about is that as long as you serve on the Athena, you'll abide by my rules."

Zynes' shoulders relaxed a little bit.

"But don't think I'll let you two get away with any more stunts!" He warned them. "I hate unnecessary loss of life more than anything. Got it?!"

"Aye, Captain." Both of them said,

"Good." He nodded at the door. "Now get out."

Ensign Ch'Zynes bowed his head stiffly, tugging Ensign Tauri after him. The both of them had their heads close together, scurrying away from him as if he was a dragon in a lair.

He leaned back in his chair, ignoring his aching back.

Their files were still on his desk. He had read them before allowing them to join his crew.

Solmani liked to read up on who joined his crew. He was responsible for their lives and their potential mistakes.

These were fresh out of the academy by a year. Serving on several starships before being kicked off for 'reasons' and ending up here.

They hadn't committed any court martial offenses, just made a few mistakes.

Were the chain of the events leading up to today considered a mistake?

This was giving him a new headache.

The computer terminal chimed alerting him that someone was at his door.

"Enter," he said gruffly, putting down the PADD.

Cortez stepped in. "You sent those kids out of here shaking in their boots, Captain."

He leveled a glare at his number one. "Don't start with me. I'm not in the mood."

"You know that I don't start things. I end them." She handed him her PADD, the report already set up. "I just got back from engineering with Doe-Smith."

"And?"

Cortez sighed, slumping down into the seat across from him.

Most first officers were formal with their captains even if they were friends but not Cortez. Solmani never found her supposed breach a problem since he knew he could depend on her if needed.

"She's going to hand in her resignation."

"Denied," Solmani said immediately.

Cortez snorted, blowing a multicolored strand out of her face. "Good luck telling her that." She said, "Doe-Smith considers herself at fault for not being able to locate or diffuse the bomb."

"The admiralty wants me to reassign and demote her."

"But you won't," she said.

Doe-Smith was good at her job. He knew it and the whole ship knew it. Chief Engineer Haley already told him that Tricobalt was difficult to detect with normal scans. Nobody could detect it unless you knew what you were looking for.

How did Ensign Ch'Zynes do it then?

His reports stated that he used a basic tricorder, set to look for any strange frequencies emitting from the plasma converters. Ensign Tauri had been sent into a part of the ship that she could squeeze into so that she could repair a few degraded flux capacitors since the previous repairs had left that space almost. Inaccessible.

It was a perfect storm.

He already knew what the top brass would say to him. They'd probably make him dismiss the ensigns, fire Doe-Smith, and reassign Haley.

But most of all, they'll try to take the three year mission away from him.

He'd like to see them try. Solmani knew how to deal with them, especially Admiral Grey. He could make a few sacrifices, that's what it meant to be captain but he knew exactly what to sacrifice to get what he wanted.

If the admiralty wanted to dismiss members of his crew, he'd kindly remind them that Chief Engineer Haley and Lieutenant Doe-Smith were instrumental in their 'skirmish' with the klingons.

Where they not only won without firing a shot — thus preventing a war that admiralty cared so much about preventing — but also saved a civilian vessel from being annihilated.

He had his cards, and he wasn't afraid to use them.

"Tell Doe-Smith that she won't be leaving this ship," he said. "Instead, she's demoted back down to Lieutenant. Mr Vor—or Lieutenant Commander Vor from Security will be taking over her duties till he leaves for his assignment aboard the USS Mayflower."

"A good decision, Captain," Cortez said. "And Chief Officer Haley?"

Solmani glanced down at the files of two ensigns. "Have him keep an eye on the two ensigns. I have a feeling they'll be...troublesome."

"And the explosive device?"

"We've gathered the pieces that were jettisoned into space along with the containers Ensign Ch'Zynes collected. Admiral Grey has already ordered us to send it over to the security team that Starfleet will be sending."

"Let me guess," she took the PADD. "The admiralty doesn't want us to investigate?"

"Something like that."

"Worse." She said grimly. "I guess someone will take over. Since It was meant to implode the moment the plasma melted it. Hence—"

"—Hence not only destroying us but part of the starbase. You know how nervous the top brass can get when there's close calls. You remember Yorktown," He felt his scowl deepen. "Those kids removed it before it could do actual damage."

"Well... I wouldn't call them kids after that."

Solmani made a sound in the back of his throat. "They're kids until i say they're not."

"There is still damage to the ship I'm afraid."

"Yeah, I expected that." He resisted the urge to find the nearest airlock and jettison himself into space. "How long? C'mon just tell me. I'm a big boy. I can take it."

"Three days."

"That's not too bad." He looked outside his window. "That gives me plenty of time to mess around with Admiral Grey."

"I'd expect nothing less of you, Captain."

"What can I say? It's just another day in Starfleet."

To be continue...