A tumbling waterfall of golden trinkets clattered to the deck as Log placed one large hand on the shopkeep’s countertop and propelled himself faster down the small alleyway between of shopfronts. The soft azure sea of the Exchange’s carpet barely deadened the tinny thunder of ornate (and likely knock-off) tchotchkes as they rolled through the dust left in the ensign’s speedster wake. Nor did it deaden the almost hypersonic screech of the old Bolian woman behind the counter as the flood of gilt knick knacks disappeared beneath the nearby tables, their unexpected break for freedom unfettered by surprised observers.

“You’ll pay for those Starfleet!” She cried after him, levelling a knotted, wrinkled finger at the young man’s back.

“Sorry! Speak to the deck officer!” Log called back, offering an apologetic shrug of his wide shoulders as his legs propelled him down the crisscrossing avenues of the market stalls. Dismissing the blue crone’s now shaking fist his attention returned to the chase as a flash of a delicate silk cloak swung round the corner of the labyrinthine market stalls ahead. His focus renewed, he pushed onward with great leaping steps.

One leap, two leaps and then a skidding right turn as his boots struggled to grip the plush carpet against the force of his stocky body’s momentum. He had seen her, he was sure of it, he recognised her face from the morning briefing.

Three leaps, four leaps and another skidding turn as he came face to face with the looming visage of a Klingon chef, his frowning grimace leering out from the noxious smoke of his pans. Log raised his hands to issue an apology but before his lips could part the Klingon pointed further down the winding path, clearly his quarry wasn’t being subtle either. The young tellerite nodded his thanks and was away again, another explosion of energy from his muscular legs propelling him onwards.

He had first seen her at the central exchange counter, attempting to book passage off the base. A tall Orion with long black hair, and a signature golden piercing through her bottom lip in the shape of a coiled dragon. The woman’s face and her mugshot flashed before his eyes again. He had glimpsed her on his shortcut through the marketplace, the quickest way across the large atrium of Starbase Bravo’s upper decks it also allowed the ensign to enjoy the sights and sounds of their cosmopolitan home. He wouldn’t have given her a second look, had she not smacked the travel agent’s desk loudly as she delivered a string of insults to the poor man in voluminous frustration. It had only been a second but Log had seen the coiled golden dragon resting on her lips, framing her venomous tongue as she chewed out the presumably unhelpful clerk.

She had almost gotaway when she threw her hands in the air in exasperation and walked away from the desk.

She had almost got away when Log reached up to press his comm badge and summon security.

She had almost got away until the young Tellerite had unexpectedly found himself taking several confident steps towards her and reaching out to grab her arm.

Then she ran.

And Log had pursued.

“Log to Security,” he shouted through deep breaths, tapping his badge as he rounded another stall, the light Tholian silk scarves wafting in his wake.

“Yes, Ensign?”

“I require assistance.”

“What is it now? Did you insult the Betazoid diplomats again?” The voice came with a barely audible laugh.

“I am in pursuit of an Orion female,” Log announced to the disembodied joker as he reached out and used a nearby column to correct his path towards the orange coat-tails that whipped into a nearby avenue.

“I don’t need to know about your love life.”

“Escaped! Fugitive!”

Log’s progress suddenly ground to a halt, his heels digging furrows into the sumptuous weave of the carpet as he came to an unexpected stop. At the far end of the narrow corridor formed by the pop-up stalls, the fugitive in question had also halted; trapped in a dead end formed of imported meats and colourful candies. She turned, her calm eyes assessing the confines of the surprise cage, her body tense as a trapped sehlat. Dangerous, unpredictable. Log summoned all his courage and reached out his hand commandingly.

“You can’t get out, Security is on its way. You might as well surrender.”

She raised an eyebrow to heights that would make a Vulcan jealous as a mocking dagger of a smile crept across her face, twisting in jagged lines along her dark lips. The golden dragon flexed, its maw now appearing threateningly toothy. Log’s heart faltered at the sudden realisation he might be too far out of his depth.

“If you come peacefully, I’m sure that’ll work in your favour.” He prayed his voice hadn’t faltered as clearly as it had in his own ears, he could be a big bad security expert for all she knew. He spread his shoulders and flexed his chest confidently, willing his stout body to break the six-foot ceiling. Log, the hand of Starfleet justice, famed hunter of criminals. She didn’t need to know any different. “I could put in a word with the judge for you.”

The dagger of her smile cracked open to reveal a shark-like maw of cruel points; endless rows of white teeth designed to cut and tear, each peak sharper than the last. More cruel and cutting, however, was the shrieking laughter that echoed from behind the legion of razor blades.

“Are Starfleet judges so stupid they take advice from lowly ensigns?” She threw her head back, letting her long hair twist and shake as she crowed with mocking laughter, scraping against Log’s ears like rending metal.

“How…” he reached up to his collar, chastising himself for forgetting he wore his junior status on his neck for all to see.

“Run away back to your engine room little man. Neither of us wants to make you a casualty.” She reached over to the nearby stand, drawing a large knife with slow purpose from the nearby butcher’s block before running her thumb across it threateningly. “I have no desire to go back to that ship or that prison.”

The laughter was gone, taking with it her blood-chilling laughter. Only the cold steel of her eyes remained, reflected in the glinting blade in her hand.

“Log, Security is en route. Hang on.” 

The young man’s heart faltered once more before he was unexpectedly taken over by a wash of steely confidence. A multitude of eyes peeked out from behind cargo crates and through quickly drawn shutters, darting back and forth between the officer and the fugitive. This was the moment, the moment when Starfleet got to prove its worth.

“Understood sir. We’ll be waiting.”

The man walking ahead of him was hiding something.

Elias Barrington’s expression didn’t alter as he followed at a leisurely pace. He wasn’t really following the guy so much as heading across the promenade in roughly the same direction. But the experienced yeoman had had many years of personnel trying to hide when they’d messed up paperwork, mislaid forms or simply not followed due process, so he was more than used to all the tells.

They ranged from the ‘head up, walk like you own the place’ approach, right through to the more subtle minimal eye contact and closed off body language in case they gave something away (and inadvertently gave it all away).

The man walking ahead of him was neither of these types.

But still Elias instincts told him that something was off. The man was human, which made it easier to read his body language. The problem could have been everything from an issue at work, in which case unless the guy was Starfleet and the issue involved paperwork, it was none of Elias’ problem. Or the problem could have been a relationship issue, which was also not Elias’s problem. He wasn’t a counsellor, nowhere near, as many of his colleagues could attest to.

He checked the time. He was just off shift, and his evening consisted of nothing more than a workout and settling down with a book. He had time. More than enough. He could waste a little time on a distraction and follow Mr. Hiding something.

The man walking ahead of him turned left and Elias’ expression hardened as he caught sight of his face.

One of the advantages of working in administration was the sheer amount of paperwork. Paperwork that needed to be processed and filed. Paperwork that included things like security reports… and details of prisoners that had recently ‘gone missing’ from a prison transport heist.

Like the man walking ahead of him.

Elias recognised him. The man’s name escaped him but he was definitely Prisoner identification form Theta-Seven-Seven-Echo.

“Barrington to Security.” He kept his voice low, increasing the distance between himself and T77E as the promenade opened out and he had less cover. The man was somewhat portly with the slightest limp on the right. It could have been an act but Elias didn’t think so. Elias wasn’t arrogant about his own fitness levels, he could easily react and reach T77E in enough time if he pulled anything or put anyone on the promenade in danger.

“Yes, Chief?”

“I am in pursuit of a human male I believe to be prisoner Theta-Seven-Seven-echo, recently escaped from the prison transport that was attacked,” he said turning his head slightly to obscure his voice as his mark turned, scanning the promenade behind him with a long look.

Elias stepped to the side, smiling as he engaged in a conversation with a flower vendor. Half his attention on T77E, he purchased a large bunch of flowers and carried on on his way.

“Understood, Chief. Security is enroute.”

“Of course, I will remain in pursuit until they arrive.”

Elias kept his attention on the bunch of flowers as he carried on following, playing the part of a man who had purchased them for a significant other. He couldn’t help reaching into the bunch to straighten some of the roses though.

A place for everything and everything in it’s place.

The flowers proved excellent cover as Elias trailed T77E down the promenade. Every time his quarry turned to look behind him, Elias just looked at the flowers with a small smile, playing the part of someone very much enamored.

There were an odd number of roses, though, which irked him for some unknown reason. And, whoever had put this bunch together hadn’t the slightest inclination to design or artistic capacity. The roses were all bunched to the side, with other flowers—white ones that looked like tiny balls of cotton wool on sticks—on the other. It didn’t look so much avant-garde as shoved together in a hurry.

“Chief, do you still have the subject in sight?”

He knew better than to nod, fussing with the roses some more to cover his reply. “I do.”

“I’m afraid security has been delayed. Carry on in pursuit until they can reach your position.”

Elias sighed slightly, looking up to gauge his surroundings. “Understood, but I am going to run out of promenade shortly. Once that happens, he will quickly realize that I am following him.”

“Just do your best. Don’t lose sight of him.”

It was all well and good for security to tell him that, but they weren’t here. Elias’ jaw tightened as T77E reached the end of this promenade section and made an abrupt turn, heading for one of the side corridors. The furtive glance he threw back over his shoulder told Elias all he needed to know. T77E knew he was being followed.

What bothered Elias more, though, was the way T77E’s jacket pulled as he turned. Or rather more, the fact that the way the fabric moved revealed a harder outline under his clothes, tucked against his side.

He sighed again as T77E disappeared from view and followed after him.

T77E was armed.

He had a bunch of flowers.

This was going to be interesting…

Elias was not a man who was easily flustered. He hadn’t been for years.

Following an escaped prisoner was… unusual, but, there was no one else about and he was only following T77E until security could pick him up. At that point, Elias reassured himself that he could return to his scheduled evening activities. A workout, and a book. He might even walk a different way to the gym, which he could report to his counselor. He ignored the fact that that was actually a cop-out, since he’d memorised the different routes and knew to the second how long they took. But he *did* have a favourite, efficient route, so the change counted, right?

That ease disappeared, though, as soon as he walked through the door into the next corridor and saw that they weren’t alone anymore. Walking toward them was his counsellor, Lieutenant Black. Instantly, a cold chill washed down Elias’s spine. The gentle young woman would have no idea who T77E was or that he was armed.

Time slowed to a crawl, his gaze fixed on the Lieutenant as she walked toward him… looked up… met his gaze.

He plastered a wide smile on his face as T77E focused his attention on the slight counsellor.

“My love, you’re off duty early! Well, you have completely ruined my surprise,” he said, waggling the flowers slightly and hoping that she got the message.

Luna had been headed for one of her favourite reading spots off the promenade, and as a result was carrying a messenger bag which contained a carefully folded blanket, three books and a bottle of water. She’d also felt an urge to be slightly naughty and had replicated herself a flapjack that was wrapped in wax paper and gave the immediate area around her a pleasing but gentle aroma of treacley sugaryness. At first, her recognition of Elias took a moment. Had she been in the Counseling suite she would have placed him, but as it was seeing him here was out of context and slightly confusing. Then she remembered, just in time for him to say his cover piece.

To say that Luna couldn’t hide her surprise would be putting things mildly. She was, in part, an effective counselor because she could get patients to open up to her in a way they may not to others, based perhaps on the fact that she was about as threatening as a sleeping mouse. There was a strong element of kindness and caring and of unbridled empathy too. The last part of it, as she had found out to her perturbation was that patients, especially those who’d been treated poorly on a continuing basis tended to respond to her kindness, attention and disarming blue eyes by falling in love with her. This was a problem, not least because of professional requirements for propriety, but also as Luna regarded relationships as a source of pain, never having met a person patient enough to deal with her shyness on an intimate level. Elias’ gesture therefore, whatever the reasoning was setting off klaxons in the Counselor’s mind. Still, there was something in his face that made her stay Neutral with her statements. Something didn’t feel right about his countenance.

“Elias…?” She said, her face a mix of surprise and confusion. “W… what’s going on?”

Relief rolled through him as she finally reached him, and he could get his larger mass between her and T77E. He leaned down, using the flowers to shield the fact that he’d simply air-kissed the vicinity of her cheek.

“Play along, please, ma’am,” he murmured. “That’s one of the escaped prisoners. Security are on their way, but I need to keep him in sight.”

Luna looked panicked at hearing this news. She fought every urge to turn around and look at whoever Elias was talking about… yes… she’d just walked past someone coming the other way, she hadn’t taken much notice, her eyes had been down to the floor as usual. Her face may have been the expression of anxiety, but her voice managed to stay free of hysteria. Luna channelled everything she’d been taught at the Academy about keeping her voice level and consistent for sending distress calls.

“W… w… what a lovely surprise!” She said, sounding much less level than she normally would, but that could be taken for excitement at the circumstance of her ‘significant other’ surprising her with flowers. “Um… yes, off early…” They were still stopped and whoever it was was moving away. “These are lovely, let’s put them in water!” It didn’t sound like Luna at all, but the prisoner didn’t know that. She grabbed the flowers with one yellow-nailed hand and Elias’ own hand with her other and set off up the corridor after whoever this person was, pretending to inspect the variety of blooms she’d been given, her eyes occasionally shooting up the corridor to gain a glimpse of the prisoner.

Elias breathed a sigh of relief that she didn’t give the game away, and wrapped his larger hand around hers. Yellow nails this time, he noticed. A small detail to notice in the grand scheme of things.

He tried to pull her back, making sure to keep himself slightly in front of her. That way if T77E turned and shot at them, he could try and shield her with his own body. His gaze darted around them, old, old training coming into play. There wasn’t enough cover here. She wasn’t safe. His hand tightened slightly around hers as he ran countless options for how this could go through his mind.

Luna’s heart raced. Massive Adrenaline started to run through her system, filling her chest with a tight fizz. The prisoner was still in view and apart from a couple of furtive glances around didn’t seem to be on to them specifically following him. She made sure not to be looking toward him when he looked at them. Her reaction may not have been so courageous if she’d known he was armed.

Luna felt Elias’ grip tighten as he moved slightly in front of her. It was an incredibly odd feeling. She hadn’t held hands with anyone in… maybe four years? Her last relationship, if you could call it that had been in her second year, after which she had sworn off them for a while. Her boyfriend at the time had been nice enough but wanted to move faster than she did and, inevitably got frustrated with her timidity. Elias’ palms were warm, she could feel the tension in his arm holding her behind him. It was an incredible thing to do. In a moment of clarity she realised that in calling her ‘my love’ he had both saved her from harm by making sure the prisoner knew she was being looked-out-for and also was now keeping her in danger by continuing the reuse, but to that he and she had no choice, they were committed. They’d been silent too long, it was suspicious.

“Do you remember how I told you about that Ensign with Post-partum depression?” Luna asked Elias, making up something in the voice that somehow seemed to be her ‘character’ in this unlikely prisoner-tailing situation, the one that sounded like Luna but rather more excitable.

“I did, indeed,” he replied, looking at her like nothing else on the station mattered. In the corner of his eye, he saw T77E’s shoulders relax slightly as he carried on his way. Elias’s anxiety reduced a notch. The more distance he could put between them and the escapee, the less chance the counselor would be hurt if this all fell apart. “She had an appointment with you today, I believe?”

“Yes,” Luna replied, giving Elias an incredibly fake smile for effect. “I can’t go into the particulars obviously, but she’s really improved, isn’t that wonderful?” Her eyes darted between him and T77E. She concentrated on not walking into the Petty Officer or kicking him as she trailed him at a very close distance.

“That is wonderful, and nothing less than I’d expect from the best counsellor on the station,” he smiled and pulled her closer against him. Even though he wanted to keep her safe, they did look a trifle odd the way they were walking. Like he was marching off ahead. He slid her an apologetic little glance. She probably hadn’t expected anything like this when she’d set out this evening. His tension ratcheted up a notch. Where the hell were security?

“Aww  that’s sweet…” Discomfort rose in the Counselor. Initially numb shock and a sense of duty had kept her timidity at bay but the longer she and Elias held hands the more and more awkward she felt. Not helped by attempting to walk at a brisk pace while being pulled behind Elias presumably to keep her shielded, she tried to let go but couldn’t, his arm tense and his grip tightened by adrenaline. Luna looked down to her hand with mounting anxiety but it was to her cost. Her foot hit Elias’ and she tripped, staggering and sending the flowers flying a few feet in front of them. Her knee hit the ground hard with a thud, the sudden weight tugging her hand free of Elias’ hold. Luna put both hands out on the coarse, hard-wearing carpet to catch herself. In a panic, pain jarring from.her knee up through her leg she looked up to T77E. The prisoner had heard her go down and looked back at the pair of them in alarm, his eyes locking with Luna’s.

They’d been made.

In a flash the prisoner’s hand went for the weapon and a panicked beam of orange phaser-energy arced towards the Counselor, gashing the wall to her left with burning and sparks. Luna squeaked in surprise and fright and scrambled to get against the wall, for all the minimal cover it provided.

It all went to hell quicker than Elias could blink. One moment he had hold of the counsellor and then next she was on the floor, T77E shooting at them. Time slowed, a thousand seconds crammed between each heartbeat as he turned like the air was treacle. Elias didn’t blink, didn’t think. His mind locked out and he reacted, crossing the distance between him and T77E in a blink of an eye that somehow took years.

T77E’s lips pulled back from yellowed teeth in a snarl, but Elias didn’t care. Not when he was pointing that pistol at him and not the counsellor. The muzzle came level with his eyes… headshot… moved down to center mass.

Elias slammed his hand up, catching the underside of the pistol as he surged forward. A twist of his wrist and a turn later, he had the pistol jammed up under T77E’s jaw. Hard.

“Move and I’ll pull the trigger,” he warned in a low growl.

A few metres away Luna rested against the wall, petrified and unmoving her eyes glued to the Prisoner and to Elias, seemongly holding him subdued. She entertained the idea of trying to help but thought better of it. She’d nearly got them killed with her clumsiness. She’d probably screw up again and seal the deal. Instead she pressed her badge as she had been trained to do. She thought the Station would have sensors that detected phaser fire but she couldn’t remember for certain and didn’t want to leave anything to chance. In her best unstuttered speech, she said “Black to Security… shots fired… my location.” Praying for a fast response she kept her watch over Elias, ready to move if she needed to, not for his sake but for her own. Luna wasn’t selfish but neither was she used to combat and danger. This was the first time she had ever been fired upon for real.

Elias didn’t move, all his attention on T77E. If the guy moved so much as a muscle…

The doors behind the counsellor opened and the corridor swarmed with security personnel. “Freeze! Stay right where you are!” the front one ordered and Elias nodded.

The security team swept past the counsellor, surrounding him and the prisoner in a tight group, phasers trained on T77E.

“Okay chief, release the prisoner and step back please,” the lieutenant in charge ordered. “We’ll take it from here.”

Elias eased up his grip and slid his finger back onto the trigger guard as he let go and stepped back. Immediately the security team surged in and within seconds, T77E was secured and in custody.

The danger was passed, but Luna couldn’t move yet… she sat where she was, her chest rising and falling quickly, her mind awash with different thoughts. How stupid she had been to charge on in, how stupid she had been to fall, how she’d put Barrington in danger and how he’d had to risk his own life to keep her safe because of her mistake. Part of her tried to reason that following prisoners wasn’t in her wheelhouse and that she didn’t know he was armed. Still, typically for Luna that reasoning got drowned out by her self-derision.

Relieved of his appropriated pistol by one of the security team, Elias pushed past them to get to the counsellor. His chest tightened at the sight of her still on the floor, gaze blank as she looked at the floor.

He crouched in front of her, pitching his voice softly as he checked for any visible injuries. He didn’t think she’d been hit in the incident, but he hadn’t been able to watch her as he’d disarmed T77E.

“Counsellor, are you okay? Were you hurt in the scuffle?”

Luna looked stunned, after a moment she was able to focus on Elias.

“B.. B… B…” She was trying to say ‘Barrington’ but was too upset in the moment to conquer number two on her list of difficult consonants.

“Elias,” she managed, “I’m s… so sorry, I c.. could have gotten you killed!”

He tried for a reassuring smile, but now they were out of it, all the ways the situation could have gone wrong, what he could have done differently, played through his mind.

“No, I’m the one who should be apologising. I shouldn’t have dragged you into this.” He should have just let her walk by. She could have been done and gone, and he could have continued following T77E alone. He should have done that.

Holding out his hand, he dug down for a better smile. “If you’re up to it, Security want us to make a statement.”

Luna wasn’t up to it, but she was a Starfleet Officer, so she was up to it, whether she felt up to it or not. Elias outstretched hand was a puzzle for her neurosis to unpack. Of the two options, not-taking it would be more embarrassing as it would be rude. Luna turned the anxiety she felt about taking it and the comparison with the apparent lack of anxiety she had had taking it earlier on for their reuse into another nugget of self-hate that she could add to the pile later and took Elias’ hand finally, being pulled on to her feet.

“B… you um, what if he’d um, he could have…” Luna looked up and down the corridor replaying things in her mind, her expressions still exhibiting plenty of bewilderment.

“Best not to think about it,” he advised in a low voice as they began to follow the security team. “Believe me, as someone who has spent years analyzing just such a situation, don’t think about the what-ifs or maybe’s. He didn’t do anything. We’re all perfectly fine.” He smiled down at her. “Just put one foot in front of the other and let’s finish this, okay?”

Luna looked sideways toward Elias as they walked. He’s done this before, Luna thought to herself. It was the kind of advice she’d have given.

Th… th…

Turning away she took a couple of deep breaths.

“Th… thank you B… Barrington.”

He inclined his head. “You are very welcome, ma’am.”

The doors to Luna’s quarters parted and a flustered Counselor entered, her mind swimming. They had barely closed when her bag was discarded and forgotten on the floor. She paced, up and down, her shaking hands moving quickly in displays of wild discomfort and unease, frustration and anxiety.

Luna had never been shot at before.

She had spent an entire year in holodecks at the Academy learning to deal with stressful situations. And, she observed to herself in her state of mental disarray that she had kept it together enough to send a distress call, exactly as she had been trained to do. The training had worked. But nothing could have prepared her for a live phaser being aimed at her. What setting had it been on? Stun? Kill? Vaporise? In a different version of reality she would be dead. That was too much to handle. Her hands shook, her mouth was dry, her concentration on anything was faulty. Her eyes saw the room about her but registered nothing, locked into the reel of horror playing over and over in her mind’s eye.

Luna kicked off her boots irritably and continued to pace in her socks, the usually comforting feeling of the carpet below her toes lost in the swim of her mind. Coherency of thought went out the airlock and was just replaced with images. T77E’s face. The phaser beam. Barrington. The debrief. Even though she had done plenty right, the self-hatred that had been drummed into Luna since her childhood took over, chastising her for the smallest of perceived mistakes. She was lost in a sea of emotion and thought with no clear way out.

“Computer, play Robert Pearsall’s Lay a Garland.”

The music started, but it was stopped irritably after a few bars. It wasn’t right.

Nothing was right.

Luna sat on the ottoman. She stood. She paced. She caught herself pacing and stopped.

She sat. She rose again.

She paced.

After what seemed like hours of tumultuous waves of emotion and thought tired feet and aching toes, lambasting and analysis, Luna eventually managed to let the Counselor in her be heard and managed to accept some truths, now the fire of emotion had burned out a little. First, it was always going to happen at some point. And this was the best outcome for when it did as nobody had been hurt. Second, the worst was over, she’d come out of it okay and now could move on knowing that she followed her training and didn’t fall apart completely in the moment. There was pride to be taken from that. Third, that everyone who ever bet against her was wrong. She was a Starfleet Officer and was capable of more than just being sat in an office listening to the troubles of the day. Fourth, that C.B.T. dictated she listen to Elias and the security officers at the debrief. She’d done right. She had received compliments and caring attention. She wasn’t a failure.

“Computer, water. Ten degrees Celsius.”

A glass swirled into being from glittering lights and was soon emptied. A uniform jacket was discarded on the couch under the holographic window projector, the turquoise clashing horribly with the purplish-grey fabric.

“Computer, set window pre-set Luna four.”

A fantasy forest appeared on the window projector filled with purple and orange and cyan foliage. Small, cute alien creatures with fur, floppy ears and appealing little noses lolloped around the floor of the wooded scene, collecting roots and insects for their holographic sustenance.

“Computer, lights. Leave the projector on.”

Left dressed all in black punctuated only by rank pips Luna shed her trousers too and climbed into bed, staring at the light from the enchanted wood that filled the room. Colours danced on the opposite wall, vague and fuzzy and calming.

You’re okay, Luna kept telling herself. You managed it. You’re alright. You did well.

Four hours later

It was early in the morning. Luna would have to be at work in another few hours but sleep was a distant, elusive prospect squashed into insignificance by the events of the day.

Still in bed, Luna was sat upright, reading a book. It wasn’t the book she had had in her bag, it was another, more comfortable, more familiar book, an old friend for a difficult time.

Across her quarters Luna’s computer terminal beeped with an incoming transmission. This was uncomfortable, but Luna decided she’d better leave her cocoon of duvets and see who it was. Transmissions from her home usually came in at odd times, so it was probably her grandmother or Jason, her younger brother. She acquired her robe and scooted over.

Incoming call; Beth Smith.

Luna hit accept and sat herself in front of the screen. Her grandmother appeared and suddenly everything felt slightly better.

“Luna!” She smiled.

“H… hi Grannie.”

Beth’s pleasure at seeing her only granddaughter shifted quickly to concern. She could see Luna wasn’t at ease.

“What’s wrong?” She asked. Luna took a deep breath.

“S… someone shot at me!” Beth’s reaction was not at all what Luna expected; she smiled.

“Why are you smiling?!” Luna asked, incredulous.

“Because you can still speak,” Beth explained, warmly. “When you left here, hell even four years ago you’d have completely gone to pieces. But you’re okay. You’re okay, right?”

“Um, yes…” Luna admitted. “I’m… I’m okay.”

Beth nodded, still smiling.

“Look how far you’ve come, Luna!”

Luna nodded and a small smile appeared on her face and in her heart. She had come far. She was okay.

Jade found herself looking out the window as the transport she was on approached Starbase Bravo. It had been a long journey and her lower back was starting to hurt. She leaned forward and rubbed her lower back while getting a better view of the starbase. She dropped her jaw in amazement. The station was massive and she couldn’t help but admire it’s beauty. She had literally never seen anything like it before. She grew up on a military base and the closest she had come to something like this was during her time at Starfleet Academy. Her attention shifted to the traffic coming and going from the station. She took each one of them in and noted the differences in each and tried to identify them all just like her days back at the academy. She wasn’t the best at remembering them in those days but she surprised herself and was able to recall a majority of what she saw. This pleased her. She couldn’t help but think maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.

Her attention snapped back as an announcement came over the speakers; “Docking at Starbase Bravo in 10 minutes. All crew and passengers prepare for docking and disembarking. Safe journeys.”

Jade made her way away from the window and back toward her bunk. She started to gather her belongings and slung her messenger bag full of books over her shoulder and made her way back toward the airlock to wait for the transport to dock at the station. She wanted to be one of the first to disembark. She didn’t want to get stuck behind people walking slow. She couldn’t have her first day on the base start off poorly.

After a couple of minutes of impatiently waiting, she felt the shuttle bump as the airlocks locked in to place and the door in front of her slid open. Without hesitation, she stepped through and onto the station platform. She was greeted by a pair of ensigns who were assigned to look after the transport and the offloading of passengers.

“Lieutenant Hart reporting for duty,” Jade declared.

“Yes, sir. We have you right here. Please follow Ensign Smith to your quarters.” the smaller one stated.

“Thank you, Ensign.” she replied. She turned toward Ensign Smith and gestured with her hand before saying, “Lead the way, Ensign.”

Jade fell into step beside the young ensign. They walked silently for a few minutes which Jade didn’t mind at all. Silence was comforting to her and she figured she wouldn’t get as much of it in the days to follow. They made their way to a turbo lift where they were able to squeeze in with a handful of people. Jade immediately started to breathe heavier and wiped sweat forming on her forehead. She couldn’t stand cramped spaces and this many people only added to the claustrophobic feeling she was starting to feel. The doors finally opened on her deck and she quickly exited into the hallway.

Ensign Smith led her down the hallway for another minute or so before stopping in front of what Jade assumed to be her quarters. She looked to the door panel and confirmed her identity. She smiled and began moving toward the door.

“Let me be the first to officially welcome you to Starbase Bravo, Lieutenant. These are your quarters. Please stop anyone of us if you have any questions. This is quite a big base and one can get lost pretty easily,” stated Ensign Smith. The Ensign saluted her and then turned to walk away.

“Thank you, Ensign.” Jade replied. She couldn’t quite think of anything else to say. She mentally facepalmed herself and then turned to enter her room. It wasn’t bad. The room was more spacious than she had thought it would be. She set her duffel bag down at the bed and then began pulling the books out of her messenger bag. It would only take her a few minutes to unpack her belongings. That thought made her sad. The past 28 years of her life could be contained within two bags.

She began putting her books away on the shelf by her bed and tried to push the sad thoughts away. This was good. She was away from San Francisco. She was away from her father. The past 8 years in Starfleet Academy and Starfleet Legal Academy had prepared her for this and she was confident that she would not fail. She took a seat on her bed and let everything sink in. This was her home for the foreseeable future. Tomorrow would be her first day on the job. She wondered who would wonder into her office and what type of help they may need.

She stood to look at herself in the mirror. She smiled at her reflection and said aloud; “Jade Hart, esquire you did it! You can relax now.” She went back to sorting through her items and prepare herself for the following day. It would be her first day as a lawyer and the next day couldn’t come quick enough.

“That’s just great!” Jade exclaimed as she spilled her fresh cup of coffee all over her brand-new desk. Well, new to her. She’s sure that it is has been used previously but it was new to her and that’s what counted. She looked around the room searching for something to clean the mess up with. Thankfully, she spotted a towel quickly and was able to mop up the liquid before it spread too far. Where did the towel even come from? She had no idea, and she frankly didn’t care at that moment. Perhaps it was left over by whoever had cleaned her office the day before. They had done a fantastic job. The place was spotless. Of course, it would not be a proper first day for Jade if she didn’t find some way to make a mess. Was she cursed? It was quite possible or at least that’s what it seemed like to her. She wasn’t even sure if such a thing existed, but she definitely had it if it did.

“Alright, settle down now and back to work,” Jade said aloud to herself. She had spent the entire morning getting used to where things were located in her office and deciding whether or not she liked the way things were currently organized. That was until she received a communication less than 30 minutes ago from her superior that she had received her first case. She had been rattled ever since. It was her first day and she had already been appointed as defense attorney to a captured prisoner who had been recently re-apprehended on the starbase. A special hearing had been set to bring about other charges after his escape. She had not expected a case of this magnitude on her first day.

She could thank her superior officer for the spilt coffee. She wouldn’t have been so rattled if she had just been handed contracts to review or research to perform. This was just her luck. She was still lost in thought when she heard a knock on her door. She jerked her head towards the door to her office in surprise. She hadn’t expected a visitor. She mused on who it could be while she walked to the door and opened it. She plastered her face with her practiced “professional” smile like she had done at least a thousand times prior to this moment.

The door opened to reveal a young man and Ryke offered a matching professional smile. He didn’t have much call to deal with the legal department on a day-to-day basis but given that he was one of the few counselors aboard who specialized in cases that could get violent, he did deal with security a lot.

“Lieutenant Hart? Name’s Ashfield,” he said, offering a hand. “I’m the counselor assigned to the T77E case.”

“Hi, Ashfield, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m not exactly sure why you’ve stopped by but please come in,” Jade provided. She opened the door wider for him and made a sweeping motion with her hand that she hoped would be a welcoming gesture. She guessed time would tell if it actually worked or not.

She gave the man another smile and then started to make her way toward her desk. She was glad she had been straightening things earlier and didn’t still have papers everywhere. “I have about 30 minutes before I have to head to the hearing for T77E, as you have referred to him. What can I do for you?” Jade stated as she reached her desk and turned back toward the man.

Ryke followed her into the room, standing with his padd and file loosely clasped in his hands in front of him.

“I just wanted to touch base beforehand,” he replied. “The file points to him being a somewhat unstable character, which is why counseling have been assigned as well. Obviously, you’re the lead on this case so I wanted to see how you wanted to play this. Some attorneys prefer me to observe from another room, while others are happy for me to be present. It’s your case, so the choice is yours.”

Jade paused a moment before responding. She had not anticipated a counselor being assigned to the case as well. The man standing in front of her had met the prisoner before. Perhaps that was something that would benefit us both. “I see,” Jade finally declared. “I think it would be to both of our benefits if you were present. I have not yet met T77E and could use another person’s opinion. I trust that you’ve had a chance to review his file. Is there anything that you think that I should know regarding the prisoner?”

Ryke reached up to rub the back of his neck. It had been a long day already, and didn’t look like it was going to end soon. “He’s a career criminal, but not a very bright one. It would be more accurate to say he’s a career prisoner. Too light-fingered for his own good, and with a tendency to annoy the wrong people in the wrong places. To be honest, given his file, I’m surprised someone didn’t take advantage of the ship breakout to settle scores with him.”

Jade took a second to think over what the man just said. Did she need to worry that someone would attempt to take this prisoner’s life? she thought to herself. “Regardless of personal feelings, I have been assigned as this man’s representative and I must ensure that I represent him to the best of my ability. Thank you for that information. I will speak with the administrators and let them know that he will need to be watched,” Jade finally replied. “This emergency hearing will be relatively short and is only being held to determine whether any additional criminal charges will be filed and if any time will be added to his sentence. I don’t foresee facing anything unexpected or for any complications to arise,” she provided.

Jade took a glance at the time and was surprised at how much time had passed so quickly. “It looks like it’s time for me to head towards the hearing. If we leave now, we will make it with a few minutes to spare. Would you like to walk with me?” Jade posed. As she spoke, Jade gathered the files scattered across her desk and stuffed them in her bag. She grabbed the shoulder strap and strung the bag over her shoulder and then looked to the man waiting for his answer.

“I would be delighted.” Ryke smiled and stepped back to trigger the door. As it slid open, he swept an arm out. “After you.”

Jade smiled and stepped first through the door. She was glad to have the company of someone else as she made her way towards her first hearing. She was confident in her abilities, but she couldn’t help feeling nerves the closer they got. She had to take a deep breath to try and push away the negative voice of her father that was starting to occupy her thoughts. As they reached the door that would lead them into the hearing, Jade turned toward Ryke. “Well, here we go. We made it a few minutes early.” She entered the room and made her way towards her table. Her client wasn’t here yet, but she would meet him soon. She found herself wondering what type of person he would be. I guess time will tell she thought to herself and then took a seat. She was glad to have Ryke with her even if she barely knew him. Hopefully, this hearing would go well, and she could relax afterwards.