Captain Forrester pushed the door open and stepped out into the sunlight. A gentle breeze began to brush his skin as he strode away from the building.. He took a deep lungful of the fresh air, a relief after the stale and sometimes hot air he’d suffered through inside for the past four hours. As he walked, his gaze fell upon a familiar figure pacing back and forth not far away.

“Have you been waiting for me?” Forrester asked as he approached his best friend.

The Captain watched as Mitchell came to a stop and his head snapped round to meet Forrester’s gaze. “Thought I’d stick around to see how your debrief went.”

“You thought you’d stick around to see if Starfleet gave me any hint about my next command.” Forrester replied with a smirk, seeing through the pilots lame excuse easily enough

Mitchell nodded. “It’s been almost three weeks since the Trafalgar docked at the San Francisco Fleet Yards. What the hell’s taking them so long?”

“They did have bigger fish to fry.” The Captain pointed out as he began walking towards the nearest transporter station with Mitchell quickly falling into step beside him. The Omega crises had been dealt with, the galactic barrier restored and life could finally begin returning to normal for Starfleet. “But I have a meeting with Commodore Vega tomorrow so I think we’ll have new orders soon.”

He glanced to the side as Mitchell threw his head back and looked to the sky. “Hallelujah.” The pilot exclaimed. “I’ve spent enough of this year sitting on my hands. I just want to get back out there.”

“I know what you mean.” Forrester agreed. “Even with the Grian mission, this past few weeks has felt more like a month and a half. I’m not used to living planetside for more than a week at a time anymore.”

The Captain’s words caused Mitchell to smirk. “Wow. You’ve come a long way from the farm boy I met when I arrived in San Francisco for my first year.” The smirk slowly became a genuine smile. “The one who’s only experience of space was the journey from Coltar to Earth. Whatever happened to him?”

“He grew up.” Forrester replied wistfully, caught up in their shared history.

Mitchell’s smile widened. “Grew up.” He repeated. “Got old is more like it.” The pilot raised a finger to Forrester’s beard. “Are those flecks of grey that I see?”

“Y’know what,” Forrester came to a stop with Mitchell following suit a second later, “screw you. We can’t all go to such extreme lengths to stay young.” He joked.

Tom could see the mischief in his friend’s eyes. “Whatever it takes.” He pointed to the Captain’s beard again. “The beard adds a few years too, especially with those greys.”

“I shouldn’t have to put up with this.” Forrester mumbled as he set off again with Mitchell close behind. “There must be some backwater assignment I can transfer you to.”

Expecting a witty retort, Forrester was surprised when Mitchell spoke again. “Uh-oh.”

“What’s wrong?” Tom asked as he looked over at his friend.

Mitchell was looking at something in the distance. “Incoming.”

The Captain followed his friend’s gaze, scanning the crowd until he finally spotted the incoming; his Executive Officer, Commander Kailir Tejara. As she approached the two men, Forrester called out. “When did you get back, Commander?”

“Last night.” She replied simply, placing her hands behind her back.

Mitchell quickly chimed in. “How was Bajor?” When she shot him an icy glare, he quickly added a ‘ma’am’.

“It was fine, Commander.” Kailir said coolly.

Forrester watched as Mitchell shifted his weight from one foot to another. “I…uh….I have a…a thing.” The pilot announced. “So I’m gonna go.”  He nodded at each of them in turn and offered a ‘sir’ and ‘ma’am’ to them before walking away.

Mitchell had only gotten a few steps before turning back and addressing the Captain. “Oh, I spoke to mom today.  Mitchell family dinner tonight.”

“Ugh.” Forrester let out a groan. “I don’t know if I have the energy for a Mitchell family dinner.”

Mitchell opened his arms and shrugged. “Yeah…well…boo hoo. Cry me a river. I had a hot date planned and now I have to cancel it and go to this thing instead.” He gave a small wave. “I’ll see you in Baltimore.”

“I don’t like him.” Commander Kailir announced once Mitchell was out of earshot.

Forrester rolled his eyes. “I’m aware of that, Commander.” He told her. “Even if you hadn’t told me at least once a week since he was assigned to the Trafalgar, it would be patently obvious because the tension between the two of you is so thick I could cut it with a knife. You’ve never told me why, though.”

“He’s arrogant.” Kailir replied immediately.

Forrester snorted. “He’s a pilot. Of course he’s arrogant. It’s a failing of their kind.”

“I’m a pilot.” The XO replied indignantly.

A smirk pulled at Forrester’s lips. “I know. I’ve read your service record, Commander. The word appears a number of times in your fitreps. Like I said, it’s a failing of your kind.”

“He thinks he’s untouchable because he’s the Captain’s friend.” She shot back, no sign of humour in her features.

AJ could be an arrogant SOB, sure, but he certainly didn’t expect special treatment just because he was the Captain’s best friend. “You and I both know that he’s not untouchable.” When the XO opened her mouth to reply but closed it again without saying a word, he promoted her. “Speak your mind, Commander. You’ve never had a problem doing that in the past.”

“I worry that where Lieutenant Commander Mitchell is concerned, you are,” Kailir hesitated for a moment and when she finally spoke she did so softly, “soft.”

“Soft.” Forrester repeated the word, shocked at his XO’s confession. “You think I’m soft?”

Keilir nodded solemnly. “Where Lieutenant Commander Mitchell is concerned, yes sir.” When the Captain didn’t reply and an uncomfortable silence stretched between them, she filled the void. “You were Academy roommates, best friends for twenty five years and then you lost him, spent the past ten years thinking he was dead only for him to miraculously reappear at the beginning of this year. I’ve heard you refer to him as your brother. I worry that all of that taken together suggests that you’re more likely to turn a blind eye to his misbehaviour.”

“Misbehaviour?” Given how much he was repeating what others were saying, Forrester worried that he was quickly turning into a parrot. “Has he stepped out of line since transferring to the Trafalgar?”

Keilir shook her head. “No, sir. He’s been a model officer since transferring aboard. But there are some incidents in his past that I’m worried about.”

“Oh my god.” Forrester rolled his eyes. “Are you talking about what happened on the Independence? That was a long time ago.”

The fire in the XO’s eyes was unmistakable. “For us, yes.  But not for him.” She pointed out. “Caught in a compromising position on multiple occasions.”

“Compromising position.” He scoffed, certain that he was becoming a parrot. “You make it sound like he was caught in flagrante delicto. He was caught making out with junior officers in a jefferies tube.” Not that that made what he did any better but there was no point in blowing things out of proportion.

“Can you honestly say that if he did it again while under your command that you’d punish him the same way you’d punish any other member of the crew?” Keilir asked.

Forrester sighed. “Yes, I would.” He folded his arms. It was a defensive move and he knew it but his command ability was being questioned so he was feeling pretty damned defensive. “You wanna take a guess who caught him the third and final time he was caught in a ‘compromising position’?”

“You.” Keilir replied after a few seconds, quickly realising why he’d asked the question.

The Captain nodded.  “Correct. I was looking for my deputy, who wasn’t answering his commbadge so I used the computer to locate him and when I found him, he was in the arms of my best friend. I placed them both on report and tore strips off of them.”

“I may let a few lapses in protocol slide in front of my senior officers, but AJ knows I hold him to a higher standard of behaviour” Forrester continued. “If he steps out of line then I will come down on him like a ton of bricks.”

Keilir nodded slowly and studied the Captain. “We’ll have to wait and see then. What is it you humans say? Proof of the pudding is in the eating?”

“I find your lack of faith disturbing, Commander.” Forrester shot back, before taking a deep breath and letting it out through his mouth as if he was riding his body of whatever tension the conversation had caused. “Anyway, what did you need me for?”

The Commander looked relieved for the chance to change the subject. “I was wondering if there was any news on our next assignment.”

“If I had a bar of latinum for everytime someone asked me I’d have-”

The XO quickly cut him off. “Two bars.”

“Only two bars? You forget I’ve been living with AJ and his family. He’s been asking me at least once a day.” He told her with a smile. “I have a meeting in the morning with Commodore Vega.”. Over Keilir’s shoulder he spotted an Andorian in a Starfleet officer with gold shoulders and two silver pips attached to her chest. “And here’s another member of our happy little band.”

The Lieutenant approached them. “Good day Captain.” She gave a nod first to the Captain and then to the XO. “Commander.”

“When did you get back from Andoria?” Forrester asked.

The Andorian zhen stiffly placed her hands behind her back. “I returned yesterday evening.” She told them.

“Everyone’s getting back last night.” Forrester mumbled. “So, what can we do for you, Lieutenant?”

The Lieutenant looked from the Captain to the XO and back. “Is there an update on when we can expect our new orders?”

Forrester hung his head and closed his eyes as a grin slowly spread across Keilir’s mouth. “There’s another bar of latinum for you, sir.”

“Do you enjoy flying shuttles at Starfleet Command?”

No. That was the answer that Rafael Da Costa wanted to give to Captain Forrester’s question.  Instead he gave his well rehearsed answer. “Yes, sir. It’s an honor to serve at Starfleet Command.”

“Not exactly the adventure you were signed up for, though.” Forrester commented. Rafael found himself wishing the Captain was like all his other passengers; sitting in the aft section reading some report or other on a PADD. Instead Forrester had taken the co-pilot’s chair and was apparently feeling chatty. “How long have you served at Starfleet Command?”

“Four years, sir.” Rafael replied. “Since I graduated from the Academy.” 

In the beginning he’d thought this would be a temporary assignment, just until they could find a billet on a starship for him. Two months turned into three, three turned into six, six turned into a year. Then he began telling himself that once his two years as an Ensign were up and he made Lieutenant JG, that’s when he’d be transferred.  When that hadn’t happened, he took matters into his own hands. He requested a transfer, which was quickly turned down. Since then, he would submit a new request for transfer every six months like clockwork. Each time his request was denied.

Out of the corner of his eye, Rafael could see the Captain turn his head and could see him preparing to ask a follow up. Whatever the question was, it went unasked as the Captain caught sight of something through the forward viewport. McKinley Station with a Galaxy-class starship nestled safely inside.

“There she is.” Captain Forrester announced, the reverential tone not surprising the junior Lieutenant. He’d flown Captains to their new assignments several times and it was always the same. “God, she’s beautiful.”

Rafael nodded in agreement, taking a few seconds to study the starship ahead of them. “She certainly is.”

“Take us under the saucer and between the main impulse engine and starboard nacelle.” Forrester ordered, causing Rafael’s fingers to move nimbly from one button to another as he plotted the requested course.

As the shuttle passed under the leading edge of the saucer, the registry number and name of the Galaxy-class starship in question loomed large above them.

“Yesterday I was a Captain without a starship.” Forrester muttered as he admired the view. “Now I’m about to take command of the Challenger.” He fell silent for a moment and Rafael glanced over, watching the Captain study his new ship. The silence was broken again when Forrester spoke. “I was ten when she was launched. I had the specs of all the Galaxy-class starships, knew who all the senior officers were, read everything I could lay my hands on about these ships.” He gave a self deprecating  chuckle. “I was obsessed.”

Rafael could relate. As a boy he’d been fascinated by the armada put together by Admiral Picard to evacuate as many Romulan worlds in the projected path of the supernova as possible. He had the specs for the ships, knew the career highlights of all the key players, read and watched every news story he could find. That had been part of the reason Rafael had wanted to join Starfleet; to follow in the footsteps of Picard and do whatever he could to help those in need. ‘The reality turned out to be very different.’ He thought bitterly.

“Getting to command the Challenger must be a dream come true.” Rafael commented. Though he tried hard to keep his own feelings out of his tone, he was pretty sure that he hadn’t succeeded. He could only hope the Captain was too preoccupied with his new ship to notice.

Rafael could feel the Captain’s gaze shift briefly from the view outside the window to the young pilot and back. 

“And so much more.” The Captain eventually replied. “No matter what I do after this, command of the Challenger will be the pinnacle of my career.”

The shuttle moved slowly between the Challenger’s neck and the starboard nacelle and Rafael was soon bringing the Hume around to make their final approach to shuttlebay 2. He deftly lined the shuttle up and confirmed with the Challenger that the shuttle was ready to be tractored into the shuttlebay..

“Let’s go, Lieutenant.” The Captain instruced, out of his seat before the shuttle had even touched down on the deck.

Rafael shot the Captain a confused look.  “Sir?” He’d delivered Forrester to his new command, his job was done. “I should get back to-”

“Lieutenant,” Captain Forrester cut in, “don’t make me repeat myself.”

Rafael wasn’t about to argue with a Captain. “Aye, sir.” The shuttle touched down on the deck. Rafael secured the shuttle and powered down the engines as the hatch opened. A bosun’s whistle sounded as Forrester stepped off the shuttle with Rafael close behind.

The Captain approached two officers who were standing near the door that led to the rest of the Challenger. A male Lieutenant Commander in a uniform with gold shoulders and a younger woman in command red with the insignia of a Petty Officer Second Class. “Lieutenant Commander Calloway,” Forrester began as he approached the senior most officer, “I’m sure neither of us expected our paths to cross again so soon.”

The Commander extended a hand and offered the Captain a tight lipped smile that came nowhere close to reaching his eyes. Rafael didn’t know what the history between the two men was, but it didn’t seem like they were on friendly terms.

“Welcome aboard the Challenger, Captain.” Calloway said, shaking the Captain’s hand. “It’s good to see you again.” Rafael doubted the sincerity of the Commander’s words. If the Captain had similar thoughts, he gave nothing away. When Calloway spoke again, he motioned to the young woman beside him. “I’d like to introduce Yeoman Second Class Aubrey Ross.”

Forrester took a step to the side so he was standing in front of his new Yeoman and gave her a warm smile as he extended a hand. “A pleasure to meet you, Yeoman.”

The young woman accepted the offered hand and returned the Captain’s smile. Unlike Calloway’s, Yeoman Ross’ smile was genuine and did reach her eyes. “Thank you, sir.”

“Actually, I already have a job for you.” Forrester announced as he motioned toward Rafael. “This is Lieutenant Junior Grade Rafael Da Costa. He’s never been aboard a Galaxy-class starship before.” While that was true, Rafael didn’t remember telling the Captain that. “I’d like you to give him the grand tour. Start in main engineering and work your way up to the bridge. I’ll meet you guys there in an hour.”

That drew an immediate response from Calloway. “Sir, we’re really busy in engineering. I can’t have a couple of tourists getting in our way.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Forrester waved the Commander’s concern off, “they’ll stay out of your way.” If the clench of Calloway’s jaw was anything to go by, he was not impressed by that answer but he didn’t argue the point any further.

Yeoman Ross motioned for Rafael to follow her as she started toward the door. “This way, Lieutenant.”

***

A little under an hour later the pair emerged from the turbolift at the aft of the bridge. Their visit to engineering had been brief due in no small part to Lieutenant Commander Calloway hovering over them and making it clear that they weren’t welcome. After that they’d visited the battle bridge, sickbay, ten forward and the arboretum before finally making their way to the bridge.

It looked a lot like images Rafael had seen of the Enterprise-D’s bridge in 2371, shortly before her destruction. CONN and Ops were standalone consoles at the fore of the room, the three chairs in the command area were  in the middle of the room surrounded by a wooden horseshoe rail, there were banks of consoles at the aft, port and starboard of the room.

“You’re early.” Forrester announced as he emerged from his ready room. “How did you find your tour, Lieutenant?”

Torture. That was his first thought. The Captain was rubbing his new command in Rafael’s face. “It’s a fine ship, sir.” He replied with a tight smile.

“She certainly is.” Forrester beamed proudly as he moved towards the CONN station. With one hand resting on the back of the chair, he turned to Rafael. “Have a seat. Try it out.” Captain Forrester stiffened and added a more formal instruction. “Take the helm, Lieutenant.”

The Captain was screwing with him. He was certain of it. That was the only explanation. Why else would he make Rafael sit at the Challenger’s helm? All the same, it would be nice to sit there and know what it was like to have the controls of a starship at his fingertips, even if it was just for a few minutes.

Rafael slid into the chair and swung the console back toward him. He ran his hand across the top of the console, pressed a few controls to bring up a navigational scan. What would it be like to sit here with the steady thrum of the warp core vibrating through the deck?

He was drawn from his thoughts by a shrill computer tone emanating from the tactical console. “Sir, incoming transmission from Commodore Vega.” The Ensign at tactical announced.

“I’ll take it in my ready room.” He replied to the Ensign before addressing Rafael. “Be right back.”

Rafael didn’t mind. It gave him a few more moments with his dream but the Captain was back sooner than he’d expected and this time with a PADD in hand. “How does it feel?” Forrester asked.

“Feels good, sir.” Rafael replied, fighting hard to keep tears at bay.

Forrester nodded and smiled. “I’m glad to hear it,” he paused for a moment, “because you’re going to be spending a lot of time in that seat.”

“Sir?” Rafael’s head shot up, his eyes meeting the Captain’s. Those tears he’d been fighting to control began to pool, clouding his view.  This couldn’t be happening, could it?

Forrester held out the PADD for Rafael to accept, which he did slowly as the Captain explained, “I pulled in a few favours to have you transferred to my command as a flight control officer. Report to Lieutenant Commander Mitchell at zero nine hundred tomorrow.”

“I…I don’t know what to say.” Rafael’s voice was thick with emotion and wavered as he spoke.

The Captain’s smile waned. “There’s nothing to say. I’m only giving you a shot. It’s up to yourself to prove yourself capable.” He paused and his smile disappeared completely. “Don’t let me down.”

“I won’t, sir.” Rafael replied firmly as he pushed the console away and stood up. “You won’t regret this.” He held out a hand, which the Captain grasped firmly.

“I’m glad to hear it.” The smile returned to the Captain’s lips. “Yeoman,” Rafael had gotten so caught up he’d forgotten about the young woman standing a few feet away, “why don’t you escort the Lieutenant back to his shuttle. He needs to return that and then start packing.”

Rafael took a few steps to follow her but stopped and turned to face the Captain again. “Thank you, sir.” With that he followed the Yeoman into the turbolift. He wiped the still unshed tears with his free hand but what he couldn’t wipe away was the smile that would remain on his lips for hours to come

Two weeks. They would depart McKinley Station in two weeks. That’s how long Captain Forrester had to fill a number of vacancies in the Challenger’s senior ranks. He’d been provided with a number of service records for each position but Thomas had a few names in mind that weren’t included. First up was his choice for Chief Engineer and as luck would have it, he was already onboard.

“Commander Calloway, could I have a few moments of your time?” Forrester asked as he approached the taller man.

Thomas watched as Calloway’s shoulders and neck tensed in the seconds before he turned around. He wasn’t entirely sure where the engineer’s dislike of him came from. Sure, they’d had a disagreement during the Grian mission but he didn’t think it merited the level of animosity that Calloway seemed to be holding. Of course that presented another problem; it made it less likely that the Commander would accept his offer.

“What can I do for you, sir?” Calloway asked stiffly once they reached the alcove where the Chief Engineer usually worked. A large transparent aluminium window gave a great view of the currently inactive warp core.

Thomas glanced out at the warp core as he asked, “Any idea where you’ll be going once the Challenger’s refit is complete?”

“I’ll be taking over as the lead engineer on the Trafalgar refit.” Calloway replied.

That brought a smile to Thomas’ lips. “She’s a fine ship, Commander.” When Calloway said nothing in reply, just offering a nod, the Captain continued, “I was hoping I could convince you to stay on as chief engineer. No-one knows the Challenger better than you. I could really use that expertise.”

“I appreciate the offer, sir, but I’m going to have to decline.” Calloway replied.

Thomas couldn’t stop his shoulders from slumping. It was the answer he’d expected but there had been a glimmer of hope that he’d clung to, only for that glimmer to be extinguished. It was time for a different tactic: begging. “At least give me six months. If, at the end of that time you want to return to the shipyards then I’ll see to it personally.” He quickly added a sweetener, “And you can pick your own assistant chief and division heads.”

“That’s a very generous offer.” Calloway smiled tightly. “But I’m afraid my answer is still no.”

It was clear that Thomas needed to try and address whatever problem Calloway had with him. “If this is about what happened-”

“It’s not, sir.” Calloway quickly cut in. “I’ve spent most of the past fifteen years on frontline starships. About a year ago I decided it was time for a change and I requested reassignment to the shipyards. It was the best decision I’ve made. This past year has been one of the most rewarding of my recent career.” With a shrug he added, “I have no desire to go back out there anytime soon.”

Thomas let out a defeated sigh. “Alright, Commander. I won’t take any more of your time.” Calloway nodded and walked off without another word, relief visible on his features. “Dammit.” The Captain muttered before he left engineering behind.

Instead of working out of his ready room, which still had engineers coming and going to fix this or adjust that, Thomas had set himself up in his quarters. They were standard for this class of starship, which meant that they were slightly larger than the quarters he’d enjoyed on the Trafalgar.

He’d heard rumours that the Captain’s quarters on the larger Odyssey-class starships were on a whole different level. One person had told him they could put the Nagal residence to shame. While that seemed implausible, it did make Thomas wonder if he should request some changes made to his own quarters. 

Growing up on Coltar, replicator use for food had been limited. Most of the food they consumed was grown and prepared by hand. Thomas had learned how to bake and cook at his mothers elbow, had enjoyed the time he spent as her assistant and, as he got older, taking the lead in preparing meals for the family. He’d continued to cook as much as possible but kitchens weren’t a standard part of the crew quarters on Starfleet ships.

Thomas forced the memories down, back into the box he’d locked them away in long ago and forced himself back to the present. The Challenger was large enough, and there was enough free space, that his quarters could be expanded to include a full kitchen and a proper dining room to allow him to prepare his own meals. He may have to rely on the replicator for the ingredients, but at least he could actually prepare the meals himself, lose himself in the process of baking or cooking for a while.

‘One more reason for Calloway to hate me.’ Thomas mused silently as he set foot in his new home. He had a new chief engineer to find but that was a task for tomorrow along with speaking to the person he hoped would be his new chief medical officer. 

He hoped that his next conversation would be more successful.

***

Who the hell was knocking on his door at two in the afternoon?

Josh picked up the t-shirt that had been discarded by the door and hastily pulled it over his head before reaching out for the handle and pulling the door open. The surprise at finding Captain Thomas Forrester standing at his door was not just evident from his tone, it was written all over his face. He’d often been told he had a lousy poker face. “Captain. What…uh…what brings you by?”

He watched as the Captain silently studied him for a few seconds before speaking. “I was hoping to get a few minutes of your time, but I feel like I’m interrupting something.”

Glancing at his reflection at a full length mirror to the right of his front door, Josh could see why the Captain thought that. His hair was a mess, and the t-shirt he’d just pulled on was inside out and the jogging bottoms he was wearing were on backwards. He opened his mouth to reply when a voice called out from the bedroom. “Tell them to come back later, Josh. Like in an hour,” there was a momentary pause, “or five.”

He watched, horrified, as the Captain realised that he had indeed interrupted something. The smirk that pulled Forrester’s lips to the right, the amusement gleaming in his eyes told Josh that he knew exactly what. Worse still, he could see the look of recognition in his eyes, He knew who the voice from the bedroom belonged to. 

Josh closed his eyes and dropped his head, wishing that whatever higher power existed in the universe would strike him down in that moment. Surely it was the merciful thing to do.

When the Captain spoke next, he wasn’t addressing Josh but rather the owner of the disembodied voice. “I only need a few minutes of his time, AJ. Keep your hair on.” Josh could already feel the heat rising, up his neck and onto his cheeks. What the Captain said next only caused his face to burn hotter. “I’d tell him to keep his pants on but I think that ship has probably sailed.” The Captain muttered so that only Josh could hear.

“Tom.” a voice said from over his shoulder. Josh didn’t want to look, afraid of what he would see when he did but he had to. Opening his eyes, he glanced over his shoulder. Stood in the doorway of his bedroom was Alexander Mitchell wearing nothing but a bed sheet wrapped around his waist. “What’re you doing here?” As if Josh’s embarrassment couldn’t get any worse.

He turned his attention back to the Captain to find Forrester’s smirk had grown even wider. “I just need a few minutes of Doctor Miller’s time. You go back to bed and I’ll have him join you soon.”

“Two minutes.” Mitchell instructed before retreating back to the bedroom to leave Josh and the Captain to their conversation.

The smirk on Forrester’s lips and the amusement in his eyes made Josh want to punch him, to wipe that smirk right off his face but striking a superior officer wasn’t the best way to advance one’s career so he fought that urge. That fight became more difficult when the Captain spoke. “Is he always so demanding,” he paused for a second and held up a hand, “y’know what, don’t answer that. I don’t wanna know.”

“What can I do for you, Captain.” Josh asked, trying to keep his tone even. Maybe he’d be able to look back on this moment in months to come and laugh about it but right now his sense of humour was a well that had run dry.

Forrester tapped the PADD in his hand. “As I’m sure AJ has told you, I’ve been given command of the Challenger.” Josh just silently nodded and waited for the Captain to continue. “Well, I need a chief medical officer and I understand that you’re still between assignments. The post is yours if you want it.”

“Did Xander put you-” Josh tried to ask.

Forrester was quick to cut him off. “I haven’t discussed this with AJ. It has nothing to do with,” the Captain made a vague gesture with his free hand, “whatever’s going on here. I reviewed your service record before the Grian mission. You’re the person I want running my Sickbay.” He paused for a moment to let that sink in. “Think about it. I need your answer by the end of the week.

“I don’t need that long, sir.” Josh quickly replied. Forrester looked like he was bracing himself for rejection and Josh was certain there was a story behind that. “I accept.” The Captain visibly relaxed at being given the answer he wanted.

The Captain handed the PADD over. “Good. Here are your orders.” Josh accepted it and skimmed the first few lines. His attention returned to Forrester as the Captain spoke again. “And if you two are going to continue seeing each other once aboard, do yourselves a favour and be discreet. The XO’s already gunning for AJ after what happened on the Independence.”

Josh’s brow furrowed in confusion. What was that supposed to mean? What had happened on the Independence? He was about to ask the question but was beaten by the Captain. “Hang on, did this start on the Grian mission?” Josh could feel his face heating up again and his averted gaze was all the answer the Captain needed. “So when the team was on the planet you two were-“

“No sir.” Josh quickly cut in. “It was after the team returned to the runabout.”

Forrester’s eyes narrowed. “But before we got back to Earth?” Josh nodded, embarrassment burning his cheeks. “I don’t understand, the runabout wasn’t very big where in the hell did you-” He stopped short and motioned with his hands. “Y’know what, don’t tell me. I don’t wanna know.” Forrester straightened. “I’ll see you both onboard.”

“Thank you, sir.” The smile Josh flashed was genuine. One not just of gratitude but excitement.

The smirk returned to Forrester’s lips. “You boys enjoy your afternoon delight.”

With that the Captain was gone and Josh closed the door behind him. That had to have been one of the most mortifying moments of his life, worse even than dancing on a bar drunk when he was the Bismarck’s chief medical officer. Any questions he had about what happened to Xander on the Independence were quickly forgotten when he returned to the bedroom.

There was plenty of time for questions later.

The translucent holographic LCARS display had a number of different windows, each one displaying a different data set from a simulation that had been running overnight. As had become her routine, Gabrielle arrived on campus at 0630, replicated herself a large mug of raktajino – extra strong and extra sweet – reviewed any reports received from starships that had arrived during the night for anything of interest before settling down and reviewing the data from the overnight sims.

If she heard the soft hiss of the doors as they opened and closed shortly before 1000, it didn’t register with her. It was only when the new arrival cleared their throat that her attention was drawn away from her display. “Captain Forrester.” She dismissed the display with a swipe of her hand. “I’ve been expecting you.” A warm smile crossed her lips.

“I’ve been saving the best for last.” Forrester told her with a smile.  “So, was it Calloway or Miller?” He asked, his eyes narrowing.

Gabrielle suspected he already knew the answer. “Calloway.” The look on the Captain’s face confirmed her suspicions. “He contacted me last night. Told me that you’d asked him to be your chief engineer and when he found out you’d made Miller your CMO, he thought I’d be your next call and wanted to give me a heads up.” Standing, Gabrielle took a few moments to stretch. “Shall we take a walk? I’ve been sitting at that console for too long.”

“Lead the way.” Gabrielle led the Captain out of her lab and down the corridor towards the nearest exit. As they walked, the Captain asked, “Since you’ve already had a chance to consider my offer we can skip-”

Gabrielle quickly cut in. “Not so fast, Captain. I don’t know what it is you’re offering.” She told him. “From what I understand, Calloway was offered the chance to choose his assistant chief and division heads while Miller wasn’t given that chance.”

“That’s true, at least it was.” Forrester replied. “I caught Doctor Miller,” he paused for a moment as though struggling for the right words, “at a bad time yesterday. Offering him the chance to pick his staff kinda slipped my mind. When he reported for duty this morning, I informed him that he could also select his own assistant chief and division heads.”

The pair passed through a door and stepped out into the cloudless fall morning. “I want you to be my chief science officer.” Forrester continued. “You’ll be able to select your own assistant chief and all but one of your division heads.”

“All but one.” Gabrielle repeated.

Before she had a chance to question further, Forrester provided her with the answers she was seeking. “My XO has requested her husband be assigned to your department. He’s returning from a career break where he’s been raising their son and lecturing part time at the University of Bajor. Lieutenant Kailir Hejol will be your Head of Stellar Sciences.”

“Is he bringing their son with him?” Gabrielle asked. Allowing children to live on starships had always struck her as odd, but she was certain that opinion would change when she had children of her own.

Captain Forrester nodded. “Since the Challenger can accommodate families, they want their family to be together.” He paused for a moment before asking, “Will your husband be joining you on the Challenger?”

“I haven’t said I’ll be joining the Challenger yet.” Gabreielle said, a smile playing on her lips and a playful twinkle in her eyes.. “But if I do, he won’t be. We talked about it last night but he told me that if he wanted to live on a starship, he would’ve joined Starfleet. So he’ll be staying on Earth.”

The pair walked in silence for a few seconds before Gabrielle made an observation. “It seems your offer falls slightly short of what you offered to Calloway and Miller.”

“I think I can make it up to you.” Forrester stopped walking.

Gabrielle stopped seconds later and turned back to face the Captain. “Oh? I’m all ears.” She folded her arms and waited for the Captain to make his additional offer.

“In addition to being the Challenger’s chief science officer, I want you to be her second officer.” The Captain’s offer stunned Gabrielle and her folded arms quickly fell to her side. “Obviously you’ll have to take the bridge officer’s exam but I don’t think you’ll have much trouble passing that.”

Gabrielle was stunned. She opened her mouth to ask a question but she couldn’t decide where to start. “I think we all entertained the idea of commanding our own ships when we were young, eager cadets but I’ve never seriously aspired to command.”

“Who was it who said that ‘people don’t seek power but have power thrust upon them’?” Forrester asked.

A smile crossed Gabrielle’s lips. “Depending on who you ask it was either Shakespeare or Kahless.”

“Commander,” Forrester began, “you are an incredible scientific mind. But your service record also indicates that you’re an excellent leader. Some of the greatest Captains in Starfleet history have a background in the sciences and I think you could be one of them.” He could clearly sense her hesitancy because he added, “The CSO post is yours whether you accept my offer to be Challenger’s second officer or not.”

Gabrielle bit her lower lip. “Can I have some time to think about this?”

“Sure.” Forrester replied with a smile. “I’ll need an answer by the start of next week.”

The Captain had given her a lot to think about and discuss with her husband. “Thank you, sir.”

“Oh, before I go. The senior officers I’ve gathered so far and I are having a little team building excursion tomorrow night. Dinner and bowling at that entertainment complex downtown. We’re meeting for dinner at nineteen hundred and the holosuite is booked for twenty-one hundred. I’d love it if you and your husband would join us. It’d be a good way to get to know everyone and maybe help inform your decision.”

His invitation was surprising but welcome and she would welcome a chance to meet some of the Challenger’s other senior officers and get to know the Captain in a more social setting. “We’d be delighted to join you. Thank you.”

“Well then I’ll see you tomorrow night.” Forrester smiled warmly. “Have a good day, Commander.”

Gabreille watched the Captain walk off for a few seconds before turning and starting back towards the Starfleet Science building. She’d been leaning towards accepting the Captain’s offer before he’d even made it but the addition of the second officer role made the decision more complex. It would have been a lie to say that she wasn’t intrigued by the possibility of an eventual shift to the command track.

The Captain had definitely given her a lot to think about.

Dinner had been a lively affair filled with good food and loud, often overlapping, conversations. Tom had remained pretty quiet, chiming in here and there, but for the most part he just listened and watched.  He listened to each of the conversations going on, their topics wildly divergent. He watched them loosen up as the evening went on and more alcohol was taken onboard. It had been a good night so far and they still had their bowling tournament to come..

As the group moved towards the holosuite to start their bowling tournament, a figure at the bar caught Tom’s eye. There was something familiar about him; that shaggy blond hair, the beard.  It took him a few moments but he eventually figured it out; the man was Matthias Bentley. He was older – but then weren’t they all – and had a few lines and wrinkles but it was definitely him They’d been at the Academy together. “You guys go ahead.” Tom announced, addressing the group. “There’s something I wanna do first.”

AJ shot him a questioning look but Tom just waved him off before making his way to the bar. He approached the blond man slowly. “Matt?”

“Yeah?” The blond man turned and studied Thomas’ face. Disappointment was the first look that registered on his face, like he was expecting to find someone else standing there. That disappointment was quickly replaced when his eyes widened in shock. “Tom?  Tom Forrester?”

Tom smiled and no sooner nodded than he found himself being hugged. It was a brief, friendly hug between two old Academy classmates. “I almost didn’t recognise you.” Bentley told him. “The beard threw me.”

“You’re one to talk.” Tom shot back with a smile. “I don’t remember you looking this shaggy at the Academy.

The blond man ran a hand through his medium length hair and said, “One of the perks of not being in the service anymore; no regulations to adhere to.”

“So you can finally look like the beach bum you really are.” Tom teased. Bentley’s love of surfing and spending time on the beach had led to him being described as a beach bum during their first year at the Academy. “I didn’t know you’d left Starfleet.”

Bentley nodded. “Two years ago.” He took a sip of his drink before continuing. “I decided the time was right to retire. Took a year off to do some reading, travel a little and then last year I started teaching a course at Kings College in London.”

“You miss it?” Tom asked.

He watched as Bentley took a few seconds to think about the question. He wasn’t providing some rehearsed answer. “Sometimes.” Bentley finally replied. “Life in Starfleet had more moments of excitement, few and far between as they might have been, but on balance? Not really. I love what I’m doing now.”

“Good.” Tom replied with a smile. “Y’mind if I ask you something?” He asked. When Bentley nodded, Tom continued, “You were expecting me to be someone else, right? You’re waiting for someone?”

Bentley let out an annoyed sigh. “I was. He was supposed to be here an hour ago but he’s still not here and I haven’t heard from him.” He looked down at his shoes. “I think I’ve been stood up.”

“I’m sorry.” It had been a while since Tom had dated but he’d been stood up a few times and still remembered the bitter disappointment that mixed with a crushing sense of inadequacy and humiliation. “That really sucks.”

Tom watched as Bentley forced a smile and shrugged his shoulders. “It happens. But I think I’m gonna head home. Been hanging out at this bar for too long.”

“Screw that.” Tom said, surprising himself with the force of his words. “Come join us.”

Confusion crossed Bentley’s features. “Us?”

“Oh,” he motioned over his shoulder towards the holosuites, “I’m here with a few of my senior officers for some team building. We’re bowling.”

Bentley smiled. “I’d heard you finally got that command you were dreaming of. The Waterloo, right?”

“Trafalgar.” Tom corrected. “But that’s old news. I’ve just been put in command of the Challenger.” That sense of pride that had come to be so familiar over the past few days filled his chest once more. Of course he’d been proud of commanding the Trafalgar, but the Challenger was a whole different ball game.

The smile on Bentley’s face was a mixture of happiness for and pride in his old friend. “Congratulations, Tom. But I don’t wanna intrude in your team building.”

“Nonsense. We already have a civilian as part of our group.” Tom told him. “The husband of my potential chief science officer. Come on, it’ll be fun”

A smirk slowly grew on Bentley’s lips. “I also don’t wanna show you guys up with my mad bowling skills.”

“Oh I see. So that’s how it’s gonna be.” Tom said challengingly. “I think you’re gonna have to put your money where your mouth is.”

The two men made their way through the complex towards the holosuite that Tom had booked. The program, a recreation of an early 21st century bowling alley, was already running with the Challenger’s senior officers already inside.

“Guys,” Tom said when they reached the group, “I’d like to introduce you to Matt Bentley. We were at the Academy together.” He went round the group, introducing each of them in turn, leaving AJ until the end.

With a teasing glint in his eye, AJ stepped forward. “Good to see you again, Matthias.”

“You too, Alexander.” Bentley short back.

Tom rolled his eyes. Neither man liked people using their full name so they both made sure to regularly use them on each other. The childish teasing often caused Tom to roll his eyes. Apparently some things hadn’t changed in the 20 years since graduation.

“Alright children, play nice.” He warned them. “Let’s get started.”

The first game was an eye opening experience. As he’d expected, Tom was worse than hopeless. Most of the time his ball ended up in the gutter. Thankfully AJ was just as bad so he couldn’t lord it over anyone. AJ could be insufferable when he wanted to be. Doctor Miller turned out to be halfway decent. Apparently bowling was  a favourite pastime of the medical officers of Starbase 11.

Gabreille and her husband Christian were pretty good too, managing a solid score. Matthias and Tejara were good, really good. It was clear they had a great deal of experience bowling but the runaway star was Thalev who’d never held a bowling ball in her life but had managed to beat everyone. Matthias and Tejara had insisted on a rematch but everyone else bowed out and swung in behind one of the three players.

AJ backed Tejara, much to the surprise of everyone who’d witnessed their frosty relationship on  the Trafalgar, as did Gabrielle. Christian and Josh swung in behind Thalev while Tom supported Matthias. Standing at the railing that separated the lanes from the upper level of the bowling alley, Tom watched as Matthias chose a ball.

“He’s wearing the hell out of that sweater.” AJ comments as he sidled up beside Tom.

Tom glanced over to where Doctor Miller was sitting chatting to Gabrielle and Christian, confused. “Miller’s wearing a shirt, not  a sweater.”

“Wasn’t talking about Josh.” AJ replied. “I was talking about Matt.”

That comment caused Tom to cast his friend a sideways glance. “Don’t let your boyfriend hear you say that.”

“Josh isn’t my boyfriend.” AJ scoffed. “We were only having a little fun.” He shrugged before continuing, “But we both agreed there was no future in it and it would only complicate our working relationship on the Challenger so we agreed to end it.” AJ let out a long sigh. “Think I’m done with hooking up. It’s time I start thinking about settling down and finding someone to share my life with.”

“Who are you and what have you done with Alexander Mitchell?” Tom asked jokingly.

AJ gave his friend a withering look. “That’s funny.” He took a deep breath. “Look, ever since I came back from the dead, I’ve been looking around at the people in my life and trying to  figure out where I go from here. I look at Pip and Jamie and how they’re happily married but still manage to have their careers and I….” AJ trailed off but Tom knew where he was going.

“You look at me. Married to his career, single, alone.” Tom knew how his best friend perceived him. The sad truth was he was bang on the money.

AJ turned towards Tom. “I love you Tom, and you know there’s no-one I respect more but,” he paused and it was clear that it was difficult for him to say what came next, “I don’t want to end up like you.”

“I don’t want you to end up like me either, brother.” Tom told him with a tight smile, certain the sadness he felt was visible in his eyes. AJ’s words stung, because they were true.

The conversation had taken an unexpectedly serious turn. Tonight was supposed to be fun and the last thing he could have predicted when planning this outing was that AJ, the least serious person Tom knew, would be the one to bring the party down.

“It’s not too late, though.” AJ pointed out. “You have a lot to offer a guy.”

Tom wasn’t so sure of that. “I doubt there are many people who’d be interested in a forty three year old starship Captain who’s already married to his starship.”

“Oh I dunno.” AJ mused. “I think Matt Bentley might. Y’know he had a crush on you at the Academy.”

That was twenty years ago, Tom thought, but he was certain it wasn’t true. “No he didn’t. I’d have noticed.”

“No, you’re the last person who would’ve noticed.” AJ short back. “You’re incredibly dense about these things, Tom. I’ll bet you didn’t even notice that he’s been making eyes at you all night.”

Tom rolled his eyes. “No he hasn’t.” His gaze drifted to where Matt was sitting while Thalev, who was in the lead once more, prepared to take her shot. Matt, it turned out, had stolen a glance while Tom wasn’t looking. Their eyes connected and Matt smiled softly before turning back to watch Thalev score another strike. “Okay, maybe he’s been making eyes at me and I haven’t noticed.”

“Let’s say that you’re right.” Tom said after they’d fallen into a comfortable silence watching the tournament unfolding in front of them. “Let’s say he’s looking for something serious, and that’s not exactly clear. He’s retired from Starfleet and lives on Earth. If he and I got into a relationship it would be a long distance one.”

AJ shrugged. “The Bennetts seem to make it work.

“Yeah, but their relationship is established. A long distance relationship right from the start is much more difficult.” Tom was far from an expert in relationships but he was sure of himself in this point.

AJ was having none of it. “How would you know?” He asked bluntly. “You’ve never had a long distance relationship.” 

Tom didn’t have a good reply. All he could do was huff and remain silent.

“See, this is what you do.” AJ said before letting out another sigh, this one sounding more frustrated. “You come up with all these excuses not to do something. ‘I can’t date someone ‘cause I’m a starship captain, my crew needs me. I can’t date that person because it would be long distance and long distance relationships are hard’.” He paused for a moment and clapped his friend on the shoulder. “I hate to sound cliche but nothing worth having ever came easy. I’d think a man who sacrificed everything you have to follow, and achieve, his dreams would know that.”

That was a lot to take in and as much as Tom hated to admit it, his friend was right. Not that he was going to tell AJ that directly. “Wow, that temporal anomaly really did a number on you.”

“Hey.” AJ punched his best friend on the arm. “I was always this wise. You just didn’t notice before.”

Tom laughed as he rubbed his arm. “If you say so.”

“I’m serious, Tom.” AJ told him. “It’s not too late. Push yourself to take that first step. Whatever happens after that, happens. You’ll never know until you try.” He patted Tom lightly on the shoulder before moving back towards the  rest of the group as Thalev celebrated her second win in a row with her customary icy coolness.

Left alone to his thoughts, Tom’s mind immediately began working its way through his conversation with AJ. He couldn’t help it when his gaze drifted back to Matt Bentley again. This time he was having an animated conversation with Josh Miller. 

AJ was right about one thing, Tom thought, Matt was wearing the hell out of that sweater.

“Where the hell did you two go for ice cream? Vulcan?”

Tom stopped dead in his tracks. He’d been hoping to slip back aboard unnoticed, but of course AJ wasn’t going to let that happen. How the hell did he even know that Tom was beaming back up? “Don’t you have duties to attend to, Commander?” Tom asked, adopting his formal ‘captain’s voice’. Of course that didn’t work with AJ and he followed along when Tom started walking

“I’m just saying, you and Matt left us at around eleven to go get some ice cream. It’s now just after,” AJ held up his left arm as if looking at a watch that wasn’t actually there, “ten hundred hours and you’ve only just arrived back. You guys must’ve been searching all night.”

Resisting the urge to wipe the smirk off his friend’s face wasn’t easy, it never had been, but as always he managed to resist. “Matt knows of a great palace in London’s Soho.” He told AJ. “We went there and then took a walk.”

“Were you were walking all night?” The look on AJ’s face, the knowing glint in his eyes and the smirk on his lips  suggested that he knew they didn’t. Tom shot his friend a dismissive look. That prompted AJ to point out, “You caught me in an awkward situation just a few days ago. You can’t expect me not to enjoy catching you doing the walk of shame.”

Tom’s brow furrowed in confusion. “The walk of shame?”

“Yeah, it’s when-” AJ didn’t get a chance to finish.

It wasn’t the phrase that confused Tom. “I know what the walk of shame is, AJ. I’ve done nothing to be ashamed of.”

“You really gonna tell me you didn’t sleep with him?” AJ asked.

Tom couldn’t help the smirk that appeared on his lips and he knew that his friend caught a glimpse of it before it was quickly schooled into something more neutral. “No, I just don’t think that’s anything to be ashamed of.”  They’d reached the Captain’s quarters and Tom was glad that he could get out of this conversation. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’m gonna grab a shower, pull on a fresh uniform and start my day. I suggest you attend to your duties.”

“Actually, I do need a word with you.” AJ told him, his tone becoming serious and his demeanour taking on a more professional air. 

Intrigued, Tom invited him in. “What’s up?”

“I’ve been putting Lieutenant da Costa through his paces on the holodeck.” AJ said. “Of the ten simulations I’ve put him through over the past two days, he’s failed eight of them.”

That statistic shocked Tom and it registered on his face. “Eight!? That’s not possible.” He told AJ. “His scores in simulations at the Academy were solid. His fit reps all indicate that he’s a capable pilot.”

“He is.” AJ agreed. “He’s a good pilot and has the potential to be a great one.”

Tom moved towards one of the armchairs while offering AJ a seat on the couch. “So what happened? Walk me through it.” 

“He was fine to begin with.” Mitchell replied as he took the offered seat. “His scores after the first simulation were solid. Nothing spectacular but a good foundation for him to build on. Second simulation was the same; solid scores but he did make a mistake. Nothing major, the kinda mistake we could all make. It was all downhill after that.”

Tom remained silent, waiting for AJ to continue. “I think that mistake really got to him. When he reached a decision point during the third, he hesitated.” Mitchell rubbed a hand back and forth across his jaw. “His instincts are good, but after making that mistake he just seemed to stop trusting them. He got in his head and started second guessing himself. Most of the time he’d still make the right decision in the end, but by then it was too late and the ship suffered catastrophic damage and loss of life.”

“So, what’s next?” Tom asked.

AJ sat back on the couch. “I’ve told him to take today off and clear his head. We’ll start back fresh tomorrow morning.”

“Okay.” Tom nodded. “Keep me informed.” There wasn’t a chance for AJ to respond because the door chime sounded as Tom finished speaking. “Yeah. Come in.”

The door parted to admit Yeoman Ross. “Good morning, Captain.”

“Morning Yeoman.” He stood as he replied to the young woman’s greeting. “What can I do for you.”

“You just received this, sir.” She held out a PADD. “I thought you’d want to see it right away.”

Tom accepted the PADD and began reading through it. As he did, his features fell.  “Shit.” He muttered under his breath. “Lieutenant da Costa’s requesting a transfer back to Starfleet Command.” Tom handed the PADD back to the Yeoman. “Computer, locate Lieutenant da Costa.”

“Lieutenant da Costa is not onboard.” Came the computer’s reply.

He turned to Yeoman Ross as Mitchel returned the PADD to her. “Get me an address for him.” The Yeoman nodded and left the Captain alone with his friend.

“Two bad days and he requests a transfer back to the job he wanted to get away from?” AJ asked. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

Tom let out a loud sigh through his nostrils. “Not to us.” He replied. “I’ll beam down and talk to him.”

“You still haven’t explained to me what it is about this guy that made you request his transfer.” AJ said, leaning forward.

Silence fell between them for a few seconds. “He kinda reminds me of me.” Tom replied. “He dreams of piloting starships, I dreamed of commanding them. My parents tried to hold me back from achieving my dream, his superiors were preventing him from achieving his.” He shrugged. “I wanted to help him.”

“Alright, you need to get out.” Tom stood as he spoke. “I’m gonna grab a shower and change before I go searching for da Costa.”

Tracking down Rafael da Costa was proving to be more difficult than Forrester had realised. A visit to his apartment in San Francisco had proven fruitless and he continued to ignore attempts to hail him. So Tom had gone to Starfleet Command and spoken to a few of da Costa’s friends there. He spoke to several other pilots, who hadn’t heard from him, and was about to give up and try something else when he finally got lucky and was provided with the answer he wanted.

That was how he found himself walking through the Texas heat, approaching a house in suburban Austin. The neighbourhood was charming but much too built up for Tom. Despite more than twenty years in Starfleet, Tom was still a farm boy at heart and when he finally retired, if he survived that long, he planned to return home to Coltar and settle down in a nice cabin far from anyone and anything.

Upon reaching the door, he reached out and rapped his knuckles firmly on it. A few minutes later an older woman who was roughly half a foot shorter than Tom with jet black hair and the occasional grey opened the door. “Good afternoon, ma’am.” He removed his sunglasses, his hazel eyes meeting her brown ones. “I’m Captain Thomas Forrester.

“You’re Rafael’s commander.” That was a statement and not a question.

Tom nodded. “Yes ma’am. I need to speak with your son and I understand he may be here.”

“He arrived last night.” Mrs da Costa told him. “He was so upset. Kept telling me that he’d failed, that he’d let you down.

An invisible hand reached into Tom’s chest and squeezed. “I can assure you that neither one of those is true, ma’am. He hasn’t failed and he certainly hasn’t let me down.”

“My Rafael struggles with believing in himself.” She told him. “He almost didn’t apply for the Academy. Kept telling us that he didn’t have what it takes to be a Starfleet Officer.”

Tom flashed a warm smile. “Well he’s proven himself wrong. Your son is a fine officer and a good pilot.” He watched her face light up when he added, “My chief flight controller believes he has the potential to be a great one.”

“He went for a walk.” She said, answering a question that Tom hadn’t gotten round to asking yet with unshed tears shining in her eyes. “About half an hour ago. He likes to go to a local park to think.” Mrs da Costa quickly provided directions to the park in question.

Tom placed his sunglasses back on. “Thank you for your time, ma’am. It’s been a pleasure meeting you.”

“Captain,” Mrs da Costa reached out and placed a hand on Tom’s forearm as he began to turn, “it’s me who should be thanking you.” He shot her a confused look. “For believing in my son, even if he doesn’t believe in himself right now.”

Swallowing hard, Tom simply nodded before turning and walking away. He didn’t trust himself to speak without giving away how touched he was by her words. 

The walk to the park was short and Tom was able to spot da Costa sitting on a bench pretty easily; his muscular frame and dark curls giving him away. “I can see why you come here to think.” Tom said as he sat down next to the pilot. “It’s beautiful.”

The look of surprise on da Costa’s face was a picture. “Captain. What are you doing here? How did you find me?

“Your mom told me where I could find you.” Tom replied, answering the second question first. “And I think you know why I’m here.”

The young Lieutenant leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, and kept his gaze fixed on the ground. “I’m sorry, sir.” He said, his voice thick with emotion. “I’ve let you down.”

“No you haven’t, Lieutenant.” Tom told him softly. “But you do have me worried.” He glanced over at da Costa, whose gaze was still firmly fixed on the ground. “I get it. You’re so close to something that you’ve wanted for so long and after a few bad days you’re afraid that it’s all starting to slip away.”

The pilot took a shaky breath. “Flying a shuttle is so easy. There are only a few lives in my hands.” He said. “Flying the Challenger, there’s more than a thousand lives counting on me.” He took another breath. “The simulations prove that I’m not cut out to pilot a starship. I can’t trust my instincts. I’m not sure they’re good.”

“That’s not what Commander Mitchell told me.” That got da Costa’s attention. His head snapped up and his brown soulful eyes searched Tom’s face for any sign of deception but found none. “He said that you have good instincts, but that you need to learn to trust them.”

Tom watched as da Costa processed that, clearly not entirely believing it. “He really said that?”

“He did.” Tom replied with a nod. “Also said that you’re a good pilot, with the potential to be a hell of a lot more. But ’til you try, you’ll never know.”

The Lieutenant sat up and wiped his eyes, clearing unshed tears. “Sir, about my transfer request. I wonder if you could ignore it.”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that, Lieutenant.” Tom replied, causing da Costa’s face to fall. “I somehow managed to accidentally delete it.” A smirk pulled at the corner of his lips while da Costa’s features lit up and Tom could see the similarities between the young pilot and his mother.

When da Costa spoke again, his voice was thick once more. “Thank you, sir.”

“I’m gonna leave you to enjoy the rest of your day.” Tom announced. “Commander Mitchell is expecting you back onboard first thing in the morning.” He stood and turned back to da Costa. “You got this, Lieutenant.” With that, he walked away and left the younger man alone.

As Tom was pulled from his restful sleep, the first thing he became aware of was the incessant beeping of an alarm. The second was a weight on his chest, where Matt’s head was resting. That weight removed itself briefly and returned when the alarm stopped. “It’s criminal to be awake this early on a Sunday.” Matt muttered into Tom’s chest.

“I know.” Tom agreed. Now that the alarm was silent, he could hear the waves crashing on Ocean Beach only a few streets away. Last night they’d wrapped up warmly and sat on that beach watching the sunset together before walking back to Matt’s house hand in hand. “But duty calls.”

Matt grunted. “See, this is why I retired. No more seven am starts, no working on weekends. I can-”

“Live out your beach bum fantasies.” Tom cut in as he ran his fingers through Matt’s hair. “Though I have the say that the look definitely suits you.”

Raising himself up onto his elbow, Matt’s eyes met Tom’s. “Stay.” He said softly. 

“I wish I could.” Tom replied tiredly. “But Starfleet doesn’t recognise Sundays. We’re just over a week from departure and I have a full day ahead of me.” He reached up and ran a thumb over Matt’s cheek.

Matt smiled and leaned in for a kiss. “Well, can I see you tonight?” He asked as they pulled apart.

“Three nights in a row?” Tom asked coyly. “Why Mr Bentley, people will start to talk.” That drew a laugh from Matt. “How ‘bout I come over and make you dinner in the kitchen that I’m pretty sure you’ve never used.”

There was something cute about the blush that crept onto Matt’s cheeks. “Why would I use a kitchen when I have a replicator?”

“So why even have a kitchen?” Tom asked.

The question caused Matt to look at him like he was an idiot. “Cause it came with the house.”

“Of course it did.” Tom chuckled as he pulled back the covers and climbed out of bed. “I am going to show you the joys of cooking, even if the ingredients are replicated.” He announced, certain that Matt would enjoy the experience.

Matt set up in the bed as Tom began picking his clothes off the floor and pulling them on. “I can’t wait.” He said with an easy smile. “I mean it would be better if you stayed and made breakfast, or maybe brunch.” The smile slowly morphed into something more playful.

“You’re not making it any easier to leave.” Tom told him as he sat on the edge of the bed.

Leaning in, Matt planted another soft kiss on Tom’s lips. “I’m not trying to.”

“I’ll see you tonight.” Tom reached up and ran his fingers through Matt’s hair before pulling him in for one last kiss. Slipping out of the bedroom with a smile on his face, Tom made his way downstairs and fished his commbadge out of his jeans.

“Forrester to Challenger. One to beam up.” Within seconds he was caught in the familiar pull of the transporter beam.

“The resolution on the lateral sensors is still far short of what it should be.”

A heavy sigh emanated from Gabrielle’s commbadge. “Alright, I’ll send someone up to take a look. Calloway out”

When she’d accepted Captain Forrester’s offer during the team building outing two nights ago, she hadn’t expected to be assuming her duties quite so soon. What Gabrielle had failed to anticipate was the Captain moving quite so quickly. That’s how she found herself on the bridge of the Challenger on a Sunday morning, running tests on the lateral sensor array.

As she waited for whatever junior engineer that Calloway had dispatched, Gabreille ran a few low level diagnostics. None of them hinted at the problems she was having with the sensor resolution. She took a long sip of her first raktajino of the morning. Minutes later the turbolift door opened, depositing an officer in a gold shouldered uniform onto the bridge.

“Calloway says you need a hand?”

Gabrielle’s eyes darted quickly to the rank insignia pinned to the man’s chest; two silver, one black. Having reviewed the service images of the ship’s senior officers, Gabrielle recognised the Lieutenant Commander as Christopher Jackson, the new chief engineer. “Yes,” she replied, “I was running a test on the lateral sensors but the resolution isn’t what it should be.” She extended a hand. “Gabrielle Bennet, the new chief science officer.”

“Chris Jackson.” He replied, accepting her hand. “Chief engineer. It’s good to meet you.” His smile was warm and his eyes had a twinkle to them. “Could you show me the test that you were running?”

Turning back to her console, Gabrielle began running the test again. “I wasn’t expecting someone quite so senior to come and deal with this.” She told him with a sideways glance. His warm smile quickly disappeared and the twinkle in his eyes was replaced by a cold steel.

“Calloway likes to remind me that until the Challenger’s refit is complete, he’s still in charge of engineering so I’m just ‘another engineer’.” Jackson told him. Gabrielle was taken aback at the bitter tone in the engineer’s voice.

Opening her mouth to reply, Gabrielle was interrupted when the turbolift door opened again and the Captain emerged. “Good morning, everyone.” He announced loudly. Gabrielle decided that he was much too cheery this early on a Sunday morning. She wondered if a certain university lecturer had something to do with it.

“Good morning, sir.” Gabrielle replied as the Captain approached. “How are you this morning?” She asked, the hint of a smile playing on her lips.

The smile on Forrester’s own lips spoke volumes. “I’m doing great, Commander.” He replied enthusiastically. “Glad you decided to take this assignment. Welcome  aboard.”

“Thank you, sir. I’m glad to be here.” She replied with a soft smile.

Forrester turned to the other officer. “And I see you’ve met our chief engineer. How are things in the engine room, Commander?”

“Fine, sir.” Jackson replied with a tight smile. “We’re on schedule to be ready to depart in just over a week.”

The Captain’s smile widened. “I’m glad to hear it.” He turned his gaze back to Gabrielle. “Commander Bennett, come see me later, when you have a minute.”

“Aye, sir.” Gabrielle nodded before the Captain continued on into his ready room.

Gabrielle glanced at Jackson, who was watching the closed door to the ready room. “What’s got him in such a good mood?” He asked rhetorically.

“I have no idea.” Gabrielle replied. While she had a pretty good idea what, or rather who, was behind the Captain’s good mood, she wasn’t inclined to spread gossip about her fellow officers and particularly about her commanding officer.

Jackson shrugged and turned back to the console. “Alright, let’s see what’s going on with these sensors.”

“Captain, I believe you know Doctor Matthias Bentley.”

That was something of an understatement, Tom thought, as he and Matt awkwardly shook hands, playing along with Commodore Vega’s apparent assumption that they hadn’t seen each other in years. “Yes,” he replied slowly, “we were at the Academy together.”

“It’s good to see you again, Captain.” A smile bordering on a smirk pulled at Matt’s lips and the amused glint in his eyes was unmistakable.

Commodore Vega instructed them to sit and quickly got down to business. “We’re moving the Challenger’s departure schedule up.” 

“To when?” Tom asked. 

He knew, when he was summoned to Vega’s office at short notice, that it wasn’t going to be for anything good. “Zero nine hundred tomorrow. Can the Challenger be made ready that soon?”

“Yes, ma’am.” With only days left before the refit was complete and the McKinley Station engineers handed over to Lieutenant Commander Jackson and his team, the tasks left to complete were relatively minor. “Most of the remaining work can be undertaken by my engineers in flight.” He glanced over at Matt, curious as to how he fit into all of this. “What are our orders?”

Vega leaned forward. “A planet in the Gamma Quadrant, Darox III, has requested Federation protectorate status. The Challenger is being sent to evaluate their request. Doctor Bentley will be the Federation Diplomatic Corps liaison on this mission.”

“Why not send a Diplomatic Corps official from New Bajor on a ship that’s much closer than the Challenger?” Tom asked.

His question wasn’t meant as a criticism of Matt’s abilities as a diplomat but rather a question of practicality. “Doctor Bentley has been asked for by name and the Federation Council believes that sending a Galaxy-class starship will show that we’re taking their request seriously..”

“Asked for by name.” Tom repeated as he glanced at Matt. “Someone’s popular.

Matt smiled. “Four years ago the Dominion pulled out of a number of planets in the Eden cluster, including Darox III. The Daroxi requested Federation assistance so teams of various disciplines were sent. I commanded  the diplomatic detachment. Our job was to support the Federation diplomats in their work and during the course of that I developed a relationship with the man who’s now Prime Minister.”

A relationship. Tom rolled the word around in his mind. Did that mean they were just friends? Lovers perhaps? He felt a pang of jealousy at the possibility of the latter. Tom’s smile dropped and his shoulders tensed. It was a completely irrational reaction and it took him by surprise. Why was the idea of Matt with someone else making him jealous? He quickly pushed the question away and returned his focus to the meeting at hand.

“Why the rush?” Tom asked, his tone more businesslike than before. He hoped the change in his demeanour had gone unnoticed by both Matt and Vega. Judging by the way her eyes flicked from Tom to Matt and back again, Vega had noticed. “Evaluating a planet for protectorate status is hardly an urgent task.

Matt beat Commodore Vega to the punch. “We’re not the only ones the Daroxi have been speaking to.” He replied.

“You’ll receive all the briefing materials prior to departure but for now, suffice to say that there’s we don’t have an abundance of time on this.” Vega told them, jumping in before the Captain could ask any more questions. “You have a lot of work ahead of you so I won’t keep you any longer.” She gave them a curt nod, silently dismissing them.

As they began making their way out of the office, Vega called out to Tom. “Captain, a moment.” He stopped and turned back to face the Captain, certain that he knew what this was going to be. Only once the door was closed did the Commodore speak again. “Is this going to be a problem?

For a split second, he considered playing stupid and trying to fake a look of confusion but the Commodore had already sussed out that they were more than old Academy buddies. Instead he shook his head. “No ma’am. No problem.”

“Very well.” Vega accepted the Captain’s word. “Good luck out there, Captain. Dismissed.”

As he’d expected, Matt was waiting for him when he emerged from Vega’s office. “Well that was awkward.” Matt said as he pushed himself off the wall he’d been leaning against, a smile playing on his lips.

“That’s one word for it.” Tom replied evenly, as they started down the corridor. The jealousy had continued to eat away at him and soured his mood.

Matt’s smile faltered and he reached out, placing a hand on Tom’s forearm. “You okay?”

Coming to a stop at Matt’s touch, he turned to face him. “I’ve just been told that I have less than eighteen hours to make the Challenger ready for departure.” He replied shortly. “I think it’s fair to say I have a few things on my mind.

“No.” Matt said with a shake of his head. “That’s not it. There’s something else going on. Are you pissed that I’ve been assigned to your ship?”

“Of course not.” Tom rolled his eyes as if that was the most ridiculous suggestion he’d ever heard. “Look, I need to get back to the Challenger and you need to get home and pack.” Ordinarily he would have said goodbye by giving Matt a kiss but he held himself back this time. “I’ll see you onboard.”

He knew he’d been a dick and was already mentally kicking himself for treating Matt like that but that pang of jealousy had settled in his heart and become something incredibly ugly. Of course Matt had a romantic history. They both did, though Tom’s wasn’t particularly long or successful. Giving himself a mental shake, Tom forced his thoughts of Matt into a box and locked them away for the moment. He had a job to do and couldn’t let his feelings get in the way of that.

Captain’s Log, Stardate 76798.3. Thanks to the herculean effort of my crew, particularly Lieutenant Commander Jackson and his team, the Challenger is ready to depart on time. While there is still much work ahead of us to complete the refit, we are ready to set sail on our first assignment. After a brief stop at Deep Space Nine, the Challenger will begin a six month deployment in the Gamma Quadrant. Like most of my crew, this will be my first trip through the  Bajoran Wormhole and I’m looking forward to the chance of exploring this still largely unknown corner of our galaxy. Before we leave, however, I have one last duty to attend to.

With a smile, Tom reached out and attached the third silver pin to her uniform. “I hereby promote you to the rank of Commander with all the associated rights and privileges.” He smiled and extended a hand. “Congratulations Gabrielle.”

“Thank you, sir.” Bennett replied with a beaming smile of her own as she accepted the offered hand. As soon as she released it, she turned to her husband who offered his own congratulations and a kiss. Tom had arranged for him to be there for his wife’s impromptu promotion ceremony, following the successful completion of her bridge officers exam.

“Christian, it was good to see you again.” The two men shook hands briefly. “Commander, why don’t you take a few minutes with your husband before escorting him to the transporter room.”

Tom exited the observation lounge to find Yeoman Ross waiting for him. “Commander Kailir is waiting in your ready room, sir.” He quietly thanked her and strode forward across the bridge, entering his private office seconds later.

“So how are you getting me my division heads and chief ops officer?” Tom asked as the door closed behind him. With the change in Challenger’s departure date, several key officers were not going to reach Earth in time so the XO had been tasked with finding a way for them to reach the Challenger.

The Bajoran placed a hand on the back of one of the visitors chairs and leaned against it. “Two of our division heads will be joining us when we rendezvous with the Malinche in a few days. Our chief ops officer and the remaining crew will be meeting us at DS9.”

“Good work, Commander.” Tom gave her a smile. “As soon as Doctor Bennett’s departed, we’ll be ready to go.”

Kailir nodded and stood up straight. “I’ll be on the bridge.”

The XO had no sooner left than the door chime sounded again. When Tom admitted his new visitor entry, AJ stepped into the room. “Aren’t you supposed to be on the bridge?” The Captain asked.

“We’re holding station until you give us the order to get underway.” AJ shot back. “My relief can handle that for a few minutes.”

His friend had a point. “What do you need?” Tom asked as he finally sat behind his desk and leaned back in the chair.

“What’ve you done?” AJ asked.

Tom’s brow furrowed in confusion. He had an idea what AJ was referring to but had no intention of having this discussion now so he played stupid. “What d’you mean?”

“You know what I’m talking about.” AJ shot back with a withering look. “You and Matt are both walking around with dark clouds hanging over you. What happened?”

I messed up and don’t know how to walk it back, was what Tom wanted to say but that would have opened a whole can of worms. “I’m not talking about this, AJ. We’re minutes away from departure. That’s where our focus should be.”

“C’mon. Just tal-” AJ stopped when Tom suddenly stood.

“You’re dismissed.” Tom had adopted a more formal tone, making it clear that he was definitely not talking about his personal life right at that moment.

AJ regarded his friend with an annoyed look and let out a sigh. “You love this new power dynamic, don’t you?”

“If you’re asking me if I love being able to order you to shut up, then yes. I do.” Tom replied with an amused smile. “Take your station.”

After letting out a harumph, AJ spoke once more. “We’re not done talking about this.”

“I didn’t think so.” Tom muttered after the doors closed behind AJ.

Tom moved to the window and watched as a travel pod flew slowly past. McKinley Station’s arms had been fully retracted, ready for the Challenger to leave. When he’d been given command of the Challenger, Tom hadn’t considered the possibility of getting involved with someone and certainly not that that person would end up working alongside him on the Challenger. It was a complication, exactly the kind of complication that he’d worked hard his entire career to avoid.

A little over ten minutes later, Tom was drawn from his thoughts at the news that Commander Bennett’s husband had departed. The moment had arrived. As Tom emerged from the ready room, Commander Kailir’s voice filled the room. “Captain on the bridge.”

Everyone who was seated quickly got to their feet. Tom took in the sight for a moment. Every set of eyes was upon him, each of the faces reflecting his own eagerness to finally get underway. Even Matt was on the bridge for this, occupying the seat to Tom’s left, though he was careful not to meet Matt’s gaze.

“As you were.” He moved towards the centre of the bridge as everyone took their seat. “That was a nice touch.” Tom muttered as he settled himself in the command chair.

Kailir smiled. “I thought you’d like it.” She replied quietly. When she spoke next, it was at her normal volume. “All departments report ready, Captain. Standing by for your order.”

“Very good, Commander.” Tom gave her a smile before turning his attention towards the front of the bridge. “Commander Mitchell, report.”

AJ tapped a few commands into his console. “Airlocks sealed. McKinley Station’s arms have retracted and umbilicals have been detached and cleared. Warp and impulse engines standing by. Thrusters at station keeping.”

“Let’s not outstay our welcome, then.” Tom said, sliding forward to the edge of his chair.

Finally he gave the order he’d waited just over a week to give. “Take us out.”