Matthias Bentley closed his eyes and tilted his head towards the sun. The heat felt good on his skin. He inhaled deeply, the scent of the ocean filling his nostrils. The familiar soundtrack of waves crashing on a nearby beach soothed his weary soul. Surrounded by the familiar sounds and smells of the ocean, Matthias felt at peace. He could forget this was all a simulation for a few fleeting moments.

Glancing to his right, Captain Tarven Rix sat astride his surfboard, looking out at the horizon, where the ocean met the sky. This had become a daily ritual for both men over the past month, visiting the holodeck first thing in the morning and spending an hour surfing or swimming. There was something different about the Captain this morning; tension radiated from him.

“Everything okay?” Matthias asked.

Rix’s shoulder sagged as he sighed heavily. “Just worried about our negotiations with the Antallans.”

“Why?”

“I’m an engineer, not a diplomat,” Rix replied. “I’ve never led a negotiation like this before.”

Mattias smiled. “Plenty of Captains have next to no diplomatic experience when they first take command. You’ll be fine.”

“They don’t have a Commodore breathing down their neck and a First Officer willing them to fail,” Rix replied.

Paranoia wasn’t a trait Matthais attributed to Captain Rix. “Captain Axelrod is not willing you to fail.”

“Yes, he is,” Rix replied emphatically. “Axelrod wants to command the Challenger, and I’m in the way.”

“You’re being paranoid,” Matthias replied with an exaggerated roll of his eyes. Axelrod was a humourless toady who was far too boring to be capable of the deviousness that Rix was attributing to him.

Rix shook his head. “I’m not.”

“Axelrod doesn’t have the necessary command experience,” Matthias reassured him. “He’s a bureaucrat who’s more interested in the trappings of command than actually, y’know, leading. I’d be surprised if he lasts another six months before the Commodore realises her mistake.” He studied Rix’s features and could see the worry etched on his face. “Has Wyatt given you any reason to think she doubts your abilities?”

“No.”

“Then what are you worried about?”

Rix scrubbed a hand over his face. “Axelrod was her staff officer for years, he’s her creature. He has her ear, and I’m pretty sure he’s whispering poison into it.”

“I don’t think you reach the rank of Commodore by being easily manipulated by stuffed shirts like Axelrod,” Matthias said. 

From the look on his face, Rix remained unconvinced. “He managed to talk her into making him XO.”

“We don’t know Axelrod had any hand in that,” Matthias pointed out. “Besides, aren’t you and Wyatt old friends? Can’t you talk to her about this?”

“That was a long time ago,” Rix replied as his gaze returned to the horizon. “Another life.”

“Jorell Rix, right?” Matthias asked.

Rix nodded slowly. “My fourth host. I still remember the day a fresh-faced Ensign Elizabeth Wyatt reported on board.” A wistful smile pulled at his lips as he lost himself in memories. “Beth was a promising young science officer who was so eager to explore the universe.” The smile slowly faded.

“What happened?”

“War happened,” Rix replied somberly. “First with the Klingons and then the Dominion. It changed her; it changed everyone.”

Matthias sighed. He’d still been at the Academy during the war, but even he hadn’t escaped its effects. The Breen assault on Starfleet Command had left its mark on many young cadets. “War does that to people,” He said. “But if you have concerns about Axelrod, you should talk to her.”

“She’d call me paranoid and laugh me out of the room,” Rix told him.

Matthias quickly shot back wryly, “I can’t imagine why she’d do a thing like that.”

“Remind me why Forrester puts up with you?” Rix asked jokingly.

It had taken weeks before the mere mention of his missing boyfriend’s name no longer brought Matthais to tears. Forrester had disappeared without a trace during a mission on Janea II. They’d searched for a month, following one lead after another, all leading to dead ends. Despite all that, Matthais still believed Thomas Forrester was alive and that he would find his way home.

“I have certain skills that he finds very useful,” Matthias replied with a grin.

Rix snorted and muttered, “I’ll bet he does.”

“I dunno where your mind went to,” Matthias shot back feigning innocence, “but I was talking about my diplomatic skills.”

Rix wasn’t buying his innocent act. “Uh-huh. I’m sure he values your diplomatic skills a great deal.” The moment of levity, while welcome, didn’t last. “If these negotiations fail-”

“They’re not going to fail,” Matthias told him firmly. “You’re not going to fail.”

“You sound pretty sure.”

“I am,” Matthias replied simply. “Because I, and many others, have your back. We won’t let you fail.”

Matthias could see the gratitude written across Rix’s features. “Thanks, Matt. You have no idea how much that means to me.” Rix took a deep breath through his nose and let it out through his mouth. “If I’m going to succeed, I’ll be relying heavily on you.”

“Whatever you need,” Matthias told him earnestly.

Rix smiled warmly. “How about you brief me on these negotiations?”

“The Antallans are a humanoid race native to Antalla V,” Matthias replied, reciting the information he’d read in the briefing materials sent by the diplomatic corps. “Like most civilisations in this region, they spent centuries under Dominion rule. The Antalla system is rich in dilithium and magnesite, which the Dominion used slave and prison labour to mine.”

“And the Antallans want to reopen the mines?”

A gentle breeze washed over Matthais’ wet skin, leaving him with a pleasant tingle. “Without the slave labour this time. The Antallans want to kick-start their economy. Mining these valuable resources to trade and the paying jobs that come with that are important parts of their plan.”

“We’re to negotiate some sort of partnership?”

Matthias nodded. “They’re looking for partners to help them and provide ongoing engineering support.”

“What do we get out of it?”

“A share of the dilithium and magnesite they mine. How big that share is will form a central part of these negotiations,” Matthias replied. “They also want to hold preliminary meetings about a wider trade deal with the Federation.”

“Why isn’t an ambassador being sent to conduct these negotiations?” Rix asked, his frustration clear in his tone. “Or a representative from the diplomatic corps?”

“The diplomatic corps in the Gamma Quadrant is stretched thin,” Matthias told him.

The sound of the holodeck’s doors opening drew their attention, with both men craning their necks to see who their visitor was. They were greeted by the sight of Captain Axelrod walking on the ocean’s surface like a modern-day Jesus Christ in a Starfleet uniform; if Jesus were boring, had gone soft around the middle, and was rapidly balding.

“Walking on water’s quite a trick, Captain,” Matthias joked, squinting against the light from the sun. “Do you do others ’cause I’m parched and could use a glass of wine?”

“It’s zero-seven fifteen,” Axelrod replied humourlessly.

Matthis looked up at the First Officer, “Yeah, but it’s five o’clock somewhere.”

Axelrod’s scowl amused Matthias, and he had to control the urge to laugh loudly in the First Officer’s face. “Sir, we’ve received a message from Governor-general Neema.”

Rix looked at Matthias with a questioning look who answered, “She’s the King’s representative on the Antalla VI colony. The Governor-General basically runs the colony on the King’s behalf.”

“The Antallans still have a monarchy? You left that part out of your briefing,” Rix said before quickly adding, “It’s the twenty-fifth century, not the fifteenth.”

Matthias had spent the past few days studying the briefing materials provided by the diplomatic corps. “The Antallans were ruled by King Lesta XI when the Dominion occupation began,” he explained. “He was executed but his children were hidden away. A secret society was formed to protect and track the royal bloodline so that the monarchy could be restored when they were finally free of the Dominion.”

“I’m surprised they managed to keep a secret society from Dominion internal security,” Rix said. “We know how effective they can be.”

Annoyance radiated from Captain Axelrod, no doubt because he was being forced to listen to this history lesson. The more Axelrod got annoyed, shifting his weight from one foot to another or clearing his voice, the more it amused Matthias.

“Apparently,” Matthias replied with a shrug. “In the power vacuum created by the Dominion’s withdrawal, the society convinced the people that restoring the monarchy was right for them given the mess left behind by the Dominion. King Parth II was crowned less than three months after the last Dominion ship left.”

“And that’s who we’re meeting with?” Rix asked.

Matthias shook his head. “King Parth was killed in a shuttle accident three years ago. We’ll be meeting with his cousin, King Deo IX.”

“Which ones the Yorkist and which the Lancastrian?” 

Matthias rolled his eyes. “You read too much Shakespeare.”

“Or maybe you don’t read enough,” Rix shot back quickly.

Their banter was interrupted by Axelrod loudly clearing his throat. “Sir, if we can get back to the Governor-General’s request?”

“Did her message say why she wants to meet?” Rix asked, turning back to Axelrod.

Captain Axelrod stood stiffly beside Rix’s board. “No, sir. Just that she’s asking for fifteen minutes of your time.”

Rix looked over to Matthais, “What do you think?”

“Inform the Governor-General that Captain Rix won’t be available to meet with her,” Matthias told Alexrod.

“I don’t believe I was talking to you, Commander,” Axelrod sneered.

Rix quickly ordered, “Do as Commander Bentley says, and send the Governor-General my apologies.”

“Aye, sir,” Axelrod glared at Matthias, and once more, he had to resist the urge to laugh in the First Officer’s face.

Only once Axelrod had left, and the arch disappeared again did Rix ask, “Why can’t I meet with the Governor-general?”

“Diplomatic protocol,” Matthias replied.

Rix nodded slowly. “See what I mean? No diplomatic skills or knowledge whatsoever.”

“Don’t worry,” Matthias replied. “Before these negotiations are over, I’ll have you so well versed in diplomatic protocol, you could put Admiral Picard to shame.”

Rix laughed, and for that brief moment, he seemed less tense. He raised his hands and looked at his fingers. “We’re starting to resemble prunes. Let’s get out of here and start our day.”

“You go ahead,” Matthias told him. “I’m gonna stay here a little longer.”

Closing his eyes again, Matthias turned his face to the sun, revelling in the feeling of the sun on his face. For a few minutes, he believed that all this was real, that he was back on Earth surrounded by the sounds and smells of the ocean. 

He was at peace here and wanted to enjoy that feeling for a few minutes more.