—- Arboretum, USS Luna —-

Commander Olivia Carrillo nodded sadly at her Captain as the other woman approached. Captain Adriana Cruz had just finished reporting to Starfleet and neither woman was particularly satisfied with the way their mission had gone even though they’d been sent on two completely different assignments. For Cruz trying to convince a population of an impending world ending disaster had gone badly enough that now Starfleet was looking at closing their embassy on the world, and simply leaving the population to their own devices.

”That was rough,” Cruz said, glad to be amoung the trees and natural world that had been cultivated on the ship’s expansive arboretum deck. Though she’d been planet side for her mission, the entirety of it had taken place within the environmental shields and away from anything natural. While the thick forest looked nothing like her home in Mexico City it was a natural antidote to what she had just experienced. A planet on its way towards dying, and a population that did not care or at least who refused to see the truth.

Carrillo nodded, “You missed seeing a California-class devastated, and its crew killed.”

Cruz nodded, “You did well, I got a note from Hawthorne, fleet is impressed with you and the crew.”

Carrillo nodded, “Well that’s something at least.”

Looking around Cruz sighed and sat down on the grass under a large elm tree from Earth. She did not know a lot about plants, her focus had always been on captaining or Starfleet and before that on simply keeping one step ahead of the authorities. While her singular focus had driven her to command of a starship, she knew that it was had left sizable gaps in her experience in other areas such as being friends with someone. Leaning against the bark of the tree’s trunk she glanced up at Carrillo. Her First Officer was more well rounded, was already forging better connections with the crew.

”We have some leave coming up when we get into Starbase. It’ll take about a month to overhaul some stuff and we’ll do a crew rotation of junior staff,” Cruz said, adding, “You have leave built up, take it with me we’ll go to my winery in Mexico City. Meet my brother, bring Lambert with you, he should see Earth and how it’s changed.”

Carrillo sat on the grass beside the captain, “And how about Navan? You’re not taking her?”

”She has to return to the Romulan Navy, since we’re most been handling border duties. So no, she’s not coming to Earth with me,” Cruz said, sighing at the prospect of another failed relationship. 

Carrillo nodded, “It’s easy to get caught up thinking that life is a zero sum equation. In Starfleet often you win, or you lose. But life is trickier. Sometimes you lose, but you did what you knew was best or you win even though you made mistakes. Sometimes you do everything right and you still lose.”

Cruz laughed, “You’re not talking just about Navan are you?”

”No, I didn’t do anything really but I got praised for saving the station by scaring away the attackers just for arriving,” Carrillo said, “Where as you did what you know is needed and a whole planet hates you. Did I do better than you? No, just got luckier.”

”I know,” Cruz said then paused, “That we’re not always going to win, but sometimes there’s something painful in the loosing.”

”Not even Vulcans are perfect,” Carrillo said.

”I won’t tell Pr’Nor you said that,” joked Cruz.

Carrillo smiled, “Thank you. I’m afraid of her.”