—- USS Selene, Unexplored Space —-

Captain’s Log:

Now that we have some distance from our Klingon advisory Klar and his ships, we’ve dropped down to a more sustainable warp factor of seven. Starfleet has replied to our report, saying that though they believe us about the Klingons’ belligerence there’s almost no chance anything will come of it. They don’t want to risk the treaty with the Klingons, and all the Klingon High Command is likely to say in response is that it was likely a misunderstanding. While we have appropriate documentation it’s still going to come down to our word on the Selene against the word of the Klingons.

We are making our way back towards Starbase 86, though we’re still at least a month out. In the meantime the crew is continuing to perform experiments of all kinds as well as work with the cadets onboard to further their education.

As we’ve slowed our pace we’ll be able to resume small craft operations and if we don’t detect that the Klingons have followed us I might use the Captain’s Yatch to take down to a Class M planet for some rest and recreation. I figure I might as well enjoy the perks of being a commanding officer while I am one, and before the return of the ship’s real commanding officer Adriana Cruz when she returns from her injury.

Lieutenant Commander Keyana Mason, my First Officer, seems to think that my promotion will end up being permanent. I understand her point about Starfleet needing captains after Frontier Day, but I remain convinced that I need at least another year under Captain Cruz before I’m ready for this role.

Still a musician my father likes John Lennon used to say something along the lines of life was what happened to you when you were busy living it. I’ve likely got that quote wrong, though my father said it to me at least a dozen times. Lennon played rock and roll music, and once a year we used to go to Central Park where he was shot in the middle of the twentieth century.

All of which I suppose goes to speak to the unpredictability of life. I bet John Lennon didn’t know that he was going to be shot. I know Captain Cruz didn’t know that her leg was going to be eaten off, and I didn’t know that I’d be given a fourth pip and made captain and sent aboard the USS Selene.

I suppose when you get down to it life is full of surprise Klingons hiding in far off sectors of space, and all you control is how you react to them.

That’s a metaphor, most of the time you don’t find surprise Klingons.

—- USS Selene, First Officer’s Quarters —-

“Love,” Pierre Lambert said entering the room he shared with his wife Captain Olivia Carrillo. Even though she was the ship’s CO, she still had taken the First Officer’s quarters, convinced that Captain Cruz would return to take command of the USS Selene. Lambert found her sitting by a window doing her log to record what she had been doing that day.

“Are you finished, I want to talk,” Lambert said, an earnestness in his voice that was unusual for him. He tended to be playful with Carrillo, a sign that he was comfortable with her, and wouldn’t let herself take any of this seriously.

“Uh oh,” she said setting down her PADD on a side table next to the chair she was sitting in. She looked at him, “You sound serious. You know I’m the captain, you can’t dump me or I could have you walk the plank.”

Lambert smiled, “I’m serious, but it’s not bad. I know we’ve spoken about kids, but do you still want them?”

Carrillo studied him, not sure what he was getting at, “One day yes, but we have time. I’m filling in for Captain Cruz and then when things slow down we can figure it out.”

He smiled, “Yes, but maybe there’s another option.”

“I can’t take a year off my career right now,” Carrillo said, “I just made captain, at least temporarily.”

Lambert shook his head, “There’s the little girl. We could adopt her.”

Carrillo frowned, they had ended up with the young child after she had snuck onto a shuttle while they were observing her planet and civilization. They’d have returned her, but her people were wiped out by another space faring race. She had lived aboard the Selene ever since, waiting for the ship to return to Starbase 86. There she’d be handed over to the Federation who had programs for children (and presumably adults) who had lost their civilizations.

“Think about it,” Lambert pressed, “I can focus on her, and you can keep captaining. You said yourself that the Selene could embark families, and no one in the Federation will care for her like we do. She’s had to reset her life once, lost everything, this is her world now, we can’t take it away again.”

“It’s complicated Pierre,” Carrillo said, she could tell he was passionate about it. He’d been the one who had spent the most time with the girl. They’d bonded, that much was clear from the outside. “You can’t just say ‘finders keepers’ about a person.”

“I know, but if we ask, maybe,” Lambert said, “maybe the Federation will see that it’s the best not only for us, but for the girl.”

“She really needs a name,” Carrillo said, feeling bad that there were calling her ‘the girl’.

The captain looked at her husband and nodded, “I’ll put out some feelers, figure out what to do and who we’ll need to talk to.”

Lambert smiled, “Thank you ma chere.”