The day had been unusually long and for some reason it seemed like everything that could go wrong did. Davidson had been working a swing shift and finished after what seemed like longer than usual. Her perception was heightened and her head was pounding from the extra work.

She had decided to go grab a bite to eat and unwind, since she did not have to work the next few days. She smiled at the thought of a good steak with some potatoes and green beans. Her mouth watered at the thought as she rounded the turn from the intel suite. She almost ran into a man in front of her.

She stopped and looked almost horrified “I am so so sorry.”

“Miss Davidson?” Nuni’s voice softened as he took in her pale face, her wide eyes flickering with unspoken shock. Her hands trembled slightly at her sides, fingers curling as if grasping for stability. “Are you alright?”

She nodded “I am sorry, Sir. I am ok. I was so focused on getting some food after a very long day.”

“Do you remember the first rule of intelligence, Davidson?” Nuni’s gaze held steady, his brow furrowed slightly as he leaned in closer. He paused for a moment, letting the silence stretch. Then, with a slow exhale, he added, “You have to take care of yourself before you can take care of anyone else.” His hand rested lightly on his chest, as if feeling the weight of the words, his voice almost a whisper, but sharp.

Davidson nodded and led the Commander back to the office and sat down in her space before looking back at him and responding “I have been taking care of myself, but today was just not a great day. So I was going to grab a big steak and try to decompress.”

“So, how’s the investigation going?” Nuni’s eyes scanned Davidson, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the table. He leaned forward, the faint creak of the chair punctuating the silence. “I haven’t seen a report in over a week,” he added, his lips pressing into a thin line as he held Davidson’s gaze, the unspoken weight of expectation hanging between them.

Davidson pulled a PADD from the side of her desk and handed it to the Commander. “All the information that had been found is here. We had not finished so the information had not been sent, but this is what we have so far. The bad news is we still have found no indication of why or who. We only have the what and even with the what there is not enough information currently to show us who, but we are still looking.

Nuni’s eyes flicked over the PADD, his brow furrowing as he skimmed the data. He let out a quiet exhale, the disappointment evident in the slight shake of his head.

“In that case, I’d recommend taking that steak to go, Lieutenant,” Nuni said, his voice a touch colder now. He straightened in his seat, the weight of his decision settling in the room. “I need that report on my desk by the end of the day, but what I’m looking at here…” He motioned to the PADD with a sharp gesture, “…doesn’t even come close to being halfway finished.” His gaze lingered on Davidson, sharp and unwavering.

Davidson sighed as her shoulders slumped. “Sir, the entire department has been reassigned and I am the only one who was assigned to this case. I have been parsing thousands of lines of data and trying to find any information that could help, but the information shown is not the full database and I still have not received the full access I need. I have put in multiple request and still have never been granted access.”

Nuni’s shoulders relaxed slightly as he let out a quiet sigh, his gaze softening as it met Davidson’s. “I’m sorry, Ashlyn. You know what’s at stake here,” he said, his voice dropping a few tones, no longer as sharp. He leaned back just a little, eyes not leaving hers. “If you need more resources, or anything else, just tell me.”

She sighed “I do know what’s at stake and I have been trying to do my best with what I have had. I even sent the request to your yeoman to try and get it expedited. If I can get that access I can parse my data quicker. In fact…” her voice stopped as she turned her screen towards the Commander.

She typed some commands into her terminal and on the screen it cam up for the Commander to see. The system was parsing through the needed data she had requested only hours previous until the same message popped up saying files were locked behind access controls.” She threw her hands up and grabbed her temples.

“I think the information on who is locked behind this and I have tried everything short of trying to brute force the system, which I know even with my knowledge and position that would not be approved.” She concluded as she looked partially defeated at the situation.

Nuni’s gaze lingered on the woman, her fingers pressing into her temples, rubbing slow circles as if trying to ease a headache that wouldn’t fade. The glow of the console flickered across her face, highlighting the tightness around her eyes.

He turned back to the screen, his breath steady as he exhaled. His fingers hovered over the controls for just a second before he spoke.

“Computer, unlock the files. Authorization: Nuni-Sierra-Hotel-One-Eight-Nine-Zero.”

A sight of relief washed over her face and she turned the console back and began to reparse the information seeing the information flood past her eyes. She blinked quickly to refocus her eyes when the information stopped pulling up a match to the same methodology of what had happened on the station. She pulled the name in the system and began to look into the information in a deep analytical manner.

Davidson forgot that the Commander was in front of her as she was in the zone. She got the needed information and quickly added it to the information she had just shared with Nuni. After about twenty minutes she had grabbed the information needed. She looked up to see Nuni still there and shook her head. “Sorry, Commander I zoned in and got the information. You are looking for a Benzite named Zurqock.”

“Like I said, I’ll read it in the report—when it’s on my desk by the end of the day.”

Nuni’s lips twitched into the ghost of a smirk as he flicked a wink in her direction. He didn’t wait for a response. With an easy turn, he strode toward the exit, his steps unhurried, yet firm. The soft thud of his boots echoed through the room. A beat later, the door hissed shut behind him.