—- Federation Listening Post —

Lieutenant Leylani Aka set the container filled with photon torpedoes down and then tapped the comm badge. She spoke with the officer manning the USS Falcon’s transporter and waited until the boxes that she’d collected were beamed up aboard the ship. The facility was not designed to rearm Starfleet vessels, but the Falcon had used up the bulk of its torpedo inventory fighting to protect it, and thus it was decided that the ship needed it more than the base.

While the captain, the visiting captain Captain Nathanial Hawthorne and the Lieutenant Commander in charge of the facility were holding meetings and trying to figure out what the Falcon was going to do next, her job was to restock what she could in preparation for the ship going into the next battle zone. In practice the ship was a torpedo delivery system and as much as it did important work in the fields of science and exploration it was clear that right now in the midst of a war declared on the Federation by a relatively new enemy, firing off a vast amount of explosives, was what it did best.

“Lieutenant Aka,” said a voice. She turned to see that it was Lieutenant Commander Jake Dornall speaking. The Falcon’s chief intelligence officer ran a small team aboard the ship that advised the captain and did other spooky spy stuff.

“Dornall,” Aka said to the more senior officer, “You here to learn where we’re going next?”

That was the biggest topic of conservation. It had taken them considerable time to arrive at the outpost, hoping to find some answers. What they had found instead was a fight and that ultimately nobody at the outpost knew anything more than they did. Ever since communications had been blacked out, the facility had been unable to raise anyone not within the solar system just like the Falcon had.

“I just gave a prevention on what we knew,” Dornall said.

“Must have been pretty short,” Aka said.

“I’m good at stretching things out,” Dornall joked.

Aka was not sure about Dornall. He wasn’t overly talkative, or sociable on the ship. They’d shared a nice meal looking out the ship’s window one night, but she was not sure if it had been a date or he had just not wanted to eat alone. Even now she was not sure if he was trying to flirt with her, or is he was just an awkward person.

“Can I help you Commander?” Aka asked. She folded her arms against her chest, clearly not sure what to make of him. He’d been one of the crew that had come over from the USS Selene under the impression that the Falcon was going to be the main ship in the division. It was thought then, and perhaps it remained true, that they would be better served by his intelligence.

“I haven’t been Planetside in about a decade,” Dornall said, “starbases and ships have been my home. It’s nice to stretch your legs, even if the gravity aboard Starfleet facilities is perfectly calibrated. Did you know they have a nice beach not far from here, we could walk.”

“And get left behind when the Falcon rushes off?” Aka said.

“It’s going nowhere for at least a day. The Vaadwaur opened up an underspace portal. We’ve got a bit of science to do to replicate that and use the network of portals to head to our next destinations,” Dornall explained, through he did not say where that destination was. If he even knew where it was.

Leaning back against a table Aka shrugged. They had bonded over their shared love of beaches, or at least that had been what Dornall had wanted to talk about. While the Falcon had a state-of-the-art holodeck, the chance to go to a real beach was tempting and it was pretty clear that no matter whatever fight the ship was running towards there there not be a bunch of recreational opportunities in the near future.

Not yet sure if this would be a mistake or not Aka nodded, her dark eyes studying Dornall, ”Lead the way then sir.”

The beach turned out to be about an hour walk from the base. Aside from the Federation outpost, most staffed with Starfleet personnel, the planet was uninhabited except for some life forms that reminded Aka of earth rabbits. Since it did not make much difference to the outpost’s function as to where it was built, they had put it on a tropical island. It was about as big as Molokai in the Hawaiian islands. But as Dornall explained as they walked, the sea was inhospitable and it was instead a landlocked lake that they’d be going to.

Once there he opened up a ruck sack that he’d been carrying with him and pulled out a bathing suit, tossing the bag onto the sand. Glancing at the swimsuit and then at Dornall Aka said, “I didn’t bring anything to change into.”

“Have something beamed down,” Dornall suggested.

Doing so Aka then went to find a bit of covering brush to go and change into her swimming clothes in. When she emerged she found Dornall already floating on his back a few yards out into the lake.

Aka waded in next to him. The water was warmer than she expected, not quite as hot as a hot tub, but hotter than the ocean generally was near the Hawaiian shore. Dornall’s eyes flicked to her and he nodded in welcome.

“This is nice,” she admitted, copying him by laying on her back and allowing herself to float up on the surface.

The need to respond to the Vaadwaur, the attack on the Federation, and where the USS Falcon was going to go next, all fell by the wayside for a time, as the two officers floated lazily in the lake. It was nice, peaceful. The oxygen level of the planet was higher than Aka was used to but, it was pleasant regardless.

Finally after spending another hour in silence Dornall stood, “We should get back to the Falcon.”

Aka stood up in the lake and nodded, “Let’s grab our stuff and call for transport.”

Dornall nodded, “Thank you for coming. This was nice, and what ever happens next isn’t going to be so calm.”