Runt sat near one of the lonely corners in the lower decks, staring out at the expansive and beautiful space out the window.

His ear was bandaged, but strangely enough the cat had protested to getting it fixed–he never elaborated as to *why*. But here he sat, an almost emotionless look on his face, head leaned against the glass. If nobody knew better, he’d have been a sort of statue with how still he was.

Sounds of the whisking doors disturbed the silence. In walked the tawny Caitain. The darker red M that spread across his furry face seemed prominent in the corridor’s stark lighting.

He still felt groggy. The Vaadwaur were gone, but work only seemed to intensify. Not only was his team responsible for starting work on the Morro Bay. The old USS Brawley constantly offered up her own maintenance concerns.

M’Row had just finished repairing a faulty conduit node deep within the ship. He detoured to an area with large windows to sneak a view of their voyage. Hrelle’s presence surprised him.

M’Row walked over excitedly. “Hey Runt. How is the Brawley treating you? Where do they have you staying now?”

“. . .hey, M’Row.” Runt looked upwards, and almost instantly there was a glaring issue: M’Hark’s pips weren’t on. Actually, it had looked like they were ripped *off*. His ears were down and in airplane mode.

“It’s a beautiful ship. I’m staying in one of the triage storage bays, helping out wherever I can. Or–was.” Runt glanced up at M’Row.

“Effective immediately, my XO has suspended me under the ruling of–” Runt put up his paws, making air qoutes. “‘Rebelious and disruptive behavior’ that can ‘bring danger to any crew’. Until he can have a conversation with my Captain, he’s using what he’s calling one of his ’emergency powers.’.” The cat frowned. “I’m still going to work and do what I can. He can’t really suspend me, but. . .he’s going to speak to Captain Dowe.”

M’Row blinked rapidly. “Suspended? At a time like this? After everything that just happened?” He swallowed his tongue, tight throat forcing a gulp.

His mind tried to picture what the other Caitain could have done. He hesitated to ask. “Let me first say that there’s a JAG officer on the ship. He used to work big cases.”

M’Row withheld what he knew about the Orion lawyer’s previous court failure. “He can speak up for you too. Fight to keep you in the Fleet. He can at least help your Captain make a case.” The sandy-furred man’s one red and one blue eye studied his friend.

“I…no, M’Row.” Runt just turned and put his face in his hands, sighing. “No. It’s fine. He was drugged up in medbay and–I’m sure it’ll be resolved. But not by him.”

The cat just let out a small sniffle as he tried to compose himself. “I ran away from him and into a potentially heavily boarded floor to save my best friend. Without hesitating. I also had one of my. . . .y’know. . .” He made a sort of gesture, looking at his former mentor.

“Freakouts?” M’Row asked as he tried to give a more encouraging smile. He never judged Hrelle.

“Yeah.” Runt looked back down at the ground. “I had one and just caused more screw ups, and…I defied orders from our doctor and saved his life. She was there during the suspension, too. Argued for my case but the…XO always has more power.”

Runt let out a heavy, defeated sigh. “Maybe this field of work isn’t good for someone like me. Maybe it was better to stay back home.”

M’Row couldn’t believe what he was hearing. This didn’t sound like the bright-eyed cadet he’d remembered.

“Quitting is not the answer. You might just need a break.” M’Row’s fluffy, ginger paw gingerly ran along his friend’s shoulder. “I’ll tell you what we both need.”

The tension and excitement built in his voice. “We almost went to Starbase 514. You know it’s the closest base to Cait.” M’Row’s golden tail flickered excitedly, as if thinking of hunting.

“There are Caitain bars there that”, M’Row paused to lick his nose. “You could walk in single and walk out of with kittens.” M’Row’s steady multicolored gaze showed he was serious. “Two weeks there, and you’ll be as good as new.”

Runt gave a small snicker at that, ever so slowly perking up. He purred at the touch from his friend and leaned into it. “Oh, man. Girls? Me? Noooo..”

He rubbed the back of his neck, giving a bashful smile. “I kind of prefer the men there, instead.” He paused; Runt had never told M’Row (or anyone for that matter) until after he graduated.

“But–either way. I think everyone needs a good vacation. I’ll be. . . .” M’Hark grasped at where his pips would be. “. . .okay enough, for now. Maybe I just needed a moping moment–but it would be nice to go back to Cait.”

“Men. Women. Everyone’s at Starbase 514. I’m telling you.” He paused in thought. “Cait would be even better.”

He didn’t seem surprised or even as if he had an opinion on his announcement. It seemed just as common as a heterosexual relationship to him.

“I’m sure we won’t get to Cait any time soon. We probably could catch a ferry from Deep Space 11 if we wanted. We have the time.”

Anxieties over his friend began to wane. He hoped Hrelle would be able to sort everything out.