“You’re quiet.”
Ada Josephs didn’t respond to her friend’s observation. She lay back on the couch in Captain Park’s quarters, a half-empty bottle of wine on the coffee table beside her. June was coming to a close, and Perseverance’s chief medical officer was tired. She amended that statement in her head. She felt drained, as if her power generators had run out and were just clicking the igniters in desperation. Instead of words, she sighed. Loudly.
Park replied, “Well, we’re sighing. That’s never good.”
Ada pulled herself up from the couch, snatching the wine bottle. “T’saath put in her retirement paperwork this morning. She’s leaving tonight.” She shook her head slowly, not understanding the decision but understanding the decision. “T’saath endured something nobody should experience. How do you come back from that?”
Park pushed off the couch opposite her friend and sat roughly down next to her. “I don’t know, Ada. How did you come back from Baron Nine and the Constructor?”
The memories flashed around in Ada’s mind. November last year felt like an eternity. It had only been eight months, and she wasn’t sure how she felt about it still. Counseling sessions had helped, and she’d kept her time with Park protected. Yet, that memory and the immense emotional toll remained seared into her memories. The nightmares were less frequent now, and she slept through most nights. “It took time and help.” She swallowed a gulp of wine, wincing at the synthehol. “You think we’ll get a proper shore leave?”
Park finished her glass and set it aside. “We’re all due for something. Fontana mentioned something in the flotilla command meeting yesterday. Not everyone will get a break. The Tholians, or at least the ones at the edges of the border, have been making some noise.”
Ada shuddered. The Tholians, much like the Gorn, scared the hell out of her. She’d done her share of reading and studying what little material existed on the Tholians. None of it was helpful in the ways she needed, and all of it further convinced her that, given the right excuse, the Tholians would erase their fledgling flotilla from the map. “I don’t suppose you know who’s in and who’s out?”
Park chuckled. “We’re getting the time off, don’t you worry. They’re keeping Denver, Southamton, and Relentless on duty as well as Buran. Zephyr’s scheduled standby in case things get messy.”
Ada sat up straight, her nerves fraying at the edges. “They’re that worried?” Tholian injuries were predictably nasty and fatality-inducing.
Park turned to her friend. “Fontana’s an old Boy Scout. ‘Always be prepared’ is his motto. I don’t blame him.” She let out her own sigh. “Being this close to Montana Station, we forget how deep we are in the rimward.” She caught the worried glance from Ada. “I’m sure the Tholians won’t start anything up while we’re gone.”
Ada rolled her eyes. “Well, now that you’ve put that out into the universe, that’s going to happen. Good God, Park.”
It was Park’s turn to roll her eyes. “Superstition has no place in my quarters. I’m a scientist, after all. And a captain.”
Ada grumbled a muttered apology. “I’d blame the wine, but it’s not the real stuff.” Another sigh. “I need a vacation.”
Park pulled her friend’s head gently onto her shoulder. “Me too, Ada. Me too.”
