“Captain’s log star date seven-six-oh-three-nine-point five. While our journey home to Deep Space Five has been on the whole uneventful, the mystery ship that we have dubbed the Troy continues to plague my crew from where it came from. In the meantime Counsellor Duncan seems to be enjoying the possibility of having his own ‘runaround’.”

Sat with his own thoughts, Commander Hunsen with fiddling with a PADD as he reviewed the latest reports on the Troy. The enigma that surrounded this smaller vessel had perplexed almost everyone that was involved in investigating where it had came from. Starfleet Command wasn’t interested with it when Captain McCallister had reported their find and had told him to hand it over to Deep Space Five on their arrival. The idea of finding out where it was built, by whom and how it got to be left in open space had seemed irrelevant to them. As a result Odyssey was now back at its cruising speed of warp eight and would be arriving at the station within the hour. Frustrated that he wouldn’t be able to solve the mysterious that surrounded the Troy, Hunsen was giving it one more shot before they had to hand it over to the team on D-S-Five.

After spending almost the entire morning on it, Hunsen had become so engrossed that if he hadn’t heard the thoughts of his close friend approaching him, he was certain he would not have been disturbed. Looking up from his PADD, the chief engineer smiled at Commander Max Duncan. “What’s up Max?”

“Just checking into see how your last-ditch effort was going.” The counsellor answered. “Any further?”

Shaking his head in defeat, Hunsen placed the PADD down on the table where he was sat. He had been sat around the main ‘pool table’ within main engineering. It was the central location of where he would normally work and issue out orders. It was placed just under the large warp core, while opposite to where Hunsen was sat he could see the drop-down area that held the ship’s quantum slipstream drive. Seeing as the latter was offline, while the former was strumming away like a beating heart, the noise level in engineering was at an all-time low.

“Unfortunately not.” Hunsen added to his defeat. Rubbing his eyes with both hands he leant back in his chair. “I’m thinking the Troy maybe a lost cause. Sorry Max, it seems your first command maybe coming to a swift end.”

Chuckling at the remark, Duncan just waved it off. In the last day or so since he led the team that recovered the ship and its onboard computer had made him defacto captain, many on the senior staff had joked about how Duncan was now all ambitious to be in the command division. “Don’t worry about it Tremt. The captain told me he has got somewhere with Starfleet Command. The Pasadena is being sent to D-S-Five to take over the investigation.”

“Ah man, they’re handing it over to a California-class?” Hunsen said with displeasure. “Don’t get me wrong, the crews of those ships do a lot of the background work for Starfleet but we’ve got state of the art equipment here that they don’t have.”

Duncan understood where his friend was coming from. “I get it, but from what I overhead Commander Cambil knows the skipper of the Pasadena and apparently it’s just finished its major refit. I’m sure they’ll work something out for us.” Pausing in what he said, the counsellor then continued changing the subject. “Anyway, I was wondering if you fancied joining Tobi and I tonight for a meal and then we’re heading off to holodeck four to go to a rock concert.”

“Geology has never interested me Max.” Hunsen replied back at his friend.

Laughing at the engineer’s misunderstanding, Duncan shook his head. “No, I don’t mean a concert on rock studying I mean a music concert on rock music. Tobi has a holo-program of some of the best concerts from Earth’s twentieth century.”

Considering the offer for a moment, Tremt thought it would be a nice change to do something different. “Deal, but I’m not playing chaperon with you two.”

Protesting straight away, Duncan raised his hands. “Tremt, there is nothing going on between Tobi and me. Why does everyone on this ship think there is?”

Looking up at his colleague and close friend, Hunsen answered honestly. “Because last night at the comedy show in the auditorium, Tobi was without a doubt flirting with you to make Lukiz mad.”

“And I wasn’t doing it back!” Duncan continued to protest.

“But you weren’t stopping it.” Hunsen reacted back. “Come off it Max, I know Tobi wants to get back at Lukiz but it’s been years since they broke up. I can’t understand why he is now making a scene about it all.”

Shrugging his shoulders, Duncan honestly replied. “I don’t know either, but I’m only helping a friend out which is why I want you to come along tonight.”

“I knew there was something more.” Hunsen said. “What do you want?”

Duncan played with his hands, it was obvious he was worried or anxious. “I just want you there to help me ensure Tobias doesn’t think I want anything more!”

“Ha! Knew it!” Hunsen said. “And I didn’t even have to read your mind to confirm it.” Chuckling a bit more to himself, Hunsen agreed to the request. “But that said Max, if you and Tobi did want to get together, what’s stopping you?”

“I dunno, I just find it weird as I’ve never ‘looked’ at him in that way.” Duncan replied.

“Well-”

Before Hunsen could speak anymore, the entire ship went to red alert and the captain’s voice came over the intercom calling for everyone to report to their stations.

“Damn it, what now?” Hunsen cursed as he and Duncan rushed out of engineering and into the nearest turbolift to head up to the bridge.