Commander Rebecca Talon sat across from Captain Micah Fitzpatrick in his ready room with a cup of coffee in her hand.  So far the war with the Dominion had gone badly, and now the Denver was being dispatched with the rest of the Seventh Fleet to the Tyra System.

“What are the odds we get out of this alive, Captain Fitzpatrick said over his own coffee.

“I don’t suppose it’s zero, but I wouldn’t bet more than fifty-fifty,” Becca replied.

“You could have lied to an old man Number One.”

“Not exactly my style,”

“No, I suppose not.” He scratched his balding head and sighed.  “Did Milo and the kids make it home safely?”

Rebecca took a sip of her coffee before answering, and then set the mug down on the edge of her Captain’s desk.  “Yes he did.  He’s not happy how his foreman was running things so I got an earful over that.  Oh, Commander Kyo wanted me to thank you for lending that shuttle to get Jolie home too.”

The captain smiled, “Those three girls… The Denver is going to seem empty without them.”

Rebecca gave him a grim smile.  She knew exactly what he meant. Her quarters once felt too small, now seemed to big and empty. “I suppose you’ll just have to do without your ‘Captain’s Assistant’ from now on.”

Fitzpatrick let out a hearty laugh, “She was more of an un-assistant than anything. It was impossible to get any work done with all the questions, but completely worth it if you ask me.”

“That’s debatable,” Rebecca said with a smirk.

“It isn’t,” Micah assured her. Checking his chronometer he sighed.  “We should be approaching the Tyra System.”

Rebecca nodded, “I’ll check on the crew.”

“You do that. Batten down the hatches and furl the mains Number One.  I think this storm is going to be one hell of a blow.”

“Understood sir.”