Strolling into Downtime, Horin made his way to the bar and called for the bartender to get him a beer. “Thanks, Skal,” He said after the Tellarite gave him his drink. Turning around to see where he could grab a seat, Horin realised that idea might be a bit presumptuous, especially at how busy it was in the bar. There were several large crowds dotted around the bar, but eventually, he noticed a small table occupied by a single person. Clutching his drink to his chest, Horin walked over and grabbed the attention of the cadet that was sitting there.

“Is this seat taken?” Horin asked with a friendly grin. 

Erik had been distracted by the din of the crowd, it was one of the things he liked best about Downtime. After a long day of working with people, treating ailments and working on holo-patients he was often burnt out. Hearing a voice cut through the background he looked up from his drink, and saw a cadet with a drink in hand. 

“Sure grab a chair,” Ferrun grinned back, sitting upright so he wasn’t stooped over the table. 

Keeping his charming smile on as he sat down, Horin extended his hand towards the human cadet, “Thanks, I’m Tate Horin,” He mentioned. 

“I thought you looked familiar. Erik Ferrun. It’s nice to meet another cadet, there haven’t been many come through here so far. I am just getting my bearings on Bravo, so maybe this place doesn’t appeal to them?” Erik asked as he looked around and noticed mostly older NCO’s and officers. He had to admit the place was stark, sparse and utilitarian; though he personally liked that, it made him think of a surgical suite in a cold antiseptic way. He shrugged and figured he’d learn the hangouts of every cadet here.

“Nice to meet you,” Horin said as they shook hands, “How long have you been posted to Bravo?” He asked as he took a swig of his bottle.

“No, I just got here with the last supply run. I had put in for Bravo a couple of times at Starfleet Academy and hardly believed it when the transfer came through. What about you Horin? Have you been posted here long? I am hoping the exciting rumors I’ve heard whispered around the campus in San Francisco are true. After all, real experience trumps simulations every time,” Erik said as he took a drink from his tumbler, the synthale rich and smooth. 

“Well, you are in for a treat!” Horin replied, still smiling as he took a sip from his drink, “I’ve been on Bravo for about nine months now and I’ve loved it. Don’t get me wrong the officers work you hard, but it’s quite the education. What are you specialising in?”

Erik nodded as Horin basically confirmed something he’d heard often on his way to the Station. The starship had afforded him plenty of access to keep his studies sharp, with the expectation he would be hitting the durasteel running. “I had been warned about that coming over, that the instructors were tough. Though I’ve always heard that Bravo Squadron Cadets have their pick of assignments, and if running ragged gets me to a ship of the line or starbase sooner it will be worth it. And I’ve been working towards my Medical speciality. It’s a longer path, but I know there’s a lot of need for ship medical crew,” Erik replied.

“Medical? Nice, the station’s chief medical officer, Doctor Delacour, is tough to impress but she knows her stuff. Saying that, with a station this size, you’re probably assigned to one of the other attending physicians.” Horin said. “How much of the station have you seen so far?”

”I met her only briefly to be honest. Although some of her work and methods are of course well studied in the library, so any chance to work with her or observe a surgery she does will be amazing,” Erik said as he listened to the other cadet. Laughing he shook his head gently, ”To be honest I’ve been the stereotypical med student. If I’m not on duty, I’ve been trying to stay around medbay to observe and be nearby if someone needs something. Even if it’s just treating fatigue, burns or the other more routine things; we have so many species on the station that it’s still a chance to learn and practice. So other than medbay, the mess or here, I’ve only seen my bunk.”

”What’s your speciality? I haven’t seen you around before, so they must be working you hard in other areas. And is there a cadet hideaway I don’t know about yet, I haven’t enjoyed too many nights off, but Downtime doesn’t seem like it’s the favourite spot,” Erik asked Horin, looking around at the stark but crowded bar.

“I’m majoring in astrophysics while having a minor in aerospace engineering. At the moment, I’m on rotation with the station’s starfighter division, so I’ve been kept busy in helping them make one of the fighters down there a bit cooler!”  Horin replied with a proud expression, “But if you want a good nightlife then I’m your man. There’s a new club that most of the cadets have been going to. It’s called Passion and has several floors, all of which play different types of music to get everyone moving and their drinks rival the Quark’s Bar franchise. There’s a group of us going tomorrow night, if you fancy joining us?”

Erik whistled softly when he heard Horin explain his speciality. He knew the basics of ship design, all Cadets had to have minimal working knowledge, but he’d never considered trying to learn the design and control aspect of them. He was more at home with organic systems. “Starfighters hey. Do you ever take them out to fly or are you more of the mechanically inclined? I have to admit I think anyone who can take on the inner workings of these is a genius,” Erik said as he gestured to the base around them.  

As he heard more about the bar, he had to admit it sounded perfect. He knew all work and no play drastically reduced his bedside manner, and that had been one of the reasons he’d come to Bravo Squadron. To rub shoulders and learn with the best, and the idea of some music and good drinks sounded ideal. “Count me in, I don’t have duty until later the next day anyways, so I can always put down the books for a night. Give my eyes a break, and meet some of the squadron. Anyone in particular to keep an eye out for? There’s always a few mischief makers in any group,” he chuckled, wondering just how many cadets were planning to hit the bar. Now that he thought about it, he wasn’t even sure how many attended the Academy here.

Horin chuckled, “Nah, they’re all as bad as each other!” He answered as he offered to get them another round of drinks. “Let me tell you about the time we all crashed a runabout and ended up having to deal with a bunch of Romulan Tal Shiar undercover agents!”

“I don’t know that I’ve been drinking the right kind of ale for that story to be believable. Although if you want to pull the new guys leg, I’ll happily listen and enjoy a round,” Erik said with a wave and a smile at the other cadet. He waited for Hortin to order another round from the bar, finishing his first drink. 

When the other man sat back down, he leaned forward, his eyes bright with interest, “So you were about to tell me about a roundabout full of cadets, and Tal Shiar operatives. I’m assuming this story is going to be thirsty work, so next is one me,” Erik said good naturedly, wondering exactly what sort of tale he was in for.