O’Shea stepped onto the lift from the bridge and glanced over at Crawford as she followed him on. “As debriefs go after missions to a creepy haunted station with a mind-controlled Borg drone that was pretty routine,” he said with a smile, “You want to grab a coffee? Thought it would be good to get to know each other a bit more given what happened and have a chat about it.” O’Shea wasn’t sure how that would come across, but after the events on Charon station, he wanted to check in to see how Crawford was doing.

Crawford gave the security chief a side glance as the doors closed, “You’re probably a little old for me, Chief.”  She held it for a second before her trademark broad smile broke through, “I’ve got a few boyfriends anyway – juggling you and them would be damn near impossible.”

O’Shea laughed, “I am a handful anyways; likely for the best. But I was more thinking of a chat about Charon station.”  

She chuckled, “Breakfast sounds like a solid plan.  I’d say we go for the bridge lounge – I hear they serve a mean skillet.”

He smiled at the recommendation, “Ah, I am not the only one who has discovered that, I see. I skipped breakfast this morning, so that would be great.”

A moment later, the lift stopped, and they stepped out onto Deck 2 and walked into the observation lounge. “Window?” O’Shea asked, looking around before taking a step towards the galley. “Skillet and a coffee for you?”

Crawford gave him a nod and sat, looking out the windows.  There was something peaceful about looking out windows on the world, or in their case, the galaxy around them.  So much happened out there that they would never see…or even know about.  Space was eternal and would outlive them all several times over.  There was peace in the cycle, she considered.  

A few minutes later, O’Shea walked back and placed two skillets and two cups of coffee on the tablet before grabbing a seat. “Replicated food is ok, but actually having properly cooked food makes all the difference.”

Carolyn smiled, “I miss the family farm a little.  My dad, not so much.  This hits the spot.”  She went to work on her food.

After having a few bites and a rather large sip of coffee, O’Shea leaned back. “So, I wanted to see how you were doing after the events on the station. And, well, the events here? I know you have been around and aren’t green by any means, but I always like to check in with the team after a mission that had hostile elements to it.”

The engineering officer thought about it for a moment.  “There are hundreds and hundreds of starships out there with various missions of exploration, escort, and guard duties. Every day they go through the shifts, and rarely does something explode or go wrong or jump out of a wormhole.”  She took a bite and savored the colorful flavors that littered her plate.  “So far in my brief career, I’ve dealt with rifts and murderous station computers.”  She took a sip of her coffee and wondered, “We really don’t know what happened to create that monster, do we?  I mean…how long had it been doing what it had done?  And to how many?”  She took another bite, “It will take me some time to accept that we helped fully power the bastard.”  Another drink of coffee, “This is damn good coffee.  What about you, Lieutenant?

O’Shea smiled and looked down at his own coffee, and nodded in agreement. “I plan on picking up some freshly roasted beans before we depart again.” He took a sip before continuing. “I know what you mean. I have friends from the academy who have never seen combat or any other form of space oddity. Whereas I, like you, am on the other end of the scale.” He turned and looked out the window. “As for the entity, those same questions are gnawing at me. What was it? How was it created, and how long was it there? I really dislike mysteries like that though as for helping it we did, well, Ruby did, destroy it in the end, and I take solace in that.” He paused for a moment and exhaled, leaning back, deflating for a quick moment as he spoke, “Ruby, though, what happened to her is going to haunt me for a while. Wish we had been able to put her remains to rest properly but will have to settle for her getting her revenge.”

He looked back at Carolyn and regained his composure, and smiled, “There are so many unknowns and mysteries from the early days of exploration, missing ships and such, makes you wonder if others experienced similar events.”

Carolyn finished off her breakfast and returned to her coffee, “My father would share with me his adventures as an officer on the USS Denver.  In his career, he found the goodness and the darkness present in the universe.  He used to tell me that what we do out here was so much like the sailors of long ago – flying over the water to the horizon, not sure what lay beyond the sun or the moon or whatever.  What they found confused them and excited them at the same time.”  She accepted a refill of coffee, “Men and women have been fording into the unknown for the entirety of Earth’s existence – each step getting us closer to the next big thing.  First, it was the New World.  Then it was The West.  There’s always a strange new world to find – just around the corner or down the road, or in the next sector.”

O’Shea nodded in agreement as he finished his food. “That is true, and I do love that mystery. There are wonders out here and, as you have said, horrors. It is just unfortunate that this was the latter.” As he spoke, his combadge chimed.

Tapping it, he replied, “Go for O’Shea.” 

Chief Pach’s voice responded, “Sir, we are set for the training exercise at your convenience.”

O’Shea nodded, “Thanks, Pach.”

He turned to Carolyn and smiled. “Duty calls, but it was nice to have this chat. If you need anything, you know where to find me.”

Carolyn wished him luck and watched as he left.  She returned her attention to the world outside the windows.