The door chime sounded, and Ambrose glanced up from his desk, “Enter.”  The door slid open, and his sister stepped over the threshold hesitantly.  He greeted her with a warm smile and gestured her to the seat, “Come on in, Cadet.”

She sat down and stared at him, her words jumbled in a mass of confusion.  “I…uh….”

Ambrose leaned forward, “What's going on, Nat?”

The younger Harris sighed, “I don't know if I want to go to Starfleet Academy.”  She watched her brother's reaction, which was unreadable.  She pressed on, “I've…been thinking a lot while I've been out here.  We've been through a helluva lot, ‘Brose.  Losing our cousin…and the near constant threat of death from the Devore…it’s scaring me shitless.”

He regarded her carefully for a moment.  “I'm not going to pressure you to join Starfleet, Nat.  I…readily accept it's been a brutal ride since you landed in the Delta Quadrant.  I'm still trying to wrap my head around the Devore, Hazari…and the Hirogen.  We've faced some heavy hitters…and lost.”  He paused.  Would he have made the same call to join Starfleet when he was younger if he'd seen everything she'd seen with her young and inexperienced eyes?  Would he have been able to push past it all?  “I've been doing this for longer, so whatever advice I'd give is going to be through the lens of a starship captain.”  He chewed on his thoughts for a moment.  “I don’t know if I could decide to join Starfleet if I was in your shoes, Nat.  I…my introduction was slow and steady - I didn’t really hit a bump until I was three years into my career.”

Natalie went to the replicator and snagged a mug of coffee, and returned to her seat.  She had asked about his career in bits and pieces over the years.  “What happened?”

Ambrose sighed, “My Chief Engineer died in a pirate attack; we were attempting to break it up and rescue some transport ships.  Chief Dillon.  He was a good man but stayed just a little too long at his station.  I managed to get everyone out but lost the leg in the process.  Our ECH is named after the last one I saved.  It was a helluva thing.”

She played with her mug, wondering aloud, “So it’s not always like this?”

“Like the galaxy is on fire, and we don’t have enough extinguishers?”  She nodded quietly.  Ambrose shrugged, “I couldn’t tell you.  From the Erigone to the Eddie to the Mack…we’ve seen our share.  We’ve also stuck our noses into plenty, so maybe we’re the ones starting the fights in the end.”

Nat chuckled, amused. “My brother, a bully in space?  If anyone threw their weight around like a heavy shuttle, that was more my style.”  She took a sip, “To be fair, I learned some painful lessons when the inertia of consequences came flying back at me.”  The honey and lemon tea soothed her anxiety and allayed her fears that had been bouncing around like a herd of restless cattle ready to stampede.  The conversation with her brother was probably the more helpful salve on her soul.  “You think mom’ll be pissed?”

Her older brother wasn’t sure.  “Whatever it is you want to do, she’ll find it in her heart to support you.  Unless it’s piracy.  Then she’ll definitely be pissed.”  He gave her a quiet smile, “She loves you, Nat.  I expect you’re in for a long hug when we get back home.  She may never let you leave the ranch.”

She returned the quiet smile, “I’ve got a lot of apologizing and asking her for forgiveness when I get back.  What will she do with Aunt Pat and Uncle Larry?”

He shook his head, “I’m predicting she fires them and takes over.  Mom was never one for half-measures…and she and Uncle Larry have been at so many crossroads…her patience is probably running on empty.  You’ve seen when she’s running on fumes.”

Natalie cackled, “She sets fire to the rain…and everything else.  Man, I remember when that voice hit a certain wavelength…I knew she would find a far away boot camp to send me to or something.”

“You and she had some fights.”

His sister nodded solemnly, “We got through it.  We’ve started to love each other again, I think.  This mess will probably set us back.”

Ambrose gave her a look, “I think if you are honest, and throw yourself at her feet…and tell her everything?  There’s a chance she’ll only lock you in your room for a day, maybe two.”

It was her turn to give him a look, “You remember that?”

He chuckled, “Mom told me.  She thought it would help you.”

“Found my way out, didn’t I?”

The two of them laughed as they continued to share the stories and the love of their mother.