“The time is zero-six-thirty hours.”

Thaustin slowly opened his eyes, feeling extra warm than usual. He turned his head and saw Lukiz beside him, still sound asleep. Thaustin couldn’t help but smile as he watched Lukiz breathe peacefully, feeling content and happy that he was there with him.

He leaned in to gently kiss Lukiz’s forehead, causing him to stir slightly. Lukiz’s eyes fluttered open, and he smiled sleepily at Thaustin.

“Good morning,” Thaustin whispered, his voice still groggy from sleep.

“Morning,” Lukiz murmured back, snuggling closer to Thaustin.

They lay there for a few moments, simply enjoying each other’s company and the peacefulness of the room. Thaustin couldn’t help but feel grateful for this moment, knowing that he was lucky to have found someone like Lukiz.

“I suppose I best get up, or I’ll miss the oh-seven hundred shuttlecraft back to the Odyssey.” Lukiz groaned.

Thaustin nodded before he pulled Lukiz in for a kiss. “Last night was a lot of fun.”

“It was,” Lukiz agreed. “But next time, you need to get the shuttle to me.”

“Agreed,” Thaustin said, still smiling. “However, with the communication interference of the Black Cluster between our ships, I’m sure I won’t be able to wait that long.”

“It’s only for a few more days, Thaustin,” Lukiz replied before motioning to what lay under the sheets between them. “Keep it under control, commander!”

As they started to stir and get out of bed, Thaustin couldn’t help but feel excited for what lay ahead. While Lukiz pulled on his clothes, Thaustin wondered where this fling with the Odyssey’s chief operations officer would go.

“Canção to Thaustin,” spoke the captain over the intercom.

Reaching for his combadge, the Triton’s first officer tapped it and answered his superior. “Go ahead, ma’am.”

“Sorry to wake you early,” Canção said sincerely, “but can you join me in my ready room in fifteen minutes.”

“Aye, ma’am.”

Canção didn’t close the channel then. “And tell Lukiz he doesn’t have to rush back to the Odyssey so quickly. We’re heading to meet with them now.” 

Thaustin sighed heavily. The two of them had tried their best to avoid their relationship coming in between their work. Thaustin had certainly not wanted his captain to know yet. “Understood, thank you, ma’am. Thaustin out.” He closed the channel and turned to Jen. “I’m sorry; I thought we kept your arrival a secret.”

Lukiz Jen just shook his head and smirked. “It’s okay, but if I’m not sneaking off, I’ll definitely be using your sonic shower.”

Leaning close to him, Thaustin smiled at the fact that Lukiz was staying longer. He got close to his ear, “Well, maybe I’ll join you.” He seductively suggested. 

Lukiz smirked, “Or you could make me some nice breakfast.” He quickly gave Thaustin a peck on the cheek before rushing to use the sonic shower across the room. 

Moaning in frustration, Thaustin fell backwards onto the pillows before pushing himself to get up and ready for the day ahead. 

Commander Belire Kazlaf was utterly engrossed in her work as she floated in the zero-gravity environment of the stellar cartography laboratory. Her Elaysian physiology was enjoying the lack of any force pulling her down. Away from her skeletal support frame, this was almost heavenly for her. Yet, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of awe as she gazed at the multitude of collapsed protostars surrounding her, each one a glimpse into the mysteries of the universe. Her nimble fingers danced across the holographic controls, expertly manipulating the data as she delved deeper into the intricate patterns and formations of the protostars.

Studying the rich and complex data, her mind raced with endless possibilities and questions. What secrets lay hidden within these enigmatic and collapsed stars? What discoveries could be made from this research? The possibilities were both exhilarating and overwhelming, and Kazlaf couldn’t help but feel a sense of excitement mixed with a hint of trepidation. 

But with unyielding resolve, she continued her diligent study, determined to unlock the secrets hidden within these mesmerising stars. For Kazlaf, this was more than just scientific research – it was a passionate pursuit of knowledge and understanding, a chance to unravel the mysteries of the universe and push the boundaries of what was known. And as she floated through the expanse of the laboratory, surrounded by the collapsed protostars, she knew that she was exactly where she was meant to be.

Kazlaf looked up from her work and saw Captain Rio Canção entering the lab earlier than usual. Curiosity sparked within her as she wondered why the captain was there at that time.

“Good morning, Captain,” Kazlaf greeted her with a polite smile. “Is there something I can help you with?”

Canção looked around the lab, taking in the piles of data scattered on Kazlaf’s workstations. “Actually, I was hoping to hear about your progress,” Canção said, her voice laced with interest. “What have you found so far?”

Kazlaf eagerly shared her findings about the collapsed protostars’ mapping mission, hoping to impress the captain with her and her team’s hard work in updating Starfleet’s records of the Black Cluster. It was a job that someone hadn’t done in almost a decade.

Canção listened intently, nodding in appreciation at specific points. “Fascinating,” she said. “But unfortunately, our mission is coming to an end. We need to meet up with the USS Odyssey. Fleet Captain McCallister has sent the recall signal. I’m not sure as to why yet, but I didn’t want us to start moving out and rip you away from something important.”

Kazlaf felt a wave of annoyance and frustration wash over her. She had been so close to uncovering new insights that their mission was being cut short. However, she understood that these were their orders, and they had to follow them.

“Understood, Captain,” Kazlaf said, trying to hide her disappointment. “I’ll start finalising our data for Starfleet Cartography right away.”

Canção gave her a slight nod of acknowledgement before turning to leave. Kazlaf watched her go, feeling a mixture of emotions. She was annoyed that their mission was ending prematurely, but at the same time, she was grateful for the opportunity to work on such a project. Especially alone. 

Kazlaf appreciated being alone when working on a project, as it allowed her to focus without distractions. Her disability of being unable to walk in normal gravity was one of the reasons why she preferred to be by herself. 

In a way, her stern demeanour with her fellow crew resulted from her condition. She didn’t want anyone to feel sorry for her or treat her differently because of her disability. Kazlaf was matter-of-fact regarding her work and expected the same from her colleagues. Besides the captain and first officer, she found many of her comrades somewhat frustrating to work alongside. Kazlaf was a driven and intelligent individual, who faced a multitude of challenges while working with her colleagues. Her disability was just one of the hurdles she had to overcome on a daily basis. Despite her physical limitations, Kazlaf’s unique perspective and exceptional intellect made it difficult for her to communicate effectively with team members who shared a different level of knowledge and expertise. They just didn’t get how she thought; over the years, she hadn’t developed any social skills to deal with it. She was just quite blunt when she found someone annoying or unable to understand her thinking (unless it was a superior officer). Slowly, she adjusted herself to descend towards her anti-grav chair and concluded her work before the lateral sensor array was no longer available. 

She hoped that whatever was interrupting her work was worth it.

Canção briskly made her way down the corridor of her ship to get to the bridge on time. After leaving Stellar Cartography, she smirked to herself at how well she had dealt with her chief science officer and second officer. She loved working with Kazlaf; her mannerisms had a certain charm, but she knew that McCallister wouldn’t send the recall signal unless something vital happened. So, Canção knew she couldn’t have Kazlaf in a lousy mood for her work being cancelled. A softer approach to make her understand before  something happened was always the best course of action.  As she turned a corner, she unexpectedly collided with her chief medical officer, Doctor Kamra Uknare.

“Good morning, Doctor,” Canção warmly greeted Kamra with a smile. “I’m sorry, but I’m in a bit of a rush.”

Uknare nodded in understanding. “No problem, Rio. Is everything alright?”

Canção felt a tinge of regret as she replied, “I’m afraid I have to cancel our breakfast meeting in the private dining hall. We’ve received the recall signal from the Odyssey, and I need to be on the bridge.”

Uknare chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. “I understand. You don’t want to keep the bridge waiting. But you’ll be missing out on the perfect scrambled eggs that Chef makes every morning.”

The captain smiled wistfully, already regretting her decision. “I know. I’ll have to make it up to you another time, Kamra.”

As Canção continued her hurried trek down the corridor, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness. She cherished the time she spent conversing with Uknare, and the prospect of missing out on breakfast together was a disappointment for both of them. However, she knew that her duty as captain superseded her personal desires.

Meanwhile, Uknare watched Canção disappear down the corridor and couldn’t help but feel a twinge of melancholy. Of course, she valued her conversations with the captain, and breakfast together was always a highlight of her day. But she understood the significance of her duties as captain and recognised that cancelling their breakfast meeting was a necessary sacrifice.

As Kamra walked away, she couldn’t help but imagine savouring those perfect scrambled eggs all by herself, but the thought offered little comfort.

Upon arriving on the bridge, Canção was greeted by Lieutenant Th’vohless, who reported that they were slowly making their way out of the Black Cluster to the rendezvous point where they planned to meet the Odyssey. He then asked if she knew why Fleet Captain McCallister was recalling them. Canção shook her head, indicating that she had no idea. The mystery plagued them all. 

As she took her seat, Commander Thaustin finally arrived on the bridge. “Commander Thaustin, glad you could join us.” She said with a smirk at her first officer.

“My apologies, Captain. I was held up with some personal business,” Thaustin replied.

“That’s alright, Commander. It’s an early start for us,” Canção said reassuringly. She knew that Thaustin, at some point, would give her more details about his evening with his date. “But let’s get down to business. Lieutenant Th’vohless, what’s our status?”

“We’re on track to reach the rendezvous point in about two hours, Captain,” Th’vohless answered.

“Well, we’ll find out why we’ve been recalled soon enough. But, in the meantime, let’s keep a close eye on our sensors. We don’t want any surprises,” Canção instructed.

As the crew went about their duties, Canção finally got down to speaking to Thaustin about his date with Lieutenant Commander Lukiz Jen.

“So, how was it, Commander?” Canção asked with a smile.

“It went really well, Captain. I think I’m starting to like Lukiz a lot,” Thaustin whispered back.

“That’s wonderful news, Thaustin. I’m happy for you,” Canção said genuinely, reaching out to grab his arm. 

“I just hope I don’t mess things up,” Thaustin admitted.

“Don’t worry, Thaustin. Just be your charming self, and everything will work out,” Canção advised. 

Their conversation was interrupted by the sudden appearance of a heavily damaged Breen scout. The captain called for red alert just before the scout exploded. It was a close call, but they managed to avoid the blast.

“Damage report, Lieutenant Th’vohless,” Canção ordered.

“We’ve sustained minor damage to the port nacelle, Captain. However, the shields held up well,” Th’vohless reported.

“Good work, everyone. Let’s get those repairs underway,” Canção said to the crew. She turned to her first officer. “Now, where the hell did that Breen scout come from?”

Thaustin shrugged his shoulders from where he was sitting to her right. He was checking the sensors and couldn’t find any answers to provide her with. “One minute they weren’t there, and the next they were.”

“It may have been interference from the Black Cluster,” suggested Th’vohless. 

“They seemed to have taken a beating; any chance we could work out from what?” Canção asked.

Thaustin declared he might have an answer and quickly changed the image on the main viewer. As the crew of the Triton gazed out into the vast expanse of space from the bridge’s main screen, they caught sight of the USS Bellerophon, the Intrepid-class starship from their squadron, swiftly approaching their vessel. Despite the evident battle damage on the Bellerophon, the Triton crew sensed a confident and purposeful movement emanating from the approaching ship. Wondering if the Bellerophon had just engaged in a fierce battle with the Breen scout, the Triton crew couldn’t help but wonder what had just happened. 

Curiosity filled Canção’s thoughts, as she and her crew watched with bated breath as the ship drew closer, eagerly wanting to know what happened. “Ethav,” She called her operations manager. “Hail the Bellerophon, I want to know what just happened.”