Nathan Hawkthorne’s Captain’s Log: We depart Starbase 72 in the morning and the crew is just putting the final touches on the Starfleet Civil Engineers quarters, and the various other NGO (non-governmental agencies) groups that will be joining us. I have been reviewing the logs of the USS Sao Paulo which is proving sector defense and was the first starship on site. The devastation to Hahana III is extensive but I trust that the Anaheim and it’s teams can help in this situation. 

After their first mission to Artagus IV, it is good to see the crew coming together and bonding. This next mission could be quite tough for all of us.

[USS Anaheim - Chief Councillor’s Office]

Yuhiro Kolem shifted uncomfortably in her chair. An hour long session that was running over by at least twenty minutes, this was getting excruciating. Of course as his therapist she could hardly tell him that his relationship with his mother was not as interesting as he thought it was. The poor Ensign across from her would likely burst into tears. At least when therapists charged for this there was a profit reason to keep a session going.

”Perhaps, seeing as we’re well past our hour, we can take this up later?” Kolem said softly, raising a hand to cut him off. 

The Ensign nodded, “Okay I was just getting somewhere though.”

”And we’ll get there next week,” Kolem insisted, “you’ve been very open this week and I appreciate that. But I have duties as well as I’m sure you do before we depart.”

Nodding the Ensign got up out of the patient’s chair as Kolem rose from her own. She shook his hand, realizing that he would have rather gone in for a hug, and ushered him out of her office. Once alone she signed heavily, closed her eyes and pinched her nose. Empathy, the kind that she had, could be tricky around emotions like that that were heightened and also so very undirected. Messy… She needed a drink.

Tapping her communicator she hailed Chief Operations Officer Tashai, who turned out to be busy, but always seemed to be able to make time for a drink. This Kolem realized was mostly done by not particularly caring about her job because in her mind as someone so old Starfleet was just a phase she was going through. Likely, and unlike everyone else on board, Tashai felt that she was going to outlive Starfleet. 

“Lieutenant, I have to go over some crew forms with you,” Kolem said.

”Is that code?” Tashai asked across the line.

”Maybe at Starbase 72, over a beverage,” Kolem persisted.

”Not a great code, but okay. Give me an hour, I’ll meet you at the docking bay,” Tashai said and then closed the channel.

Adjusting her uniform, Kolem stretched. Examining herself in the mirror she wondered, and not for the first time thanks to her Captain continually referring to her as ‘my Troi’ what she would look like in one of her fellow half-Betazoid’s uniforms from back in the day. How had Troi actually seen patients in a low cut skintight outfit? She sighed, when you got to the Enterprise you were the best of the best, and pretty much able to do what you wanted.

For now at least there was a lot that Lieutenant Junior Grade Kolem would like to do but wasn’t allowed to. Still she was a senior officer on the ship, and had some lee-way, particularly since she Captain seemed to favor her if only because of that tenuous connection to the famed bridge crew of the Enterprise. Not that she knew Troi or was related to her in any way, just be being the same flavor of species. Still she’d take what she got, as long as she didn’t have to dress like Troi.

[USS Anaheim - Engineering]

The elevation of a Chief Petty Officer to Assistant Chief of Engineering had not gone over well on the ship. Vanessa Constable was new and had not built up a level of affection that non-commissioned officers could have, still there was not question she was talented, at least in Chief Engineer James Young’s eyes. The offer of her own room had been put on hold since the Anaheim was taking on a vast number of people to transport to their next destination, but the rest had been agreed to. 

Though the ship had been in perfect condition when he’d assumed the role of Chief Engineer the Lieutenant was happy to say it was perhaps even running better now, thanks to his team. Granted such improvements were minimal at best, but he’d take what he could get and pass it onto the eager Captain who wanted to hear great things about the crew in his command.

“Everything with the warp manifold checks out,” Constable said. She thought the whole double and triple checking was not required, but she knew better than to rock the boat at this point. Everything worked, and would continue working until such a time that it didn’t. Starfleet had not done a refit on the ship and left it in shambles.

”Great, thank you,” Young said tapping his PADD to note that, “Why don’t you take a break, see Starbase 72 a bit before we leave?”

”A break wow. The advantages of power,” Constable said.

”I’m not sure if you’re kidding of serious, just take a break, have fun,” Young insisted.

Though this vaguely felt like some kind of trap, allowing her to go only to later yell at her for not being in Engineering, Constable decided to take it. She nodded and with a wave headed out of the room first to her room then to the docking bay.

[Starbase 72 - Commodore Jalian’s Office]

Captain Nathan Hawthorne smiled. He hated small talk, which was what the Commodore seemed to like. Still he knew that being a good boy for higher ranking officers was how one got to be higher ranking, got the choice assignments, and newer more useful ships. Again assuring the Commodore that they could handle acting like a ferry boat for Starfleet’s Civil Engineers he enjoyed the view of his own ship being loaded up with supplies. 

“Pretty isn’t it?” Commodore Jalian said.

“I suppose, certainly stands out,” the Captain acknowledged noting the distinctive white and blue paint job that indicated it was one of the medical variations of the California class. 

Jalian seemed to understand his hesitation, “She’s been yours a long time. Keep it up, Starfleet Command notices when someone needs to spread their wings.”

”Do they?” asked Hawthorne, who realizing he may have said too much in front of the senior officer nodded, “Of course. Good advice.”

Commodore Jalian smiled, either ignoring the slip or missing it. Captain Hawkthorne was never sure which it was.

[Starbase 72 - Drafts Pub]

Lieutenant Junior Grade Yuhiro Kolem had no memory of meeting Chief Petty Officer Vanessa Constable before today but was sure their paths must have crossed on the small ship. Now she was two beers down with the woman, enjoying her company as the three women enjoyed their last few night at Drafts an old American themed bar on the Starbase. Joining them was Lieutenant Commander Tashai, who insisted that she had been to this very bar on Earth back in the day.

”It’s not an actual Earth bar,” Constable insisted, “It’s just an amalgamation of the concept of bars of the period.”

”No, I was there! I met this very cute Olympic diver,” Tashai insisted.

”You just make this stuff up I bet,” Kolem said, having distrusted the veracity of a number of Tashai’s stories since they had met. Anything that began with ‘a long time go’ tended to be closer to fiction than anything else.

“So what do us upper deckers do?” Constable asked.

”That’s hilarious that you think we’re important. I just do my job, and whatever the Captain tells me to,” Kolem said, “I have no actual power.”

”I do what I want,” shrugged Tashai.

Constable laughed, “There’s a ship full of people that you’re more powerful then. I’ve finally gotten some influence, I intend to learn how to use it, make real meaningful changes.“

”Fight the patriarchy. But seriously what are you going to do? It’s not like there’s a lot of ways to fiddle with the warp drive,” Kolem asked.

”You’ll see,” Constable promised, half not knowing if she was promising more than she could deliver and half certain that she was going to prove them all wrong. This posting, and this new role were the start of something big, she could feel it.

The other two raised their mugs and saluted. Whether she was telling the truth about changing the department or not, it was nice to be there off the ship and away from work for a few hours before they submerged again like a modern day submarine crew.

”To us, no. To the Anaheim,” Kolem said, ”as Engsign Hume might say ‘the happiest place on Earth’.”

”What a hot dork,” Tashai grinned and winked at Kolem knowingly.