[USS Eir]

The hospital ship was returning to Earth and taking a few passengers from the outskirts along with it. Given leave to attend a wedding on Venus it had proven to be the most direct way for newly promoted Lieutenant Junior Grade William Hume and Lieutenant Yuhiro Kolem to get from Starbase 72 to the Sol system. It was not fast, barely going over warp five, but then again the ship that they were serving on was in dry dock for repairs for at least two weeks so speed was not essential. With days of free time aboard the ship, Hume was starting to worry that he was going to get bored.

Lieutenant Kolem had mostly taken this time to study, as she was going for her doctorate. Hume as a security officer probably could have been looking up or studying something work related but had taken to wandering the ship which was expansive, especially as it was currently devoid of either supplies or patients. Long empty hallways lead to sickbays that had likely seen lots of activity, but now sat mostly empty as the ship waited for restocking and reassignment out of the Sol system.

It was too new, clean and white on the Olympic class starship for him to feel comfortable. Everything felt like he could break it and would have to replace it somehow. Polished metal and clean glass must take up hours of cleaning time, though Hume never saw anyone cleaning things around the ship.

He took to jogging in the mornings and swimming lengths in the ship’s pool in the afternoon. By early evening Kolem had had enough of her books and was able to join him for dinner and then maybe if the holodeck was free some recreation. It seemed to Hume that she had something on her mind, and while he’d indicated that he was willing to listen he also knew better than to push her for information. When she wanted to talk about it, she’d open up but for now he just had to be there. Weddings, he knew, could be complicated affairs as you reviewed your own choices and used it as some kind of false milestone along the pathway of your life. Was she regretting joining Starfleet, or not marrying some guy from her days on Mars? Kolem wouldn’t say, so Hume did not know.

The ship was empty enough that they’d both been offered individual rooms, but they’d opted to share one. Hume suspected that these were ambassadorial quarters that were sitting unused, but he was not going to complain about having extra room and a very nice bathtub at his disposal. Kolem could use the desk, which was where she kept her PADD with her texts on it when she was not studying it.

“Would you serve on a ship like this?” Hume asked after emerging from being submerged in water in the Eir’s pool. They had decamped to swimming after dinner, since the holodecks were all in use by the ship’s actual crew.

“Of course, the only difference between this and the Anaheim is that this is newer, bigger, and more focused on medicine,” Kolem said,

”Even more than the Anaheim I think I’d get bored,” Hume said, “These ships stick so far inside of Federation space that it might as well not have Security onboard.”

”There’s always Nerdowells and unstable people” Kolem said.

”I don’t know if that’s how you say it. Ner’dowells, nerdowells, near do well?” Hume said trying out his linguistic tongue for a moment.

”The point is we all need security, even If we’re not facing down the unknown,” Kolem said. She was quiet, something clearly was on her mind, as she paddled just deep enough in the pool that she could no longer touch the bottom. Her arms and legs churned the water in a competent doggie paddle.

Hume did not quite agree. The Anaheim probably only needed Ops and doctors for most of its missions, with engineering and the rest of the disciplines occurring back at a starbase. Still it was hard to argue with those dark eyes, and so he did not and instead splashed Kolem and then dove beneath the water to swim beneath her and tug on her leg, pulling her under. She turned out to be a better swimmer than he expected, swimming away from him and twisting beneath the surface until she rose further in the deep end.

”You know I can sense you going to do that before you do,” Kolem taunted him when they both emerged from beneath the now choppy water. 

He had forgotten, but it made sense that her empathic powers would let her know when he was planing some mischief. If he forgot it he wondered how much else she picked up from other people who were not careful around her. It must be hard, having to deal with the stray emotions of even a small starship worth of people. 

“So this wedding, know the bride. Do you know the groom?” Hume asked.

Kolem sighed, “I suppose i should tell you, we were engaged. Granted I left him to go to Starfleet, but…”

”But… wow, okay, awkward,” Hume said, not quite feeling that it would be as awkward for him as Kolem’s new man as it would be for everyone else involved. 

“Yeah, so my friend and him connected, as you might say, while I was at the Academy. I‘ve forgiven them, but there’s still… it’s weird… So you know,” she said.

”Try to be extra cute to make it seem like it’s not big deal,” Hume joked.

Kolem did not smile, but she nodded, “Essentially yes. It’s going to be a weird awkward week.”

”Believe it or not I’ve never been to the Venus colony. So this should be interesting,” Hume said.

”Brag it up Earth boy,” Kolem teased.

For dinner they ate in the mess with the crew. Yuhiro Kolem had a salad while Hume at a hamburger. They spoke more of the wedding and past girlfriends and boyfriends. They talked about their lives back home, Mars (where Kolem had been from) and Earth and the differences. Mars had imported most of its customs from Earth so the wedding was going to be nearly exactly like one that Hume might have attended back home. That most of her friends had resettled on Venus was not surprising, it was easier and to go there than the already crowded Earth.

Then they headed to their quarters, and the bed that they were sharing. It was the end of another day as the ship headed slowly to the Sol system and the wedding that they were going to attend.