Mads set off at a fast pace, heading for the shuttle bays. ”We’re going to need something big enough to carry at least eight pallets,” she added as he hurried to catch up.

Cam’s momentary attempt at humor had backfired, and he felt an instant pang of regret. He froze for a fleeting second, apprehension gripping him as he contemplated the consequences of his ill-timed jest. However, he swiftly regained his composure, realizing he couldn’t afford to dwell on his misstep. 

He hurried to catch up to the Deputy Director, responding to her statement with an inquiry of his own. “What about relying on a good old-fashioned transporter or utilizing a tractor beam?”

She slid the tall ensign a sideways glance. Handsome, but perhaps not playing with a full bag of marbles.

“If I have called for a pilot, do you think that either are an option?” she asked, eyebrow raised slightly. Then she relented a little.

“The powers that be do not want these catering supplies transported. I believe someone has a bee in their bonnets about the possibility of a changeling hiding in the eggs, or something.” She shrugged. “Which means we get to go handball the damn stuff. I hope you had porridge for breakfast.”

Cam sensed that he had ventured into the unfamiliar, unforgiving territory of the unknown, akin to taking his first tentative steps into the formidable world beyond. It loomed ominously, threatening to engulf him if he failed to tread carefully. Then, in a moment of inspiration, a solution presented itself.

“I have an idea, ma’am” Cam suggested, his voice laced with a spark of ingenuity. “What if we retrofit a cargo shuttle with a force field emitter? By doing so, we could create a controlled climate within the cargo deck, allowing us to safely transport up to eight pallets without risking spoilage or freezing. Oh, and no, no porridge, madam Deputy Director.”

“Hmmm,” Mads thought about it for a moment, still moving at a fast pace. Perhaps this one was a tad more intelligent than most. “That’s a sensible suggestion. We’ll do that.”

They reached the turbolift and she ordered the shuttlebays, padd already back in one hand as she scrolled through it with her thumb, coffee held in the other. “Okay, I have a departure slot booked, but we’re going to need to move fast to complete the retrofit.” She looked up. “These catering supplies are already overdue for some function up top.”

“I’m not particularly acquainted with the engineers on the station,” Cam confessed. He paused briefly before adding, “But I’m confident we can find ourselves one. They seem to be scattered all over, always in the midst of something.”

“It’s a large station,” she replied, looking at him and finally seeing him, rather than just an ensign. 

“Have you been aboard long?” she asked, tapping in a request for an engineer to meet them in the shuttle bays.

Cam noticed an abrupt change in her demeanor, as if a veil had been lifted, revealing a newfound sincerity in her tone. 

He responded, “Not too long, ma’am. I arrived here directly from the Academy just before Frontier Day, so it’s been a matter of a couple of months.”

“You get used to it,” she offered. “Being around so many people I mean, and not really knowing any of them. Most people aboard tend to form a group of friends or work colleagues.”

The confirmation ping from her padd that an engineer had accepted the assignment went un-noted for a moment. “My step-son is an ensign,” she added. “He just left for his first posting.” 

“You must be thrilled for him,” Cam remarked, his words laden with a genuine curiosity. He found himself completely unaware of their location within the sprawling station and was merely trailing behind the energetic woman, her pace guided by caffeine-fueled determination.

“I am! He got a good assignment, the one he really wanted. And his fathers are both in the same squadron.” She smiled, perhaps the first genuine smile all morning. “So he’ll be well looked after.”

“It must be quite a challenge to gather the family together for Christmas,” Cam commented.

“Ha!” She actually did laugh at that, unknown for Mads on duty. “You have no idea.”

Which was no more or less than the truth since she’d never met her step-son’s other father, and her husband himself hadn’t see him in person for years. “Usually it’s just the three of us. How about you? Family?”

“Uh, yeah,” Cam stammered, his eyes widening as the unexpected question washed over him. He watched as the Caffeinated ice queen’s demeanor slowly transformed. Her distant exterior began to crack, revealing more and more hints of warmth beneath.

Cam’s gaze drifted to the ceiling as he started to speak, almost lost in the memories that surged to the surface. “Well, you see, my parents and grandfather, reside in a cozy Victorian house nestled in the heart of San Francisco. You can practically smell the history in those old walls, and they live just a stone’s throw away from the majestic Golden Gate Park. It’s a magical place, and every time I think about it, it brings a smile to my face.”

He paused, his voice tinged with nostalgia. “And my brother, the real professor in the family, is a Cadet at Starfleet Academy. Currently, he’s off on some special research aboard the USS Blythe. I can’t help but imagine the vastness of space he’s exploring out there.”

Cam’s eyes sparkled as he reminisced. “We’re not just a family; we’re more like a crew on a grand voyage. Closer than you can imagine. I find myself talking to them several times a week, and each conversation is like a chapter in an epic story. Even though we might be light-years apart, those moments keep us connected, no matter what the universe throws our way.” 

Cam realized that he had opened up to Mads, perhaps more than he typically did with most people.

She smiled. “That’s what family is all about. Connections. And it’s important to keep making those calls. They’ll mean more than you realise.”

They reached the shuttlebay and she checked her padd. “Okay, we’re over on Eleven-alpha-foxtrot. Looks like the engineer got here ahead of us.”

Approaching the bustling dock, a cacophony of discontent emerged from beneath the cargo shuttle. The words were muffled, but the voice’s sharp intonation conveyed unmistakable frustration.

As they drew nearer, it was clear the source of the commotion was unmistakenly their assigned engineer. A hyperspanner flew out from under the shuttle, its trajectory uncomfortably close to their feet before landing in the shuttle bay with a metallic clank.

Finally reaching the shuttle, they had a clear view of the engineer, sprawled beneath the craft. His voice was laced with irritation and exasperation. “Who in their right mind came up with the idea of mounting a force field generator on a cargo shuttle? Idiots! Some of the folks on this station… If you swap the cables of a warp core, do you get a replicator?”

Cam shared a glance with Mads, his eyes sparkling with amusement. He responded nonchalantly, a wry smile tugging at his lips. “Well, I don’t believe that’s how replicators are made… And speaking of the genius behind this idea, that would be me, Chief.”

Engineers were all the same. Mads allowed his diatribe to wash over her as she checked her padd again. Her nails clicked slightly on the screen as she adjusted a few things in the main transport schedule. One of the big cargo transporters had just gone down, which wasn’t a surprise. That one had been glitchy for weeks.

“If anyone can do it, it’s you, Caruthers,” she commented mildly. “If only to prove me wrong. Ensign Solari and I were just discussing the impossibility of getting this done in time to hit our collection slot with the supply ship. He says you can do it… I’m not so convinced.”

“We didn’t…” Cam began, but then a sudden epiphany swept across his features, prompting a swift course correction in his sentence. “We didn’t forget to place a bet on it either.”

For a fleeting moment, Cam exchanged a meaningful glance with Mads, their silent camaraderie forging an unspoken agreement between them. He then redirected his attention to the engineer, his voice now carrying an earnest tone. “I even upped the stakes and boldly proclaimed you could complete it in half an hour, tops,” he asserted, pausing for dramatic effect. “She just laughed at that and the whole cargo bay was practically fixated on us.”

Cam took a deep breath, trying to inject an extra layer of seriousness into his words. “And, Caruthers…”

Barely able to contain a mischievous grin, he let out a conspiratorial wink to Mads, conveying more than words could. “You’re well aware,” he added in a hushed tone, “she’s not exactly renowned for her bouts of laughter.”

Oh, this one was definitely quick on the uptake. Mads allowed a slight quirk of her lips as he took the opening and ran with it.

“Half an hour! Half an hour! You must be mad!” Caruthers exclaimed, a hint of a scottish burr entering his voice. Then… “How much was the bet?”

Mads shrugged, seemingly intent on her padd. “I bet him a bottle of scotch direct from Earth.”

“You know, Caruthers, the thing is, I would have gladly poured you a glass…” Cam began, but by this point, the engineer’s gaze remained locked on him, a poker-faced display of contemplation. 

Cam persisted, his tone laced with a hint of regret. “However, it seems we’ve already lost five minutes, so I suppose that whiskey offer is now off the table.”