Captain’s Log: After a tense mission preventing the Cardassians from a shoot out with a pre-warp civilization the USS Seattle is escorting a Nova Class ship on a planetary survey. Unless the USS Casanova has something go wrong, we won’t have much to do other than to idle next to them and look intimidating. While this is not the most exciting assignment that I could think of for the crew, it is an opportunity for some down time. 

 

I will be meeting with Counselor Kolem to get a handle on the senior team, and learn more about what the crew needs. Meanwhile I’ve given more of the rest of the senior team the time off, as they can quickly jump onto the bridge if needed. 

 

I understand there’s two fairly elaborate Holodeck programs going on currently.

[ Holodeck 1]

The large Andorian looked down at his clothing and shifted uncomfortably. It was clear that he was not used to suits, and jackets. Much less tuxedos. Kan Th’kaotross made a face that reflected his displeasure, “And we are sure we want to do this, set on earth in this time frame?”

”It’s perfect it’s late nineteenth century earth golf, before they added tackling,” said Lieutenant Eleanor Dorian in her Irish accent. 

“I don’t think they ever added tackling,” Lieutenant Claudia Jara said. The two Strategic Operations officers seemed, at least to Thakotross, to come as a packaged deal. Rarely there was one without the other Lieutenant close by. It was almost good to see them disagree about old Earth sports so that they could prove that they somehow were not sharing a Borg hive mind.

His Assistant Chief Security Officer Lieutenant Junior Grade William Hume swung a golf club made of wood, “Come on it’s going to be fun. Besides good bonding. Competing against Strat Ops.”

Kan Th’kaotross made a ‘hmmp’ sound, and then nodded, “Fine. Let us play. Though I will point out that as a Andorian I have a disadvantage, you people designed this sport.”

“I’ve never played,” Jara said, not saying what she did instead of golf in her youth.

[Captain’s Ready Room]

”May I raise a difficult subject with you sir,” Conscelor Kolem asked nervously.

Hawthorne looked up from his coffee setup, “Yes, and are you sure you don’t want a cup?”

”No, thank you,” Kolem said, “Umm, well and this is all just hypothetical. But if I were serving aboard a ship and I learned that a Captain and a First Officer were romantically involved, well sir I’d be obliged to report that they were. Hypothetically of course.”

Hawthorne paused and then carried on with grinding the coffee beans,  “Ah, I see. Hypnothetically.”

Kolem nodded, “And of course everyone on the ship is worthy of love and deserve companionship if that’s what they want. Which is why even Captains are allowed to date, as long as they fill out the forms, and make a note of it. Famously Riker and his wife obviously served together.”

“Troi,” Hawthorne said.

”Right,“ Kolem said, hating having to invoke the name during a conversation. She was compared enough to Troi without her bringing up the woman, who she’d never met. She paused and wished that this was not something she needed to bring up, “I just wanted to note that, sir, not as a threat or anything. Just as a hypothetical observation.”

Hawthorne nodded, and finished with the beans. He knew that Kolem would figure it out sooner or later, the rest of the crew had not noticed, he was pretty sure, but sooner or later having even half a Betazoid on, was trouble if you were going to be sleeping with your First Officer. They’d never intended to keep going, which was why they’d never filled out the forms. He doubted Cruz would want to, but then they’d be back to not filling them out and back sliding.

”I understand and appreciate the hypothetical note,” he said, “now more on topic how are the crew settling with a new senior staff, and a smaller crew?”

He poured the beans into the paper and put it into the pour over funnel.

”So far the crew seems good. Obviously a smaller ship like this, we’re forming closer bonds quicker. Since we’re not returning to starbase as often people are forming those bonds on the ship, as opposed to off it. Hence there’s a lot more inter-crew dating that there was on the Anaheim. I’m not an Engineer and don’t have numbers but I’d say roughly a third of the crew is dating amounts themselves,“ Kolem said, “Which is partially a result of many of them, us, being young and single.”

Hawthorne nodded, “Does it present a problem?”

”I don’t think so, not yet. This happens on a ship. We’re all professionals, we can work it out without it being an issue for you to tackle,” Kolem said.

Scratching his bead with one hand Hawthorne picked up the kettle, “Okay. Anything I should be worried about?”

[Holodeck 2]

”So am I a vampire of a werewolf?” Lieutenant Yi Zhang asked.

”Neither this is a mid-twentieth century spy novel. We’re British agents, not vampires,” Commander Adriana Cruz said, feeling like she had been explaining the scenario a lot and they had not even started yet.

”So do I sleep with the beautiful Russian spy?” Thomas Winfield asked, looking at the non-player character extras in the simulated casino.

“They are most illogical,” Doctor Va’Tok said shuffling about.

”Indeed,“ Lieutenant Pr’Nor agreed.

”No he’s right, actually,” Cruz said, “Gratuitous sex was a part of spy thrillers of that era.”

”Ah,” Va’Tok said, looking suddenly awkward.

“So are we all the spy?” Winfield asked, the pilot stretching in his tuxedo as he looked around the simulated setting.

“We all have different jobs, or we’ll all pick a job. Tech person, spy,” Cruz explained, feeling that maybe for this group she had made things too complicated in her program. Suddenly her commbadge chirped.

”Commander Cruz to my ready room,” the Captain’s voice came from her badge which was hidden on her dress. 

Sighing she excused herself, “I’ll be back, you start. Divide up the tasks.”

”We do not even know what the tasks are,” Doctor Va’Tok said as the archway vanished and the Commander was gone.