“Starbase Bravo Flight Control, this is White Bomber Ypsilon-Six-Bravo, requesting communication,” Cam’s voice crackled over the intercom. 

“Flight Control here. What’s up, Sunshine?” responded a calm voice on the other end. 

“My aft thrusters are acting up. I’m heading back to base. Can you dispatch a maintenance crew to meet me?” Cam reported, a hint of concern in his tone. 

“Understood, Lieutenant Solari!” came the prompt assurance from Flight Control.

Cam closed the communication channel and gently manipulated the control panel. The Apsara-class bomber altered its course, pointing towards the massive Spacedock-class Starbase. Despite the malfunctioning thrusters, Cam skillfully approached, Cam could never help but marvel at the intricate details of the station visible through his viewport. The pulsating lights and bustling activity within the colossal structure contrasted with the silence of space. 

Emily stared at the PADD, waiting for her latest maintenance report to upload. It was only her third shift after being assigned to the maintenance crew in the hangers and so far she felt things were going well, even if most of her work had involved routine maintenance checks on some of the older craft.

A notification appeared on the display beside Emily. She glanced across, swiping on the display to read the notification – a new work order for an incoming craft.

“Good timing” she thought to herself as the report finished uploading.

A few minutes later, the bomber glided smoothly into its assigned docking bay. The hum of the engines gradually diminished as they powered down, leaving only the subtle hum of life within the station.

Emily hurried across the hanger bay to the newly arrived craft, skimming through the PADD as she approached, dodging other members of the maintenance teams.

The starbase was a far cry from the frontier colony she had grown up on. Back on Ladian I, pretty much everybody knew everybody and visitors were a rarity. Emily was still adjusting to the hive of activity that was the starbase.

“Lieutenant Solari?”, Emily asked as she looked to the green-eyed officer before her.

“I got a report the aft thrusters are acting up?”

Amid the bustling hangar, Cam’s eyes were drawn to the Engineer in front of him. The light played through her chestnut waves, and her emerald eyes flickered like uncut gems. The clang of machinery and distant conversations formed a chaotic symphony around them.

A subtle recognition lingered in Cam’s mind, prompting a smile to play on his lips. He took a step closer, allowing the sounds of the hangar to fade into the background.

“Hey,” he began, a hint of warmth in his voice, “there’s something about you that feels familiar. Have we crossed paths before?”

Emily cocked her head, her eyes narrowing as she examined the office before her. There was a flash of recognition in his eyes, but the same could not be said for Emily.

“I don’t think so, i’ve only been here a short while Lieutenant” she paused for a moment, a smile flittering across her lips “I do have an average face, one that blends into a crowd, maybe that’s it?” 

With a few taps on the PADD screen Emily brought up the last maintenance report and skimmed over it before returning her attention to Cam.

“Last report shows no issue with the thrusters, could you describe what happened?”

“Well, they seemed to glitch on my during the burner phase,” as Cam recounted the technical hiccup, his words hung in the air like a momentary, his gaze, however, betrayed a subtle distraction, still caught in the puzzle of familiarity with the Engineer before him. 

A fleeting second passed, then, with a shake of his head, Cam refocused. 

“I was on the verge of accelerating towards Mellstoxx IV,” he continued, his tone resuming its previous cadence, “when the engines, they just… glitched, lost their peak power and they stuttered as if dancing to an erratic rhythm.”

Emily’s eyes narrowed, her brow furrowing, as she listened to Cam’s report, her mind already sifting through the potential causes of the malfunction. She noticed a glint of recognition in his eyes as he spoke, although Emily was not familiar with the dark-haired pilot.

“Let’s get your ship hooked up to the diagnostic systems. I’ll run a full check on the thrusters. Sometimes these glitches are just gremlins in the system, but better safe than sorry.”

As they walked towards the bomber, Emily glanced at Cam. His mention of familiarity intrigued her. She was new to the starbase and the idea of already having made an impression, however mistaken, was both amusing and flattering. 

“So, Lieutenant, you’ve been at Starbase Bravo long?” she asked, her tone friendly but professional.

“Me?” Cam’s lips curled into a smirk. “I’ve only set foot here a couple of months ago, a direct journey from the Campus in San Francisco,” he casually mentioned.

Emily nodded, “Ah, maybe our paths crossed in some hallway, or at the Academy grounds. Maybe that is why you recognise me?”

Emily chuckled softly, “The Academy’s a small universe of its own, isn’t it? Easy to cross paths without really meeting.” She glanced at the ship. 

“Let’s see if we can unravel the mystery of your thrusters, Lieutenant. Maybe that will jog your memory.”

As they approached the ship, Emily’s mind was already racing with potential causes for the glitch. Could it be a simple software hiccup or something more intricate, like a power fluctuation in the engine’s core components? She was eager to dive into the problem, her curiosity piqued both by the technical challenge and the pilot’s familiar demeanor.