He came out of the bedroom fumbling with the cuff links of his suit, the knot on his tie wrong and crooked and his collar at an angle from the one button hole he had missed on his shirt, meaning the whole thing was out of kilter and awkward. He had missed the back of his shirt when he tucked himself in and seemed to be rather flustered that the cuffs would not clip into place correctly. “What am I doing wrong?” he asked, looking over at his friend on the couch in exasperation, holding his hand out in front of him as if for inspection. “Are you sure we got these in the right size? Nothing seems to fit.” He had been fussing all morning and was at the upper end if being frazzled, even his hair was a mess and he looked to have missed the odd spot when shaving. : : : : Sitting on the couch, looking relaxed and completely at ease and at home was Max. His suit already in place, immaculate and tidy and with his feet on the coffee table as if he had no care in the world. Looking at Xavier with some amusement, he finished the beer he was drinking as he paused the latest match of Extreme Golf, Orion Lingerie Bowl edition and then pushed himself to his feet and put the empty down. “Xavier my friend, relax. Your getting all flustered and your just making it worse on yourself. Yes we got the right sizes” he said as he walked to his Best Man, “just, relax.” : : : : “But look!” Xavier said, holding his hands higher in frustration. Grinning Max shook his head and sighed, and then reached out, he clipped each cuff link into place neatly and then adjusted Xaviers collar and shirt. “You know” Max said, “It’s almost like it’s you getting married. Is there something you’re not telling me?” As he spoke he undid the tie and began to re-do the knot. Xavier opened his mouth to speak and then frowned in confusion. “What do you mean....” he began and then caught Max’s drift. “No…no no no you fool” he said, giving Max a ‘friendly’ punch on the shoulder, ‘friendly’ in the way that guys did when drinking beer and having a barbecue. Max laughed and then stood back, Xaviers tie done correctly and the suit now looking tidy again, cuffs in place and collar straight. Max looked him over. “You know Xavier, you are almost presentable, you might even claim a partner for yourself, you know most of the crew is invited to the reception.” He patted his friend on the shoulder and grinned wickedly, “Mintakan receptions are the real reason our weddings are so popular, I hear only a Betazoid wedding is more, ‘interesting’, but not for the same reasons. Remember to tuck yourself in” he said, “and you missed a spot.” Max told him, sticking a finger in the scruff that remained on the side of Xaviers jawline. “It might be a Tellerite you manage to attract looking like that.” : : : : Grinning, Max returned to the couch and sat down, picking up another beer and cracking it open. Looking over at Xavier he grinned again. “Relax, it isn’t like today can get any more important or significant than my wedding, can it.” He winked and reached forward, picking up one of the two cigars on the table. “Now when you are done we can smoke these, do you think there is a breath mint that will hide the smell?” he looked up at his Best Man and grinned, for the first time looking unsure about something. : : : : Lt Cmdr Maxwell Logan : : Chief Engineer : : Jasmine adjusted her veil again trying to decide which way she liked it better. It was not that she was nervous but more she just wanted to look pretty. “I don’t know why you wear veils over your face,” Jasmine pulled it over trying that look. “I mean you spend all your time trying to look pretty so why hide it?” : : “Well for us common folk it was designed to show you weren’t passing off one sister for another but with Mintakan customs that doesn’t matter. You all sign the deal and the rest is up to the lawyers but back in earth history, one father would often marry off the less desirable daughter when they did not think they would ever get married,” Celina commented brushing an imagery speck of dust off of Jasmine’s dress. : : “Really,” Jasmine looked horrified. : : “Yeah,” Celina looked at her with a sly grin. “You don’t have sister right? I mean Max does know who he is getting correct,” she teased her friend. : : Jasmine rolled her eyes. “Keep it up. You are just giving me fodder for when you become Mrs. Jack Creed.” : : “And that isn’t going to happen for a long long time. He needs to be more interested in the family thing. I mean I want kids and dogs and sleepless Saturday mornings for eighteen years straight,” Celina let out a sigh. : : Jasmine stiffened some at the thought of children. She and Max had both decided they wanted them. It was the timing that seemed to be off. “I want room service and lazy weekends but both of us are married to men that are married to this ship.” : : A knock at the door told Jasmine that it was time. Smiling at Celina she gave her hand a squeeze. “Well now is the time to see if the eighteen hours I spent filling out that form found me a keep,” Jasmine laughed. At this point, however, she knew the match was right. They had gotten several weeks to get to know each other that regular Mintakans were not afforded. : : Lt. Jasmine Wynter, CMO Both Max and Xavier walked down the corridor towards the Holodeck the ceremony was due to take place in. Both wore smiles, although Xavier seemed nervous and couldn’t but help fidget with his cuffs, collar and tie whenever his hands found themselves free for even a second. Max had to grin. Xavier was one of the most accomplished men with any form of pistol or rifle he had ever heard of. Under any kind of pressure the man was rock solid, steady and could hit a nail head with ease at 20 paces on a moving platform. Now. however, one could would swear he had a nervous disposition. : : : : “This must have taken hours to organise” Xavier was saying as they walked up to the doors, “I heard it’s the grooms responsibility on Mintaka to arrange the venue for the ceremony, I can’t imagine the bride to be is happy to let go of that kind of control.” Max casually shrugged and stopped outside the doors, “On the contrary” he explained, “Most of them find it helpful that we take on all the responsibility. They know that way that we take it seriously, and they can concentrate on the things that should be important to them, looking beautiful, being happy and with family or friends, and being excited about spending the rest of their life with a partner that they will grow to love deeply.” Now as Max stood still he checked and adjusted his own suit for the first time since leaving his quarters. : : : : “But how do you know? Really?” Xavier asked, “I mean, I know about the Ministry of Harmony and the hundreds of questions and sub-questions that the process goes through. Isn’t it all kind of, sterile?” Xavier asked the question honestly and openly. Possibly an odd time to ask, but Max showed no inclination towards offense. : : : : “On the contrary” he said to his friend, narrowing his eyes and straightening the mans tie, “The questions are answered possibly more honestly and openly than anything we have ever done before in our lives. And when a match is found, we know that both parties answered truthfully and honestly, and both wanted the same thing. Marriage to a partner that they will fall in love with and want to grow old with. The settling part is that we know the other person is a match, whether they have the same interests or not, we know they want to love. The beautiful part is that we get to find out about each other and explore that desire with complete trust and faith that what we are doing is right and going to last. Wouldn’t that comfort you?” he asked Xavier, “knowing that the woman you just met wants to love you and is a match for you in every way you desire. That both of you already love the other and want it to work? That you can concentrate on the beautiful part of exploring each others minds, souls, and bodies” he winked at Xavier, “without any doubts about trust, love, motives or fidelity?” : : : : Xavier stopped fidgeting as he listened, now becoming aware of just how much the two Mintakan’s loved each other and wanted their marriage to work, and by all accounts, the two of them were just beginning to experience the beauty of love with each other. And they would be able to grow and experience that love with the comforting knowledge that they already had a love and bond that took people years to achieve. At that moment Xavier understood the Ministry of Harmony’s true role, and why the Mintakan divorce rate was so extremely low. They all had completely free choice in all the matters of the Ministry, but they loved and accepted each other completely, trusted and believed in each other from the very start. At that moment, Xavier was so very happy for his friend. The mans steady and calm hands showed it. “Shall we go in?” he asked Max. “Of course!” Max said, “This is not the time to be fashionably late. Do you think I spent so much time behind my desk because I was trying to work out whether Beef or Chicken was best for dinner?” Max turned to the doors and stepped forward, activating the program he had designed as he did so. : : : : As the doors opened he turned his head slightly to Xavier. “Beef, for the record” he said calmly and stepped through the doors. Xavier paused a moment as he looked through, his eyes widening in amazement. Looking back to Max he realised that the groom was already on his way to his starting point, and Xavier hurried to catch up, looking left and right as he did so. “Max, does Jasmine know about this?” he asked, in reply Max simply turned to look at his best man, then winked at him. His grin told Xavier all he needed to know. : : : : Lt Cmdr Maxwell Logan : : CE : : “So you have no idea about anything dealing with your wedding,” Celina said almost dumbfounded. The idea of letting Jack plan her wedding made her more than a wee bit nervous. The man had phenomenal taste but he, like most men, favored function over form. It would be a beautiful event with touches of his Persian heritage throughout but that is where her assumptions ended. She had no idea if he would forgo fancy hors d oeuvres for fare found at Moe’s. The worst would be if Jack went with a buffet at the reception, however, he knew how queasy she got at those events and would never go that route…or would he? Celina’s thoughts drifted with each step about who Jack would handle a wedding. : : “Not one. It is traditional that the men plan the event. Since Mintakan’s don’t date like the rest of the universe, our wedding is a way for them to show the world how much they truly know about your taste, style, likes, and wants. Now what you are not getting a chance to see is what the bride plans. We get to do his bachelor party,” Jasmine said with a wink and sly smile. “I threw that a few weeks back before he left Mintaka IV.” : : “Whoa whoa whoa,” Celina stopped her friend stunned. “You planned Max’s bachelor party,” she eyed Jasmine suspiciously. “Tell me you did not serve him cucumber sandwiches and invite his 90-year-old uncles?” While the idea of controlling what occurred on that most solemn night between bros sounded appealing, Celina had a hard time wrapping her mind around it. : : “Of course not. I rented two cabin’s in the woods. One was stocked with booze, chips, and six personal wall PaDD’s so that no one had to share the remote. The other cabin was filled with the local women that worked at the town’s Hooters. The Hooter chicks job was to make and deliver all the food to the men all weekend long. The cabins were on a small lake that bordered the Mintakan Academy of Hairdressers so I am sure there was some ferrying across the lake in the boat I left them or by jet skis. There was also motorbikes for the woods and plenty of game to hunt and fish for. I assume things went well because the head Hooter girl left me her personal contact information in case Max had any brother’s.” Jasmine stopped as they reached the door to the holodeck fiddling with her veil. Butterflied were now forming in her tummy; however, it was not something that Jasmine was worried about. She was so excited to finally reach this point and become Max’s wife officially. The road to reach this point took longer than she expected but it was worth it in the end. Three minutes from now, Jasmine would utter the words to Max that would bond them together in this life and eventually the next. : : “You planned for a cadre of Hooter women to make and deliver food on command and access to a Hairdressing Academy? You’re braver than I thought,” Celina laughed helping Jasmine make the final adjustments to her dress. : : “No I am just in love,” Jasmine said letting out a deep, calming breath as she waited for the doors to the holodeck to open. “Besides Max might flirt but he knows what he wants to go to bed with each night and wake up to every morning.” : : Lt. Jasmine Wynter, CMO The doors to the Holodeck opened in front of the two beautiful women, and almost immediately the measured beats of what sounded almost like horns began playing the lead into a musical score that to Jasmine was very familiar, and was best described only as Epic and inspiring. The decor to go with the tune was a little different than expected however. Spreading out ahead of the door towards the opposite side of the room was a vast and very metallic looking area, with smooth and highly polished dark floors and a very high ceiling, the walls were built of white metal supports with lights running down the sides that lit the entire area. At the very opposite end of the huge room, resembling a giant hangar, was a huge ‘door’ that seemed to open to space. Beyond that a planet was framed, and it looked vaguely like Earth although the land masses were different. Just in front of the doors were a number of odd looking craft, one was a small metallic grey craft that looked like a letter H, another was a small long nosed craft that appeared to have long wings that could split into an X and painted with red stripes. Still another was a large mottled grey saucer with odd projections and antique looking dishes projecting out the top and bottom that looked for all the world like a hunk of junk. Of more immediate concern perhaps, was that directly before them was very large crowd of people, mostly wearing bright white uniforms of what appeared to be polished plasteel armor completely covering their bodies, even with rounded full helmets that looked shaped and moulded to join the body armor almost seamlessly, only the black shaded points of the eyes and re-breather unit breaking the pure white image. These people were all standing in militarily accurate ranks, rows and rows of them stretching as far before them and to either side as they could see, almost, and each was holding a short black weapon ‘at the ready’ as if for inspection. These people were positioned to each side of the women and facing the opposite row of people, leaving a dead straight aisle stretching out before them. At the end of the rows of people were more familiar sights, more familiar people from the crew of the Manhattan wearing dress uniforms or suits as their own station demanded, still standing at attention and facing the opposite side of the aisle. At the very end of the aisle between the rows of people was a small ‘stage’ almost, with a very tall man dressed in completely black attire and a flowing black cape. He himself was wearing a rounded full helmet that was polished and shaped at the front to have a very small resemblance to a metallic skull, with the large round-eyed and a triangle shaped re-breather at the ‘mouth’. Flanking him on each side were two similarly dressed people entirely in red robes with a long helmet and single shaped and shaded piece where the eyes were.
:

Right in front of that stage was the man that Jasmine was expecting to see. Max stood facing her, looking handsome and dapper in his suit and tie, standing looking relaxed and happy with hands behind his back. As Max’s eyes met hers from the distance, his grin widened and his hands moved from behind him to in front of him, clasping at the front perhaps displaying a very slight bit of nervousness at whether Jasmine would approve of the venue. He however was absolutely sure that she would, and over the distance he mouthed the words ‘I love you’ to her.

Beside Max stood his best man, and for all as calm as Max looked, Xavier looked more nervous and kept looking at the rank and file men in white armor and the large man in the black clothing behind them. When his eyes landed on the opening Holodeck doors and the two women however, he again stood still and looked, his mouth slightly open and playing around a smile. “Max” he whispered, although with the distance and music he wasn’t going to interrupt anything. “She is gorgeous” he said to his friend. Max didn’t even glance at him, he wasn’t able to. “She is more than gorgeous” he said back to Xavier, “She is the love of my life and about to be my wife.” “Oh my God,” Celina said each word slowly as if stunned. “This is your dream wedding?” she could barely contain her confused expression. : : “As long as it involves him it doesn’t matter where I say I do,” Jasmine spoke but her eyes were locked on her target. Even a two-meter small thermal exhaust port, right below the main port which led directly to the reactor system could not hide her target: Mr. Maxwell Wynter nee Logan. : : : : The first opening bars of the epic sweeping score changed now stopping almost, and a different part of the song came in, a different ‘horn’ type sound accompanied by a new measured and deep beat that only added to the epic tone. It was enough to give the women the feeling that now was the time to begin walking up the aisle, and this was confirmed when the man in black raised one arm to them, his hand turning and beckoning them with a single imperious gesture as if absolutely confident he would be obeyed. Max visibly bit his lip and tried to hide his smirk. : : : : Lt Cmdr Max Logan : : CE As Jasmine stepped forward Xavier looked at Max with a reassuring smile and patted him on the shoulder, then stepped backwards a pace or two to his spot at the front of the first row of guests from the Manhattan. This part was for Max and Jasmine, not even the best man or bridesmaid was part of this, this part signified the total equality and joining of the couple. : : “And yes,” Jasmine smiled taking the arm of a man with white hair and beard. “This is exactly my idea of a dream wedding. Her escort, who wore brown robes over a white tunic with the same color pants, patted Jasmine’s hand assuringly as they began to walk down the aisle. : : “Marriage can have a strong influence on the weak-minded. All men are weak when they are in love so use this information wisely,” the man offered counsel to Jasmine much as a father would as they walked down the aisle. “Max loves you. Take care of him. Do not falter when he is led astray by the ways of the Darkside which often will include such activities as coming home drunk after a night with the guys, leaving his tools scattered about or forgetting your anniversary. That, however, ” he patted her arm again in a loving manner as they continued to walk, “will only happen once.” : : Jasmine walked down the aisle listening and smiling at both the living and holographic guests. A small giggle left her lips as she imagined the whispered conversation between Jack and Celina as they passed them down the aisle. : : Stopping in front of the dais the elder man passed her arm to Max. “This is a day long remembered. You have seen the end of your bachelorhood, you will see an end to spending credits freely,” he offered a final bit of advice to Max before stepping back from the couple. In response Max appeared to sigh in resignation and steel himself for the inevitable loss of ‘bachelorite freedoms’, something that he had prepared for the moment he had signed the initial contract as it was. The soft gleam in his eyes as he looked at Jasmine however showed only that this was the exact place that he needed to be, as if a million voices cried out at once for him to be here. : : Jasmine looked at Max with a bright smile. “I know we have not been together that long but so far you have had your moments. Not many of them, but you do have them. This one will be hard to ever top. You have given me a new hope that every day will be filled with magic from this day to forever,” she rose on her tiptoes to kiss his lips softly. The gesture was breaking protocol for just about every marriage rite on civilized societies but nothing about their engagement past agree to it had gone according to plan. Jasmine simply figured why stop now. : : Lt. Jasmine Wynter, CMO Max let a chuckle rise to his lips as his moved apart from hers, and a roguish look came to his features as he grinned, almost a smirk. “Come on, admit it, sometimes you think I am alright. You just love me because I’m a scoundrel. There aren’t enough scoundrels in your life, Ms Wynter” his voice was soft but firm and direct, meant only for her at this moment although the voice recorder allowed the room to hear him. “I love you so much, every day is going to be magic from the moment I open my eyes and see you in the morning. I’m sorry Sweetheart, but I don’t have time for anything else, you are everything to me. From the moment we met I knew I loved you and wanted to be with you, and I think you just can’t bear to let a gorgeous guy like me out of your sight.” Max bit his lip and grinned again, this time really ignoring all customs to give her another soft peck on the lips. The customs were more of a guideline anyway. : : : : Max raised his hands held them out for her to take. In one hand the ring, the companion to the one he had given her when they met on the Manhattan as she arrived. By joining the two together they would signify the sealing of the contract that both agreed to, the love that these two would forge ahead of them and the experience both would share of falling in love with this person each and every day, as if every moment was love at first sight. “Ms Jasmine Wynter, by right of Contract I have signed I offer myself for you to take as your Husband. I release my name of Logan and will become yours. I am your Man, your Husband and your Lover. I promise to love you and protect you, to provide for our family when that day comes.” Max breathed in deeply as he spoke, confidant and happy, and loving how close they were and her smell. A small glaze of moisture sat in his eyes, showing how much his heart was with him and belonged to her at this moment. : : : : “Jasmine Wynter, name me your husband, and I pledge my life to you and to be the Father of your Children to be. To raise them to be the best people they can be, in the image of their beautiful Mother. I love you Jasmine.” Max’s voice dropped at the end as he recited the end of his vows. “I will be with you forever, should you take me as Husband and Companion, Provider, Protector and Lover.” : : : : Lt Cmdr Maxwell Logan : : CE : : “I will take you as you are based on the profile you have presented to me,” Jasmine recited the official lines required of anyone entering a traditional Mintakan marriage contract as he slid the ring on her finger. While they might have sounded cold to others, so were other such recitations found in other cultures such as ‘obey’. She felt the butterflies rise in her stomach as she heard the words Max spoke. She had dreamt of hearing them since the day she selected Max from the three possible matches the Ministry of Harmony had provided for her. It was a choice she had never given a second thought. The man in Black behind them spoke now, his voice cold and metallic. “The Force is strong with this one” he said as he turned to each of them, oddly, turning by the shoulders instead of the neck. “Give yourself to Him. It is the only way you will both Love each other forever. Yes; your thoughts betray you. Your feelings for him are strong. Especially for what you know will happen tonight. Your feelings have now shown that to be clear. Your Parents were wise to agree to this contract. Now, his Love can be complete. If you will take Him as your Husband, then perhaps he will take you as his Wife.” : “Mr. Maxwell Logan, by right of Contract I have signed I offer myself for you to take as your Wife. I accept that you will take my name of Wynter and I will become yours. I am your Woman, your Wife and your Lover. I promise to love you and protect you, to provide a family for you with as many children as we are blessed with when that day comes.” “Jasmine Wynter, I take your name to love and hold dear, I am your man.” Max said to her, his smile genuine and soft and his eyes only for her. “You are a Member of the Rebel Alliance, and in Love!” The tall man in Black accused admonishingly, almost. It was hard to tell with that voice and large Helmet. : “Maxwell Wynter,” Jasmine blushed some saying his name for the first time in public. It sounded amazing in her ears and could not wait to hear the rest of the world refer to them as Mr. and Mrs. Maxwell Wynter for the rest of her life. “Name me your wife, and I pledge my life to you and to be the Mother of your Children to be. To raise them to be the best people they can be, in the image of their honorable and loyal Father. I love you, Max.” Jasmine’s voice rang out clear and strong as she said her vows before their friends and their parents on the comm screens. While part of her was sad not to have her parents and his here with them, she now belonged to him as his wife and companion. They were now the responsibility of each other to lean on, care for, and love until death did them part. “I will be with you forever, should you take me as your Wife and Companion, Confident, Friend and Lover.” Jasmine tried to not fidget as she waited to hear that he accepted her also. Once the contract was signed the fun could really begin. Jasmine took his hand in hers and waited to slide the ring on his fingers once the words were spoken between them. : : Lt. Jasmine Wynter : CMO “Jasmine Wynter” Max breathed throatily, “I am Maxwell Amadeus Wynter. I am your Husband, and I take you to be my Wife by the signing of this contract. You are everything I have always wanted, and you are the woman I will love and spend the rest of my life with. Our love is a bond that cannot be broken, it will endure through lifetimes and centuries, because we are meant to be together. I am honoured to have Found you, in this Galaxy, in this Life. Our paths have been woven together by Fate. I now provide the Contract to put our Name against. This will join us in contractual bond, this will become Love” Max smiled as he said the official words, he already loved her and he was tempted to change the process, but these words were considered sacred and one thing he wasn’t going to change. He could ‘present’ them a bit better perhaps. Looking at Jasmine with that roguish look he often wore when it was only them in the room Max grinned, “Watch this, I like this touch.” Jasmine looked at him and bit her lip with a surprised expression. What he had planned she could not guess but it had to something amazing. This wedding was amazing and more than she could have ever hoped for.

The tall man in Black now looked around the room imperiously, and when he spoke his tone was commanding. “Where are those transmissions you intercepted?” he asked, pointing at Max, “WHAT have you done with those plans?”

Max smiled and raised his hand, snapping his fingers. To the side Xavier grinned and stepped forwards a little, shaking his head slightly. “Max, really?” he said, “This was your ‘sign?’” He laughed and turned to the man in Black, holding out a small device. The man held out his hand and the device seemed to lift into the air, and float across to the man in Black on the stage. Taking it from the air he turned it over and inspected it a moment, then held it out before him to Max and Jasmine as if showing them the device. As the tall man’s thumb flicked the device on, it generated what appeared to be a holographic display that for all the world looked like plans for a round and circular mechanical moon of immense size. Within these plans however was the Mintakan Marriage Agreement contract, or MMA contract for short. All it required was for Max and Jasmine to hold hands by the one her joined ring was on and sign their names, Maxwell and Jasmine Wynter, and they would be formally married. Smiling at Jasmine, Max took her hand, then raised his free one and input his name into the holographic contract. “Here goes nothing,” she said with a slight laugh and raised her free hand inputting her name next to his. While she did not feel the tension the intrepid heroes felt on the shuttle Tydirium as it approached Endor, she still felt an excited twinge course through her body as she began her own journey with Max at the signing of her name. There was no rule about what form the contract took, only the content, so his imaginative creation was completely legal and in fact the only really important piece to the whole event. The rest was simply to show Jasmine how much he loved her by making it as elaborate and fun and unique as he could, while keeping it aligned to her interests per what he knew from their short time together. “Impressive, most Impressive” the tall man in black intoned, then seemed to chant slightly. “One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them, one ring to bring them all and in the Darkness, bind them.” The man lifted his hand and made a fist as he finished, the sound of leather gloves creaking. You WILL now Kiss the Bride, and witness the full power of this fully operational Love between these two Rebel scum.” “Mr. Wynter only you could be so bold. My parents will not sit still for this. When they see the plans you set in place for my wedding, I do not think even a mercy mission will save you. I am not sure they will want me to bring you home for your two-week stay or that you will remain alive,” she altered the famous lines to between Leia and Vader but with a twist. Her smile showed that she was just in the spirit of the moment and loved every moment of this experience even if it might take some explaining to their guests as to why the ceremony’s verbiage was slightly out of the ordinary. To the sound of these words, Max winked at Jasmine as the lights in the hangar dimmed drastically. He stepped in close to her and took her by the waist, pulling his wife in against his body and their faces close together. Then Max raised his left hand and placed it against her delicate shoulder and neck, his thumb gently brushing her cheek and ear. Softly he brushed his lips against hers and looked into her eyes. She was now Mrs Jasmine Wynter, and he was Mr Maxwell Wynter, and he wanted so desperately to me alone with her in that moment. “I love you” he said to her, simply and softly. Max then moved in solidly on her lips, locking his to hers in a kiss that drove the breath from him and would tell her that he was hers in every way, and that night she was going to be his in more ways than she could imagine, and Max could imagine quite a few. In the exact moment of their kiss a bright light appeared outside the large and open Hangar doors, a beam of energy that shot out towards the planet and covered the entire room in a soft glow and revealed the two lovers to the guests more clearly. As Max pulled Jasmine in even closer and put his arm around her waist to keep her tight against him, the planet exploded and bathed the two lovers and the entire hangar and a bright light that didn’t make people shield their eyes, but revealed Max and Jasmine in all their wedded glory and Love. The Planet seemed to disintegrate before them, the explosions acting like a firework celebration of the couples commitment to each other. As the light from the destroyed planet faded and the hangars own lighting was restored Max softly broke the kiss he had taken with Jasmine and looked into her eyes, smiling gently at his wife. Pulling her into a hug he spoke to her for the first time as a married couple. “I love you Mrs Wynter, god I do.” “And apparently I should have put a bit more thought into your bachelor party,” she laughed hugging him tightly to her. Looking around Max smiled to the assembled guests before looking to the man in robes that had escorted Jasmine up the aisle, this man had now taken his place on the stage and begun speaking as the man in Black faded away. “This will be a day long remembered. It has seen the end of the existence of a life of two souls apart, it will soon see the joining of their minds, bodies and souls in a more complete way through the energy that binds us all. Throughout your lives remember this, the Love will be with you, Always.” Lt Cmdr Maxwell Wynter CE

Jasmine took Max’s hand as she and he now walked the same path she had taken to reach him. This time however it was as husband and wife. “You know if you went to this much trouble for my wedding I can’t wait to see what you created for our reception,” Jasmine gushed hugging Max’s arm as the rows and rows of troopers fell in and followed in tight formation as they left the ceremony/hangar bay.

WEDDING RECEPTION

Jasmine walked holding Max’s hand to her reception with a smile on her face and a spring to her step like she was an excited child. “So tell me is it going to be the Endor Forest Moon or Cloud City or the palace on Naboo. Please say it is the palace with the waterfalls and stone terraces,” Jasmine began to dream of all the romantic touches her reception would have. It had to have them. While the wedding ceremony was magnificent it did have a very masculine feel to it with the guns and exploding planets. She loved every moment of it but now was the time for blue skies, birds chirping, and a soft breeze that carried the scent of the flowers from the surrounding gardens. As she neared the entrance to the holodeck, Jasmine hugged his arm tightly with a happy smile on her face, it turned into a far different expression once the doors opened. : : : : : : : : “My wedding reception is on Jabba’s sail barge,” she said with a perplexed expression on her face. It was not that she was displeased with the venue but more beginning to doubt the custom of the man planning the wedding. : : : : : : “I know, isn’t it exciting?” Max asked as his eyes travelled over the room, every little piece in exquisite detail and placed with painstaking care. The love was in the little things, the small things that other people would generally miss in blissful ignorance. Max knew that Jasmine would not, this was designed specifically for her, although he also knew that it wasn’t what she wanted but it was what she needed. He was always a man to fill his womans needs before her wants. : : : : : : : : Walking into the room, she could feel a slight vibration to her feel from the repulsor engines letting the sled glide above the sands. The windows were drawn open giving a view of endless yellow dunes. A band played in the corner a snappy jazz sounding beat that filled the air. Several Twi’lek women sauntered about the room in their traditional outfits with their lekku twitching carrying trays filled with appetizers as domed R2 units roamed with glasses of alcohol. Jasmine knew this had to be Xavier’s edition to her reception. The longer she looked about the more she began to enjoy the idea. Any woman could have a romantic wedding filled with tiny food that filled no one. Every detail was so painstakingly recreated, it was as if they had entered another galaxy far far away from their own. : : : : : : He watched her, his arm around her as her head took in the sights, sounds and smells. Max saw the slow smile begin to spread over her face as she realised that this was something special. : : : : : : : : “I love it,” Jasmine turned and hugged Max tightly. “Everything is perfect: the food, the music, the atmosphere. There is nothing I would cha,” she said and abruptly stopped mid-sentence recognizing one element she had missed until now. On a dais sat a large slug-like creature twitching its tail and emitting a low baritone laugh every now and then when talking to their assembled guests. The Hutt Lord was easily recognizable as Jabba except for one key feature. “Max,” Jasmine asked quietly looking at him with one raised eyebrow. : : : : : : “Yes my Love?” Max answered, blithely unaware of where Jasmines eyes were as he squeezed her tighter into him and thought of their wedding night. : : : : : : : : “Why is my mother’s face on Jabba’s body,” Jasmine asked. : : : : : : : : Lt. Jasmine Wynter, CMO : : : : : : “Um” Max said as his eyes travelled to the Hutt lying on it’s bed, eating small frog like things in a bowl next to it with a crunch as they screamed while entering the large maw of Jasmines mother. It had been a setting that he and Xavier had played around with for a laugh, and at one point most people on the ship had their face superimposed over the Hutt. : : : : : : “Detail” Max answered confidently. “Your mother, if she was here darling, would be the most important person in the room by rights of Mintakan custom. Soooooo…” Max drew out the explanation as he inwardly scrambled for idea’s, seeing Xavier enter over Jasmine’s shoulder, the man stop and look at the Hutt, realize what had happened and put his hand over his mouth to hide his laugh, then look at Max and feign complete innocence and ignorance. Max could almost scowl but kept his smile on and aimed at his wife. : : : : : : “Well, Jabba the Hutt is the most important person here, he lords over everything, and I wanted your mother represented as a powerful entity like she would be. So I set it up so that she IS Jabba the Hutt baby” He moved in to kiss her cheek, “Was that too much detail?” : : : : : : Lt Cmdr Max Wynter : : : CE : : : : Noticing the look on Max’s face she spoke only one word in a questioning format. “Xavier,” she said simply. Whether Max would or would not own up to the deed, Jasmine was sure Max would sell his best friend down the river to exonerate himself of the situation. Max crossed his arms, placing his hand and fingers on his chin in a thoughtful pose. “Xavier? Oh the guy with the slick haircut from security? Barely know him really.” Turning to view the creation with Jasmines mothers face, Max moved his free hand behind her back in a shooing motion to Xavier, towards the bar. : : : : “I would avoid any wedding pictures with her overlording anything sent to her,” Jasmine looked at Max warily. While she thought it was a bit humorous, she doubted her mother would. The more she thought about it a smile crept on her face. Like all couples, they had their share of growing pains. “So how many times was I Jabba,” she winked at him. : : : : Lt. Jasmine Wynter, CMO “Noted” he said in reply, taking two glasses that looked similar to champagne from a passing Twilek woman with a tray and holding one out for Jasmine. “Well” Max began, “everybody had a turn on Jabba, even you and I. I have to say that our illustrious Captain fitted the image perfectly, but of course your mother like I said would by custom be the most important one here, especially in her eyes so… yeah, anyway” he turned to her with a smirk and spoke softly I have your wedding gifts ready when you want to open them, by custom it’s done before everyone eats the meal but, we have hardly stuck much to custom and.....” his smirk turned into a seductive grin, “One or two you might want to open away from curious eyes. Oh, didn’t your mother say in her last call that she had sent something to us as a wedding gift?” : : : : : : : : : : Lt Cmdr Max Wynter : : : : : CE : : : : : : : : “Congratulations,” a male voice boomed behind Max. It was almost chipper but held a confident tone like the man using it had all the answers and was just waiting for you to ask the question. “Max,” he extended his hand. : : : : : : Max had turned around to view the source of the booming noise, and had to look down slightly. Despite the loudness and forthright confidence the man possessed he wasn’t actually all that tall, Max had expected to be looking up into someones eyes. The man was very ‘friendly’ looking, almost like he could be everyone’s best friend. His short brown hair topped a face that was angular with a pronounced chin and wide mouth that held a toothy and easy grin, a nose that looked slightly too long for his face and eyes that sported the trademark ‘laughter wrinkles’ at the corners. In all, the man looked to be friendly, helpful and very self assured. “I am Max, Yes” he said, reaching out and gripping the strangers hand in return, “welcome to our wedding, please enjoy yourself....” he opened his mouth to continue but the man instantly seemed to dismiss him as his eyes landed on Jasmine, letting go of Max’s hand and his focus moving to the new Bride. : : : : : : : : “Jasmine,” he said smiling and taking her extended hand covering it with his. “You looked beautiful. I mean I would have loved to have seen you saying the I do’s but your friend Celina over there with the man that could be the poster child for GQ forgot to upload me,” he smiled. “I assume there was a video and pictures so if we need to review it at a later time that should be sufficient,” he said in an up beat tone. ‘Besides you both seem to still be on speaking terms and we both know that is a huge win win at a Mintakan wedding now don’t we,” he laughed jovially patting Max on the back. “And with this motif. Ewww weee,” he leaned back sounding like a hillbilly drawing out that word. “She is either the hottest fangirl I have ever seen or you really did read every darn question on that godforsaken multiple choice test from hell. I mean how many questions did you just bubble in because your eyes got so blurry and your hand was cramping up so bad you thought just amputate it now but that would add fifteen more pages to the medical questions.” : : : : : : “Um, what?” Max said, slightly confused. “Your from Mintaka? I didn’t know we had anyone else from our home world on this ship?” He looked at Jasmine with a raised eyebrow for a slight moment. : : : : : : : : While the man appeared to be heckling the couple, his up beat tone and laughter throughout it almost made it appear as if he were paying them a compliment. “Excuse me do weeee,” Jasmine looked at Max to take over. She knew this crewman was not medical but the last thing she wanted to do was insult someone from the engineering department on Max. : : : : : : : : Lt Jasmine Wynter, CMO : : : : : : “Know you?” Max finished for Jasmine. “You seem to be aware of Mintakan custom and, well, the general trend at weddings because of the input of various extended family members as to the planning, but no, I planned this” Max said as he motioned to the room around them before turning back to Jasmine and smiling at her, “and I did not fudge any questions. You sound like you have been through them yourself though. Jasmine is gorgeous and perfect, and yes I am a very lucky man, thank you for saying so… Mr…?” Max finished, fishing for a name to put with the face. : : : : : : Lt Cmdr Max Wynter : : : CE : : : : “Foo’tina’dor, Bob Foo’tina’dor,” he said happily shoving both hands in his pockets and rocking slightly back on his heels. : : “Um, nice to meet you Mr… Phootenordora” Max said, valiantly trying but knowing he was destroying the name and glancing at Jasmine to check. : : : : “Foo tin adore,” Jasmine said trying to get the pronunciation correctly. For some reason, the name seemed oddly hard to pronounce. It made her tongue-tied even though the man seemed to say it with a melodic song quality. : : : : “No, no, no, let it roll off your tongue like the epiphany of a young man in love that has found the woman of his dreams and wants to shout it out to the world with an exuberance,” he said in a robust tone with grand hand gestures before lowering his voice and holding his fingertip up my his mouth as if to help to physically pull the name from Jasmine’s lips, “but in a subtle whisper because he is scared her parents or large pack of brothers will hear....Foo’tina’dor.” : : Max opened his mouth to try again but just stopped and frowned in confusion. The man had a certain confidence and complete faith in himself that was hard to resist, and Max was sure he had never laid eyes on him before. The name was certainly not Mintakan nor was the rather romanticized accent he assumed when saying it. Unless he was from the south. That lot, from the south, were just a little different no matter what planet you hailed from. : : : : Jasmine stood there with her mouth hanging open like some who had been witch slapped. The slightly Spanish or maybe Italian way he uttered his name only served to confuse and intrigue her more. As CMO, she had seen everyone’s name on the ship. Only the Captain had seen them all like her but he probably had not met them all. Jasmine, as the chief doc, tried to match a live face with a name even if she did not lay hands on them. Not that all the names with faces all stuck but her hope was that by meeting each one the crew would have a connection with her and if they were severely injured it would create a bond of trust. This Bob Foo’tina’dor was coming up blank for her which confused her most. Anyone with such a big a personality was not easily forgotten. “So you are in,” she left the statement open ended. : : So Jasmine didn’t know him which meant he wasn’t medical and the man most certainly wasn’t Engineering. He didn’t fit security but perhaps he did fit the bill as a mad scientist. He could just see the man flubbing an experiment and creating a super green bouncy goo or something just as ridiculous by mistake. “Communications?” He offered, the man certainly knew how to make an impression. : : : : “I am with counseling and of course I am from Mintaka IV. We hometown peeps need to stick together don’t we,” he elbowed Max in the ribs like they were old friends. : : : : Lt. Jasmine Wynter, CMO :
Max grunted at the impact and bruise it would leave. It seemed Bob wasn’t really aware of his own strength. Undoubtedly he worked out so Max thought he would fire some questions at him. “I’m sorry we weren’t aware you were here” he said, “if we did you would have been right up near us at the wedding, your right we Mintakans do need to stick together, especially at this most important and special time” Max smiled as he laid his hand on the small of Jasmines back and stepped in closer to her affectionately.
: : : : : : : :
: : : : : : Jasmine felt the ripples of excited energy run through her body with this simple and easy gesture. It was public but very intimate. He could run his thumb gently back and forth relaying intimate thoughts and desires while maintaining benign conversational topics about warp core breaches or the weather. A little pressure and he could guide her when he wanted her to go. It was an easy gesture that would be used anywhere with few people knowing how it made her feel. At her wedding, however, she could show a bit more public affection. Moving her arm to around his waist, Jasmine pulled up close to him and smiled as Max chatted with the surprise Mintakan guest.
: : : : : :
: : : : : : : : “Did you bring your wife with you?” He queried, “we would be interested to chat about how you found the first few weeks after your marriage.”
: : : : : :
: : : : : : : : It was unusual for a man of Bob’s age to not be married as a Mintakan, especially in the counseling field where many excelled as marriage counselors with various twists. In fact, a very Well known program for counseling marriage issues came from Montana. Luckily Max and Jasmine would never need it
: : : : : : : :
: : : : : : Jasmine gave Max a slightly forced smile and hugged him a bit tighter. “Oh lover I do not think we need that,” she teased and gave the new Mr. Maxwell Wynter a tight hug with the addition of a few of her nails in his side for emphasis to clam up. He would come to learn and love this subtle or not so subtle gesture in the years to come. Right now she just needed him to smile and feign interest with Bob Whatshisname. The last thing she wanted was to be evaluated by a Mintakan counselor. Did Max even read questions 6022-6197. They clearly indicated your preference for a third party evaluator during the first weeks of marriage that were not blood relatives. “I mean you don’t like spicy dijon mustard and I love gravy on my french fries when cheese is not available,” she threw out a random fact not knowing if it was correct or not.
: : : : :
: : : : : Max looked at Jasmine dubiously, “Really? Did you confuse question 5187D with 9432A section 3D?” he raised an eyebrow at her along with the corner of one mouth. “I hold the Mintaka 2389 Hot Chilli Eating title as ‘Most proud achievement to date’ and I know that with you love, Cheese is Always available. The Gravy just relies on what mood you are in.”
: : : : : :
: : : : : : : :
: : : : : : : : Lt Cmdr Max Wynter
: : : : : : : : CE
: : : : : : :
: : : : : : “Which wife? One, two, or three,” Bob Foo’tina’dor. “Just like my name has three syllables I spun that wheel three times,” he joked jovially. His eyes held a sparkle in them that led one to have the vague suspicion he might actually be telling the truth, yet his voice relayed nothing but mirth.
: : : : :
: : : : : “Three?” Max said in almost shock, the man had apparently had as many divorces as the entire Mintakan culture experienced in a year. Max would NOT be taking advice from this man.
: : : : : :
: : : : : : “But your name has four syllables,” Jasmine looked at him a bit perplexed before casting a glance to Max.
: : : : :
: : : : : Max just pursed his lips, something didn’t seem right.
: : : : : :
: : : : : : “And that is why I will be visiting the Ministry when I get back home. I mean a yes here, a no there, throw a dart at subsection 392 and viola you have another shot at finding Mrs. Right. I mean who really answers all those questions,” he came back with a hearty laugh throwing an arm over Max’s shoulder so the pair now was a trio.
: : : : :
: : : : : Max bit his lip. Jasmine had just made a faux pass on one of the questions of if he liked spicy mustard and he was sure he had noted that in his food preferences section. Maybe Jasmine hadn’t of answered everything or read his own, there was no requirement to read the other persons, the Ministry matched the pair, but Max had thought she had read it, he had spent a week reading sections of hers each night instead of Manhattan spec manuals.
: : : : : :
: : : : : : “I did,” Jasmine exclaimed. Her confused expression getting more and more pronounced by the moment. Whether or not he had meant to, Bob Foo’tina’dor might have just led the newly married couple into their first experience of doubt. At least for Jasmine, the doubt was more of dumbfoundedness. There was no way Maxwell did not sit for hours with his hands cramping filling out the form that united them for the rest of their lives or didn’t he. Xavier smiling in the corner schmoozing every single lady in the room led more weight to the idea max might not have done it as Bob was suggesting. Xavier had been visiting that week on Mintaka IV. “And Max did. Of course, he did,” Jasmine said happily snuggling up to his side. “Tell him Max,” she smiled up at him.
: : : : : :
: : : : : : Lt. Jasmine Wynter, CMO
: : : : :
: : : : : “Of course Honey” Max told her, shifting slightly uncomfortably under Bobs arm and trying to hold Jasmine tighter to him, although he didn’t know if that was to alleviate her doubt or his. “I mean I even pulled a muscle in my wrist and had eye strain for a week, it’s all in my medical file right?” So Max might have asked Xavier for his opinion on one or two questions, while the man lay on the couch half drunk and complained that Max was no fun and that they needed to go and find some excitement and teach the Mintakan Girls what was really important in a guy. That didn’t mean that Max hadn’t been honest, of course not! Max had no doubt that Jasmine hadn’t of discussed her answers for hours with her friends.
: : : : :
: : : “Umm hmmm,” Jasmine replied noncommittally. In this second her mind was not on the conversation at hand but a prior one.
: : :
: : : *
: : : Minkata IV Omni-Sheraton Hotel
: : :
: : : “So you really have to answer every....single…question,” Natasha raised an eyebrow looking at her colleague.”
: : :
: : : “Yes,” Jasmine said moving about the room finishing getting ready for the medical conference in an hour. She and Natasha had met a few years ago. They were not exactly close friends but far more familiar than strangers having served for a month-long humanitarian mission to a backwater sheep colony about a year ago. At least they did not draw the short straw like Dr. Shaun Grecken and have to remain there for a year to monitor and train the colonists.
: : :
: : : “And you think your PrinceCharming is doing this,” Natasha held up the PaDDwith an incredulous look on her face. “Like really answering these questions?”
: : :
: : : “Yes,” Jasmine huffed reaching to snatch the PaDD out of Nat’s hand. Nat, however, was far faster springing up from her seat and moving to the opposite side of the table with the PaDD. “And I warned you that I had to get at least through at least some of this questionnaire before we go out.”
: : :
: : : “I could help you,” Nat offered with a grin.
: : :
: : : “No, you can’t unless you are looking to get matched up yourself,” Jasmine sighed heavily.
: : :
: : : “No I am happy with Dante but I can so help you. What are your hidden talents,” Natasha read off the first question she saw and cocked her eyebrow as she clicked the subtext box under it. A series of individual boxes appeared with the headings body parts, mental abilities, physical actions. Clicking the box marked body parts every possible appendage from ears to toes had a box which Natasha assumed opened more detailed boxes below each one. “You know this could be more fun figuring out than just reading about or maybe scary. Belly buttons. I am not sure I even want to click that box.”
: : :
: : : “Then don’t,” Jasmine laughed pulling the PaDD from Daye’s hand. “Come on. Let’s go I wanna get,” she was interrupted by a series of beeps from her personal communicator. Raising a finger, Jasmine moved to the patio to get some privacy for the call setting the PaDD back down on the table.
: : :
: : : Plopping down Natasha drummed a finger on the table opening up the questionnaire again. “How long before you leave for a trip do you start packing? Well, I can answer this,” Natasha clicked the question opening it. “One to three hours before,” Nat selected which prompted a new box to open. “Um,” Nat looked at the patio and quickly selected an answer. “Let’s say throws it in a suitcase when packing,” she selected a sub-question glancing back at the door. WHAT PLACES DO YOU LAY OUT YOUR VACATION GEAR. Instantly a series of other furniture and spots began to ripple down the page. Chair, Bed, Dresser, Nightstand: The list went on and on. Feeling a hint of panic Natasha kept hitting no until a single last question popped up. ANSWERS SUBMITTED. “Answers,” Daye said to herself seeing that her rapid-fire responses somehow submitted 120 responses instead of the two she had planned. Nat’s eyes got large but the voice asking if she was ready to go snapped her back into reality. “Yes,” Nata said jumping up quickly and following Jasmine to the door. What was one question anyway. Marriage was about compromise. Jasmine would soon learn that.
: : :
: : : ***
: : : Manhattan present day
: : :
: : : : : “I mean I read every single one, Section 392 deals with stating what gender, if any, you prefer in a partner, and I mean there are 37 different kinds in the Federation alone, you don’t really want to be throwing a dart at that section unless you like surprises.” Another sliver of doubt entered Max’s mind then, what if Jasmine had fibbed a few things to get a ‘better’ guy? After all Max loved home cooking and experimenting with flavours, and Jasmine was not in the running for Galactic Master Chef. Had she fibbed or was the odd Mintakan right and even Jasmine hadn’t filled it out properly. He looked at her a moment then gave her another squeeze, did it even matter? He knew he loved her and this was right.
: : : : :
: : : : : “Luckily we both took the question seriously Mr Footinadora” Max told the man, “How else would we be so perfect? Jasmine is amazing, it’s not like we need a counselor for anything.”
: : : : :
: : : : : Lt Cmdr Wynter
: : : : : CE
: : : :
: : : “And that is what wife number two thought but who would have ever thought that tentacles could be that much fun,” Bob said letting out a sigh and shaking his head. “I mean 1950’s Earth movies made tentacles a thing of nightmares but to each their own right.”
:
: Max looked at the man in utter confusion for a moment, ‘What does Counselors and Tentacles have to do with anything” then his eyebrows rose slightly, “Oh, you meant the gender question? You haven’t lived until you’ve worked for a month on the undersea cities of Octopia Prime, if tentacles are your thing, that’s the place to be.” Looking at Jasmine, he winked slightly.
: : :
: : : Jasmine’s mouth dropped open unsure where the conversation was going to or about to end up.
:
: “I’ll explain later” Max said to Jasmine with a smirk, “Lots of explaining” then he leaned in closer, whispering quietly in her ear “and maybe a demonstration of a technique or two I learnt. They call it the tentacle tongue tickler.”
: : :
: : : After a long pause, Bob withdrew his arm from around Max’s shoulders. “Well, it looks like my work is cut out for you two crazy kids. We will get together. How about lunch on Tuesday,” Bob suggested with a grin. “We will call it Marriage Mondays.”
: : :
: : : “Uhhhh…mmmm,” Jasmine licked her lips unsure what to do or say next except for one word. “Max,” she said in a low whisper followed by a more urgent, “Max.”
: : :
: : : Seeing the dumbfounded expression on Jasmine’s face made Bob grin. “Yes…yes,” Bob said like it was a winning play at a sporting event. “Already working as a team. I see great things in your future with just a little bit of tweaking. Have fun and see you on Monday,” Bob made a shooting gesture at Max’s chest before he disappeared into the wedding well-wishers.
: : :
: : : Lt. Jasmine Wynter, CMO
:
: Turning to Jasmine, Max looked confused. “Ok so what just happened Jaz?” He looked around to see if he could spot Mr Footinadora, but he had magically disappeared. “Who is he? You must have seen him on the crew records, and he is Mintakan? I thought we were the only ones on board? What was that about lunch on Tuesday and seeing us on Monday?” Max looked just as dumbfounded as Jasmine, “What did he mean by ‘tweaking?’
:
: Lt Cmdr Wynter
: CE

“How should I know,” Jasmine shrugged. “I mean just because I am the CMO doesn’t mean I know every single crewmember yet. I do have other doctors under me and if I did,” she hugged him close to her, “you would never see me because I would be working non stop.” Rising on her toes, she kissed him softly on the lips. “Now let’s go enjoy our night okay,” she clasped her hand in his and led him off to enjoy the rest of their wedding.

Lt. Jasmine Wynter, CMO