M’Nalie had left engineering at the end of shift which caused some confusion as her habit was to work a 12 hour day. She spent the next four hours filling out forms and reading regulations which seemed to lead to more forms and being referred to more regulations. She had never liked the data entry and report writing part of her job. So doing all this officially required hoop jumping for her own personal affairs had her ready to climb the walls. When it was over she had seven request for forms completed.

Request for permission to marry. X2
Request for permission to cohabitate. X2
Request for change of quarters for M’Nalies room mate.
Request for change of quarters for her mates room mate.
Request to be assigned married quarters
One set for her and one set for her mate.
The Room mates wouldn’t necessarily move at all but the forms were part of the process.

All of this had to be aproved by every level of the command hierarchy all the way back to starfleet command.
M’Nalie now understood why so many couples chose to remain informal partners rather than face the mountain of beurocratic red tape.
The next morning She and her mate chimed at the office of the Chief Engineer. At least that they were both engineers made for one less person to potentially complicate the process.

Ensign M’Nalie Eshenti Engineering