The debriefing, following their mission to Deba Colony and their rescue of the children, had been satisfactory. For the Vulcan engineering chief there remained no additional commentary she had not already shared, no deeply-buried trauma that would keep her awake for the coming nights. And yet in this, the first real period of downtime she had been granted since boarding the Sentinel, she found herself almost reluctant to retreat to the isolation of her quarters. To her own surprise, T’Pria was craving company.

Entering the Crew Lounge, the woman replicated a large glass of Saurian brandy, more for the taste than for any intoxicating effects, and chose a table in the upper-right corner of the room to settle onto and inspect the crowd for potential company…

• Lt T’Pria (CE)