Dana stood in the center of the largest room of her new department head quarters and looked around slowly, a huge wide denobulan smile on her face. They were huge! An extra bathroom and bedroom and three large windows in this living space that displayed the stars swishing by, leaving thin trails of light.

Even when she had received her promotion on Starbase 42, she had never moved into the CMO quarters. They had been his quarters, her former CMO and mentor and she hadn’t been able to bear the thought to replace him. But this, this was a fresh start with a new Dana and these spacious wonderful quarters!

Dana started opening boxes and pondering where to put her decorations, while trying to ignore the acute sense of being alone. Damn her Denobulan genes and their need for community! Why couldn’t they accept that she was perfectly happy on her own!
She unboxed a picture frame showing herself with her Andorian host family the Praalas. As usual, remembering her time on Andoria in the “Doctor without borders” program, she had to smile.
And even there you were never completely alone - a voice in her head nagged her. She sighed. She had left Denobula for that very reason. Her whole extended family had pressured her to get at least one husband, preferably two, but the more they nagged her the more she had resisted…
and when she couldn’t bear it anymore she had left. But for Denobulans, family and community was more than just a nice to have, it was a physical requirement almost… and yet…

She was a doctor and a psychologist and that made her well able to enjoy these huge quarters all on her own! But… maybe she could get a pet?

Dr Anu, CMO