The spy her new captain and a trek to remember

"Hmmm? That depends.." he said seeing her look away from him.

"You play a lot of jokes sir.." she mutters that Eric blinks hearing her say this.

"Who said I was playing a joke?" he said seeing her not look at him again.

it was certainly taking a while to get thigns going. thier engines went out and the whole crew had to rip them apars to find the problem and she watched everything even keeping an inventory of the parts the engineers and ehr captain pushed out of their way. the magnetic contrictors were ancient and now they had completely burned out. the spares were in slightly better shape and as they spen the next day rebuilding the warp drive she noticed that the reaction chamber was on the verge of failing and it looked like it belonged to an inteprid class cruiser.

"captain. are you aware that this ship is forgive my rudeness... a pile of junkyard parts and loose wires?" she said and he grumbles about not having a perfect ship and if she wanted a perfect ship go to starfleet or the dominion "you dont have to be nasty in just asking..."

"im sorry. yes im aware. parts are ahrd to find if you dont follow regular channels. i cant so i use what i can find." he said and she nodded

" you have an escort vessel thats secretly a warship, made from the parts of various ships that have had the misfortune of crossing your phasers." she said and he nodded.

"its simple really i practically rebuild the damned thing every raid i run. and if your boss pulls through ill beable to replace the worst of her issues" he said as the weld he was making cooled and the conduit cover was replaced by a crew member.

"youre my boss now... our mission is the same and when its over im assigned to you." she said and that surprised him. he stopped what he was doing and thought about it for a moment and smiled.

"i didnt know that much we need all the hands we can get. looks like were gonna have to go to a space station and barter for a new magnetic contrictor coil aseembly and we may want to pick up some reactor casings while we are at it im not looking forward to reverting to the 23rd century dresscode." he said pointing and a pair of ancient radiation suits."

"it shouldnt be too hard. the intrepid call reactor is a common retro fit. there is a space station about four sectors over in the danpota system. it sees alot fo traffic and has a shipyard. their echange rates are reasonable compared to some other places close by." she siad as they walk back to the bridge to deliver the orders to the hemlsman.

"ive been there its a lively joint but i doubt they will give me a fair price."

"just leave it to me the commander owes me a few favors i will call one in." she said witha smile and looked a thim and resisted the urge to join their minds. his lessons ahd started to be rather intense and his thoughts about her were very addicting to her.

For now things seem to be just fine all around and it would lead to something much more curious towards what is going on. With the parts and how other things go that might help later during their journey.

she went straight to the station's manager and cheif of operations to negotiate the deal. she didnt have to clal in favors or anythign of the sort. they gave ehr what she wanted and even were scared of her. she had once before told them if they didnt help her in the future she would return and their station would no longer be relevant.

fearing ehr previous threat she walked away with a datapad that held a complete manifest of everything she told her captain she would procure for the ship. she went to the docking ring and spoke with the engineers about her needs and they looked at the pad and blanched. the cheif enginner and his crews were summoned and told in no uncertain terms to begin repairs of the shipp and restock its supplies.

-------

on the brigde our captain was fuming. already he was behind a schedule only in his head and he hated waiting for his ship to be repaired. the coms beeped and he tapped it "brigde here whats the status report."

there was a bit of static then "well yu should be happy to know that the station has everything we need and is ours free of charge. 3 enginerring crews and their chief will be arriving in 30 minutes to repair the ships damage and restock the supplies. i highly reccomend you vacate the premesis and dont get in their way or youll have to wait longer." she said to him and he said nothing in return to her statemnt except

"understood bridge out" then he turned to the shipwide com and ordered the crew to relax and let the stations teams repair the ship. as the crew filed out she waited for him and when he came out she pull dhim to the side and made sure he went with her to her favorite resurant on this station. he didnt like being away form his ship and she knew he would be thinking about it but she could distract him for several hours.

"they said tht the repairs will be finished in 12 hours. we are welcome to stay in the habitation section and the entertainment deck. each of the crew has their own quarters unless specially requests to room together. so you have nothign to worry about." she said holding his arm to her chest a sshe pulle dhim with her.

"you really are amazing. getting even basic supplies is like pulling teeth" he siad to her and she giggles.

"thats because you dont want to play by other peoples rules. youre always trying to controlt he game and not play it." she said to him and he never hear it said like that and he had to agree with her. she blushed from him agreeing with her and both of them nearly started to share eachothers minds again as their bond started to become more evident.

she broke mental contact first and he wasnt aware that mental contact had been met. his lessons were lacking since the most recent event and she knew if he idnt pcratice he would have some troubvle keepin out of peoples minds. she was sutblr in her telepathy and she was once again astonished by the depth of activity in his mind.

he was running battle simmulations debate simulatins and even conversational simulations in his mind. she could watch the events in his thoughts unfild for hours and still want to see more. the shadow or hidden part of his mind was enticing to her. some of it leaked out and she was always a topic there.

as she withdrew from her senses she pulle dhim to the resturant she wanted to how him and orders from the menu in the local language. a dialect his translator couldnt pick up because his system was outdated. she ordered a few dishes made locally and as close to his liking a this food could get. they waited and he sai nothing while she looked at his eyes and his eyes were dartign all over anayzing everything.

he was calm and doing very well when their food arrive he gasps and starte d wolfing down his meal like he never ate before. and he never had this food befroe either. he liked it and she smiles slowly savoring her own meal. he started to ignore the other patrons and soon even stop thinking about his ship and start being curious about the station itself.

She blinks to see this but leaves a light giggle, finding it cute. Her eyes closed to savor this moment eating with him.

"what do you want to know?" she asks and he looked at her thinking at her.

"i want to know about any tactical information. defenses, weapons, influence, local relations, recent events." he thought it to her clearly and it seemed he had been working on this thought for a long time. looking a thim she smiles and opens her thought to him.

"Nothing you havent already seen. there are a few rogue bands of ships out there and the local asteroid feild houses several competing mining consortiuns and guilds. the station is capable of resisting asteroid or weapons bombardment for 72 hours before shields fail and the station itself will withstand basic photon volleys for several minutes before being destroyed. the station itself services 81 sectors and 1200 planets actively use it for trade. as for recent events. we are the most recent event. their commander was warned not to trust us and to send us away as fast as possible. that made him smile. the station wanted him gone and he wanted to be gone this was very useful for their mission but sonethign was hiding in his thoughts and she felt that.

"do the mining factions conflict with eachother?" he looked intently at her an the steady gaze was making her feel exposed naked even.

"not recently but tensions are always high. and the competition for raw materials and increased demands form the station have kept them cooperating. the station is neutral ground and the station security is very strict about it. any confrontations are frowned upon." she was clear and he heard her but he was glaring at a pair of nausicans accosting a server. he hated their behaviour and she felt more than he could and knew they were up to no good. her warning keeps him in place. and the security arrives to quell the situation triggering the nausicans to fight.

remarkably he didnt stant up to stop it he ignored it and it hurt him to do so. she saw he was serious aout keeping the station happy and their mission on track. and the cost to him was a derious detachement to his feelings. one that cut their connection.

she discovered she had feelings for him and wanted a deeper connection with him. the conflict inside of him was strong but she knew she had a way to bring peace to it. slowly she begins planning to get closer to him and open up more to him. maybe sometime soon she could share a night of bliss with him.

after the altercation was resolved and a modicum of calm returned security approched them wanting a report and to interrogate them.

their lack of reaction was very frightening to the secutity guards and the interrogation was fairly routine until they got to one question.

"why didnt you take cover when the fight broke out?"

his answer was simple and highly offensive. "because i wasnt in any danger. either your security would stop the incident or i would. either way i wasnt in danger."

"and what makes you think you have the right to interfere in station affairs?" the officer was offended but controlled his tone.

"my life and the safty of others are my highest concern. if my companion was threatened i would have acted."

"so by remaining calm she kept you in check... very well you are free to go."

----

a pair of hours later he was waiting for her to leave another office and when she did she was perfectly fine. her answers were not suspisious or provocative in any way and she was let out much faster than anyone else. she walked with him to the guest quarters and at her door he turned to leave.

A few of his crewmates waited for him along with her too but they see him walking out, hoping he was alright after all this happening. It could be something else but they decided to just due to reasons either way. For now, they could head out after all the questioning.

the visit to the station was relatively the same and the repairs were finished ahead of schedule. the engineers complained about the special modifications they had to work wiith not understanding how it could work at all and had to regularly touch base with his engineers to learn the layout of the systems they rebuilt or grafted onto their ship.

the arguments and friendly banter were a good sign and some of them even learned how to substitute parts for everyday objects or cannabalize tools to build functional parts.

the ship itself was looking much better. bulkheads were replaced old parts were upgraded or replaced. many of the crude fixes were repaired and slowly bit by bit the ship started to look and operate well beyond previous repair jobs. when she asked him why he blushed and muttered something about finacnial and trade difficulties.

his thoughts told her clearly that finding honest ports and having cargo to trade were the struggles he always had to deal with and as a result he had to agree to bad deals or substandard parts.

she didnt question him but he did clearly say after a deep breath " this is the first time shes been so repaired since i got her. she may be in better condition now"

"is that so? im glad to hear that. i have my assurances that the engineers will keep some of the structual quirks and accustomed noises in place. they are even asking the crew what they want fixed. "

"how did you even rate this witht he station master what favors did he owe you for this kind of service?" he asks and she blushes.

"well... i helped him establish a smooth transition when he came to his chair. i also exposed several deals that would reflect poorly on his leadership had he sealed it and more or less..." she stoppd and he interrupted her.

"you are responsible for everything he has."

" in a way." she said and was happy he could see that much. without his mental powers. and she could feel how impressed he was with her.

repaired to near new condition with the desirable quirks remaining and the undesirable quirks repaired the crew begins to run their diagnostics and return to the ship.

as the repots come in he was sitting in his captains chair and adjusting himself.

"somehting worng captain?" she asks and he grimmaces

"did they do somethign to my chair? it feels weird."

"new upholstery youll have to break it in im afraid the crew said you overreact if anyone sits in your chair." she said and she did notice he let her sit in it without a single fuss but anyone else he would command to vacate it even during the night watch.

"i see. oh well 95 out of 112 isnt bad thankyou for this my ship needed the repairs badly. i am gonna miss the clever patches though."

"sir the crew reports that the supplies are loaded and the crew is fully evacuated form the station." the com officer said and the captain nodded.

"loose the mooring clamps and take us away on thrusters"

"aye sir thrusters answering at half power" said the helmsman and the ship thudded as it was relaased from the dock and drifted away from the station.

"turn to bearigng 153 mark 294 and engage at half impulse" he said when the ship was clear.

"aye sir answering half impulse" following orders the crew piloted the ship away form the station turning where he indicated.

when they were on the edge of the system 30 minutes later he changed the heading and bearing telling them to go to maximum warp to see how she flew.

Well on a clear note, at least the new better ship was running ten times better than what it used to. Kari was happy to know everything was handling quiet well and she hopes it will be smooth sailing for them from here.

the engineering reports were nearly blank compared to how full they used to be since there were no problems. the new systems reacted faster and recharged faster and were more powerful than the parts they had before. the ship was flying smoothly and the upgrades were military grade. mkXII on everything. only a few classes of ships were as strong as they were now and they crew was eager to test the ship out.

the shakedown cruise for the engines went smoothly, the structural integrity fields were overlapping in such a way that the design flaws were no longer a threat to the ship and its power systems didnt threaten to shake the ship apart at maximum warp. when they arrived int he system he told them to go to they set up the targeting scanners and the tactical officer fired a few shots at an asteroid to test the weapons.

her estimates were accurate and the phase cannons didnt rattle the ship anymore. the torpedo launchers were upgraded and she even requisitioned a second launcher in front and a third in back balancing their weapon distribution a good deal more. the rear phaser array was now an omni directional beam system far more useful than the old disruptor turret he had rigged to operate there. it was more accurate and faster to hit and fire than the disrupter turret and it allowed complete prescition in any direction.

the shields were tweaked to allow the grid to be controlled more freely allowing for more utility out of them besides taking hits. she saw the tactical officer form them into a crude battering ram and crash the ship into an oncoming fragment she nearly panicked but the captain was calm and cheered when the shields held only losing two layers of the 4. only the front shields could be reinforced that much the other shields had 3 layers at full power and the ships sheild emitter away was much more sensitive.

the sensors could read the transponders of ships now and identify any ship and tactical readouts when not being jammed. they were so sensitive they could scan a planet in only a few minutes. quietly our spy was happy her captain approved of the changes she ordered and she saw his thoughts turn to find a way to reward her. as she felt his searching thoughts she flushed as romance crossed it an she pulled away form him.

she wanted that it was true but she didnt want to get too attached not certain how long thy would be on the same ship. and she couldnt deny that every time it crosses his mind that she wanted it as badly as he did.

the shakedown cruise lasted 3 days on the third day they decided to truly test the limits of the defenses. he flew into the corona of a star and waited until the shields were overheating before pulling them out. there was minor heat damage and they had to replace a few emitters and hull plates. but nothing serious. knowing the limits of the ship painted a better picture that reading (since most engineers dont give the real limitations of their systems to appear to be miracle workers) the chief engineer was hard pressed to find any flaws and the engineering teams started requesting additional training in other areas of the ship since there wasnt a need for so many now.

they resumed their previous course and speed heading to the outer reaches of known space to the lawless zone. this was a region where most governments avoid due to the heavy criminal activity. the borders were heavily patrolled by the orion and gorn with nausicans mixed in. they didnt try to contact the ship and she was surprised at that.

"how did you get though without a fight or a talk?" she asks the captain when she arrived on the bridge for her duty shift to discover they were deep in the lawless zone and there was no alert yellow red or otherwise.

"because they know im worse than they are. ive had a few run ins and had to fight my way in and out. took out a whole fleet of nausican siphon ships and a few battle cruisers on my way. they learne dto let me go about my business because my business is good." he said almost bragging.

"how did you do that this ship was a rust bucket." she said impressed and a bit affronted.

"i played cat and mouse. lured them into a nebula then ignited it. the nebula turned out to be a stellar nursery and th ships wer ecaught between the chain reaction i set off and the baby star hiding in the center. only 2 ships survived."

"you blew up a baby star?" she asks and he shook his head.

"no the star and the nebula are still there. but the nebula has frequent plasma storms and randomly ignites nowadays. sometimes a flare will clip ships coming too close and its no longer a hub for smuggling." he said and seemed to regret what he did.

"O..Oh..." she looks to him but he didn't respond after that for a little while. Maybe she was just looking down thinking to how he didn't blow up a star but what else might have done it.

sensing her feelings he smiles. "dont worry even before this ship was more than a match for any of the things i faced now almost nothing will stand a chance..."

"-SIR! theres a huge ship on our scanners heading right for us." the helmsman said

"Confirmed it appears to be of nausiccan design but ive never seen a configuration like this." the console beeped. "they are hailing us."

"on screen" the main viewer flickered to life much clearer than ever before and a heavily scarred elderly naussican chortled.

"well well well looks like youre a little far from your base. come here to be destroyed?" he said and that set the whole crew on edge.

"Gushcha you sack of old chewed up bones. you got a new ship. who did you steal it from?" he said earning a look of *oh god what did he just do* from our spy. she actually began to panic thinking that the ship would open fire

"HA GAH HA HA HAA you know me too well truth is nausica had this built as a prototype so i thought i would give it a test flight and i havent remembered to return it GAH HA HA HAA" this exchange sent chills down her spine because no sheilds were up and no weapons were charged.

"im glad your plunder is good. i need a favor." he said and the nausican looked interested.

"HMMM after that last * the translator couldnt catch the word* you come crawling back to me. why shouldnt i destory you here and now?" the other captain was serious and that made our captain laugh.

"because if you wanted me dead you would have come out of that nebula after we passed and blown me away before hailing me. but you always did want to brag about how much bigger your ship is to mine."

"AHHH you know me too well. very well then whats the favor you need from me?"

"i need to get into the syn'core." the nasucan splutters.

"no way. the orions kill anyone who finds out about that how did a huuman learn?" he was clearly very upset and even terrified for the name syn'core.

"i have my ways. tell the queen i owe her a favor and id like to repay it." she looked at him feircely repay with what he didnt have anything.

the alien shut off his veiwer and left without preamble.

"i thought so..."

"sir... this... queen... you wouldnt be talking about..." she began and he nodded.

"the queen of the entire orion syndicate. the one who pulls all the strings. the syn core is the legendary home system of the orion race. no outsider knows its name except section 31 and a few who serve the queen."

"shes classified as a no touch entity. any operative looking to tangle with the orions is told to pull out if they are dealing with any of their agents to avoid this very situation." she said and eh smiles.

"good thing we arent with section 31" he said and she understood his meaning and why she was assigned to his ship. because he wasnt a member but he was still an asset. this may be the loophole the organization has been waiting for. as long as she remains hidden this plan of his can work.

she finally understood their mission. to undermine the entire orion syndicate an ddestablize their crim network as well as the smuggling trade. she couldnt help but think he was crazy to think he could do it and she now realized why he was so confident. he had information no one knws just like her and she knew things he didnt know.

like how orion females are in control under the guise as slaves. the queen was evidence of that and she had made sure this information was in his lessons when she first got to the ship. this mission was going to require her autonomy around the orion women despite the headache their pheromones give females. she also knew her new captain would be susceptible to their wiles as the pheromone was designed to enslave males.

She heard about this but it was shocking to know he owed the queen a favor. Even more, it was for that queen. Just what in the world was he thinking? Was this even worth the risk?

The syn'core is a central computer apparatus it holds the collected knowledge of every Orion syndicate world and ship. She knew about this being from section 31 but she couldn't believe he would get access. She believed he would be enslaved. She didn't want that but if she did anything suspicious they would all die.

He was counting on her immunity being female to keep him on track and their mental lessons gave her a direct link to his mind that was deeper than his emotions. Surrounded in hostile territory with a favor owed and he was asking another favor.

She thought about this and waited. Her own feelings for him she fought back but being that she deeply cared for him it was hard.

It wasn't long before they approached Prime Ori the space station sized starship that the queen personally traveled on. Being escorted the whole way to her meeting room she noticed the weaponry and smelled the pharamones. Her temper with females was going to be tested here severely as much as her ability to keep him on track. She didn't know what he was planning and she was certain it was going to anger many around them.

"Mmm welcome it's not often one in my personal debt is allowed to see me. My slaves have all decided you should be killed to balance your debts to me and yet here you are asking to dig in deeper." The queen said wearing almost nothing her green skin was flecked with jewels and she left nothing to the imagination.

"Powerful wealthy Queen, as per my debts you will find those accounts settled by trial and combat. Having killed every collector you sent after me and taken their property as my own I have levied my gains against the debts and been found in surplus. Did I not offer the surplus to you in good faith and was not my offering to your majesty and indescribable beauty a stroke to your heart allowing me to keep my life AND continue trade and travel within your vast and wealthy territory?" He said all that scarcely breathing and she noted the mind of the queen was pleased even aroused to hear him speak to her like he did.

"Indeed, what praytell do you ask of me now? Surely you didn't come here just to gaze upon me a pleasure that not even my highest officials have the pleasure of receiving?" She skipped a few formalities getting to the point. Kari was hesitant to speak and she noted whispers of the assembled court as they size her up already they were plotting to take everything he had. This was all for show

"I come to request your aid. Many powerful and rival groups are under assault from forces beyond the territories of the alpha and beta quadrants. I come to open negotiations for an alliance with your majesty her empire and the various neutral alliances of your neighbors in preparation for the inevitable assaults that have no doubt cut off minor and secret trade routes of which no one has knowledge but thee and thine eehhh collaborators." He said faltering at the end and the queen laughs clearly his words told her how much he guessed about such things and he was correct.

"And should you be accurate what would your terms be?" She asks coldly. Sitting the room up.

"Not my terms. I merely request a meeting with certain unsavory and potential clients in the hope of building a force to contest this attack to the heart of your empire." The queen thought a moment and whispered to her herald. Who went away to spread word.

"We shall see what other business to you have?" She said clearly dismissing him since her pharamones weren't working.

"None if I may ask your leave I mist needs reach out to other leaders and request their aid for the same issues they are facing." He said getting nervous.

"Begone trouble me when you have something more... pleasant to offer... " she simmered and they were escorted out.

She listened to this but this queen was really a pain. However, she didn't say anything following him out.

"How long have you known about us?" She asks him as they walk out she meant section 31.

"Since I was pulled into this mess. I knew you were a spy and when I first met your boss he lied to me then as well... he must have thought I wouldn't recognize him." He said and she gulped. He was a shrewd man and that explained how he was progressing sliw for his mental training.

" you've been throwing the tests." She said and he nodded.

"Course if I were to pass you would be reassigned." He said and she looked away. He was even clever enough to figure out that part. A part she didn't want to admit to herself. She liked him and wished she could stay. She needed to wait for her orders after her report and the two return to their ship to find it just as promised.

The crew was reporting all systems go and she retreated to her quarters to compile her report and declare the alliance a success. Not only that but that he threw the tests.

The return message was laughter and her new orders " just stick with him he will open many new opportunities for the organization. Good job. No falling in love now. " and the message ended. She blushed denying her growing affection for the captain who was now her captain.

For once she didn't know her assignment and was just told to follow and report on his dealings. A simpler task than she thought.

If only it was that simple. She was already falling for this man but if she was to make this mission completed, she had to listen to the rules. For once why can't her heart just stop and let her work? She didn't know he figured this out and yet, she was only feeling unsure about it now. For that time, she only sighed covering her face trying to figure out what she should do next.

She's getting bothered by her heart and her mind was distracted. On the bridge she was watching him and wishing she was not an agent for the first time so she could let her feelings grow. They were exiting Orion space when there was a huge upheaval and the ship dropped out of warp.

"Red alert!" He said returning to his chair " what hit us?" He asks the conn officer and the young ensign was sweating bullets and nursing a head wound.

"Gravity well sir. We didn't see it the thing just came put of empty space" He said and he started pushing putting trying to make the helm respond. On screen there was a massive disk of light and then a pulse of energy slammed into the shields sending the ship flying again.

"What is it? A black hole?" He asks and the ensign nodded. Sir it seems the star in this system just collapsed. Helm is responding but we don't have the power to get put on impulse alone and the gravity waves are making it impossible to use the warp drive. The field destabilized as soon as it forms." Theu said as another pulse of energy hit the ship.

"Sheilds to maximum turn towards the singularity and slingshot around it. We will ride those waves out of here. "

"Captain are you insane? That has a low probability to work" She said gripping his chair to hold herself steady.

"In a bigger ship it wouldn't but I picked this class for its small stature and overpowered engines. She can take it trust me." He said and she gulped thinking he was crazy.

"Engineering to bridge"

"Go ahead"

"The warp field won't stabilize but if we can get into the eye of the storm we should be able to use a half second warp burst to break free. Or we could tear the ship apart."

"I was thinking the same thing were going to use a slingshot maneuver to get close will you have time?"

"Sir the engines are set and we will inky have one shot at this" another wave of energy hit the Sheila's

"Sheilds are down to 40% " the tactical officer said in a slight panic. As the shields were protecting them from the time dilation gravity compression and the bursts of energy from the dying star.

"Keep going!" The captain said and the spy began to wish she had acted on her heart.

The ship rattled and shook as it got closer to he black hole accretion disc and it skimmed the surface as it approached warp speeds

"Almost there" the captain said

"Captain the field is up"

"PUNCH IT MAXIMUM WARP BURST" the helmsman imput the command and the whole ship jarred as the engines burst and they blinked out if existence.

When she woke up she was in his arms and he was knocked out. She jumped back and slowly looked around before feeling the blood on the sid eof her head from the impact she took. He was okay but his arm was broken. The whole crew was waking up now and it seemed the ship was okay.

"D-damage report" He said as he wakes

"Sheilds are gone navigation is spotty engines are burned out hull is severely damaged with decompressions throughout the whole ship. The crew evacuated to the safety areas in time but were a little banged up." Came the report from tactical and it seemed reports were coming in.

"Enginerring to bridge. The power grid overloaded and took a beating we can make warp 1 but not much faster without a week of repairs."

"Sickbay to bridge we have casualties flowing in mostly minor injuries but many people have broken bones and some are in critical condition what hit us?"

" bridge to sick bay we hit a black hole that just formed ill read your report. Bridge to engineering chief you saved us I owe you another drink take all the time and manpower you need." He said as he sat up in his chair once more.

"That was insane..." she said and he nodded

"So we're those gamma bursts... I'm surprised we took so many." She looked at him confused. "A gamma burst usually blows up planets. Even shielded ones. They are the death throes of the stars we must have been on the very edge of them."

"I-i see..." she said and sat down.

"Captain sensors are down and the helm is not responding I think we will be stick here for a while."

"Good break open the cargo bay were gonna need those drinks"

"Sir, you are indeed crazy.." she mutters seeing him just rub the back of his head.

"I may be crazy but hey, it worked." He laughed only for her to sigh, shaking her head. She did hide a smile but was happy to know everyone was alright. Though, she was worried of being stuck in this location for a while. Who knows when things will get repaired to continue?

The mess hall was noisy full of celebrating. Everyone had a strong drink and it felt like a viking atmosphere from earth. She sat with him and they were silent. The repairs were going well and he drank quite a bit while she had her tea.

She wasn't expecting them to celebrate like this but they were happy after what just happened. Holding her tea, she takes another sip hearing another loud cheer from his crew mates. They really were happy or it could be due to that drink they are sharing. Oh well, they were happy so that is what matters right?

"Oi spy how come you aren't celebrating. It's not every day we narrowly escape annihilation" He said staring at her as her eyes drift across the mess hall. She turned to see him leaning over the table and staring right at her and the sudden closeness made her blush.

"I am celebrating. I'm here aren't I?" She said defensively and he scoffed. "Okay fine... I am celebrating I'm just not loud or rowdy like the rest of the crew." She said pouting a little and she saw him lean back with a smug smile on his face.

"Thays what I thought. As a betazoid you know you should be more honest with your feelings. Reading minds and all." She flushed redder as he knew very well it took great effort for her to read minds being only half and he also knew she was feeling every emotion and was trying to keep herself contained.

"You too captain." She said coldly while inside she was aching as she always did "after all you can read minds too or have you let the emotions of the crew influence your control. Being half Vulcan I understand that your emotions are closer to the surface." She said and he laughed.

"That may be true but even vulcans feel and I wasn't raised as a Vulcan as your report let you know. " He said and she relaxed a bit more seeing as he was having fun with her and he took her retort seriously. His casual demeanor was in fact due to his crew and his own emotions running high since they survived.

"I just wish it were quieter." She said and he looked at her sharply. She felt the prod of his mind and closed off herself so he would only scratch the surface. All he read was her reasons.

"Well then let's go to my quarters and finish the celebration there. We can say we are going over the reports." He said and she saw tight through him. He was hoping that she would be more comfortable with just him and the remark about reports was for the crews benefit. She also saw he was thinking more about being alone with her than actually doing any work.

She looks to him still holding her glass to sigh, standing up from her seat. If he wishes to go to his quarters for that, she will and not mind it. Seeing others having fun was new to her and very uncommon. She was always more focused on her missions and this one was just as important to her. For now, he only smiled as she still looked serious.

"Hey guys, we are going to go discuss of some important things on documents. We will be back later. You keep on having fun with the party." he saw the crew members look to him with one asking if he was sure. He should be more focused on celebrating this occasion.

"I will but you guys deserve it and all. It shouldn't take too long... "with a grin he turns to walk off with Kari who was following him. Most was unsure what was going on in her mind but knowing her, she won't say why or give a reason. They walk down the hall of the ship while not saying a single word to one another. She keeps walking only to see the captain head quarters now as the doors slide open to let her in first then himself.

She walks in not saying anything to go take a seat with him walking in as well while the doors close behind him. He heads to the captain desk and sits in the chair while looking at her.

Well I guess you don't really like this idea." He said and she looked down.

"Its just you almost never spend time with your crew and now everyone is celebrating and you only seem to want to be alone... with me..." Kari said and looks back at him.

"True I don't spend time with them. Mostly because they tend to get a little out of hand when the party settles in. And I don't want to witness anything I'll have to make a decision over. " He said and there was more to it than that.

"Be honest with me... you really want to learn more about me don't you?" She said and he nodded.

"All I can gather is you are mission oriented and for the first time you don't know what your mission is. Your contact said observe me but I'm nothing special except for getting out of unwinnable situations." He said and she sighs again.

"I just... never really get to unwind I feel all pent up and nothing really helps. Sometimes I wonder what your goal is." She said and he sat back to think about that before opening a bottle and pouring a pair of drinks.

"I want to live. Go from place to place maybe explore places no one has yet. Maybe own a place to settle down and have a family. My crew are all alike they have homes and families mist can't return because their family doesn't like the fact that they chose to serve on a ship that's nit affiliated with any organization or faction." He said and he passed her her glass.

She took it and sipped feeling the spicy warmth spread from her lips down her throat and settle in her belly before slowly spreading out and giving her a fuzzy comfy feel. He sipped his and leans back. She looked at him and realized one of the reasons he didn't interact with the crew was his telepathy. She understood hiw distancing such abilities were and she thought for a moment how hide it was to have someone close to her feel the same.

Then she realized she considered him close to her and she wished maybe they could be more.

"Kari... what's it like on betazed?" He asks and she looked down

"Its a rebuilding effort. The war devastated the planet and the occupation drained our resources so we need to rely on other worlds to rebuild... why?" She thought she knew the answer.

"I've never been to Vulcan or earth... never seen where I came from... I was born in space and space is lonely. " He said and she remembers how he was hiding things from her and this was one of them.

"Your home is your ship. That's why you fight so hard to fix her and live to tell the tale." She said and he looked at her sharply.

"No one ever read that deep..." he started to say and she finishes her drink.

"I didn't have to. When you are away from your ship you feel like you're in someone else's territory emotions are strong with you making it easy to read. Like how you wish you could push me down and ravish me sometimes." She said and he nodded. She wasn't wrong and he refilled their glasses after finishing his drink.

They still sit together in silence thinking of what to say now.

"But, you did prove and show that and I can see why.." she sighed to look at him.