A/N: For those interested in some Star Trek background info:

It takes place some time after the end of Star Trek: Voyager, probably in the late 2370s or 2380s in the main universe (i.e. not the reboot universe). The USS Fae is a Nova-class starship because they're so pwetty. Also it's a small science vessel so it makes sense that Aurora would be getting a position as a first officer there, despite her lack of experience. Maleficent is half Vulcan, half human. (Hi Spock!) The reason Aurora thinks she's Vulcan is because she ogled the image of Maleficent in her file too much to bother to read the rest. Whoops.

I'll do my best to keep it in the confines of canon main-universe Star Trek (no interplanetary transporters etc) but I haven't watched any of the series in a while so I might miss some things. Hopefully nothing too glaring.

For those not well-versed in Star Trek: a PADD is a tablet, touchscreen and everything.

The rating is T for now but don't bet on it staying that way. Also, I'll add more of the characters in the tags as they show up. In any case, happy reading and I hope you'll like it :)

Chapter 1: Introductions

"Commander, there's an incoming transmission from Admiral Hayes."

Aurora Rose shifted uncomfortably in her chair. It still felt too big for her, too imposing. "Thank you, Ensign," she said with a stiff smile. "I'll take it in my ready room."

Sitting down at the desk in her ready room, she took a few moments to try to get her breathing under control, without much success. She knew exactly what the call was about and she had been dreading it for the last week, ever since her commanding officer and the captain of the ship – Captain Roberts – had died in a heart attack. Seeing how Starfleet was still rebuilding after the Dominion War, chances were slim that they would send another officer to take Roberts' place, which meant that she – as the first officer and the current acting captain – would have to be promoted. The responsibility wasn't something she was looking forward to.

Finally, she took a few deep breath and activated the screen, her expression fairly neutral.

"Admiral."

"Ah, Commander, it's good to see you." Hayes greeted her with a dip of his head. "I only wish it would have been under better circumstances. We got your message about Captain Roberts' passing three days ago. I'm sorry for your loss."

Aurora gave him a faint smile. "Thank you. I didn't know him that well, but it's still... difficult. It's not what I had expected, not on a scientific mission like this."

"Of course. His death came as a complete surprise to everyone. In any case, we've sent the USS Laika to bring him back to his family on Earth. It should arrive at your location in a day or so."

"We won't be taking him back?" Aurora asked.

"You have a mission, Commander, and despite the last few years, exploration and science is still a vital part of Starfleet's operation. USS Laika is already heading for Earth and only has to make a slight detour to get to you. You'll transfer the remains to the Laika before continuing the exploration of the nebula."

"I see." She paused, only barely resisting chewing on her lip. "Will they bring any new crew?"

"No. You'll have to make do with the crew you have."

She nodded, letting out a small sigh. At first, she'd hoped that her chief engineer, Commander Moors, would take over as captain as she had far more experience and time in Starfleet than Aurora, but Moors' response had been short and to the point. No.

"I know this is sudden, but I know you can do this." His voice was firm but not unkind. "It's a small, good ship and the crew is well trained and loyal. You'll do a fine job."

"Thank you, Admiral," she said, thankful that he couldn't see her fidgeting under the desk.

He nodded curtly. "Consider yourself field promoted, Captain. Any other promotions are up to you as you see fit. The USS Fae is yours. Hayes out."

Aurora slumped back in her chair, letting out a breath she didn't know she had been holding in. She was a captain now – a real captain, not just acting captain – and she had the fates of almost eighty people on her shoulders. Like she'd told the admiral, it wasn't what she had expected. No one could have expected that Captain Roberts' rare heart condition would manifest in a fatal heart attack, least of all in the middle of their mission to explore this remote nebula. Although the doctor was investigating the possibility of the nebula somehow triggering the heart attack, the last Aurora heard it looked like a simple, unpredictable fluke.

All she'd wanted had been to explore, to see the galaxy and all it had to offer. She hadn't wanted to lead, but when she'd gotten the offer to join the USS Fae, even though in the position of first officer, she hadn't hesitated to accept. A short time as first officer on the Fae's mission into the nebula and then maybe she would find an opening as a science officer later on. That had been the plan before the captain had died, leaving her as the acting captain.

Swallowing a pathetic groan, Aurora reluctantly stood and headed to the bridge. Time to tell the crew.

"Open a shipwide channel," she said, stopping in the middle of the bridge.

"Channel open, Ma'am."

Aurora straightened up, remembering how easy Roberts made it seem. "Attention, this is Captain Rose. As we all know, Captain Roberts passed away a week ago after a heart failure. Despite this sudden loss, our mission will continue – the mission he started and he led us through." She paused and breathed out, clenching her hands behind her back to stop their quivering. "As of now, I'm taking command of the ship by order of Admiral Hayes. As soon as we've rendezvoused with the USS Laika to send the captain's remains back to Earth, we will head back into the nebula to continue where we left off. Thank you."

If there was one habit Aurora loathed to have, it was the fidgeting. Numerous instructors in the academy had wrinkled their noses at it, telling her to "get her act together" and other bits of useful advice. And they were right, of course, because how could anyone be expected to take their commanding officer seriously when said officer couldn't stop wringing their hands or smoothing out their uniform? It was ridiculous, so she'd worked hard on it and managed to curb her impulses successfully in any but the most dire of situations.

At least, that was before she met Commander Moors. Aurora wasn't sure if it was her father's vitriolic hate and fear of aliens that had spilled over on her despite her best efforts, or simply the otherworldly beauty of the commander: the eyes that always seemed to shine with a hint of gold; her high, sharp cheekbones; the full lips or perhaps the simple tapering of her ears. Aurora hadn't come into contact with many aliens when growing up (needless to say, her father hadn't agreed with her career choice) and all aliens fascinated her to an extent, but her interest in the Vulcan commander was bordering on an obsession.

And now, somehow, Aurora would have to work with her, in the same room, on a daily basis. It wasn't as if she hadn't thought of other options; in fact, she had practically scoured through the whole damn ship to find someone, anyone else to take up the position of first officer, but everyone was either too vital to transfer, entirely unfit for the position or both, which left her with the chief engineer, Commander Amalia Moors.

The door pinged, stirring her from her thoughts. "Enter," she called out, unable to hide the faint quiver in her voice.

In strode the tall Vulcan, calm and collected like always. "Captain. I assume you're here to discuss the vacant position of first officer?"

Aurora swallowed and straightened up in her chair, feeling very small in front of the towering woman. "I– uh, yes." She cleared her throat, feeling more like a schoolgirl asking out her crush than a captain of a starship. "You're the most qualified officer on the ship and I need a first officer. I want you on the bridge." There, simple and straight to the point without sounding too much like a blabbering idiot. Aurora mentally patted herself on the back.

"I see."

Of course she wouldn't like it, Aurora thought, her posture instantly deflating. "I know you don't want a promotion, Commander, but unless we get a replacement from Starfleet, you're the only one who will fit the job."

"You seem to have misunderstood me, Captain," commander Moors said, her face a picture of Vulcan stoicism. "My refusal to be promoted to captain is not a sign of a general reluctance for higher positions in Starfleet."

Frowning, Aurora said, "oh."

"In fact, I will gladly accept the promotion to first officer."

"Oh," Aurora repeated, her face lighting up. "That's wonderful!" A split second later, she realized her decidedly un-captain-like outburst and a small blush colored her cheeks, one that only deepened as commander Moors' lips quirked up in a faint smile.

"Wonderful indeed."

"Well, onto other matters then," Aurora hurriedly mumbled, picking up a PADD while trying to forget the woman in front of her. "Do you have a suggestion for who should take over as chief engineer?"

The commander remained quiet for a moment before speaking. "Balthazar."

"Balthazar?" Aurora scrolled through the names of the crew but came up empty.

"My apologies, Captain. His name is Lieutenant Elwood Bailey." She paused, eyes darting away from Aurora in a gesture that almost looked embarrassed. "There is an informal tradition of sorts in engineering where each officer receives an alternate name."

Aurora tilted her head to the side, her brows rising in surprise. "You give each other nicknames?"

"Correct. I will of course immediately halt the practice if you–"

"No, no," Aurora stopped her with a wave of her hand, "it's fine. As long as you still know your real names, of course," she added with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Commander Moors looked anything but amused. Aurora liked to think it was her Vulcan version of pouting. "I can assure you, it was a slip of the tongue. It will not happen again, Captain."

The picture of commander Moors doing utterly unprofessional things with her tongue made Aurora's breath catch. Wetting her lips, she shook her head to try to focus on the actual commander standing in front of her and not her fantasy version. Not that she would admit that she'd been fantasizing about a fellow officer, of course.

"In any case," the commander continued, "although Lieutenant Bailey can seem difficult to work with at times, I can assure you that he's a fine officer and an excellent engineer. The engineering crew knows him and will follow him without any trouble."

Reading through the records of the Lieutenant, Aurora pursed her lips in thought. She didn't see any obvious problems with him. "Alright. If you think he can do it, the position is his."

"Then I will let him know of his promotion. If that's all, Captain?"

Aurora dipped her head and the commander turned to leave. When she was just about to leave, Aurora was suddenly hit by a thought and blurted out, "Commander?"

Turning around, Moors looked at her with an eyebrow raised in question. "Yes, Captain?"

"I, ah..." Aurora faltered, unsure if the question would be too personal. Even so, she simply had to know. "In engineering... what nickname do you have?"

The commander opened her mouth minutely only to close it again. Her eyes darted off to gaze at the large windows and her lips pursed in that adorable way that Aurora in her mind dubbed "Vulcan pouting".

"Maleficent," the commander finally said, her voice a little lower – almost huskier – than before.

"Oh," Aurora breathed, eyes wide as she unconsciously licked her lips again. That voice was awfully distracting. Realizing she was practically ogling the officer, she awkwardly cleared her throat and tore her eyes down to look at her PADD in an attempt to appear like the captain she was supposed to be. "That would be all, Commander."

Of course, her self control around Ma– Commander Moors was as bad as it got so when the doors slid open, Aurora couldn't help but look up at her. To her mortification, she wasn't met with the commander's shapely backside, but instead with an unreadable look and a smirk. A smirk! Were Vulcans even capable of smirking?

The doors slid closed and Aurora let out a shaky breath. Her cheeks burned and there was a very uncomfortable ache between her thighs. She groaned and slid down in an even less graceful position in her chair. If this was how merely a few minutes alone with Maleficent (Commander Moors, damn it) would be, these coming weeks and months would certainly be interesting. And awfully frustrating.

A/N: As it is right now, I really don't know where I'll take this fic. I might just fool around and write a bunch of day in the life fluff, or make it longer and include some kind of actual plot. Suggestions are always welcome :)