A/N: First of all, I want you to know that this is completely random, therefore it will not totally follow what would happen in the Star Trek world, especially in reguard to activities of the crew and such. This is based on actual events which happen in my current life, so there's no telling what will happen next. I don't expect very many people to find much interest in this story, but I will continue it as long as it suits me.

Ode to a Starship by Lina Shay

Chapter One: Friends Among the Stars

I didn't welcome the end of shore leave. I wasn't sure why. I had spent a great deal of the time by myself on board, and now more people would be returning. I would no longer be so alone. I would get to see my friends again.

Maybe I was dreading everyone asking, "So why didn't you go home to Bajor while we were on liberty?" I didn't want to have to explain a million times that my house didn't exist anymore since the Cardassian occupation. That I hadn't gone home because I didn't want to face what had happened to my life and my family. I hadn't been back to Bajor since I was stationed aboard the U.S.S. Wasatch a year ago. My close friends knew this and would not ask, but others, I just wished to avoid.

I think I was also reluctant to return to the ship because I knew I would have to sit through a long ceremony to welcome our new captain.

I was having a quiet homecoming dinner with Doctor Sisma and B'Liz, the Science officer, that evening. Sisma had replicated ingredients and then actually cooked us Angolian chicken with spaghetti. The spaghetti was a little bland to the taste of a Bajoran, but the chicken was to die for.

"Are you finished?" B'Liz asked from both of us at once, and grabbed the remainder of the spaghetti noodles with her bare fingers as if we had answered in the affirmative.

I used to be put-off by B'Liz's Klingon habits, but after knowing her so long, they didn't bother me much anymore. You sort of even expected her to do or say something disgusting.

"Wow, B'Liz, that's a large portion of spaghetti," Sisma commented in a warning tone.

"What of it?" B'Liz demanded her mouth half-full.

"Nothing," Sisma insisted, not wanting to offend the Klingon. "I just think that's an awful lot of carbohydrates for this late in the day."

B'Liz muttered something in Klingon and continued eating.

I sat back with a glass of Romulan ale and stared out the window at the stars.

"It's probably about time we headed to the shuttle bay to welcome Captain Paris," Sisma reminded.

I rolled my eyes. B'Liz shoved her plate away in a disgruntled manner and got up from the table. Sisma and I followed suit. We arrived to greet the captain together. Most everyone was already there. We got there just in time for Captain Paris to start her speech. She seemed an overly happy woman with curly, dark hair. She offered condolences first of all for the loss of Captain Kami in that fight with the Ring-Bearers. Yes, we lot many crewmates to those Ring-Bearers.

I let my eyes wander during the rest of the speech. I saw many familiar faces. Then I caught sight of a new one. He was human and had the pinkest lips I had ever seen on any species.

"Sisma, who's that?" I whispered to the doctor.

She looked where I was indicting and said, "Who?"

"The guy standing with Chief Engineer Dustin," I told her.

"Oh, that's Lt. Comm. Josh, the New operations officer," Sisma told me.

"He's replacing... Don't tell me. That one guy with the hair?" I asked, miming a large hairdo.

"Lt. Comm. Kwan, yes," Sisma laughed.

"I need every one of you to do you best," Captain Paris said. "And together, I'm sure we'll discover strange new worlds and new civilizations and boldly go where no woman, or man, has gone before."

We all clapped. The captain came down from the podium and walked through the crowd. We all stood at attention, and then followed her to the mess hall for her reception.

"The first time I castrated a targ, I was twelve," B'Liz told me after a great deal of blood wine. "My father handed me a knife and set me loose in a heard of them. I was able to wrestle one to the ground in an instant. While I straddled the beast to keep him down, I pulled out the knife, cut open the scrotum, reached in and-"

"Lina!" someone called.

"Yes," I answered instantly, glad to be interrupted.

The Chief Engineer, Dustin, came over with Josh at his side.

"I wanted you to meet Lt. Comm. Josh," Dustin introduced. "He and I served together aboard the Stockholm."

"Hey, nice to meet you," Josh shook my hand.

I just smiled and nodded. I think Josh and I talked for a good deal of time, though I can't recall anything that was said. I just kept thinking that his lips were too pink.

I returned to my quarters that night to see my roommate, Abelista, was already back and in bed. I didn't want to wake her since I was pretty sure she had an early shift in transporter room two the next morning.

I knelt in front of a small alter I had and began to thank the prophets when I heard the beep tone that signified someone was at my door. I got up and went over to the door. It whooshed aside to reveal Jala, the Trill security chief.

"Oh, my gosh!" She laughed, walking passed me into my quarters. "You won't believe what just happened. Ok, so I was talking with Colban at the reception. He thought it would be a fun idea to go to the holodeck and make a snowman. I told him this childhood memory Jetri, one of my previous hosts, had where a girl stole a kiss from him in the snow. I don't know why I told him about it. I was so embarrassed I said anything. Colban promised he wouldn't steal a kiss, so we went. We built this snowman. He was so cute!"

"Colban?" I asked.

"No, the snowman," Jala said in disgust as she made herself comfortable on my bed. "Gee-wiz! How many times must I tell you that Colban and I are just friends?"

I nodded, trying to believe her.

"So he walked me back to my quarters, and I came here," Jala finished. "How was your night?"

I shrugged. "I met the new Operations Officer."

"How was that?" Jala asked with hope in her eyes.

I shrugged again. "He has really pink lips."

"Is that good or bad?" Jala asked.

I shrugged once more. I plopped down beside her on my bed. "I don't know what's up with me recently. I almost feel like I want to like somebody, but I just don't."

"I'm sorry," Jala tried to be comforting.

"It's fine," I insisted. "I need to go to bed."

"All right," Jala said, standing. "I'll probably be up for a while. There's this holodeck program I've been wanted to check-out. See ya."

After Jala left, I lay in my bed awake and stared at the stars. I had lots of friends, so why did I feel so alone?

A/N: My life is pretty boring, eh? Oh, the thing about Kami being killed by the Ring-Bearers is a joke to my fellow Wasatchers. Kami got married.