A/N: I told you there'd be another one! Took a little while to find a title, but I got one, I think it works, and I really, really hope you all like this!
Many thanks once again to DrZevil, whose many works are all very worth reading, and who has been helping me out with this new story quite a lot. Also thanks to Kretolus, who remains an awesome guy*.
Please read and review, I love to hear everyone's thoughts. Hope you enjoy
*possibly human. Jury's still out.
The young Trill woman sighed heavily, leaning back into her chair and scrubbing at her eyes with her palms. Since the outbreak of the war with the Klingons, the drydocks around ESD had been pushed to breaking point and beyond, but lately things had settled back into something that vaguely resembled a routine.
She opened her eyes again and glared around her tiny office. Despite the fact that the Federation had dispensed with paper several centuries previously, the small space was still cluttered - instead of reams of paper, PADDs of assorted sizes littered the floor and the single remaining chair, with some precariously balanced on the pot of a plant that had died some time previously.
Azhasca Pezhal, Starfleet Lieutenant and team leader of one of the best dock teams stationed around Earth, was admittedly not a tidy woman, but she knew that what she lacked in tidiness she made up for in drive and competence.
Azhasca sighed again, reaching down and opening the bottom drawer of her desk. She pulled out a small glass, poured a double measure of a bright green beverage from a bottle she kept beside it, and set the bottle back in the drawer. She vehemently ignored the other bottle in there, an almost-empty bottle of a rather excellent vintage of Chateau Picard wine - a reminder she preferred to ignore of a night she preferred to forget.
She took a sip of the beverage and closed her eyes, savouring the cool burn as it slid down her throat and settled in her stomach. No doubt she would regret the drink in the morning - Romulan Ale was as powerful as it was illegal in Federation space - but at that time she didn't care.
Two years. Two years since she'd been assigned to the drydock teams, two years since-
-Screams echoed down the dark corridor as she ran, mingling with the red alert siren and the sound of her heartbeat pounding in her ears-
-since the event she tried constantly to shut out...and yet every night she still woke screaming.
Her office's door chime shook Azhasca from her reverie, and for once she was thankful for it. She hurriedly shoved her glass back into its drawer, made sure her hair was still in its neat bun, and made herself look busier than she needed to be.
"Come," she called, her voice as strong and stern as it had always been, and the door slid open to admit a man who looked painfully young. He was of average height and build, with a rounded face and bright blue eyes that lacked the dark fire so common in officers who had seen too much. His dark brown hair was kept short by the nature of his work, and as he stood in front of Azhasca's desk he gripped a PADD in his hands as if to use it as a shield.
"What do you want, Womers?" she snapped, and his jaw worked silently for a moment before he managed to answer.
"Azh-er, Lieu-...um, ma'am, two items for your attention," he started tentatively, still unsure where he stood in her regard. "Captain Lewis of the Detmer is wondering when his drive core repairs will be completed, and the Hades is on her way in - her chief engineer sent us a repairs list."
He handed over the PADD which she snatched out of his hand without a word, and she continued to ignore him as she looked it over.
"Great, fucking Undine," she muttered eventually, then finally met his gaze. "Make sure the teams are suited up to protect against bio-electric charges and fluidic space residue - we've dealt with this stuff before and we don't want a repeat of last time. Also, tell Captain Lewis that his repairs will be done a lot faster if he stops bothering us and stays out of our way."
As soon as she'd finished speaking she turned to her desktop screen, inputting the data on the upcoming repairs, and Womers opened his mouth to speak again.
"That'll be all, Womers," she told him impatiently, cutting him off before he could speak, and he lingered for just a moment before hurrying out of the office door.
As he left, he almost collided with the human woman outside, her hand reaching for the door chime, and he offered a muttered greeting as he passed.
"Afternoon Ensign," she answered, unsure if he'd heard her as she stepped into the office, and she gave its occupant one of her usual dazzling smiles.
Azhasca waited until the door closed, before collapsing back into her chair with a frustrated groan.
"Elliot seemed to be in a rush," her new guest said casually, and Azhasca made another noise of frustration.
"He's annoying," she sighed, staring at the ceiling. "He keeps looking at me like he expects a pat on the head or something."
"Or perhaps some sort of acknowledgement that you two-"
"I don't want to hear it, Bobbi."
Lieutenant (J.G.) Bobbi Lehar was Azhasca's closest friend, and she had been since the two had been at the Academy. They had even dated briefly, slept together on more than one occasion - some of which were outside of their official relationship - before eventually the two of them decided that they simply functioned better together as friends.
Bobbi frowned at her friend's tone, noticing that something was wrong for the Trill.
"What's the matter, love?" she asked, perching on the edge of the table as Azhasca bent down to retrieve her drink.
"The usual," she answered, sitting up straight and unbuttoning the top of her jacket. Just as she was about to down the rest of her drink, the glass was taken from her hand, and she gave Bobbi a weak glare before resting her head in her palm.
"Then I'm sure this isn't doing you any favours," Bobbi offered, gesturing with the glass. "Does the counselling help?"
"A little. But sometimes...sometimes I'll lapse into memory , during the quiet moments in the day. That's why I prefer to keep working. And I still wake up in the middle of the night, screaming in terror and soaking with sweat."
Bobbi stayed silent with her friend for a few minutes, gently running her fingers through Azhasca's dark purple hair, an affectionate gesture that had always helped calm her.
"You know I'm here if you need me, Azh," Bobbi said quietly, using the short form of her friend's name that almost no-one else would ever get way with. "But...I also think you should talk to Elliot at some point. He deserves to know why you are...the way you are. And how you feel."
"Elliot doesn't need to know shit," Azhasca answered, straightening up again and pulling away from Bobbi's touch. The human woman had seen this before - it was an indicator that Azhasca's emotional walls were back up, and it would be pointless trying to talk to her about anything personal while that remained the case. "Anyway, did you need anything?"
"Giving you a heads-up." Bobbi dropped another PADD on the desk, and Azhasca looked it over.
"Are you fucking kidding me?" she snarled, chucking the device back onto her desk. "The fucking Renegade Admiral is on the way too? Just my shitting luck."
"I don't think Admiral Kassai would appreciate that name," Bobbi chided, causing Azhasca to curl her lip in disgust.
"Tough. I don't need her bullshit on my dock, so if she tries anything I'll shoot her myself. Anything else?"
"Just...remember what I said, okay?" Bobbi told her, heading for the door.
"Yeah, sure. And Bobbi?"
The tall woman turned, an eyebrow arched in question.
"I...thanks. I'll let you know if...if I need you."
Bobbi smiled softly, gave her friend a nod, and headed back out of the office.