"Don't get caught up trying to think you're supposed to do more, or to think you're supposed to please everybody. Take care of yourself." -Jared Padalecki

Rayne Morrison pursed her lips in concentration. Her hair—which was damp from her sweat—had been pulled back into a messy ponytail. Damp strands of her hair had fallen around her face, irritating her slightly. It wasn't like she could easily just brush her hair out of her face, she'd have to remove the welding gloves she wore and the protective helmet she wore. She didn't have the time or patience to deal with that. For the past four and a half hours, Rayne had been keeping herself as focused as she could be on finishing her task.

For the past couple months, Rayne had been involved in the building of the newest form of space travel for Starfleet—what Rayne assumed would be their pride and joy, the U.S.S Enterprise. The Enterprise was supposed to be the next big form of planetary discovery and developing new connections with unknown alien species. That was all Rayne really knew.

With a sigh, she finished up her task, leaning back a little to check her work. For the most part, everything looked good. All the wiring looked connected to where it was supposed to be, all the metal she'd welded looked good—Rayne couldn't help but feel a little satisfied with herself. Taking off her gloves and welding helmet, she put those aside while she made sure all her tools were turned off and put away before jumping off from where she was perched. Untying her hair, she let it fall down her back; damp mess of dark brown curls.

"Ray!" Turning, a smile spread across Rayne's face when she saw her friend, Atlas, jogging toward her. Atlas was one of the engineers working on the Enterprise and one of the few people Rayne talked to. Atlas was a Betazoid, an alien species known for possessing telepathy and empathy; which meant that Rayne would have to be a little careful when it came to what she was thinking. When he caught up to her, a smile spread across his face.

"Are you done?" Rayne asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

He nodded. "What about you?"

"For the most part," she replied. "I still have to work on one of the engines, then I'll be done."

Atlas let out a breathless chuckle. "These guys know how to work us to the bone," he mumbled.

Rayne shrugged. "They've got a deadline to meet."

The workers were really being pushed to finish the construction of the starship, and they were trying their damned hardest to finish it up by the designated deadline. But there was also the fact that there had to be careful inspections of certain parts of the ship to make sure they wouldn't malfunction. It was not easy.

"What're you gonna do after this?" Atlas asked, looking down at her.

Rayne shrugged. "I'll probably serve on some starship somewhere," she said, sighing.

"You're not thrilled." It wasn't a question, more of a statement.

"I hate it when you do that." Because of Atlas' ability to know someone else's emotions, not to mention what they were thinking, it was nearly impossible to lie or hide their emotions around him. At least, if the person doing so wasn't good at it.

"Ray, you're an open book." Atlas rolled his eyes.

"I'd like to think otherwise."

Shaking his head, a hint of a smirk spread across Atlas' lips. "C'mon, let's go get something to eat really quick."

Letting out an amused chuckle, she followed.

-0-0-0-0-

By the end of the day, Rayne was exhausted. Though her time spent with Atlas had been nice, knowing she'd have to spend countless more hours helping with one of the engines not only wore Rayne out physically, but it wore her out mentally just thinking about it. It had been relatively late in the night when she and everyone else who had something to finish could go home.

When she finally reached her apartment, Rayne had nearly threw her shoes off. Rayne knew that she, undoubtedly, stunk and was covered in dried and somewhat fresh sweat.

I'll take a quick shower and go to bed, she thought tiredly. Then it's back to the worksite early tomorrow morning.

Letting out a groan, Rayne pinched the bridge of her nose in slight irritation. If she could make it until the end of the Enterprise's construction, then she'd be able to take a brief time off from work before she'd start up again. Rayne had to remind herself that she should be grateful that she had something to do.

Complaining doesn't make anything go by faster, she'd think. Complaining is annoying and useless.

Going into her bedroom, Rayne found her pajamas before shuffling into the bathroom. A quick, hot shower; that would help her relax and keep her mind off work. At least for a little while.

(A/N):

I know this chapter took way too long on my part to put up, but I got bombarded by responsibilities and I tried finishing it up as quickly as I could. This chapter is pretty short, and it might not be the best first chapter, but hopefully the story gets better the further it progresses. Just let me know what you think.

In case there was any confusion regarding this chapter: Rayne Morrison is helping build the Enterprise; her friend, Atlas, is a Betazoid (I had been watching ST: THE NEXT GENERATION, so that's where the idea came from); Rayne herself will be half-human, but I'll have to think about what her alien-half will be; this is a McCoy/OC story (which means Rayne and Bones are going to eventually hook up); this is following the 2009 ST storyline and everything that follows afterward; Rayne is an engineer who works for Starfleet; her background will be explored later on. Any questions?

STAR TREK isn't mine, all I own are my characters and any subplots I put in.

If you've got ideas on OCs you'd like to see written into the story, leave a review or PM me. Same for subplots you'd like me to add; I have no problems doing so as long as you let me know through a review or PM.

Anywho, I'll wrap up this author's note.

Let me know if there's anything I can improve on.

Thank you,

Sully