Captain's Log
Stardate 2261.12.5.

The Saratoga and the Andaman charted the Golee Cluster together for nearly a month.
We made incredible discoveries together and more importantly we formed many new friendships.
I hope Starfleet considers having ships working in tandems more often. I've heard some Captains
say that out in space just with yourself and your crew, it can seem a bit lonely. It's always good
to see new faces. It's always good to be reminded that you're not alone out here.

But eventually our two ships once again had to part ways. We're going to be spending the next
two weeks performing studies in the Ychara System. The second planet is an M class world
with a pre-warp, pre-Industrial civilization. I've been regularly sending down survey teams
to gather as much data as possible and yet avoid being spotted by the locals. The first planet
is K class and has a very unique moon which exploded about thirty years ago, so Stellar Sciences
will be busy as well.

James T Kirk.

Engineering

Rather a ship was at warp, impulse or simply holding in space, Engineering was always busy
and the Saratoga's was no exception.

Filars paused in her discussion with one of her engineers and looked upward at the sole blue uniform
in the room. "Are you all right up there, Crewman?"

L'Naym nodded. Usually when she wanted to think she would go to the botanic labs, the arboretum
or the lounge. But sometimes she came down to Engineering. She would stand or sit on one of the
upper bridges and silently watch those below her work. She was always quiet and never in the way,
but of late others had noticed her doing it more often.

"I'm not in the way I hope?" she asked.

"Not at all. It's just I've been seeing you come down here a lot lately."

"The sound of engines and machines remind me of the foundries of Khasha sometimes. I've always
found it soothing." She paused. "And lately I've had a lot on my mind."

Sickbay

"Well, the baby's doing just fine," McCoy said. "Getting bigger every time I examine him."

"Thank you, Doctor." L'Naym sat up slowly. Normally her lifemate was present for her regular pre-natal
exams, but today he had been assigned to one of the away teams on the planet's surface. Many teams had
been sent since arriving. L'Naym hadn't been allowed to go but she had kept busy with studying the plant
samples that the teams brought back.

"Doctor…" L'Naym paused and rubbed her rounded stomach gently. "Doctor…what do you know
about Lungarus Syndrome?"

McCoy paused. He knew both L'Naym's personal and family medical history and had thought that at
some point she might ask that question. "I know that it's a Nlian illness. Very rare but very nasty.
It shuts down both the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. They found a cure for it back in 2242."

"It's how my mother died," the botanist said softly. "She was seven months into her pregnancy when
she contracted it." She paused even longer. "As far along as I am now."

There was silence for a few moments. L'Naym bowed her head. "She spent three months in the hospital.
But all the healers' efforts to treat her failed."

She looked up at the doctor. "But her greatest fear wasn't for herself…it was for me. A Nlian female's
womb's has natural defenses that protect the baby from disease. But due to the strong vascular link
between a mother and her unborn child, she knew that if she died before I was ready to be born…
I would die too. Because of the link I couldn't be removed and placed in an artificial womb.

She drew a shuddered breath. "So she fought. For three months she fought to stay alive. Even after it
became obvious that there was no hope for her, she fought to live long enough to give birth. She wasted
away until she was a shell of her former self. But she kept fighting. For me."

McCoy gently put a hand on the Nlian's shoulder "And you were more than worth it," he said softly.

L'Naym smiled very slightly before her face once again grew solemn. "She died only a few days after
I was born. Jim and I have something in common: He never knew his father and I never knew my mother.
I know her only from holo images, recordings she made for me, and the stories and memories that
my father and others shared with me. But it wasn't the same as her actually being there.

"Unlike Jim I never lacked for a moment's attention. I grew up surrounded by the love of my family.
But I still lacked for my mother. I never knew her but I did miss her."

She sighed "And I still do. Especially now."

"That's pretty natural," McCoy said quietly. "It's normal for people to think about the past when
they're expecting. Have you talked to Alyen?"

She nodded. "There are no secrets between us."

"That's good. Keep talking to him. From our exams I know that you're not suffering from depression,
just regular concerns and thinking about the past. The baby is healthy and I want you both to stay
that way both physically and mentally.

"Jim won't be allowing you on away mission until the baby's born and that's good. The less stress
you're under the better. Take it easy and relax whenever possible. Spend as much time with your
lifemate as possible. If you think about your mother, feel sad or anxious, talk to him. Talk to Jim.
Talk to your friends. I'm also recommending that you talk to Sanchez." He smiled slightly. "And I'm
here too."

"Thank you, Doctor."

L'Naym got up and prepared to go change.

"Shylea."

L'Naym looked back in surprise. The CMO very seldom addressed her so informally.

"Shylea, there's a difference between you and Jim. "You never knew your mother, but she got the chance
to know you, if only for a few days. That's more than Jim's father had."

L'Naym's eyes moistened. "My father often told me that she called me her greatest treasure," she whispered.

"You were. And I know she'd be very proud of you."