"Laren. What the hell is this?!"
Captain Ro paced her office aboard Defiant while Commander Rzepka read her deployment orders. The captain pressed her lips together in nervousness and didn't look at the commander.
"Kym, please, I've already gone though the due diligence to change Starfleet's decision. They won't. I realize you're upset, but please, let's just try to talk about this calmly."
"You're kidding me, right? Of course I'm upset. I can't believe the command is doing this. What, they don't think we've been through enough already? Now they're shipping me off to the neutral zone?!" Commander Rzepka's voice sounded less than calm. "Did Dax have anything to do with this?"
Ro looked back up at her friend, wishing she could say something to help her feel better. She didn't have anything except for the truth, but the words wouldn't come out. She merely nodded.
"Why?" Rzepka asked, sounding calmer as she thought about the situation. "Please, tell me why."
"I can't," Ro replied quickly. "It's not my business to share. But Dax can."
Commander Rzepka stood and turned to Captain Ro. "Thank you, Laren. I'll be back."
When Commander Rzepka finally transported over to Aventine, her temper calmed to a point she was able to ask the right questions. She stopped by Bashir's quarters to tell him what was going on, and he shared her frustration and anger. Rzepka assured him she would try her hardest to change the captain's mind.
Commander Sam Bowers greeted her from the captain's seat as she walked onto the bridge on her way to Dax's office.
"Good afternoon, Commander Rzepka. Hey, I heard about..." The evil looks Rzepka shot to her old friend forced him to stumble over his words like a teenager on a first date.
"your... trans...fer... Yeah, um, she's in her office," he stammered. Bowers and Rzepka served together for a few months aboard DS9 before she transferred to Betazed and he transferred to Aventine.
When Rzepka walked into Dax's office, the captain had already prepared coffee and danish.
"Sam knows?"
"Of course he knows," Dax casually said, placing the creamer pitcher down on the silver tray. "My entire staff knows. Secrets can't be kept around here. Please, sit down."
Rzepka plopped into a purple plush chair and eyed the coffee. "You trying to win me over with caffeine?"
Dax sat back in her own chair across her desk and picked up a cup. "You've been traveling all day. I thought you could use a boost."
"Stop playing games, Ezri. We need to talk about this," Rzepka argued firmly. "Or rather, you need to talk about this. I need to know why."
Dax placed her cup back down on the desk and stood from her chair. "I'll do better than that. I'll show you why."
As they walked together to Engineering, Dax explained the situation with her previous engineer chief and the need to have a new one trained. Dax hoped when Rzepka saw the new quantum slipstream drive, she wouldn't be able to resist the assignment. They entered engineering and immediately were approached by a tall, young lieutenant.
"Captain, Oy'm glaud you are heir. Oy have the diagnuhstic repoohrt on the slipstream droyve. Ohll systems ah now oonline and ooperational, sah."
As he handed over the PADD in his hand, he reached his hand out to Rzepka. "Lieutenant Thaddeus Singleton, a plesha to meet you, Comoondah."
Rzepka held out her hand, still trying to understand what he was saying. He spoke so fast, she only caught every other word through his thick British accent. "I'm sorry, what's your name again?"
"Thad - e - us. Sing - gle - ton. Sah."
"Mr. Singleton, this is Commander Kymberli Rzepka. She'll be our Chief Engineer for the next few months," Dax explained, still looking over the information on the PADD. Lieutenant Little gripped her hand harder when he realized who she was.
"MY! Well, tell me, comoondah, what fehld of enginaairing ahh you in?"
Commander Rzepka gave the Lieutenant a sideways glance and she drew her hand out of his. "Molecular..."
"Ah, oy see. Took the easy way out of school, eh? Well, moy specialty is in quoontum mechanics, specifically slipstream testing and desoyne," Singleton clamored on. "Oy suspect oy will be ooffering significant goydance dyuring yoor time heir. Don't worry, Oy'm up foor a challenge."
"Thank you, Mr. Singleton," Dax said, almost too loudly. He got the point and looked back at Rzepka.
"Well, it was noyce to meet you," he said quickly before turning away. "Look foohward to wahking with you."
"Me... too..." Rzepka still looked at him sideways, unsure if he was speaking a language she understood. Once he was gone and out of earshot, Rzepka slowly turned to Dax. She motioned her thumb in the direction of which the lieutenant exited the area. "He doesn't help your case, you know."
"He's not mine," Dax explained with a sigh as she turned toward the engine bay. "He's from the command. He's on the slipstream testing team."
"Really. Well..." Rzepka said slowly as she followed the captain. "He'll take come getting used to."
As the women rounded the corner, a soft orange light caught Rzepka's eye. Her heart thumped in her chest with excitement. Standing in front of her, still and majestic, was the first quantum slipstream warp drive she'd ever laid her eyes on.
"Oh wow," she breathed. "Is this... is it... still a test... model?"
Dax shook her head. "Nope. She's the real deal."
Rzepka stood mesmerized at the enormous warp drive in front of her. It stood at least ten feet above her head, protected by an equally enormous radiation shield. The orange and yellow chemical mixture churned inside the core slowly, stirring together like a molten lava. The swirling plasma appeared almost metallic, pearlized even, as it rotated slowly and rhythmically. Shiny new couplers and injectors shimmered in the soft orange light, adding an element of sparkle to the engine. The quiet, peaceful hum from the engine comforted her ears and seemed to soothe her problems - even the transfer.
"This," Dax's soft voice practically whispered. "Is why I need you."
"Ezri," Rzepka calmly argued, never taking her eyes off the drive in front of her. "I don't know Quantum drive as well as I know Gravimetric drive. Surely, someone else is more experienced than I am..."
"Eh, that's why you have Little. No, this goes beyond just the drive. Come on," Dax explained. "I'll introduce you to the reason you're here."
Reluctantly, Rzepka tore her gaze away from the core and followed Captain Dax around the perimeter of the engine, ending up on the opposite side and face to face with the most beautiful Vulcan woman Rzepka had ever seen.
"Lieutenant Leishman?"
The woman looked up at Dax with a straight but soft face. "Captain."
"Lieutenant, this is Commander Kymberli Rzepka. Commander, this..." Dax paused, letting Rzepka absorb the situation. "Is Lieutenant Mikaela Leishman. She's next in line to move up to Chief Engineer."
The Vulcan held out her hand to Rzepka, which she took and shook. Rzepka was stunned by the woman's mind and her ability to completely block her emotions.
"It's nice to meet you," Rzepka said calmly. Leishman nodded.
"Thank you, Commander. And you as well. When do you begin your assignment aboard Aventine?"
"Two days," Rzepka kept her conversation short.
"Very well. I am a fast learner, but I require practical exercises. I understand you have a great deal of experience to share and I am reasonably eager by your assignment here," Leishman said, her voice remaining calm and monotone. "I am... looking forward... to it, even."
As Dax and Rzepka walked back out of engineering, Rzepka still seemed as confused as before.
"So what exactly am I going to be doing here?"
"Organizing my engineering team. Keeping them on track. Filling in on command on the bridge when I need you. Learning about quantum slipstream drive..." Dax said slowly.
"What role does Leishman have in all of this?"
"She needs you. Probably more than I need you. She needs to learn to open up to her crew. She needs to know what it takes to be a chief. She has the intelligence. I need you to show her the heart. I need her to be the best."
Rzepka stopped in the middle of the corridor. Dax stopped and turned toward her.
"Let me get this straight. You need me... to teach a Vulcan how to be empathetic. While a know-it-all quantum engineer with no respect for authority breathes down my neck. While running a quantum warp core and a crew that I don't know. While maintaining command-level responsibilities. In the Neutral Zone."
"Yep, that about covers it. What, you don't like a challenge now?" Dax replied with a coy smile on her face. Rzepka could only laugh. "Come on, it'll be fun."
As the women continued walking, Rzepka shook her head. "I'm pretty sure 'fun' wasn't my first thought, but okay. I'm in. For you. No one else."
"Thank you," Dax breathed. "You still owe me one for saving your ass, anyway."