"Can I ask a favor?" Tom opened during one of their now-daily calls. "Can I hitch a ride with you to McKinley? B'Elanna's going to be there for a couple of days; she asked if I would bring Miral to visit."
"Well, I'm hitching with Admiral Casey; she's taking her family. But I'll ask if there's room."
Call finished, she leaned back in her chair. It had been a crazy two months, starting when a Kazon weapon malfunctioned during testing. That meant an unexpected trip to Jupiter Station to sort out the mess. She'd barely returned in time to prep for the tests booked at McKinley.
Tom's life was just as hectic: He was preparing for finals in a class while juggling work on his major project — all interrupted when Miral developed a stubborn ear infection. Those few minutes they spent on the vid each night were their mutual link to sanity.
ooo
"Thank you again for the ride," Tom whispered as they waited to board the shuttle. "What do I owe you for the room?"
Kathryn shook her head. "I used a perk; booked adjoining rooms. However, we will take Ann and John to dinner as a thank you for the ride."
"I can do better than that," he said. "Do they play pool?"
ooo
B'Elanna was waiting at the docking ring. She appeared surprised, then dismayed as Kathryn came out first, but quickly shifted to neutral as Ann Casey followed with Miral and two more girls.
"Admirals ..." she opened, though the conversation halted as Miral ran into her arms. Kathryn and Ann turned their attention to their pilot, who had appeared with various PADDs.
Miral, who wanted to get back to her new friends, squirmed out of her mom's arms. "I hope she behaved on the trip," B'Elanna said.
"Oh, she was great," Ann said. "My daughters had so much fun that they forgot to complain about the ride."
Kathryn broke in. "By the way, this is Admiral Ann Casey; she runs the other half of the Tech Department, specializing in implementation."
"Glad to meet you, Commander," Ann began. "Admiral Janeway here brags about your engineering skills."
"That's very nice of her," B'Elanna said cooly.
Ann's eyebrow raised slightly, but she continued. "It happens that I have a new slate of projects, some using Delta Quadrant tech. If you're interested, I can add you to the invitation list when I have postings."
B'Elanna swallowed. "I have a long-term assignment on Mars."
"Of course," Ann said. "But if you're interested in a spot, and you're a good fit, I can try to make it happen. Admiral Porteaux is always open to negotiating."
ooo
It was a couple of days before Kathryn could make good on that dinner, but finally, the four of them were at the station's best restaurant.
After dinner, she and Ann made a quick run to the restroom. "So, tell me," Kathryn teased as they washed their hands, "do you and Jeanne Porteaux really negotiate Engineering staff transfers, or are you filling your slots through poker games?"
Ann laughed. "That I will never divulge." She lowered her voice. "I was going to contact Torres at some point. But I take it she didn't know you and Tom are dating."
"Er, we're not dating," Kathryn whispered back, which brought a raised eyebrow from Ann.
"You sure fooled me," she said. "Why the hell not? Or do you not want to?"
"I'd like to," she admitted. "But he's not that long out of his marriage. I don't want to blow up our friendship."
"Hmm … I see your point. Well, maybe time will tell, eh?"
"We'll see," Kathryn replied.
ooo
"So, what's in store for us guinea pigs?" John Casey asked as they stood around the holographic pool table.
"We're going to try out a couple of higher levels," Tom said with a grin. "I know you're great players, but skill isn't important right now. However, I have programmed some distractions. So please tell me if it's too much."
He called for the program, and they found themselves in a brightly lit game room lined with banks of colorful machines. Holographic players sat at some spots, and they could hear a cacophony of whizzes, chimes, and voices in the background.
"Looks like a casino," Ann remarked. "But those aren't slot machines."
"Close," Tom said. "It's a Pachinko parlor in Tokyo. Not as crowded as the real thing, though."
They paired off and started a game of Eight-Ball. A couple of shots in, his companions asked him to turn down the background noise.
A bit later, John was about to line up a shot when one of the holographic Pachinko players let out a yell. He jumped; Kathryn and Ann burst out laughing.
"What the hell?" John demanded, though he was laughing, too.
"One of the extra distractions; the player just missed a jackpot," Tom explained. "Too much?"
"For me, yeah," John said.
"My God, you're diabolical," Ann exclaimed. "What's next?"
Tom just grinned. "This is my favorite." The program shimmered, and they shivered as the temperature dropped below freezing.
"You might want these," Tom said as he produced four thermal parkas. As they shrugged into the coats, the rest of the program appeared.
"An ice room?" Kathryn asked as she looked at the walls bathed in blue light.
"That's a bar over there," John said.
"Right. Ever hear of the ancient Ice Festival in Harbin, China?" Tom explained. "This is modeled on the ice hotel there."
"Is that table made of ice?" Ann exclaimed.
"Yep, but don't worry; it won't melt," Tom said. "And the sides are insulated so you can lean on it."
"The cue ball isn't going to explode, is it?" Kathryn asked as she eyed the small ice orb.
"Nope, thought about it, but too cheesy," he said. "I figured the temperature would be enough of a distraction."
ooo
"That was fun," Kathryn said as they had a nightcap in her quarters.
"Ann and John seemed to enjoy it," he remarked, "Except for the loud guy in the Pachinko parlor."
"I could do without that, too," Kathryn admitted. "But considering Ann was lobbying for a copy, I think you have a hit. You consider shopping it to a publisher?"
"Guess that depends on what grade I get," he said. "I hadn't thought about publishing; just figured I'd get a job."
"Well, might be something to consider," she said as she patted his arm. "If nothing else, I'd think being a published author would enhance your resume."