The data pad slipped from Harry's fingers and clattered on the mess hall floor. He jerked upright, trying to snap to attention. "Yes sir. Sorry s- " He broke off. The mess hall was deserted and dark, the only light coming from the stars outside the window and the low fire Neelix had left on for some stew dish with an unpronounceable name. The fire didn't give off much light, but created eerie shadows that made it difficult to see anything clearly and gave the darkness an illusion of move met. To an outside observer, the odd lighting darkened Harry's complexion, making him look handsome despite his bleary appearance. Harry rubbed his eyes and sigh. He must have fallen asleep over his annuluses of the data the probe had gathered from the anomaly. He bent down to retrieve the data pad, but instead of resuming his annuluses, he set the pad on one of the deserted tables near his chair and carefully made his way across the room to the replicator. "Coffee, Black." Harry told it, too tired to say it was forcefully as he normally did. The replicator chimed in reply, then beeped again as the coffee materialized. With out the cup. Hot coffee splashed Harry's hand and uniform. "Aaah!" he yelped in surprise and pain as he quickly shook the cooling coffee off his hand. "shit." he muttered. Tom's laughter echoed slightly in the nearly empty room and B'lanna's laughter joined in with his.

"Tom!" Harry growled and spun around just in time to catch the towel B'lanna tossed to him.

"Lights," Tom told the computer still chuckling. Harry winced as the lights blinked on. "Oh come on Harry," B'lanna said caching the look on Harry's face. "It was just a joke."

"A joke," Harry said, his anger making his voice slightly deeper and causing a barely perceivable stammer. "You call this a joke." Harry's voice rose, and then he seemed to deflate. "Look," Harry said forcefully, in the tone he had been to tired to use on the replicator. His voice shook a little as he continued. "I'm too tired for this tonight. I," he said exaggerating the pause between each word. "Am going to bed." Harry grabbed the data pad and the doors hissed shut behind him as he left the mess hall.

"Wow," Tom said turning to B'lanna. "he was really upset."

"He'll get over it," She replied absently, her attention fix on the replicator they had reprogrammed earlier. "Pass the hypo-scanner."