Disclaimer: Don't own. Wish I did. Paramount is the master. Etc.
Malcolm sat lazily on the leather couch in his quarters, arm resting on the top and feet lazily hanging over the side. He had his uniform zipped halfway down his chest, and he had messed up his hair a little when his shift ended. Everything was eerily quiet as he sat there gazing out the window, blue and pink light dancing on his face. Out of sight of the window, a star called S Mon shone like a diamond radiating with a million lights. Within the glow of the Fox Fur nebula, everything was silent.
Malcolm made no move, no sound, as he gazed. He simply thought. Thought how something so beautiful could exist. The work of a random, giant bang, or the creation of a gentler Being? Surely this nebula was not just a mistake, just the result of time's patient urging. But what use would a higher Power have with a nebula, housing a star that shone like a lighthouse on stormy nights? Or maybe it was a mix of both. After all, was it not Einstein who said "Science without religion is lame, and religion without science is blind"?
For a brief moment the Brit wondered what his father would think of this. Even after all these years, he was probably still upset about Malcolm's decision of Starfleet over the Navy. The man never really knew how to let go of things. But would he be proud of his son, if he could be here, right now? Would he agree that it was worth the break in the family tradition? Malcolm chuckled to himself. Of course he wouldn't agree.
At that moment Hoshi bustled in. She smiled when she saw Malcolm thoughtfully staring out the window.
"Hey beautiful." She said, referring to Reed.
He turned to her. "How was your shift?"
"Well, I discovered that there is absolutely no life whatsoever in this nebula. I found no beacons, no signals of any sort, no nothing. We sent a probe out, but it found nothing." She paused as she moved to stand beside the couch, looking out the window with her fiancé.
"Pity. I would feel very fortunate if I lived on a planet in a place like this. I would pull out a telescope every night, just to gaze at.…" she chuckled softly to herself. "Just to gaze at colourful gases and a mess of stars."
"You're not crazy." Malcolm said, taking her hand in his. Her skin was warm and soft.
Hoshi smiled and sat down on the couch beside Malcolm, where they could gaze through the window, closer to each other.
For a while they simply sat there, close to each other, staring at the whirlpool of cosmic perfection. The silence was sweet.
Hoshi ended the silence with a sigh. "The Captain says he wants to spend a couple more days in here, getting scientific data and such. I know I won't regret it." Silence fell once again.
Malcolm looked at Hoshi, watched with satisfaction as her black eyes luminesced, crayon swirls from the nebula reflecting in her eyes. It took her a moment to realize that his attention had wandered.
"What?" She asked, smiling.
"Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?"
Hoshi's grin broadened. He leaned in to her, and they kissed, falling back against the couch.
The nebula I'm talking about in this story can be seen in the Astronomy Picture of the Day for March 14th 2005. If you see that pic, you might get into the story easier.
