She thought back to the award ceremony as she walked down the gangplank. She had walked out, in order, as instructed. As she stepped onto the stage, like the others, she was greeted with applause, which continued as the Fleet Admiral Westerly pinned the medal on her uniform. She couldn't help but stand a little taller in the presence of all those other 'important people' she had normally just read about or watched on a viewer. Then, as Commander Donatra talked about the need for better relations with the Federation, the impact of what they had done finally hit her. She had to fight back the tears.
"We sat helpless as two so-called 'enemy vessels' defended our world from possible extinction. We watched as 'enemies' died to save us. We can never, ever, thank you enough."
Donatra even went so far as to suggest there would be official peace talks between the Federation and the Romulan Star Empire. Relations between the two had warmed over the years... the Dominion War had forced that. Nothing had been spoken of long-term, however, until yesterday. What they had done may very well have changed the course of history. That knowledge had somehow changed her. Elaine had actually filled out the request form to be transferred to the diplomatic division of Starfleet and stay on Earth with her friends. After the party Saturday evening, she deleted the form.
Elaine spent most of the week partying with her friends at night, then sleeping for most of the day. How her friends did this as a living, she'd never know, but... it was a nice diversion. After her 'indiscretion' Monday night, she successfully kept from getting completely drunk the rest of the week. She was bound and determined to never do anything stupid for a man again. She entered her quarters. "Computer; lights, please." Her lights came up to reveal a living area that had been completely put back together. She walked through each room to access the quality of the replacements.
Most of her furniture was reproduced from the Victorian era. She had considered that period of Earth history to be completely romantic. Her bed was a large, queen sized bed with tapered posts that topped off with a canopy. Her chaise lounge was slightly understuffed to provide a more firm sitting area. Her couch had pinned her small coffee table against the wall, breaking a leg and putting a tear in the wall fabric. Those had both been fixed. She smiled as she walked past her new table. She brushed the polished top with her fingers as she headed to her bed. With a sigh, she threw herself onto her bed, grabbed a pillow, and hugged it to her chest. She was confident she could do this job.
Her thoughts wandered to Tony Moreau. Looking back, she had been unnecessarily harsh to him Tuesday night. Unfortunately, she hadn't the time or the nerve to call him and apologize. He had been nothing but nice to her. Now, she was going to have to work with him. Even worse, his console was right next to hers. That will make for a very uncomfortable career. Eventually, she was going to have to talk to him and straighten everything out. On her bed, she started thinking of what she'd say to him.
