Chapter 6

"Pass more of that red sauce, please," said Chalmos through a mouthful of dinner.

"This is good," said Sherene, pointing to her plate. "What's it called again?"

"'Meat loaf,'" said Azhri. "Sal gave me the recipe."

Threv and his bondmates were gathered around the dining table in their quarters for the evening meal. Azhri had had a table and kitchenette installed to make the place more homely, and so they wouldn't have to go out to the mess halls to eat all the time. Although Threv would have preferred to eat alone, he did admit that his family were becoming less anxiety-inducing as they got used to their new environment.

"This Terran food isn't so bad," said Chalmos, as he cut himself another slice of the meatloaf.

"The rest of us will never know, if you keep shovelling it all away," said Sherene, teasing. They all laughed along.

"How was work today, Threv?" Azhri asked, as she often did at the end of the day.

"Fine," he said. "Quiet."

"Guess there's not much to do if we're not being attacked by Draco or Orions," said Sherene, smirking.

Azhri gave her a scolding look but said nothing. They all knew Threv had been disciplined after stunning one of the Orion refugees last month. The disciplinary action wasn't as severe as it would have been in the Imperial Guard, but would still be a black mark on his service record, even if most Andorians would have done the same in his situation.

"Speaking of the Draco," said Azhri, changing the subject with practiced skill, "how's your work coming along, Chalmos?"

"Great!" said the skinny chan, taking another mouthful of food.

"What is it you're doing again?" Sherene asked.

Chalmos quickly swallowed. "Ambassador Mamao'lani sends me all the data he's collected on the Draco's history and culture for me to study. I'm working on a paper to submit to the Andorian Science Institute."

"That's good of him to do that," said Azhri.

"Yeah," said Chalmos. "Especially as he doesn't have to. Starfleet has its own experts for that stuff, but the Ambassador says it's in the interest of Coalition relations. I'm just happy to have a brand new culture to study. No other Andorian archaeologist knows anything about the Draco!"

Azhri beamed. "We're so happy for you!"

Sherene nodded but Threv himself was indifferent. At most, he felt guilty that his bondmates were doing so well, while he either avoided danger altogether or dove headfirst into it with no regard for survival. And no wish for survival either.

"How about you, Sherene?" asked Azhri. "Any 'hot scoops' this week?"

Sherene shook her head. "Not really. Some psychologist is visiting from Earth, to study Human brains or something."

"Oh really?" said Azhri. Her antennae bowed forward in curiosity.

Threv found himself joining in, as he was mildly interested in the topic. "Yeah. He's from a respected foundation for researching and treating mental health problems."

"Humans are too soft about mental health, if you ask me," said Chalmos. "One of my colleagues in the library has been off work with 'stress' for two weeks now."

Sherene scoffed. "Maybe this doctor's here to figure out a way to get them to toughen up." She and Chalmos shared a chuckle.

Threv looked down at the table, crestfallen that his family were so callous about such issues. Azhri saw his reaction and tried to offer an opposing view.

"I think it's good that they treat mental health so seriously," she said. "Better to talk about those kind of problems than it is to bottle them up." She gave Threv a smile. Her words were lost on the others though.

Chalmos snorted derisively. "They shouldn't be babied either though."

"Someone with mental health problems has no business in an organisation like Starfleet anyway," said Sherene.

Azhri seemed ready to speak again, but Threv knew it was pointless. He quietly excused himself and went into the bedroom.

Azhri soon followed him.

"Threv," she said softly, "they didn't really mean what they said."

Threv sighed, turning away from her. "Yes they did."

She put her hands onto his shoulders gently. "If you told them about your experiences during the war, I'm sure they'd see things differently."

Initially, Threv had been grateful to have someone to talk to about his breakdown in combat. Now, he regretted sharing the tale with Azhri, as she constantly wanted him to tell Sherene and Chalmos as well.

"I'll think about it," he said.

In truth, after the dinner table conversation, he had now resigned himself to keeping a lid on his secret permanently. Azhri would stop pestering him about it eventually.

Maybe the memories would stop pestering him too.

"Ooh! They have hotdogs," said Kat as she looked over the menu in Sal's Diner.

She and Ed occasionally visited the diner together, and Kat was thankful whenever they got the chance. Ed had been so stressed lately - taking on lots of new responsibilities with his promotion - that staying in their quarters was a little nerve-racking. He was quick to anger.

Ed had always been easily stressed. He felt that he'd been unfairly held back in his career. But now that he was a department head, he was sure to simmer down. Once he had gotten used to the new burden, of course. Kat hoped it would be soon.

Over dinner, she was planning on comparing their encounters with Dr. Heidelburg earlier today, to help take Ed's mind off everything else.

Now, sat across from her at their small table, Ed looked at Kat over his own menu. "Hotdogs? You had a pretty big lunch, you should probably just have a salad."

Sal was standing by the table to take their order, and she now looked at Kat the same way most people did when they mistook Ed's words for aggression. He was only looking out for her.

"Y-You're right," said Kat. "I do feel kinda bloated."

"I wasn't gonna mention it," said Ed.

Sal now looked as though she was about to interject, but someone else beat her to it.

"Excuse me, Lieutenant Garrison?"

Kat and Ed looked up to see the pale, slender Lt. Sylor approach.

Ed sighed. "Sylor, what is it? Can't you see I'm about to eat?"

Sylor nodded to both Kat and Sal before looking to Ed. "I apologise for the intrusion, sir, but I am in the process of linking the priority comm channels between the starbase and the drydock…"

"Yes, and?" said Ed. "Do you need my help with everything?"

Sylor raised an eyebrow but retained a typically Vulcan serenity. "As I reminded you earlier, sir, I will require a senior officer's access code in order to establish a connection."

Ed rubbed at his forehead. Kat chimed in to try and help.

"I don't mind if you need to go," she said.

"It's not up to you," he snapped at her. It earned another look from Sal, who now looked as though she was about to bite through her tongue.

Sylor also attempted to be helpful. "I could always ask another senior officer…"

"No, no, it's fine, I'll come bail you out," said Ed, standing up. Kat suspected that he didn't want Sylor explaining why he couldn't ask Ed for help to another senior staff member. It would only end up another misunderstanding that made Ed look bad.

Ed pointed at Kat. "I'll be twenty minutes, thirty tops. Don't order anything til I get back."

"Oh, okay," said Kat as Ed and Sylor left. She looked up at Sal, who was still regarding her as if she were crazy. "Um, just some water, please."

"Kat, right?" said Sal. "I've seen the two of you in here a few times. Does he always talk to you like that?"

Kat normally brushed off such comments, but she felt compelled to answer Sal. "He's just going through a difficult time right now…"

"Sweetheart, we all go through difficult times. We're not defined by how life treats us, but by how we treat others regardless. You really sure you wanna stay with a man like that?"

This seemed a very personal question, and Kat knew that Sal had a reputation for getting people talking, but she simply said, "Water, please."

Sal seemed taken aback by this, but thankfully did not push the matter further, merely taking a note of the order and leaving Kat alone.

Sal might have a way with people, but Kat had learned long ago how to keep her mouth shut.