Chapter 1

North sat himself down for breakfast in the CO's private mess. Located near his quarters in the accommodation section, his private mess was somewhere he could dine alone with his thoughts - which North was always grateful for.

Some COs would occasionally invite guests to eat with them, and most saw it as a privilege to be asked to the "captain's table," but North had not yet extended this honour to anyone. Although he was trying to come out of his comfort zone more often, he still relished his solitude.

The table itself was circular, just large enough to seat four people at equal distance from each other, and this morning North noticed an addition to its usual cutlery and condiments.

There was a small glass bottle full of amber liquid, with a red maple leaf printed on its label. He picked up the bottle to examine it closer, and the label identified it as one of the best brands of maple syrup from his homeland of Canada. He smirked at the nostalgic sight.

The steward brought him his breakfast of pancakes and bacon - one of the few indulgences he occasionally allowed himself - and North thanked him, then thought to ask about the syrup.

"Where did this come from?"

The steward looked at the bottle. "Oh, Lieutenant Vaughn asked us to add that to your table, sir. I'm not sure where he got it from."

North nodded in gratitude and the steward left him to his meal.

A taste test of the syrup on his bacon and pancakes confirmed it to be the real thing; rich, sweet, and not too thick. North soon cleared the plate with enthusiasm. He was chasing it down with some coffee, enjoying the view out the window, when the door opened again to admit Vaughn.

"Good morning, Commodore," he said with his usual cheery greeting. "Another beautiful day on Berengaria."

For once, North joined in his aide's upbeat attitude. "Morning, Vaughn. And thank you for the maple syrup."

Vaughn beamed. "Oh, did you like it? I thought it might be a nice taste of home for you."

"It was magnificent," said North. "I haven't had genuine Canadian maple syrup since before the war. Where did you get it all the way out here?"

Vaughn chuckled smugly. "Ah, I usually never reveal my sources, but I suppose I could make an exception. You remember the freighter that was here yesterday? The Zamunda? I happened to be talking with one of their crew and he mentioned that they had an unclaimed crate of it in their cargo. I managed to barter for it with some surplus stock from our food stores. I checked with the commissary staff first, of course."

North nodded in approval. "Command-level thinking, Lieutenant. Good work."

Vaughn shrugged. "It's nice to have a little treat now and then."

"Hm," North grunted in agreement. "Now, onto business. What's on the cards today?"

He sipped at his coffee as Vaughn read from his padd regarding the day's scheduled arrivals, departures, sector operations, and base maintenance.

"Lieutenant Commander McQueen has already left with a survey party to begin exploration of the Pendragon Woods," Vaughn added once the usual affairs were out of the way.

North sighed. He had given in to the whimsical Arthurian naming conventions that hung over the planet, but the terminological inexactitudes that Commander McQueen continually used still grated with him. The vast body of trees to the north of Starbase 1 were more accurately described as a forest, but his plucky Chief Science Officer insisted that "woods" sounded better.

"She's eager," he said. "Getting an early start. Making the rest of us look bad." He smiled thinly.

Vaughn chuckled. "I'd say she would have left yesterday as soon as you approved the survey, if only it hadn't been dark already."

"Indeed," said North, absently gazing out the window towards the forest in question. It stretched out over a considerable area.

"Hopefully the woods are safe," said Vaughn. "It would be nice to have somewhere to go outside when off-duty. We could maybe even get a park or something going eventually."

North gave another non-committal "Hm."

Vaughn returned to his padd. "Ambassador Mamao'lani and Supervisor Grum will both be negotiating with the Draco today. The Ambassador believes they are now open to discussions with Mister Grum regarding mining rights in the mountains."

North leaned back in his seat, contemplating this. Mamao'lani had been conducting occasional "conferences" with the Draco, Berengaria VII's dragon-like natives, over the past two weeks. Caeldon, the leader of the Draco clan with whom Earth had established an agreement, had requested less frequent meetings. She said this was to allow her people to adjust to the new situation without overwhelming them.

Grum, speaking on behalf of the Tellarite Mining Consortium, had been trying to establish mining operations in the mountains claimed by Caeldon's clan, the Redscales. Said mountains were rich in the near-indestructible metal rodinium. As the planet was under the jurisdiction of United Earth, the Tellarites would have to respect the sovereignty of the Redscales so long as they were allies of Earth.

"Well, let's hope some of that Tellarite charm works on the Draco," said North. "If rodinium is mined here, Starfleet will take a share, and we could use it to construct ships, stations…"

"More starbases," said Vaughn with a grin.

North returned a smaller smirk. "Let's see how we get on with this one first, eh?"

"Of course, sir," Vaughn said, his grin unwavering. He consulted his padd again.

"Oh, you remember Guardsman Threv, sir? The Andorian MACO?"

"Yes."

"One of his spouses, Sherene, wants to interview some of the senior staff for a newscast on Andoria. Get to know the heads of Earth's first deep-space outpost. She's already cleared it with Starfleet Command, although they will have to approve the article first, make sure there's no confidential information and such."

North groaned quietly. "I'll mention it at the morning briefing, but the officers will be free to decline. As I will be."

Vaughn seemed surprised by this. "You don't think it will be a good opportunity to make your voice heard, sir? It's sure to become an historic piece."

"I'll let history tell its own story. Now, we should be getting to Ops." He drained the last of his coffee and stood.

Vaughn suddenly became uncharacteristically shy; blushing, avoiding eye contact, and fingering his padd nervously.

"Um, actually, there was one more thing, sir."

Remaining standing by the table, North frowned at Vaughn's change in demeanour. "Go on."

"My, ah, fiancée was wondering if you would like to join the two of us for dinner tonight in our quarters." Still avoiding eye contact, Vaughn waved his hand dismissively. "She just likes to get to know my colleagues, and she's trying to make this more of a home for us, do more everyday things. I understand if you're busy, sir."

North considered this. Normally, he absolutely did not fraternise with his subordinates. Or even his equals, for that matter. But he remembered his promise to himself to try new experiences and get out of his comfort zone. This certainly qualified.

"That sounds… lovely, Vaughn," he said. "Tell your fiancée I'll be there."

Vaughn looked up at him again with a huge smile. "Oh, excellent, sir. Thank you. Nineteen-hundred hours. I'll let her know. You won't regret it; she's a great cook!"

As North made his way out, he wondered if he could consider his promise fulfilled in total after the coming evening.