"Oh my god"

Shit. The Forensic Archaeologist who had been assigned... she knew that name. She'd heard it a few times when the Captain and Commander were sniping at each other about their ugly history. That is, before they'd agreed to both be more professional and stop fighting. At least on the bridge. She'd looked up the guy's file back then and asked just the right question to get Gordon to spill the whole story after a few drinks. Alara knew exactly who Darulio was.

There's no way the Captain could have guessed this guy would was going to show up on his ship.

I have to warn him, she thought. The bridge was way too public to be calling him on comms to say "by the way, the new guy is the dude who cuckolded you".

"What is the matter?" Bortus beside her asked. Alara hadn't realized she had spoken aloud.

"Aw…," 'shit' she didn't finished saying before racing off the bridge.

Alara raced across the ship, nearly a blur as she sped past other crew-members in the corridors. She pounded down the staircase and ran through another deck to reach the shuttlebay's upper level.

"Ensign Brooks, put a hold on the shuttle." she ordered, desperate for just a minute or two alone with Mercer to warn him.

"The shuttle just docked." The ensign on duty informed her from his station.

Damn, she was too late.

"Crap," she said quietly, watching from the upper observation deck as her Captain walked into an emotional ambush, "It's Darulio."

"The guy she cheated with?" the ensign asked. "The one with the stuff coming out of his head?"

"How'd you know about that?" she demanded, wanting to protect Ed from the gossip.

"You told me."

"Oh. Yeah." Shit. She was the gossip spreading Mercer's business. She hadn't really known him when she started sharing what she learned with others. Alara regretted that now. It would be all around the ship as soon as Darulio's name got out. "Uh… that's him. That's our forensic archaeologist."

And the absolute last person Ed Mercer wanted to see on his ship.

When she joined them on the flight deck, she could feel the tension coming off Mercer. He may have shook Darulio's hand, but Alara was pretty sure Ed would rather have set the blue man on fire.

"Hey. Hey, guys." Her greeting as she joined them was awkward but then so was the entire situation.

Ed glanced at her. Geez, if looks could kill his face would blunt-force-trauma Darulio right through the floor.

"Alara, show Darulio here to his stupid lab," Mercer ordered.

He caught her eye briefly when he turned to march out. He probably didn't want to face anybody right now but he'd given that look and she was sure it was because he didn't want her to think he was angry with her. After all, it was her job to vet incoming visitors to the ship, Alara should have warned him. She had tried. She knew he wouldn't blame her in the slightest for not getting there in time but she kinda blamed herself for letting him walk in blind.

"So… you know Kelly and Ed?" Alara couldn't help asking as she escorted Darulio to his lab. She kept her face impassive, curious what he would say to someone he thought didn't know the history. Would he confess to being a homewrecker? Would he make up an elaborate lie?

"Yeah, yeah I do," he said but didn't elaborate. Vague was the easy way out.

"Did you guys, like, go to school together…?" Alara asked innocently, trying to lead him into a trap. Mainly she was just curious if he was sorry. If he regretted ruining a marriage or was the least bit ashamed of it now that he faced the people his actions had hurt and could see for himself the damage it had done to their relationship.

But Alara didn't get an answer. At that moment Darulio ran right into, or rather right through, Yaphit which was an effective distraction. And she wasn't able to steer the conversation back to her commanding officers before they reached their destination.

Alara couldn't help but be impressed by her captain when he talked down the Bruidian and Navarian ambassadors. They were literally ready to kill each other before Ed started talking, and by the time he was done he had them both in agreement and even complimenting the Orville's hospitality.

She knew Darulio's presence had his head in a mess. That he could put it aside to smoothly bring two warring cultures from the brink of annihilating each other was why he sat in the Big Seat. Ed even managed a couple convincing smiles for the delegates while trying to sooth them. He was pretty incredible.

But Alara didn't miss the murderous look Ed gave Kelly before he left. Or the fact that the First Officer didn't leave with the Captain. She followed Kelly, determined to find out what that was all about.

When Kelly admitted what had happened not 5 minutes before, how Ed had found her in bed with Darulio again, Alara wasn't just impressed by Ed's behavior. She was in complete awe of his professionalism and self-control. If she had been in his shoes she wouldn't have been shmoozing angry delegates with a grin, she would have been punching holes in the bulkheads. To basically relive the worst day of his life

Even after several minutes of Kelly's gushing, Alara still didn't get it. She couldn't really understand the apparently strong appeal of Darulio. He wasn't that good looking and he was only average charming. Nice enough but she doubted he would have been able to keep peace with the delegates.

"Was it like that with Ed?" Alara asked when Kelly started talking about Darulio's magnetism being like a drug.

The two men were really different, but obviously Kelly had seen the appeal in Ed too. She had married him, after all.

"Totally different. Ed's the kind of guy you could send out for tampons and bagels. And he always made me laugh." Kelly explained, or tried to. It wasn't getting much clearer.

"That sounds nice," Alara pointed out.

Wasn't that kinda thing why people wanted partners in the first place? Xelayans didn't put much stock in the idea of a grand fairy tale romance. She knew humans were different but surely they knew that some kind of intense initial infatuation didn't mean much if the person wasn't going to be there to support you. To have someone consistent, considerate, who works with you to help you achieve your goals and pushes you to be a better person. These things were more important in Xelayan culture than love at first sight or 'fireworks'.

Evidently they weren't more important to Kelly. The fact that doing her job and meeting the ambassadors hadn't been more important either got Alara worrying. Kelly started gushing again and by the time she was talking about soul mates, Alara decided she need to look further into this blue butthead who kept replacing her Captain in the esteem of the woman who claimed to love him.

When Ed's professionalism slipped and he blew off the Bruidian ambassador in favor of a date with Darulio, Alara had to act. The thing with Kelly was weird enough, but for Ed to be negligent of duty? Just to make a move on his archenemy? Alarm bells were ringing in Alara's head.

Darulio's admission that he kinda sorta 'accidentally' roofied the Captain and First Office with his species' mating pheromones had her seeing red. The man knew damn well what his physiology was capable of, he had taken no steps at all to prevent it from happening, and he was entirely unconcerned about it now. Forget that it could lead to war between two cultures, or that Ed stood to possibly lose his ship and his rank if the Union admirals ever found out he was in the sack when he should have been on the bridge.

What made Alara sick was the loss of agency Ed and Kelly were experiencing. It was bad enough to be forced to do something against your will, but to be tricked into thinking you wanted it by an alteration to your body chemistry? The potential emotional trauma that could result from people running straight towards the very thing they loathe…

Alara was ready to break Darulio into tiny blue pieces and shove them out the airlock.

But right now, that wasn't going to help her captain.