"Chief how can you stand for this?"
Ajano sighed a long, tired sigh. Below her a group of her own kind, a group of Bajorans, awaited her response. She peered down through the open panel at them as she worked. Their faces were meant to seem livid with fury but to Ajano, they looked more akin to the anger of a child's tantrum than to true indignation.
"Hand me that Tri-corder, would ya'?" She asked, holding out her hand. There was a pause before one of the group went around to the counter and handed it to her.
"Aren't you angry, Ajano?" the one who had handed her the Tri-corder— a young man whom she recognized to be Lieutenant Enda Bekor— whispered to her, "A Cardassian as first officer. The Cardassians aren't even a part of the Federation."
"No I am not angry, Enda. Starfleet does officer transfers with all kinds of aliens all the time."
She tried to make it quite obvious that she was disinterested in the subject by sticking her head back up into the machinery but they were quite stuck on it.
"It feels like they're trying to provoke us." Bekor insisted, "They must have known there were Bajoran officers serving aboard the Beyond so they sent their officer here as a message."
"We'll never be rid of them." Another Bajoran agreed wholeheartedly. There were murmurs of agreement between the group. Ajano, giving the machinery around the area one last scan, was apparently satisfied and knelt down.
"Is that so. Hand me that panel, would you kid?"
The lieutenant started and handed her the section of wall paneling. She murmured a thank you as she carefully replaced it back to its proper place.
"Commander I don't think you're taking this very seriously." said another, her voice quite high.
"That's because there's nothing to take seriously, ensign." Ajano said pointedly as she hopped off the ladder. The group of young Bajorans followed her as she stowed her tricorder away and made down the hall of the engineering section.
"You can't tell me something doesn't seem off about this whole transfer." Bekor said incredulously. Beside him there was a chorus of agreement.
"Commander you were part of the rebellion against the Cardassians so much longer than any of us. You know what they're like, how they think—"
"What I know," Ajano said quietly as she rounded on all of them, a hand raised to quiet them, "is that the occupation of Bajor ended almost twelve years ago. The Dominion war, six years ago. Bajor and Cardassia and the Federation are still recovering from both. No one wants to start a fight."
The group eyed her reluctantly, knowing there was reason in her words. She hated to preach, but she knew she had their respect. She pursed her lips and begrudgingly began.
"We are Bajorans, but we are not just that. We are Bajorans of Starfleet, and Starfleet means working together despite past conflict. And it's hard and takes a long time to get used to, and sometimes it feels like you're doing the wrong thing but you're not. You're helping to make a better future, and that's what matters."
The group of Bajorans seemed to sulk now as reluctant mumbles of agreement gave way among them.
Ajano gave Bekor a gentle side hug and charming smile.
"And besides. There's one of him, and a ship full of us. If he tries anything we have him outnumbered."
At that she cheerfully strode away, leaving the group of young Bajorans to stare after her strangely.