A/N: As a reminder, this weird version of Star Trek is based on my life, so there's no telling what will happen because life is unpredictable.
Ode to A Starship by Lina Shay
Chapter Thirty-Eight: An Occupation of Some Kind
Last night, a bunch of neighborhood brats went into our backyard, smashed up those generators we had wanted to sell, and stole some of the only things that survived the Cardassian raids. It makes me sick to my stomach to think people are capable of such things. We're all here, trying to rebuild our lives. It would do us good to help each other or even mind our own business rather than tear each other down. Why must we not only fight the Cardassians and the harshness of the planet, but also fight each other?
My sister suffered the most from the loss. A great deal of the things were hers. While her and my brother, Alym, try to clean up the mess and salvage what was left behind, and Mom checks to make sure they also didn't make off with our animals, I must stay here. I had it in my mind to go and help Teffan find her things, but Dad is resting. I didn't think it would be good if we all left him here and there was some emergency, and he needed help.
I arrived at the First Contact Commission with a group of other people. I was surprised to see that half of the group were Lyaarans. It was nice to have a little variety after seeing only Bajorans since I came home. Lyaarans aren't known for being friendly, so I tried not to make contact with them. I was happy, however, to find that Manda's sister, Maran, was in my group. It was nice to have someone I knew nearby.
For the first few hours, our major told us protocol. It was rather boring. Then she taught us a new kind of filing system they had developed. We spent the rest of the time learning it. By the time I could go home, I was sick of the place.
While I was in town, I decided to go to the communication relay station. I was glad to find out that several of my friends had sent me messages. Colban and Darren sent very short messages. Sisma and Jala's were longer. They all seemed well. I was glad for that.
On the way home from the relay station, I saw a dead shuttle which looked quite like Peter. I liked to imagine that Sisma had come to visit me, but it was highly unlikely.
The next day of work, I found Maran absent. When I asked the major where she was, I was told that Maran was taking classes at the academy and could only come every other day. I felt surrounded by Lyaarans. When I went outside to take a break from endless algorhythems and filing, I found one of the Lyaarans standing out there. I wouldn't have paid much attention had it not been for him talking to me.
"You look familiar," he said. "Have I seen you at Deep Space 4?"
"Maybe," I said, surprised. "The ship I was stationed on was in that area for quite a while."
He smiled, and for the first time, I realized how handsome he was. He introduced himself ar Tirell Goldak. We had a pleasant conversation which lasted until break was over. He seemed very nice and quite intelligent. I wasn't for sure if I was all that interested in him.
Despite this, I found myself flirting with him the next day. I stood close to him when I watched him do algorhythems and I laughed at his jokes. Maran was back, which got most of my attention. We had fun entering names in the computer and trying to pronounce them. We found ourselves randomly breaking out into song. The major had to tell us to quiet down so we didn't disturb anyone.
At the break for that day, Maran and I went outside, laughing at some odd thing I said. I believe it had something to do with my doing an impression of a Vulcan and asking Maran to marry me. It sent her into fits of giggles.
As we stood there, Kenned came out. I tried to smile at him, but he hardly even looked at me. he acknowledge me briefly, and then left as fast as possible. I didn't understand why he was trying to avoid me so much.
I had this strange fantasy enter my head that I should grab him one of these days, pull him into an empty room and start making out with him. That would get his attention. This thought preoccupied me the rest of the day.
As Maran and I left our shift, I spied Kenned still at his post.
"Maran," I said as we left the building. "I am in love with someone I have no romantic interest in."
She laughed. "What are you talking about?"
"I can't stop thinking about Kenned," I told her. "I would do anything he asked me to, and I have a strong desire to randomly kiss him. But I don't want to date him at all because I don't like him that way."
She gave me an odd look. "You're weird, Lina."
"I know," I muttered.