Exiting the commander's chamber quickly, Jenara paused as the door slid shut. Suddenly, she crumpled against the bulkhead taking a deep breath. My God, what just happened? Quickly recovering herself, she continued to her own quarters. As she entered, she quickly pulled off her com badge and allowed her uniform to melt away into a night gown. She went to the replicator.
"Hot chocolate with marshmallows," she ordered. Within moments it appeared. Her adopted parents had introduced her to this soothing beverage.
Tentatively taking a sip, she went to her couch and sat down, spying the PADDs on her coffee table. Dweezle must have had them brought, she thought. Again, another deep breath issued from her as the events of the day played through her mind. First, she gets a promotion which made her feel higher than a kite...a real sense of accomplishment. But then...Jonathan Lataro walked into her life. Being Tanzaran, she had felt every emotion that had coursed through Commander Lataro, along with his conscious thoughts. As much as she tried to deny it, she had felt something as well.
"This is crazy!" she told herself. "You're 129 years old and for the first time you actually feel strong chemistry with someone and not only is he your commander, who happens to be inebriated, but he's also engaged! What is wrong with you?!"
Looking at the hot chocolate in her hands, she suddenly lost her appetite for it. She placed it on the table and buried her face in her hands. I wonder if I ask if they'll shoot me out a torpedo tube... she thought cynically. Sighing, she looked out the porthole, into the darkness of space. She knew there was no way she'd be getting any sleep now. Instead, she began to recollect the events that led her to the Mess Hall at such an inopportune time...
"Congratulations," Captain Maruu said as he announced to Jenara that she was now the Chief Science Officer.
"Thank you, Sir!" she replied as her green eyes twinkled. There was nothing like the feel of a promotion! It was like the feeling on Christmas morning when you got the one thing you had been dreaming you would get.
After the captain left her in the lab where she had been completing a series of experiments trying to break the virus down for Calbian Fever since it was the one type of virus that seemed to be prevalent in this quadrant, she finished her shift and checked the results she had managed to retrieve and then left. She was still floating high on her promotion. Perhaps she'd go to the Forward Lounge and get a drink in celebration, she thought.
As she walked she happened to see Benton.
"Hey! How are you?" she said, flashing a smile. "Guess what?"
"What?" he replied, startled a bit by her exuberant response to his presence.
"I have just been made Chief Science Officer!" she replied. "Come have a drink with me to celebrate!"
"I don't know," he replied.
"You wouldn't want to hurt my feelings, would you?" she asked. "I mean, you are off duty, right?"
"Yes," he answered.
"And Spot is secured in his cage?"
"Yes."
"Then I think you are out of excuses!" she replied, linking her arm around his. "I promise, just one drink. That's it. I just think this is a reason to celebrate!"
With that, she led him through the corridor and to the Forward Lounge.
It was a short jaunt to the lounge. As they took a seat, they ordered drinks. Surprised by this, Jenara watched as Benton ordered Altair water. She had a Tygarian Sparkler. It was one of her favorite drinks. Jenara enjoyed Benton's company immensely, though he did seem kind of clueless to her interest in him. She thought it was kind of cute.
"To good friends and promotions!" she said, toasting.
They clinked glasses.
Suddenly, one of the ensigns from her lab arrived carrying a stack of PADDs. It was Karen Thomas. She was a quiet young girl with brown hair, but very striking blue eyes. She was looking around the lounge until she spotted Jenara. Immediately, she walked up to her.
"Hello, Lieutenant," she said, "I was told that I needed to bring these to you. That you needed to review them before your next duty shift."
Jenara's left eyebrow lifted quizzically as she took the PADDs from the young woman. "Thank you, Ensign," she replied.
Just as quickly the girl vanished. As Jenara looked through the PADDs, she felt a little of her jubilant nature drain away. These PADDs were full of the protocols for her new position, as well as status reports on all the officers under her that she was responsible for in one way or another.
"Is something wrong?" Benton asked.
"Oh, no. Just didn't realize there would be so much more for me to do being Chief Science Officer. But that's okay," she quickly recovered. "I haven't been around for 129 years for nothing! I'm a quick study!"
As Benton finished his water, he bid her good night. She had already become engrossed in this excess of information she had been handed. Time seemed lost as she studied, and she didn't notice Commander
Lataro enter the lounge and go to the bar and to Dweezle.