Chapter Text
Mental Health Officer' s Log. Stardate 2260.03.11.
Now that we're a little way over two months into our mission, I can safely say that I've almost gotten used to life amongst the stars. But that doesn't mean it's grown boring. On the contrary, each day is better than the last. We've already discovered and explored so much. It invites me to consider what other wonders are out there, waiting for us.
Speaking to Luna during my break today has made me realise that I need to set aside more time with her. She keeps insisting that she's fine, but I can see through the lies. I think she's worried about Khan. I'm not surprised since the council has recently been re-assessing their decision at his trial.
On a more positive note, today, I am joining the landing party as it will be Luna's first time off the ship. It's her reward for relatively good behaviour, plus she's been moaning non-stop about not being able to smoke anywhere. We won't be down for long though as this particular planet doesn't have the warmest climate.
I can't exactly continue my xeno-psychology research on Alfa 177 because not much life exists on the surface. I'm simply going down for some fresh air. That's all. It will hopefully be a chance to see some gorgeous scenery and take some new Polaroids for my scrapbook.
Before that, however, I must go and find Mister True. He sent a rather worrying message to my communicator, saying its urgent that I see him straight away...
☆☆☆
It was a humongous challenge for Samsa not to burst out laughing as she looked at her best friend. Turns out it wasn't a huge emergency after all. The poor man simply made the terrible mistake of allowing the first graders to paint for the last session of the day.
"Did they get any of it on the paper at all?" Samsa asked, having to clear her throat to cover a laugh.
Mason scowled at her and continued to pick at the flecks of red that had dried in his hair. He looked like a human rainbow, covered from head to toe in various splashes of colour. "At least I've learnt my lesson. I'll stick to less messy activities when it comes to arts and crafts. You think Luna could do some knitting with them?"
"I'll definitely ask when I see her." Samsa came to stand in front of the drying rack where all of the paintings were displayed. She smiled at one in particular that looked like a rough depiction of Mason wearing his bowtie and fairy wings. "They got your eyes spot on," she teased.
He approached her side to see for himself and grinned at the picture. "I don't think I've ever looked better."
"Understatement of the century." Samsa giggled but smiled at him warmly. "This job is perfect for you. You seem so much happier than you were two months ago."
Mason returned the smile. "I am."
"Any more visions?"
"Nope," he said, popping the 'p'. "Just the same ones that I can't really make out."
"Do you think that means you're getting better at controlling them?" Samsa asked with a curious frown.
Mason shrugged and continued scraping at the red paint in his hair. "No idea. I was gonna try and talk to Amalbi more about it but...she scares me."
The blonde laughed and went to respond when there was a bleep on her communicator. It was a message from Jim: Fancy dinner in my quarters tonight? Samsa felt her cheeks heat up as she grinned at the thought of his offer.
"What's the Captain said?"
She looked up to see Mason smirking with a single eyebrow raised suggestively.
"How do you know it's from Jim?" She asked, narrowing her eyes.
"Your face is redder than my hair."
Samsa scowled at him playfully but answered his question. "I've been asked to dinner in his quarters tonight."
"I see," Mason grinned. "Have you guys ever talked about sharing quarters?"
"You mean like moving in together?"
"Yeah. You're there most nights anyway, right?"
Samsa never thought about it like that. Since she and Jim got back together again, they had been taking things relatively slow. They rarely talked about where their relationship was going, but she was more than happy to just enjoy their time in each other's company.
"I...I guess I am." Samsa cleared her throat and sent a speedy reply accepting Jim's offer. "It's something to think about, but we both like having our own space and I dread to think what other people-"
"Sams-" Mason cut her off and put his hands on her shoulders. "-you've been dating for almost a year. Don't let what other people say get in the way of the happiness you both deserve."
Samsa's face brightened and she pulled her friend into a tight hug. "Thank you," she whispered over his shoulder.
Mason seemed hesitant to return the embrace, making the blonde frown. When she pulled away, it became clear why. The front of her uniform was now smudged with different colours of paint.
"I was gonna warn you but it was too late," Mason cringed.
"That's alright," Samsa chuckled. She began making her way to the classroom door. "I've got to change anyway."
"How come?"
"Luna's been allowed to join the landing party on Alfa One-Seven-Seven, so I'm going with her."
Mason looked baffled but his face lifted into a wide smile. "She's allowed to leave the ship?"
"Only for a cigarette. She's been moaning nonstop about not being able to have any onboard," Samsa said, rolling her eyes. She adored Luna, but her smoking habit could be a real nuisance. "We've got to wrap up because the surface temperature gets colder towards the evening."
"Good," Mason said. "Oh, not the cold! The cold isn't good. I mean, it'll be good for her to...to...get out."
Samsa studied Mason's face as he spoke. He refused to meet her gaze, focussing instead on his feet as he shifted his weight between them. Seeing him like this was fairly new for the Sanguine.
Guilt. That was one emotion she could just about see on his face. The last thing Samsa wanted to do was force her friend to confide in her. She took a step towards him with a soft smile.
"Mason," she began. "Are you sure there's nothing else you want to talk about?"
"No, I'm fine. Just drenched in paint," he chuckled, glaring down at his colourful attire.
Despite his humorous tone, Samsa was unconvinced. "Fancy joining us for a short trip out? Luna said she missed you."
Mason's head snapped up. "She did?"
Samsa nodded, her lips lifting into a smile. She assumed Mason would take up her offer, but the man's face fell slightly after a moment.
"Maybe next time," he sighed. "I've still got to de-paint."
"Fair enough." Samsa started making her way to the door but paused to say one last thing before leaving. "Let me know if you change your mind."
☆☆☆
It still felt like a dream for Benita. Being able to continue her job as a marine biologist was amazing, never mind travelling the stars alongside it. It would be truly perfect...if it weren't for the fact that her family had no idea where she was. Only Valentina knew her true whereabouts.
Benita liked to avoid thinking about it too much. It interfered with her work and distracted her. Take her current position for example. She was observing the movement of hermit crabs residing in a rock pool that was due to freeze over in a matter of hours. However, thanks to her worrying, she managed to lose sight of the particular creature she had been focussing on.
"Mierda," she cursed under her breath.
"You okay over there, Benny?" Pablo called.
Benita looked up to see him staring at her with furrowed eyebrows as he rubbed his gloved hands together in an attempt to generate heat.
"Si," she sighed, forcing a smile. "Just lost my crab. That's all." She allowed her eyes to scour the water once more, before rising from her crouched position. Though her coat was bulky and difficult to work in, the Romulan was glad of the extra layers. "Do you want another hot drink, Pabs?"
Pablo halted his work and looked at her as if she'd granted his deepest wish. "Anything to keep my limbs from going numb."
"I'll take that as a yes," the Romulan giggled.
She turned and trudged up the small embankment that headed back towards the main camp, away from the rock pools she and Pablo had been working around. It consisted of two tents: one for research, the other for communal purposes.
In a matter of hours, a snowstorm was due to cover the entire area they had surveyed. Until then, the temperature would continue to drop. When they first beamed down, the ground was only covered by a light dusting of frost. Now, Benita's boots sunk ankle-deep into a thick layer of snow.
Lieutenant Sulu stood beside the research tent, still holding the canine-like creature they discovered on the surface. Its fur was thick and honey-brown in colour. Despite the rather large horn and set of antenna that poked from the top of its head, it did look rather adorable.
Its cuteness was magnified by the snuffled purrs that escaped its snout when Ensign Chekov began stroking its chin.
The Captain himself stood a few paces away, smiling at his two crew members as they fussed over the animal. Beneath his smile, however, he looked exhausted.
"Have they got a name for him yet?" Benita asked, coming to a stop at Kirk's side.
He glanced at her and chuckled. "I think they settled on Rupert."
"He does look like a Rupert," she said with a nod of approval.
"I agree," Kirk beamed. "How's your research going?"
"Good, but I think the cold's going to my head a bit."
"We'll call it a day soon. Don't want anyone turning into an ice cube."
Benita laughed and shoved her hands into her pockets. "Didn't you say that Doctor Gillian and her sister were going to join us?"
The Captain went to reply but, as if on cue, three figures materialised amid a gleam of golden light from the transporter. They were all kitted out in the same warming gear. Sure enough, it was Samsa and Luna, with the addition of Security Officer Hendorff at the end.
"Founders, you weren't wrong about the climate," Luna said. She retrieved a cigarette that was tucked atop her ear and pulled a lighter from her pocket. "It's a bit nippy."
"A bit?" Hendorff scoffed.
"It's beautiful," Samsa whispered.
Her eyes were fixed on the horizon, where the light from the two setting suns reflected off a huge structure of twisting ice. Beneath this, was a large lake, peppered with several icebergs varying in size. It was a truly entrancing sight.
"Oh, look at this one!" The blonde hurried through the snow, towards Sulu and Chekov, who were still stroking Rupert. "What is it?"
"One of the mammals native to this section of the surface," Chekov replied. "We called him Rupert."
"He's lovely," Samsa beamed, running a hand through the animal's fur. "He doesn't exactly blend in with his surroundings. How does he protect himself from predators?"
"Just you wait," Sulu said as he exchanged a glance with Chekov and grinned.
The Lieutenant placed Rupert on the ground and stood back. Benita had already witnessed this little trick. She was excited to see everyone's reactions. Sure enough, Samsa gasped when the creature's once brown fur began to turn snowy-white. If it weren't for the horn and antenna, he would blend in completely.
"Nah, still looks like a dog in a Halloween costume to me," Luna said, peering at Rupert over her sister's shoulder.
Hendorff rolled his eyes at Luna's comment and took a few steps forward. "Have you had any problems on the surface, Captain?"
"None so far. It's been very quiet. Got to make sure we're out of here before the storm arrives though."
"How long till that happens?" Samsa asked, moving to the Captain's side.
The change in Kirk's body language was instantaneous. He seemed so much more relaxed and content in Samsa's presence. "Couple of hours at the most."
"I've got time to take some photos then." Samsa placed her bag in the snow and started removing several items. The first was her polaroid camera. The next thing to emerge was a large silver flask. "I brought some hot cocoa for everyone as well."
"You're a star, Doctor Gillian," Kirk said, smiling at his girlfriend warmly.
The way they looked at each other...Benita wished she had something like that. But she always found it hard to build deep connections with people. Either, she would get scared and close herself off, or the relationship just wouldn't work out.
The situation with Scotty was a case of her getting freaked out by the prospect of catching feelings for someone. It was a rare occurrence for Benita, so when he wanted to take things to the next level, she made a quick excuse of 'needing time to think about it'.
The Romulan's thoughts were interrupted as a snowball came hurtling past her head and collided with Hendorff's face, taking everyone by surprise. The man stumbled backwards and spluttered, wiping the compacted ice away with a string of profanities.
They all turned to see Luna trying to hold back laughter a few feet away. She still held her lit cigarette in one hand, while the other was pressed against her mouth. This along with the addition of a disturbance in the snow at her feet revealed she was the culprit.
"Sorry about that, Officer!" She called, still failing to keep a straight face. "I was aiming for my sister!"
Samsa grinned at the brunette mischievously. "Is that so?" After passing her camera and flask to the Captain, she knelt to make her own snowball. "Don't worry," she said to Hendorff. "I'll get her back for you."