(Log events take place after "Restoration"/the retaking of Aegis) A Fine Mess, Part III - Tea for Two Jylliene walked in a daze toward her quarters. She paused for the security checks along the way, then continued. It felt like it had been weeks since she had slept. She had found herself nearly drifting off at her console, and realized that she needed at least a short break to try to get some food. A nap would be good too, but she wasn’t sure if there’d be time for that before she had to be back. Glancing up, she recognized a figure ahead of her. “Nijil?” she called out. She quickened her pace, catching up with him, and repeated, “Nijil?” “One seven three, panel three seven, power surge. Access tube one baker, junction three. Optical data network node twelve, main trunk beneath engineering...” Whether or not Nijil noticed her remained a mystery. So many things to remember. So many repairs to make. “Computer, Engineer access ‘tr’Korjata One Three Jylliene authorise..” Something did not seem ‘right’ with Nijil. Many thought this, but this time was different. “Mr. tr’Korjata?” He stopped suddenly as if he forgot to get fresh milk from the replimat on the midway. He paused for a few moments. “What? Is that you Tajai?” Nijil asked to the air. He gripped his PADD forcefully. “Unless Tajai is a Romulan term for “Annoying Ops officer who still wants to have tea with you”, no, I’m not.” Somewhat concerned, Jylliene hoped for at least some recognition, or she’d follow him and make sure he got orders to sleep, if need be. He did not look at her, he only handed her a PADD. On this PADD was the face from the morgue, one of a female Romulan. Pretty once, but lifeless now. The autopsy report listed her as one of the conspirators. Name: Tajai. “A lovely woman. Did you know her?” she asked, softly, as she looked at the image. Nijil nodded slightly, a tear fell down his cheek but rapidly caught by his hand. “She would be what you would call a first love.“ Jylliene winced. “I’m sorry. Should I leave you be?” Nijil reached out with his hand and grabbed her uniform at the shoulder. “I should not be alone.” He finally looked up. “Tea.” “Tea. My quarters, if you’d like? Or yours? Somewhere a bit quieter than the midway or the mess?” She glanced at him. “Umm. Yours I guess. Mine is...unsuitable at this time. Thank you,” he answered, still a bit wacky. “Of course,” she said, as she handed back the PADD, and led him further down the corridor. “It’s just over here.” With the push of a few buttons, the door slid open, and she gestured to the open doorway. “Come on in.”

(Log events take place before "Reviewing the Facts") The mess hall was strangely quiet. Well, perhaps not quiet - there was noise - but it wasn’t the usual hum of conversation. People were passing through quickly, grabbing their food, barely sitting to eat before rushing off to prepare for who knows what end. Perhaps everyone felt in the back of their mind that they could meet the same end that had been seen on the viewscreen. While the Aegean had been on a mission for the benefit of the Romulans, one of Aegis’s own fell to the very ones meant to benefit. Who was behind this, and what did they possibly hope to gain? Either way, Jylliene had the same thoughts as many likely did. It’s one thing to join Starfleet knowing that yes, you might give your life in its service. It’s quite another to see someone do just that in what should have been a safe environment, and face your own mortality as you rushed headlong into the same setting. She glanced up and saw a familiar figure just a few steps away. Familiar, but in a much more depressed mood. The sight of what happened earlier on the Aegean main view upset him greatly. It should not have. He knew much of how disruptors worked, much more than he wanted really. And he did not know Jorahl well enough to feel as if a family member met their end for all to see. All of his thoughts of what happened culminated in his stirring and stirring of his tea. “Nijil?” He did not stir. Jylliene touched his sleeve lightly. Like a bolt of lightning Nijil awoke and quickly went for his weapon, only pulling out a small microspanner. His reflexes along with his weapon choice surely placed him in the engineer camp. “Nooo! Oh...I’m sorry.” He laid the spanner back on the table and held his head in his hands. “My apologies.” “I should be the one apologizing. I didn’t mean to startle you.” She paused, then continued, “I don’t know quite how to process it all. I...” She paused again. “How are you?” He gave a quarter smile, “I have been better. I was not prepared for what I saw today. Some Galae soldier I am. Please sit.” Nijil extended his hand, not wanting Jylliene to leave or stand all day. “I was no more prepared for it than you. Than anyone aboard, I think.” She sat down, touching his hand briefly in thanks. “Did you know him well? I only met him briefly,” the engineer asked. ‘I did not. I’ve spent more time since my assignment to Aegis on board the Aegean. I wish I could say I did get to know him at all.” Nijil thought it possible the graphic nature of the death cut deeper than their respective relations to Jorahl. It also reinforced how he knew nothing of his own family’s whereabouts. Were they vaporised as well? Was their end filled with extreme pain, if only for brief seconds? He tried not to think of family, but like a Romulan moth to a plasma flame it’s all he could think about. His eyes averted to not meet Jylliene’s. Jylliene finished her tea. “I suppose we should be preparing.” He only nodded. “I imagine so. You know they are probably all dead.” “Who?” she asked, looking at Nijil quizzically. He shook his head realizing his ambiguity. “My mother, father and sister. I’ve not heard from them since the Romulan disaster. I have been searching for them since I left. I’ve spent a great deal of time searching subspace.” He shook his head again and look at Jylliene. “I have to put that aside.” “For now, it seems so.” She stood, and added, “Be careful. I’d like to share a more casual cup of tea on Aegis when this is over.” “Yes,” thinking for a moment. “I’ve offered my services and experience from my time in the Galae to retake the station. Perhaps I can blend in.” He reaches in his pocket, fumbling for something inside. Jylliene smiled as she turned to leave. Engineers, she thought to herself, chuckling inwardly. Nijil found what he was looking for and tossed it toward her. “Keep this in case I don’t return. Give it to any of my family if they make their way here. Or keep it if they don’t.” She caught the small avian symbol. “I will, but I fully expect that I’ll be handing this back to you later.” Jylliene nodded to him, and made her way out, for her own preparations.

(Note: Events below take place very shortly after "Dabi (spanner) No More", and a full day before "Ghosts of the Past") Jylliene’s mind was a mess. Had she had a normal shift, the five hours of sleep she got would have sufficed. Instead, half the shift had been spent in interviewing, and it was, as she had told Commander Ramson, mentally draining. She needed to do something physical. A thought flashed through her head, but she quickly pushed it down and chuckled inwardly, the slightest blush to her cheeks. Instead, she changed and went to the holodeck. “Computer - Program Jylliene exercise alpha.” Entering, she stepped up to a padded floor, and greeted her trainer. They faced off, and, as they circled, Jylliene charged toward the other. … Twenty minutes later, she emerged from the holodeck, flushed but invigorated. She returned to her quarters and took a shower, put on pajamas, grabbed a sandwich and tea from the replicator, and flopped onto her couch. “Computer - music - program ambient one.” She ate the sandwich fairly quickly, then cradled the teacup in her hands. A recharging night, it seemed. Jylliene finally let her mind return to the question Ramson had posed to her earlier - the one she would need to find a way to ask Nijil. But how? The door chimed, but she was not expecting anyone. Some loose end to tie up? The sound was followed by a muffled “Jylliene.” She blinked. “Come in.” It was Nijil, looking worn out and now with a glob of green across his cheek. “Jolan tru. I did not want to go to sickbay. Can you help me? I’m sorry to impose.” He stood just within the door threshold. It hissed shut behind him. The lighting overhead made the blood more noticeable. An eerie green where the experience is normally red. She peered at him quizzically, then with worry as she saw the injury. “What in the world did you do to yourself?” Putting down her tea, she stood up, and hurried over, looking at his face. “Let me get a washcloth.” She fetched a clean one from the bathroom, dampened it, and returned. “So - what happened? I don’t need to worry about Dabi following close behind you, do I?” she asked, half in jest, hoping to lighten the mood. “..Nijil?” Jylliene looked at him in increasing alarm. “Talk to me.” “tr’Dabi won’t be bothering anyone else on this station,” he answered dryly. He was mad, but more at himself. “I made the mistake of naming a problematic microspanner after someone on the station I did not care for, but it struck me in the cheek. Then I showed tr’Dabi what a disruptor at close range does...poof.” He gestured both hands as if something was exploding between them. Jylliene’s eyes turned from concern to slight amusement. “Just promise me you won’t refer to the former microspanner by name outside of our quarters. Don’t need the wrong person misunderstanding.” She dabbed at his cheek and looked at the wound. “A bit of a gash, but I don’t think it’s going to need a trip to sickbay. No doubt it could be fixed up faster there, but it’ll be fine regardless.” “The real tr’Dabi was in sickbay so I was told, so I wanted to avoid any conflict. We are as bad as Klingons.” He wanted to shift the conversation. “Your day without injury I take it?” He sat down on the closest place he could see. She nodded. “Yes. I’ll take the injury-free days as much as I can right now, given...right, as much as I can.” Jylliene paused, then continued. “Nijil...about when we retook the station...the woman you found that you knew...” “Yes?” Not the shift he wanted nor expected. “If there are more renegades...well...she might not be the only such surprise. I can’t imagine trying to prepare for that, but...” Nijil frowned. “The pain of her turning against me was greater than her death. I did not want to see her get harmed, but I knew the kind of people she got involved with. I would have rather my heart be stabbed than go through what she did to me.” He turned his eyes toward the ground and not at her. “I don’t envy you. My family and friends are far away from all of this.” She sighed. “I’m sorry.” Jylliene reached out and touched his cheek, glancing at it, and trying to see his eyes. “Can I get you anything? Tea?” “Something strong.” “I’m afraid you have the ale, not me. But I’ll make it a strong tea...?” “That’s fine. Don’t worry about me on the station. I have to bury my past. It can hold you back like a gravity well.” He now looked up and gazed out the far window. Just a few scattered points of light. Jylliene was indeed worried for a moment, as he started saying “station”, but thankfully, he hadn’t said anything more - and they were, after all, on a station right now. She retrieved the tea from the replicator - double strength - and brought it to him, sat down, and picked her own teacup back up. “Ah... one of the universe’s great pleasures...tea. Nearly every culture on every planet has a variety or two, or thousand.” Nijil closed his eyes. Then he opened them after a bit of thought. He looked her up and down and gave her a wide smile. She took a drink of her tea and looked at him quizzically. “Hm?” “Nothing. It’s nice to be amused every once in awhile.” “I’m glad I could be of service..?” He nodded simply then touched his cut cheek. The injury felt better and largely gone. Her mention of his deceased former love stirred up some feelings he had been holding back. Jylliene needed not to know. So much on her plate, for this upcoming mission. Around the other Rihans he felt a kind of weakness. A sort of “I’m not like the other” sense of self. Being an engineer in the depths of a ship or station helped keep his mind off of it. Any kind of mental pick-me-up was appreciated. The world around him faded. She glanced down, and then finally noticed what likely amused him so much. Trill equines. She had on the Trill equine pajamas. Cute little Trill equines all over. Exaaaaactly the type of image she wanted to portray. Nooo, she couldn’t have been wearing the more grown-up plain ones. No, she went for the cutesy ones tonight. “Elements”, she muttered, blushing, and sunk her face into her hands. “I imagine we both need more sleep than last night,” she said, after a yawn interrupted her embarrassment. “You okay?” Jylliene looked up. He did not hear the question for Nijil had dozed off himself at the edge of that wretchedly comfortable couch. It sucked the life force from him once more. He looked like he was in the middle of a painful dance move, but seemed to be resting comfortably. She smiled. Pulling his feet up on the couch, she fetched a blanket and covered him. “Good night, e’lev.” After kissing his cheek, she had the computer turn off the lights, and went to her bed.

Dinner Guest Part I Jylliene entered her quarters after her shift and changed for dinner, then hit the communicator on the wall. “Jylliene to Nijil. Are you available? Did you have a preference as to where we should eat tonight?” In his own quarters, now only a few doors down, he heard the comm chime. He was holding some things and was unsure where to place them. He decided to hold on and hit the button with his nose. “I was having one of the midway locations deliver food to my room.” The sound of something falling, the crashing of metal, could be heard over the comm on Jylliene’s end. “Can you give me a minute?” Jylliene winced, and hoped her timing hadn’t led to anything too horrid. “Of course. I’ll be along in a few.” She closed the channel and figured at least that she could try to do something a little different with her hair. After walking to the bathroom, she looked in the mirror. Up? Well, it was already up anyhow. Different updo? Nah. Down, then? She nodded to her reflection, and pulled out the pins. Quick brushing...better. Nice, actually. Returning to the living area, Jyll checked the chronometer. A couple of minutes had passed. Barely. Jewelry? She glanced through the small box at her bedside table and found a necklace that looked promising. Putting it on, she went over to the mirror again, and nodded her approval. Back to the chronometer. That took...okay, now one minute later. Three minutes. Enough time? Maybe? Yes. She didn’t really want a lot of down time before dinner. She wasn’t really ready to process the possibilities of the mission ahead yet. The pleasant distraction of dinner with Nijil was indeed, very welcome. Jylliene exited her quarters and walked down the hall to his door, then rang the chime. “Just a second,” Nijil replied from the outer comm panel. That minute seemed longer, but it gave him time to clean up the mess and get the other things ready. Was there enough light or too much. Never mind she’s at the door, he thought. He ran to the mirror to see if he somehow hurt himself again. He walked back to the door and waited a bit. Jylliene waited patiently outside the door. Mostly patiently. She hoped that the crash hadn’t indicated ruined plans. Or a re-injured back. Or some new injury. “Is everything okay?” she called through the door. “Yes, please come in,” he said as he turned down the lights. Jyll entered and smiled as she looked around. “Very nice. Welcoming. Aefvadh..ing. Hm. What would that be? It’s good to see you, e’lev.” That word again. He hoped she used it like it meant, but now would not be the time to ask. All over the quarters sat candles. He heard they were quite mood setting, but after a while he wondered if it was supposed to be in the dozens. So many in fact he had to disable the fire suppression. “It’s good to have you here e’lev.” It felt good to say. Jylliene looked about again, and gestured toward the cushions surrounding the low central table. “May I?” she asked, approaching one of them. He nodded, “Please. Dinner will be here shortly.” A bottle of ale and two glasses were already set out. Nijil waited until Jy sat down. “Is this the infamous ale I’ve heard so much about?” Jylliene asked, glancing at the bottle on the table. “There was one in the cargo container I received. A note mentioned to save it for a special occasion and do not drink alone. I can think of no more special occasion.” Was he getting soft or less of a Rihan? He threw the notion from his mind. “I’m touched - hann’yyo,” she replied, softly, smiling at him. “Shall we open the ale, then? Or is it better with food?” “It’s strong with or without food.” He sat down opposite her. She looked...he had not words in Rihan or Standard. “You look nice.” “And you look refreshing,” she replied. “It’s good to see your face over dinner after finishing a shift. Or on a day at liberty. Anytime. I’m fumbling over my words now. May I ask for a glass of ale, then?” He touched her hand, “I’m having trouble with words as well.” He lifted his hand to open the bottle. He did not know the vintage, but then would not know what a good year was. The cork popped off. A whiff of its aroma caused him to go wide-eyed for a second. “Prepare yourself.” He poured his then hers. He raised his glass. “To...What is there to toast to?” “Life? Wait...no...how about...mnevher?” She glanced at him quizzically, not sure if that was quite the right word. “You are picking up the language well.” He raised his glass again. “May fortune favor our future.” Dierik ly beradar, she inwardly replied in her own tongue as she raised her glass. May it be. Part II Jylliene’s head swam a bit. The ale definitely had a kick to it. It likely didn’t help that she had already finished one glass - and dinner had not yet made it. Probably shouldn’t have downed it quite THAT quickly, she thought. Eh well. Live and learn. The door chime rang. “It’s here!” Nijil jumped up like a Ferengi leaping for latinum. After a few moments, he came back with several white containers of steaming hot food. “I searched for something I’ve never had. ‘Chinese’ I believe.” He smiled as he began to open the boxes. Some of the choices reminded him of home and others were foreign. “Oh, how inconsiderate.” He sat the boxes down so Jy could have first dibs. He took another drink. She looked in the boxes and selected one of the entrees, scooping some out onto her plate with her fork. Meat with what appeared to be little trees. Interesting. She also chose some rice, then gestured to the boxes for Nijil to take what he wanted. Jylliene took a bite, and smiled. “Good choice,” she said. “Thanks.” Each bite caused Nijil to pause to savor it. He nodded for some, not prepared for the spiciness of others. He looked up at Jy to see if the food was all right. “Sorry the quarters are still sparse. I’ve moved most of my things here, but it’s not setup yet.” He laughed. “My old bed and no couch. I’ve become a slob here.” His fork found another artificial schezwan chicken. “Not a slob. Someone who has just moved in. It takes some time to get things sorted out.” Nijil laughed again. He’d drank more than his fair share of the ale. “I’m a bit...tipsy. If that’s the right word. Oh and I lied to you earlier. You look really good.” He felt flush in the face now. The likelihood of him saying drink-encouraged things did not cross his mind. “So... Oh my. Well, has your family ever visited the station? I don’t hear you speak of them much.” “No, they haven’t. I’d not mind inviting them out, but almost as soon as I arrived, we went out on the planetary survey, then the other one, then the station retaking, then...” she paused. “Well, it just hasn’t necessarily been a good time to ask them to stop by. Wonder if it will ever be?” She grinned at this, but inwardly, did worry. Had she gotten herself an assignment that would never quite be a stable location? “I’m not sure if my parents would visit me here. They are people of the land not metal deck plates.” He paused. “Consider yourself lucky you can ask them. Ha, what would they think of me, enemy of the Federation?” Nijil no longer considered these people his enemy. “This is rather uncharted territory. Would that the circumstances leading to this had never happened.” She paused. “Though I’d hope we’d have met under some more favorable circumstances, somehow.” “You as my prisoner? Sorry sorry...” Nijil jokingly quipped. He started to look directly at her now. He looked a tad lit. She giggled. “No, no, you’re beginning to sound like our Daise security there.” Wait, did I just giggle? What am I, five? She eyed her glass. She didn’t remember having topped it off. Jylliene decided it would be a very good idea to finish her food before having more of the ale. She glanced at Nijil’s plate. “Would you care for more?” she asked, gesturing toward his empty plate with her fork. “Please before this drink goes to my head.” Jylliene nodded, and then looked about the table. Hm. They only had their forks, which they had been eating with now, to do so. Perhaps she could carefully empty some of the box onto his plate. Having decided to attempt it, Jylliene began well, but ended up with half the box on his plate in one sudden shift of the contents. She blushed, and quickly righted the box. “I’m sorry!” Nijil leaped up, thinking either he’d been hit with food or she got it on her hand. “Are you alright? Oh, I thought it got on you...like last time. She giggled. Again with the giggling? Really, Jyll, get a hold of yourself. “No, no, I just didn’t mean to dump quite so much out.” She eyed the mound of food. “Hope you’re still rather hungry.” She grinned. “I’ll manage,” He said smiling widely. … Nijil did manage. The two of them finished the last of the food. Either it was good or they were both hungry. One thing’s for certain, the Romulan Ale was a strong brew. Jylliene leaned back against the wall, a spare cushion behind her back, in a kind of makeshift chairback. “That was delightful.” “Nothing compared to the company,” he added without a thought. She grinned at him. “Is that you or the ale speaking?” “The what? What did I say? Oh no, I’m sorry to offend.” His eyes looked worried. Jylliene laughed. Oh good, not a giggle. Good good. “No, no, you’ve done nothing to offend me. You’re just a little more...forthcoming. It’s not necessarily a bad thing. And for the record,” she added, “I agree. Good food, but more enjoyable company.” “I have more things to say and more I’m thinking about. Uh, what am I saying? The ale is strong.” He could see the light from the candles flickering off her face. She seemed a little flushed herself. “I solemnly swear I will not hold what you say against you when we both clear our heads, provided you do the same,” she replied, grinning. “The ale is definitely strong. And good. My first taste of it. Hann’yyo.” He reached out with his hand and brushed her cheek with the back of his finger. “I’d really rather wait until I’m not floating, or you're not floating.” He retracted his hand. “I’m glad you liked it. Hard to get in the Federation does not mean everyone will like it.” He smiled broadly while looking into her eyes. Nijil was sleepy now. Wait, what time was it? He looked at a clock on the far wall. “Oh my, it’s nearly 02:00! When do you need to get up?” He asked in a lazy panic. She thought. “In...about five hours. Shift starts at 0800. I had better get back to my quarters if I expect to get any sleep.” Jylliene stretched. “How about here?” He nearly whacked his own head with his palm. “Nevermind, you’d not sleep well here, not in that lumpy thing,” he said pointing at his small bed in the other room. Nijil got up...whoa...and leaned a bit. The flushed Rihan held out his hand. She’d need it as the station was experiencing an attitude problem. He should inform the Chief. She took his offered hand and stood up. So far, not too bad. A little unsteady but - Jylliene slipped off the dress shoes. Much better. She’d make sure she had breakfast before the shift as well. “Will you be okay? Don’t forget to reactivate the fire suppression system.” “Yes. I’ll have the computer get all of that. I just wanted you to have a good evening, not a late morning.” “I had a wonderful evening,” she replied, smiling. “But we’ll try to keep evenings of this length to rare events. Before we end up falling asleep on duty.” “Agreed.” He escorted her to the door. “Do you need a walk home, down the hall? “Na, hann’yyo, e’lev. You can certainly watch me to my door from here, if you’ll feel better, though,” Jylliene replied, grinning. “Sure.” He remembered something she said earlier about not holding him to anything he said right now. Not sure she meant actions, he pulled her closer and laid a kiss on her. He figured he’d not feel loose enough to do this later. She smiled. “Perfect ending. Good night.”

Jylliene looked at the console. She was about to walk off - she had actually just briefed Lt. Roberts, but saw a notification come through right as she finished. Glancing at it, she smiled, and informed the lieutenant that she would take the information to the intended recipient herself. She hit her communicator. “Jylliene to Nijil,” she said, as she headed toward his quarters. Something beeped. Nijil looked around thinking one of his displays found something interesting in the subspace soup he’d been scanning for months. A small display was blinking, but upon waking it up nothing happened. “Ugh. Where is the indicator coming from now?” he asked himself. The sound chirped again. “Elements...” He tapped his badge. “Nijil here.” Jylliene grinned, and spoke into the badge. “Your new assignment - your new quarters, I should say - just came through. Would you like me to show you to them? I can help you start moving your things.” “He paused for a moment. Getting a new room should have taken longer right? Captain was a busy Captain. “So soon? I was not expecting anything so quickly. Really wanted to get me out of your place hmm?” “I was in no hurry. It’s been nice to have you there. But I’m sure you’ll appreciate having a bit more room to stretch out while you analyze your data.” Being there had been far more than nice for Nijil, but he’d not say anything to her about that. “Time is a greater enemy to my searching than space. I bet the closet there is as large as my entire place here.” Nijil looked around. “What time is it? I’ve lost track of time since getting Jorahl’s report.” “It’s 1600 hours. Shift just ended. I’m just to your door now.” She tapped the communicator, then rang the door chime. “Who’s there?” “Jylliene,” she responded with a chuckle. “Is that the Dabo girl I met on Deep Space Nine coming to visit?” He asked. “Don’t know. Is she cute?” “Very much so.” “Well, maybe she’ll end up out here one of these days. Never know, with Drankum’s connections. Mind opening the door?” “Better be as good looking,” he said as the door opened. “Jolan tru and Dabo! Get in here.” The Rihan waved his hand to show her in. “You’re in good spirits, e’lev,” she replied, grinning. “Shall we see what your new place looks like? And is there anything you want to take over immediately?” E’lev he thought with an internal grin. “I have to disconnect a lot of things, but...,” he grabs his sole plant. “This should do. Let’s see what deluxe closet I am getting.” Jylliene led Nijil through the door and toward his new quarters. “It’s on deck nine, same as mine. Not right next door or anything, but down the hall.” “I was going to say I would lose it if it was right next door. Would mean the tea would not get cold.” “Well, really, even just a few doors down would do similar. Especially compared to before. Let’s see...” Jylliene glanced down at her PADD, then pointed to a door. “There it is,” she said, as she approached. “I think it should be set for your access. Give it a try.” The engineer placed his hands on the door lock. The door hissed open like every door on the station. He leaned inside and looked both ways before crossing the threshold. He stepped in and stood in the middle of his living quarters for a moment. Jylliene stepped inside behind him. “How does it look?” “I’ve never lived in a place this large, even at home. It’s humbling. On a warbird this large a space is reserved for officers of a higher rank. I knew yours were large, but this seems larger. I will have to thank the Captain, if bugging her is the right thing to do.” Nijil ended his long answer and went to the window. “A window...” “Well, you could always send a message of thanks. As long as you don’t imply that I’m moving in here with you or anything like that,” Jylliene replied, grinning. “I’ve made sure I won’t make any requests like that any longer. I can’t get over that and I imagine you won’t let me forget.” Nijil looked out the window to see what kind of view. Some starship of Federation design was orbiting directly out his window in the distance. No klaxon’s sounding battlestations. A bit of an odd feeling. “I already told you, I’m not bothered by it in the least. Truly. The captain hasn’t said a word to me about it, and if she did, I’m sure I could explain it simply by repeating the word, “Engineers”. Jylliene smiled at him. “So please, don’t worry about it. You’re fine. Now, you have a lot to unhook in your previous quarters, I imagine?” “Yes. I did not use the finest Federation standards in hooking things up. I imagine the lighting will improve upon my leaving that space.” Nijil smiled and walked over to Jylliene. He hugged her tightly, saying nothing.

Sky Harbor Aegis Message Utility System (SHAMUS) Stardate: 2387.165, 13 June 2387 Time: 23:57 hours Aegis time To: Captain Kirel Chirakis From: SubCenturion Nijil tr’Korjata Subject: Request for better quarters I hope you are well when this message does get your attention. First, let me thank you for taking me in at this station after the confusion and tragedy of the gamma ray burst that decimated Romulus. I know I said I would take any accommodation when offered a position here. The quarters given were small and I did not complain at the time. Now after a slight accumulation of items the room has shown to be too small. I have a collection of processing units and devices to monitor them for scanning subspace transmissions to and from Romulan territory. Tapping onto the stations cores would be a policy breach and not a good show of trust. My bed now is stuck in its small and uncomfortable configuration. Jylliene, your very capable operations officer, has a particularly comfortable couch I would love to get a replica of, but it will not fit in my current quarters. We have talked at great length about this furniture over our tea sessions. I have sat in it, read in it and even slept in it just to get a restful sleep. I have wondered if Jylliene has done this rather than her own equally delightful bed. Perhaps I could request replicas of both pieces. Almost sounds like I should ask to remain in her quarters instead if accommodations are scarce. Anyhow, if I am to expand my personal comfort in my quarters I believe my productivity will improve around the station. Jylliene’s would surely improve as well. She has not complained at my overnight layovers, but I am sure if I continue I will wear out my welcome. While I am only a lowly SubCenturion I believe she is the most capable and trustworthy non-Rihan I have ever met. For a time I sat alone in the midways and mess halls until our chance meeting. I have read of how the rest of the galaxy regards Romulans. I expected people to avoid me while stationed at Aegis. She has not said go away or whispered behind my back (is that the right phrase?). I would trust her with my life and that of the Sky Harbor Aegis. Perhaps I have gone on too long. So to make a long story short is there a way to have quarters roughly the same configuration as Jylliene’s? I presume the same deck would afford the most similar setup. Unless she finds the same deck unsettling. Are there regulations concerning the proximity of crew quarters? Anyhow, thank you for your time and I hope to continue to best your expectations of me and my people. Nijil tr’Korjata 1st Assistant Engineer, Small Craft Specialist *** Nijil sent this out while resting comfortably on Jylliene's often mentioned couch. As he read the request letter to make sure it arrived he stared at it in shock of what information he passed on to the Captain. He pulled the blanket over his head knowing he was unable to unsend.