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Regulation 51-A did not stick out from the rest of the regulations that were included in every new cadets handbook. It wasn’t exciting, like Regulation 201-B which had managed to save an entire Starship crew after they encountered a freak plasma storm that badly damaged the ship’s engines. If it hadn’t been for the Chief Engineer’s quick thinking and the fact that she kept an extremely tight ship, the crew wouldn’t have had the necessary parts or training to fix the engines before they exploded.

Regulation 51-A wasn’t a somber regulation, either. Like Regulation 12-A2, otherwise called the “Falcon Party Reg.”  The Falcon Party was the crew that had been lost after a bad beam down that could have been avoided if anyone had bothered to recalibrate the computer after the usual system reboot.

But Regulation 51-A was a regulation. And for that reason, Tyto loved it. Tyto was a Strigiforme. Having recently joined the federation, Strigiformes had quickly made a reputation for themselves among their fellow crewmembers for being the ultimate whistle-blowers of the galaxy. Each Strigiforme had smooth, soft skin that could camouflage to any backdrop. They also had small fins on all six elbows, and it was rumored that they would wiggle right before the Strigiforme tattled. Some cadets even whispered that a Strigiforme would turn bright red if you broke a rule in their presence.  

Of course, these rumors were completely unfounded, but Tyto took great pride in the fact that already, the Strigiformes were whipping the federation into shape.

Tyto’s sudden interest in Regulation 51-A was just as you would expect: she had the suspicion that someone wasn’t abiding by it. Two someones, in fact.

Regulation 51-A goes like this:

No two officers, serving on the same ship, shall engage in any romantic activities or preclusions as defined by 10-B-Q3A, if those two officers should have, by right of emergency succession, the same command.

When Asio, Tyto’s sister, was stationed on the Enterprise, she had immediately sensed that Captain Kirk and Commander Spock had broken this regulation. She had collected thousands of anecdotes, bost first and second-hand, of the two officer’s loyalty, trust, and devotion for each other. Asio had dutifully sent these reports to Tyto who filed them away on Earth, where she worked in the Federation’s regulation department.

But three months ago, Asio’s reports had suddenly stopped. Tyto had assumed perhaps the evidence was thinning, maybe the two officers had caught on to Asio’s suspicions. But as Asio’s silence grew, Tyto began to worry. Was her poor sister being blackmailed? Threatened? Was she holding her tongue out of fear?

So when the Enterprise docked on Earth for a short shore leave, Tyto had immediately dragged her sister home, eager for answers.

But now that she finally had her sister away from that horrible, rule-breaking ship and at the safety of her own dinner table in her apartment in San Francisco, Asio seemed hesitant to speak.

“Sister, surely you know you can tell me anything,” Tyto tried. Of course, it was a great shame among their people to be successfully blackmailed, but Asio was Tyto’s sister. They could wrap up this affair quietly, and no one but the two of them would have to know Asio’s shortcomings.

“Tyto, nothing is the matter. I’ve told you and told you, I don’t think the Captain and the Commander are breaking the rules anymore. I was mistaken,” Asio said, and looked away at the wall, pushing her food around on her plate with three of her hands.

“That’s ridiculous,” Tyto snorted, and she cut into her meal quite furiously. “From the evidence you sent me, the evidence I have on file, it seems clear as day. Trust your first instinct, sister.”

Asio absently began to tear her bread into smaller and smaller pieces. “My instincts were wrong this time. I’m telling you, drop it. It’s a cold case.”

Tyto couldn’t take it anymore. She slammed down her silverware. “They’re blackmailing you, aren’t they?” She shouted.

Asio dropped her bread and stiffened. “No! Tyto, how could you say that? That’s Kaysheyla. ”

Tyto hissed. Kaysheyla was the Strigiforme word that is best translated into standard as “bullshit.” It was worse than being accused of being blackmailed into silence. Kaysheyla meant that you had pointed a finger wrongly. That you had accused an innocent party, with little evidence. The greatest shame.

Asio seemed to regret her words almost immediately. “No, Tyto, I’m sorry. You know I didn’t mean-”

Tyto held up a hand. “You’ve said enough.”

Asio fell into silence, staring down at her food. Neither sister seemed hungry anymore.

Tyto felt a rage flare up inside her, directed at Captain Kirk. He was a disgusting man. He constantly bent the rules, came up with “creative solutions” to problems that had long ago been solved. People touted him as a hero. And now, Tyto’s own sister had fallen into his trap. It wouldn’t do. Tyto would see Kirk’s reign of terror ended.

“I’m going to bed,” Tyto announced, standing. “And tomorrow, I’m bringing the file to the admirals.”

Asio’s protests fell on deaf ears as Tyto climbed up the stairs to her room.

#

Admiral Gerfond was a lawful man. Tyto respected him. Among the humans, he was one of the few who seemed to really care about doing things by the book. He perused her file thoughtfully. She waited patiently, standing in front of his desk as he reviewed all 346 indexed pages.

“Well, you have certainly been thorough,” Gerfond remarked when he was done.

Tyto swelled with pride. “Thank you, sir.”

“Regulation 51-A, was it?” Gerfond scratched his nose and picked up his lovingly worn copy of the Federation Handbook. “A rather old regulation, isn’t it?”

“Yes sir, it is,” Tyto agreed. So old, it was now almost like tradition. This would have given it great honor and distinction on Strigiforme.

“I have to admit, I can’t think of any cases where this regulation has ever been broken,” Gerfond murmured. “Seems almost oddly specific.”

“Yes, there is no precedent of this rule being broken, sir,” Tyto explained.

“Hmm,” Gerfond mused. “Well, a rule is a rule. You have the case, cadet. We will have to bring this case to trial a week before the Enterprise leaves. On the 28th.”

The 28th. That meant Tyto had just thirty days to collect as much evidence as she could. “Sir, if I may, could I have ten days to collect evidence before the accused parties are notified? Their knowledge of the case may disturb my ability to gather evidence.”

Gerfond frowned. “I see your point. But we must allow those two a fair chance too. I will give you one week. Then I’ll notify them of the charges.”

Tyto nodded. One week. That is how long she had to destroy Kirk’s career.

#

Before Asio has been blackmailed, she had complained to Tyto nearly every week about how frustrating it was to watch Spock and Kirk together. Tyto had not been able to truly sympathize until now.

What made it so excruciating was that they were so obvious. Tyto was thirty paces away, peering over the lip of a digital display, across traffic and through a restaurant window, and even she could see the besotted looks the two officers gave each other.

They leaned towards each other, talking slowly and quietly. Kirk threw back his head in laughter, and Spock looked extraordinarily pleased. Even the waiter, when he came to refill their glasses, gave them an amused glance. A fool could see the two officers were in love.

But suddenly, a human threw open the restaurant door and rushed inside. His hair was sticking out every which way, like he had just rolled out of bed. He rushed to Kirk and Spock’s table and pulled up a chair, sitting down and casting a quick glance behind him, as if he had been chased into the dining area.

Tyto recognized him. Chekov, the Enterprise’s navigator. He began speaking a mile a minute, tugging on Kirk’s sleeve and gesticulating wildly. Tyto didn’t have a chance of lip reading.

Both Kirk and Spock listened intently to Chekov, nodding and looking very serious, suddenly all-business. Then, they all stood together. Kirk flagged down the waiter, paid, and the three of them marched out of the restaurant, leaving their half-eaten meals behind.

Tyto sighed. Certainly, the fact that Kirk had paid for both their meals may count for some evidence, but it had seemed like more of a rational action of necessity because they were in a rush and not a romantic gesture.

And maybe, Chekov’s seemingly unphased attitude at seeing his two commanding officers on what looks very much like a date was evidence that they went on dates all the time. Or maybe it was evidence that Chekov had absolutely no suspicions that his commanding officers were in any way involved, so a shared dinner didn’t seem inappropriate.

It didn’t matter. All Tyto’s evidence was Tchyt, soft. Circumstantial. Easily questioned. In other words, it was no good.

She began to walk down the sidewalk. She had six more days. She would have her evidence soon.

#

Day two. Kirk and Spock had gone to the gala together. Had this been because they were a couple, or because they wanted to appear as a united command team? Tchyt.

Kirk and Spock were both wearing their dress uniforms, and Tyto stared at Kirk’s awards, pinned to his lapel. They seemed to be taunting Tyto. How could such a lawless man be so celebrated?

Kirk and Spock left in the same car. Tyto tailed it. Spock got out first, and Kirk leaned out the window and yelled good night as the car peeled away from the curb. Had they shared a goodbye kiss in the car, where Tyto couldn’t see? Tchyt.

Day three. They attended the birthday party of the daughter of McCoy, the Chief Medical Officer on the Enterprise. It was a barbeque. Tyto blended into the neighbor’s hydrangeas. The daughter was turning twelve. Kirk and Spock presented her with a single gift from both of them. Spock had allowed the girl to touch the tips of his ears when she became curious. Kirk had beamed at them, elated and charmed and clearly head over heels. The Doctor had passed him a beer.

Day four. They spent the day shopping in a rural market. Kirk had seemed to be familiar with farming equipment. He struck a deal with a farmer. Half a day’s work for as much produce as the two of them could carry. Kirk and Spock worked in companionable silence all morning. They ate apples in the shade of an oak tree. Spock smiled, once, very small.

Day five. Didn’t these two tire of each other? They spent every waking moment on that starship together, and didn’t even take a single day break when they had a moment for shore leave. They spent the day in the library, reading side by side in silence.

Day six. Wasn’t Kirk touch-starved? Tyto knew that Vulcans did not appreciate public displays of affection, but surely, Kirk needed some kind of physical assurance? They met with Spock’s parents for lunch. Even the ambassador and his wife shared a few brief touches of their fingertips during the meal. Was Kirk now suddenly celibate?

Day seven. Tyto was seething with frustration. The whole bridge crew had met at the beach. Kirk asked Spock to rub sunscreen on his back. Spock had done so with quick, surgical precision. They played volleyball. Spock was surprisingly good. They all watched the sunset together, Kirk and Spock sat next to each other. They didn’t touch.

#

Asio was messaging someone on her PADD when Tyto came home.

“How was your day, sister?” Asio asked.

Tyto dropped her beach bag at the door and fell onto the love seat. “Do not mock me,” she said.

“I’m not mocking you. I just wish you’d stop pursuing this. We could go back to being real sisters, you know. I haven’t seen you at all this week. And I’m going back on assignment on the 28th.”

“I know,” Tyto gritted. How could she forget? Her poor, helpless sister would be forced back onto that demon-ship. She would be forced to obey the command of a Lotes, a rule-breaker. “I’m trying to save you.”

“Maybe I don’t want to be saved,” Asio snapped, throwing down her PADD. She misjudged the distance, and it rolled off of the coffee table.

Tyto reached down to pick it up, but Asio made a move to snatch it back quickly. Tyto held onto it firmly. She glanced down at the screen, where she could plainly see that her sister had been messaging Pavel Chekov, the Enterprise navigator that had interrupted Kirk and Spock’s meal on the first day.

Tyto let go of the PADD. She stared at her sister. How could she have been so blind? Her eyes pricked with tears. “You told him,” she whispered. “You told him to warn Kirk I would be collecting evidence.”

Asio stiffened and quickly locked the PADD screen. “Tyto, that’s crazy.”

The first tears rolled down Tyto’s cheeks. “You really did. That’s why I haven’t gotten one lick of hard evidence. That’s why they haven’t kissed, they haven’t gone home together. It’s because they knew. ”

Asio jumped off the couch. “So what if I told them?” She shouted. “Have you ever considered that maybe there’s more important things in this world than following regulations?”

“Oh yeah?” Tyto snorted. “Like what?”

“Like love!” Asio screamed. “Like being with the people that you care about. Like actually spending just one day with your sister, who you haven’t seen in almost a year and who is leaving in two weeks for even longer!”

Tyto was shocked. “Asio…”

“No! I don’t want to hear another word! Good night.”

Asio stormed up the stairs. Tyto stayed on the couch, listening to the quiet droning of the television, until it was time for her to go to work the next morning.

#

Tyto sat at her computer terminal, mindlessly feeding it data chips. She hadn’t slept at all last night. What Asio was saying was completely insane. It went against everything they stood for. Without rules and regulations, the world would be chaos. There had to be a higher order to the world. Nothing could be put above that.

There was a knock on her door. She stared at it, puzzled. She didn’t have a meeting scheduled today. Almost no one came to the regulation department unless they had to.

“Come,” Tyto called.

The door slid open and a beautiful human entered the room. Her head was held high and her eyebrow arched slightly when she laid eyes on Tyto. It was the Enterprise’s Communications Officer, Uhura.

“Tyto, I presume?” Uhura asked.

Tyto nodded.

Uhura stretched out a graceful hand for Tyto to shake. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Lieutenant Uhura of the USS Enterprise. I serve under Captain Kirk, as I’m sure you’re aware.”

“Yes, I am,” Tyto said.

“I have just informed my Captain and my Commander of their court summons, as is my duty as Communications Officer. According to the paperwork, you are the cadet who filed charges.”

“I am,” Tyto whispered.

Uhura looked down her nose, like Tyto was an annoying blemish on the end of it. “I see. Well, I came here to extend my services as Communications Officer to you,” Uhura spat the words like they tasted bad in her mouth.

“What?” Tyto asked. “Why?”

“Believe me, it wasn’t my idea,” Uhura said. “Commander Spock thought that it would be proper to extend a hand of goodwill. If you need any help during your...investigation, I will answer any questions I can.”

“The Commander sent you?” Tyto asked. Was this some kind of trick? Tyto did not harbor the same dislike for the Commander as she did for Kirk. Mr. Spock was, in all other aspects of his life, a rule-follower. She had assumed that Kirk had ensnared him like he had done to Asio, but perhaps she had jumped to conclusions.

Perhaps Spock was the brains of the operation. Kirk was smart, but he was only a human. A Vulcan mind had the computing power to have engineered this great scheme, this horrible blackmail and cover-up, all behind the curtain.

Tyto squinted at the Lieutenant. She was intimidating. She had freely admitted that she was here under Spock’s orders.

But this was Tyto’s chance. She had the Lieutenant under her watchful eye now. Maybe she could squeeze some truth from her. And if Uhura tried anything, she would be tampering with evidence. Or at the very least, inhibiting an investigation. She could win Tyto’s case.

“Let’s talk,” Tyto said. “Please, sit.”

Uhura sat primly, folding her hands over one knee.

“How long have you known Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock?”

“Three years.”

“So the duration of their relationship?”

“Yes.”

“Would you say that either of them, at any point in their careers, held romantic intentions towards one another?”

“I would say that if they did, and I am not saying they do, it wouldn’t be any of my business.”

Tyto switched tactics. “Captain Kirk is quite the celebrated Captain.”

“He is.”

“He often makes interesting calls in stressful situations.”

“The Captain always does what is in the best interest of the crew.”

“Even if it means breaking the rules.”

Uhura didn’t back down. “Especially so.”

Tyto sat back in her chair. This may be harder than she first thought.

#

“I’m going to stay with Rebekah,” Asio told Tyto at dinner. “I can’t live with you while you’re trying to destroy my Captain.”

“I’m doing my job,” Tyto argued. “Please Asio, you’re my sister. You have to understand.”

“I understand perfectly well. I asked you to choose between rules and me, and you chose rules.”

“I didn’t choose either!” Tyto exclaimed. “It’s not a competition. You’re my sister, and the rules are the rules. Two different things.”

Asio shook her head and got up to wash her plate. “What’s even the point of that stupid regulation?” She asked.

Tyto gaped at her. “What do you mean what’s the point?”

“I mean, who does it protect? Why was it written?”

“What does it matter why it was written?”

Asio turned the faucet as hot as it would go. “Even if the Captain and Mr. Spock were in a relationship, hypothetically, then what is the problem? That is their agenda. It doesn’t affect anyone else.”

“It would affect their command! The whole ship could be jeopardized.”

“You don’t know Kirk,” Asio said plainly. “He wouldn’t put any living thing before his crew. He knows his duty. And Spock is more loyal than is good for anyone, but he’d never betray the crew. Not for anything.”

“They broke the rules,” Tyto said. “You and I both know it. Someone who is willing to break the rules over...romance...someone like that isn’t fit to lead a Starship. Lives are on the line.”

“It doesn’t have to be a rule,” Asio said.

“What?” Tyto asked.

“It doesn’t matter,” Asio murmured, turning off the faucet. She shook the water off of her hands and turned to face Tyto. “I’m going to pack a few things and then I’m going to Rebekah’s.”

“Asio, you can’t seriously go to Rebekah’s. That place isn’t safe.”

“It’s perfectly fine. She knows what she’s doing. There’s no way those chemicals would ever cross-contaminate. She has them well contained.”

“Even the best scientists make mistakes, sister. Please just stay here.”

Asio shook her head. “Message me when you change your mind.”

#

Tyto cradled her head in her hands, a headache radiating behind her eyes. Around her, the office was a flurry of activity. The court case was in just five days, and everyone was gathering their meager evidence. Data chips were exchanged, orders were yelled, and cadets were sent out to get even more testimonies. In the center of it all, Tyto sat in the eye of the storm, next to Uhura who looked rather bored.

Tyto was usually rushing around the room at this time. There was nothing more exciting than the moment of truth. When the hammer of justice comes crashing down. When the evil is eradicated.

But now, she just felt ill. Asio still hadn’t come home.

“Am I making a mistake?” Tyto asked aloud.

“Yes,” Uhura replied.

Tyto pulled herself up and stared at the Lieutenant. “Have some sympathy,” Tyto begged. “You don’t know what this means to me.”

“I know Strigiformes care a lot about rules,” Uhura said, but her tone was much softer now.

“And my sister has forgotten that. She’s lost her way. Now she’s...become like a human. She doesn’t even want to come home.”

Uhura laid a gentle hand on Tyto’s shoulder. “I think your sister is the best Strigiforme out there. I think she cares more about the rules than anyone I’ve ever met.”

“I’m sorry you keep such lawless company.”

Uhura laughed. “You’re not entirely wrong about that. But what I mean is...Asio cares about what rules are for. She doesn’t want to protect the rules for their own sake. Asio stands for a greater purpose.”

Tyto tried not to look like she was clinging to every word Uhura said. “I don’t understand what you mean. Rules are meant to keep order. To preserve tradition. To prevent chaos.”

“No,” Uhura said. “Rules are meant to protect the people we care about.”

#

There was a knock at Tyto’s front door. She jumped up from the couch and rushed to it. Hopefully, Asio had finally come to her senses, and come home. Tyto flung open the door, but it wasn’t Asio.

“Good morning,” Kirk said with a sunny smile. “We’re awfully sorry to drop by unannounced.”

Beside Kirk, Spock nodded at Tyto and raised his hand in a Ta’al.

“Good morning? ” Tyto blurted out, thrown off guard. “What are you doing here? Did Chekov tell you my address?”

“Your sister asked us by. I do think we have the right to face our accuser,” Kirk joked. “I thought it might be better to meet in a friendlier place than a courtroom.”

“Has Lieutenant Uhura been of any help during the investigation?” Spock asked.

That questioned soured Tyto’s mood even further. She hadn’t forgotten the conversation she had with Uhura. But she had no intention of letting Spock know that she had been rattled.

“She was a perfect partner,” Tyto said.

“I’m glad,” Kirk laughed. He elbowed Spock. “I know a thing or two about a perfect partner.”

Tyto’s mouth dropped open. That was clearly implying...that was very nearly a confession! And she didn’t have a camera, or even a tape recorder.

“Since the case is tomorrow, Spock and I just wanted to let you know that we’ll be happy to answer any questions you have. Just to give you a chance before it all goes down tomorrow.”

Answer questions? How could Kirk answer her questions? Kirk couldn’t tell her if she was doing the right thing, or if everything she has ever known was a lie, or if Asio would come home soon. All Kirk could do was sit on her front porch with a smug smile, like he had already won, like he knew something she did not.

Tyto was filled with a sudden rage. “I don’t have any questions for you at all, you Lotes! ” She screamed, not caring that he would have no way to translate the insult. “You may have been able to brainwash my sister. You may have been able to drive her away. But I’ll kick you off of that ship for good. You won’t even be the Captain of a bath toy when I’m through with you. I’ll see you in court!”

Tyto slammed the door and leaned against it, sliding all the way down to the floor. Through the wood, she heard Kirk say “that went well.”

#

They had to move to a larger courtroom because almost the entire crew of the Enterprise had turned out to watch the proceedings. They moved to the largest auditorium on property, and even that space was barely enough.

The admiralty perched at a raised platform behind a long wooden desk in the front of the room. Tyto could see Kirk and Spock on the right side of the room, whispering to each other where they sat behind the defendant’s podium.

Tyto rearranged her notes one last time. She had represented the Federation in hundreds of cases. Even when she had lost those cases, she had felt in her element. Her home was a courtroom. But standing in the courtroom now, it was all she could do to maintain the illusion of calm.

She glanced behind her, searching through the sea of faces for the only one that would be able to ease her mind. But Asio was nowhere to be found. She hadn’t even returned Tyto’s calls.

“Order, order please,” Admiral Gerfond called. “This hearing is to try Captain James T. Kirk and Commander Spock. Gentlemen, you have been charged with being in violation of Regulation 51-A. How do you plead?”

The room went from a pleasant, excited babble to deafening silence in seconds. No one dared to breath as Kirk learned into the microphone and cleared his throat.

“We plead guilty, sir,” Kirk said.

Tyto’s heart nearly dropped into her stomach. Distantly, she was aware that the crowd behind her had erupted into chaos, but she could only hear a faint ringing in her ears. The other admirals had to spend a full minute shushing the crowd.

“Guilty?” Gerfond repeated, stunned. “Mr. Spock, do you concur?”

“Yes sir,” Spock replied without emotion. “Guilty.”

Gerfond looked to the other admirals, as if for reassurance. He mouthed a few words to them. Tyto thought she saw him say the word “demotion.”

This was it. Tyto had followed those two around for days. She had, for months, carefully filed evidence away. All for them to simply turn themselves in.

And soon, Kirk would be demoted. Spock, too. They would be forced off the Enterprise and neither would be able to save their careers. They would retire, perhaps they would buy some small plot of land and start a farm. Kirk was good with his hands. Kirk would not be a Captain, but he would still have Spock.

And Tyto would go home, victorious. She would have won her case. She would open the front door and eat a dinner and she would be alone, and Kirk and Spock would have each other.

Tyto did not feel like a winner at all.

Admiral Gerfond turned back to the courtroom. The admirals had apparently settled the matter. As he leaned back to the microphone, Tyto had a horrible moment of regret. She wished she had just listened to Asio, and that she had just thrown away the whole case. But the deed was done.

“Very well. Both of the accused have pleaded guilty,” Gerfond said. He made to go on, but suddenly the ground began to tremor.

Around them, the earth began to shiver. Tyto’s pens rolled off of the podium in front of her. She had to grip it to stay upright. Behind her, the crowd yelled and a few people fell from their chairs.

A window behind the admirals shattered, glass spewing into the room.

Then, just as suddenly as it had started, it slowly faded and stopped.

“My goodness,” Gerfond exclaimed, but it was hard to hear him. The microphone had cut out.

“Is anyone wounded?” Kirk shouted. His voice carried easily through the auditorium. “If you can, get out of the building! We don’t know how much damage was just caused.”

Spock was already pulling a communicator from was seemed like thin air, calling for a medical team.

Kirk bounded over to someone who had fallen from their seat to help them up.

Tyto looked around her. People were already beginning to follow orders. No one was a stranger to earthquakes in San Francisco, but Tyto had to marvel at how quickly the Enterprise crew took care of the matter. People were filing from the building as calmly and efficiently as possible, carrying the wounded as the went.

“How bad was that?” Kirk asked Spock. “Any damage to the city?”

Tyto wandered closer to hear the answer.

“A few buildings were damaged,” Spock reported, reading from a PADD he had been handed moments ago as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “No reported deaths. The is a chemical fire on 3rd Avenue, but it is already being contained.”

Tyto’s heart stopped. A fire on 3rd Avenue. Rebekah lived on 3rd Avenue. In an apartment where she maintained a hearty supply of dangerous chemicals.

Asio was on Third Avenue.

Without thinking, Tyto began running. She heard Kirk call out to her as she flew by, but his calls landed on deaf ears. Tyto was out of the building in seconds.

She took off down the street. All of the cars and busses were stopped, hovering over the cracked street with the hazards flashing. A fire hydrant was spewing water. People were already milling about. Some of them called out to Tyto as she rushed by, snaking her way between crowds and newly formed potholes.

Tyto nearly electrocuted herself when she ran out from a crowd and almost directly on top of downed power lines. But she jumped over them and kept going.

When she finally turned onto Third Avenue, her heart was pumping in her ears and tears were streaming down her cheeks and she convinced herself that the last time she’d ever see her sister had been during an argument.

She came up on Rebekah’s apartment, and almost didn’t register reality.

The building was standing perfectly still, in need of a new paint job, but otherwise completely fine.

Asio and Rebekah were standing outside, chatting with the neighbors.

Tyto ran into Asio’s arms.

“Tyto!” Asio exclaimed, shocked. “Tyto, what’s wrong?”

Tyto cried into her sister’s shoulder for a full minute before she managed to compose herself enough to speak.

“I’m sorry Asio,” Tyto sobbed, “I’m sorry. I haven’t been a good sister. I don’t even care about the case. I just want you to come home. I thought you were dead, Asio.”

Asio wrapped all six arms around her sister, calmly stroking her back. “I’m fine, Tyto. Why would you think I was dead?”

“I heard there was a chemical fire on Third Avenue,” Tyto choked out.

“Oh, that must be the old refinery,” Rebekah interjected. “A light breeze would set that place off. Ever since the automated it, they’ve let their safety standards plumet. I put in a complaint every other week!”

“I’m fine, I wasn’t even inside during the quake,” Asio said, pulling away so that she could look Tyto in the eyes. “We were on our way to the courtroom.”

“What?” Tyto stepped back and wiped the tears from her cheeks. “Why?”

Rebekah handed Tyto a PADD.

“I told you, there doesn’t have to be a rule,” Asio said. “I’m sure you’re familiar with Regulation 603?”

Tyto nodded. “ Any Regulation here written shall be overturned with the unanimous vote of the admiralty, the overruling of a higher court, or by the formal petition of all affected parties. ”

Asio tapped the PADD. “We just got the last signature. Every crewmember of the Enterprise has officially stated that they would prefer to keep the commanding officers, and overturn the regulation.”

Tyto stared down at the PADD. “That’s why you left,” she mumbled. “So that you could work on this. So I wouldn’t find out.”

Asio shrugged. “After you snooped through my messages I knew I couldn’t slip anything by you.”

“I did not snoop!”

Asio snorted. “You did so.”

Tyto scrolled through the names. She wasn’t sure exactly how many people served on the Enterprise, but she knew it was at least three hundred.

“Could I sign?” She asked.

“Sign the petition?” Asio clarified.

“Yes. I don’t think I like that rule anyway. It doesn’t help anybody.”

Asio beamed. “I don’t think there’s a rule against it. Sign away, sister.”

Tyto nodded. “And then we’d better hurry. They may reconvene court once they clear everything up.”

#

It turned out that they did not reconvene court at all. Tyto and Asio met Gerfond in his office that afternoon and gave him the petition.

“I’m a little relieved,” he admitted, straightening a plant on his desk that had fallen over during the earthquake. “I would have hated to lose my best Captain over something silly like some of Regulation no one has ever used.”

“I was thinking, Admiral,” Tyto said. “It may be time to review our handbook. Ensure that all our regulations are...erm...up to date.”

Gerfond perked up. “What an excellent idea!” He exclaimed. “I’ve always thought it would be fun to do a few tweaks, here and there…”

#

The Enterprise was due to depart in less than two hours. Tyto hugged her sister one last time, much to Asio’s amusement.

“I won’t evaporate if you let go, you know,” Asio chided.

“Oh, be quiet,” Tyto shushed. “You be careful in space?”

“I will,” Asio promised. Then, she got a funny look on her face. She seemed to be staring over Tyto’s shoulder.

Tyto turned to look. Captain Kirk and Spock were boarding the Enterprise. You could see the glee on the Captain’s face. He was nearly vibrating with excitement. He turned and looked up at Spock, his eyes dazzling.

Without saying a word, Spock’s hand drifted to Kirk’s, and they briefly touched their fingertips together.

“Quick,” Asio said, “Take a picture. That’s solid proof.”

“That’s none of my business,” Tyto declared.