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One
Stardate 2271.179
Christine Chapel considered herself to be adaptable. Serving as a doctor on the Enterprise A meant her days could be boring, exciting, or dangerous. She had to respond quickly to each situation. So when Doctor McCoy asked her for a private word an hour before their shift ended, she wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. They headed towards his office where he ordered the computer to lock the door behind them.
“We’ll be returning to Earth shortly. Do you have the crew’s medical files up to date for Starfleet Medical?” he asked.
“Yes. Was there anything else?” she wanted to know.
“You know that I have a girlfriend on Earth right?” She nodded. Her boss hadn’t told her much more then that, but she knew he was private about his personal life so she hadn’t asked him for details.
“You want to continue the relationship, so you need the medical authorization. Have you filled out the form?”
“Yes. I just need your signature and the physical.”
“We’ll use a private room for this.” Chapel decided. He nodded in agreement.
She’d been his doctor for the last five years, so the medical examination was professional as always. As he redressed afterwards, Chapel pulled up the proper form on a PADD. While it was intrusive of Starfleet to require their officers to receive medical authorization before they pursued a sexual relationship with anyone, she understood the medical rationale behind doing so.
“Well?” demanded McCoy into the silence between them after she finished signing the document.
“Permission to speak freely sir?” she inquired as she set the PADD aside.
“Go ahead.” he allowed as he leaned back against the bio bed and crossed his arms.
“You are aware that there is a social consequence for Andorians having sexual relationships with non-Andorians?”
“Yes, but S’nell was estranged from her family before we started seeing each other.”
“I see. You have no objection to not having any more children?”
“One daughter is more then enough.”
“If you’d permit me some advice, follow her lead in the bedroom.”
“I’ve been with women before.”
“Yes, but not with an Andorian. You won’t be able to proceed in ways you could with a Human woman.”
“I know the anatomical differences.”
“I’m sure you do, but allow me to show you something.” Chapel paused to reach for the PADD and brought up a medical article. She passed the PADD to her boss who took it in his hands.
“So the image on the right is the Human woman, and the one on the left is an Andorian zhen?” he clarified as he looked at the images. She nodded. He peered closer at the PADD for a long moment.
“I see what you mean. So what does that leave me with?”
“I’m sure your girlfriend would be able to tell you. If not, you could always ask the elders on Andoria.”
“Why would they be useful?”
“Do you know how Andorians learn about sex?”
“No. I’ve never really thought about it before.”
“After they agree to marry, the foursome have a six month period of learning about other members of the bondgroup. That includes experience in the bedroom.” she explained.
“Right. Well, we’ll figure it out. Every relationship is a learning experience.”
“Yes it is. Good luck.”
“Thanks. Now I’d better go. I’d planned on having dinner with Jim tonight and I’m late.” She nodded.
After Doctor McCoy left the room, Christine sent off the form and the physical results to Starfleet Medical and cleared the PADD’s search history. She headed off to her own quarters. As she walked, she wondered how Doctor McCoy came to be in a romantic relationship with an Andorian in the first place. She hoped things worked out for them. If being around his girlfriend didn’t improve the bedside manner of her boss nothing else would, she mused.
Two
Stardate 2271.215
“Morning Donna.” greeted Fred as he walked into their kitchen. He ordered scrambled eggs, toast, and coffee from the food synthesizer and brought the food over the table.
“Where are the kids?” he continued.
“They went down to the park to meet some friends about half an hour ago.” Donna told him. Fred nodded and took a seat across from his wife. He placed his meal on the table and looked at her for a long moment. She suspected they’d been married long enough by now to be able to usually accurately gauge each other’s moods. His next words confirmed that.
“What’s on your mind?”
“Leonard was dating for five years and I didn’t know. It makes me wonder how much we really have reconciled.”
“Donna, he was in deep space until recently. He couldn’t send transmissions that regularly. Besides, hasn’t your brother always been private about his personal life?”
“Yes, but surely Leonard knew that we would want to hear about his girlfriend.”
“Would you have welcomed her into the family?”
“That depends. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting Leonard to date an Andorian.”
“Do you have a problem with it?”
“I don’t care about the species of woman my brother is dating as long as she treats him well. But I know other people might think he doesn’t find Human women attractive anymore. If uncle Jeffrey were still alive, he’d have a lot to say about that and it wouldn’t be kind.”
“Leonard is a Starfleet officer. Surely he is much more open to learning about and experiencing alien cultures than some other people are.”
“Probably. All I know right now is that if S’nell doesn’t treat Leonard right, I will be on the next shuttle to Earth to make sure that changes. I’m not going to stand by and let my brother be mistreated by a woman again.” Fred smiled as he finished his meal.
“I wouldn’t want to be around if that happens. I know what you’re like when you get angry.” She wrapped an arm around his shoulders.
“You know, I don’t think the kids will be back until lunch. Why don’t we spend some time alone?” she suggested. Her husband hurriedly left the table and followed her upstairs to their bedroom.
Three
Stardate 2275.135
Joseph wasn’t a man who often went out for a drink, but that evening he didn’t want to sit at home alone. He’d picked this place because he’d heard that the bartender wasn’t overly chatty and the food and drink were good. Tonight was the anniversary of his wife’s death so he wanted to remember Sara and raise a glass in her memory. Joseph knew his significant other, Eleanora, Leonard’s mother, understood as her own husband David had died years ago. But it would have been awkward for him to talk about his late wife with the woman he currently loved sitting beside him. He hadn’t told Eleanora the depth of his feelings for her yet, both because he knew Leonard was reluctant to accept their relationship but also because if he did talk to Eleanora, then they would have to make decisions about their future. Would either of them want to move into a new house together? Should he ask her to marry him? Right now, Joseph didn’t have the answer to either question and he was too cautious of a man to move forward without some degree of certainty.
Joseph was interrupted in his thoughts when he saw Leonard enter the bar. He ordered a whisky and took a seat beside him. Joseph noticed that Leonard was so distracted that he didn’t even look at the other customers. Curious as to what had unsettled the younger man, Joseph set down his own drink.
“Anything you want to talk about?” he asked. Leonard’s eyes widened as he turned his head to face Joseph.
“Dammit man, what are you doing here?” he barked.
“Having a drink. Isn’t that what a bar is for?”
“I thought you didn’t drink.”
“Not often. Sometimes a drink or two is helpful for forgetting your troubles and other times it causes more problems.”
“What would you know?”
“If you don’t want to talk, you don’t have to. After all, I know you don’t like me much.” Joseph replied as he flagged down the bartender to pay. Leonard finished his drink and requested a refill.
“It’s just strange seeing someone else other than my dad with my mom. But you treat her very well, so you’ll do.” Joseph chuckled.
“Not quite a ringing endorsement, but I’ll take what I can get.” he conceded.
“You never answered my question earlier.” Leonard replied as Joseph put on his coat. He sighed and looked at the bar for a long moment before he answered.
“Tonight is when I found out that my wife Sara had died. She was a Starfleet exobiologist on a science vessel. The ship came across an undiscovered M class moon and she was a member of the away team. A spider bit her foot. By the time they got her transported back to the ship, she was dead.” Joseph recalled.
“I’m sorry to hear that. I didn’t know.”
“It’s not something I care to talk about much. But Sara knew the risks and so did I. Even so, I wasn’t about to ask my wife to do something different when I knew how much her work meant to her. How could I deprive her of something that gave her so much purpose and joy?”
When Leonard didn’t reply, Joseph frowned.
“What happened with S’nell?” he guessed.
“She got injured at work today and was sent home. I came back and we had a fight. That’s not how I thought my homecoming with her would go.” Joseph remembered that Eleanora had told him Leonard had spent the last year stationed on Jupiter Station.
“Since you’ve made the decision to marry S’nell, you also have to decide if you can live with every aspect of her life. Good night Leonard.” Joseph concluded.
Joseph left the bar without saying another word to Leonard. The two of them would figure things out on their own. Giving them regular advice wasn’t something that he figured either of them would appreciate. But he’d seen for himself how close the two of them were, so he didn’t think a fight would separate them for long.
Four
Stardate 2276.90
Michelle saw the bookstore display while she was outside walking the dog. Along with good quality red wine, she’d always found it hard to resist a sentimental romance. ‘Perhaps my work as a nurse makes me want to have a happy ending, even if only in books,’ she thought. The title and cover image intrigued her, so once she had returned home Michelle downloaded the book to her PADD and began to read. She was swiftly drawn into the story of two lovers from different worlds. S’nell had complained after her honeymoon that as a result of her husband’s notoriety, their relationship was subject to a great deal of speculation and gossip. Now that fame had led someone to write a heavily fictionalized version of their love story, likely under a pen name. Once she had finished reading the book, Michelle decided to talk to S’nell about it during one of their regular runs.
“I just finished reading a story called Intergalactic Lovers. It’s a romance between a Human and a Andorian. There are enough differences between the story and what actually happened between you and Doctor McCoy that you can’t claim it was based on your relationship. But at least the novel was very well written.” Michelle said while they had stopped to drink some water.
“The literary merit of romance is debatable.” S’nell replied with scorn.
“Hey!”
“I meant no offence to your intellect Michelle. But romance books are not meant to win awards.”
“No, but they are popular. Intergalactic Lovers is one of the top ten best selling books in fiction since it was released two weeks ago.” S’nell’s antennae moved forward as they resumed their run.
“In that case, I will have to read this book for myself.” Michelle nodded and smiled to herself. She was curious how her friend would react to the book. If the passion and loyalty between the characters in the novel was a true reflection of her own marriage, S’nell was a very lucky woman indeed, she reflected.
Five
Stardate 2278.61
“So what did you think?” Joanna asked as she drove away from the restaurant. Her boyfriend Bandile turned his head to look at her.
“About what?” he clarified.
“I want to know what you thought of my dad and stepmother.” He nodded.
“Your father seemed overly protective for someone that wasn’t really involved in your life until you became an adult.” Joanna sighed.
“I know we’ve had our differences in the past. It’s easier to talk now that we are both adults. But I think because my dad never really saw me grow up, he sometimes thinks I’m still the young girl in a ponytail that he left behind after the divorce.”
“At least you had a father. I don’t remember mine.” he muttered. She placed a hand on his thigh as she remembered his father had died young in a hovercar accident.
“I liked S’nell. She doesn’t seem like your typical Andorian.” he continued.
“Do you have a lot of experience with Andorians?”
“Not really. I suppose I just had a stereotypical image of an Andorian as someone who enjoys hand to hand combat, is very outspoken, and who is very strong.”
“I think S’nell is all of those things. But the fact she fell in love with my dad means she is able to see beyond the surface. My dad is sarcastic and gruff because that’s a defence mechanism for him to avoid being hurt again. But once he lets you into his life, he’s one of the most loyal people I know.”
“Well then, I hope you he will eventually accept me. After all, I don’t intend to let you go.”
“Glad to hear it.” she said with a smile in his direction. Yes, this man was a keeper as her grandmother used to say, Joanna thought.