08-28-2026, 11:47 AM
(This post was last modified: 08-28-2026, 11:47 AM by Amila Ra'an.)
Amila nodded in mock seriousness as Morad defended his role in the meal preparation, "I'll have you know, the replicator may have synthesized the raw ingredients, but every spice ratio and temperature setting was manually adjusted by hand," he had pointed out smoothly, a warm, confident smirk touching his lips. "So I fully intend to hold you to those compliments later."
“Mm-hmm,” she agreed, before giving him a playful wink.
She reached over and helped herself to more flatbread, and the spiced dip he had given her when she first arrived. The bread and dips he’d shared with her were quickly becoming favorites of hers.
Amila was still surprised that she felt so at ease with Morad, sitting with him like this after these last several years of working with him as her first officer and carrying a silent crush on him. Her crush had sometimes made her nervous around him in the past, and she was still cautious, or trying to be. What they had talked about trying to do here wasn't without obstacles.
Cautiously optimistic.
He had taken another bite of the dumpling dish, so there was a brief moment of comfortable silence between them, the warmth of the shared feelings and the comfort food and soft aromas filling in the quiet, before he reopened the conversation.
"So, CSO Ra'an... now that we're off duty, no sensor logs, no bridge alerts, how are you actually feeling after everything that happened?"
“Everything?” Amila repeated. She took a sip of water before continuing. “That’s a broad question since so much has happened since we last had a chance to talk like this. But if Chief Science Officer Ra’an is answering, then I’d have to say, I’m still pretty excited about getting a chance to witness First Contact, here on the ship. That was a first for me, as I’m sure you know, since you’ve been present for pretty much most of my career.”
“Still feeling a little rough about my position as Chief,” she admitted. “I knew Captain Fields was considering me for the spot on Titania eventually, but I thought there’d be more training, a transition. I’m sure it will come to me - the comfort with it. But, like, I had no concept of how close we were to blowing up over on the Broken Arrow.”
“I mean we knew, we were rushing,” she continued. “But even as we were beamed away and I’ve reviewed the aftermath of it, I still don’t think I’ve really processed that. And now that I have people under me.”
“How do you do it?” She asked. Her expression was serious, and she was obviously not just asking from one officer with less experience to another more experienced officer, but she was asking with empathy to the person she had strong feelings for - the weight of his position she was only just beginning to understand.
==To the Commander==
“Mm-hmm,” she agreed, before giving him a playful wink.
She reached over and helped herself to more flatbread, and the spiced dip he had given her when she first arrived. The bread and dips he’d shared with her were quickly becoming favorites of hers.
Amila was still surprised that she felt so at ease with Morad, sitting with him like this after these last several years of working with him as her first officer and carrying a silent crush on him. Her crush had sometimes made her nervous around him in the past, and she was still cautious, or trying to be. What they had talked about trying to do here wasn't without obstacles.
Cautiously optimistic.
He had taken another bite of the dumpling dish, so there was a brief moment of comfortable silence between them, the warmth of the shared feelings and the comfort food and soft aromas filling in the quiet, before he reopened the conversation.
"So, CSO Ra'an... now that we're off duty, no sensor logs, no bridge alerts, how are you actually feeling after everything that happened?"
“Everything?” Amila repeated. She took a sip of water before continuing. “That’s a broad question since so much has happened since we last had a chance to talk like this. But if Chief Science Officer Ra’an is answering, then I’d have to say, I’m still pretty excited about getting a chance to witness First Contact, here on the ship. That was a first for me, as I’m sure you know, since you’ve been present for pretty much most of my career.”
“Still feeling a little rough about my position as Chief,” she admitted. “I knew Captain Fields was considering me for the spot on Titania eventually, but I thought there’d be more training, a transition. I’m sure it will come to me - the comfort with it. But, like, I had no concept of how close we were to blowing up over on the Broken Arrow.”
“I mean we knew, we were rushing,” she continued. “But even as we were beamed away and I’ve reviewed the aftermath of it, I still don’t think I’ve really processed that. And now that I have people under me.”
“How do you do it?” She asked. Her expression was serious, and she was obviously not just asking from one officer with less experience to another more experienced officer, but she was asking with empathy to the person she had strong feelings for - the weight of his position she was only just beginning to understand.
==To the Commander==