Boys, Stars and Dancing
Posted on Mon Mar 2nd, 2026 @ 7:19pm by Lieutenant Junior Grade Selina Kyle & Ensign Millicent Ambrose
Edited on on Thu Mar 5th, 2026 @ 2:34am
1,635 words; about a 8 minute read
Mission:
Episode 17 - Going Home
Location: Officer's Mess Hall - Deck 2 - USS Pioneer
Timeline: MD005 1200 hrs
It was lunchtime and Millie was famished, she headed towards the messhall, contemplating as to what she wanted. The corners of her mouth turned upwards, as she thought of conversations back home when she still had a difficult time of to decide what she wanted. Mentally she rolled dice to help her decide as she approached the replicator. The mental dice landed upon the choice of seafood, a seafood sandwich. With it was fries, vanilla milk shake, water and for dessert, triple berry pie ala mode. She looked around to see if Rachel was there, she wasn't but there was someone she'd not met before.
She was a Caitian hybrid, with interesting markings on her body, which reminded Millie of Rachel. She'll have to go check on Rachel pretty soon. Millie walked up to the lady, without hesitation. Millie being in uniform of engineering.
"Hello there, I'm Millie. What's your name?" smiling at the lady she came up to.
Salina looked up and blinked as she saw an unfamiliar ensign in front of her, she was greeted by the ensigns broad smile which made her smile as well. "Please sit down. I was just about ready to have some lunch myself and I wouldn't object to some company. I am Lieutenant JG Salina Kyle, But you can call me Salina."
"Thank you, Selina." Millie moving to take a seat at the table. "I've not met many people on the ship but I do aim to try and get to know others of the crew." she registered the blue that indicated either Medical or Science. though she felt that Selina could work in science but still better to ask than assume.
"I'm in engineering, what position are you in on the ship?" Millie picking up her sandwich to take a bite.
Salina set her Bacon, mushroom and Swiss burger down on the plate that had sweet potato fries and a side salad with a large mug of coffee. "I'm the ship's Stellar Cartographer, I find my job to be both rewarding and relaxing. As a girl I was fascinated by the stars and when I grew up I followed them out here to see what the universe holds for me."
"I felt like that myself. And I truly love working on a ship, keeping it healthy and functioning." She picked up a fry and dipped it into the shake enjoying the combination of the salty and sweetness. "I've not been to cartography yet as there truly hasn't been a call for me to do so. Besides that would be under the chief of operations, Lieutenant Kolok. It was great taking care of a repair job with him, I've never worked on a project with a Klingon before and he was really good." she popped the other half of the French fry in her mouth after dipping it in her shake.
Salina grinned. "I've heard it said about Klingons that they're either good or dead, no in between." She took a bite of her fries after dipping it in melted butter. " I could get you into Stellar Cartography if you really wanted to, it's not like I get many visitors down there. The ones who come are normally other scientist, the Captain, the X.O. or just those that are curious. But I do like the peace and quiet that I get when I'm working. "
"I would love to go see it. Sounds wonderful" Millie grinning ear to ear. "How about after we eat, we can go there?" her eyes were shimmering with great interest. Another place to discover and get to know. "I will have to agree from what I have been reading. I decided to do some studying of the Klingon Culture." another bite of her sandwich, Millie was wondering something, "Have you met the assistant chief of science, Lieutenant Nerin Valen?"
"Yes I have met the ACSO before, The last time we spoke was about the garden cube, and it gave me a new interest in gardening. I was even given a small area to grow some cooking herbs and one for relaxing after a long hard day." She lowers her voice. "Or after talking with my mother, She likes asking when I'm going to settle down and give her some grandchildren. It's not like I'm the only offspring that she ever bore."
Millie gave a slight grimace. "Yikes, hopefully she doesn't put out the highchair in the middle of the living room when you visit home. Where is your family located and, did you know we're on our way to Earth for some shoreleave? I'm looking forward to that, I haven't seen my family in a little while. Except at DS9 and that was only briefly before I was transferred to the Pioneer."
" My family is located back on Cait, the Caitian home world. I haven't been back there in a while, I'm still very busy cataloging Stars, planets and nebulas. We are still learning and expanding our knowledge of the galaxy and charting new and safe space routes between the systems."
"Maybe you can contact some of them and see if there can be a little bit of a reunion with your family? After all, we are heading to Earth for some shoreleave. What do you think?" Millie taking another bite of her sandwich. "I plan on contacting my own family when we get there."
Salina hesitated. " I.. I um, don't know." She looked down at the floor. " The last time i spoke with my mother we had an argument. I told her no one forced her into a relationship and she married a human even against some of my mother's families wishes, I'm a half breed, so some Caitians accept me while others wouldn't give me the time of day. I want to find my own special loved one by myself, I deserve that. I will love and marry who I love, and not someone that was picked out for me with no choice given."
Millie hmmned at hearing this. "You know, maybe get in contact with her, and smooth things over." A pause as she thought of her own situation. "I need to do that with a few of my friends, I drifted away from them and I think I hurt them. I intend on making amends if they want to hopefully reconnect. I feel its best to work to mend broken friendships and not have regrets. Its something I've learned is really important."
Selina looked into Millie's eyes and saw her concern. And she knew what Millie was telling her is what she believed to be true. " I'll think it over, But I was the one who was hurt and I am not finding what you ask of me to be easy at all. I need a little time to think it over first."
Millie nodded, "I do understand that, and apologies for speaking out of turn." the ensign looked down at her plate picking up another fry, placed it down as she mulled something in her mind.
She drew in a breath, looking back up. "Change of subject, have you been to the places on Earth called, Dark Sky Reserves? I went to one, it was in Nevada, Massacre Rim Wilderness Study Area, an ex boyfriend of mine had taken me there to look at the stars, it was really beautiful."
Selina blinked. "Dark Sky reserves? Never heard of it, But it sounds beautiful. Not wild about the name of Massacre Rim though, I take it there is a dark history involved with that location?"
Millie shook her head, "Despite it's dire name, Massacre Rim was just a place where weary travelers would bury supplies of food, leaving a marker as to their belongings were. There were a lot of markers and someone had mistook the markers as gravesites, so gave it that name. I had wondered about that name myself and dug up the history of it. Its got a lot of petroglyphs all around that area. We could actually go to the holodeck and I can show you a facsimile of the Dark Sky Reserves just so you can see. Or for that matter, could take you to one of those areas when we get to Earth for shoreleave."
Selina looked at Millie and thought a moment. "I think I'd like to see it for myself when we get back to earth, There are many places on Earth that I have yet to see and I think I'd enjoy the time together. We've both been so busy that there hasn't been many times that we could get together."
"Most definitely. I would like that very much, so we'll make plans to go to Massacre Rim and see the stars." Millie giving an excited smile. "That should be fun."
Selina responded "We'll need to research the surrounding areas to see what else is in that region as well. Perhaps I could sign us out a small two person shuttle so we can visit check out other areas as well. I should be able to do that since I am an officer. We'll meet later and talk about it more."
"That sounds like a good plan to me." Millie answered, and she noted that Selina was getting ready to leave. "Until next time."
Selina gave a wave to Millie and left.
Millie smiled and put away her dishes and left as well. To Millie, that was was a rather good first meeting for what looks to be a new friend.
A Joint Post By
Lieutenant Junior Grade Selina Kyle
Stellar Cartographer, USS Pioneer
Ensign Millicent Ambrose
Engineering Officer, USS Pioneer
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