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The biggest annoyance, though, was the revelation that the Nalori are a bit—well, backward about gender roles. The engineering team consists of several civilians made up of numerous Nalori races, all male. Women don’t do this sort of work in Nalori society.

“Wonderful,” I said. “So you’re asking me to lead a team that hates Starfleet, hates the Federation, and hates women?”

For the first time, Captain Scott sounded like a captain when he asked, “Is that a problem, Commander?”

“No, sir,” I said with full confidence. “I can handle it.”

The avuncular smile came back, and he sounded like an engineer again. “That’s what I like to hear. You’ll be headin’ out with the da Vinci to Starbase 96, where you’ll meet up with a civilian ship, the Culloden. It’ll take ye the rest of the way.”

Then Captain Scott put his hand on my shoulder. “I can’t emphasize how important this mission is, lassie. The Nalori have been showin’ us their backs for almost two centuries. This is the first time they’ve extended a hand. We may finally get the chance to explore Sector 969, and this is our first chance to study chimerium up close.” The captain had that glint in his eye that Lt. Commander Duffy once described as the “new toy to play with” look. And he was right—chimerium has uncounted tactical uses, particularly against a technologically superior foe like the Borg or the Dominion.

“Don’t worry, sir. I won’t let you down.”

“Of that, Commander, I have very little doubt. Now, be off with you. I’ve got an appointment.”

We’re now en route to Starbase 96. I’ve been studying everything there is to know about the Nalori in general and Sarindar in particular—which, unfortunately, isn’t much. The latest updates on the Sarindar Project are two months old, and the information in the cultural database is sketchy at best. I’m going to have a talk with our cultural specialist, Carol Abramowitz, before we reach the starbase to go over some of this. One interesting thing—while the nation is called the Nalori Republic, the Nalori race is only one of the five members of that republic. And it looks like the work crew has representatives from all five.

The design of the SA is generally sound, but they’ve overdesigned it to an appalling degree, and some aspects of the engineering are, to be blunt, wrong and will need to be fixed posthaste.

It’s going to be a challenge to get the project up to speed, but I’m looking forward to it.

Personal log, Commander Sonya Gomez, U.S.S. da Vinci, Stardate 53271.5

I think I need to kill Kieran.

Before the mess with the Defiant and the Tholians, we had hit the latest in a series of land mines regarding our relationship.

If you can call it that.

What we had on the Enterprise was wonderful, while it lasted. When I transferred off, though, we weren’t really able to keep it up, and since we got thrown together on the da Vinci again, it’s been one awkward moment after another. When we’re on duty, everything’s fine, but the minute we see each other in the mess hall, it gets—well, messy.

But then he had command of the da Vinci against the Tholians when Captain Gold and I were on the Defiant, and he did great. I’m happy for him—it’s been a shot in the arm to his confidence, and one he really needed, to be honest.

The thing is—he’s getting more aggressive with me. Yesterday we went over the duty rosters for when I’d be gone, and he sat closer to me than usual—his hand brushed against mine more than once, too. When some minor crisis in engineering came up, he suggested finishing in his quarters later—which he’s never done before, not even when we were actually dating on the Enterprise. But then, it was easier to keep business and a personal life separate on a Galaxy-class ship. The da Vinci is a much smaller—more intimate—ship.

I think he wants to start up what we had on the Enterprise again, and I just don’t know if I can handle that. For one thing, I’m his CO. And look at what we do. What if I’d been trapped in that dimensional rift or on Eerlik’s moon? What if the da Vinci had been destroyed