Jetta slowly sat herself down in the ready room chair, the walls still a vibrant pink despite her current mood.

“Captain, welcome. I take a lot of pride in my ready room’s appearance, so don’t mind the coloring.” She gave a smile, grabbing one of the tea cups and the kettle. “Tea?”

Mobra nodded as his smile crept wider. “Yes, please..” Nostrils flared beneath his ridged nose as he took in the scent of the brewing herbs. “That smells so fragrant.”

His eyes darted from the kettle to their colorful surroundings. “I don’t blame you for the detailing..” Captain Raku knew how quickly an Operations team could change the color of a room. “You know what happened on the Brawley? All of her inner duranium warped to a shade of blue. That seems to happen with some Californias.”

“It’s one of my favorite blends.” She pours a cup for herself and the other two, sliding them over with ease.

“Really? It must be the beautiful shade of blue I’ve heard about.” Jetta let out a happy sigh. “There’s so much to love about color and life in this universe—it’s half the reason I even joined starfleet.”

Lt. Cmdr. M’kath took the warm cup cautiously. His rich, oaken eyes studied the faint wisps of steam that rose from the little mug.

Mobra matched her excitement. “I really agree with you. We just came from Vaabanth IV. A terraformer is helping a planet transition into Class M. We saw massive green clouds pumping up high into their atmosphere.”

Captain Raku’s gaze drifted as he visualized the planet. “It was right next to this nebula that shifted from red-gold to purple.”

He paused in thought as M’kath took a cautious sip. Mobra continued. “When times are tough, I try to find something beautiful.. Some new sight.. You know?”

“That’s a wonderful way to look at things, Captain.” Jetta gave a soft, appreciative smile. “Beauty is everywhere in the world—in our people, in our ships, even our own enemies.”

Her face changes shortly after. “Which brings me onto my next topic. A rogue Vaadwaur—he goes by Ivvën—has turned on his own people and aided my chief medical officer and a few others in their own survival.”

Jetta rubbed her face, sighing. “He’s claiming he wants to join starfleet, start over. I’m still deciding on what to do.”

Captain Raku grasped his chin on mention of the Vaadwaur. He paused for a moment in thought. M’kath’s eyes widened in an almost worried expression.

“I think he may have a hard time getting into the Academy.” Raku spoke calmly as his eyes met Jetta’s. “Starfleet Intelligence will likely want to interrogate him.”

Mobra shifted. “You might be able to get him a limited exchange officer spot. My XO is working on paperwork to transfer over some Orion Space Navy officers.”

More ideas ran through his mind as he spoke quickly. “Maybe even start him off with an enlisted exchange assignment. The flag officers might not like it, but if what you say is true.. I’ll sign off on his paperwork as a second reference. You’ll need it to make his transfer a success.”

“Of course they are going to want to interrogate him, but I worry they won’t. Not properly.”

Jetta leaned forward.

“People are angry, Captain. They want revenge and I’ve had to install a few outposts near his holding cell so he’s not hurt.” She took a sip of her tea. “We only killed when we absolutely had too for survival. He’s defenseless and has no idea how our system works. If he’s sent into Starfleet as a sort of trial. . .”

Mobra let the heat from the cup warm his palm as he squeezed. “That’s unfortunate that he’s forced into those circumstances. I can see how hard the Vaadwaur hit your ship. Emotions are clearly through the roof.”

M’kath took another cautious sip, his slurp echoing throughout the quiet room.

Captain Raku looked towards the dark, sandy-haired Klingon before speaking. “There has to be a better way forward. How exactly did he save your ship?” He looked quickly at his tea before lifting it to his lips.

“Without him, we would’ve lost quite a few people—people who actively helped save both of ships.” She took another sip, setting the tea cup down a bit anxiously.

“Even then, he didn’t want to be a part of this. Who would? Poor kid is just. . .nervous, and to put him in an unfamiliar environment is almost cruel, is it not?”

“I’m sure it is”, Mobra replied. “It sounds like you see his work as vital to getting you through this.”

The Bajoran Captain glanced from Jetta back to his mug in thought. “Just make sure to be thorough when you send your report to Headquarters. I would-”

He was interrupted by the sound of his commbadge. =/\= Raku, this is Smythe. Two things.. It looks like the Klingons got the station that populated this region with Underspace. No sign of them. Uh, also.. We’ve moved into tow position. Starbase 514 is too busy. We have to take the long route to Deep Space 11.”=/\=

Mobra tapped his commbadge. “Well done, XO. Take us there at Warp Seven. Raku out.”

He looked to the other Captain. “It sounds like we’re getting out of here at least.”