Peace Offering
Posted on Wed Nov 5th, 2025 @ 3:38am by Lieutenant Aubrie Fox & Lieutenant Dezkar Veen
1,408 words; about a 7 minute read
Mission:
Children of the Stars
Location: Engineering Office
Timeline: Current
Dez stared into the control console, his reflection staring back at him behind the multi-colored interface. He'd been staring at lines of code long enough that it all was starting to seem the same. Just when he thought he saw a pattern, it scrambled—making him wonder if the repetition was just a figment of his imagination. Studying the readout, he tapped the interface, listening to the feedback like it was something musical. Finishing the input sequence, they sat back and waited. Silence. He was about to let himself think that he'd succeeded when the console erupted with a shrill alert, the colors turning red with a rapid blinking sequence.
Dez muttered an Andorii curse as the alert sound filled the silence of the Engineering office. "Well, ya try doin' somethin' nice," he said. His fingers danced across the screen. An abrupt but muted sound spat back at him, indicating his inputs were not being accepted. With a huff and a grunt, he dislodged the access panel from the back of the console, removing the main data plug. The console powered off with a decelerating whine and went blank.
Reaching across the desk, he picked up a small bag. It crinkled as he handled it, the contents rustling in his hand. He took in a deep breath, steeling himself before tapping the comm panel.
"Veen to Fox. I've got a security clearance issue on one of my consoles. Might've tripped an alarm. You got a minute to come release the lockout?" he asked over the comm.
Aubrie had just gotten her first hot cup of coffee when the console at her station chirped with a Level-Three access alert. The familiar red flashing icon pulsed in the corner of her display — unauthorized transport sequence initiated, security override required.
Of course, it was Engineering.
Of course, it was Veen.
She sighed, setting the mug down with exaggerated care before tapping her badge.
“On my way, Lieutenant,” she said, her tone level but edged with wry disbelief.
When the doors to Engineering slid open, she stepped through with practiced calm, her eyes immediately finding him by the dimmed console and the tangle of disconnected panels. “So… this is your ‘security clearance issue,’ huh?”
Her gaze moved from the dark console to the cable in his hand, then to the faintly guilty expression on his face. “I leave the ship for a few days, and you’re already trying to break my security system?”
Crossing the deck toward him, she crouched beside the console, pulling out her tricorder to confirm the lockout pattern. “You tripped the automatic countermeasure for site-to-site transports. Whatever you were trying to send, the system thought it was contraband—or worse.”
The corner of her mouth twitched upward as she glanced at him over her shoulder. “Now, unless you were trying to beam yourself a bottle of whiskey, I’m curious what could be worth a lockout and a personal visit from me.”
She keyed in her override, the console humming back to life with its normal blue glow. The shrill alert silenced.
“There,” she said, straightening up. “You’re clear. But before I close this out, maybe you can tell me what it was you were sending to my quarters that required bypassing my access controls?”
Aubrie folded her arms, a spark of amusement flickering in her eyes. “You’ve got about three seconds before I start guessing.”
Dez laughed nervously, which was something he didn't often find himself guilty of. This was twice he'd been caught in the act by Lt. Fox. It was unnerving. More than that, Dez almost felt like he was starting to slip—to soften. Almost.
"Well, I suppose it'll save me a trip at least," Dez said, producing the small fabric bag. He turned it over in his hand, the contents forming in his palm while making a satisfying rustling. Hesitantly, he held the bag out, turning his hand downward to offer it to Fox. They exchanged a charged glance. Dez recognized a look of confusion—or perhaps it was more likely to be suspicion. He wouldn't have blamed her. In fact, he found it to be somewhat amusing, given the circumstances. His mouth turned up into his signature half-grin.
Aubrie arched an eyebrow as Dez extended the small fabric bag toward her. The corners of her mouth tugged upward despite herself; she wasn’t sure whether to arrest him or laugh.
“Please tell me you didn’t just set off a level-three alert… for a bag of whatever that is.”
Taking it carefully, she opened the drawstring just enough to peek inside. The rich, unmistakable aroma of roasted coffee beans rose between them, and her stern expression broke.
“…You’ve got to be kidding me.”
She shook her head, a low chuckle escaping before she could stop it. “You were trying to beam coffee to my quarters?” Her tone was half disbelief, half reluctant amusement. “You realize most people just ask before hacking a console, right?”
Still, she couldn’t quite mask the appreciation that flickered in her eyes. “For future reference, Lieutenant, gestures like this are more effective when they don’t involve setting off internal alarms and giving Security a minor heart attack.”
A beat passed—long enough for her to meet his gaze again. “That said…” she added, softening her tone, “…I’ll admit, it smells amazing. And I do like a man who appreciates good coffee.”
Her lips curved into a teasing smirk as she cinched the bag closed. “You keep this up, and I might just start thinking you’re trying to win me over.”
She turned to leave, pausing at the doorway. “Next time, you can just bring it to me directly, Dez. No security lockouts required.”
"Where's the fun in that?" Dez asked with a chuckle. "Probably the first thing you'll learn about me, Lieutenant, is that I always make an impression." His face shifted to a neutral expression. "Granted, it usually ain't a good one, but every once in a while," he said, his words cutting short. "But like I said when we first met, Chief—I'm a good guy to have around!"
Aubrie folded her arms, watching him with that same composed look she always carried — the kind that said she was evaluating everything he said and filing it away for later.
“Mm-hmm,” she said, unconvinced but amused. “I’m starting to see that, Lieutenant. You do make an impression — I’ll give you that.”
She took a slow step closer, her tone lowering slightly, somewhere between a reprimand and a challenge. “But let me give you a piece of advice in return: impressions fade. Reputations stick.”
For a moment, her expression softened — a hint of warmth behind her normally guarded eyes. “That said… this one?” She lifted the small bag of coffee beans slightly, her lips curving into a smirk. “Not bad. Maybe even worth the trouble.”
She turned toward the exit, calling back over her shoulder as the doors began to part. “Don’t make me regret saying that, Dez. I’ve got my eye on you.”
A slight pause — then, with a faintly teasing lilt — “And next time, maybe try not to nearly trigger a shipwide alert for a cup of coffee.”
Dez laughed, more than a little pleased with himself. His plan didn't exactly go as expected, but it turned out better than he would have thought. Sometimes, he thought, chaos had a way of falling into place. It was one of the unnatural universal anomalies, and not the first time he'd experienced it. Feigning a salute, he watched the woman walk out of his engine room.
"Aye-aye, Lieutenant. I'll keep that in mind," he said after her.
Aubrie paused just outside the threshold, turning back just enough for him to catch the glint in her eye.
“See that you do, Lieutenant,” she said, her tone half-command, half-smile. “Because next time you set off one of my security alerts, I might not be in such a generous mood.”
She held his gaze for a long heartbeat — just long enough to let the warning hang in the air — then turned and walked off down the corridor.
As the doors slid shut behind her, she allowed herself the smallest smile.
“Good guy to have around, huh?” she murmured to herself, shaking her head as she started back toward the turbolift. “We’ll see about that.”
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