Star Trek by Dayton Ward, Kevin Dilmore

and turned to see Stevens appear in the hatch opening, a smile on his face.
    â€œWe’re good to go,” he said. “Wilson’s checking a few readings but I think the replacement articulation frame will hold just fine. We found a couple of pieces in storage that did the trick. I only had to dig into the …”
    He paused, the realization of what had just been said now evident on his face. Looking to Aldo, he stammered through the remainder of the sentence. “Uh … dig, into the storage hold and look for spare parts. Wilson did all the work, Mr. Corsi. I didn’t touch a thing without his being right next to me.”
    Waving the explanation away, Aldo smiled. “Domenica spoke well of your abilities, Mr. Stevens. Forgive me for doubting them. I trust all went well?”
    Stevens smiled and gave a thumbs-up. “Yes, sir. Now if you would excuse me, I’d like to wash up and get something to eat. Can I get anything for you two?”
    Aldo shook his head. “I need to get us under way and contact the Thelkans to let them know we’ll be a bit late.”
    â€œI’ll catch up in a bit, Fabian.” Corsi watched Stevens nod and return down the corridor. Behind her, Aldo had retaken his seat and started tapping commands into the control console. She waited in silence for the several minutes it took him to contact the Thelkan shipmaster and to make his preparations to get the
Pharaon
under way again before saying anything. “Dad?”
    â€œYes, Dommie?”
    â€œThis trip … this talk … meant a lot to me,” she said. “I hope it’s not our last.”
    Aldo smiled. “It won’t be. Now go catch up to yourfriend. He’s a good man, Dommie, from what I can tell. It’s plain that he likes you a lot.”
    â€œYeah,” Corsi said. “And that’s part of the problem.”

    As she headed in the direction of Stevens’s quarters, Corsi realized her pace was quickening the farther she walked. She wanted to tell him about the conversation with her father. For the first time in years, she felt reconnected to her family and completely proud of her chosen career in Starfleet, and she could not wait to share her newfound good feelings with
him
.
    Tapping the keypad next to the door to Stevens’s room, she stepped inside as the hatch slid aside. “Fabian? Are you in here?”
    Then she stopped short as she looked into the room’s small bathroom and saw Stevens standing at the sink, naked but for a towel around his waist.
    â€œUh, I’ll come back,” she said, turning to head back through the door.
    â€œHey, it’s okay,” Stevens replied as he turned from the sink, rivulets of water in his hair as he wiped his hands with another towel. “Come on in.”
    Nodding, she made a concerted effort to avoid looking toward the bathroom as she stepped into the room and took a seat on the unmade bunk. “You guys made pretty quick work of the warp drive. I think Dadwas impressed.”
    â€œWilson did all the real work,” Stevens admitted as he put away a washcloth and soap. “But play up the S.C.E. angle for your father. Maybe he’ll start coming around on his Starfleet issues.”
    Corsi smiled at that. “He might be already. While you were working, we talked like we’ve never talked before. He may be starting to understand why I’ve stayed in Starfleet all this time.”
    â€œThat’s great, Dom.” As he moved from the bathroom, it seemed to be Stevens’s turn to avoid eye contact as he went through the motions of tidying up the small sleeping quarters. “Maybe you can explain it to me later, if you want.”
    Something in the way he said the words caused her brow to crease in puzzlement. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
    Stevens turned from a storage compartment to meet her gaze. “I’m getting out,” he said.