//------------------------------// // Season 2 Mini-Episode 7: "Space Race" // Story: Star Trek: Phoenix // by Dewdrops on the Grass //------------------------------// STAR TREK: PHOENIX S02ME07 “Space Race” Rodriguez stared up at the viewscreen, watching the simulated view of the stars flying past. His hands mimed typing on the conn console, practicing the command sequences for various maneuvers to stay in shape. Occasionaly,  he glanced back down to make sure they were still on course for Starbase 375, and every time he did he made a little tweak to keep the variance from their plotted course under two percent. It was a matter of pride that never failed to make him smile. “Feeling a bit bored over there, Rodrigo?” asked Williams, glancing over from his seat at ops. Rodrigo turned his head just enough to look at Williams, flashing the old man a grin. “A little bit, I cannot lie,” he said. He stretched out his arms, momentarily wincing as his left arm twinged, still tender from the bone-knitting performed by Doctor Selar the night before. As he brought them back in he cracked his knuckles, then set his hands back down on the console. “I am wishing I had some real piloting to do.” “Careful what you wish for,” Williams said, his tone sounding all too casual to Rodrigo’s ear. “Never know when those Dominion goons will pop up next.” Rodrigo made a thoughtful noise as he drummed his fingers on the console. “I would prefer that not to occur,” he said. “Flying in straight lines is perfectly fine.” Williams chuckled at that. “Ah, you’ve become such a sap in your old age. I remember when you were full of fire, young and eager to prove yourself, always ready to punch out a Cardi. Now look at you. You’ve still got the physique, but you’re so… calm now.” “Time," Rodrigo said, a small smile coming to his lips. “Time has a way of smoothing out rough edges, adding depth to what was once shallow and one dimensional. This is as true for a bottle of fine Monastrell as it is for myself.” “Yet you still talk like a Spaniard right out of the 18th century,” Williams retorted. “What’re you going to say next? ‘My name is Rodrigo Rodriguez. You killed my father. Prepare to--” “Please, sir,” Rodrigo interrupted, feeling a bit of a twinge in his jaw. “You have been making that joke for thirty years. I think it is past time for you to stop.” Williams broke into hoarse laughter, slapping a hand to his console. “Oh come on, Rodrigo. It’s just a classic movie reference.” “Yes, well, not all of us are having your obsession with terrible 20th century Earth movies,” Rodrigo retorted. “Aaah, correction,” Williams said, holding up a finger. “Great 20th century movies. Not all of them. Just the great ones.” A wide grin stretched across Rodrigo’s face. “Sir, you keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.” As he hoped, Williams broke into fresh laughter and applauded him. “That’s the spirit, Rodrigo, there you go!” Rodrigo took a small bow, as much as he could from a sitting position. “I do try, sir.” The comm system bleeped at him. “Shuttlebay 2 to Rodriguez.” Tapping his combadge, Rodriguez replied, “Rodriguez here. Go ahead.” “Sir, Ensign R’el is down here, aboard the Liu Yang. She claims you’ve given authorization for her to launch.” Rodrigo blinked and shared a confused look with Williams. “I gave no such authorization. Besides, we are at warp. Why would we be launching a shuttle at warp?” “That’s what I asked her, sir, but she closed the shuttle door in my face. She’s powering it up now and is refusing to leave.” “What the hell?” Williams grumbled. “What is she doing?” “I don’t know, but I will be finding out,” Rodriguez said, standing up. “Shuttlebay 2, I am on my way. Please be having security stand by just outside the shuttlebay if needed. I will be attempting to talk her down first.” “Understood.” “Good luck, Rodrigo,” said Williams, giving him an odd look Rodrigo couldn’t quite figure out.  Rodrigo hurried for the nearest turbolift, directing it to Deck 22. As he rode, his mind churned, trying desperately to figure out what R’el was doing, or why. He'd been working with her since the day she came aboard, and she'd been nothing but a stellar officer. It had been months since Rodriguez even gave a second thought to R'el taking over the helm during Beta shift, and he remembered beaming with pride when she expertly piloted the shuttle during that dreadfully dangerous away mission to the Dominion base. Which made the current situation all the more bewildering to take in. As the turbolift discharged him, he jogged down the deck to the shuttlebay doors, nodding to Ensign Maia and the other security officer standing by. “Please be ready in case I am needing you to restrain her. I am hoping it will not come to that.” “Yes, sir,” Maia replied. She adjusted her posture. “Permission to speak freely, sir.” Rodrigo paused just before entering the shuttlebay. “Go ahead?” “Ensign R’el is my friend, sir. I have no idea why she’d be acting like this. She has a good head on her shoulders.” Maia continued to stare at him impassively, despite the corner of her mouth tugging downward. “Knowing her, either something has her scared out of her wits, or she's upset at herself about something.” Rodrigo nodded. “Thank you, Ensign. Excuse me.” Stepping inside, he swiftly located the shuttlecraft in question. The Liu Yang was a type-8 shuttlecraft. It was one of the smallest shuttles on board, but what it lacked in armor and weaponry it made up for with speed, thanks to a warp four capable engine - an engine, Rodriguez noted as he listened to the hum of the deck plates beneath his feet, was primed and ready to go. He also noted the slowly growing glow coming from the shuttle's twin phaser nodes. He began to worry that R'el might try to blast her way out if he couldn't talk sense into her. Eying the cockpit of the shuttle warily, he walked up to the rear of the shuttle and pressed his finger to the keypad. After a long moment, the speaker sounded with R’el’s voice. “I already told you I have authorization. I’m not leaving the shuttle.” “Is that so, Ensign?” Rodrigo asked. “I am curious as to how you obtained that authorization from me.” After several moments with no response, the shuttlecraft door lowered, allowing him entry. The instant he stepped aboard it closed again, but he expected that. Ignoring it, he focused on R'el, who was sitting at the helm with her back to him. But as he approached, she turned enough for him to see her face. Her uniform appeared rumpled, as if she tugged it on in a hurry. Her face was blotchy, her eyes red, her cheek fur soggy from freshly shed tears. Even her claws looked out of sorts, as if she'd given up halfway through clipping them.  And, though he’d never bring it up, she smelled very much like a wet cat. She looked up at him, her lips trembling, then spun around in the chair and flopped face first onto the console. “I’m going to the brig, aren’t I, sir?” she mumbled. Rodrigo sighed as he squeezed his bulk into the chair next to her. “If Zhidar were here, then yes. But that is exactly why I came instead. I am admittedly upset, Ensign, but I am also worried about you. Stealing a shuttlecraft is no small thing, even for a first-time offender.” R’el’s whole body shook with her answering breath. “I know, sir.” Nodding, Rodrigo set his hands down on the console. “Truthfully, what is upsetting me about this is my best assistant, an Ensign I have been training for months, thought it was a good idea to be launching a shuttle while the ship is effectively at warp.” One of R’el’s paws curled up into a partial fist. “I… I know that too sir. I know it would’ve been very dangerous.” “Extremely so without the cooperation of the ship itself,” Rodrigo added. “It would be very easy for the Phoenix’s warp field to shred the shuttlecraft into a million pieces spread across half a light-year. You would be very dead.” “...is that so bad?” R’el murmured. Instantly Rodrigo sat up straight, narrowing his gaze to focus squarely on her. “Ensign. Are you feeling suicidal?” R’el broke out laughing, a laugh that tasted so bitter it was as if Rodrigo had just swallowed a mouthful of raktajino minus the sweetener and cream. She kept laughing for so long that Rodrigo started reaching at his waist for a phaser he didn’t carry when she finally looked back up at him again. “No, no sir. I’m not. I… I’m not, I promise.” Rodrigo eyed her up, meeting her cat-like unblinking stare with his own for several long moments until he nodded. “Then why did you attempt to steal a shuttle?” “...I’d rather not talk about it, sir.” He crossed his big beefy arms over his chest, glaring at her. “You understand if I do not have an explanation, I may have to send you to the brig after all pending an official inquiry, yes?” She straightened up in her chair. “I’m aware of that, sir.” His gaze softened as he looked her over, seeing the fear in her eyes. Whatever reason she had for not disclosing, it seemed it mattered more to her than her career at the moment, which made it very important indeed. Which gave him an idea. A silly, odd idea, but one that just might work. He might be able to coax it out of her if he followed through. But, first thing’s first. “Very well,” he said in a quieter voice. “Before we go, please see to shutting down the shuttlecraft.” R’el’s paws moved over the console quickly in a delicate dance, bringing systems down one at a time in the proper manner to let them cool, each one letting out a hum that slowly stilled as she disengaged them, exactly the way he’d trained her. “Done.” He nodded, filled with a sense of pride. “Good, good. Shall we be leaving, then?” “...aye, sir,” she said, letting out a quiet little yowl of dismay as she picked herself up and headed for the shuttlecraft door, her tail, while puffed up, dragging behind her. As they exited onto the hangar floor, R’el glanced about and muttered, “Oh… no one’s waiting to take me away? I was half convinced this was a setup.” Rodrigo arched an eyebrow. “Surely, Ensign, you are knowing me much better than that. You know I would not be so underhanded. I am a man of honor.” R’el’s face paled to the color of curdled milk as she hid her face away. “Sorry, sir. I didn’t mean to insult you like that.” He shook his head. “Nevermind that. What precisely is your duty roster today, Ensign?” “Simulations, sir,” she answered, keeping her gaze aimed at the floor. “And shuttlecraft maintenance.” “Is the maintenance what you were doing when you attempted to steal the Liu Yang?”  Another long pause, then, “Yes, sir.” Rodrigo glanced about the hangar at the various other shuttlecraft and pods nearby. “Did you finish?” “Yes, sir, I finished… recalibrating the flight controls on the Liu Yang was the last item on my list,” she answered, another quiet yowl escaping her lips. “Aaah, I see.” Rodrigo leaned down to her eye level. “So since you were already in the chair, you were thinking, ‘I want to get out of here, I should use the shuttle I am sitting in,’ yes?” She bit her lip and nodded, her ears flattening against her skull. “Yes, sir.” Rodrigo resisted the urge to immediately spout “Why?” and instead reached out to pat her on the shoulder. Well aware of his own strength, he deliberately hit her just hard enough to make her stumble, without causing any real harm. “I see, I see. Well, if you have all of the maintenance done, then you should be moving on to the simulations, yes?” Seemingly dazed by his hit, R’el only blinked in confusion before letting out a “What?” so mangled by cat-noises it might as well have been meowed. “Am I mistaken? You have only been on duty for a few hours.” Rodrigo flashed a charming grin at her, one that had melted the heart of many a woman in his time. It didn’t seem to melt her heart, or even reach it, but she did give him a watery smile in return, if only for a moment before it vanished into the aether. “No I do have piloting simulations awaiting me.” “Very well then.” He held a hand up to his mouth and coughed. “As the lead helmsman aboard, it is up to me to determine the best sort of simulations suitable. We will be throwing out your old plan for today.” “Huh?” She took a single step back from him, her hands raising up to chest level. “I don’t understand, sir.” “Do not be worrying, Ensign, I will be helping you with this simulation personally. Come with me.” He led her out into the corridor, past Maia and her fellow security guard, whom he gave a subtle nod to. He didn’t miss the way R’el stiffened for a moment as she passed them by however. “I thought you said you weren’t so underhanded, sir,” she muttered, her voice turning bitter like day old coffee. “And I’m not,” Rodrigo said. He turned to the security officers. “Thank you, you may go. I will take it from here.” “Aye, sir,” said Maia. As her fellow officer walked away, she paused long enough to fix her gaze upon R’el and say, “Sorry if we scared you.” R’el’s gaze softened as she watched Maia depart. “...I see what you mean, sir. Sorry, again.” “No need,” Rodrigo said with a measure of magnanimity. “Now then, I believe the turbolift is this way.” As the turbolift took off, Rodrigo looked down at R’el, who couldn’t stop curling and uncurling her paws. She glanced in his direction and immediately looked away when she realized he was looking at her, but he’d seen her eyes long enough to see what was weighing on her mind. Guilt. She'd done something - or something had happened to her - and now she was overwhelmed with guilt from it.  He'd never seen her act this way before either. Usually she was so happy-go-lucky, with enthusiasm and energy that rivaled his own. But now she was so quiet and meek, like a completely different person. Something must have happened to her. Something she didn’t care for, something that left her feeling totally exposed somehow. And he was going to coax it out of her. It was either that or send her to see Counselor Hendricks and take her off duty, but he was hoping his alternative solution would work. The turbolift discharged them close to Holodeck 1. “Sir?” R’el questioned as he led them right to the doors. “We’re using the holodeck, not the holosuite?” Rodrigo understood her confusion. Though the Phoenix had four holodecks, it also had twenty much smaller holosuites. They were far less sophisticated, but were perfect for training simulations and other programs where fidelity of detail and sophistication were not as vital. More importantly, the enlisted crew members which made up over three quarters of the crew were not allowed to use the holodecks for recreation, only the holosuites. “We will be needing it for what I have in mind,” he said, his eyes twinkling. He led her inside and stepped over to the arch. “Computer, run program Rodriguez 21 Alpha. Two persons.” “Please specify course length.” “200 million kilometers.” “Working… program complete.” All around them the black and gold lines faded away, replaced by a landing pad twenty meters by twenty meters, sitting naked on a dusty rock of an asteroid, with only a force field dome to hold in the atmosphere. Sitting atop the landing pad were a pair of one-person shuttlecraft, each an exact clone of his personal racing craft he used in competition. The brightly polished hull, swept wings, and twin impulse engines mounted underneath gave the sleek design a look faintly reminiscent of vintage 20th century fighter jets, while a plethora of RCS thrusters allowed the shuttle to turn in any direction at a moment's notice. Rodrigo stifled a laugh of amusement at the slight bit of drool that ran down R’el’s chin as her eyes darted between the ships and the asteroid field floating all around them. This was one of Rodrigo's favorite courses to run - a super dense asteroid field created by the collision of two class-M planets. Rocks of all shapes and sizes floated and spun about, some large enough and jagged enough to rip even a ship like the Phoenix to pieces if they were to collide. He'd run this maze so many times over the years he'd memorized all the best paths by heart. “What do you think, Ensign?” “I… what kind of simulation is this?” R’el breathed. “Pilot training," Rodrigo chuckled as he began walking toward the further of the two racecraft. “Of a sort. Come along. We have work to do, yes?” R’el all but raced forward and leapt into the cockpit of her own craft, while Rodrigo ambled into his own at a much more leisurely pace, too busy watching R’el. Seeing her reaction brought a smile to his face as old happy memories briefly surfaced in his mind, days of yore when he was but a young lad boarding his first racecraft. As he took a seat, he slipped on his headset and keyed the radio. “Sir, this layout, it’s incredible. It’s so intuitive and easy to understand. Even the VIP shuttles back at the Academy don’t have controls this advanced!” He glanced down at the controls, set up as a half moon encircling the pilot’s seat. Thrusters, impulse drive, shields, power, heading, communications, all set up in just the right positions, at just the right distance for their use. There was even a joystick for manual steering, though that saw far more use in-atmosphere than it did in space. “Thank you, Ensign,” he said, grinning. “I worked very hard on designing it.” “Wait, you designed all of this?” “Yes, I did,” he answered, his voice full of pride. “Inside and out. Spent years working out all the details before having a prototype built.” “Wow… I knew you were a racer, sir, but that’s just–!” R’el’s transmission dissolved into a series of mrrs and mewls, just like a happy little housecat. He leaned back in the plush leather seating and reached back for the five-point seat belt. While not a common piece of equipment aboard most starships these days, it was vital for any racecraft, as inertial dampers rarely kept up entirely with their lightning-quick maneuvers due to their power draw. Had he been flying this craft for real, he’d also be wearing a pressure suit able to handle the G-forces, but here he could rely on the holodeck safety protocols to allow just enough thrill without putting their lives in serious danger. “Do not be forgetting your seat belt, Ensign,” he said. He heard the sound of a click followed by, “Already on it, sir.” “Very good.” He booted up the ship’s computer and brought up a map of the race course, sending it over to appear on her screen as well. “As you might guess, this asteroid field will be our race course. Checkpoint beacons are being marked by the gold symbols on the screen, and we must be passing within five meters of each one in order to receive credit and move into the next section of the course.” He imagined the dropped jaw from the yowl of disbelief she uttered. “Did you say five meters?” “Yes,” he replied, stifling a chuckle. “And there will be other hazards as well. Automated turrets. Mines. Dampening fields. With only the two of us there will be fewer hazards, but they must be avoided.” “...sir, with all due respect, this is kind of crazy. I don’t understand why we’re doing this.” A frown briefly replaced his usual smile. “I am realizing that it is a bit unusual, but it will be a very good test of your piloting skills. Of course if you are unwilling to perform this duty, I can always be escorting you to the brig for your attempted shuttle theft.” It was an underhanded, blatantly manipulative statement, but it got the job done. He heard guilt creep back into her voice as she said, “Right, sorry sir. I’m ready to go when you are.” “Very good.” He checked his controls once more, ensuring his power core and engines were warmed up and ready. “Computer, begin race countdown. Give racer number two a five minute handicap start.” “Affirmative. Racer Two, prepare to launch.” “Wha–sir? Are you sure about this?” He wished she could see the amused smile on his face. “Would you rather not be having a headstart on one of the best racers in the Federation?” “...good point, sir.”  “Racer Two, you may launch in three… two… one. Launch.” A shudder surged through the landing pad and up into Rodrigo’s pilot seat as the other racecraft soared away like a chemical rocket, waggling its wings as a farewell greeting. Chuckling at the sight, Rodrigo sat back in his chair, wrapping his arms behind his head as he watched the other racecraft peel away on the map, dodging and weaving through asteroids on as direct a path as possible for the first checkpoint. But even at top speed it would take her longer than five minutes to get there. “Ah, my dear Ensign,” he sighed to himself. “Like any neophyte, always thinking speed is utmost.” But he was nothing if not generous. When the computer announced he could begin, he calmly brought his hands out from behind himself, cracked his back, hummed a tune, then gently started up the engines and floated away from the asteroid like a butterfly, slow and quiet. He meandered about, even circling the starting asteroid once before blithely pointing himself in the general direction of the checkpoint. He brushed past a few asteroids as he heard the radio click on. “What’s wrong, sir?” asked R’el. “Just enjoying the sights,” he said as he swept down and around another chunk of dusty rock. “Sir… you’re toying with me.” He muted himself long enough to snicker, then flicked the mic back on. “So you are thinking.” Right on cue as he said that, his map let out a loud ding sound in a minor key to let him know that R'el had hit the first checkpoint. Four more to go. He sat up in his seat and re-tightened his seatbelt, a huge grin on his face. He hit a single key, beginning a three second countdown to the engines ramping to max power. “We shall see.” Rodrigo could feel the slight twist in the spaceframe as the craft shot forward, even with the dampeners set to maximum power. The engines screamed as he weaved in and out of the first series of asteroids, using each close pass to build more and more momentum toward the next set. As he curled around the last asteroid and gently tapped the lit beacon on top of the first checkpoint with a wingtip, he saw he had already cut the gap to R'el by a half. Rodrigo took a brief glance at the map, spotting R’el’s position on the course. A grin crossed his face as he watched her charge blindly ahead to the next checkpoint. He meanwhile took a perpendicular route far around. “Wait for it....” he murmured. Right on cue, he heard R'el shriek in surprise. “Are you okay there, Ensign?” “You weren’t kidding about those turrets, sir!” she called back. He watched her ship icon on the map spiral seemingly out of control and briefly appear to dip inside one of the asteroids only to pop out the other side, exploiting a small tunnel that most other racers never see at all. He nodded his approval at the move. Clever. And one he might have to duplicate because his onboard computer was already sounding the alarm over the approaching turrets. Like any race course, these were armed with pulsed ion cannons and spatial torpedoes, archaic technology that had been abandoned centuries ago in favor of the first phasers and photon torpedoes. Any starship could swat these weapons away with only their navigational deflectors, but they were more than enough to temporarily disable racecraft like these with too many hits. But his shields didn’t have to be strong. The key was to avoid getting hit in the first place, and that was a skill Rodrigo excelled in. He banked hard to the right as the turrets began to unload on him, then spun up and to the left in a corkscrew that kept the turrets just far enough behind him to never get a clean shot. He weaved past the first wave of torpedoes then dove nearly straight down again to zip through another wave of cannon fire, only taking a few glancing blows to the port shield. Spotting the shortcut that R’el used, he dove inside and zoomed out the other side, completely bypassing the last few turrets in that section. Rodrigo checked the course map just as it dinged again, showing R'el passing the second checkpoint and banking toward the third section of the course, which was spread across a field dotted with massive chunks of ice and jagged debris. These bulky behemoths hid a specialized danger inside, one that Rodrigo was all too eager to let R’el trigger first. Still he didn’t want her to feel too confident, so he kept the speed on till he’d pulled up alongside, seeing her clearly through his cockpit windows. Only then did he slow down, allowing her to surge ahead again. “Something wrong, sir?” she taunted. “Afraid to pass?” “Alas, my dear Ensign, I am but a humble gentleman, and it would be rude not to let a lady go first,” he replied, deliberately exaggerating his accent as he spoke to give it extra panache. As he expected, R’el let out a snort of disbelief. “Riiiight, whatever you say, sir.” Ramping up her engines, she soared far ahead until she’d entered the ice fields. She adjusted course on the fly with a skill similar to his own, but without his level of experience. Her natural talent alone allowed her to dodge and weave around every obstacle with the cat-like grace that befit her Caitian species. But while R’el might be catlike, Rodrigo had a grace all of his own, like a Flamenco dancer, twisting and turning, using momentum and gravity in ways that most pilots wouldn’t ever dream of. Rodrigo had learned how to fly the old fashioned way, without the subspace fields of impulse drives that lowered mass. If he’d been put in the pilot’s seat of a space shuttle or one of the early Mars explorer vehicles, he’d have felt right at home. Newton was his friend, his ally, his trusted co-pilot. Least, that’s what his old mentor always taught him. Not for the first time, he whispered a silent prayer of thanks to the old veteran, who’d long since left this mortal coil. Just as he expected, R'el made it no more than a few clicks into the ice field when she sprung the trap. Gravitic explosives, deliberately rigged to turn the huge ice balls into frozen shrapnel and make navigation all but impossible. R’el’s surprised yelp echoed over his headset as shrapnel thumped her shields, each one causing a flare of blue radiation. But she regained control almost immediately, her smooth reactions helping her slide around the icelike an ice skater twirling about, switching from prograde to anti-normal to radial out, every heading for the splittest of seconds with quick bursts of RCS and the slightest touch of her impulse engines. Yowls of triumph came blaring through the radio, and this time Rodrigo couldn’t keep from laughing. “Having fun?” “Yes, sir! Wooo! This is amazing, so much better than the other simulations.” “It is very much my preference as well,” Rodrigo said as he followed her into the ice field, matching her move for move, but letting her stay just ahead. “It becomes very exciting when you add enemy vessels as well. You should see the track I have programmed with Galor-class cruisers.” “We get something bigger than these for that simulation though, right?” R’el asked as she passed by the third checkpoint and soared out of the ice field. “This racer is amazing, but I don’t think it could take a single hit from a Cardassian shuttlecraft, let alone a Galor-class.” “Hmm, very true, Ensign.” Rodrigo paused speaking long enough to tap the third checkpoint and follow R’el out of the ice. “I do have many other types of ships for those simulations.” “Sounds like fun, sir. I hope we get a chance to try them out.”  Rodrigo very much wished so as well. He didn’t want to admit it, but although he’d gone into this race deliberately intending to let R’el win, she was making him work much harder for it than he’d expected. “We will see.” He returned his attention to the map as he watched R’el’s craft soar far ahead. This part of the course was mostly open space, with easy curves and loops that would quickly lull most any racer into a false sense of security. Which is exactly what Rodrigo was counting on, because what lay ahead would strain the Ensign’s definition of fun quite severely. Watching carefully, he kept his fingers poised over the power distribution controls, ready to slam additional power into his shields at a second’s notice. The racecraft’s sensors were even weaker than the shields,, and couldn't detect much of anything until he was effectively right on top of it. He saw the energy spike a split-second before he heard R’el’s shriek of shock, and he instantly jabbed the console, cutting out the engines and shifting all power to the shields. Then his view filled with a flash of light, and a shockwave rumbled through, causing his shields to flare enough to make him cover his eyes. R’el’s frantic voice filled his cockpit as her vessel lurched to a halt on the map. “What… what was that? My systems are shot, readings all over the place!” “Blackout mines,” Rodrigo answered. “Variation of a mine used in the 23rd century. Interferes with navigation, like how an old-style electromagnetic pulse would fry 20th century computers. Most sensor arrays these days don't even look for them by default.” “So we’ll be flying blind?” Rodrigo shook his head. “For a short while, yes. But it will be passing soon. These are designed to scramble your systems, nothing more. And you have something aboard to let you be getting past this. Check the grey button on the far left side of your console.” He heard a click and a whirr through the radio, followed by, “What… is this a sextant?! This is something straight out of Apollo! I remember Professor Farnsworth showing us one of these at the Smithsonian.” “Exactly,” Rodrigo grinned. “Is not electronic. The mines will have no effect.” R’el answered his words with a laugh, followed by a purr that reminded him so much of his old housecat he found himself stroking the console without even realizing it. “Brilliant, sir. I never would’ve thought of it.” “No one ever does. Shall we keep moving?” Obliging him, R’el powered her engines up and continued on course. Though she took it far slower than she had before, to her credit she was almost exactly back on course before her sensors cleared up. Rodrigo followed in her wake, matching her movement for movement. No need to race ahead, not against these mines. They were everywhere, invisible to the naked eye, and every time one was triggered both their ships would go haywire. To his surprise, she managed to avoid triggering any other mines, eventually bumping up against the fourth checkpoint without further difficulties. Now through the minefield, she followed the course back into the depths of the asteroids for the final push. Rodrigo upped his pace, not wanting to be left behind. He tapped the checkpoint within a few minutes and sped back up to match pace with R’el. “Be very careful, Ensign,” he called over the radio as they both passed right back into the whirling thicket of rocks. “As you might be expecting, races like this are saving the best for last all the time.” R’el answered with a low, confident chuckle. “I’m counting on it.” “Oh?” Rodrigo leaned back in his seat and focused on his controls. What have you got in mind, little kitten? The course sent them hurtling into a small area of gravimetric distortions that caused the asteroids caught in their wake to careen off each other like cosmic pinballs, smashing into each other and ripping apart, scattering tons of debris. They had no choice but to head straight through and compensate for the gravity waves pushing them about. R’el’s ship was just ahead of his own when it abruptly descended on its z-axis, directly towards a smaller asteroid. Rodrigo’s eyes bulged at the sight. “Ensign, watch out!” he cried. But he was too late. R’els racecraft broke the fragile rock in twain with the sheer force of impact. Rodrigo gaped at the sight, certain that she’d just hurt herself badly despite the holodeck safeties. Her ship was nowhere to be seen as Rodrigo approached, only for a massive flash of light to precede a blackout blast. He tumbled to a halt, making him an easy target for the pulse cannons, which quickly began to score numerous hits against his shields. “Clever girl,” he growled as he began evasive maneuvers, spinning the ship about and sending it flying off in random directions, heedless of his actual heading. The blackout effects would only last for a minute before they’d fade, and it was more important he got out of range of the turrets. His head slammed into the back of his chair as a torpedo struck him from underneath, causing master alarms to go off all over his cockpit. “Hay que joderse, Señora, Madre de Dios,” he cursed as he fought to regain control over his racecraft, spinning in circles so fast the blood began to rush to his head. Biting his tongue, he kept up his maneuvers even as his vision turned grey at the edges. Forget giving her the win. She’d triggered his competitiveness big time. His sensors came back online, along with the map, just in time to see R’el pass by the fifth checkpoint. “Race over. Racer Two is victorious.” The simulation dissolved around them, depositing Rodrigo onto his feet, with R’el not far away. He shook his head to clear any remaining dizziness as R’el pumped her fist in the air, yowling triumphantly. “I can’t believe I won!” “I am impressed, truly,” Rodrigo said as made his way over to her. “Perhaps next time we will be seeing how you do without the handicap, yes?” R’el smiled up at him, her eyes shining with the bright enthusiasm he’d come to expect from the Caitian. “Yes sir, I’d love the chance.” Then the light dimmed, her whole body shrinking inward. “If… if I get it.” He let out a small sigh. “Computer, run program Rodriguez 50, please. No bystanders.” The computer chimed in its usual pattern, and a few seconds later the yellow grid disappeared – and Rodrigo was home. “Wow,” R'el muttered as she spun in a slow circle. “What is this place?” Rodrigo gently clapped R'el on the shoulder. “Welcome to Barcelona, my dear Ensign, and to my favorite tapas bar in the city.” He smiled approvingly as he watched R'el's eyes take in the room before them. Programming this from memory was easy for Rodrigo, and like always the feel of the bar wrapped around him like a favorite coat. It was a relatively narrow space, with a long wooden and brass bar running along the left side, and tall two-person tables lining the wall opposite it. Well worn stools provided seating at the bar. Some of the tables had high stools in place, others made do with no seats at all. Warm lights and the occasional chandelier gave off a pleasant glow, while smaller spotlights lit up the fully stocked liquor shelves behind the bar itself. A narrow pathway between the two sides led to a set of wooden swing doors, clearly an entrance to a kitchen of some kind. Rodrigo gestured toward one of a few larger four-person tables situated next to the windows that lined the front of the space near the front door. R'el followed and took a seat opposite Rodrigo. “It's cozy,” she said. “I can see the appeal.” “You haven't experienced España until you've experienced a tapas bar right after working hours,” Rodrigo chuckled. He gazed out the window to the building just across a cobblestone courtyard, its neon sign reading “Tablao Rosa” faintly glowing in the early evening light. “Only thing missing is a pitcher of sangria and a platter of pintxos to pass around.” “In fact, I almost always start with a plate of–” Rodrigo inhaled deeply, his mind already winding up into an explanation he'd given to many a tourist in his day, but at the last second he pulled back. “But that's a discussion for us to be having later, Ensign. We're here to discuss you.” She muttered a quiet, “Okay,” and fidgeted in her seat, her good mood seemingly deflated. “Now that the fun is over, I was hoping you might be willing to tell me why you were stealing that shuttlecraft now,” Rodrigo said after a brief moment of silence. R’el made a quiet little mrr in the back of her throat, then fixed her gaze upon him, resignation visible in her eyes. “It was for a very stupid reason, sir,” she admitted. “Last night, I was having dinner with Ensign Danielle.” “Our half-Deltan crewwoman?” Rodrigo asked. She nodded. “Yes, sir. She and I have been friends for years, since we were both roommates of Twilight Sparkle at one time or another. While we were eating, she cut her hand open by accident.” She shuddered, a slight green tinge coloring her cheeks. “I did what anyone would do, you know? I rushed over to help and…” Rodrigo took a deep breath and nodded. “...you became enraptured by her pheromones.” “I lost control instantly,” she whispered. “I was all over the poor girl like some primitive Caitian in heat, raising my tail for anyone to come and use me. It was horrible - no, it was worse than horrible. She was disgusted by it all. Utterly repulsed. But I was so far gone I couldn't understand why. All it did was drive me to desperation. I-I just...” Tears slipped from between her fingers as she threw her hands up to cover her face, descending into sobs. “Hey now,” Rodrigo said, reaching out to place a comforting hand on her shoulder. “It will be alright.” R’el nodded past her sobs and managed to choke them back enough to continue. “What's more is, I couldn't do a damn thing about any of it! I just kept chasing her and chasing her. And when I finally came to in Sickbay, and realized what I'd done…” He waited patiently for her to continue, but when she didn’t after several moments, he gently prodded, “What did you do next?” She brought her knees up to curl into her stomach, bending over to rest her chin atop them. “I got out of there as fast as I could. When I returned to my quarters, I hid… I… I cried myself to sleep. I felt so, so violated, sir.” Rodrigo gave her shoulder another squeeze. “She did not do that to you on purpose, I hope you are understanding.” She bit her lip and nodded. “I know that, sir. Heck, she apologized to me like it was all her fault! But that's not it... that's not why. Not, not really. It’s…” Her eyes watered anew and she ducked her head back into her hands. “I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…” “For what, Ensign?” Rodrigo whispered. “I do not understand.” R’el leaned forward, drooped her head on the table, and sobbed, quiet little mewls of distress accompanied by fresh tears. “I’m not a very sexual person, sir, especially for a Caitian,” she muttered after a while. “I… oh I can’t even believe I’m discussing this. Ugh.” She swallowed and brushed away some of the tears from her eyes. “I love my friends, but I’ve never felt anything romantic for them, much less anything sexual. Or at least I thought I didn't.… And then, and then this happened, and suddenly… it’s like heat all over again, except this time it won't. Go. Away.” Rodrigo scooted back from R’el, at a loss for words. This had rapidly gone in a direction he hadn’t expected, far out of his league. The right thing to do now would be to call for Hendricks, or Doctor May, or both even. His hand slowly inched up toward his combadge when she suddenly reached over and grabbed his arm.  “Please, no. I don’t want to talk to a doctor, o-or a counselor. I… just let me finish talking, sir. Please.” He stared at her for a moment, then nodded, setting his arm down. “Alright, Ensign. But I am very concerned. And I must be admitting that I am a bit out of my depth here.” “It’s not as bad as I’m making it sound,” she said. She sat up and scooted her chair over to the chair next to her, putting as much distance between them as she could. “It’s more like... like a part of me that I never gave much thought to when I was a growing cub suddenly caught up to me all at once. I’ve started realizing things, that I was feeling things… things that I didn’t know I was feeling before. I… I think I’m in love with one of my friends, sir.” “In love? I am begging your pardon, Ensign, but may I ask whom you are enamoured with?” She let out another quiet mewl of distress, which rapidly shifted to her usual purring giggle. “I was so surprised when I realized it, even though I shouldn’t be.” “Ensign,” he repeated. “Who?” Looking back up at him, she blinked her eyes once, then answered, “Twilight Sparkle.” “...I see.” Rodrigo leaned forward enough to place one elbow on the table, propping up his chin on that hand. “I… am still not sure I am understanding how this led to your actions in the Shuttle Bay.” “Because I betrayed her,” R’el stated matter of factly, as if she was giving a report on the bridge. “I touched Clairica, tried to seduce her, tried to do things to her, and because I did that, I… I betrayed Twilight. Or at least… it felt like I had.” “You know that is not true, Ensign,” Rodrigo said immediately. “It is no betrayal when one's mind is not their own. Especially when Ensign Sparkle is, I presume, entirely unaware of your feelings.” She let out a small laugh, which descended into more mewls of distress. “...I know sir. I realized that, even as I was trying to take the shuttle. But I felt so confused, so stupid, I… I just had to get away.” He nodded in understanding. “You suffered a traumatic experience, which led to a personal realization. It is not an easy thing to cope with. Such things can lead to many stupid actions. But you are not the only one who has made foolish mistakes. I made my own last night, you know.” “Huh?” She blinked and looked up at him. “How?” He pointed to his left arm. “I broke my arm while arm-wrestling Ishihara. Broke hers too. Very stupid, very painful, not worth it. And yet I did it anyway. Because sometimes we do stupid things.” “Sir,” R’el interrupted, “I understand what you’re trying to say, but you both knew what you were getting into. I was a furball gone mad with lust.” “Fair point. But it is how we act afterwards that determines how we should be punished for them, if at all.” “How we act afterwards?” R’el repeated. Rodrigo smiled. “What I am saying, Ensign, is that you will not be in trouble, or even have it noted in your file that you attempted to steal the Liu Yang. We shall be wiping the slate clean.” Her jaw fell open. “You’d do that, sir?” “Of course,” he replied, his smile growing. “You are an excellent pilot, Ensign. Moreover, you are a good person, and a good Starfleet officer. This was clearly abnormal behavior for you, and given that it was preempted by an induced effect, I am thinking there is no reason to punish you for it.” “Oh thank goodness!” she blurted, her whole body heaving a sigh of relief. “I was afraid I’d lose my career!” “Hardly.” This time he did reach across the table to pat her on the shoulder. “As for Ensign Sparkle, perhaps you should be thinking about that for some time before you do anything. Perhaps you are mistaken, and you simply care for her as a friend. Or perhaps you will find your feelings are temporary.” “Or she’ll turn me down,” R’el said with a shrug. “She told me once that she's never dated in her life. Maybe she’s not into girls. Or anyone.” Rodrigo spread out his hands. “Who can say? There is no need to be rushing anything here. Indeed, I would say you should wait at least a couple of weeks before you do anything. Give some time for your thoughts to be getting back together, yes?” She nodded once, hard. “Aye, sir. You’re right. Better to be safe… I don’t even know if this feeling of interest will last.” “Precisely. So you will be smart about it, I trust,” Rodrigo said. He winked and nudged her shoulder. “Though if you are ever needing any advice on how to woo her, you can be asking your mentor.” “Mentor?” She blinked once, then smiled. “Yes, sir! Thank you, sir.” “You are welcome.” He held a hand to his mouth and cleared his throat. “Now then, if you are excusing me, I must return to the bridge. You have many other simulations to run today, yes?” “Yes sir, I do,” she admitted. “Then allow me to make things more interesting for you, Ensign.” He stood up from the table. “Computer, allow access for Ensign Preta R’el to all holoprograms I own that pertain to racing, authorization Rodriguez Eight Seven Gamma Epsilon.” “Authorization accepted. Ensign Preta R’el now given permission to access all programs in the category of racing.” “You’re letting me continue here?” she said, hope springing to life in her eyes as she smiled and clasped her hands together. “I am,” he admitted. “Please do not be abusing the privilege. Which reminds me. Computer, do not allow safety protocols to be disengaged without my authorization.” “Confirmed.” R’el’s face screwed up with a funny look. “Sir?” “You’re good, but you are still a rookie in the grand scheme of things,” Rodrigo said with a wink. “In the meantime, please, enjoy yourself, and be safe.” “Aye, sir,” she said, her hand raised to perform a crisp salute before she dropped it, a blush briefly coloring her cheeks. He nodded to her again, then called out for the exit. Right as he crossed the threshold he took one last look back at her. “Good luck, Ensign.” “Thank you, sir! I’ll do my best.”