A light wind whistled across the emerald sea, and the bright sun warmed the ivory white sand between their toes. Pips and uniforms abandoned, today was a day for bikinis and boardshorts, a brief reprieve from their long, lonely journey home.

“I could stay here forever,” Elyssia Rel smiled as the sun’s rays beat against her bare skin. It reminded her a bit of Suraya Bay, except this one was natural, no Risian climate control satellites to make it so. And no crowd. While their crews had spread out across the planet, here on this secluded beach, it was just the four of them, her and Captain Lewis, plus the Ingenuity’s CO and the Serenity’s XO. “It’s so peaceful.”

Enjoying the reassuring feeling of Ekkomas Eidran’s barrel chest against her exposed back, with nothing more than a couple strings holding her goldenrod triangle-cut bikini in place, Cora Lee couldn’t disagree. “I’m certainly in no rush to get back,” she agreed as she glanced over at Elyssia and her partner. “For once, we got the old man to slow down.” Captain Lewis, their fearless leader, sat there awkwardly like a fish out of water in his salmon shorts. There was no mission here. Nothing to do. And that was strange for him. “I mean, cap, what’s the point of the journey if we don’t take a minute to enjoy the sea breeze?” 

“I suppose…” Captain Lewis shrugged. They were only here because Cora, Ekkomas and Elyssia had all but threatened a mutiny if he didn’t agree to park the Serenity and Ingenuity in orbit for a few days. If it’d been just him though, he’d have blown straight by. Every day without forward motion was a day further from getting this crew home.

Elyssia reached out with her hand, her fingertips making gentle contact with the captain’s broad shoulders. “Even you deserve to relax, Jake,” the Trill offered as her fingers danced downward, lightly tracing the muscled contours of his back. 

As her hand reached the sand, it met his, their fingers interlocking. Internally, he had to admit it felt nice, but outwardly, his face stayed neutral, guarded as always, and even Ekkomas Eidran, the practiced empath, couldn’t pick it off him.

“Enjoy the moment, boss,” Ekkomas offered as he wrapped his arms around Cora.

Still, he looked uncomfortable with the idea.

“Seriously, relax,” Cora doubled down as she leaned back, falling into the Betazoid’s embrace. “It’s just the four of us here.” There were no secrets here. Not between them. These romances, the love forged in dark places, it had become part of what helped them get through the long days and the lonely nights, separated from home by thousands of light years.

The Ingenuity’s CO was right. His XO was right. His partner was right. They were all right. 

Captain Lewis slid himself over, drawing up close to Elyssia, leaning his head on her shoulder as he listened to the waves crash against the sand. He could relax and let his guard down, if only for a moment.

The others smiled to see it. They knew the burden the captain shouldered and the responsibility he felt. They felt it too, even if he tried to shield them from it. It was on them, they knew, to get their crews home, some day and some way. They were alone, but at least they had each other. 

Would the Office of Personnel Management have blessed this whole affair? Probably not, neither the beachy double date in skimpy bikinis and tight trunks, nor the romances forged among the stars. They’d have said it wasn’t appropriate for good order and discipline, the conflicts of interest that could arise within the unit when its senior leaders paired off. But OPM wasn’t here. Those rule sticklers were thousands of light years away with all the luxuries the Federation had to offer. What did they really know? They didn’t have any idea what it was like out here without any modicum of support, and these four, they were doing what they needed. This was how they were going to get through.

Since their stranding, the captain had taken Ekkomas and Cora under his wing as mentor and father figure. But even beyond his counsel, Ekkomas and Cora had forged their own bond too. They were both sharp but green, indisputably competent in their disciplines, yet lacking confidence in their newfound roles, and in each other, they had found kindred spirits… and more. Captain Lewis hadn’t intervened to stop it either. He recognized they were better for it, and he was happy for them.

He’d also have been a hypocrite to prevent it, given his own situation with Elyssia. At least Cora and Ekkomas didn’t have a direct reporting line between them. The same couldn’t be said for Elyssia. As the entire mission group was under his command, that meant she was too. No one had complained though. If anything, their relationship had made him a better version of himself. Elyssia Rel was wise beyond her years, unflappable no matter what baggage he brought, and yet somehow she still remained youthful and playful, softening his rough edges and reminding him that sometimes they needed to go sit on a beach.

“If I haven’t said it enough,” Captain Lewis offered, his eyes moving between the trio he’d come to depend on so deeply over the last six months. “Let me say how grateful I am to have each of you on this journey alongside me.”

The sincerity hit Ekkomas, not just in its tonality, but through his empathic senses too. It was a warmth he hadn’t often felt from the captain, a guarded man he could usually lift almost nothing from. “As are we to have you alongside us, cap.” When the stodgy old spook had first come aboard, Ekkomas had asked the universe what sort of sick twisted joke it was playing on him, but through their time together, he’d learned to respect the captain. He hoped someday he’d be at least half the officer that Jake Lewis was. “No one else could lead us through this like you.”

“And here I was thinking I was first in Ekko’s world,” Cora teased, breaking the seriousness of the moment as she leapt to her feet. “Come on girlie,” she gestured playfully to Elyssia. “Let go for a dip and leave the boys to their bromance.”

Elyssia didn’t have to be told twice. The water looked delightful.

And off they went.

Ekkomas watched the beautiful pair go. “Being stranded and all sucks, but I’d have to say, all things considered, we’re pretty damn lucky…”

But his words were cut short by the sound of a transporter energizing. It was subtle in tenor against the backdrop of the breeze, but also sharp in its juxtaposition against the sounds of nature all around them.

Lewis and Eidran turned to see Lieutenant Commander Sena, the Romulan xenotechnology fellow turned Starfleet science officer, standing there in her neatly-pressed uniform. Her expression was no-nonsense, the beauty of the moment clearly lost on her.

“You come for a swim, Sena?” Ekkomas kidded. “The girls are already in the water.” 

Captain Lewis, on the other hand, recognized it at once, the look on her face. Something had happened. “What is it, Commander?”

“It’s subspace, sir. Something has changed.”