Cressida Brennan was living her best intel life – at least that’s what she pretended she was doing. In truth, she was simply being awkward.

Seated by the window and dressed in the most comfortable – read: least dignified – civilian clothing, she was entirely unsure how to approach any of the captains she worked with. So she observed them instead, and pretended to be a spy.

Coming to Casperia Prime had never been part of the plan. Sure, she was a Captain, and part of the Task Force, but she’d refused any notion that “a meeting of the Task Force’s captains” could include her too.

And now? Well. She was here anyway. Because her family sucked, Risa was crowded, and returning to Deep Space 17 earlier than planned would have people talk about it for days.

Cressida avoided drama – her own, that was. Other people’s drama? Big fan.

Perhaps she’d remain undercover for the rest of shore leave, and pretend to be a civilian. A civilian with access to a pool and an open bar.

Or, right now, a civilian who was being inspected by a tiny blue person.

Tyva Dal had a sixth sense of Starfleet officers. They just carried themselves differently.  There was something about the way they walked, how they talked and the little gestures not everyone picked up on. Then again she was pretty sure she could never figure out a high level intel operative, but a plain clothes officer on vacation? Easy.

Still, she didn’t know anything about any specific person. She didn’t have access to any sort of archives of names, faces and ranks, just an uncanny accuracy to choose the right person to talk to at any given times.

“Good morning!” Tyva opened with a trademark bright eyed wide smile.

“Good… morning.” Cressida replied. But not with her trademark undercurrent of ‘less talking, more doing’. Instead, she inspected the girl. She had a towel draped over her shoulders and a perfectly modest long cover-up tunic obscuring her swimwear.

“I’m headed to the pool, but I wanted to see who else was here. I’m Tyva!”

“Alone? That seems… ” She shrugged, and didn’t finish the sentence. It didn’t exactly seem dangerous. It seemed like an entirely normal and safe thing to do. Her instinct was still to make sure that an adult was around.
An adult that wasn’t her. “… fun.”

Tyva caught that hesitation but did it stop her? Not in the slightest. “It is fun!”  Her eyes widened, “oh, I didn’t catch your name.”

“I’m Cress.” Cressida answered.

“Cress?”  She thought about it for a moment.  “I like it!”

“I like it too.” Cressida replied flatly. It took her a moment of being stared at until she added “I like Tyva too. It’s a nice name.”

The girl pulled the towel across her shoulders back and forth like she was polishing her back and looked towards the pool. “Are you headed into the pool?”

Cressida followed the girl’s gaze and shook her head. “Absolutely not.”

Fair, the pool was set up with a water slide and a sprinkler and a shallow area that was designed to keep kids entertained.  And it had a deep end and wave pool, which was far more of Tyva’s style. But she had already thoroughly researched the water offerings of this place to ensure she could cajole her Dad into one. And she had found the perfect option.

And in some ways Cress reminded her of her dad. Formal, stiff, kind of anti-fun. But probably lovable? She knew her dad was lovable.

“Did you know they also have a lazy river going around the resort and gardens? You can get into a personal float and just float along. They’ll even bring you drinks!  I mean like milkshakes for me, but real drinks for you if you wanted them.” she offered like a very adorably innocent Ferengi salesman.

“That sounds… more like something I would enjoy.” Cressida nodded. Was that an invitation? It sounded like one. But if it was, it was weird, because she was a stranger and this sounded like something  parents were contractually obligated to do.
“Are you going with your mother and father?”

Tyva nodded enthusiastically. “Oh yes, my father will attempt to relax on the lazy river.” There was a slight humor in to how she phrased it. Respectful, excited to spend time with her Dad and yet the words attempt to relax indicated that he might have a much harder time enjoying himself than she did.

Oh. So it wasn’t an invitation.
That was good. And a little disappointing, but Cressida would never admit that.
Instead of dealing with that sense of disappointment she absolutely did not feel, she busied herself with trying to figure out who the girl’s father might be. As far as Cressida was aware, Task Force 17 currently had no Bolian Captain, but ‘attempt to relax’ sounded like he’d be one.

“Is he one of the Captains visiting here?”, Cressida asked.

Tyva nodded. “Yes.  Captain Dal of the USS Calistoga.” Tyva prided herself on her ship knowledge, but she didn’t know yet that her father – and by extension her – were soon to be honored with a beautiful new ship, the USS Salvation.

Dal… Dal… Ishreth Dal, right. The Andorian with the unusual name, and evidently an even less usual daughter.

Cressida had spoken to him in passing when he was assigned to Task Force 17, and since then, she had neither the time nor the desire to repeat the meeting.

That said, she would have to do that sooner or later. After all, there was a new ship waiting for him.

“How much do you like the Calistoga?”

Tyva shrugged, twirling a finger through her white curls. “Never really thought about that.”

“Did you make many friends?”

She nodded slightly. “Not really.  I have friends on the starbase, and I see them on leave or if the mission is really dangerous on base. But the Calistoga doesn’t have a whole lot of family areas and not many kids my age.” In fact the ride here on the Calistoga was so dull that she had taken to playing Denobulan checkers with Brekki, who was five years younger than her.  Denobulan checkers was a game she had outgrown, but Brekki liked it and it was better than reading schoolbooks.

“Ah.” Cressida said. “So you’re not usually living abroad the Calistoga. Would you want to be? Or maybe somewhere…. bigger? Better?”

Tyva considered this. “I have been onboard a Galaxy class ship and an Ambassador class ship before. Both were nice because they had more families and facilities.” She waffled a bit, considering it all.

“Sound like the stuff I say when I practice what I think people want to hear.”

Tyva was of the age where she was starting to understand that it was important to be part of a community and there was a whole galaxy outside of herself and what she wanted. “I guess what I really want is a place where it feels… stable.  Where you can see the same people and keep the same friends and learn things and count on people.”

Which really wasn’t dictated by the size of the ship, but the community around you.

“Yeah.” Cressida sighed. A small moment of something that was almost vulnerability. “Anyway. Send your dad my way – and don’t fall into the water. I’m not jumping in to fish you out.”

Liar. Cressida would absolutely jump into the pool, clothes and all, if it came to it.

“Absolutely I’ll send him over!” She gave a four fingers up and wiggling gesture which was the hip new way of giving a ‘thumb’s up’ with the colony kids.  Apparently it had also caught on with the starbase kids and the shipbased kids. “And don’t worry, he taught me how to swim really really well. Enjoy the sunshine!”

Tyva bounced off towards the pool, in search of probably her dad, leaving Cressida behind with the shade, the sun and the delicious drinks.