“Imzadi!” Jaxxon called out, hurrying after Anizza into their cabin.

“Don’t Imzadi me!” she snapped, her tone sharp as she stormed around to the far side of their king-size bed. Her movements were brisk, controlled only by the tight reins of frustration. She turned back to face him, her chest rising with a slow, deliberate breath. “Are you honestly telling me, right here, right now, that you didn’t even think to share that offer with me?”

Jaxxon stood just inside the doorway, his expression taut with guilt. “I’ll admit,” he began carefully, “when the offer first came through, my initial reaction was to turn it down. I didn’t think it was worth bringing up to you or Tateumm.” His words hung heavy in the air, laden with remorse.

Anizza ran a hand through her dark hair with a heavy sigh. “Jaxxon, our marriage can’t function like this. We have to be honest with each other, especially about something that affects both of us!”

He nodded slowly, the weight of her words sinking in. “You’re right. I was wrong. I just…” He paused, unsure. “I guess the idea of being out there again, on a real exploration mission, stirred something in me. That’s why we joined Starfleet in the first place, wasn’t it? You and me, chasing stars. After what happened to us during the Dominion War and ever since, I feel like we’ve not caught a break to do some exploring.”

Her posture softened slightly, though her hands stayed planted on her hips.

“Then I realised I was happy where I was,” Jaxxon admitted. “Even with all the crap that’s come our way since we joined D-S-Nineteen.” He took a tentative step closer. “I promise you, I never wanted to step on your toes or stop you from progressing in your career.”
She arched a brow, still testing him. “Let me guess. You assumed your loving wife would just tag along and serve as your chief engineer?”

Jaxxon smiled faintly and shook his head. “Actually, no. I wanted you as my first officer.”

Anizza blinked, surprised and repeated his words back to him. “First officer?”

Closing the distance between them, Jaxxon took her hands into his. “Yes, first officer. If there’s anything we’ve proven in the last few years, it’s that we make one hell of a team. We make each other better. Plus, you’re never scared to tell me your professional opinion that I’m wrong in private. You proved that to me back when you told me I was wrong and had to go back and save the colonists on Jantori, instead of making a run back to the station.”
Anizza raised a brow knowingly, a slow smile tugging at her lips.

The odds had been against them when the Formidable had been sent to investigate the distress call from the Jantori colony. When long-range sensors had detected a Vaadwaur battle group appear between them and the colony, Jaxxon had planned to return to the station, but after a quiet word in his ready room, Anizza had convinced him that she could get them past the enemy ships without being detected and arrive at the colony. Through a trick using their deflector dish and a few probes, she had been able to make the Vaadwaur think a joint Starfleet-Klingon armada was on its way to engage them. It had given them enough time to reach the colony, find the evacuating fleet and escort them back to the station without any further issues. Though many colonists had been killed, those who had survived would not have made it if it hadn’t been for Anizza’s tricks and ingenuity. For it, she had been awarded by Admiral Jaret.

Anizza laughed, the tension melting just a bit more. “How could I forget? You wanted to run back to the station with your tail between your legs.”

“Hey,” he grinned, “I was being strategic.”

“You were being cautious,” she countered. “And wrong. But luckily, you listened to me.”

He chuckled, the memory bright between them now, their shared laughter filling the room and lightening the mood.

She nodded, the pride in her voice unmistakable. “We pulled it off. Got those colonists out safely and the Vaadwaur never even knew we were there.”

“It was all you,” he said sincerely, showing his admiration and love for his wife.
Anizza sighed and slowly sat on the edge of the bed, her hands folding in her lap. “It was a good moment, yeah,” she admitted quietly. “But I’m not ready to move on from the station. Not yet.”

He sat beside her, their knees brushing. “Me neither. I think we’ve started something meaningful on D-S-Nineteen. I want to see it through. The people there are amazing, and when we thought it would just be an easy change of scenery for us, it’s become more than that. It’s not just about the station. It’s Tateumm too. He’s happier now. Like he’s finally beginning to heal. I’ve seen him smile so much and appear more at ease.”

Anizza nodded. “He does appear more settled, and he still has a journey to complete. But I think, even if we ever did leave, he’d be okay. Lenara, Jowain, Tom, Orlando, they’d look out for him.”

“Unless I gave them all a job on my new ship!” Jaxxon joked with a grin.

Anizza chuckled and gave him a playful shove. “Admiral Jaret would have your head if you took all of them.”

“True. And if not the admiral, then definitely Dawn or Sandra. No one gets anything past that triumvirate.”

“No question.” She laughed softly, finally letting the last of the tension leave her shoulders. Her gaze found his, warm and forgiving.

“Are we good?” he asked gently.

Anizza nodded, her expression softening as she leaned in. “We are, Imzadi.”

“I love you,” He said softly.

“I love you, too, just don’t keep anything from me,” She told him.

“I promise, Imzadi.”

Their lips met in a slow, familiar kiss, burning away any lingering upset between them.