“Ahh, our glorious leader joins us!” Raaze announced, grinning as he caught sight of Zach and Darion heading toward the table.

The trouble was, Zach didn’t know if he was being serious, or totally taking the piss. Or, third option given the number of glasses on the table, which numbered far more than his original estimate, completely plastered. He counted them up again, divided by three, and… yeah, all three could be as drunk as skunks. Either that or their livers were bullet and phaser-proof.

“Sit! Sit!” Raaze was on his feet, pushing chairs back to make room for Zach and Darion. “Join us!”

Zach smiled, nodding at Bennett and Mason. He offered a small smile when Mason looked at him, but quickly turned his attention back to his XO.

“I was going to introduce you to our two resident llanarians, but you’ve beaten me to it,” he said as he took a seat opposite Raaze and next to Mason, leaving the one next to Bennett free for Darion. It hadn’t escaped his attention that the two women had moved to flank Raaze.

“Oh, you’d have had to get up much earlier in the morning to beat me to that,” Raaze smiled over the rim of his glass, and winked.

“What am I missing?” Zach didn’t take his eyes off Raaze.

Mason chuckled. “There aren’t many llanarians in the fleet, and those of us that are… it’s his fault,” she grinned, tilting her glass toward Raaze.

The pieces clicked into place and Zach snorted as he motioned to the bartender for drinks for himself and Darion. “I take it you were their sponsor then?”

Raaze inclined his head. “I was, indeed. For the first wave of our species to join the fleet at least. Others have taken up that mantle now.”

“Of course.” For the last decade and a half, and until recently Raaze had been retired so he couldn’t have sponsored anyone. “Given there are so few of you in Starfleet, it must be nice to have other members of your own on board?”

His attention was on Mason as much as it was on Raaze, and the woman sat next to him and drained what was left in her glass. It joined the nearly twenty others sat in front of her. “Oh, for sure. I finally got someone decent to spar with!”

He clutched at his chest dramatically. “You wound me! I’m not half bad at sparring. You should have just asked.”

Raaze sat back in his seat, chuckling into his glass as Mason looked at Zach from the corner of her eye. “Handsome, I’d tie you up into a pretzel without breaking a sweat.”

Zach grinned and leaned an elbow on the table, half turning his back on Darion, who was in the process of trying to smile at Bennett and being roundly ignored. “Now… that’s sounding very much like a challenge. Wouldn’t you say, Thayer?”

“Uh-huh, if I was a betting man, I’d say it sounds that way, big man.”

“You are a betting man.” Zach pointed out, still holding Mason’s gaze. “So, how about it Ms. Mason? Fancy handing my ass to me on a plate in the sparring ring?”

She snorted, shaking her head as she put her empty glass down on the table. “Not being funny, sir, but you’re a sandwich short of a picnic. I’m your hazard team leader. I’m supposed to be the one to go into dangerous situations instead of you, not put you in them.”

Zach leaned back a little, against Darion and spoke over his shoulder. “Methinks the lady doth protest too much…”

He looked over at Raaze, who lifted his hands, palms out. “Sorry, this is one I am definitely not getting in the middle of.”

Zach raised an eyebrow. “I thought you were meant to be the voice of wisdom.”

Raaze’s eyes twinkled with amusement. “I also said that I would only give a token argument if you wanted to hair off and do something dangerous.”

Zach shrugged, and indicated the table. “It may have to wait until another time if you’re incapable…”

Mason snorted and stood, looking down at him. “This? This is like drinking spicy water… there’s nothing aboard that would get any of us drunk for more than five minutes.” She smiled at his expression. “Different physiology, remember?”

“Are we on then?” He asked, standing as well. She was as tall as he was,  so he could look her directly in the eyes without getting a crick in his neck. If she wore heels, she’d be taller than him. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that, then smacked himself mentally for being an ass. Besides, he didn’t even know if Mason even owned heels. He’d never seen her in anything other than a uniform or workout clothes.

She shrugged. “We can spar. I promise not to break you.”

His lips quirked. “Well, where’s the fun in that? When? Now?”

“Hell no,” she rolled her neck until it clicked. “Long day so I need sleep. Tomorrow, 6am. Sir.”

He grinned at that. “It’s a date.”

“It’s definitely not a dat—“

“Bridge to the Captain.”

He frowned at the voice over the comm. “This is Murphy. Go ahead.”

“I’m sorry to bother you sir, but we have a Klingon ship that just popped up on sensors.”

“Shit, the exchange program,” he said. “Dammit, they’re early. Okay, I’m on my way.”

Zach dropped his hand onto Darion’s shoulder and squeezed. “Ladies, flyboy… I am afraid you will have to excuse us. Duty calls. Mr. Raaze, ready to begin work as Executive?”

“My dear boy, I was born ready.” Raaze stood and rounded the table, his former amused and tipsy manner sliding away like water off a duck’s back.

“Neat trick,” Zach commented as the pair headed for the lounge door, his executive falling into step beside him.

Raaze slid him a sideways glance and winked. “Like the lady said, different physiology. Comes in very handy for pool hustling and on poker nights.”

Zach chuckled. “I’ll bet. Now, let’s go see who the klingons decided to send to us.”