Boy Meets Girl

Arjay reached over to his comm unit and punched in a series of keys. A moment later a woman's face appeared on the screen. She smiled. "Hello Arjay," she said warmly.

"Linda. How's my favourite Martian?"

"I'm fine," Linda said lightheartedly. "But don't just take my word for it," Linda laughed. "Why don't you come visit, and find out for yourself?" she replied coyly.

"I'm going to. That's exactly what I'm calling you about. Dawn needs a science officer."

"I thought it was Morgan's job to round up the troops."

"You mean he hasn't called you yet? He must have known I was going to call you myself."

"So is this the big one we've been waiting for?"

"Planet 542. Hardly what I'd call a big one, but yes, it's the one all the buzz has been about. And..." Arjay paused and leaned in closer to the screen. "It's our first mission together."

"Are you sure we're ready for this, Captain?" She playfully emphasized his rank.

"Don't you Captain me right now or I'll come and knock you flat on your ass."

Linda laughed gently at the reference, as she remembered how their courtship had begun. "I'm a little apprehensive about this step. We'll be serving on the bridge together. Do you think it could get awkward?"

"Linda, we've talked about this. We both agreed that this is something serious, not some passing fancy or casual romance."

"I didn't say I was changing my mind, I was only telling you that I had some feelings of apprehension."

"And I'm just reassuring you that it's going to be alright."

"You're so sweet," Linda said sincerely.

"I'm not," Arjay replied. "I'm a crusty old fart."

Linda made a face at him in reply. "So are we going to share quarters or have separate quarters?"

"Separate quarters." Linda made a mock pouting face. "But we can, uh, take turns staying over at each other's quarters. Now and then. Like on weekends."

"How do other people do this, other - space couples? How do they maintain a healthy committed relationship, while serving on the same ship and still maintain a decorum that fits within the bounds of Starfleet protocol?"

"Well, to be honest, I don't think there's much precedent for this."

"What, are you saying we're like - pioneers?"

"Well let's see, there's Robert and Sarah April."

"She was a CMO, right? It's not like they worked in the same part of the ship."

"Yes, she was a CMO; she worked in the Sickbay. You used to work in Sickbay."

"Yes, but that was a different situation from the one we're going into. We're going to be working on the bridge together."

"Honest, we'll be okay."

"Well thanks for the reassurance."

"You're welcome."

"So are you really going to come pick me up on Mars?"

"That was a figure of speech. We're having the mission briefing in two days. I'll send a shuttle to pick you up."

"Such a sweetie."

"You better not call me that on the bridge."

Linda grinned at him teasingly.

"Alright, I need to go now. We'll talk later," said Arjay.

With that, they said their goodbyes and closed the channel.