Star Gazing "
By: Patia Zoei, Chief Counselor, [PC]
Teilani Dane, Chief Medical Officer, [PC]

Stardate: 58204.25 1730

Teilani was hungry the only thing on her mind now was food. She had been drinking way too much coffee and felt a little agitated. She had already given Xioa a bit of a hard time due to the fact that she had dropped a tray with Petri dishes and other equipment.

Making sure that the last of her patients besides Silvio and Mason were dismissed life began to turn back to normal in sickbay. Teilani remembered something Patia had said, something about stargazing and food.

Dropping by her quarter Teilani changed into a nice robe, and went to the turbo lift

"Deck 10"

Leaning against the wall she closed her eyes, listing at the soft hum of the lift. Arriving at deck 10 calmly walked in to Miranda's looking around she already made Patia sitting at a corner table near the window.

Patia sat, slightly slumped, in her seat. Her head rested against the top of the bench as she gazed out the window. Stars streaked past. Her right leg was pulled up, foot tucked under her left thigh and her shin braced against the table top. She held a glass of tea against her right thigh. The sweat of the glass dripped down over her fingers.

"Hoi can I join you?"

Patia rolled her head toward the voice to her left. "Hey, Teilani, grab a seat." Patia's voice was weary. With a wan smile, she asked, "How did the rest of your day go?"

Teilani dropped her body in the seat next to Patia. "I am beat; if I have to use another hypo spray again I am gone scream." Teilani pulled up another chair and placed her long legs on it. "You know I have the feeling I have been up for 72 hours in row, and there is only 1 thing I can think of and that is food."

"I am not willing to think about the number of hours I have been up in a row," Patia chuckled. "Food sounds good, though. What are you in the mood to try tonight?"

"I've no idea, something wicked and evil and lots of it." Teilani said with a giggle. "I remember something from my home planet, my brother used to be fond of it, called Devil's broth. I don't know if the replicator knows the recipe."

"You have never mentioned your brother before. Are you two close?"

Teilani smiled. "It depends on which one you mean, my elder brother and I don't get along. He disagreed when I entered the Maquis. I haven't spoken to him in ages. Where as my youngest brother we are like this." Teilani crossed her fingers. "We always got into trouble and drove the rest of the family crazy. Live never has been the same when we heard that he had gone missing." Teilani sighed and followed the trail of a comet with her eyes.

"What happened that he is missing?"

Teilani reached in her pocket and took out the small white pebble and turned it round and round in her hands before she answered. "What we heard was that during a routine maintenance job to one of Mars outer colonies his shuttle got attacked." Round and round the pebble went in her hands. "We never found out if he has been killed, kidnapped or what the only thing we found was an empty shuttle and some faint bloodstains. I miss him so much," Teilani said softly. "That was one of the reasons I joined the Maquis, to find out more information, as long as I don't have certainty I can not close the book on it." Round and round went the white pebble.

Patia closed her eyes. She had been staring at the movement of the pebble and it made her nauseous. "Closure is important, Teilani," Patia smiled slightly. "Have you learned anything since you signed on?"

Teilani stopped and put the pebble back in her pocket. "Just some bits and pieces there is a lead to Rura Penthe but I am afraid to ask the Captain if I could go to the planet and check it out."

"What type of lead?" Patia thought of Michelio. It hurt her heart to think of never knowing where he was.

"Well the evidence found in his shuttle indicated that he had some dealings with mercenaries and according to security some derelict freighter was spotted on its way there. I know it is a vague lead but I need to know for sure."

"That is understandable. I would follow my family to the ends of the universe," Patia's voice was low, so quiet she almost couldn't be heard. Her eyes opened and she rolled her head to face Teilani. A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.

"How about you Patia, is you family still in one piece so to say".

In the meantime one of the waiters had placed a bowl of broccoli soup for Patia and a chicken salad for Teilani on the table, courtesy of Miranda.

Patia set the glass on the edge of the table and picked up her bowl. "I hope you don't mind my poor table manners, but I am just going to slouch here if that is ok with you?" Patia questioned with a raised eyebrow. She cradled the soup bowl in her left hand and slowly stirred it with the right.

Teilani nodded. "Nah its fine by me."

"My family is still all in one piece. My parents are retired now, and back home on Betazid. My brother is chasing his Maquis career from starship to starship. Some days I don't understand how Trina puts up with his wanderlust. They have been married more than 25 years already. I was just a girl, but it seems like yesterday. Actually, their children all older than I was when they married." Patia smiled wistfully. "I have the most amazing nephews and an adorable niece. They are triplets, twelve years old already. Trina is Lio's wife. She is quite a bit older than me, but she always had time for me. Actually, now it doesn't feel she is that much older. It is funny how, when you age, age differences seem to lose their importance. Anyway, there are just the two of us and the folks, and now Lio's family."

Teilani sighed. "It is good having a family. I whish mine were that close. Have you ever wanted to start one of your own? I mean Betazoid woman do get an imzadi early right?"

"Generally, Betazed people are bonded to each other at an early age. For example, Trina was five and Lio was eight when their bond was made. =From my understanding, that had been determined when Trina was just a babe. Not always is the female younger, but for both Lio and I, the male was older, female younger. As for me, I am a wonderful aunt," Patia winked, "but right now, I am bonded to my career."

Teilani smiled. "Aren't we all," she replied. "Besides forming a relationship on a starship, not knowing where it will lead to is hard. They never last long." Teilani had finished eating and stared out the window.

"From what I have seen, I have to agree. Believe it or not, an interpersonal relationship, such as that, is something I haven't been involved in for more than twenty five years." Patia stirred her spoon around her bowl. She had taken two or three bites, but had found she wasn't hungry anymore. She set the bowl down on the table and picked up her glass. The raspberries bobbed slowly up and down, almost rhythmically. It was easy to lose your train of thought and just stare at them.

Teilani nodded. She knew what Patia meant. Both women stared out of the window, watching the stars pass by, each lost in their own thoughts.