---
"I'm telling you man, she was amazing!"
The Vulcan listener rolled his eyes as he looked out the viewport. "I have no doubt your tryst on Risa was ... enlightening."
"Oh, boy was it! The way she moved was unlike anything I have experienced. I fell in love, then got left at the alter."
"Please remind me, Randolph, what was her name again?"
Randolph sighed. "I ... I don't remember." He rubbed his chin. "Cassandra? Kaitlin? Kathy? Maybe not. Baylyn ... or maybe Tala?"
The Vulcan turned to his friend with an eyebrow raised. "That's a wide range of options. I think it is best you let it go. The odds of meeting the same woman within your lifetime with only memories of her physical features and ... abilities ... is statistically against your favor. Possible, but not probable, if I may be so bold."
Randolph was undaunted and he waged a finger. "I disagree, Tevos. Humans believe in serendipity and fate. Chance is best at the Dabo tables, not love."
Tevos returned to looking out the window. The Excelsior-class ship was in view as the shuttle banked away from the transport vessel. "But wasn't it random chance to have met this woman in the first place?"
A finger was poked at the Vulcan's ear. "Nope. Fate brought us to Risa. We were meant to be together."
"Yet, you don't recall her name and she has not made contact with you since you left Risa two weeks ago, correct?"
"Pfft, she's probably looking for me as we speak." Randolph crossed his arms and had a smug look on his face. He looked at the white cruiser out the viewport as the shuttle slowed its speed to approach the ship's aft hull. The shuttle bay doors began to open. "Who knows, maybe she's on this ship!"
"Again, possible, but highly improbable."
---
The shuttle's doors opened slowly, exposing the interior to the grand innards of Solaris' docking bay. To the side was an Aenar with Ensign pips on her uniform. She raised a whistle box and blew the attention tune. Several officers stepped forward, the tallest being the Captain of the ship, Kathryn Beringer. Her long dark red hair pulled back into a thick bun with side strands resting against her jaw. Wearing the standard-issue uniform, white-colored shoulders stood apart from the rest of the other officers. The new members of her crew started to exit the shuttle, twenty total of various races. They lined up at attention and Kathryn looked at the row before starting a close-up inspection when someone gasped nearby.
Kathryn turned to see her ship's counselor face go pale. Concerned she whispered loudly, "Is something wrong?"
Christa Harrington shook her head slightly, her dirty blonde hair quivering. "Not that guy. Of all the ships in the galaxy."
Kathryn looked at the row of duty officers. One man's eyes were darting back and forth. He was of average height and build with curly black hair. His thick lips, high cheekbones, rounded edged nose and sunken eyes made him handsome by Kathryn's standards. She could see he muttered something and a Vulcan to his side quickly looked toward the ship's officer line.
She grinned. "Well, Christa, it seems like you'll be doing the talking later because I'm ready to listen." Kathryn could see from her peripheral vision that the counselor's shoulders slumped a little.
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