The Orion’s Belt was abuzz with the low hum of voices, clinking glasses, and the occasional burst of laughter from the various crewmembers scattered throughout the lounge. It was the end of another long shift aboard the USS Orion, and despite the usual intensity of their duties, there was a welcome sense of camaraderie amongst the crew. As was often the case after hours, the lounge was a haven for those looking to unwind and connect.

Located on deck eight, The Orion’s Belt (also known as the Belt) was the prime area where most of the Orion’s crew spent their off-duty time. A long and wide room, the Belt took up most of the forward section of the deck. It had a range of comfortable chairs around tables or booths (for some privacy) dotted around, along with one long bar along the aft wall. 

As they entered the lounge side-by-side, Lieutenants Jines and Anderson still wore the final costumes from their most recent chapter of the holoprogram Peter Pan. The two friends had known each other since their Academy days and had built a reputation on the Orion for their eccentric off-duty hobbies. Peter Pan was the latest incarnation that belonged on a long list of holoprograms they had played. From Robin Hood to Treasure Island to Gulliver’s Travel to Sherlock Holmes, the two friends constantly engaged in something fun on the holodeck to keep them amused and entertained when they were not on the bridge or doing their duties. Where they could, they would try to get their comrades involved. Most recently, some of them had played along in the latest holonovel of Dixon Hill and, beforehand, the entire series of The Adventures of Captain Proton. 

With his wide grin and youthful energy, Brad Anderson wore the iconic green tunic of Peter Pan, though the outfit was a bit more revealing than one might expect. His bare arms and legs gleamed under the bright lights of the lounge, and his tunic clung in all the wrong places. Thankfully, he was quite confident with his body shape, having a slim but athletic frame; Anderson did not appear to be bothered by what others thought of his appearance in any shape or form. He was a handsome guy who knew it and played on his charisma to get his way with others. His almost curly blonde hair swept back in a way that gave him a carefree yet deliberate look. Anderson’s striking blue eyes also seemed to help him capture the attention of anyone who glanced his way. Furthermore, his dimples appeared when he smiled, giving away his boyish charm that made him seem full of mischief. He was able to use all of his qualities in his work as Chief Security and Tactical Officer to ensure the smooth running of the ship. On duty, he was a serious hard worker and focused entirely on the task at hand. 

Andron Jines, by contrast, was dressed as Captain Hook, his sharp red coat and oversized hat contrasting with his wiry frame. Jines was just as young as Anderson, but there was a quiet maturity to his presence. His sandy brown hair, streaked with a pure grey quiff at the front, gave him an air of distinction, a mark of his Rutian heritage. His emerald green eyes showed a slight twinkle in any room he was in. Though slightly slimmer than Anderson, Jines still worked out to keep himself fit for duty. A light stubble traced his jaw, adding a rugged edge to his youthful face and slightly counteracting the smoothness of his youthful look. Like his friend on duty, he was committed to his work as the ship’s most senior pilot. Though the Orion was his first posting since the Academy, he flew like an experienced pilot who had taken the controls of many starships before.  

Jines gave his friend a knowing smirk as they made their way over to the bar as they approached their group of friends. Tomraf, the ship’s Acamarian chief medical officer, Nali, the sharp-eyed chief engineer officer from Xahea, and Bollwyn, the ever-enthusiastic operations officer, were deep in conversation. 

Tomraf, who had escaped from his clan duties as part of his Acamarian heritage, was the oldest one out of them all, but only by three years. His thick, curly, light brown hair sat on his head in an almost mullet style. Though somewhat quiet in social situations, Tomraf was known to join in with the antics of Anderson and Jines when he needed to let off steam. He had joined them several times on the holodeck, especially when they had run the Three Musketeers program. Tomraf was a fine doctor, though he only had a few years of field experience under his belt; he was someone who enjoyed medical research beyond his duties in sickbay and would typically be found in the crew lounge reading some latest journal or making notes on something he was working on. 

Nali, short for Le Mani Jilka Nali Ta Hoi, was the ship’s chief engineer. The former deputy engineer had been put in charge of the ship’s engineering room when her former boss was killed during the Frontier Day massacre. The woman from Xahea was known for her brilliance in being able to solve technical problems at the drop of a hat. She was quirky and was known to be caught talking to herself while working or even talking to the ship when repairing a system or installing something new was not going quite right. She was very friendly and would often praise her engineers with a piece of candy if they did something well, whether it was coming up with a solution to an issue they were working on or completing a task ahead of time. Nali’s candy pot sat on her desk in her office and was filled up daily. 

Ensign Cheryon Bollwyn, who was from Ventaxia, had only joined the Orion before its attachment to the Odyssey Squadron. The youngest one out of the group, she had only a few months on the ship after finishing her time at the Academy quicker than expected. Again, due to Frontier Day, some qualified cadets needed to be rushed through training on a fast-track approach, and Bollwyn was one of them. She laughed a lot but took her position seriously, like the others, as she felt she needed to prove herself to others. 

As soon as Jines and Anderson approached, the chuckles and comments began about their appearance. The five of them were all close friends ever since they were made members of the senior staff on the Orion. Almost every day, they spent their off duties together. 

Bollwyn was the first to speak, her eyes twinkling with amusement. “Well, well, well. If it isn’t the famous Captain Hook and Peter Pan?” She raised an eyebrow at Anderson’s attire. “You know, I think you’re showing a little more of Neverland than we were expecting, Brad.”

Anderson, leaning casually on the bar, tilted his head and flashed a mischievous grin at her. “Neverland has its perks, Cheryon. You should try it sometime.” He wiggled his eyebrows in jest. He had spent the night before retelling the story of Peter Pan, the boy who never grew up, in a bold bid to convince them to join him and Jines on the holodeck. Bollwyn had spoilt some of his fun after picking up a PADD and downloading the summary of the story before reading it out to them all. She had shared earlier that day on the bridge she had read the story before going to bed to see what the appeal was to Anderson. Even after sharing the story with Nali, she never got it.  

Tomraf, the usually calm one out of them all, couldn’t help but chuckle, shaking his head. “I can’t say I expected Peter Pan to be quite so exposed.” His voice was dry, but his eyes had an amused glint.

Nali just rolled her eyes, her lips curling into a smirk. “Didn’t anyone tell you, Anderson? Tinkerbell’s the one who wears the skimpy outfits. Not Peter Pan.”

Jines cut through the banter with his deep, booming voice while pretending to be Hook and gave a dramatic, over-the-top sigh. “Ah, yes. The legend of Peter Pan. Too bad it’s all fiction. Otherwise, I’d say we could use a bit of help with our next chapter.” His smirk widened as he clapped a hand on his friend’s bare shoulder. “What do you say, Peter? We need a Tinkerbell, some lost boys, and I could use a first mate to help me defeat you!”

Anderson immediately straightened up, slipping back into the role of Peter Pan with surprising ease. He puffed out his chest, giving a mock-heroic stance as he placed both hands on his hip. “You’ll never defeat me, Hook. Never! I’m immortal!” 

The others laughed more at Anderson’s antics, and Jines pretended to look put out. 

“Fine. I’ll let you be the hero for now.” Jines looked around at the rest of the group. “But, seriously, no one here seems interested in joining us, huh?”

Tomraf, Nali, and Bollwyn shook their heads, each turning down the invitation.

“Sorry, Andron, you’re on your own. I don’t want to wear a skimpy outfit like Brad is,” Tomraf replied as he picked up his drink from the bar. 

“That’s a shame, Tomraf,” Anderson said as he clapped the back of Tomraf’s shoulders. “I really wanted to see you in the Tinkerbell outfit!”

Both Nali and Bollwyn laughed more at Anderson’s words.

Tomraf chuckled, too, as he looked up at his friend from where he was sitting. “In your dreams, my friend, in your dreams!”

Across the room, two other officers sat quietly, watching the antics unfold from a distance. Commander Savel, the tall, composed Vulcan, sat with Lieutenant Commander Kulucis, the ship’s chief science officer from Kantare. They watched the young officers with a quiet, analytical gaze.

“Do you truly understand what the captain saw in promoting them?” Kulucis’s voice was low but pointed. “I mean, Anderson? He’s barely more than a child. Look at him. I sometimes wonder if he really was worthy to be made the chief security and tactical officer?”

Savel raised an eyebrow but remained composed. “I should not need to remind you that we must acknowledge the situation we were put into earlier in the year. With our senior staff numbers decimated by the Frontier Day massacre, there was no choice but to promote from within, even if the individuals are younger or less experienced.” His voice was calm, almost emotionless. “However, for someone as young as Anderson, he is a remarkable security and tactical officer.”

Kulucis’s eyes narrowed as he observed Anderson, now laughing with the others at the bar, seemingly oblivious to the scrutiny. “I still don’t see how that makes sense. Also, he’s practically naked in that outfit. What kind of example is that for the crew?”

Savel was about to respond when the sound of footsteps interrupted him. Always poised and smiling, Counsellor Coralia arrived at their table, drinks in hand. The Lanthanite woman set the glasses down in front of both men before sitting down herself.

“Gentlemen,” she said with a nod. “What are we discussing this fine evening?”

Savel’s expression remained neutral. “Lieutenant Commander Kulucis is obsessing over Lieutenant Anderson’s choice of…attire or lack thereof.”

Coralia glanced over at the bar, taking in the sight of Anderson and Jines, still laughing and joking. She couldn’t help but chuckle. “Oh, Kulucis. I wouldn’t worry about it. He’s probably just finished on the holodeck with Jines. Also, he looks just as cute as Peter Pan is meant to be, don’t you think?”

Kulucis snorted in disbelief. “Cute? That is not how I would describe it. If I were the captain, I would have him reassigned to quarters for inappropriate behaviour.”

Coralia’s smile only widened. “Are you really going to spoil another evening complaining about the newer members of our senior staff? They have been in post for almost six months now. It’s time to move on.”

“I didn’t say it was all of them, anyway Tomraf was chief medical officer before the events of Frontier Day,” Kulucis argued back. He looked back over to the younger group; his scale-like features on either side of his forehead appeared more apparent as he frowned. “It’s just Anderson; he just doesn’t seem to take the position seriously enough, in my opinion.”

“Because of what he is wearing?” Savel checked.

“Well, yeah,” Kulucis replied instantly. 

“It’s not as if he is exposing himself to everyone, Kulucis,” Coralia stated as she picked her glass up. “Plus, the guy works out twice a day, every day, in the ship’s gym with Jines. At least we can see he takes his fitness seriously to be in the best shape as our chief protector.”

“Indeed,” Savel agreed.

Kulucis just rolled his eyes.

Coralia leaned forward in her chair. “The other problem is you and Anderson have something in common, Kulucis.” She then leaned back, clearly enjoying herself.

Kulucis, still not entirely understanding, raised an eyebrow. “And what would that be?”

Coralia shrugged nonchalantly. “You both have a fixation on Captain Pike.”

Savel’s gaze flicked to Coralia, his eyebrow rising slightly. “Fascinating.”

Kulucis, meanwhile, looked somewhat stunned. “How do you know that?”

Coralia just winked at him. “Counsellor’s prerogative.”

Savel, sensing the tension, cleared his throat. “To expand on the counsellor’s point further, it would be logical for us to spend more time with the more junior members of the senior staff. Getting to know them better could improve the efficiency and cohesion of the crew.”

Kulucis crossed his arms, still deep in thought, but he wasn’t quite so quick to dismiss Coralia’s suggestion. “Perhaps. But I’m still unsure I can see myself becoming best friends with Anderson.”

Coralia only smiled, the glint of mischief still present in her eyes. “You’d be surprised, Kulucis. You might have more in common than you think.”

Across the room, Anderson was still in full Peter Pan mode, throwing out a mocking challenge to Bollwyn. 

Kulucis just shook his head in disbelief before sipping on his drink.

“Captain’s log stardate seven-eight-nine-seven-four point eight. Our mapping expedition of a nearby class nine nebula has been completed ahead of schedule. While we take a leisurely cruise to rendezvous with the rest of the squadron, I have given my crew some extra R and R. Though long-range sensors have detected what appears to be a pre-warp civilisation in a nearby habitable star system, I am waiting for confirmation from Commodore McCallister whether or not we have time to explore it. While our time in this region of the Delta Quadrant hasn’t been without its intrigue and action, I hope that the opportunity to study a civilisation that does not know the joy of space exploration as we do would be a great use of our time. While other ships in the squadron have been engaging in diplomatic encounters, this study would be the first of its kind for our group of ships this far out in the Delta Quadrant. ”