Saving Mar

07 SALVO 14

When their journey to Salvo 14 – a Tellarite space station at the edge of Federation space – was nearing its end, the crew of the Enterprise got visibly moody and sulky. They loved having entertaining guests around and didn't look forward to saying goodbye.

Trip was popular with the ladies and the prospect of losing all that attention was making him drag himself along corridors like a lifeless husk. Travis and Hoshi found a romance, short-lived but intense; getting them to focus on their tasks now was a feat.

Jon couldn't suppress the hollow feeling in his gut, either, but he was much better at hiding it. He wasn't just sad to see them go, he was worried. They were strong, but they were outnumbered out there. If someone decided to get rid of them, they would most certainly try again. Jon was afraid that next time they wouldn't be able to get away like they had thanks to the Enterprise and Telvora's sacrifice. His stomach flipped every time his mind served him a new image of how things could go wrong for them.

So he made what he thought was a wise and calculated decision.

"We should hang around, just to give you some cover while your ship is under repairs," he suggested to Mar as they were stacking into the transporter on their way down to the station. "Four days is a long time."

She gave him an evaluating look. He could see some reluctance, as she was mulling over his offer, but then she nodded.

"That would be nice of you, Captain. I'm sure the girls will be thrilled," she curled the corners of her mouth just a little, yet somehow all her face lit up.

Jon felt a tug at his guts, but forced out a smile. He liked the way she was treating him now. She stopped avoiding him, and when they spoke she was no longer so guarded, so stark. Clearly still determined to not get attached, she at least let him enjoy her presence more. They only had two days left, anyway.

Until now.

He could feel a little balloon of joy swell underneath his stomach. The fluttering warmth she was able to trigger in him seemed to grow with each day; he felt like a teenager developing a crush. He wouldn't take back his offer, he cared too much about her – uhm, their – safety, but it just now occurred to him that giving this unspoken thing between them more time to bloom might have been a mistake. It was already hard to say goodbye to her – how much worse would it get in another four days if she kept being this sweet?

It's just hormones, the practical part of his brain reminded him. It'll all be gone as soon as she is.

I wish, Jon sighed internally. Pining for gorgeous alien rescuees was not part of his job description and daydreaming could get his ship blown into oblivion and his crew floating frozen among the debris. He needed to get a grip, and soon.

So he thought he would go back to the ship and just hole up in it until the waiting was over and everyone could go their separate ways. He helped set up their accommodations for the duration of the repairs and after a brief chat with the Chief of the station, insulting the quality of the engineers' work to his satisfaction, he headed back to the transporter room.

"Captain?" he heard a melodic voice that sent warm shivers down his spine, just as he was about to call the Enterprise. He closed his eyes and quietly cursed under his breath, before plastering a pleasant fake smile over his mouth and turning to face her.

"Do you need anything else?"

"No, actually," Mar shrugged, playing with her own fingers.

She was dressed in that skimpy white lace gown again, as the guests returned the borrowed jumpsuits upon disembarking, and Jon fought to keep his gaze from wandering.

"I just wanted to thank you. You helped us out a lot and didn't try selling us into slavery," she chuckled. "Might sound silly to you, but I appreciate it, really."

"No problem," he beamed with effort. "I was on my way up, so I'll see you in four days. I have, uh..." he gestured awkwardly, "work to do."

"Understood," she nodded, but somewhere behind her eyes a light went out. "Good luck with your work, then. Thanks again."

Jon's heart contracted painfully at her disappointed reaction. She knew. She must've smelled it on him, the heady scent of uncontrolled hormones, but obviously believed he was an honorable man, who would never act on it. She seemed to trust him enough to want to be around him, despite his poorly masked attraction, despite her reluctance to form ties that wouldn't last. But he chose to run and hide from her.

Just the thought that she had expected better of him tasted bitter on his tongue and triggered an urge to prove her right. Without even realizing it at first, he stretched out a hand towards her.

Bad idea, bad idea!, screamed the rational part of him, but it was too late.

"Here are our subspace frequencies," he rasped, handing her a PADD he originally planned to take back to the ship with him. He had just given the numbers to the Chief, in case he needed something, and they were still highlighted on the display. "Don't hesitate to reach out if you ever need assistance again." He gulped. "Or just to talk."