The Three of Us

Part 30 - Trial by Fire

For the next few weeks, life was excellent for almost everyone on board the NX-01.

The Ikaaran women farmed on Amity and then on Paradise and felt that their purpose was being fulfilled, while single men like José Torres and Eddie Hamboyan chatted them up and helped out as they could be spared. Ebrona spent her time reading up on human law – Jonathan had told her to look at criminal law but had tried not to be too specific about things, directing her research when he felt it wasn't giving too much away about the men in the Brig. Phlox and Andrew spent their time delivering babies or confirming pregnancies. There was a general feeling of optimism on board.

And Lili, Malcolm and Jay were also getting along swimmingly.

The men would see each other in the hallways and what had started off as a curt nod had changed a bit, to occasional hellos or even, sometimes, conversations designed to make everything go more smoothly. Chip and Aidan changed Movie Night one week to Tuesday, and to Friday another week and that accommodated them a bit and gave them another thing to do with Lili when not burning up the sheets.

On Lili's part, she put together private meals or special little desserts or the occasional different side dish, depending on who she was thinking of, and often did a little something for both of them, regardless of the actual weekday. A blueberry muffin for Jay on a Monday or a pineapple juice smoothie for Malcolm on a Thursday, those were wordless bits of communication – it may not be your day, but I'm still thinking about you.

In fact, the only people who were unhappy were either in the Brig or confined to quarters, or were somehow attached to the men in either of those predicaments.

=/\=

In the Brig, they were let out for an hour of exercise every day. Usually it was Frank Todd or Azar Hamidi who would supervise. Dan Chang would angrily run on a treadmill while Tristan Curtis would lift weights and Neil Kemper and Victor Brown would box against each other. As for Brooks Haynem brought in from his quarters, the men looked at him askance, and he looked back at them that way. It had not been revealed who had outed him, so he suspected all of them. Brown and Kemper kept quiet about their part in getting him confined to quarters and, for the most part, hung together.

Chang would verbally assault them half the time, telling them they were girlish for wanting to get back with their wives, but they did their best to ignore him. The rest of the crew was not supposed to be in the gym during exercise time for the prisoners, but an exception was made for wives. Cassandra Brown and Emily Andreiou Kemper took advantage of the time and would ride exercise bicycles when not surreptitiously exchanging a few words or a quick finger squeeze with their contrite husbands. But Sandra Sloane never came over, and Sophie Creighton Haynem only visited on rare occasions.

Sophie and Sandra had been thrown back together, and it was not a good situation for either of them. Sandra had little Kimberly to care for, and she was not a very patient mother. Sophie often found herself pressed into service as babysitter. Fortunately for Kimmy, Sophie liked the little girl very much, but she did resent Sandra taking that all for granted.

=/\=

Lili was walking in the hall between breakfast and lunch. The trial was supposed to begin that day, and she was coming from the Observation Lounge, which she and Craig had cleaned out, as it was to be the courtroom.

Damp rag in hand, she was distracted when she heard, "Hey!"

She turned around. It was Sandra, who was alone. "Huh?" Lili asked.

"Yeah, you! I'm talking to you."

"I have a name," Lili said, beginning to walk away a bit.

"Yeah, whatever. Look, yanno, I got advice for you."