Defining Relationships

Posted on Thu Jun 19th, 2025 @ 8:00am by Lieutenant Evelyn Stewart & Commander Calvin 'Cal' Maraj

2,627 words; about a 13 minute read

Mission: Year One: Strange Bedfellows
Location: USS Moore - Evelyn Stewart’s Quarters
Timeline: MD 031: 20:00 hrs

Evelyn finished her report of the flight and navigation department for Commander Greco. She personally found such reports tedious but she needed a distraction. Checking the time, she realized Cal was due to arrive soon and straightened up her quarters somewhat. Since her bond was broken she could tell she was slipping somewhat as far as her discipline. She didn’t care about anything but getting through the day to get back to her quarters to be alone and, if necessary, drink.

Evelyn took down her braid and smoothed her hair back into a more practical ponytail before she recycled the empty glasses in the replicator, she sorted out her books she left haphazardly strewn about the living space, placing the small collection where she kept them before sorting out her clothes she left on the floor in the bedroom then making the bed. It would be easily for anyone to mistake her for prepping for a dormitory inspection at the Academy.

It felt different, being the commanding officer of a starship, even more odd being one that breaks into 3 moving parts. Cal had been a first officer for only 3 years but had impressed on the Copenhagen enough to receive a quick bump into the CO spot on the Moore.

An unenvious mission is what the Moore had, Orions. Cal had no issue with them personally, he treated most as they came but he knew the stigma attached to them and thus no-one jumped at the chance to take this Moore spot with the mission attached. Rather short sighted of them but that was there problem, not his.

He'd put on a simple white t-shirt and a pair of jeans with comfortable shoes to go catch up with Evie. Someone he hadn't thought about for years and hadn't expected to see again much less be in command of. As he pressed the chime he wondered if she'd changed at all from 3 years ago when they met.

Stewart had walked back into the living area from the bedroom. “Yeah.” She called out, knowing it would be Cal and not bothering to greet him at the door like others as she focused her attention on gathering and organizing the PaDDs on her desk into a pile.

Cal was quick to suggest they catch up over a drink after her first duty shift and she opted for her quarters instead of the DMZ, still not ready to be around people. She could care less about the rumors fluttering about the ship on the nature of their relationship.

"Who are you trying to impress?" Cal laughed with a wide grin on his face. "You were never this clean before..." he glanced over at the full replicator that had yet to be recycled. "Ah... if I open up a closet and I going to drown in yesterdays laundry Evie?" he teased as the doors of her quarters closed behind him.

Evelyn rolled her eyes at his comment about her tidiness. “Well it’s certainly not all for you.” She teased back, coming to give him a friendly hug. “So what can I get you?” She asked matter of factly, turning back towards the small table with her assortment of alcohol.

"Well as long as most of it is." Cal commented as he came in and threw his hefty frame onto the sofa. "Something strong... after spending the day listening to Commander Greco I fear an airlock looks pretty appealing right now." he pinched his nose and chuckled. This was more so to himself at how his day had gone.

Stewart smiled to herself as she poured them each a straight whiskey, no ice. “Yeah I figured as much.” She commented about Cal’s thoughts on Greco. “Reminds me a lot of Ortega…remember him? Had the rules and regulations shoved so far up his ass he couldn’t think for himself.” She laughed, coming over and handing Cal his drink before opening her uniform jacket and sitting on the couch next to him. She started to relax for the first time in days.

Cal laughed. "If it wasn't on a flight plan he couldn't move from it." he shook his head. Ortega was young however, and part of Cal was glad Ortega wasn't in Starfleet during that war... adapt or die was something Cal had uttered a lot to younger participants. "Near enough had a meltdown when we had to change tactics during a simulated raid. I'll need to look him up actually... see if he's an admiral now or something... they promote stupidity, right?" he grinned before taking a sip of his drink and taking in the view of Evelyn's opened uniform jacket. He was subtle though, no gawking.

Stewart took another sip and smirked at Cal. “Speaking of which how the hell did you go from a lieutenant commander being reassigned advanced flight training to being made the commanding officer of a starship in two years?” She asked, leaning her arm on the back of the couch to hold her head up and look at him.

"Raw charisma?" Cal asked and shrugged nonchalantly. "I would add and sex appeal but I get the feeling that I'd get an HR meeting with the headmistress for that." he chuckled.

Stewart gave Maraj a skeptical look. “Uh huh….is that why you found yourself in a lowly lieutenant’s bed for the better part of your training?” She teased again, keeping to herself Cal was not the only student she invited into her private quarters over the years there.

"You said it yourself... there wasn't a lot else to do and I didn't care what rank you were... and still are." Cal gestured to her neck collar. "Was good cardio, hand eye coordination." he shrugged nonchalantly. "You made the material 'come alive'."

Stewart only smirked at Cal’s assessment of her teaching abilities and instead focused on his comment about her rank. “Not all of us can be brown nosers.” She teased back, “Some of kept our principles.”

"You have principles?" Cal asked with a laugh. "You must have found them after Epsilon then... I remember a rather moody, fuck the rules and deal with me mentality from you. Should I ask Commander Greco for his evaluation of you? Would he say you are a very principled and good at following orders?"

Stewart laughed. She had principles, they just didn’t always align with her orders. Taking a sip of her whiskey she shrugged. “Before or after I shoved him on his ass on the bridge?” She asked casually.

"I'd imagine me asking him after that would somewhat skew his outlook on you." Cal laughed. "But I bet he deserved it..." he tapered off as he thought about something. "Although Evie, I can't have that on my ship." he said more seriously. "I'd go to the bat for any of you, all of you, but don't give me headaches I can't take a hypo for."

Evelyn placed her glass down and looked at him as she shrugged. “Well, it’s nothing a little exercise wouldn’t cure…” she said playfully, leaning forward to kiss Cal’s full lips.

Cal chuckled and shook his head with a smirk on his face. He placed both of his large hands on either side of her, on her shoulders and slowed her approach. "This would be a headache. A beautiful one at that, but I'd need more than a hypo and a week's sabbatical to recover from." Evelyn gently sat back down. "Not that it isn't tempting."

Stewart relaxed, giving Cal a doubtful look. “You’re not one for willpower, or resisting a beautiful woman.” She said cocky, “Besides half the ship is gossiping about us, what’s one time going to hurt?” She reasoned.

"Boundaries are a good thing Evie. It'll give you something to push, and you love pushing things back." Cal smiled softly. "It's not me resisting a beautiful woman. It's me not letting temptation guide me with members of my crew and damaging relationships but I tell you what... you give me one kiss and you tell me I'm wrong?"

Stewart looked at her commanding officer in surprise, both in taking his duty so seriously for once and his presumption to tell her she can kiss him. Regardless, she intended to take him up on his offer. After all, there was a reason she didn’t forget him after all these years.

Leaning forward, Evelyn pressed her lips to Cal’s like in the past.

Their lips touched and again Cal felt the pull that he did with many women who planted themselves on him. Still, the fire they had in the past didn't seem to ignite as much. Maybe they'd both grown as people, maybe changed would be better. As their lips parted he opened his eyes to see Evelyn's thinking face.

Almost immediately after their lips touched, Stewart pulled away. “Yeah, that’s not going to work.” She commented, sighing as she sat back. Looking at Cal’s face, she could see he felt the same as her. The kiss was physically pleasurable, but awkward and uncomfortable. Whatever spark they had in the past was gone. “It’s amazing how much difference a pip makes.” She commented wryly about the change in their dynamic as she relaxed, feeling better knowing there was no temptation for either of them as she took another sip of her whiskey.

"An extra pip only makes a difference if you let it." Cal commented back in the same wry tone of voice. "I'd say the years of growth has made more difference." he placed one arm along the back of the sofa for comfort and sipped his drink casually. "Plus, pips don't matter in here. Friendship and whisky do." he grinned.

Stewart gave a polite smile as she sipped her drink. She didn’t agree with Cal. They may have both changed but his being her commanding officer had more of an impact on her attraction to him than Cal realized. “Whatever you say, Commander.” She teased.

Cal smirked, "Well at the very least the whisky does."

Stewart laughed as she eased herself more into the corner of the couch getting comfortable. “You know, these nightcaps are going to have to stop. The crew is already gossiping about us as it is.” Evelyn made a point of not mentioning what Kei told her in the shuttle about commanding officers being reported leaving her quarters late at night in the past on this ship.

"Pardon my French, but fuck them." Cal said as his thick Caribbean accent filled the room. "Am I not allowed to have friends on board? Am I not allowed to have any fun? Would the crew prefer that I sit in my quarters, get myself a rocking chair and just slowly go mad?" he asked rhetorically. "No, I don't think I care about gossip. Means people have too much free time."

Stewart swirled her whiskey and looked at Maraj. "But isn't that life on a starship?" she asked casually before shrugging, "This is my first assignment on one so I wouldn't know." She grinned at him and leaned forward slightly. "Idle hands make for loose lips. It's the way of things. If you want them thinking you are sleeping with your beautiful, roughish pilot, then who am I to complain?"

"Scuttlebutt gets around on a starship like an Orion in a brothel." Cal chuckled. "Oh do I have another pilot you've not mentioned?" he teased. "I'd sure like to meet this beautiful, roguish pilot."

Stewart smirked. "What about running a tight ship and avoiding headaches?" She teased, her tone showing a mock offense that he would single her out as a problem and not the issue of being the commanding officer.

"I do like an easy life and I dislike the idea of headaches." Cal agreed. "When did you become so smart?" he smirked.

The lieutenant looked at Maraj with mock offense. "I've always been smart. You just never noticed, more focused on my other skills and assets." She added smugly.

"I can't deny that in the past I have my sights set on what the galaxy would deem as more 'appealing' to my eyes." Cal looked down and smiled inwardly. "But more seriously, what's your opinion of the crew? Friend to friend."

Evelyn sat back in her seat and considered before giving a shrug. "Overall, a good lot. Not that much different than Upsilon. A lot of fresh meat just out of the Academy mixed with some vets from the war." She sipped her whiskey. "Though that didn't stop Naal from dressing down the senior staff a month ago for our reaction to this "trade agreement" the Federation President made with the Syndicate." She offered, glossing over her how he admonished her specifically in front of everyone.

"A real mixed bag then." Cal concluded as she described the mix of experience amongst the crew. Shaking his head, "Captain Naal has always had a rather one-sided view of Starfleet and the Federation, in my opinion. He's a good captain, and a good leader, but he seems to think everything that the Federation can do no wrong in their decisions. I'm not one to tar all Orions with the same brush, not all are pirates, slavers and scumbags, but when all the Federation News Service reports on is just that then what are the uneducated supposed to think?" he asked half rhetorically.

Stewart looked at Cal. "Captain Naal does his duty but keeps his own council." She said a tad sharply, not liking the criticism of the man she looked at not only a mentor but as a father figure. "He knows not to complain and to stay out of politics. It doesn't mean he won't do the right thing if it came down to it."

Taking a breath, the pilot calmed down and took a large drink as she considered. "As to the FNN, I'm not sure that's the responsibility of any officer. It's the Federation's job to see to proper education and representation of the facts." She said casually as she took another sip, having the same regard for politics and Starfleet's role as Naal.

"Depends on your version of the right thing." Cal countered. "Some captains like their rules, regulations and hide behind them. I'm not saying that is what Naal does but it is the sad truth of most captains now that after the war they don't bend the rules a little more. Captain Kirk may have gotten into far more trouble than he needed too but at least it was fun and pushed people out of their comfort zone. People who get too relaxed in their position often cannot see anything beyond what they are told. Making noise, complaining, that is a way to force change. Staying silent emboldens stagnation and status quo."

He waved his hand as if to throw the conversation away.

"Evie, this is far too serious a conversation." he chuckled.

Stewart relaxed and sighed out her tension at the hearing of her nickname from Cal. She knew Julian Naal to be anything but complacent. The man stuck his neck out for her more than once at the academy, defining regulations for what was right, but it was pointless to make this argument.

Instead, Evelyn just say back into her seat and took a sip of her whisky. “I suppose you are right. What is the phrase you used to say? ‘Laugh and be merry’ was it?

"Well my Uncle Duke always had a saying "Drink up an’ leh de vibes flow!" and I can't think of a better way to live your life." Cal smirked.

 

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