Second Star To The Right.....For 2 Days (Part 4)

Posted on Sun Aug 30th, 2026 @ 4:55pm by Lieutenant Commander Nicolette De St Pierre & Lieutenant Commander Dean Villarreal

1,866 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: The Hand That Rocks The Babe
Location: Shuttle approaching U.S.S. Dreadnought

The final hour passed far more quickly than Dean would have liked.

The easy conversation, the soft jazz and the steadily diminishing platter of chocolate had made the remaining distance almost an afterthought. Eventually, however, the navigation display gave him little choice but to acknowledge what they'd both been quietly avoiding.

USS DREADNOUGHT — 1 HOUR

Dean glanced at the display, then toward Nikki. "Well..." There was a faint smile on his face, though it carried a hint of reluctance.

"Looks like we're getting close."

He reached forward and adjusted their course, bringing the shuttle neatly onto its final approach vector. The familiar blue-white glow of the Dreadnought's running lights appeared in the distance, little more than a distant shape against the darkness of space.

"That's her." He gestured toward the viewport. "The Dreadnought."

As they drew closer, the ship slowly grew from a collection of lights into something enormous. The angular lines of the Valkyrie-class vessel became increasingly visible, its hull illuminated by the occasional glint of starlight.

Dean couldn't help but smile. "Big enough?" He glanced toward Nikki.

"Good Gods, it's like a mobile planet..." Nicolette murmured from the seat next to him. "I'm soooooo gonna get lost... have I mentioned that I'm directionally challenged?" she laughed a self-deprecating laugh but her wide eyes fixed to the Dreadnought may have hinted that there was some truth to the statement.

Dean followed her gaze toward the enormous vessel beyond the shuttle's viewport and couldn't help but chuckle.

"Mobile planet?" He glanced back at her, one eyebrow raised. "That's probably the most accurate description I've heard." He unfastened his harness and stood, stretching slightly after the long journey before turning back toward her.

"And yes, Counsellor, I believe you may have mentioned your navigational difficulties once or twice." There was a teasing warmth in his voice. "Although, considering you once nearly introduced an Academy Commandant's shuttle to his living room, I'm beginning to think the phrase directionally challenged might be understating things."

He laughed softly before his expression became reassuring. "But don't worry. You won't get lost." Dean gestured toward the shuttle's hatch. "The Dreadnought is enormous, but you'll learn the important routes quickly. And if you don't..."

He gave her a small smile. "You've got a security officer." He paused deliberately. "One whose job includes knowing where people are supposed to be."

He stepped toward the hatch and keyed the release, then looked back at her. "And if you do manage to get lost?" A playful glint appeared in his eyes.

"Call me." He shrugged.

She sighed as she stood up next to him, glancing back at the Dreadnought once more, her expression momentarily becoming anxious before she looked at Dean and gave a small smile. "I have no doubt you'll be receiving many calls for assistance so you might want to keep that steed saddled."

Tucking her arm into his, Nikki smiled and looked up into his eyes, a hint of colour rising in her cheeks.

"Before we leave," she drew in a breath. "I just wanted to say thank you, for... well, for everything. This trip could have been so much different, but you made it enjoyable. So, thank you."

Dean looked down as her arm slipped through his, and for a moment the playful expression he'd been wearing disappeared entirely. He could see the faint colour in her cheeks, and her words seemed to catch him more off guard than he expected.

He slowed his pace. "Nikki..." His voice was quieter now. He turned slightly toward her, giving her his full attention despite the activity of the hangar around them.

"You don't have to thank me." A small smile appeared. "Honestly, I should probably be thanking you." His gaze lingered on hers.

"Two days in a shuttle isn't exactly the most exciting assignment I've ever had. But somehow..." He gave a quiet laugh. "I barely noticed the time."

Dean glanced briefly toward the shuttle behind them before looking back at her. "And after everything you told me..." His expression softened. "I'm glad you trusted me enough to share it."

He gave her arm a gentle squeeze where it rested against his. "You were never a burden. Not once." For a moment he simply stood there, surrounded by the sounds of the busy hangar, yet somehow the rest of it seemed to fade into the background. "And as for making the trip enjoyable..." A faint, almost shy smile crossed his face. "You made that rather easy."

She smiled genuinely, her eyes lighting up a little as a rush of warmth ran through her at the feel of his hand on her arm. "It's a shame the trip had to come to an end," she said softly. "I'm going to miss your company,"

Dean's pace slowed again, her words catching him more deeply than he expected. He looked down at her, noticing the warmth in her expression, and for a moment the busy hangar seemed to fade into the background. "I think..." He gave a small, almost reluctant smile. "...I'm going to miss yours too."

There was no teasing in his voice this time. Just quiet honesty. He glanced toward the corridor ahead, then back at her. "It's strange, isn't it? Two days isn't a long time. In the grand scheme of things, it's barely anything."

His fingers shifted slightly against her arm, careful and reassuring. "But somewhere between the terrible piloting stories, chocolate diplomacy and Risan wine..." A soft chuckle escaped him.

"I got rather used to having you sitting beside me." He paused before adding, more quietly: "And I liked it."

Dean looked ahead again, walking at an unhurried pace. "But the good thing about the Dreadnought being as big as a mobile planet..." A playful smile returned.

"There's a reasonable chance I won't have to miss you for very long." He glanced down at her.

She giggled, unable to help herself, her hand covering his on her arm.

"Chances are you're right. I mean, I haven't even been here a minute and I already don't know where I am compared to where I need to be."

Dean glanced down at her hand resting over his, then back toward her with an amused smile. "That was remarkably fast." He gave a soft chuckle, shaking his head.

"I was expecting you'd at least make it five minutes before becoming geographically challenged." He looked around the vast hangar as though assessing the situation with professional seriousness. "Alright. Don't panic."

He gestured toward the corridors beyond the hangar. "Second rule: everything looks exactly the same until you've been here long enough to realise none of it does." His gaze returned to her.

"And third..." He gently turned his hand beneath hers so their palms met, his fingers settling loosely around hers. "If you're not sure where you're going, don't wander."

A small smile touched his lips. "Find someone who knows." He paused.

"In that case, Do you happen to know where I could find... oh... uhmmm... you know, I don't even know what quarters I've been assigned," she laughed softly, her fingers closing around his.

"I guess that would be a good place to start. Can I look it up somewhere?"

Dean laughed softly, giving her hand a gentle squeeze as they continued toward the corridor. "Well, that's certainly going to make finding your quarters a little difficult." He glanced down at her with an affectionate grin.

"Fortunately, you've got me." He guided her toward a nearby wall console, releasing her hand only long enough to tap the display awake. "Most of the ship's administrative information should be available through the crew terminal. Quarters assignments, department locations, duty schedules..."

He brought up the personnel interface and glanced toward her. "Let's find you." A few taps brought up her personnel record. Dean scanned the information before nodding.

"There we are." He pointed toward the display. "Deck seventeen. Section C. Quarters seventeen-C-214."

“Seventeen -C-214” she repeated softly, almost as an afterthought as she felt his hand return to hers.

“I guess we need to find a turbo lift first then. What deck are we on now?”

Dean glanced up toward the overhead signage, then down at her with a faintly amused smile. "Main shuttlebay." He gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

"So, yes. Turbolift first." He gestured toward the far side of the hangar, where a set of personnel access doors led toward the main corridor. "There's one just through there. From the lift, we'll take it down to seventeen."

He started walking beside her, keeping their hands comfortably linked. "And before you ask..." He glanced at her with a grin. "Yes, I'm going to make you repeat the route back to me once we arrive."

He held up his free hand, counting off the directions. "Shuttlebay. Personnel corridor. Turbolift. Deck seventeen. Section C. Then quarters two-one-four." He looked at her expectantly.

“Shuttlebay, Personnel corridor, turbo lift to deck seventeen, then find section c and quarters two one four.”

She drew in a deep breath, squeezing his hand gently.

“I mean, that sounds easy enough, right?”

Dean looked down at her as she recited the directions, a pleased smile spreading across his face. "Perfect."

He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "See? You're already getting the hang of it." He stepped through the access doors with her, the sounds of the shuttlebay gradually fading behind them as they entered the quieter personnel corridor.

They walked for a few moments in silence before Nikki glanced up at him, almost immediately fixing her attention back on the corridor in front of her.

“The rest of my belongings should have already arrived, they were coming by transport…” she murmured softly. “At least, I hope my stuff arrived, knowing my luck it’s probably somewhere in the Gamma Quadrant by now.”

Dean chuckled softly, glancing down at her before looking ahead again. "Well, if your belongings have somehow ended up in the Gamma Quadrant, I promise I'll personally file the recovery mission." He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "Although I'd probably start with Transport Operations before we launch a starship."

A faint grin crossed his face. "But I'm sure they're here. Starfleet manages to move entire crews and their personal effects across the quadrant with surprising efficiency."

He glanced toward her. "Usually." The qualifier came with a mischievous smile. "And if they aren't?"

He shrugged. "Then we'll find them."

“Well, thank you, I appreciate the reassurance…”. She looked up at him again as they walked.

“And I appreciate you helping me find my quarters, and not just abandoning me as soon as we landed. I don’t know what I would have done on my own.”

Dean slowed slightly at her words, turning his head to look down at her. The teasing smile he'd been wearing softened into something quieter. "You don't have to thank me for that."

His fingers tightened gently around hers. "Honestly, abandoning you in the shuttlebay after you've spent two days with me would have been a fairly terrible way to end the trip." A small smile returned.

"And I remember what I told you." He glanced ahead toward the corridor. "If you get lost, you call me."

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