AAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!

"I'm sorry.  Does anyone think they could (hic) point me to the nearest (hic) replicator?"

Someone suddenly yelled right behind her, "Booga booga!!"

She jumped and whirled, on the verge of a heart attack.

"Sorry."  A blond woman flashed an apologetic smile, blue eyes twinkling with a hint of mischief.  She giggled, despite the look Kelly was giving her.  "That usually stops hiccups.  Would you like a glass of water?  The nearest replicator's in the captain's ready room."  She pointed at a red door across the bridge, to the port side, past ops, where Tarana worked alongside a Cardassian.  "Except," she added in after-thought, "the captain's in there... and I'm not sure if he wants to be disturbed.  There's one in the briefing room, but..."    She glanced at Kelly's feet.  Maybe it was a custom where she came from – a cultural aversion to footwear.  "...You probably don't want to go in there like that."  There was something left unsaid, but she didn't have time to say it.

"Yeoman," said a Vulcan from the tactical station nearby.  He had blond hair too – unusual for a Vulcan – paler than hers.  "I need the current analysis report."

The perky blond tossed off a mock salute and sprinted around the bridge, out the starboard access corridor.  The Vulcan eyed the barefoot woman.  "You'll have to forgive Yeoman Moon.  She suffers an excess of... personality.  You're the new chief counselor – Lieutenant Nacin.  Correct?"  He had a soft voice, almost warm, unlike most Vulcans.  "You can report to the first officer, Lieutenant Commander Haskins."  He motioned to a young man on the other side of the handrail separating 'command row' – three chairs facing the main viewscreen.

Over at ops, Midak straightened and announced, "We have re-established communications."  With Cardassian forthrightness, he didn't wait, as he tapped his com-badge.  "Bridge to engineering."