Leonard McCoy smiled across the dining room table at Ashley Janith-Lau. He’d invited her over for a private dinner to celebrate her exoneration, and to introduce her to some Southern cooking, insofar as he could manage between his limited culinary skills and her strict vegetarianism. The meal was mediocre, but the company was exquisite.

“You must be relieved,” he said. “I know how it feels to be accused of a crime you didn’t commit. Once on Dramia— Well, never mind.” It was not the best example, since he had feared he might actually have been guilty of gross malpractice and homicidal negligence until Spock had proven him innocent. He didn’t want to make the conversation about his own past anxieties; he was here to support Ashley. “Let’s just say that spending time with Jim and Spock tends to get a fellow thrown in an inordinate number of prison cells. I guess some of that rubbed off on you too.”

She chuckled. “Give me some credit, Len. I’ve led protests on a dozen planets in my time. I’ve probably been jailed more often than you have. It’s a good sign that you’re making the right people uncomfortable.”

“Most of those were Federation worlds, weren’t they?”

“The Federation isn’t perfect. We’re better than most, but we only got that way because of past generations of protestors who pushed for a better world. And we do backslide now and then—our leaders get complacent and lazy and need a kick in the pants to remind them what we stand for.”

McCoy nodded. “Good point. There have certainly been times when I needed to remind Jim what he stood for when he got blinded by duty or pride or whatever. Everyone needs a kick in the pants from their friends sometimes.”

She grinned wider. “Did Jim ever throw you in the brig for arguing with him?”

“No, but I’m sure he was tempted.” They both laughed.

Janith-Lau tilted her head thoughtfully. “Of course, it’s different on a starship. There, the captain has supreme authority. Here, the people do—at least when they remember that they do. It’s easy for people to lower their guard and trust their leaders to take care of the decisions for them. But leaders make mistakes, and people need to be aware of them. Seeing protestors get arrested when we stand up for what should be basic Federation values… it’s an effective way to get the public to notice when the authorities lose their way.”

“Well, that’s another thing to be grateful for. You’ve pretty much been proven right about the Warborn. Their own patron…” He shook his head.

His dinner companion looked anything but satisfied. “I never wanted Rakatheema’s agenda to end this way. I wanted us to find a reasonable solution together.”

“Of course—I didn’t mean to suggest otherwise.”