Julian hadn't been in an arboretum like this in quite a long time--since he'd been back on Earth, really. Deep Space 9 didn't have anything like this--it had been built solely for one task, refining mined ore. That might not be its purpose now, and thank God for that, but it didn't leave much space for a room full of trees perfect for reading under and air perfumed by flowers.

Julian was taking an afternoon to reread one of his favorite novels, not that he didn't recall what happened, but even he could get something new from a fresh reading.

He glances up into the branches of the tree when he notes movement in his peripheral vision, a small, blue-green scaled creature, making happy sounds of discovery and wonder.

"Hello, there."