And All the Stars Burned Bright

Written by User:Rose And Heather for the 2011 Sci-Fi/Fantasy Big Bang challenge, And All The Stars Burned Bright is a Star Trek Fusion Fic set during the Dominion War. The action centers around the adventures of the USS Providence, a Nebula-class starship, captained by Captain Thomas Lynley, with Commander Barbara Havers as his first officer.

In 2371, Commander Barbara Havers is assigned as First Officer to the USS Providence under the command of Captain Thomas Lynley. She is from London's still-poor East End, with a chip on her shoulder, a hair-trigger temper and a sarcastic streak to match. He was schooled at Eton and Oxford and born to one of Starfleet's most legendary families, and his sense of well-meaning superiority is long-standing and unshakable.

The assignment should have been a disaster.

But against the backdrop of the rising Dominion threat, the disappearance of one of Starfleet's own, and the bloodiest war the Federation had ever faced, the Captain and the Commander will discover a bond more powerful than they had ever expected - a bond that blossoms into the love of a lifetime. As they fight for the very survival of the Alpha Quadrant, that bond will be tested to its limit. In the heat of battle, at the edge of survival, they will forge a romance that crosses all boundaries of class, family background, and first impressions - and learn that, while some partnerships are written in the stars, in the end, the only force more powerful than destiny is love.

Tropes used in And All the Stars Burned Bright include:

• Alternate Universe Fic
• Anguished Declaration of Love: Barbara.
• Anger Born of Worry
• Anything That Moves: Stephen Woodrow.
• Battle Couple: Several, given that this is Starfleet, including the protagonists.
• Beta Couple: Shannon/Carly.
• Big Damn Kiss: See also Now or Never Kiss.
• Cool Starship: The Providence.
• Command Roster: The Providence senior staff.
  • The Captain: Captain Thomas Lynley
  • Number Two: Commander Barbara Havers
  • Wrench Wench: Lt. Carly Doherty
  • The Security Officer: Lt. Cmdr. Shannon Reed
  • Communications Officer: Lt. Cmdr. Winston Nkata
  • The Scientist: Lt. Cmdr. T'Maya
  • Ace Pilot: Lt. Stephen Woodrow
  • The Heart: Dr. Jackie Kelley (also The Shrink)
  • The Medic: Dr. Stuart Lafferty
  • Reasonable Authority Figure: Admiral Jeri Taylor
• Cry Into Chest: Barbara cries into Woodrow's chest after the What the Hell, Hero? speech he and Lafferty give her. She also weeps into Lynley's more than once.
• Dashed Plotline: There are several time skips.
• Dead Little Brother: Barbara, just like in Lynley canon.
• Deadpan Snarker: Barbara.
• Dumb Blonde: Utterly averted by Shannon.
• Distant Finale: The epilogue takes place fifteen years after the end of the story proper.
• Elsewhere Fic: The Providence participates in battles that were only mentioned in Trek canon, but canon characters from all three next-gen series make an appearance, most notably Kira Nerys of DS 9, and Alynna Nechayev, Katherine Pulaski, and Beverly Crusher of TNG. Kathryn Janeway of Voyager is mentioned but doesn't appear herself.
• Expy: Sarah Jane Smith makes an appearance as the captain of the USS Cochrane.
• Fiery Redhead: Barbara.
• Foregone Conclusion: It's a romance novel. They're going to get together.
• Four-Temperament Ensemble: The girls of the Providence senior staff.
  • Shannon Reed (Sanguine)
  • Barbara Havers (Choleric)
  • Carly Doherty (Melancholic)
  • Jackie Kelley (Phlegmatic)
• Fusion Fic: Takes the characters of The Inspector Lynley Mysteries and integrates them into the Star Trek universe.
• "Glad to Be Alive" Sex: Barbara and Lynley.
• Hair-Trigger Temper: Barbara.
• Hypothetical Casting: Done by the author, including Amanda Tapping (Shannon Reed), Alex Kingston (Carly Doherty), John Barrowman (Stephen Woodrow), Claudia Black (T'Maya), Cherry Jones (Admiral Jeri Taylor), and Torri Higginson (Jackie Kelley).
• Instant Sedation
• Mythology Gag: Dr. Jackie Kelley's name is a reference to the original Dr. McCoy, Jackson DeForest Kelley.
• Like Brother and Sister: Thomas Lynley and Kathryn Janeway.
• Love At First Sight: Shannon and Carly, in their backstory. Lynley and Barbara zig-zag it; what they feel the minute they lay eyes on each other is not love at first sight, but the potential for love, plus the Red String of Fate. Barbara's reaction is approximately, "Oh dear God, anyone but him." They make a point to reassure each other later on that, yes, they'd still love each other if Destiny had kept its meddling nose out of the whole business.
• Love Epiphany: Lynley and Barbara, at different times.
• Love Makes You Crazy: Lynley is presumed dead on a mission. Barbara doesn't take it well. She gets better.
• Now or Never Kiss: Barbara and Lynley.
• Number Two: Barbara.
• Omnidisciplinary Scientist: T'Maya, of course. She is, after all, Vulcan.
• Purple Prose: This is a romance novel. It reads like one.
• Red String of Fate: Lampshaded by Barbara, who points out that while Destiny can bring them together time after time, it can't make them fall in love with each other - that one has to be all them.
• Relationship Upgrade: Barbara and Lynley.
• Reunion Kiss: It's suitably tear-filled and sappy.
• Romantic Hyperbole: Averted. When Barbara says she's willing to tear the universe apart to save Thomas Lynley, she is not kidding.
• Security Cling: Lynley and Barbara.
• She Cleans Up Nicely: There's a Starfleet event. Barbara wears Highland dress. This trope ensues.
• They Do
• Unequal Pairing: Rank-wise, as Lynley is a captain and Barbara his first officer.
• Wartime Wedding
• What the Hell, Hero?: Characters pull this on each other from time to time. Probably the most notable is Woodrow and Lafferty's to Barbara when love makes her temporarily insane.
• Word of God: Available here.