This is, basically, a Trip/Katie fic. I think I wrote it for Mariko Azrael, one of the few people who like that pairing.
I think, as a geek, I 'get' Trip better than I do Katie, or most of the team for that matter. It's hard for me to write Katie unless I get in touch with my maternal mother hen side that seems to operate only on adults. This fic, to me, works because I was chaneling Katie better than usual (the Mother Hen instincts helped).
The Xybrian society bit is mostly from "Over The Borderline", among other fics. I see Xybrian society being fairly strict, including arranged marriages, and therefore Trip not going for an arranged marriage, as well as even thinking of liking Katie, is a long leap for him.
( Being Understood )