Family time

Posted on Fri Feb 20th, 2026 @ 10:53pm by Captain Rhenora Kaylen & Remal Kajun & Patin

2,450 words; about a 12 minute read

Mission: Beholder
Location: Captain's Quarters
Timeline: The evening before

Captain Kaylen Rhenora paused outside the doors of their quarters, thumb poised on the access panel, taking a moment to put the physical and mental load of the day behind her before entering their private sanctuary. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes and consciously exhaled, trying to expel the captain and burden on her shoulders. She could hear Patin squealing about something inside, clearly delighted by something Remal was doing. It brought a smile to her face and she pressed the panel, the doors sliding open before her.

Stepping inside she took in the scene of domestic bliss, her husband and daughter playing some game and both laughing, the smell of dinner wafting from the kitchen and the table set for 3.

"Sorry I'm late" she apologised, moving over and reaching her arms out and stealing a cuddle from Patina.

Remal was laid out across the living area floor, now looking up at Rhen and Patina. "You know you never have to apologize. We know what the job requires of you." He rolled onto his but and sat upright. "We're just glad to see you come home at the end of the day." He held his long term worries for a later time.

"Settle in," He nodded at the couch. "Dinner will be ready shortly."

Rhenora breathed a sign of relief, pushing the ever present guilt that seemed to haunt her aside and moving over to the kitchen, Patina on her hip and pouring Remal and herself a glass of spring wine. It was an interesting dynamic, the shift from captain to mother and wife, switching off the tactical portion of her mind and just letting things happen.

"It smells delightful? What wonderful concoction have you made for us this time?" She asked, her nose wrinkling in delight of the smells wafting from beyond.

He got up off the floor with only a mild grunt and walked around Rhen and Patina into the kitchenette area. "It's a recipe Leo, in Engineering, told me about. It's an Irish stew but with a Bajoran twist. They, like us, enjoy a good root vegetable stew. Patina even helped a bit. Didn't you dear?" He made a face and cooed at Patina making her giggle.

"Sounds interesting" She noted the small mixing bowl and spoon still sitting on the bench, evidence of Patina's involvement. She was growing bigger and stronger every day and wanting to get involved in everything. Such a curious mind.

Flopping on the couch with her glass of wine she was content, removed from what was happening outside of the doors. She would enjoy a meal with her family, read Patina a bedtime story, then maybe have time to mediate - something she had not felt drawn to in past months, yet now felt the need to reconnect with. She closed her eyes for a moment and relaxed, content to just be.

He could hear the sound of exhaustion in her voice, but knew better than to ask. He knew his wife would seek his counsel when she was ready. Until that time, he would be there for her, as her rock, as he always would. Remal served a couple of bowls and handed her a large piece of Mapa-bread. "Eat, I'll feed lil'Agi." He offered her a bowl and relieved Patina from her lap, before sitting across from her.

"Did you bake this yourself?" The words were mumbled around a mouthful of the most divine bread she had ever tasted. It was warm, crusty around the edge and soft in the centre, filled with a delicate flavour that complimented the stew. She watched their little family - almost feeling as though she were an outsider looking in. She mentally debated filing Remal in on the nuances of her day, and decided against it for the moment, content to watch their daughter eat/play/smoosh her dinner. She laughed as a piece of bread somehow ended up in Remal's collar and enjoyed the simplicity of it. The Vezda could wait for her attention for a few hours.

After dinner she cleaned the kitchen, wanting to contribute more to their family. With the dishes cleaned and stacked, Patina showered, she mused through the childrens books and looked for one that grabbed her attention.

"Go'M'agh and the Targ?" She raised an eyebrow.

He chuckled, "Don't look at me, it was a gift if I recall correctly. Besides, for a Klingon book, it's actually adorable and," He whispered. "I think she likes it." They had a small library of books. Rikki Tikki Tavi was also one she seemed to like. He glanced over at Patina who was holding out her hands in a 'ooh gimme gimme' sort of way. "Just skip the part where he pulls out the heart and well... yeah."

"Of course there's disembowelment in Klingon children's books" Rhenora rolled her eyes and opened the book as Remal settled Patina into her bed.

"In the age of Pah 'Magh, and the house of Go'Cha there was a little boy with a pet Targ...." She started, watching Patina cuddle up to her stuffed toy and listen. "And one day they went hunting for the glory of the Empire..."

"Go'M'agh was following the trail of a SkunkRat, and knew hunting would be glorious this day. The trail was clear, and the animal wasn't very far ahead. His Targ pulled on his collar, eager to follow the scent and kill for the glory of his house and the Empire. Go'M'agh unsheathed his blade and prepared himself, unleashing his Targ and waiting patiently...." Rhenora paused and looked over at Remal with scepticism on her face. "Did you vet this?" She whispered as Patina's eyelids began to close.

A broad smile, Remal could only shrug his shoulders as he listened to her tell the story. He had read it and found it violent, but knew how to skip over the really intense parts. In truth, it was the lesson in honor he liked. Patina was young, still too young to understand fully the imagery behind the story. He thought she liked the Targ a bit, but mostly it was his voice work that kept her captivated.

He always tried to sound more like a Klingon, or rather his version of a Klingon, when he read. Tonight, however, he was enjoying Rhen's version of the tale. Her voice, soothing, and welcome after a long day.

"And the targ returned back to Go'M'agh, his jaws dripping in the glorious blood of its prey. They had served their house and the Empire well and did not die this day." Rhenora closed the book with a laugh, thankful Patina was asleep.

"Well I wasn't expecting that" she levered herself to her feet, accepting the offered hand of her husband and they retired to the living room, wine in hand. The room fell quiet, contemplative. The small meditation monument sat quietly along one wall, her eyes drawn to it. Why though? Why this moment? The Prophet's had left her blessedly alone for the past few months, yet she felt this about to change again.

He hadn't really seen her gaze as he went about preparing himself for bed, until that is, he walked around the corner and caught her staring and standing still. "Do you need some time alone?" He asked earnestly.

"I feel the Prophets have something to say... care to join me?" It was an open offer, one that could be accepted or declined without consequence. She felt a little apprehensive, nothing good ever came from her visions.

While his perspective on the Prophets had diminished, he could tell she desired his company. Something in her voice, perhaps, even her posture. He nodded, "I would love to join you. Maybe you'll get to see Patin again. You never know, right?" He took her hand and assumed a position on the floor in front of their meditation cabinet, which held such trinkets as their vow bands. He would be shocked if he got to talk to the Prophets as they normally chose Rhen for such things.

Rhenora settled next to him, cross-legged on the floor and palms resting comfortably in her lap. She allowed her eyes to move across their family alter, before taking Remal's hand and allowing her eyes to close. She cleared her mind, releasing the day's tensions and breathing out any residual energy.

Darkness turned to light.
Clarity turned to mist
The background echoes on the ship diminished into a shrouded nothing that said everything all at once.

She looked around, searching in the emptiness for Remal, finding him still by her side.

"You called - I am here," She said simply to the void, summoning the Prophets.

The mist swirled, movement indicating presence.

The Rhenora has come

The Rhenora had heeded our call

Rhenora wrinkled her nose, the cool air tickling it slightly. "You have a history of not leaving me alone until I do," she retorted, squeezing Remal's hand. She looked for Patin through the mist.

The VezdaPagh must not be allowed freedom, the pillars of white continued from everywhere and nowhere.

"Straight to the point for once," Rhen scoffed and turned in a slow, deliberate circle. She longed for her old friend, a face at least to communicate with rather than speaking into a veiled mist. "We have a strategy, we're working towards it."

"You like that?" A voice that sounded both distant and right next to Rhen in the same breath emerged from the void. "I think they've actually, truly been learning a thing or two." Like stepping out from the laundry hanging on the line, sheets of clouds flowing in the breeze, Patin stepped forward, cigar in mouth and smiled. "Hiya Nozz."

Remal stood close, eyes still closed, hand grasping Rhenora's for support. He was not really there, only in spiritual support. Once again, he was no longer privileged to join her in the Celestial Temple. This journey was her own.

"Patin" the hug felt real, as real as it could be in this place removed from space and time. They lingered for a few moments "It's so good to see you. Are you keeping them on their toes?"

"You know it. You know, if they had toes." She flicked non-existent cigar ash into the void. Patin could see Rhenora holding Remal's hand. "How are things? Meatsack? The little one?" Her posture softened, at least for Patin it seemed softer, as though a lifetime of burdens had been lifted.

"Patina is well," Rhen replied, stepping back to regard the non-corporeal form of her friend. She paused for a moment, a question burning in the back of her mind. "Why summon me here? Why is this different to the other times?"

She hummed for a moment, "They don't tell me everything, but they seem really concerned that these Vezda things you're dealing with, at least I think that's the current timeline right? Anyway, yeah, apparently they are really bad news, even for them." She pointed upwards, then all around.

The VezdaPagh must not be allowed freedom. They repeated in unison.

Patin turned and scolded them as though she were a frustrated mother. "Give her details. Explain why for temples' sake." She turned back to Nozzie. "See what I'm working with here? Still a work in progress."

" I can see that" Rhenora laughed at the absurdity of the situation. Temporal beings wanting corporeal beings to restrain other non-corporeal beings from the current timeline. In what universe was that normal? " Why are these Vezda a threat to you? Or are you responsible in some way for them?"

The VezdaPagh are of us. Cast beyond us, once us, no more us, a part of us no more. What you call emotion. Negative. Destructive. Uncontained. We nudged so that the Beholder could be.

"Well, that sounds suspicious as Hell." Patin chortled.

"So, someone didn't want to play your ball game and you kicked them out, but now you want me to clean up your mess before they wreak havoc on the rest of the universe? Nice..." The sarcasm was strong and the ire was high. "Did you 'design' Captain Batel's life so she could be your prison master? Or was that just some cruel twist of fate?"

Fate? We have not yet been taught the nature of this term.

"I'll make a note of that." Patin frowned through her posture, hand on hip. "I think they mean the Vezda were a form of their negative emotions they cast out. Would explain why they are pure evil." She shrugged. "Is it bad I'm starting to understand them?"

The Beholder was and is, always. They stand as Guardian across dimension, time and space. What is must always be. The VezdaPagh must not be allowed freedom. They repeated.

Patin started to interpret, "Sounds like this Batel person is supposed to remain in place like a bottle cap on their bag of emotions." She shook her head and lambasted the Beings. "Just a reminder, this is what I mean when I talk about you 'pulling strings' and then proclaiming non-interference."

"Batel is human again and in our sickbay, there's no way in the Fire Caves I will allow her to become a statue again. It's inhumane" Rhenora fired up at the injustice. "These Vezda will stay contained, we will make sure of it, we will clean up your mess...."

Patin studied Rhenora with a knowing eye. "I've seen that look before. You are confident in this path aren't ya Nozz?"

The Beholder was and is, always... The Prophets began again before Patin interrupted them. "Oh shut it for a moment. You know as well as I do 'The Rhenora' will find a way. She headed your call. She has listened to your warning. She has a plan." Patin declared before talking out of the side of her mouth in a hushed tone, "You do have a plan right?"

" We have a plan, we just gotta keep them in the box long enough to enact said plan. That'll be the questionable part. We have reason to believe that they may be... aligning to escape" Rhenora chose her words carefully. " We have contingency plans, but they would not be without sacrifice"

"Sacrifice, huh? Sounds like a good time." Patin commented, her voice sounding almost nostalgic about missing out on all the fun. "Need any help from the God of Chaos and Boom?"

Before Rhenora could respond the Prophets circled her almost persistently menacing. The Rhenora must live. The Beholder must contain the VezdaPagh. A sacrifice must be made. It is as it always was.

TBC

 

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