Earth Pt1
Posted on Tue Apr 7th, 2026 @ 2:47am by Captain Rhenora Kaylen & Commander Savar cha'Salik hei-Surak Talek-sen-deen & Commander Dean House & Lieutenant Commander Aurora Vali & Lieutenant JG Jacob Rosen & Lieutenant JG Rowan Hale & Commodore S'thenosis Gorgox
1,800 words; about a 9 minute read
Mission:
Beholder
Location: Earth
"Sunfire, you are cleared for a synchronous orbit" the efficient voice of the planetary starship movements officer announced crisply before closing the channel, leaving the screen with a splendid view of the blue, green and white planet gently turning below them.
"Plotting orbital approach. We've been cleared to dock at the Starbase, locking in controls for unattended approach." Jenna declared firmly. "All stations report station keeping once docking sequence is complete."
"Alright everyone, you have shore leave for the next 48 hours as per the schedule posted" Captain Kaylen Rhenora said simply, rising from the center chair as the Sunfire slid effortlessly into orbit. She had a meeting with Command, and the memorial for Captain Batel would be the following day.
"Station umbilical connecting, shore power transfer in 3...2...1." Jacob said from the Ops station as a momentary flicker passed as the Sunfire began to draw power from the Starbase and not her own reactor.
The bridge began to empty. Stations were secured and a skeleton watch crew would man essential systems for the duration.
Aurora was glad for the shoreleave time, it would give her the chance to fully recover from her Laryngitis before getting back to a full day’s shift again.
Savar gave a quick glance at Aurora. She had been released from Sickbay by Sarah with orders not to overdo using her voice. He intended to make sure she didn't.
Rhenora headed to the morgue, where the deceased crewman and Captain Batel were currently being held before they were to be transferred to Starfleet medical. The Sunfire's medical were present making rhe appropriate preparations and that all the paperwork was in order.
The hum of the morgue’s stasis fields was a different frequency than the rest of the ship - flatter, more final. Rowan stood at the primary console, his gaze fixed on the PADD in his hand rather than the two containment units.
"Biometrics are synced for the transport," Rowan said, his voice level and devoid of the shore leave excitement currently buzzing through the rest of the Sunfire. "The neural scans for the deceased crewman are attached to the primary file. Ensure the physical transition to the Starfleet Medical team is handled with a Level 4 security handshake. No data gaps."
He didn't look up as the Captain entered. He didn't need to; he could feel the shift in the room's pressure.
"Captain," he said, finally turning. His expression was a mask of professional restraint. He gestured to the units. "Everything is in order. The transfer protocols are strictly according to the 'Final Directive' protocols." It was a clinical way of saying he had followed Marie’s wishes to the letter. He knew the whispers among the medical staff hadn't stopped - that some still saw this morgue as a testament to his failure to intervene. But as he looked at Rhenora, he didn't offer a defense or a platitude.
"The planetary starship movements officer has cleared us for orbit," Rowan added, his thumb hovering over the Sign-Off icon on his PADD. "The memorial is scheduled for 0900 tomorrow." He waited, the PADD a cold weight in his hand. He was the Chief Medical Officer, the man who managed the End, but in the quiet of the morgue, he looked less like a doctor and more like a man standing guard over a decision he was still forced to live with.
Rhenora drew a breath, pausing for a moment to acknowledge the words spoken. "Thank you Doctor, I appreciate your attention to detail, I'm sure Captain Batel would have as well" She was careful not to touch either of the covered bodies by accident. She read the weight in the room and it matched her somber mood.
"I wanted to thank you, for honoring Marie's wishes. It must have been hard for you, professionally and personally" she placed a hand on his arm, leaving out the fact that she had been put on report for the outcome of the entire mission.
Rowan’s gaze dropped to her hand on his arm. In the sterile light of the morgue, the contact felt abrasive - a sudden, warm intrusion into a space he had spent the last hour making intentionally cold. He didn't pull away, but his muscles stayed locked in that practiced, upright posture. The professional restraint in his expression faltered for only a fraction of a second.
"Personal difficulty is a secondary variable, Captain," he replied. His voice was lower now, losing its clinical edge but gaining a weary rasp. "The oath is to the patient. Not the legacy, and certainly not the comfort of the staff."
He didn't elaborate further. He was relatively new to the Sunfire and it was his first time in the Department Head role, he didn't need the Captain questioning whether he was up to the task of running the department. He turned back to the containment unit holding Marie. Rhenora's comment about Batel’s appreciation hit a nerve he had tried to deaden days ago. He had been the one to ensure the "Final Directive" wasn't just a piece of paper, but a reality.
"I appreciate the sentiment," he added, finally meeting Rhenora’s eyes. There was a flicker of something in his stare - not quite gratitude, but a grim, silent acknowledgment of the weight she was trying to share. "But I suspect honoring wishes is a luxury Starfleet rarely values as highly as a living officer." He let out a short, controlled exhale and gently stepped back, the contact breaking as he returned his attention to the PADD. "If there’s nothing else, I’ll finalize the transport encryption."
She wanted to say something, to commend his courage, to share his grief, but the silent request for space was clearly evident.
"I'd like to beam down with her, I made a promise to not leave her alone. I also don't want section 31 making any moves to study her" Rhenora said grimly, her eyes on the stasis unit.
Rowan’s thumb finally pressed the icon, the PADD emitting a low, final chime as the new encryption keys seated. He didn't look at the Captain as he spoke, but his movements lost their clinical edge, replaced by a cold, protective stillness.
"If Section 31 wants a look, they’ll have to bypass a rotating bio-signature lock I've just added," Rowan said, his voice flat but resolute. "I’ve flagged the remains as an Active Pathogenic Risk. It’s a fabrication, but it’s a protocol level hard stop. Any unauthorized attempt to breach that stasis field will trigger an automated quarantine of the entire transport bay."
He finally set the PADD down on the cold surface of the primary console and turned to face her fully. He looked tired - the kind of exhaustion that sleep wouldn't touch.
"A Final Directive is a legal end, Captain, but a promise is a permanent one," he added quietly. "If you intend to stay with her, I’ll authorize an escort pass for you. It’ll keep security from asking questions they don't need the answers to." He paused, his gaze drifting for a second to the unit holding Marie Batel before returning to Rhenora. "I’ll be in my office finishing the logs. If the handoff team tries to bypass the bio-hazard protocols... call me. I’m quite practiced at being the most difficult person in the room when it comes to regulations."
There was a ghost of a smile that flittered across the Captain's expression and left just as quickly. Rowan was showing his metal as a damned good officer who stuck to his guns and wasn't afraid to holding a moral line. It was evident though that there was a toll that had been exacted over the last few days.
"Thank you Rowan, I appreciate everything you've done, I'm sure Marie would as well." She noted the escort pass appear on the padd she was carrying. "Do you plan on taking shore leave?" She asked, deliberately shifting the tone of the room.
"I’ll be staying aboard, Captain. Someone needs to keep an eye on the sensors and ensure the pathogenic risk remains... theoretical. Besides," he added, his voice catching a slightly dryer note, "I’ve realised my office is a bit too much like a cargo container. I might spend the quiet hours making it look like a human being actually works there. Perhaps I'll even find a chair that doesn't feel like a disciplinary measure."
She smiled, a true smile that she kept for when she saw people genuinely trying to better themselves.
"I'm sure your back, and your staff will appreciate it" she finished.
The escort pass provided unencumbered access through Starfleet medicals' morgue, green lighting the path from the transporter room to the storage units where the stasis unit would remain until the memorial tomorrow. Rhenora had organised for a security crewman to remain with Batel whilst she attended a meeting with Command and would also cover the night shift. Laying a hand on the unit she trusted all would be well.
The meeting with Command went as expected. They blamed her for the new diplomatic and religious chaos on Skygowan. Fair call - but she would make the same decision again to honour the last wishes of a Starfleet officer. The repercussions would be long lasting, another official reprimand on her file, a court martial.date for sometime in the future, S'thenosis actively watching over her shoulder. They expected her to yell, to carry on like the renegade they painted her as, but she said nothing. Nodding curtly when dismissed and leaving the large office and the board of Admirals as though nothing had affected her. It was of course a master of disguise, but she would allow the emotion to come later.
Commodore S’thenosis Gorgox observed the proceedings without interruption, her presence positioned at the margin of the chamber where perspective remained unobstructed by participation. The Admiralty’s posture carried the familiar rigidity of retrospective certainty, their conclusions shaped less by uncertainty than by the need to assign it, while Captain Kaylen stood within that scrutiny with a composure that suggested not absence of reaction, but deliberate containment.
S’thenosis noted the restraint with particular interest; the absence of protest denied the room its anticipated confirmation, leaving accusation to stand without reinforcement. It was not defiance, nor submission, but a controlled refusal to engage on imprecise terms. The Admiralty would record the outcome as disciplinary necessity, the Captain would carry it as consequence, and between those positions S’thenosis identified the narrowing space in which future decisions would be judged, not by their intent, nor solely by their result, but by how effectively they could withstand interpretation under pressure.
TBC
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