Cosmic Confluence

Posted on Tue Jun 30th, 2026 @ 10:15pm by Captain Marie Batel & Patin

2,713 words; about a 14 minute read

Mission: Character Development
Location: Celestial Temple

Marie watched as Patin conducted another lesson, this one on hate and the consequence of it. It hurt to see her friend relive dark memories, to feel all the feelings again and try to justify them as trying to survive. If Patin was in Starfleet there would be a queue of counsellors at her cabin door to work through the multitude of trauma that a life under constant threat brings.

Her attention drifted though, back to the empty Mojito glass, little Patina, and a naked Remal chasing the toddler through a tropical villa.

"Hey... not to intrude or anything but the behaviour of the stars in the Mentam system and after the shenanigans those two just had - your clock may have just started ticking" She took the glass from Patin and examined it "And you stole their drink... rude"

Patin froze. Not dramatically. Not prophetically. Just enough for the joke she had been about to make to die somewhere behind her eyes. Her gaze shifted toward the timeline Marie had indicated. The tropical villa. The beach. Remal chasing a laughing toddler through the surf while Rhenora pretended she wasn't laughing at both of them. For a moment she simply stared.

Then she pointed at the stars burning brightly and the couple within the villa. “No. Absolutely not.” Patin jabbed a finger at it again. “You're telling me my eternal destiny hinges on those two managing to spend a few uninterrupted minutes together?”

The Temple offered no assistance whatsoever.

Patin narrowed her eyes at the stars. "Seriously? After everything?” She gestured broadly. “The Occupation. The Resistance. Multiple divine crisis'. Several explosions that should've killed me. A knife stab that finally did...” Her finger stabbed toward the timeline. “And in the end my destiny comes down to those two being left unsupervised? Hell, Nozz looks like she's absolutely glowing! Like literally.”

The stars shimmered.

Patin folded her arms. The irritation lingered for a moment. Then faded, because beneath it was something else. Something she hadn't wanted to examine. The timeline had continued without her. Life had continued without her. The universe had not paused while she made up her mind. Patin looked away first. “That's not really fair,” she muttered quietly.  She wasn't talking about the Prophets.

"What isn't? That you get to go back to being alive and get another crack at life? With a purpose this time? A purpose other than being angry at the universe that is" Marie quipped as she wrapped Patin in a hug that would absolutely make the war veteran cringe on so many levels.

"OR unfair that they're shagging and we're the ones up here scoring the affair?"

Patin's entire body went rigid inside the hug. Not because she disliked it. That would have been easier. For a moment she just stood there, caught between old instincts that wanted to escape and newer ones that remembered what it felt like to be cared about. Her hands hovered awkwardly at her sides before finally settling into a reluctant half-embrace.

“...Yes,” she grumbled into Marie's shoulder. “Both.” When she finally pulled back, she pointed accusingly at her.

“First of all, purpose is wildly overrated.” She folded her arms. “People keep acting like it's some magical thing. You find a purpose, then suddenly you've got responsibilities. Expectations. Meetings.” She shuddered dramatically. “Next thing you know you're mentoring omnipotent beings and discussing your own conception with temporal entities.”

The Temple offered no defense.

“And second,” Patin continued, “I'm not always angry. Just, most of the time.”

The stars shimmered with what looked suspiciously like doubt.

Patin scowled upward. “Oh, shut up.”

Then her gaze drifted back toward the timeline. Toward Rhenora. Toward Remal. Toward the impossible, ridiculous future apparently forming somewhere beneath a tropical sunset. “And yes,” she said, throwing both hands into the air. “It is absolutely unfair that my future depends on those two knockin' boots.”

The image continued playing with complete indifference. “Like, do I want them happy?” She pointed toward the villa. “Obviously. Do I want them together? Absolutely. They deserve that much.” She continued adding another point, “Do I want the future Emissary and whatever the hell I'm becoming to happen?” She hesitated. “...Probably.” The word sounded painful.

“But the fact that I now have a vested interest in their romantic activities feels deeply inappropriate.” Patin stared at the timeline for another second. “Like, am I rooting for them to get it on?” She grimaced. “Yes.”

Another grimace followed immediately. “But also absolutely not.”

The contradiction hung in the air for half a heartbeat. Then Patin laughed. Not the sarcastic bark she used when deflecting. Not the sharp laugh she used before saying something dangerous. A real one filled with warmth. Unrestrained, and alive.

The sound echoed through the Temple, and for a moment even the stars seemed brighter for it.

"Cause that makes so much sense" Marie snorted, standing and striding a few paces away before eyeballing Patin and understanding with a clarity she hadn't had before. She took a breath. "You're afraid"

It wasn't an accusation, more a statement of fact from someone who cared, designed to confront the situation. "What if? Responsibility? Duty? Or something a little more deep? Feeling something other than hate?"

The temple flexed and curved around the two, creating an intimate space.

"It's okay to feel, it's necessary to stop running first though. The two are kinda mutually exclusive." There was a smirk. "But you've got... what... bout 9 months to sort that out?"

“Five. Five to six if it's a difficult birth.” The words left her mouth. Then Patin closed her eyes. “...I hate that the fact that I somehow know that.”

The stars around them dimmed slightly. The mist thickened. Across the drifting timelines, dozens of futures flickered and vanished before they could fully form.

A guardian standing beside Rhenora. Gone.
A child laughing on a shoreline. Gone.
Patin walking away from both. Gone.
Each possibility appeared for only an instant before collapsing back into uncertainty.

The Temple was answering for her.

The Chaotic One fears loss.

Patin folded her arms.

The Chaotic One fears responsibility.

“Hey now... that's just bein' rude.”

The Chaotic One fears becoming necessary.

The Chaotic One fears no longer being necessary.

That one landed. Her humor disappeared. Patin looked away. For a long moment she said nothing. Then she exhaled through her nose. “Yeah.” The admission came quietly. “Maybe.” Her gaze drifted toward the fading timelines. “All my life I knew what I was.”

The mist listened.

“As a resistance fighter, a demolition expert, hell a pain in the ass problem...” One corner of her mouth twitched faintly. “If something needed blowing up, I was qualified.” The smile faded. “But being important?” Her voice lowered. “Being responsible for what comes next?”

Patin shook her head slowly. “That's different.” Her eyes settled on the distant image of Rhenora and the child. The tone in her voice reflected her inner turmoil. She was afraid of mattering to someone other than herself. 

"So face it head on." Marie urged, having the distinct feeling that Patin was about to become a flight risk. Then her brain caught up with some of th3 previous comments. "Wait...you said 5 months? Your people are only pregnant for 5 months? That's gotta be intense" she blew out a low whistle. "What else is different?"

Patin waved a dismissive hand through the air. "Yeah, yeah, confront my feelings, embrace personal growth, become a better person.” She rolled her eyes. “I'll put it on the list of things to-do.” Then her expression shifted abruptly. “Nozzie's was five months, minus a day or two.” Patin shrugged. “Pretty normal for Bajorans.”

She frowned thoughtfully. “Actually, now that I think about it, the sneezing was probably the worst part.” Her face twisted sympathetically. “Whole-body sneezing fits. Constantly, sometimes for no reason at all.”

The Temple remained silent.

“Food cravings too.” Patin ticked them off on her fingers. “Springwine pickles. Jhaste fruit. That spicy fish thing from Kendra Province she swore she hated before she got pregnant.” She paused, “Then there was the week she nearly started a diplomatic incident because somebody ate the last jar.” 

She looked back toward Marie. “Why?” Her brow furrowed. “How long do humans take to pop out a mini?”

Marie's jaw dropped at the many varied ways the universe worked. Something so simple as reproduction could vary so much.

"Uhh 9 months, mixed with complete exhaustion, and nausea. So much nausea, to the point you can end up in a medical facility cos you can't keep anything down. Cos you know - what aids the body growing a new one - projectile vomiting." She laughed at the absurdity of it once she'd said in, and could see the reflection of a smile cross Patin's face.

Patin's smile widened despite herself. “Wow.” She let out a low whistle. “That sounds rough.” She shook her head slowly, equal parts sympathy and horror.

“I guess we aren't all blessed with the same evolutionary genes.” Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “Five months, some sneezing, weird food cravings, and a tendency to threaten people over pickles suddenly sounds pretty reasonable.”

The grin returned. “Just another reason I'm glad I've never had to endure any of that.” She paused, then pointed toward Marie. “Projectile vomiting as a biological feature is an absolutely insane design choice.”

"Begs the question of why. Maybe we should ask this lot since they are all-knowing. Or does Earth and humanity fall under the realm of 'Someone else's problem?" Marie mused thoughtfully, rubbing her chin. The mist didn't react, clearly indicating the latter was more appropriate. "Shame, I coulda asked the really big questions"

“You know, for a species that spent most of its history worshipping gods who threw lightning bolts at each other, humans sure do have some strange ideas about suffering.” She tilted her head. “What were their names again? Zeus? Thor? Mars?” Patin waved a hand vaguely. “Half the stories Nozzie told me sounded less like religion and more like a police report.”

A grin tugged at her mouth. “Seriously, though, did you believe any of it?” she asked. “Like, when you were a kid staring up at the stars, did you think there was somebody up there pulling strings?” Her gaze drifted toward the Temple surrounding them. “Or did humans always assume the universe was just waiting to be explored?”

She paused. “Because from where I'm sitting, your gods sound a lot like the Prophets.” Patin glanced upward suspiciously. “Powerful. Mysterious. Terrible at communication. Deeply questionable decision-making.”

The stars dimmed slightly.

"There were numerous religious faiths over the years, most of them based on the same ethos with different figureheads." Marie mused as she sat again "from the Dreaming, to Zeus, Budha, and Islam, it's all based in myth and legend, some verbal, some written, passed from generation to generation, thousands of years old." She regarded Patin "it caused wars, horrible wars, millions died. Religion sucks. How do you compare that with your Prophets?"

Patin snorted.  “Oh, total agreement.” She took a drag off of her cigar and released it into the fog. “Bajoran religion was... simpler.” She held up a finger. “Sorta.” She pointed vaguely toward the Prophets. “This lot showed up about ten thousand years ago and dropped off nine glowing rocks.” She shrugged. “We've been collectively losing our minds over 'em ever since.”

The stars shimmered. Thirteen.

Patin sighed. “See? This is why nobody likes talking theology with omniscient beings.” She pointed upward. “Sure, thirteen if you count the ones that showed up later, the lost ones, the hidden ones, the ones somebody inevitably tripped over.” She waved the correction away. “Nine to start. Thirteen eventually. Happy?”

The Temple offered no opinion.

“Anyway...” She leaned back. “Those Orbs don't just glow. They showed you things. Past. Future. Time. Wisdom. Truth. Sometimes they answer the question you asked.” She glanced meaningfully at the Prophets. “Usually they answer a completely different one.” She counted them off on her fingers.

“One makes you relive your past. One throws you through time. One convinces you you're wiser than you actually are. One forces you to stare into your own soul until you either become a better person or need a stiff drink afterward. There's one for destiny, one for truth, one for unity, one that likes poking around souls...” She shrugged. “Basically, if there's an existential crisis to be had, there's probably an Orb for it.”

Her expression sobered a little. “Then there were the Pah-Wraiths.” She nodded toward the distant Fire Caves. “Same family basically. Different opinion.” One shoulder rose. “The Prophets wanted to shepherd us. The Wraiths wanted to rule us. So the Prophets threw 'em into a hole full of fire, and we've been cleaning up that family argument ever since.”

Patin looked back at Marie.  “So yeah... our religion wasn't really built on blind faith.” A crooked smile returned. “It was built on the fact that our gods kept leaving glowing cracker crumbs just lying around.”

Marie couldn't help but laugh at the irony - here they were, in the Celestial Temple of the Bajoran Prophets, debating and comparing religious faiths of both of their cultures.

"I can't argue with that - although these Orbs do sound interesting. I swear half of our Gods were invented by people who were stoned out of their minds and decided to write books. The millions who follow said books would of course argue otherwise - but alas, everyone is free to follow their own path. Unless it conflicts with someone else's path, it's usually on for young and old. Hence, you can see why I don't particularly like it" she continued, a slightly pained expression came over her face. "Chris was raised in a Catholic family - he said he was an altar boy in one of the congregations. I only ever heard him pray once - after the Gorn, and he thought I was going to die." She looked away to hide the tears that threatened to fall.

Patin caught it immediately. She had never been particularly good with tears. Blood, burns, missing limbs, existential crises... those she understood. Tears always made her feel like she'd walked into the wrong room. "So..." she said carefully, pretending she hadn't noticed Marie looking away. "We could always take you to see an Orb someday." The words escaped before she'd really thought them through.

She frowned. "...Actually..." Her eyes drifted toward the Prophets surrounding them. "...that's probably the least impressive sales pitch I've ever made." She gestured vaguely around the Temple. "I was about to tell you we could introduce you to the ways of the Prophets through the Orbs, but then I remembered..." She pointed at the stars overhead. "...we're literally sitting in their living room."

The Temple shimmered with quiet amusement.

Patin sighed dramatically. "Right. Forget I said that." She scratched absently behind one ear. "Still..." Her expression softened almost imperceptibly. "The Orbs are kinda different."

"They don't lecture." She shot the Prophets a sidelong glance. "Usually.  They don't tell you what to believe either. They just..." She searched for the right word. "...show you things. Sometimes it's what you need. Sometimes it's what you deserve." One shoulder lifted. "Sometimes it's just weird enough that you spend the next week or so questioning every decision you've ever made."

A faint grin returned. "Point is..." She looked back toward Marie. "And don't get me wrong, I'm not a fan myself, but... if Chris found peace in prayer..." She shrugged. "Maybe that's all any religion's really good for." She glanced back toward the Prophets.  "...Some are just considerably worse at customer service than others."

The Temple flexed and shifted, as though agreeing and yet not so at the same time at the words. The conversation gave way to a gentle stillness they didn't know they needed. They had gone on a deep dive through both their psyche's , and a little soothing was in order. Marie valued the companionship greatly, Patin's wisdom, banter, and irony were in stark contrast to her own, yet she appreciated every word the other woman said.

Somewhere deep in the cosmos - a clock started ticking, and someone sneezed.

TBC

 

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