A low level of chattering filled the room, it wasn’t loud nor was it close to being silent.

Stepping through the threshold into the main area assigned to the Office of the Chief of Staff for the Fourth Fleet, Captain McCallister looked around at the sight before him. Following in his footsteps was his first officer, Commander Duncan. The two men had never visited this area of Starbase Bravo before. In fact, McCallister had never visited the station before. The headquarters for the Fourth Fleet was impressive, almost similar in every single way like its counterpart (Starbase 38) in the Barzan system; the huge Guardian-class station housed a majority of the departments that led Starfleet’s premier fleet. Being at the forefront of Starfleet’s efforts to return to its original mandate, McCallister could understand why the Fourth Fleet got the best of the best. Starbase 4 was state of the art and one of the most advanced installations in the Federation.

The area that the Odyssey’s captain and first officer found themselves was typical in Starfleet decor. A huge rectangular area was before them. Within it the main area was sunk in the middle which had a number of desks dotted around. Each of them were manned by a number of low level yeomans and other administrative types. To the left hand side of the room, was a row of floor to ceiling windows that showed a majestic sight of Mellstoxx III. On the opposite side of the room were various wall monitors indicating various reports coming in from across the fleet.

No-one took much notice of their arrival until a tall Bajoran woman with dark auburn hair approached them. Wearing the rank of lieutenant commander, she smiled pleasantly at both of them. “Gentlemen, welcome to Starbase Four, I’m Lieutenant Commander Marjaret Careign, senior aide to Rear Admiral Bennet. Please follow me.” She gestured for them to follow her towards the other side of the room. At the other end of the room was a set of doors that parted from one another which took them into a much smaller office area. In it was another desk and more stunning views of the Betazoid colony below them. Two small armchairs were in one corner and on the right hand side was another door. The door, like the others in this section of the starbase, was dark maroon with a transparent aluminium patterned window in it. On it read the sign of: REAR ADMIRAL Z. MARSHALL-BENNET.

“Gentlemen, please be seated while I let the admiral know you are here.” Marjaret said in a pleasant tone.

Taking her offer, McCallister and Duncan did as they were told as the Bajoran aide entered the admiral’s office. Several seconds later she came back out and said they could go in.

Walking into the semi-circle shaped office that belonged to the Fourth Fleet’s Chief of Staff, both men were surprised at how large it was. It was bigger than the observation lounge on the Odyssey and had plenty of space for Bennet to hold a meeting with over fifty people at least. The room was laid out with the admiral’s desk in the centre of the curve with four couches and five arm chairs in front of it. To the right side there was a long rectangular conference table that had at least twenty chairs around it. While to the left there was a replicator in the wall and a number of paintings and pictures hanging on the wall. Each painting was of the ships the admiral had commanded during his impressive career. From the Defiant-class USS Brewsters, the Luna-class USS Oberon on to the Parliament-class USS Westminster.  The two biggest paint his most recent commands, the prototype of the Vesta-class with the same namesake and then beside it his last command: the USS Discovery, Century-class. Dotted around them were a number of certificates with the various awards, dedications and citations the admiral had received too. Behind his desk sat a slim but long glass table that had a number of photographs of various family and friends. The admiral had certainly made his mark in this office.  

“James, Max, it’s good to see you both.” Bennet said as he got up from the armchair he was currently sitting in and placed the PADD he had in his hands down. Approaching the two men, he extended his hand to shake theirs. “Please take a seat. Can I get either of you a drink?”

“Thank you admiral.” McCallister said as he took the armchair nearest to where Bennet was while Duncan took one of the sofas. “A white hot English tea would go down well.”

Bennet made his way over to his replicator, as he did he looked at Duncan. “Commander, anything for you?”

“The same would be fine, thank you sir.” Duncan said with an appreciative smile.

Rear Admiral Zack Marshall-Bennet was a few years older than McCallister, as such he had not lost the lightness in his blonde hair, but it wasn’t as bright as it used to be. Becoming an admiral had changed him.

Ordering their drinks and something for himself, Bennet walked back with the mugs and passed them to his guest before he took his own and sat in his chair. “How are you both?”

McCallister and Duncan both looked at one another before looking back at the admiral, McCallister took the lead in the response. “Well, considering the circumstances sir.”

“Indeed.” Bennet responded as he reached over to place his mug down on his desk before picking up the PADD he had placed down earlier. “This stuff,” He said, raising the device in his right hand and almost waving it in the air, “reminds us that the work we do can get pretty crazy. When you think you’ve heard it all, something else comes out of the blue.”

“That’s certainly one way of describing it, sir.” Duncan stated as he sipped from his mug.

Nodding in agreement with his first officer, McCallister added his own thoughts on the matter. “It’s one away mission I won’t be forgetting anytime soon.”

“And probably the longest one you’ve been on.” Bennet remarked as he crossed right leg over the left. Leaning his right ankle against the top of his left knee, Bennet placed the padd into his lap and looked down at it. “I’ve got to say I am impressed at how well, overall, the crew of the Odyssey performed in such dire circumstances.”

“You won’t get any arguments from us, sir.” McCallister said, a tone of pride slipping through. “I take it we will all be debriefed?”

Looking up from his padd, the admiral slightly wobbled his head to side-to-side as he answered. “Sort of James.” He took his mug of tea and sipped on it before clarifying further. “Your reports are extensive and thorough, I am certain it will take a good number of our analysts sometime to get through it all, but the type of debriefing I want your crew to undertake isn’t the standard one you’re used to.”

Duncan quickly caught on with what the admiral was saying and spoke up. “You’re going to have us assessed to see if we’re fit to resume our duties, aren’t you sir?”

Turning to the commander, Bennet just nodded. “I see the counsellor in you is still as perceptive as ever Commander Duncan.” He looked at McCallister, “Your Number One is spot on with this. We want everyone on Odyssey to undergo full medical and psych evaluations.”

“Is that necessary, sir?” McCallister questioned. “My chief medical officer was regularly checking everyone’s health while we were on the Quierennal and my chief counsellor was supporting everyone through it.”

“And that’s the problem there, captain.” Bennet answered. “Doctor Slyvexs and Counsellor Samris were with you through your captivity.”

“You need an independent assessment.” Duncan said, realising what the admiral was getting at. “Someone who isn’t a part of the crew to carry out those assessments.”

“Indeed.” Bennet glanced at Duncan before looking back at McCallister. He sounded a little bit less cheerful compared to how he was at the start of their meeting. “I know it’s frustrating but the circumstances you were all placed under means we need to treat this as if you were all prisoners of war.”

“It’s that serious?” McCallister asked.

“Yes,” Bennet replied. “By your own account, captain, you and your crew were forced to undertake tasks under the direction of an alien force of unimaginable power. Prior to that you were in deep space exploration, far from the Federation and Starfleet for almost a year. We need to ensure that everyone has not lost their objectivity in their duties.”

“Everyone, or just me?” McCallister quizzed. He knew he had made some questionable command decisions not just on their recent mission but the ones before, including dealing with an Omega Directive threat.

Bennet remained calm and collected as he answered. “Everyone, including you James.” Taking a breath, the admiral continued, “As of now, you are all relieved of your duties and placed on extended leave of absence. My office will be informing all of your crew that they have at least two weeks of vacation, here on Mellstoxx Three or if they want on Starbase Bravo. In that time the assessments will be carried out.”

“That’s a lot of people to see in a fortnight.” Duncan remarked.

Nodding in agreement, Bennet explained how it would work. “Medical assessments will be carried out between doctors here on Starbase Bravo or down at our facilities on Mellstoxx Three. Most of them will be carried out by Medical Holograms, while your psychological assessments will be led by a specialist team I’ve assembled on Mellstoxx. Most of them are current instructors at our Starfleet Academy campus, others are civilian contractors we’ve bought in from the various private practises on the planet or who teach at the universities.”

“And what about the civilian population on the Odyssey.” McCallister probed. “They can’t be ordered to undertake these tests.”

“They can if they wish to remain on the ship.” Bennet answered back a lot quicker than before. “That includes the children and young people on your vessel. We appreciate the toll it had on them, so by tomorrow further specialists will arrive to assist.”

“What about Jorgeh and Wylem?” Duncan asked. He hadn’t raised that matter yet, but seeing as he was now responsible for them, he was keen to know what Starfleet had in mind for them.

“Your adopted sons?” Bennet said back. “I’ve spoken to the Federation Displaced Persons Agency, again they wish to conduct their own assessments of the boys but as you know commander, their well being is at the centre of any decision made. I am certain they will remain with you and Senior Chief Court, if that’s what you both desire.”

Duncan nodded. “We’ve not had enough time to completely discuss it, but we are very fond of them and we are interested.”

“Then I can’t see any of this being an issue.” Bennet said, sounding confident. “Now, to take the lead on all of this, I have brought in one of the finest counsellors in the sector.” The admiral tapped his combadge to speak to his aide and told her to send in his guest. Turning around to look at the doors they had entered through, both McCallister and Duncan were introduced to a fellow officer. “Gentlemen, this is Commander Louwanna-”

“Horin.” Duncan said, finishing the admiral’s sentence.

Bennet looked at Duncan, as did McCallister, at the sudden interruption. “You know each other?”

Nodding, the Odyssey’s first officer explained how they knew one another. “We trained at the academy together.”

Commander Louwanna Horin was an average size Betazoid woman with long straight brown hair bobbed just behind her shoulders.. Her teal blue uniform revealed her curvy figure as it clasped tight to her frame. She smiled pleasantly as Duncan shared their past relationship with the admiral. “Max, it’s good to see you again.” She said as she went on to shake Captain McCallister’s hand. “Captain, I look forward to working with you and your crew.”

“Counsellor Horin currently teaches at the Starfleet Academy campus down on Mellstoxx Three.” Bennet added. “I had to pull in a few favours to get her this gig.”

Duncan turned to his former classmate, “Louwanna, if you’re here then that must mean that Starfleet has declared this a “catastrophic-level” duty assignment.”

“A catastrophic what?” McCallister quizzed.

Horin answered the captain, “A catastrophic-level duty assignment is the threshold that we use when there has been mass trauma on a large number of personnel, captain. It gives Starfleet Medical the ability to be flexible in providing initial support to plan an appropriate response. In this case, a number of protocols were set up after Voyager returned from the Delta Quadrant. We will be following them.”

“The admiralty likes to unofficially call it the Janeway Factor, it was a term that the admiral herself came up with. She recognised that after a crew had been far away from direct Starfleet contact for a significant amount of time, that it was appropriate that the crew were fully assessed to determine the impact their time away had on them and their ability to perform their duties.” Bennet added

“Louwanna is one of the finest trauma counsellors I know, sir.” Duncan shared, with a smile as he continued to look at her. “She was valedictorian of my class, while I was posted here on Mellstoxx Three in my last two years at the academy.”

“I only got that esteemed title after you pushed me to do better in my studies.” Horin shared.

Bennet, who had stood up now, appeared to be pleased with how things were going. “Well, now the introductions are done, Commander Horin and her teams will begin tomorrow with their assessments. Meanwhile, I will have my office coordinate in getting everyone on the Odyssey somewhere a place to stay while repairs are undertaken.”

McCallister turned to the admiral and nodded in agreement. “My chief engineer has already prepared an extensive repair schedule.”

“Captain, everyone is relieved of their duties.” Bennet reminded him. “The yard engineers at Starbase Bravo will deal with the Odyssey.”

“I understand that sir, but I was under the impression the starbase was busy launching a number of ships shortly and coordinating a relief effort into the Paulson Nebula.” McCallister stated.

Bennet made his way back around to his chair behind his desk as he spoke. “They are, but there are plenty of people left who can deal with the Odyssey. Your ship needs to undergo extensive repairs and refits. Let the specialists deal with it while your crew rest and recover from their recent ordeal. That’s an order, captain.” Bennet then pulled his chair out and sat in it. “If we need you, we will call.”

“Aye, sir.”

“I’ll let you inform your crew.” Bennet stated. “Unless there’s any more questions, then I’m sure you and Commander Duncan have a lot to do before tomorrow.”

“Thank you, sir.” McCallister answered.

“Then dismissed.” Bennet ordered and he watched the two men leave his office. He looked over to Horin as soon as they left. “Are we going to have any issues with you working with the Odyssey crew, counsellor?

Horin turned around to face him, gulping somewhat, she shook her head as she placed both hands behind her back. “None, sir.”

“Good, dismissed.” He said.

After departing the admiral’s office and heading towards the nearest turbolift to take them back to the docking port where Odyssey was, McCallister broke the silence between him and Duncan. “Okay, confess. What’s the story between you and Counsellor Horin?” He probed.

Inhaling a bit, Duncan looked at his captain. “It’s complicated and private, sir. I’d prefer to keep it that way to avoid any unnecessary drama.”

Rolling his eyes at the response he got from his first officer, McCallister pumped for further. “Now you can’t just come out with something like that. When you talk about it being private, are we talking about romantic private stuff between cadets?”

Wiggling his head somewhat, Duncan reluctantly confessed the truth. “We did become involved in our last year at the academy, but we both broke it off. Louwanna comes from a powerful family in Betazoid society and was betrothed to someone else at a very young age.”

“Ouch, so you guys called it off?” McCallister guessed.

“Yeah, but she was heartbroken when her betrothed refused to go ahead with the pre-arranged marriage between her and him. However she decided she didn’t want to get back together with me and instead focussed on her career.” Duncan explained.

“I’ve heard that Betazoids who hail from the important houses normally practice arranged marriages for their children to ensure the longevity of their house remaining influential. How come the guy didn’t want to marry her?”

“His parents had died during the Dominion occupation of Betazed, he became the de-facto head of his house and didn’t want to honour something he didn’t agree to.” Duncan stated as their turbolift came to halt and deposited them on the deck where Odyssey was docked.

“Double ouch for her.” McCallister said as they departed the lift. “How come he called it off?”

“Like her, he was in Starfleet and more focussed on his career.” Duncan said, appearing more awkward than before.

Noticing his first officer was becoming uncomfortable about the topic, McCallister had a gut feeling he was about to ask something and get an answer he wondered if the admiral already knew. “Max, by any chance this particular gentleman is serving on my vessel?”

“He is sir.”

“As in my chief engineer?”

“Yeah,” Duncan answered as they approached the docking port. “My ex-girlfriend was meant to marry Tremt.”

Shocked to hear that news, McCallister didn’t know what to say as the doors opened for them to enter the Odyssey. “How come either of you have never said anything?”

Duncan stopped walking and looked at the captain as he did the same thing. “Because sir, Tremt never knew about me and Louwanna and I’ll ask if it stays that way, for now.”

Nodding to understand where he was coming from, McCallister decided not to push it any further. “Of course, but with her being assigned to us, it does mean it may come out of the woodwork. My advice is you come clean with Tremt.”

“I will sir, but with all due respect I hope you can appreciate that right now my priority is not to be sharing about my past relationships, instead I need to be focussing on Jorgeh and Wylem.” Duncan stated as they resumed their walk into the Odyssey.

“That, my friend, I do understand.” McCallister said as they returned home.

“And that’s it.” McCallister said solemnly.

The room had fallen silent the moment he had told them they were relieved of duty, effectively immediately and were expected to leave the Odyssey in the next twenty-four hours. The lead engineer for Odyssey’s repairs had informed them she wanted to carry out a baryon sweep once all systems were secure. Then after this the ship’s overhaul would begin. It meant that none of the crew could remain on board. McCallister had wondered if Admiral Bennet had used the sweep as a reason to ensure they all got off the ship.

His entire senior staff were assembled in the conference room. The captain was at the head of the table and everyone had taken their usual chairs on either side depending on their seniority or position on the ship.

“Does Starfleet genuinely believe we’re unable to perform our duties?” Samris asked, breaking the uneasy silence. The Romulan psychologist appeared to have taken the news that someone else was going to assess the crew to determine if his work in supporting them with their mental health during their recent ordeal had been good enough. It was either that or he didn’t care, McCallister was certain that was not the case with Samris.

“Does it matter?” Tomaz countered back with. The Barzan chief strategic operations officer and intelligence officer was almost slumped down in his chair, compared to anyone else. His mood reflected his tone of voice. McCallister knew that Tomaz was struggling to come to terms with what happened on the Quirennal in the final moments. The revelation that Jyster had created isomorphic projections of the other children to ensure her sons were not lonely and that she had tricked them all into believing that they were real had hit them all hard. For Tomaz, he took it more to heart. The child he had been given to care for, Jeddie, was gone. In an unexpected turn of events, Tomaz had risen to the challenge of parenthood extremely well and everyone had noticed how well he had taken on the youngster under his wing. Fatherhood had fit him well. A bond had formed between Tomaz and Jeddie, then for it all to be yanked away from him in an instant was hard to cope with. McCallister had read a report where Tomaz had lost his cool the moment he had been beamed back to the Odyssey during the rescue attempt. Storming onto the bridge, he yelled at Flemen to try to beam the children they had left behind on board the Odyssey. The revelation that they weren’t there had stunned those who had been rescued, no more than Tomaz in such a public way. Breaking down in tears, he had to be escorted off the bridge by Slyvexs and her husband. So hearing his remark in that tone was no surprise. Tomaz looked as though he had not slept, dark circles under his eyes and his dishevelled hair was enough to show he had not been able to deal with his loss.

“Who’s leading the team that will carry out the assessments?” Slyvexs asked towards the captain after subtly tapping Tomaz on the back of his hand. She was sat next to him, it was clear she had specifically chosen to as normally she would be sat closer to the captain.

McCallister looked at Samris and answered the counsellor’s question. “It’s not whether or not Starfleet believe we can or can’t do our jobs, this is about taking time to step back and reflect on what has happened to us.” Before answering Slyvexs, McCallister glanced at his first officer, knowing that what he was about to say may start the awkwardness they had spoken about privately earlier. “A Counsellor Louwanna Horin is leading the team. Apparently she’s an expert in supporting mass trauma at this level.”

“I trained with her back at the Academy.” Duncan added, avoiding eye contact with Hunsen and doing his absolute best to keep his thoughts clear. “She’s good.”

Hunsen had picked up the look and heard some vague thoughts from both his captain and commander. The chief engineer sat up and looked across the table at Duncan. “I know Louwanna too.”

Stepping in to avoid it becoming awkward between the two commanders, McCallister spoke up. “Well then I’m sure it will give you sometime to catch up.” The captain looked at everyone else. “I expect the entire crew to give the counsellor and her teams their complete cooperation and ensure that everyone gives this time offered to us the dedication and openness it deserves. Dismissed.”

Everyone all said their usual ‘thank yous’ as they got up towards the captain, but McCallister called out for Flemen to remain behind. Watching the door close behind the last soul, the captain turned his gaze back to his chief diplomatic officer and contact specialist. “Craigen, I’ve received further word from Rear Admiral Bennet about your battlefield promotion.”

Reaching for his three pips with his left hand, the Lumerian placed his hand over them to shield them and assure himself they were still there. “What about it, sir?”

“The admiral has said, now that your time as acting captain has come to an end, he wants to know if the promotion was too hasty on his point to place someone in command.” McCallister shared.

“Am I going to lose my third pip, sir?” Flemen asked. “That’s so unfair.”

Holding his hands up, McCallister calmed the young man down. “Listen Craigen, I don’t have an issue with you being at the rank. I’d be a bit of a hypocrite if I did, especially as I got my four pips from a battlefield promotion. That said, I think it would help ease the admiral’s mind if we can show him that you are interested in command more.”

Crossing his arms against his chest, Flemen wasn’t sure what his captain was suggesting. “I don’t understand, sir.”

“I believe a former mentor of mine once wrote in your service file that one day she hoped to see you in the centre chair.” McCallister said with a smirk.

“Captain Rio Canção?”

“Captain Rio Canção,” McCallister confirmed. “So can I make a suggestion? Let’s get an application in for you to take the Command Training Program.”

“The CTP?” Flemen questioned as he took a step back. “Sir, I just about passed Advanced Tactical Training,” He remarked. “And that didn’t really help me out back in the Delta Quadrant when I was left in command.”

“The CTP will help you Craigen. What’s next for you anyway? A second officer posting, maybe the chance to be a first officer on a smaller ship? Do you want that?” McCallister examined. “I think you need to use this time while we take our mandatory shore leave and consider this seriously. I’d hate for the admiral to change his mind, especially as you’ve only been a lieutenant for two years.”

Realising that this could hinder his career, Flemen just nodded in acknowledgement and left the captain standing in the conference lounge by himself.

Stepping across the bridge towards Duncan, Hunsen approached the first officer where he stood at mission ops. Duncan noticed Hunsen’s presence and turned around. Leaning against the console, Duncan crossed his arms against his chest. “I suppose you want to know why I’ve never raised it before.”

The chief engineer just nodded as he copied Duncan’s movement and crossed his own arms too. “Yeah, I do Max.” He paused. “And I take it from what I could sense in there that the captain is aware of your past relationship and mine with Louwanna?”

“He does.” Duncan said, being honest.

“And does Tobias know?” He asked.

Duncan winced inwardly as Court heard his name and walked across the bridge to join them. “Does Tobias know what?” He questioned, looking between the chief engineer and his boyfriend.

Sighing heavily, Duncan looked at Court. “Tobie, Counsellor Horin is more than just an old classmate of mine.”

Court looked at him and then realised what he was saying. “Oh,” Court said, he appeared a bit taken back by that. “Okay, well we both have ex-partners. What’s the problem?”

Surprised at how well Court was taking the news, Duncan stood up and dropped his arms. “When I dated her, I only found out at the end she was betrothed to someone else.”

“Who?” Court asked.

“Me.” Hunsen answered as he looked at Court and then back to Duncan. “However, I stopped the marriage before it could take place.”

Confused as to why this was being made to be more than it seemed, Court glanced between the two men. “I’m sorry guys, again I’ll ask: what’s the problem? So Max dated her over twenty years ago? Why is that fact or that you were meant to marry her a problem?”

Hunsen sighed, “It’s not an issue, but it might have been nice if Max had said something sooner.”

“Why?” Duncan asked, defending his position. “I broke up with her years ago, she never told me who you were until we were no longer dating. In fact, she shared it with me before I left to join the Vendetta. I had completely forgotten about it when I joined Odyssey. Read my mind, I’m telling the truth.”

Hunsen glared at Duncan for a moment, squinting his eyes, and then released his look. “Fine, but this better not cause any issues between any of us.” Hunsen grumbled as he moved away.

Court watched the engineer stomp away and then headed over to stand beside Duncan. “Max, why is he making it out to be more than it is?”

“I’m not sure, it’s probably deep rooted in some sort of old Betazoid tradition we’re unaware of.” Duncan said as he placed his arm around the side of Court. “Let’s cross the bridge if it ever comes. In the meantime, one thing the captain didn’t mention in there was the news about the boys.”

“Oh? Good news, I hope?” Court wondered.

Nodding, Duncan assured him it was. “I think so, the Displacement Agency will meet with us but the admiral said he can’t see it being an issue if the boys wish to remain onboard.”

“Good.” Court said, sounding relieved. He placed his hands on Duncan’s hips. Normally, such public displays of affection wouldn’t take place but the bridge was now devoid of anyone else. “Talking of which, we still haven’t finalised where they’re going to stay.”

Pulling Court in closer, Duncan nodded his head in agreement with the issue Court shared. “I was thinking about that earlier,” Duncan said in a lower tone. “I was wondering, how about we use this time off to spend with the boys and we stay in one of those famous luxury houses that exist on Mellstoxx Three? Then when we get back, we look at moving in together? Commander Cambil’s quarters have not been taken over since her departure. It’s large enough for the four of us, if you’re up for it?”

Considering the proposal for a moment, Court just nodded. “I like it.” He leaned in and kissed Duncan on the lips to seal the agreement.

Walking off the turbolift and moving swiftly across the deck towards his quarters, Tomaz pushed past people as he made his way home. He could feel the tears in his eyes, stinging his vision. The undesirable pain in his chest was overwhelming enough. He just needed to get away from everyone and take a moment to breath in the privacy of his quarters.

The moment he was in and the door was closed he told the computer to adjust the environmental controls and set them to be compatible with the atmospheric pressures and gases found on his home planet of Barzan. Swiftly the computer obliged after he confirmed his voice authorisation and within seconds he was able to take off his breathing apparatus off his cheeks and breathe in the gases that would be toxic to others. His eyes colour changed as he moved across the room, stripping off his uniform jacket. Throwing his top on to the floor he made his way towards his private bathroom and went over to the sink. Activating it, he splashed cold water over his face and then looked up at his reflection in the mirror.

He wasn’t sure what he was staring at. Yes he looked like the same guy as before, but Tomaz couldn’t help but feel he was missing something. He knew what it was.

Jeddie.

The son he had lost.

An office complex within the grounds of the Fourth Fleet’s Academy building known as The Ellipse had been assigned to Commander Horin’s team to conduct the multiple assessments of the Odyssey’s crew. Thankfully the complex was not currently in use, so moving quickly her team had rearranged a number of the rooms to be used as offices where they could meet with their patients. Having thirty counsellors under her, Horin had already briefed them on the parameters of their work while she used a number of yeomans on loan from Starbase Bravo to assist in the coordination of schedules. She wanted everything to work like clockwork. Deciding she would assess the senior staff and other key members of the crew who had been heavily affected by decisions made from their last mission, Horin knew she would find the coming days interesting, to say the least.   

Already the crew were in the process of undertaking their medical examinations at various locations across Starbase Bravo as well as Mellstoxx III. Standing in her office, she was currently reviewing the reports that she had received on the cases she was interested in at the moment. Though Captain McCallister would be seen, she felt that her focus should be on Counsellor Samris and Doctor Slyvexs at first. 

The office she had grabbed for herself was on the top level of the three floor building. It had the best view of the east quadrangle from the huge floor to ceiling glass window that stretched across one side of the rectangular shaped room. Similar to Admiral Bennet’s office, she had her desk in the centre of the room in front of the large window, while she had set up comfortable seating just before it. Plants, low lighting and other comfortable features were present around the room. Though this was not her permanent office, she had decorated it with various replications of different pictures to make the office seem homely. 

Reading through her first patient’s file for the fourth time already, she eventually placed the PADD in her hands down on the desk. She knew Samris’ file well, especially his early career as she had taught him as an instructor here on Melstoxx III. Seeing her former pupil was something she looked forward to, though she’d prefer it being under better circumstances. 

Picking up her mug of hot chocolate, she sipped on it and slowly finished it before the door chime went off. Sticking the mug back on her desk, she turned to look over at the door, “Please come in.” She called as she moved across the room to greet her guest.

Lieutenant Samris arrived at her office and stepped through the glass door after it opened. As per her orders, no-one was to wear their uniform as she wanted this experience to be as natural as possible and to keep everyone as comfortable as she could. Samris wore a plain long-sleeved white top with black trousers and plain black shoes. His hair was styled in an un-Romulan way, all slicked back. Looking more Human than Romulan had been a feature of many Romulans who had become refugees within Federation space. 

“Samris, it’s so good to see you.” She greeted as she approached him to shake his hand. 

Shaking her hand, Samris agreed with the notion. “As it is good to see you too ma’am.” 

Appreciating it, Horin offered for him to pick a seat from the arm chairs and sofas that were available. Like any good host she offered him a drink, which he declined, before taking a seat herself. Sitting down in one of the arm chairs, she looked at Samris. In some ways she knew that counsellors were the worst patients, as much as any other doctor, so she wanted to do this first as she knew she may have to come back to him at a later stage. 

“So, I’m going to insult your intelligence here Samris. I trained you myself, so I know that you know the routine here.” Horin said softly. “Are you okay with that?”

Nodding a few times, the Romulan man took hold of one of the nearby cushions and placed it on his lap. “Absolutely and I guess I’m your first patient.”

“Indeed.” She confirmed, still in a calm tone. “So let’s begin.” Reaching over and picking the padd from earlier off from her desk, Horin focussed on Samris. “Talk to me about your time on the Quirennal. Start off from the first time you boarded the craft as one of the away teams and how events evolved from there.”

Relaxing somewhat, Samris gazed at the view coming from the window and then back to Horin. “Initially I was a part of the team assigned to support the rapport development with Captain Jyster’s isomorph. It was down to Craigen and I to keep her calm and focus so the captain could negotiate further.”

“On whose orders?” Horin checked as she took notes. 

“Initially Commander Duncan’s, we found her program to be initially erratic but others weren’t sure if this was due to complications in her program. The captain was interested in keeping her stable so we could properly assess the state of the ship and investigate what had happened.” Samris answered. “It was my job to apply psychology to the conversation with her after we found out she had the memory patterns and brain waves of the original, organic version of Captain Jyster.”

“How did you find the work?” She probed.

“Challenging, but nothing that was intimidating at the time.” Samris responded as he crossed his right leg over his left one. “I’ve never counselled a hologram or any artificial being before, so I found myself being creative in the strategies I was using. Most of them diversionary tactics, it was my hope to keep her off-task from demanding the captain give her what she wanted until he could find out more from her.”

“Did they work?”

Nodding, Samris inclined to agree to that. “Somewhat, I thought we were getting through but I think I got too relaxed in forgetting that with the super-computer brain of hers, Jyster was able to plan other things while doing other actions.”

“Multi-tasking to the extreme?” Horin checked.

“Indeed.” Samris stated. “Then after she had gained full control and everyone was kidnapped, I was moved like everyone else to the valley. The senior staff had come up with some initial plans on how we would ensure those who were taken would survive, but when the decision was made that a majority of us would stay to look after the children…well everything changed.”

Taking a moment to consider her next question, Horin sat up straight. “Let’s talk more about that. Were you with the captain when he made that decision?”

“No, but the entire senior staff had discussed our options about escaping before this.” Samris answered. “However, I did advise the captain to appeal to the parental side of Captain Jyster’s programming.”

Noting that point down, Horin continued with her questioning.“How well was your suggestion received?”

“I remember Commander Reyas supporting it, as did T’Rani and then Captain McCallister considered it as one idea for us to explore further. After that we discussed other avenues before the captain wanted me to support with the morale of the crew. I used the rest of the counselling department to work in supporting those parents who felt powerless from the situation.” Samris then uncrossed his legs. “That was the hardest part, trying to encourage others to not lose hope with the situation we were in. Those who were parents reacted in a way that they believed I didn’t understand where they were coming from as I’m not a parent myself.”

Suppressing a smirk somewhat, Horin understood that response all too well. “Unfortunately Samris, even with the amount of experience and qualifications we have, every species I have worked with always says to me I won’t understand until I’m a parent myself.” She paused as she took another note. “Please continue.”

“Well after Captain McCallister made the new deal, everything else seemed to have just happened and we had to fit into this new lifestyle, this new routine quite suddenly.” Samris stated. “Again, it was quite overwhelming.”

Looking down at one of the reports she had read earlier, as well as her own notes, Horin gazed back up at him and continued with her line of questioning. “You were placed with Lieutenant Commander T’Rani during this time. You were expected to care for a sibling group I believe.” Checking the details again, Horin repeated what she had before him. “Three children, two girls and a boy?”

“Yeah,” Samris said with a smile on remembering them. “Mexie, the boy and the girls were Terina and Avaanah.”

“Did you enjoy your time as a family?” Horin probed, noticing the gesture as he said the children’s name.

Nodding once, Samris seemed distant as he answered her. “I did, it was nice.” He looked at her. “T’Rani and I got on really well. Somehow our dynamic worked. Each day the energy from the children just kept us going, it was enjoyable.”

Horin wrote a few things down before asking the one question that she knew he may find difficult to answer. “Tell me more about your relationship with Lieutenant Commander T’Rani.”  

It looked like he had almost disappeared into the sofa as he tried to squirm away from her but eventually he found the courage to reply to that inquiry. “We became extremely close.”

“Indeed.” Horin said as she loaded up other reports. “You began seeing one another shortly after you started neuro-pressure sessions with her. I believe she was your patient before you your relationship had become sexual?”

Startled she had found that out, Samris sank further into the sofa at how uncomfortable this had become. “That’s true ma’am, but we had ended our sessions before our relationship changed.”

“I believe you.” Horin said assuring him. “However your objectivity with T’Rani may be called into question here.”

Sitting up straight he defended what had happened. “I did inform my superior about this.

“Yes, you noted that you spoke to Commander Duncan about this in your private log.” Horin admitted looking down at the PADD, “I’m afraid your personal logs have been shared with me.”

“Is it a crime to fall in love with someone?” Samris challenged her. 

“It’s interesting you say that,” Horin said. “Do you love T’Rani?”

Taking a moment to think about his response, he eventually answered. “Yes, I think I do.”

“Then I don’t see it as a crime.” Horin shared. “You both were already developing your relationship when you were captured, being forced into this situation together does change things. Talk to me about how you felt for those children you cared for.”

Again a pause, Samris took a breath, then another. “I think I did love them as well.” He stated. “I think the fact is that I understood where they were coming from based on my experiences from my own childhood. Being forced into a strange situation with strangers, it was just like when my parents and I fled from Romulus and ended up being refugees on a Federation world. We had nothing and all we could do was depend on the kindness of others. I didn’t want that for those three. They had too much life in them, too much to not want to protect and nurture. I could not just leave them and I think T’Rani felt the same. The possibility of us escaping seemed slim, so following the captain’s plan of us abiding our time seemed like a good idea at the time.”

“And when you look back at it all now, what do you feel?” Horin tested. 

“Sad.” Samris said. “Sad because the revelation that none of it was real, sad that I won’t see the girls playing together nicely or have Mexi jump on my back wanting to pretend we were flying. Plus sharing a home with T’Rani, I think I liked it a lot.”

“Sounds like those two months changed your perspective on things.” Horin said with a reassuring smile.

A tear formed under his eye and Samris just nodded as he pushed it away. “I think it did. I mean I never thought about becoming a father myself, but I think when I saw Tomaz just step up to it so easily with Jeddie, the child he was caring for, I think it made me do the same thing.”

Smiling further, Horin encouraged Samris to tell her more as she went to go get him a warm drink so they could carry on with more comfort supporting their discussion.

“I’m surprised Mettex isn’t joining us.” Horin noted after welcoming her next patient into her office and gesturing for Slyvexs to pick somewhere to sit. 

Taking a seat on the sofa opposite to Counsellor Horin’s chair, the Denobulan doctor waved the idea off about her husband coming. “No, I felt this session should be just me but I do appreciate you being flexible and considering having him here.”

“I know that for some Denobulans, talking about your feelings it’s something you prefer to do as part of your family units.” Horin shared as she got herself comfortable in her chair. Placing a pillow behind her back, she sat up straight as she began the session. “So, Doctor Slyvexs, where do you want to start?”

Crossing her hands together and placing them on her lap, the doctor shrugged. “I would say start at the beginning, but I’m not sure I need to. I know you want to fully assess us over our thoughts and feelings over the whole situation, but for me I didn’t have an issue at the start of it all.”

Taking down what she was saying, Horin placed the PADD she was using to record her thoughts down onto her lap. “Why not?”

“I suppose a combination of medical training, the oaths I took as a doctor and my own life experience as a parent, as well as a grandparent, I didn’t feel like we were initially trapped.” Slyvexs shared. “To me, we were answering a distress call and helping people who needed our immediate attention.”

“From what I’ve read, after your captivity took place, you were the one to lead Odyssey’s efforts in undertaking medical examinations of all of the children and curing them from their issue you discovered after they had been in stasis for so long.” Horin remarked, she peaked down at the PADD to confirm what she had just said. 

“Indeed, I ​​found acute cellular degradation in them all.” Slyvexs confirmed. “However, I think back to then and I am certain the instruments I was given to treat them had been designed to show me what I needed to see to hide the charade that Captain Jyster was putting on.”

“Did you test the captain’s actual organic sons on your return to Odyssey?” Horin quizzed as she pushed a stray hair back behind her left ear. 

Nodding twice, Slyvexs explained how she had given them a complete assessment and her scans had shown that they did suffer from the degradation but the cure she had administered had worked well like a tick. “My assumption now is that Captain Jyster had just copied those readings from her sons and spread it across the programs of the other children she had created.”

“Talk to me how that all made you feel.” Horin asked as she reached forward and picked up a glass of water to sip on it.

Considering the question for a moment, Slyvexs went on to share her reflection. “Angry at myself for not realising sooner. I suppose the notion that Captain Jyster was tricking us on a low level did not cross my mind. I mean, who creates replicas of dead children for their own children to interact with?”

Horin understood why Slyvexs would say such a thing. “It’s a good question, do you have any thoughts on it?” 

“Besides my own judgement at how barbaric it is or was, I can appreciate the need for company.” Slyvexs answered. “That said, I wouldn’t make a pretend family and convince others they’re real.”

“Quite an extreme to be a part of.” Horin stated. 

“Yes,” Slyvexs agreed, “If we had been told that they were just a projection of light and force fields from the get go, I am certain that things would have gone a different way. The logic behind it all seems so far-fetched, so unrealistic, but I suppose when someone has been active for so long and had to make a number of sacrifices and ended up putting their children first above anyone else, then it would have an impact on someone’s programming.”

“The need for companionship can be a powerful motivator with decision making.” Horin commented before moving on. “I note in your report and several others, that your role as part of this community was different compared to most of the others.”

“That’s one way of putting it.” Slyvexs said. “Captain Jyster had created a small hospital complex for me and a few of the others who were from Odyssey’s medical department but to be honest it was very unnecessary. No-one was ever hurt or badly injured.”

Shaking her head, Horin corrected the doctor. “No, sorry Slyvexs, I meant that the fact was that neither you nor Mettex were giving any children to care for. By a long stretch, you and your husband have the most amount of childcare and parenting experience from anyone else on Odyssey, but Captain Jyster didn’t see it that way. Can we talk about that?”

Chuckling somewhat, Slyvexs knew this issue would be raised. “My thoughts around that is that perhaps Captain Jyster was unable to determine if the impact we would have on her fake children would eventually lead to us working out her subterfuge. Mettex thought the same. Certain individuals did not have direct and regular interaction in caring for the young people in a family like setting. We helped with teaching them or providing other forms of care, but not direct support. Commander Hunsen and Lieutenant Commander Jen were in that category too.”

“How did that make you feel?” Horin asked. 

Looking up at the ceiling of Horin’s office, the doctor rubbed her chin and the ridges on it as she pondered for a moment. “Initially, I suppose I was surprised that we didn’t have any children. When we had been told as a group that we would be caring for them, I envisioned Mettex and I being parents again. That brought back some good memories, we even sat down and spoke about what lessons we learnt from raising our own children and helping with our grandchildren. We didn’t want to repeat any mistakes like before, but when I was told we wouldn’t have direct involvement, I guess a part of me was hurt by that.”

“How do you feel now about it?”  

“Relieved,” admitted Slyvexs. “This may sound awful on some level, but it gave Mettex and I more time together compared to what I am used to do my job as Odyssey’s chief medical officer, but along with that it gave us the perfect cover to assist with the escape plan.”

Horin sat up in her chair and nodded to show she understood where Slyvexs was coming from. “I believe the human phrase ‘swings and roundabouts’ applies here.” 

“Indeed.” The doctor replied. “As I said, it was nice to spend more quality time with my husband, but the fact we were being held against our will made the whole situation weirder than expected.”

“Weirder, how?” Horin challenged. 

Reflecting carefully on her thoughts and feelings, Slyvexs eventually opened up. “I’m ashamed to admit it, but I quite enjoyed being away from my duties on Odyssey and somehow Mettex and I were able to find the positives a lot sooner than anyone else. It’s weird for me as I never thought that after all of my years in Starfleet service I would think that.”

“Imprisonment can make our minds think obscure thoughts, ones we may not normally have.” Horin stated. “Did you ever share that with anyone, besides Mettex?”

Shaking her head, Slyvexs replied with a simple ‘no’, she took a breath. “Everyone we spoke to missed their time on Odyssey. For some reason I had this incline in the back of mind that we were safe, we were going to be okay and we would return home, eventually.” 

“And what about after that started to look less-likely?” Horin probed, softly. She wanted to determine if Slyvexs would admit or realise how she was thinking at the time. 

“I think I just came to accept that we needed to make our lives comfortable, almost wait the whole thing out.” Slyvexs answered honestly. “A few times, I felt myself getting too comfortable and taking things for granted, but then I would have to give myself my own splash of cold water to remember I was being held against my will.”

“Did you have much interaction with Captain Jyster?” 

“Not as much as the captain, she was only bothered about coming to me when I was treating her sons. She was always hovering around like an annoying flying insect.” Slyvexs stated. “It’s what made me think, what I shared earlier, about her deciding if I knew too much then I’d be one of the ones discovering her secrets.”

“Doctor, I hope you don’t mind me asking this, but do you have any regrets from your time away?” Horin tested.

Pausing for a much longer period of time than before, Slyvexs just nodded. “I wish I had seen the cover-up sooner. I should have inspected more stasis tubes and conducted thorough examinations, if I had then I may have saved my colleagues from the heartache and pain they’re going through now.” She then sat forward, “but I don’t regret the time I spent with Mettex. Our lives did become comfortable there.”

Horin nodded and just thanked the doctor for her honesty before they moved on.   

Returning to Betazoid soil was somewhat unusual for Tremt Hunsen. It had been almost two decades since he had visited the homeworld, so stepping onto Mellstoxx III one of Betazed’s premier colonies felt like he was somewhat coming home. On some level that was exactly what he had been doing that day. Though his family’s main home and residence was located on Betazed, his family had at some point had come into possession of having a country estate on the colony. To this date he had never visited it, even when he was a child, so while he was in the neighbourhood and had the time he decided he would visit it.  Being the de facto head of the Seventh House of Betazed, legally he owned the entire estate but he had never paid any attention to what was on Mellstoxx III. It had never been a priority for him and if he ever had considered it his career and life in Starfleet had never given him the chance to take a moment.

Visiting the large manor house had conjured up old memories of his own family home back on Betazed. It was far too big for his family and wreaked of pomp and circumstance, something he had hated growing up. The prestigious and luxury life that his parents had revelled in as senior members of the Betazoid aristocracy had never attracted him. Though he could never pinpoint when in his life he had rejected and resented his position within it, Hunsen’s distaste for it all was just as bitter as drinking Cardassian kanar. Nevertheless, he couldn’t hide from his heritage and he had later on in his adult life come to accept there was certain matters he had to deal with to avoid complications as being part of one of the senior houses in his culture.

From what he had gathered though about the Mellstoxx property, the actual estate was home to a number of farms that had been in use since the twenty-third century and the locals had become dependent on them for fresh food and the off-world trade generated by them kept those who had made a life there well off. Meeting with a local lawyer who oversaw the estate on behalf of the Hunsen family, Tremt had seriously considered selling everything at first. However after spending some time in the manor house he felt uncharacteristically bad about considering it. Maybe it was the many portrait paintings of his parents to various other historical momentums left out and around the house that changed his mind. From what he had discovered that day, it wasn’t just his parents that had maintained the estate but actually it had been his grand-parents who had decided to reach out and build everything there. Could he really sell up everything? His parents had died and the family home on Betazed had been destroyed during the Dominion occupation. This was the only thing that remained of his heritage.

It was now getting late in the evening and as he stood in the grounds of Dowtoxx Manor House, glaring out at the lake that was located in the estate. The whole scene was peaceful. The temperature was reasonable for an early spring evening. The odd insect noise could be heard in the distance chirping. Closing his eyes, Hunsen just listened with his mind to what was happening around him. A few seconds later he felt the intrusion of someone else’s mind approaching him and the sense he felt was one he had not known for a long time, he reacted by opening his eyes and turning around to see the incoming figure.

“Louwanna.” He spoke, surprised to see his former betrothed coming towards him.

Wearing a grey coloured overcoat over the top of a white jumper with a tartan patterned scarf that matched her coat and top, the counsellor smiled at him. Hands tucked away into the pockets of her coat, she carefully waded through the grasslands in her brown boots, avoiding not to get any mud on her black leggings. “Hello Tremt.” She said as she was less than a metre away from him. “It’s been sometime.”

“It has.” He agreed, placing his own hands in his fawn coloured jacket. Wearing a light sandy coloured hoodie under it with black trousers too, his walking boots were already covered in mud. “How are you?”

“I’m well, thank you.” She stopped just in front of him. “I found out you were here at your parents’ estate and I thought I’d come by to say hello and see if you fancied a catch-up?”

A bit surprised to hear that, Hunsen’s expression showed that almost instantly but then he welcomed it. “That would be nice, thank you.”

Walking up to his side she placed her arm into his and linked them together. “Before we start, I know that with me being assigned to lead the assessments of your crew may be awkward for you, so please know I’ve already ensured you and I won’t be meeting in any formal way.”

Starting to walk around the lake’s edge, Hunsen appreciated what Horin had just shared. “That’s good to hear. I have to admit, I was a bit surprised to hear your name in the captain’s briefing.”

“I bet,” Horin said, looking up at him and still remaining sweet in her nature. “And I guess you probably know about Max and I?”

“It came up.” Hunsen admitted as they walked under a set of trees. “I may have to say sorry to him.”

“For what?” She asked with a concerned tone.

“Finding out he knew you and never told me that he knew about our history kinda got to me.” Hunsen explained. “I was being an idiot, I do need to speak to him about it.”

“Please do.” Horin stated bluntly before turning her attention to their surroundings. “Your family have a beautiful estate here. I know my parents have always been envious of it.”

“Really?” Hunsen questioned.

“Yeah, really. Though they were best of friends, I think our mothers showed off quite a bit to one another. I sense my mother misses her time with your mother.” Horin said. “Though she would never admit it publicly.”

“Sounds like something my mother would do as well.” Hunsen replied back. “Do you fancy going into the village and grabbing a drink and something to eat?”

Gazing up at him, Horin smiled and simply said: “You read my mind.”

11 year prior

Starfleet Academy, San Francisco, Earth

Stardate: 56492.03

Glad to have finished his morning lectures and being able to have the rest of the day to himself, Cadet Hunsen walked out and began making his way down a flight of steps to return to his dorm. The summer sun of San Francisco beamed down, making the whole scene calm until he heard his name being screamed. Closing his eyes he knew who it was as he turned around to see a very tall and slender woman in quite lavish clothing approaching him.

“Tremt my dear!” called Vxivanna Horin as she approached him at a rapid pace. “Darling Tremt, it is so good to see you.”

“Emissary Horin, what a surprise to see you.” He said through gritted teeth. The woman was known to him and she was notorious for being quite overwhelming in getting what she wanted. Being a special emissary from the Federation Diplomatic Corps, she was one of many senior Betazoids who held grand roles in the diplomatic service. Being the matriarch of her house and holding such an important role, her appearance was always quite regal and grand. Her curled hair was pulled up into a beehive style while her make-up covered up signs of her age. After knowing this woman his entire life, Tremt could take a rough guess on her actual age but it was never a good idea to ask such a woman in Betzoid society her age.

Noticing that she had her tall Hupyrian personal valet with her, Mister Maitem’su, Hunsen was surprised to see another figure beside her. Louwanna. Daughter of Vxivanna and his betrothed. As ever she looked beautiful, even while she wore her cadet uniform and was two years his senior. Smirking at her at first, he quickly returned his attention back to the emissary.

“Tremt, I’m currently visiting Earth and I was wondering if we could all go out to dinner tonight to discuss your-” she paused as he gestured towards her daughter, “wedding to my beautiful daughter. Your parents and my husband and I all agreed many years ago that such an arrangement would be a great union for two of Betazoid’s greatest houses. Betazed has recovered from the Dominion Occupation and such an event would be one that would be celebrated across our world.”

Sighing inwards, he hated the legacy his parents had left him. Their deaths, over four years ago, was still bringing things to him to deal with ever since he assumed responsibility of being the head of the Seventh House of Betazed. “Misses Horin, I’ve already explained my position on this matter,” He said after taking a breath at her constant annoying insistence, “once I have completed my training here at Starfleet Academy, then I will discuss this further with you, your husband and Louwanna.”

Rolling her eyes, Louwanna was showing at how frustrated she was with her own mother at making such a scene and placing Hunsen in such an awkward position. “Mother, you’ve heard Tremt, please can we leave this like I said.”

Shrugging her off with a flappy hand gesture, Vxivanna carried on pursuing the subject. “Nonsense Little One, we have an agreement between our two houses that must be resolved. Both of you are of age and it is time we sorted this.”

Holding back his anger, Hunsen bit his bottom lip as others who walked past them took note of what was taking place. To see a member of the Federation diplomatic corp having a stand off with a second year cadet was quite a scene. “Then let me make this clear to you Madam Emissary. As Head of the Seventh House, I hereby declare that all previous agreements between our houses are now dissolved and the agreed pre-arranged marriage between Louwanna and I will not be taking place. Ever.” He paused. “Is that clear?”

Surprised at the tone he took, Vxivanna was taken back by the reaction from Hunsen. Pursing her lips together, the emissary looked at her valet who had a blank expression on his face and then at Louwanna. “Little One, are you going to stand there and not say anything?”

A mixture of relief and sadness sat on her expression as Louwanna took in several breaths. She just shook her head, after glaring at Hunsen and then at her mother before stomping away from the scene.

Gazing back at Hunsen, Vxivanna took in a breath herself and realised that the young man who now ran the house of her former deceased friends was steadfast in his conviction. “Very well Tremt, as Daughter of the Fourth House, bearer of the Revered Pendant of Rixx and heir to the Ordained Bands of Betazed, I hereby release you of your commitments to my house and family.”

“And as Son of the Seventh House, holder of the Blessed Sceptre of Rixx, heir to the Divine Regal Sword of Betazed, I accept this termination.”  Hunsen said as he walked away from her. Shaking his head as he moved away at almost warp nine speeds, he couldn’t believe the ambush he had just survived. The nerve of his mother’s former friend to do that to him when he had made it clear he was not going to marry her daughter until he completed his time at the academy.

Present Day

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen my mother be so quiet after that incident.” Louwanna mentioned as she picked up her glass of wine and sipped on it.

Sitting in front of a fireplace in a local public house, the two former betrothed were sat at a wooden table and wooden chairs enjoying a meal and sipping on locally produced wine. A small candle was lit in the middle. There was barely anyone else in the establishment, so it was nice for them to have the place almost to themselves to talk as freely as possible with one another. Hunsen, on one side of the table, was listening to Horin and how after their last encounter with each other at Starfleet Academy had gone down with her mother. “It was never my intention to upset or hurt her.”

Raising her head to stop him from apologising anymore, Horin just shook her head. “Don’t worry Tremt, it got her off my back for the rest of my life about getting married and coming home to Mellstoxx during my last couple of years of training had helped too.”

“Is that when you and Max broke things off?” He questioned before finishing the contents of his glass of wine.

She nodded, “It was. We both came here to do our training, but I soon realised that he was just career driven as I was and that neither of us really had much time for a relationship. My mother was disappointed as she saw that he was the next best thing to marry, being the son of an admiral and Starfleet captain, we soon broke it off before he went to the Vendetta and I took a posting on Deep Space Five.”

“So when did you return to Mellstoxx?” Hunsen asked as he topped up his glass and did the same for Horin.

“About seven years ago, I just completed a tour on the Parliament and instead of accepting a position on the Vesta I felt like it was best to try something else and the teaching position came up. I was given the chance to help with the teaching of those who had received their commission and were in the final segments of their training.” Horin shared, “It’s how I know Samris. He was in one of the first classes I taught.”

“And they say it’s a large galaxy.” Hunsen returned as he picked up his glass again. “So did you ever settle down?”

Shaking her head, Horin just looked at the man opposite to her. “No.” She replied, looking a bit coy. “I never really found the rightman.” She shrugged her shoulders. “What about you?”

“Same, never found the right person.” Hunsen stated.

“I hear Max is with you Command Senior Chief though?” She checked as she swirled her wine around in its glass.

Nodding to confirm, Hunsen answered her. “Yeah, that one came out of the blue but Max seems to be really happy with Tobias. Their time on the Quirennal seemed to have made them closer, plus they took the two boys under their wing. He’s pretty much a family man now.”

“Talking about family, my mother would go mad if she ever found out we were here together tonight.” Horin remarked with a smirk. “She would think we were planning something behind her back.”

Chuckling at that notion, Hunsen agreed with her assessment. “Probably,” He said. “Let’s just see where the night takes us with our planning then.”

“Agreed.” She replied as she raised her glass towards his glass and they both clinked them together, more laughter followed. For the rest of the evening they enjoyed rekindling their former friendship and just seeing catching up with one another.

Not expecting to find a huge bouquet of flowers waiting for her on her arrival into her office, Counsellor Horin smiled as she approached them and noticed they were Muktok mixed with Uttaroses. Both plants smelt sweet and the Muktok made a beautiful chiming noise as it was touched. Looking at the note attached to it, Horin smiled at the words.

“To the reunification of the Fourth and Seventh Houses. – Love TBH x”

Shaking her head as well as smirking at Hunsen’s comment, they had joked the evening before about faking a reunion just to find out how Horin’s mother would react to the news of their dinner together. As she placed the flowers into a vase and filled it with water the door chime went off and she looked over her right shoulder. “Come in.” She announced.

The door opened allowing for her next patient to come in: Lukiz Jen. The joined Trill officer poked his head in. “I know I’m early ma’am, but I was worried about being late and not finding the complex in time.”

Smiling still at her guest, Horin placed the vase down on the coffee table between her chair and the sofas she had encouraged her patients to use. “No, do not worry at all, Mister Jen. Please come in and make yourself comfortable.”

Settling into the same couch that others had used in the past day, Odyssey’s chief operation officer sat comfortably with his hands grasped together on his lap. “Those are lovely.” He pointed at the flower arrangement she had just placed down. “That looks like Uttaroses with Muktok.”

“You’ve got a good eye for Betazoid flowers.” Horin stated as she picked up her PADD to take notes before sitting down.

“It’s not mine,” Jen answered. “Daubin, my previous host, had an amateur interest in botany.”

Remembering that Jen’s previous host was a counsellor, Horin remained smiling in a pleasant tone. “Well he must have had a good memory to recall flowers and their species.” She said, “So, shall we begin?”

Nodding with approval, Jen looked at the counsellor. “Please.”

“We need to discuss your time on the Quirennal, everything you share with me will be in the strictest confidence unless anything you share-”

“-breaks any Starfleet protocols or incriminates me in actions that are not expected of a Starfleet officer. I know the phrase all too well, ma’am.” Jen interrupted with.

“Indeed,” Horin stated as she looked at her notes to see the types of questions she had for Jen. “Before we proceed though, I want to make it clear that however much I respect what previous hosts mean to joined Trill, I must insist that Daubin does not take over and it’s Lukiz who I speak to.”

“I understand ma’am.” Jen said, sounding a bit sheepish that he had shown off with Daubin’s memories.

“Talk to me about your time on the Quirennal, your role after Captain McCallister made the decision for you all to remain on the ship while others returned.” Horin started with.

“For someone who has been a parent in a previous life, I was a bit surprised I didn’t pass whatever test Captain Jyster made to determine who would become a parent or carer to the young people. Instead I was placed into a more mentor role for a group of older teenagers.” Jen explained.

Glancing down at the report filed by the Trill, Horin reminded herself of what he had said about it all. “Yes that’s right, you and a few others lived in accommodation in what you called the Halls of Residence? Explain to me what that was about.”

“Well originally we were told by Captain Jyster that due to the high number of young people she had, there was not enough of us to care for all of her children, so those who she deemed to be close to adulthood would be placed into their own dorms, almost like what cadets are given in their first couple of years at the academy. A group of them, no more than about six shared a room and then from there she assigned a few of us to be their mentors.” Jen explained. “We checked in on them, made sure they got themselves up every morning and ready to attend classes, then we ended up organising different activities during the evenings to do with them or giving them time to socialise with each other.”

“How did you find that experience?” Horin quizzed.

Considering the question for a moment, Jen pondered carefully about it. “At the time I suppose I took the captain’s position on it, the fact is to us they were real and these young people needed us to care for them. I suppose I found the relationships I built with my little squad,” He looked at her and smiled briefly, “that’s what I called them. I did grow fond of them and when we started to privately discuss our escape plan, there was a part of me that wanted to ensure they came with us.”

Horin nodded as she showed she understood what Jen was sharing. “And now that you look back with what you know, can you tell me Lukiz how that makes you feel?”

“Angry.” He quickly answered with. “Angry that with all of the experience I have, not just as Lukiz but with everything else I know from my previous hosts, that I didn’t catch on sooner that they weren’t real.”

“I’m sure you’re not the only one who feels that way, Lukiz.” Horin said with a reassuring smile. “It is perfectly fine for you to feel that way. It’s a natural emotional response to the situation.”

“However, the more and more I think about those kids on my squad, part of me just wishes I could have bottled up their programs and had saved them somehow. We could have transferred them to Odyssey and their memories, their lives, would still exist. I feel guilty that we couldn’t have done more for them.”

“It’s interesting you use the term guilty, can you expand further on that for me please?” Horin asked as she sat further straight in her chair, showing she was listening intently.

Standing up and wandering up and down beside the sofa, the joined Trill rubbed his face as he tried to think about the words he needed to use to explain it all. “I suppose the system engineer in me has been able to reflect on what we now know and if there had been some clue that we could have spotted sooner, then I reckon I could have found a way to save them. I mean everything that Captain Jyster had built was based on real life. Each one of those advanced isomorphs or holograms, whatever you call them, were based on actual young people that she had on her crew. Their memories, their thoughts, everything she had about them is now lost to oblivion.”

“Do you honestly think under the circumstances you were all in that saving their programs would have been possible?” Horin asked next.

Shrugging his shoulders as he sat back down, he just didn’t know. “Maybe, I’d like to think we could have found a way if we had the opportunity. That whole moment just seemed to have passed us by so quickly, it felt like we were flying at warp nine that everything just happened and before I knew it we were saved and back on Odyssey.”

“It sounds like you are frustrated at not being able to memorialise those you become attached to.” Horin offered.

“In some ways, yeah I suppose I am. I mean we spent two months with them, every single day of our lives from the moment we were awake in the mornings to late at evening.” Jen stated. “I sat up one night giving one of those kids my advice on life and sharing my own experiences with them, but it was all for nothing. So I just feel that if we had saved their programs, then in some ways…maybe our time there would have been worth it. It’s just knowing that the impact I had was…well for nothing just doesn’t sit right with me. There’s no justification at the loss of life, there’s no sense of redemption for the choices that Captain Jyster made. She let those kids die so her own would live. There could have been some way we could have ensured their sacrifice gave some meaning. Am I making sense?”

“Perfect sense.” agreed Horin. “When we experience a mass loss of life, it certainly makes us reconsider our decisions that we made when we knew those people. Again, it’s perfectly normal to feel and react like that.”

“It makes me think back to my time during the Dominion War.” Jen shared, he stopped himself and realised what he said. “Sorry, I meant Razrim’s experience. I’ll stop, sorry.” He became flustered with himself.

Curious to the mild slip up, Horin encouraged Jen to share more. “Do tell me more about Razrim’s experience.”

“Razrim was the host of the Jen symbiont before Daubin, she served in Starfleet as well, in security in fact. She was assigned to the U-S-S Rhapsody and she experienced losing a number of her colleagues during the Second Battle of Chin’toka. For weeks she experienced a sense of survivor’s guilt, maybe I’m going through the same thing.”

“Only I’m allowed to make those assessments.” Horin interjected. “Lukiz, do you mind if I ask how Daubin received the Jen host?”

Nodding, Jen shared the story of his symbiont freely. “Razrim was injured during the Battle of Cardassia while she served on the Malinche. Daubin was serving on the Malinche too, he had already passed the assessments to become a Trill host and was waiting for symbiont, so when Jen needed a new host, the Trill Symbiosis Commission picked him.” He paused. “And before you say it, yes the trauma of losing two hosts who were serving in the line of duty could be a lot for a symbiont. I’ve undergone a lot of counselling, therapy and support to help Jen.” The ops officer placed a hand over his stomach, an almost protective instinct.

“Yes, I saw that in your record. You served under Captain McCallister during your joining when Daubin was killed on the Triton.” Horin said as she read her PADD.

“The Triton was my first assignment and Captain McCallister was very accommodating in giving me the time I needed to take a sabbatical to deal with my joining.” Jen replied. “I owe him as he ensured I had a career to return to when I was ready to.”

“Do you have a strong sense of loyalty to him?” Horin asked.

“I do.” Jen said before smirking. “I know that technique, next you plan to ask me if I agreed with his decision to negotiate with Captain Jyster which may then lead to further questioning over what I felt about it all.”

“I hope that’s Lukiz speaking and not Daubin.” Horin commented. “Entertain me though with your response to that though.”

“I don’t blame the captain for making the decision he made. For all we knew Captain Jyster could have destroyed Odyssey in a blink of an eye and we would all still be captured and lost forever. That’s not how I want the Jen legacy to end. Captain McCallister made a decision that would ensure everyone survived.”

“And did you survive?” Horin checked.

“We did. Things could have been a lot worse for us.” Jen mentioned. “We could have been chained up for two months, with no food or water.”

“Tell me more about your escape plan, who came up with that?” Horin asked next. “And how were you involved?”

“It was a collective decision, I suppose Cline led more on the tactical side of it, but my priority was to assist with finding a quick way to remove Captain Jyster’s abilities to stop us.” Jen said. “Cline was adamant we could do it. He was a good source of motivation while we were trapped there.”

“Cline Lenjir?” Horin asked for clarity of which Jen just nodded to her. “I see you both were at the Academy together. Are you two close?”

“We are and we were at the academy with T’Rani too. The three of us were picked by Commander Cambil to join her when Captain McCallister took command of the Triton and later on we were brought onto the Odyssey to serve together.”

“What type of things did Cline do to motivate you?” Horin asked.

Chuckling somewhat, Jen considered just how much he would share and then he realised he may be asked back at another time. “Cline is like a brother to me, just like T’Rani is like a sister. We’ve been through a lot together and the two of them were especially there when I joined with the Jen symbiont. However, I suppose because both of us were made these mentors, Cline and I just got on with it. He’s pretty much a positive guy anyway, but I know I could depend on him whenever, I hope he feels the same way. He is a truly good friend.”

Horin smirked a bit, “Without trying to read your mind Lukiz, I could sense there’s more you wish to share. I’m sorry but your thinking is quite loud.”

Embarrassed at that fact, Jen closed his eyes and winced at it. “Cline is a good wing-man. It’s a human phrase about a friend who helps you out with your love life.”

“Oh right, so he has supported you through your love life?” Horin assumed.

“Somewhat, yeah.” admitted Jen. “You see, before I joined I was dating a fellow crewmate and after Jen was part of me, that relationship changed. Ever since it’s always been a bit difficult with that person, however while we were on the Quirennal that person’s love life was revealed to the entire crew.”

“So that was awkward for you, I suppose your crewmates knew about your history.” Horin surmised from what she had gathered so far.

Nodding once again, Jen elaborated about the situation further. “I was with Tobias Court back when we first joined the Triton. We’ve always had an on/off relationship but it’s not apparent he has moved on to someone else. The whole revelation was a bit of a sting to the heart but Cline was there to keep me going.”

“Why was it a sting?” Horin asked.

Wincing, Jen wobbled his head side to side for a bit before answering. “He’s with Commander Duncan now, with him being our first officer it’s just hard not to be reminded about the time I had with Tobias.”

Not commenting on the fact she knew of Duncan on a personal level, Horin kept her professional pose. “Does their relationship revelation prevent you from doing your job?”

Shaking his head now, Jen gave out a flat out ‘no’ in response. The Trill smoothed out the green khaki top he wore. “It came out of the blue and I am happy for Tobias. I take responsibility for us breaking up as I had become a new person and couldn’t cope with any relationship I was in. I had to return to Trill to deal with my joining, but seeing Tobias with Commander Duncan, especially being a family unit with Captain Jyster’s sons, made me realise that could have been me with him. So maybe it’s a bit of jealousy, a bit of regret but nothing that stops me from being a Starfleet officer and doing my duties.”

Interested to see where she could poke with Jen, Horin probed further with him. “Lukiz, did you ever feel lonely while on the Quirennal?”

About to say ‘no’, Jen stopped himself and he could hear Daubin speaking to him for a moment. “Maybe.” He finally answered with.

Shrugging his shoulders and tapping his fingers against his knees, the man before her appeared not to want to share anything. This was the first of her patients from the Odyssey who was not as forthcoming as she had hoped. 

Sighing quietly, Counsellor Horin twitched her nose as she looked down at her padd to quickly skim over the service record of the officer she had before her. 

Cline Lenjir had served under Captain McCallister ever since he graduated from the academy. First posting was on the Triton, followed by the Odyssey. A steady career progression through the ranks from being an ensign on the gamma shift before moving his way up to a senior position now as a lieutenant commander. 

“Are you certain Cline, there’s nothing you want to share or discuss from your time on the Quirennal?” Horin attempted to get through to the Tiburonian again.

Shaking his head, Lenjir just simply answered back with a simple response. “No, thank you ma’am.”

Her time as a counsellor had taught her that when a patient didn’t want to share anything, then they had something to share. Horin had to find another way around this. She had another twenty minutes left of her session with Odyssey’s chief security and tactical officer and she was now contemplating ordering him to attend a second session. 

For a moment she just sat there in silence and looked at him with a neutral expression.

He returned the same look.

Lenjir was an attractive man. It was obvious he looked after his physical appearance by the outline of the muscles hanging from his arms. His eyes glinted like black beetles complimented by his satiny brown skin. Though bald, his cranial ridges pointed upwards but they did not make him look fierce, just the opposite in fact. He wore a battered maroon jacket over a sun bleached button-down shirt with black almost skin tight trousers. His leather boots were creased and soft with age. Remaining still, almost like a statue, Lenjir kept his mouth closed in a thin straight line. However, Horin certainly believed this was not the real man she had heard from her other patients. Annoyingly, she couldn’t say anything about him as she could be seen as breaking patient confidentiality. 

Breaking the silence, Horin implored the use of pure closed questioning, just to see if she could evoke some sort of response out of him that would start a conversation. “I understand from your own report and others, that you were critical in the captain’s escape plans?”

“That’s correct ma’am.” Lenjir said.

“Describe to me what that involved.” Horin told him with a stern face. “And by that I mean what you had to do.”

“I assessed potential avenues of escape.” He answered. “I observed and assessed our environment to find a route that would help us safely return to the Odyssey.”

Vanquishing her desire to scream at him and pull rank, she tried another attempt. “Cline, have you ever been imprisoned?”

“No ma’am.”

“What do you think it may include?” She asked as she got up and headed to her replicator and ordered herself a mug of hot chocolate. She purposely didn’t offer him a drink.

Considering the question for a few seconds, he eventually answered her. “Losing one’s ability to make choices for themselves. The loss of freedom.”

“It’s interesting you say that.” Horin said, taking her mug and bringing it back to her chair that she was previously sitting in. “As from what I read in your report, you didn’t appear to think that any of that had taken place.”

Confused by her comment, Lenjir looked at the counsellor. “I think I disagree with that assessment, ma’am.”

Sipping on her mug as she sat down, she shook her head as she put the hot beverage down on the glass coffee table beside her and reached for the PADD with his report on it. “I can assure you, Cline, I’ve read your report and not once have you used the word imprisonment or words to that effect. If anyone else did not know what really happened, they would assume you were all guests on the Quirennal.”

 “I will then review it and make amendments.” Lenjir responded with. 

“Please do, as I’d like to know why the security chief of one of Starfleet’s most advanced starships did not consider placing a review of what measures might want to be in place for future similar incidents based on what he learnt.” Horin stated, still looking at the PADD with his report in it. “From what I can gather, you enjoyed the time to work out while on the Quirennal and the challenge of finding an escape route.”

He eventually let his guard down. 

Lenjir clenched his fists and jawline as he reacted. “With all due respect ma’am, I think that is an unfair assessment of my work.”

“Then tell me more, tell me what I need to know about what happened and why Odyssey’s security chief didn’t do more to protect his crew from the dangers imposed by a deranged hologram that deceived an entire crew into believing they were caring for a large group of alien youngsters.” Horin continued to push. 

Raising his left hand to his chin, the annoyance was now apparent across his expression as he first attempted to hide it by leaning his closed fist over his mouth. An almost physical barrier to him from speaking. “It’s hard to put into words.” He let out. 

“Try me.” Horin insisted as she placed the PADD down and picked up her drink again. “Tell me how I’m wrong about your actions.”

“It wasn’t exactly a textbook operation. The captain insisted on using as many people to explore the ship prior to our kidnaping. I should have protested more. It left Odyssey vulnerable.” Lenjir stated. 

“From the reports I’ve read, I don’t think it matters where anyone else was. Captain Jyster had a powerful transporting system that could by-pass the ship’s shields.” Horin said. “But keep going.”

“There was nothing else to compare our situation to. Never had anyone else had to explore a huge area to gain more intel on what was happening.” Lenjir said. “So we were making up the whole thing as we went with it.”

“Not true,” She shot down. “Just over thirty years ago, the Enterprise-D encountered a rogue sect of Borg drones on a planet far from Federation space. To investigate the whereabouts of a missing officer on an alien world, a skeleton crew was left behind while others searched the planet the ship orbited.”

“That was different.” Cline protested. 

“How? It was an alien environment, up against a powerful foe while a majority of the crew were off the ship.” Horin stated back. “So I ask again Mister Lenjir, why have you not included any recommendations to your captain in your official report for future similar away missions?”

“Because…because…” He stumbled out with. “Because there was nothing I could have done and I failed in my job, for the first time and I should be punished for it.”

Lenjir leant forward placing his head into his hands. 

Victory Horin thought to herself. She finally got something out of him. “Talk to me more about this failure, Cline.”

Looking up from his hands, the annoyance he now felt was plastered across his face. “Even though we eventually were able to beat her, there was just nothing we could get past Captain Jyster initially. It was like she was everywhere and every tactic in the book we tried she would appear to be able to countermand it.” 

“So what changed?” Horin probed. 

“I suppose the captain’s decision to agree to her terms, to wait the entire thing out until we had an opportunity.” Lenjir reflected. He looked at her with his dark eyes. “So that’s why there’s no recommendations in my report, as the captain already had them in his back pocket. He didn’t need me to come up with a plan or a strategy, he just needed me to play my part with what he was doing already.”

“You make it sound like that was a bad thing?” Horin questioned. “Do you not trust the captain’s judgement?”

“I do,” Lenjir said defensively. “I really do, it was just uncomfortable to have to wait and literally sit on my hands. I suppose being made one of the mentors for the young adults that Jyster assigned to us wasn’t as engaging compared to the others who literally became parents.”

“I don’t suppose you have any insights as to why you think Jyster did that?” Horin wondered, she was typing her notes as she asked.

“I could easily say she thought I could be more of a harm to her if I was in such a role, but I think it was more like a punishment.” Lenjir answered.

Interested to know why he used that phrase there, Horin encouraged him to explain further why he saw it that way.

“I look at the likes of T’Rani, Samris and even Commander Duncan and Chief Court. They were all given a family unit and made to form a clone bond with those they were caring for. Those youngsters depended on them, but the ones I had as well as the ones that Lukiz and Commander Hunsen were placed with, none of them truly needed us. It was almost like Captain Jyster was purposely keeping us at arm’s length. Close but not too close. It made me angry.”

“Angry? Did you not take some satisfaction in the relationships you did develop with those young people?” Horin asked. 

“At the time, yes I suppose I did as I believed they were real but it made me angry that I was not considered good enough to be seen in a full time parental role.” Lenjir admitted. “I suppose that’s why I tried to focus on getting us out of there, but I couldn’t even do that right. I was like a useless add-on.”

“It must have been difficult, Cline.” Horin paused as she looked at her time. “I’d like us to revisit this and conduct another meeting while you’re still here on Mellstoxx, if you’d like?”

Accepting her offer with a nod, Lenjir thanked her for her time. 

“You need time to process all of this and I definitely recommend you speak to your colleagues you feel are the closest to who were in a similar position as you on the Quirennal or those that were left on the Odyssey. It might help you think through your issues more.” Horin advised. 

Lenjir got up and departed from her office. 

She pondered just how much support Lenjir might need and placed a note on his case to ensure her secretary followed up with booking in another appointment. Her work here was far from over.       

Knowing that this meeting was inevitable, Tomaz paused before he tapped the door chime to the office he now stood outside. The friendly receptionist has guided him to the place and now he was by himself not sure if he wanted to go in. 

He had to go in. There was no choice. 

“Come in.” The soft voice of Counsellor Horin echoed through the intercom.

Stepping through, once the door opened, Tomaz took in a breath and entered. “Hello Counsellor.” 

“Lieutenant Tomaz, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” Horin welcomed him and offered for him to take a seat on one of the multiple seats she had available for him. Sitting in one of the armchairs, she smiled sweetly at home.

Feeling somewhat assured by her friendly disposition, Tomaz took the armchair opposite to her. “It’s nice to meet you too, counsellor.”

Once he was sitting and appeared more relaxed, Horin sat up straight and began the session. “Lieutenant, the purpose of this session is for us to discuss your time on the Quirennal.” After getting an approving nod from him, she carried on. “So I’d like to discuss what I’ve read from your own personal account and report of what happened. Talk to me about Jeddie.”

Taking another breath in, Tomaz kept his posture as he answered her. “He was the child I was given to care for.”

“How old was he?” Horin asked.

“Six.” Tomaz asked, as he stared at the floor.

“Tell me what he looked like. Hair colour, eyes, etc.” Horin said, smiling still as she tried to get more out of Odyssey’s chief strategic operations officer.

“He had the most platinum blonde hair, it was almost white under the right lighting.” Tomas explained, as he spoke a smile grew on him. “He never would let me style it, he liked the fact it just naturally went a certain way along with the odd curls he had on top. He had blue eyes with a hint of green, just like mine. The most adorable dimples when he smiled or laughed.”

Noticing his reaction, Horin could see that Tomaz had grown a strong attachment with the child. “What type of things did you do together?”

“Most of them were around being outside and being active.” He answered. “I suppose coming from Barzan where my folks were always working, I never had those opportunities, so doing those with Jeddie was something special.”

Reflecting his smile, Horin could really see how much this whole situation must have been affecting the lieutenant. “In your report, you stated that you spent some time with Counsellor Samris and Lieutenant Commander T’Rani’s company as they also had young children to care for.”

Confirming that fact with a nod, Tomaz explained to her how the three of them had shared tips and tricks with their children, the different playdates they had arranged and how busy they had become with it all. 

“And what about now?” Horin asked, posing the one question she knew may be difficult for him to hear, let alone consider.

He didn’t answer, just shrugged his shoulders and sat back in the chair. It was almost like he was waving the whole thing off. A surrender. A sense of giving up. There was nothing. “I don’t know how to feel.” He started. “At first after we were rescued, I was angry that Jeddie wasn’t returned to the Odyssey with me. I mean, he was literally in my arms one moment and then the next…gone.” He could feel the tears forming. “My heart just felt so heavy, like someone had just rammed a bat’leth in it and left it there. Then when we were told that all of the children, besides Captain Jyster’s, were not real and just holograms…it just hurts.” Looking at Horin with a pained expression, he kept it together. “He was real though.”

“Absolutely.” Horin said, taking a breath. She could feel the strong emotions of devastation, loss, anger and sadness radiating from the Barzan man. “You spent two months, that’s sixty days with a child you came to the conclusion you would be with forever.”

“He called me dad.” Tomaz said as he pushed away the tears with the back of his hand. Shaking his head, trying to remove himself from this situation, Tomaz couldn’t but help feel the way he was feeling. “I’ve heard about people becoming obsessed with their favourite holographic characters, but this I cannot explain. At you know what hurts the most?”

“Tell me Tomaz.”

“I didn’t feel guilty about enjoying my time with Jeddie or being away from the Odyssey.” He admitted. “I know I should have worked harder to leave and the captain’s escape plan was that pull down to reality that I needed, however I had seen the end result of us all being on the Odyssey.”

“You and Jeddie?” Horin checked.

He nodded as he placed his head into his hands. “I’m sorry.” He mumbled. 

“You have nothing to apologise for here, Tomaz.” Horin said as she got up and got her patient a glass of cold water from the replicator. She offered him the drink after returning to him, he accepted with a smile and took a sip from it. 

“If there’s nothing else that you take away from this session, then make sure you take this away with you.” She said as she sat down closer to him. “You formed that attachment to that child, thinking you two would be together. You followed your captain’s orders in dealing with the situation you were all in to ensure you survived. You made the greatest sacrifice for your crew, you formed a relationship with an alien child who needed you to care for him. In your eyes, he was real and he was real. You placed your heart on the line so that Captain Jyster did not use the power she had to hurt anyone else.”

Tomaz just nodded as he listened to her. 

“Tomaz, for what it’s worth I think you made one hell of a dad. No parent should feel guilty for putting their child first, even those who were unexpected and turn out of the blue. Those memories, those feelings, everything you did with Jeddie are real and no-one can take those away from you.” Horin stated. “He was your son and will always have a special place in your heart. Remember that. Remember the time spend with him.”

“It’s just not fair.” Tomaz said after a few seconds. “He was six years old and that bitch of a hologram killed him to save her sons.”

“There is definitely room here for anger for the injustice, but it is important you don’t resent Jorgeh and Wylem for living. They had no choice in the matter.” Horin advised.

“I don’t blame them, as you said they were bystanders in this whole thing.” Tomaz said. “I just wish I was able to bring Jeddie home.”

“To Barzan?”

“To the Odyssey.” He corrected.

“How come?” Horin quizzed.

Scratching the back of his head, Tomaz admitted one more thing to her. “I really enjoyed being a dad and I loved him. I loved the person I became with him in my life.”

Lying on top of the huge king size bed that was in their bedroom, James McCallister was wearing only his lounge bottoms as he prepared for bed. After a few days docked at Starbase Bravo and seeing the amount of repair crews going about their business of fixing his ship, tomorrow he and the rest of his family would finally depart to take their vacation down to Mellstoxx III. The news they were leaving the ship had gone down like a led balloon with their sons, none of them were interested at first and then when their friends were reporting they were leaving, all three of them were displeased to hear they would be one of the last to leave the ship. 

“Sometimes it sucks being the captain’s son.” Theo had moaned before he had headed to bed. Finding out his best friend, Duke, would not be able to stay with them any longer since his parents had returned home had also annoyed him. As a result Theo and Duke’s plans to go down to the planet by themselves had quickly been ruined by their parents.

Reading a latest update from one of the yeomen under Rear Admiral Bennet, it stated that every civilian on his crew had accepted to undertake counselling. The horrors of their time in captivity on that godforsaken alien ark was one he really wanted to forget soon. Stifling a yawn, he switched the PADD off and placed it down on his bedside cabinet and noticed the book he had been reading before he was kidnapped was still there. About to pick it up and carry on reading it, he stopped and realised that it was getting late and his wife had not come to bed yet. That was unlike her, but in the last two month or so, she had not been her usual self. Though they were able to reconcile their differences to enact their escape plan, there was still some unwarranted tension between them. He had hoped that with time and trying to get back into a normal routine that things would go back to the way they were. 

He hoped.

Pushing himself up and off the bed, he walked over to a nearby chair that had one of his tops lying across it and picked it. Walking out of the room and pulling the top over his head, he made his way downstairs and could hear Karyn’s mumbling coming from their study. Walking across their living room, he could hear her voice a lot clearer.

“How bad is the incoming storm?” Reyas asked the screen she was working on. A white light reflected against her face as she stared at it. 

Another familiar voice came through on the other side of the screen. “It’s getting worse from what our long range scans show us, but our requests to be evacuated have gone unanswered. I’m sorry to reach out Karyn, but I don’t know who else to call.”

Shaking her head, she had not seen her husband standing in the doorway yet, Karyn became a bit distressed at hearing that. “Mom don’t be silly, I’ll see if there’s anything I can do.”

“Maybe get my son-in-law to put in a good word? Surely James has some sway with the admiralty?” spoke Najra Reyas. 

“James, like me, has been relieved of duty, mom.” Karyn stated.

Hearing his name being mentioned, McCallister stepped further and approached his wife. “Everything okay, Karyn?”

Noticing him straight away, Karyn looked up above the computer screen and gave him a very brief warm smile as he approached her. “I’m speaking to my mother.”

Coming around the desk, James placed himself just behind the chair that Karyn was sitting in and placed his arm against the back of it and saw the face of his mother-in-law on the screen. Najra Reyas was a well-educated woman who had lived a long and illustrious life. One of the few El-Aurians who survived the evacuation of her homeworld a long time ago, she had assimilated into human culture quite quickly. She held herself with an almost regal manner, but she was not stuffy with her attitude or mannerism. The complete opposite in fact. A very open and loving woman. A pure optimist at heart, she was someone who always tried her best to avoid conflict and where she could help mediate between others she knew, she would. Her interest in archaeology, a passion that Karyn had inherited from her, had peeked in the last decade or so. Now she was a professor and was enjoying the opportunities to dig in some of the most famous sites where past civilisations and their treasure of their time were buried. As a member of the Federation Archaeology Council, she had written a number of papers on a range of subjects ever since she had taken her passion into an actual career. Though she loved art and being an artist had been her first love, discovering history had re-invigorated her. That said, her family always came first, as Karyn was her only daughter she was always happy to speak to her, James and her grandsons. Once a week she would either write or call them. Hearing one of her anecdotes had become a tradition in the McCallister-Reyas household. 

So seeing her in distress now, upset James but he could see the worry and concern spread on Karyn’s face. “Najra, are you okay?”

Shaking her head and smiling at her son-in-law, the older woman appeared to be more at ease at seeing him along with her daughter. “James, my team and I were going through an old dig site when this storm hit the area. We’re trapped. Can you help get us out?”

“Of course, but which planet is it Najra?” He asked. 

Her image fuzzed out a bit before it cleared up again. “We’re on the eighth moon orbiting Damarchus Four. We’re on the farside of the Paulson Nebula. I don’t think our shields will protect us. Plus I’m certain we may encounter a cave in. There’s been a lot of seismic instability on this moon.”

“Do you not have a ship of your own?” McCallister wondered. 

Nodding and shaking her head almost at the same, she explained her situation further. “We were part of a joint-expedition. Our other team was studying some ruins on another planet, deeper in the nebula but we couldn’t reach them. I’ve put a request in for someone to search for them, but no-one is getting back to me.”

Looking as worried as Karyn had been, James felt for his mother-in-law’s predicament. “Hang tight Najra, we’ll see what we can do for you.”

“Thank you James. Give a kiss to those handsome grandsons of mine.” She smiled, showing her appreciation before cutting the call. 

Standing up instantly, Karyn moved out of the chair and headed out of the study. Confused about what she was doing, James followed her. “Karyn, what are you doing?”

“Getting ready to go and rescue my mother.” She answered as she made her way up the curved spiral staircase to the upstairs. 

Still following in her wake, James still tried to understand what she was doing. “Karyn, we don’t have a ship to go in. The best course of action is to raise this with Admiral Bennet, at least.”

“I’m not waiting for him to make a decision.” She snapped back as she made her way into their room and began putting together a bag of clothes. As she packed she looked at him, “The Telemachus wasn’t damaged in our rescue and does not require to undertake a baryon sweep. I’ll lead a crew from there.”

“We don’t have a crew to man her.” McCallister reminded her. “Our crew have all been relieved of duty, that includes its chief science officer.”

“Then the admiral can place me back on active duty and I’ll request a crew from Starbase Bravo.” She replied back in a harsh tone as she placed some more clothes into her bag. “She’s my mother James, I’m not leaving her to die out there when I can help. Now either help me or get out of my way.”

“Are you two fighting again?” came the question from the doorway which had Alfie, Theo and Henri all standing there. Alfie had been the one to ask.

Turning to look at his sons, all of them were wearing similar loungewear like him. Alfie wore his usual black vest and shorts, Henri just wore red boxer shorts while Theo had a white long sleeved top and grey lounge pants on. Wincing at them, James didn’t want them to hear the exchange. Shaking his head, he explained that they weren’t fighting. “Your grandmother is trapped on a planet. We’re trying to find a way we can help her and her team.”

“Grandma Najra?” Theo checked, which resulted in him getting a nod from his father.

All three boys looked at one another, sharing concerned looks. “Is she going to be okay?”

“She will be if your father pulls in a favour or two to help.” Karyn said in a certain tone that didn’t hide her feelings towards him. Leaving the room, she headed into their en-suite bathroom. 

“Dad, you gotta help grandma.” Henri insisted.

“I will.” James replied. “Can you three go back to bed and let your mother and I deal with this.”

Reluctantly they moved away and back down the corridor towards their own respective bedrooms. 

James watched as the last one entered their room and the doors closed before turning back to Karyn as she re-entered the room with more items to pack. “That’s not fair, you can’t speak to me like that in front of the boys.”

“Get over yourself James.” Karyn spat back out. “You’re relieved, you’re not the captain now. You’re my husband and their father. So what they see their parents argue. It’s perfectly natural.” She stopped in her tracks. “So are you going to call the admiral or not?”

Shaking his head at her attitude, he raised his hands at her to show he was giving up arguing with her and left the room. Heading back downstairs he placed the call into the admiral.

Half an hour later and Karyn was walking out of their quarters. James watched her go, without saying goodbye to him or the boys. Admiral Bennet had agreed, especially after Karyn had stepped in and reminded him that his mother was El-Aurian as where other members of the team she led and as her people were limited in numbers then it was Starfleet’s duties to ensure that they rescued them to avoid her species from going extinct. Playing on the admiral’s heartstring, late at night especially, had not gone down well with him. However he could not find an alternative, but told Reyas she could lead the mission, however it did not get her out of being assessed by Counsellor Horin. He would also pick the crew to help her and if her acting chief medical officer thought that Reyas was unable to fulfil her duties as commanding officer he would support them relieving Reyas of her duties. Karyn agreed without blinking at his words. It was obvious she wanted to get off the Odyssey. 

And far from her marriage.  

“The logical choice of action is to accept that they are gone but to also to accept they were truly never there.” T’Rani said in a deadpan tone. “I do not see the value of reminiscing over the time spent with the isomorphic projections of the children we were instructed to care for.”

Vulcan cold and heartless logic. 

Years of working with colleagues who were Vulcans and supporting Vulcan patients had taught Horin that there was no point in trying to ever remind Vulcans that exploring their emotions was a good thing. Most of them believed that after  kolinahr their emotions were gone. 

T’Rani came across as an intelligent woman in her insights so far, but this one particular subject around the three children she and Counsellor Samris had co-cared for was one she didn’t want to discuss and review in anyway. 

Breathing in once, then twice, Horin eventually countered. “T’Rani, there is value in discussing what happened. You, Samris and other members of the crew were compelled to endure an action that was forced upon you without your consent while you were imprisoned.” She raised her hand up to prevent the Vulcan pilot from interrupting her as she continued. “One it is your duty to report on the matter to Starfleet, something I see you have not completed unlike your colleagues and two for you to resume your duties this assessment must be carried out to determine the impact your imprisonment has had on you. In my professional expertise and assessment of your situation, this is one of the crucial elements that I need to hear about and understand to properly assess you to be fit to return to duty.”

Inhaling deeply, the Vulcan pilot relented and agreed with a simple nod. “Very well counsellor. Where do you want to begin?”

Smiling at her victory, Horin picked up her PADD and prepared to begin writing her notes. “As always, from the beginning when you and Samris were told you would be looking after Mexie, Carleth and Amioko.”

“Captain Jyster informed us we would become a family unit shortly after the crew were placed into the valley of the Quirennal and Captain McCallister had concluded his negotiations. I understand clearly the logic of the captain’s decision to agree to us remaining on board to ensure everyone remained alive. In comparison to what we were being asked to do was not something that would cause long term physical pain to us. We had certain freedoms and were not placed in any form of jail. We were just not allowed to leave the designated area we were assigned to. The advanced technology that the ship had was enough of a deterrent, in my opinion, for us to take our time to truly analyse the situation we were in.” T’Rani shared from the armchair she was sitting in and considered her next words carefully. “On reflection, and this is something I have shared with Counsellor Samris and Lieutenant Tomaz, I believe if we did not take on the guardianship of the three children, then our whole situation would have been much more difficult to manage.”

“It’s interesting you say that, what was it about you being in the role of a mother to three alien children that made your captivity more manageable to deal with?” Horin probed as she listened carefully to the response. 

“As the children were of a young age, their actions were highly illogical, irrational and empowered by pure emotions. To paraphrase Lieutenant Tomaz, the time spent getting to know the children made being stuck there easier to cope with.” T’Rani explained. “Until they rested in the evening, one did not have the time to stop and truly reflect on our forced imprisonment. Parenthood was thrusted upon us without a moment to stop and think about it.”

“Talk to me about being a parent to these three particular children.” Horin stated. “I know they were advanced isomorphs, or holograms, but I assume that both you and Samris formed some connections with them if you were distracted by their actions.”

“Your assumption is correct, counsellor.” T’Rani answered. “I found Mexie’s obsession to want to explore everything compelling while Carleth had a flare for being artistic and Amioko was inquisitive in all that we did as a group. Samris always stated that this was what parenthood should be like and this was confirmed by Doctor Slyvexs and her husband on more than one occasion. I found Doctor Slyvexs’ insights on matters pertaining to parenthood to be insightful and helpful.”

“What do you now think about not dealing with Mexie’s obsession of exploring everything, Carleth’s artistic skills or Amioko’s inquisitive nature?” Horin asked. 

Her left eyebrow rose up into a typical Vulcan manner as she considered the question carefully. “It is still early days, but their absence has been perplexing to adjust to.” T’Rani remarked. “Since our return to the Odyssey, I have found myself waking up and reminding myself to return to my old routine.”

“So you are missing them.” Horin stated. 

Taking a breath in again, T’Rani considered the counsellor’s words carefully once again before answering. “I suppose I do.”

“Then let’s talk more about that then.” Horin said with another smile, glad she had finally got through to T’Rani about talking about this difficult transition she was going through. 

Sitting on the edge of the large wide river, his feet hanging over the edge and just about touching the racing water below him, Tobias Court lifted the mug of tea he had in his right hand up to his mouth and sipped on it again. It was early morning and the sun was slowly rising in the east. Wearing just a pair of plain black jogging bottoms, a dark green hoodie and a grey beanie to cover his ears, the senior enlisted officer smiled at the scene before him. Mellstoxx III was filled with beautiful scenery, so much of the planet hadn’t been touched since it was founded as a colony back in the twenty-third century. That was still the case today, in the twenty-fifth century. It was nice to stop and think somewhere that wasn’t a busy starship or an advanced alien ark that was holding him against his will. 

Standing up, chucking what was left of his tea into the river (it had gone cold now) he was about to turn around when he felt the surprised but welcoming arrival of a pair of arms wrapping themselves around him. One around his waist and the other around his chest.

“Morning.” Whispered Duncan before planting a kiss on Court’s left cheek. 

Smirking at the affection, Court grabbed hold of one of Duncan’s hands. “Hey, you’re up.”

“As are you.” Duncan whined a bit. “How long have you been standing here for?”

“An hour or so. I woke up and couldn’t go back to sleep.” Court replied. “Plus, I didn’t want to wake you as you looked like you were in a deep sleep.” He paused as he turned his head to look at his boyfriend. “Actually you were snoring.”

“Sorry.” Duncan mumbled into the back of Court’s neck. “I didn’t wake you, did I?”

Turning himself around and placing his arms now around Duncan’s neck, Court shook his head. “No, no you didn’t. Your snores are kinda cute.”

Duncan looked a bit appalled and creeped out by that description. “Cute snoring? Is that even possible?” He checked. 

Court chuckled as he pulled him in for another kiss, a much longer one now on the lips. Besides the hat, Duncan was wearing a similar outfit like Court but it was all in dark navy blue and his hoodie’s hood was over his head. Their embrace was quickly interrupted by the noise of Wylem shouting out at them. 

“It’s too early for my eyes to be burnt by that type of scene!” Wylem jokingly moaned as he dragged himself out of his tent along with a groan and a loud, long yawn. 

Both Court and Duncan released themselves from one another and turned to look at their ‘son’ as he made his way over to them. Pulling over a light grey hoodie over his bare chest and quickly pulling the hood over his messy hair followed by him shoving his hands into its front pouch, the teenager walked up to them both and gave them a brief hug as he greeted them with his usual morning acknowledgement. It was a gesture the youngster had started with them a few weeks into their time spent together on the Quirennal. After this he slowly dragged his body over to one of the camping chairs and slouched into it as he yawned further. 

Duncan and Court had decided to take both Jorgeh and Wylem camping while they were on Mellstoxx. It was something they had done together back on the Quirennal and now that was behind them, the boys were eager to remain with them, both men had felt that going back to basics (somewhat) would help with the healing process for both boys, as well as themselves, in building this family they had started over two months ago. Doing something that was familiar to them all felt like the best choice and doing it out in real natural fresh air was an added bonus. So for the last two nights they had built their own campsite on the shore of one of the rivers that flowed on the Betazoid colony in one of its many beautiful countryside settings. Borrowing one of the Odyssey’s Type 12 shuttlecraft, the Beagle, they had replicated everything they would need and packed it full before finding an appropriate place they could set up camp (with permission from the local government officials on Mellstoxx). 

So far the trip was helping. 

Both boys had their own tents each, while Court and Duncan shared a larger one. They had cooked their food over a campsite fire, had gone swimming in the river and had played card games into the late hours at night. The night before Jorgeh had shared how he was feeling about everything since they had been rescued by the Odyssey. Wylem was soon followed and the trauma they had gone through was evident. Being a counsellor, Duncan had used some techniques to help them process and reflect on everything while Court backed him up with words of assurance. The conversation about whether or not they could become Federation citizens had been raised and both men had told them they would look into all of it. 

One step at a time. 

Out of them both, Wylem was more of the cocky and jovial one but the one who appreciated the affection that he received from his two new dads. Jorgeh on the other hand had become more quiet, more reserved since they escaped from the Quirennal. He had shared that he was pleased they were no longer under the ‘tyranny of the isomorph who tried to be his mother’ (his own words), but there was definitely a sense of profound loss he was going through. While on the Quirennal, Jorgeh’s frustration had always been at the forefront of most things. The first night on Odyssey, the teenage lad had sobbed into Duncan’s arms about finding out what the isomorph had done in killing all of the other children just to save him and Wylem. The guilt was something he was carrying around with him and in a very heavy manner. All of this he had shared with his brother during their discussions the night before. Wylem had admitted he felt sick from thinking about it all and was trying not to think about it all. It was obvious that both boys would require a lot of therapy to come to terms with what they had experienced and were going through. However both men who were now wanting to be their dads were certain they and others could help them. 

Making his way to switch on the small stove they used to heat water and cook small items on, Duncan filled the kettle that Court had used to make his tea from earlier with fresh water as he prepared to make more tea. As he did he looked over at Wylem. His son’s messy hair was now draping over his forehead; one large strain was covering his left eye. He appeared to be ignoring it for now.

“How are you feeling this morning since last night’s conversation?” Duncan asked as he switched the stove on and looked at Wylem.

Stifling another yawn by placing the back of his left hand over his mouth, Wylem just nodded before he could speak. “Fine, I think.” He answered. “I mean it was good to hear what Jorgeh was thinking and feeling. I was thinking last night, that if you guys had come along when you did then when would have we been rescued and saved?”

Court and Duncan exchanged looks at one another. It had been a similar thought they had shared as well. 

“That’s a good question.” Court said as he took the seat next to Wylem. “I don’t think anyone could answer it.”

“I think it’s best you take this time to think about the here and now.” Duncan advised as he sorted out a few clean mugs. “Consider what we can do now, as a family.”

Wylemn smiled at that. “We are lucky and I suppose as we Jorgeh and I said last night, we are lucky to have been given you two.”

“We think the same.” Duncan assured him as the kettle started to boil. 

At that point the tent that Jorgeh was in started to open slowly and the older teenager could be seen starting to get out. Yawning more as he pushed himself out of the tent, he stumbled out and looked around at the others. “Morning.” He grumbled and quickly hugged himself. “God, why is it so cold?”

“Why don’t you stick a jumper or hoodie on and perhaps something to cover your legs?” Court suggested.

Jorgeh looked down at his appearance. He was just wearing a small pair of purple shorts and a black vest. Groaning to himself, Jorgeh went back into his tent and retrieved the red and white jumper he had worn the night before and pulled out the black blanket he had wrapped around his sleeping bag. Dragging himself across to where his own camping chair was, he fell into it as he put his jumper on over his head before wrapping the blanket around his legs. 

Chuckling at Jorgeh’s morning antics, Duncan walked over with a mug of tea and handed it to him before getting one for the two others. “Morning sunshine.” He said as he handed the drink over.

Jorgeh looked up, squinting his eyes and smiled in appreciation. “Thank you.” He remarked before standing up and giving Duncan a hug.

Appreciating the gesture, Duncan returned the quick embrace and went back to where he had just stood. “So, Tobes and I were chatting last night and we found out that not just far from here is a cabin we could stay at for a few days and then we were thinking about heading to one of the equatorial islands, where there’s a few resorts we can stay at.”

“What’s a cabin?” Wylem asked before sipping on his tea.

“What’s a resort?” Jorgeh questioned next after swallowing his drink. 

Again, both Duncan and Court exchanged smirks. 

Court answered. “Both are a little drier and warmer than staying in our tents overnight.” 

“I’m in.” Wylem said. 

“Likewise.” Jorgeh added. “Will we have time to visit them before we have to return to the Odyssey?”

Duncan nodded as he started to pull forward out of the storage box they had. “We will, but as we’ve said before, prior to us returning to the ship we all have to meet with Counsellor Horin and her team to discuss all of our options.”

“She’s not going to break us away from one another, will she?” Jorgeh asked, sounding a bit worried. His curly hair now dangling in front of his eyes as he tried to push it away from his face. 

“I thought our meeting with the Federation Displacement Agency would be enough for us to remain with you?” Wylem probed, now sounding panicky. 

Holding both hands to stop them both from worrying any further, Court halted the conversation. “You’ve got nothing to worry about. The Displacement Agency has already placed their recommendations, Counsellor Horin’s team and her need to advise us on how best to support you as well as us in how we adjust to things now we’re not on the Quirennal.”

“You promise?” Jorgeh checked as he looked between Court and Duncan for assurance. 

Duncan looked back at him, knowing he couldn’t be for certain that they would be together and everything would go to plan, but on the other hand he knew he had to remain positive for the boys. “Absolutely.” He answered.

Her meeting with the admiral had started promptly as she had expected. Counsellor Horin was sitting opposite Admiral Bennet’s desk while the admiral himself was in his own chair on the other side.

“Louwanna, as always your reports are insightful and helpful.” Bennet stated as he finished reading the last sentence and looked from the holographic display hovering to the left of him to the counsellor herself. “I notice your recommendations are for the crew to continue with further support and therapy?”

Nodding once, the Betazoid woman placed her hands in lap. “I do sir, though from what my team and I have gathered in the last few days, the crew are able to work through the trauma from their incarceration, they will require that high level of support. I’m also recommending that the Rylsanti teenagers remain under the direct care of Commander Duncan and Senior Chief Court. Breaking the attachment would only add further trauma to their mental wellbeing.”

“Yes, I saw that.” Bennet responded as he flicked the holographic screen away to close it. “How long do you think it would take?”

“As I said before sir, this is a catastrophic-level assignment and though we are ahead of schedule with the initial assessments, my team and I are certain that our work won’t stop just there.” Horin answered. “I don’t think I could put a time frame on all of this though sir.”

“Okay, in your professional opinion can the crew function while receiving the support they need?” Bennet asked, changing his tactic and leaning backwards somewhat in his chair.

“I believe so, sir but I thought the plan was to give them at least two weeks off and receive the help they need?” Horin questioned.

“That was the initial plan but with what’s happening in the Paulson Nebula, our planned timetable may have to be brought forward.” Bennet shared. “I’m going to give them three more days before they are all recalled. In that time frame the Odyssey’s repairs will be completed and I will be ordering Captain McCallister to join the relief efforts. His wife has already left but the situation is getting worse each day. Odyssey can’t launch until her upgrades and repairs are complete and last night it was decided to place more people onto the job so she could launch sooner rather than later.”

“Then sir, can I be honest. I am not sure that Counsellor Samris and his team can fulfil their duties in supporting everyone. He requires more support with this as well as dealing with what you want to place the Odyssey into.” Horin declared.

Smiling at her, Bennet took hold of a PADD and slid it across his desk towards her. “I had a feeling you would say that, so with that in mind. I am ordering you and your team to join the Odyssey to continue the work you’ve started.”

“You’re assigning me to the Odyssey? What about my teaching commitments to the academy?” Horin questioned as she took the PADD and began to read its contents.

“Those will be covered until you return. In the meantime, I suggest you begin packing as you’ll be joining the Odyssey.” Bennet remarked.

“In what capacity?” Horin asked next. “Am taking over from Samris as chief counsellor?”

“Yes.” Bennet replied almost instantly. “I’ll be informing Captain McCallister about the change, but you will keep Samris as your senior assistant chief.”

“That seems unfair for Samris, especially as McCallister picked him to succeed Duncan as chief counsellor.” Horin stated. She didn’t like the idea, but she knew the admiral well that he would probably not listen to her comment.

“McCallister had no choice when he appointed Samris as chief counsellor, he had no-one else while they were in the Delta Quadrant, but if he wants to remain in command and for his entire crew not to be sent off on to other assignments then he’d accept it.” Bennet now said in a stern voice. “Louwanna, you can do this.” He added before dismissing her.

Leaving the admiral’s office clutching the PADD in her hands, Horin groaned. She had never wanted to return to active starship duty anytime soon. She just hoped this was not permanent.