Captain Zack Marshall-Bennet sat on the edge of the biobed, his posture tense and his fingers gripping the edge as if trying to anchor himself to something real. His uniform, crisp despite the recent chaos, felt oddly different against his skin. 

Everything felt different.

In one moment, he felt anger and, in the next, a sense of calm. Bennet wanted this resolved yesterday, so when he awoke to find his close companions on the Destiny gathered around him, he felt relieved. 

Doctor Montan Rarta moved his medical tricorder over Bennet’s head, the faint whirl of the scanner accompanying his concentrated frown. The Risian physician was not one for dramatics, but even he couldn’t deny the anomaly sitting before him. Finally, he snapped the tricorder shut and exhaled through his nose.

“Well, there are no signs of any permanent neural damage,” Rarta said, his voice steady yet tinged with curiosity. “However, I am detecting some unusual synaptic potentials.” He glanced at Bennet. “Let me ask you something—does my uniform appear any brighter to you?”

Bennet’s eyes flickered over the doctor’s teal-trimmed uniform. The colour was impossibly vivid as if it were illuminated from within. Every fold in the fabric and every thread in the stitching stood out in sharp relief.

“Yes,” Bennet admitted. “Everything does. Colours appear more intense, and shapes are sharper.” He glanced away for a moment, absorbing the sickbay’s interior. Even the walls seemed more vibrant as if he could see beyond their surface, perceiving their very molecular structure shifting in real time.

Rarta nodded knowingly. “It’s called post-neural shock syndrome. Your neural pathways were overloaded by the burst of energy that hit you. Your brain is compensating by heightening sensory input. It should calm down, but…” He hesitated, flipping the tricorder open again as if hoping to find answers where there were none. “I still can’t determine how you’ve gained these—what did Demi call them?—‘god-like’ abilities.”

Standing beside the biobed with her arms crossed, Commander Demi Patterson exchanged a concerned glance with Counsellor Branek Kandil. The Deltan’s usual serene expression was offset by the amusement glinting in his blue eyes.

“Strange energy, maybe?” Patterson suggested. “The kind that Starfleet’s encountered before? The original Enterprise ran into something similar, and even the Cerritos had a run-in twenty years ago.”

Kandil smirked. “Shall we drop a boulder on him to check?”

Rarta barely suppressed a chuckle but shook his head. “No, and no. This isn’t the same as what happened with the Enterprise or the Cerritos.” He turned the scanner to another frequency, watching as it fluctuated erratically. “I think the captain is receiving his source of energy from something else.”

That made Patterson straighten. “What do you mean, ‘something else’?”

Rarta met her gaze. “Whatever changed him isn’t just residual energy—he’s actively connected to it.” He turned to Bennet. “Captain, how do you feel?”

Bennet rubbed his hands together absently. “I see everything so clearly,” he said, his voice distant. “Not just the ship—beyond that. It’s like I can sense the very fabric of space. There are patterns and movements. I can almost hear the stars.”

A heavy silence followed.

“I don’t think it’s wise for you to resume your duties,” Rarta said at last. “Not until we can determine where this energy source comes from.”

Bennet let out a sharp exhale. “Come on, Montan, I’m fine. I’m not about to go ‘super god-like’ on you all.”

Kandil folded his arms. “With all due respect, Captain, Starfleet has seen cases like this before—officers gaining extraordinary abilities.” He raised a brow. “Captain Sisko was the Emissary of the Prophets. Captain Riker briefly had Q’s powers. Captain Ransom’s exposure to strange energy pushed him into a completely different state of existence. And let’s not forget Gary Mitchell.” He gestured vaguely. “These things don’t always end well.”

Bennet frowned and looked to Patterson for support. She hesitated, but finally, she sighed. “Zack, I want to help you, but Montan’s right. We don’t know what’s happening to you.”

Bennet’s jaw tightened. “I don’t have time for this.” He pushed himself off the biobed, ignoring the concerned glances exchanged between his officers.

Rarta’s voice was firm as he called after him. “Captain.”

Bennet stopped but didn’t turn around.

“As Chief Medical Officer, I have the authority to relieve you of command,” Rarta said, stepping forward.

Bennet turned slowly, his eyes narrowing. “You wouldn’t dare.”

Rarta squared his shoulders. “If, in my medical opinion, your judgment has been impaired, I can. And I will.”

Patterson took a small step forward, her stance neutral but tense.

Bennet’s expression hardened. “You can’t enforce that order,” he said, his voice low, dangerous. “Nothing on this ship can stop me.”

Rarta didn’t blink. “That threat alone proves you’re in no condition to command.”

Kandil nodded, his voice uncharacteristically serious. “You are our captain, Zack, but if you let this power take hold without understanding it, we will be forced to act.”

For a long moment, Bennet didn’t move. His gaze flickered between them, frustration warring with something deeper—fear, uncertainty.

Patterson swallowed. “Captain, please.”

Bennet clenched his fists, the faintest flicker of golden energy dancing along his fingertips. But then, he exhaled, letting his hands fall to his sides. “I’m sorry,” He sighed. “I didn’t think before I spoke. I have no intention of using what’s happened against you, but I am not being confined to sickbay. I need to find answers, and if I need to do it alone, then I’ll take a shuttle.”

“Is that final?” Patterson called out to Bennet as he resumed his walk towards the exit.

“It’s final, Demi,” Bennet replied over his shoulder.

Patterson turned to Rarta and just nodded to him. 

Rarta’s voice was steady, unwavering. “Then you leave me no choice.” He took a step forward, his Risian calm masking the gravity of his words. “Captain Zack Alexander Jonas Marshall-Bennet, under Starfleet Medical Regulation one-two-one, Section A, I, the Chief Medical Officer of the U-S-S Destiny, do hereby relieve you of your active command, effective immediately.”

Silence.

Pausing mid-step, Bennet inhaled sharply, his gaze flickering with a dozen unreadable emotions. He looked at Patterson as if searching for some reprieve, but all she offered was a quiet, pleading expression.

At last, he let out a long breath. The glow around him faded slightly.

He returned to the biobed, sat down heavily, and ran a hand through his hair.

“Fine,” he muttered. “Have it your way.”

Patterson exhaled, tension draining from her shoulders.

Rarta nodded. “Good. Now, let’s figure out what the hell has happened to you.”

As the bridge doors slid open with a gentle hiss, Patterson emerged, her face calm yet tense. The low buzz of consoles and the muted conversations among officers at their posts did little to ease the tension in her chest.

Johren was sat in the captain’s chair and got up the moment he saw her enter. The Kellerun officer’s sharp blue eyes studied her face, searching for answers before he even spoke. “How’s the captain?”

Patterson exhaled, stepping towards him. “Doctor Rarta and Counsellor Kandil have their work cut out for them.” She glanced at Johren with a firm gaze. “In the meantime, I want additional security posted near sickbay. Just as a precaution.”

Johren inclined his head, his voice calm but resolute. “Understood.” He gestured to one of the security officers standing near the aft stations. “Double the watch on sickbay. No one goes in or out without the doctor’s authorisation.”

The officer nodded and stepped away to carry out the order.

Patterson turned to the main viewscreen, the nearby barren planet dominating the image. She folded her arms. “Any progress in figuring out what happened and how?”

Johren’s expression darkened slightly as he shook his head. “Not yet. Aleyso and Chaoi are in astrometrics, running scans of the planet and the entire star system. They hope to find anomalies or any clues explaining what happened and how.”

Patterson sighed. “Good. Tell them to report as soon as they find something. Montan is convinced that the captain is still linked to whatever is giving him his powers.”

From the operations console, Hilson turned in his chair. “Commander, we’ve just finished the last of the system diagnostics. Everything that was damaged in the initial energy discharge is now functioning perfectly.” He hesitated, then added, “Thanks to the captain’s… abilities.”

That gave Patterson pause. She had seen what Bennet was capable of, how his touch had seemingly willed broken systems back to life. “No side effects?”

Hilson shook his head. “None that we can detect. It’s like he repaired everything with perfect precision. Everything appears brand new; it’s like we’ve undergone a major overhaul.”

Patterson allowed herself the faintest smirk. “Well, that’s one positive takeaway.”

Before Hilson could respond, a soft beep from his console drew his attention. He tapped at his controls and then looked up. “Commander, Commodore McCallister is hailing. He’s requesting an update from Captain Bennet.”

Patterson closed her eyes for the briefest of moments, then let out a breath. “I’ll take it in the conference lounge.” She turned to Johren. “You have the bridge.”

Johren straightened. “Aye, Commander.”

With one last glance toward the viewscreen, Patterson strode toward the conference lounge, bracing herself for what was sure to be a difficult conversation.

Patterson took a steadying breath before activating the secure channel. Within seconds, the Starfleet emblem was replaced by the stern visage of Commodore James Preston McCallister. 

“Commander,” McCallister greeted, his voice carrying the weight of concern. “Where’s Captain Bennet?”

Patterson straightened her posture. “He’s been relieved of duty, sir.”

McCallister’s brow furrowed. “Explain.”

She exhaled. “Sir, my team encountered something unexpected during the away mission—a Nacene. She called herself Eliatha. She spoke as if she had been searching for something or someone. Then, without warning, a massive energy surge erupted from the planet and struck the Destiny. It hit the captain directly.”

McCallister’s expression darkened. “And what’s happened to him since?”

Patterson hesitated before continuing. “His physiology has changed, sir. His senses are heightened; he’s exhibiting abilities beyond anything we understand.” She took a breath. “And when the Destiny was critically damaged—when we thought we wouldn’t recover—he restored the ship. The structural integrity, the power systems, and even the minor hull breaches. It was as if they were never there, and we’ve just left drydock.”

McCallister’s eyes sharpened. “Are you telling me he repaired the Destiny with his powers?”

“Essentially, yes,” she confirmed. “And, sir, it wasn’t even difficult for him.”

A heavy silence stretched between them before McCallister finally spoke. “You said Eliatha called him her mate. What exactly did she say?”

Patterson swallowed. “She told us she had finally found him. That she was giving him time to adjust before she returned.”

McCallister’s jaw tightened. “So, this isn’t over.”

“No, sir,” Patterson agreed grimly. “And I don’t know if he’ll be able to resist her when she comes back.”

McCallister exhaled sharply. “Then we need answers. Fast. What’s the status of your investigation?”

“My staff are scanning the planet and the system for any residual anomalies,” Patterson reported. “We’re trying to determine exactly how this energy beam targeted the captain and if it’s connected to Eliatha’s appearance.”

McCallister gave a slow nod. “Commander, I don’t need to tell you how precarious this situation is. A Nacene binding itself to a Starfleet officer? That could have consequences we can’t predict. If she takes him and he chooses to go with her, we may be unable to bring him back.”

Patterson set her jaw. “I won’t let that happen, sir.”

McCallister’s expression softened just slightly. “Keep me updated, Commander. And keep Zack safe—whether he wants you to or not.”

“Aye, sir,” she affirmed. “We’ll do whatever it takes to save him.”

“I’m sure you will,” McCallister said with a knowing look. “We’re not far from you; just hold out as long as possible. Good luck, McCallister out.”

As the screen blinked dark, Patterson exhaled. She knew there was no time to waste. They needed answers quickly before Eliatha returned.