Fondness makes the heart grow stronger

Posted on Sat Aug 17th, 2024 @ 7:58pm by Captain Remy Johansen & Lieutenant JG Xalanth

1,991 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Side Plots
Location: Lt. Xalanth's Quarters

Xalanth was happy as he sprinkled in some salt on his food. He was settling into his role on the ship although as his eyes looked around the room he could tell what was missing. His family who from the ash paintings of his family adorning the walls anyone could tell he missed.

Picking up his cutlery and moving to the couch he was about to begin his dinner when he heard the alarm. Placing the bowl down on the table he headed for the door. " Computer lower temperature." He said as he moved. Better not to open the door and let his guest get a wall of heat.

Opening the door he smiled at his commanding officer. " Hello captain how can i help you"

"Hello, Lieutenant. I've been looking for a time to try and hear more about some of the things you started to talk about the day we first met. I was just in the area. Is it a bad time?" Remy asked.

" Not at all. I've just made myself some dinner would you like some?" Xalanth said as he stepped aside to allow her into his quarters.

Remy blushed slightly at the intrusion. "Oh, I don't want to interrupt you dinner. I can come back another time." The Captain could feel the warm temperature of the cabin dropping as she stood near the doorway.

" It's quite alright captain. It's just gunrka i can heat it up later. Would you like me to lower the temperature a little i know my species' own base temperature is very high." He replied.

"Please don't change the temperature on my account. These are your quarters. I've certainly been in warmer climates," Remy responded. "Gunrka? I don't think I've heard of it."

" It's from my home. A mixture of different meats and plenty of spices. According to my mates, it tastes like spicy chicken. " The lizard explained as he headed towards the room's couch. " So i take it you want to know about the enemies I've made in the fleet?" He asked gesturing her to take a seat.

"Well yes, actually," Remy said taking a seat. "I was. And how far deep you think this goes."

" Right to the top." Xalanth said as he took a seat. " Somehow I've managed to get under the skin of two admirals. One I definitely know why she hates me. The other i still have no idea why she seems to hate me."

"Well there are definitely some alliances every where you go," Remy commented.

" The first is the most recent. During the Romulan evacuation efforts, i was on the New England under the command of Admiral Arrik. We were given the task of evacuating a small Romulan farming colony on Verth G41. No more than five hundred Romulans or so we were told. I was with the ground team and i think everyone could sense something was wrong. Despite being a farming colony most of the Romulans barely looked like they'd ever picked up a garden tool, strange buildings that were clearly for a workforce that the colony on paper clearly didn't have. Admiral Arrik told us were being paranoid and to just concentrate on getting the evacuation completed. "

The Captain listened intently as Xalanth began explaining.

" Well I'm me and I trust my gut. Something was wrong so I slipped away from the away team to look around. I managed to find out what they were hiding. They'd enslaved the local population and to try and cover it up had just herded them into a cave and sealed them in. They left them there to die when the supernova happened. I immediately informed the ship and the Admiral." Xalanth paused slightly as he grinned his teeth slightly.

" She told me to follow the prime directive and leave them. I didn't understand her. The prime directive didn't apply in this situation and she was wanting to leave them? I tried arguing but i got beamed back to the ship. The moment I re materialised i explained what was going on tot he transporter chief. We managed to lock onto them and start beaming them up along with the rest of them on the planet. Then the doors opened and i got hit by a phaser. I woke up in the brig for "Dereliction of duty." he said clearly annoyed. " It's how i ended up back at Mars when the androids went nuts.

"You think they were hoping you'd be one of the casualties?" Remy asked.

" Not unless she could see the future. I volunteered for the Mars relief drop. Given fleet command was caught with it's trousers down even the people in the brig were asked. Last time I checked Admiral Arrik is still under investigation. The natives have at least been rehomed. I heard they've built a statue of me in the town square. " He said grinning slightly as he headed for the replicator. " Would you like a beer?"

Remy almost turned him down, but it occurred to her that the subject matter they were delving into warranted a drink or two - not to mention the trust built over a shared drink.

"Sure, something light," the Captain responded. "You said there was someone else?"

" Yeah, Admiral Hari former tutor of intel at the academy now third in command of federation intelligence." The lizard said returning with two light beers. Grabbing them between his claws he popped the lids and handed one to his captain. " I have no idea why but she seems to have developed some insane idea that I'm part of some dragonian plan to take over the Altha quadrant. Claims are species is a biological cascade waiting to happen and I'm here to test the waters. You'd think after the cadet she asked to spy on me was in my head she'd learned I'm not a threat. "

"Would there even be a Dragonian plan to take over any sector?" The Captain asked. "Are your people much of an empire state?"

Xalanth sniggered slightly as he took a sip of his drink. " My people's global government isn't even truly united. The dragonian senate gives every city-state, tribal clan and colonial settlement a vote.It spends most of its time arguing with each other. The only time we seemed to agree on anything was the Yor Invasion for which we've still not fully recovered. Besides I doubt the organoids would let themselves be in an invasion. "

Remy shook her head softly. "So, these Admirals are retaliating by keeping your family apart? Starfleet regulation is to keep families together when requested if at all possible, we can easily move toward that goal," the Captain assured him.

"There's a bigger agenda out there though. You stumbled on people that were meant to die - that's one piece," Remy stated. "I wasn't even in the command mindset with the synth ban went to effect. I was working in a lab with technology that was a derivative from AI that was swept up in the ban when I made the switch. My allies up top found me and encouraged me to get in the game so to speak before the other side had too many voices."

Remy's eyes narrowed as she thought further. "What about your partners. Your wives. At least one is in intelligence? Could any of them hit a trigger?"

" Fulvia and Zola are both in intelligence. Fulvia been undercover for the past three months. Zola may have been the trigger for Admiral Hari. She was the student she sent to spy on me. Don't think she got over her prize pupil falling in love and proving her hypothesis wrong which is why i think she got her assigned to the deep space exploration vessel." Xalanth replied with a sigh fighting his figure slightly. " I've still not held my third daughter."

"What was Admiral Hari hoping to find?" Remy asked. "Zola must have had some idea."

" Proof of the conspiracy that exists only in her head. Instead, she got her star pupil telling her none such existed. " Xalanth responded.

"It's been clear to me since the synth attack that there are factions at Command. The divide that shut down all synth adjacent research without discretion are the same people who were against helping the Romulans in the first place - and the first to use that as an excuse to pull the plug on the evacuations," Remy stated. "I've chosen my senior staff here carefully - even the ones I hadn't met before - I was looking for the thing in everyone's personal history, record that would tell me where they fell without having to ask."

" Well, I'm glad i passed the test." Xalanth said with a grin upon his reptilian face.

"And you should find yourself among friends - at least in the senior staff. I'm not naive to think there wouldn't be others on board who align with -- whatever it is. I've been pushing my requests through Admiral Downing. She's helped me get to where I am today, and has managed to get herself in charge of a couple of the fleets out here on the Romulan border, including ours." Remy took a breath. "I guess the trick to getting your family here will be who happens to be running the fleets where they are assigned."

" Starbase 403 is on the verge of the Romulan border area. T'para and Leilani say their transfer requests keep being rejected due to personnel shortages. Perhaps Admiral Downing could look into it?" the red security chief enquired.

"We're still not up to full staff here, so I don't see why not," Remy replied.

" No, but Starbase 403 is under stregth which is why it's commander keeps rejecting my mate's transfer requests. " Xalanth explained.

"Well we wouldn't be Starfleet if we didn't rob from Peter to pay Paul on occasion," Remy teased. "Anyway, if they are up to staff, shuffling two shouldn't hurt as much as a Galaxy class being down a third of what it should have. There should be some big picture possibilities to throw in there as well. Spello and I just need to take a look at whose putting in for where in the sector. If we make too much sense, it just sounds foolish to tell us no."

" I appreciate it captain." The lizard replied with a smile. His eyes looked over at an ash picture of one of his girls obviously when she was very young. The small lizard hybrid wrapped in a starfleet shirt sleeping peacefully. " It's hard being apart from them. You forget how quiet living alone is."

"I can imagine," Remy chuckled. "I can let you get back to your dinner. Unless there is anything else you think we need to talk about?"

" No no more questions. Thank you for letting me talk your ears off captain." the lizard said as he stood up and walked her to the door.


"Thank you for sharing," Remy said as she stood near the door. "I'm a bit of an optimist. It's why I went into command when I did. But if we're going to be successful in pushing for change it helps to know as much as possible."

" I hope we can change it for the better captain. My mates speak fondly of what the federation was and i hope we can make it that again." xalanth said with a smile on his reptilian face.

"Same," Remy commented a knowing nod. "Anyway. Have a good evening. If you feel like getting out later, you should swing by 10-Forward. It's nice to mingle."

" Will do captain." The red lizard said as he watched her leave before turning back to his quarters. The warm smell was already filling his belly as he looked over at the pictures of his family. Hopefully, they would soon be together again.

~OFF~

Captain Remira Johansen
Commanding Officer
USS Astrea

Lieutenant JG Xalanth
Assistant Chief Tactical Officer
USS Astrea

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