As the doors to the guest quarters closed behind him, Eric finally let his guard down. The XO (he was still the XO in his mind - this was starting to look like he was being framed, and he would not let someone nefarious stop him from doing his job) was fuming. “Confession”? “Confession”?!”, he repeated to himself silently. He understood the situation was suspicious. But to basically start presuming that the ship’s own XO would kill a junior officer and cover it up without even testing the evidence. Rainns was starting to remind Eric of one of his first XOs - and how badly he and that XO clashed all those years ago.

Well, the situation wasn’t good. He had been relived of duty. But it could have been much worse - he wasn’t charged or in the brig… yet.

I’m not charged or in the brig, Eric thought again. So I’m not the XO, but I’m still an active Starfleet commander. That should mean…
,
Eric went to the quarter’s computer terminals, and activated it. “Computer, display the personnel records for Ensign Pey Janga.”

While he waited for those records to be displayed, Eric started looking to see if there was a first-aid medical kit in the guest quarters…

-Cmdr. Eric Holmman, XO