Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Nytha’rae of Vael’Lume (Chief Science Officer) in Science Labs: Broken Things Still Fly (Ens. Shepherd)

Posted by Ensign Skye Shepherd (Scientist) in Science Labs: Broken Things Still Fly (Ens. Shepherd)

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Nytha’rae of Vael’Lume (Chief Science Officer) in Science Labs: Where Trees Whisper (Ens. Shepherd)
Posted by… suppressed (3) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Only a few weeks had passed since the Trill hybrid had stepped off the U.S.S New Jersey into uncharted territory. Her new assignation? U.S.S. Chimera under the science department. The shuttle trip leading to the starship was filled with excitement. After all, this vessel happened to be much larger than the Constitution Class ship she had grown up aboard. Adrenaline rushing through Skye’s veins.

She adjusted the blue and black colored uniform upon arrival to the main Shuttlebay where their transport had now landed. Picking up what appeared to be a duffel bag filled with clothes. Blue gray eyes scanned the room and every officer walking past. Nervousness appeared to have become a normal part of the process, as her father had once explained. But this time, was intended for a blonde hybrid to experience the real world on her own.

With that Starfleet embroidered bag now hanging from her shoulder, the ensign made sure to reach what appeared to be an opening turbolift. Sweat now forming on her beige spotted forehead. She offered a thanking nod to the gold dressed officer who had held those doors open for the new arrival. Those words had come out from her dry throat, barely able to conceal that much enthusiasm. Though being able to get ahold of first impressions would become important down the line. Looking professional at the moment mattered vastly.

Standing there, frozen once the doors slid open was the same reaction every new ensign held when exploring an environment as different as a starship could be from their home planets or former crews. Having come from a mixed background, the unknown happened to be pretty much Ensign Shepherd’s kind of normal. But she hadn’t yet experienced what Starfleet really meant behind closed doors within these confines of space. Walking without a hurry down the hall, made a shiver run down her spine.

Upon reaching the main biology laboratory, a hand reached down to a holster strapped around her hips, which held an old Mark VII scientific tricorder which had once belonged to her father. The letters ‘O.T.’ carved on the side. With a deep breath, finally walking inside to find the vessel’s Chief Science Officer. Posture straightened just enough to cause a first impression. “This is Ensign Shepherd, reporting for duty.” Those words came out a little shakier than she had once expected. But perhaps first impressions didn’t mean everything to this vessel’s crew. Especially to an individual who had spent most of her life aboard an old Federation vessel still on active duty after so many centuries.

[[Ensign]] [[Skye Shepherd]]
[[Science Officer]] [[U.S.S. Chimera]]

The doors to the Chimera’s biology laboratory parted with their usual hydraulic sigh.

But the room beyond did not resemble the sterile, bright science labs most Starfleet officers expected.

The lighting was softer here.

Dimmed deliberately to a warm twilight hue that seemed closer to the filtered light beneath a forest canopy than the sharp white glow of a starship bulkhead. Bioluminescent moss grew in small cultivated clusters along the walls, their faint blue-green glow gently illuminating the laboratory in living light.

The air carried a subtle scent.

Damp earth.

Living bark.

A trace of growing things.

At the far side of the lab stood a towering terrarium column, nearly two meters high. Inside it grew a fragment of a world far from Federation space.

A small lume-tree sapling rose from rich dark soil, its glowing veins carrying light through the trunk like slow-moving rivers. Moss blanketed the roots while delicate glowing fungi dotted the ground like stars fallen into miniature forest night.

Moisture drifted slowly through the enclosed ecosystem.

A tiny forest breathing quietly inside the ship.

Along the curved bulkhead behind the terrarium hung something unusual for a starship science lab.

Instead of flat LCARS projections, several three-dimensional star charts floated within circular projection frames grown from curved wood-like structures. Each projection showed sections of local space mapped not in rigid grids but in organic patterns, the star systems connected by flowing arcs of light resembling branching roots.

To Nytha’rae, the stars were not simply coordinates.

They were ecosystems.

Between the projection rings ran several arching beams of shaped living wood, installed along the ceiling. Their curved paths connected across the room like branches stretching between trees.

These were not decorative.

They formed a network of flight paths and perches for Nytha’kae.

Small resting points had been deliberately carved along the beams, each one polished smooth by tiny claws. The dragon could glide from perch to perch without ever touching the floor if he wished.

Near the terrarium sat a shallow water basin carved from smooth stone, its surface faintly rippling from a tiny recirculating current. Several small polished hunting stones rested beside it smooth mineral pieces that Nytha’kae occasionally carried and dropped during play.

Mounted along one wall nearby stood a weapon rack unlike anything normally seen inside a Starfleet laboratory.

It had been constructed from polished living wood grown through hydroponic shaping rather than cut lumber. The curved frame resembled a branching limb of a tree.

Resting within its cradle was Nytha’rae’s bow.

The weapon was unmistakably ancient in design but flawless in craftsmanship. Its limbs were carved from a single piece of dark, flexible wood taken from her family’s tree, the grain flowing like frozen rivers along the weapon’s length. Thin inlays of faintly glowing sap traced delicate patterns across the bow’s surface.

Beside it hung a quiver of long arrows tipped with polished obsidian arrowheads.

Below the rack rested two long volcanic glass knives, their handles wrapped in braided plant fiber.

None of it looked decorative.

Every piece was clearly meant to be used.

Standing near the terrarium was the Chief Science Officer.

Lieutenant Nytha’rae.

She wore the standard Starfleet science uniform, deep blue and black, but on her it seemed almost like a borrowed thing an attempt by Starfleet to place structure over something far more organic.

The uniform sleeves ended cleanly at her wrists.

Below the hem of the uniform jacket, however, something moved with quiet grace.

A long tail, the same green-blue shade as her skin, extended behind her. It swayed slowly with unconscious balance, the tuft of dark fur at its tip brushing lightly across the deck plating whenever she shifted her stance.

And unlike every other officer aboard the Chimera

Nytha’rae wore no footwear.

Her bare feet rested directly on the deck.

The metal plating reflected faintly beneath them, but she stood as comfortably as if the ship were forest soil. Her toes adjusted slightly when she shifted weight, instinctively reading balance the way her people always had.

Even aboard a starship, she never fully separated herself from the ground beneath her.

Her skin held the shifting coloration of green and blue tones that mimicked forest shadow, darker in some places where light would fall through canopy leaves, lighter where the ambient glow of the room touched her.

Long black hair fell freely down her back.

Across her cheekbones and throat ran the delicate bioluminescent markings of her species, glowing faintly in thin branching lines of blue-green light. At rest they pulsed slowly, matching the rhythm of her breathing.

Above her, perched along one of the curved beams, rested Nytha’kae.

The small dragon’s jewel-toned scales shimmered in the dim light as he shifted slightly, emerald and sapphire wings folding neatly along his back. His head tilted with clear curiosity toward the opening door.

Nytha’rae had been studying the terrarium when the ensign entered.

Her hand rested gently against the glass, feeling the faint warmth radiating from the living ecosystem inside.

The voice reached her a moment later.

“This is Ensign Shepherd, reporting for duty.”

Nytha’rae turned.

The bioluminescent lines along her throat brightened slightly as she observed the new arrival.

She did not move immediately.

Instead she watched the young officer for a moment—the nervous posture, the way the duffel bag hung from her shoulder, the hand resting instinctively on the old tricorder at her hip.

Her tail shifted once behind her, the dark tuft brushing softly across the floor.

Above them, Nytha’kae gave a small flicker of light.

Then Nytha’rae stepped forward.

Her movements were smooth and deliberate, bare feet silent against the deck as she crossed the room. Even in Starfleet uniform she moved with the quiet balance of someone who had spent a lifetime navigating roots, branches, and uneven forest ground.

She stopped a comfortable distance from the ensign.

Her tail settled behind her.

Then she performed a small, unfamiliar gesture.

Her right hand lifted slowly and rested over the center of her chest.

Her head bowed slightly not submissive, but respectful.

The soft glow of her markings brightened briefly along her throat and cheekbones.

“May the Mother feel your steps as gentle,” she said quietly.

The phrase was clearly not part of Starfleet protocol.

After a moment she straightened.

“It is the greeting of my people.”

Then she continued in a more familiar tone.

“Welcome to the Chimera, Ensign Shepherd.”

“I am Lieutenant Nytha’rae, Chief Science Officer.”

Her eyes drifted briefly toward the tricorder the ensign held before returning to the young officer herself.

The glow along her cheekbones warmed faintly.

“It appears you have brought a piece of your past with you.”

Above them, Nytha’kae shifted his wings on the beam overhead, watching the new arrival with bright, curious eyes.

And for just a moment, the quiet laboratory felt less like a Starfleet facility.

and more like a forest clearing where two travelers had just met.

LT.JG Netha’rae

The steps as she had accessed the room had been those of an anxious individual. Beige patterns trailing both sides of Shepherd’s face when exposed by artificial lighting hanging above the two officer’s faces. A cascade of golden colored hair poured down her shoulders and back, wearing of course the same black uniform with deep blue colored shoulders. Pinned against her neck a single, silver colored pip had made its presence known.

When walking through those doors, the biome had become completely different from what any Starfleet Academy graduate would have expected. Blue eyes scanning the environment with curious wonder until they settled on the slightly taller officer standing up front. “May the Mother feel your steps as gentle,” she had spoken. These words almost caused a curious head tilt from the hybrid, yet before she could utter another word, Lieutenant Netha’rae continued “It is the greeting of my people.”

A nervous smile emerged from her lips and then, noticing the faint bioluminescence her father had once explained at the beach of a distant planet. Multiple specks of light threading through the edge of a wave. Yet, having never observed them on a humanoid resembling species’ skin had become some sort of natural masterpiece. One fact the Trill hybrid had taken notice about had been her bare feet while walking over deck. Proving some sort of connection between the Lieutenant and her currently artificial environment.

Returning that respectful bow, their gazes crossed paths once more before they abandoned her superior to land on the small, flighted reptile inside that terrarium. This was a creature written out from a medieval storybook, dragons only found raveled around myth and mysteries. From the way in which the Vaelari had interacted with him. She let the duffel bag slowly hit the deck’s metallic plating before taking a slow step forward, allowing the lighting to reveal faint Trill markings trailing the sides of her neck. A shallow breath escaping her lips. A perfectly pressed uniform representing the naivety from a fresh Starfleet Academy graduate. Delta badge pinned against her chest on a perfect display, it was quite a sight. Almost like a peacock displaying its plumage. Skye straightened her back, the dim lighting allowing her eyes to adjust. She had been raised in a rural throughout the first, few years of her life after Commander Castel had become joined.

Overanalyzing the room in which they stood, her gaze drifted to what appeared to be an ancient bow resting on that table. To the ensign primitive weapons weren’t all that strange before getting to know what Federation armament really looked like. She was no stranger to to these traditions, having lived amongst Trillian creatures throughout most of her life. Skye had become a girl raised in nature with her feet on the dirt. That fang that hung from her neck had once belonged to an Ina Raptor. Her father also wore one just like it to honor the life of that creature. But a partner had been left behind, her beloved dog aboard the U.S.S. New Jersey, who had been a gift given to her by another Trill/Vulcan hybrid as the last memory spent along that fleet near a certain starbase in order to stick to protocol and report to her new superior officers first.

When the CSO mentioned that old tricorder strapped on a holster around her hip. One hand reached for the lid, allowing the scientific device to slide out slowly. This happened to be a Mark VII device with a separate scanner magnetized on top. Her father’s initials carved on the side with what appeared to be a hot, stainless steel wire that had melted away part of the plastic casing. The device opened, fully operational after so many decades in service. This had been his first since enrolling to the academy, which stood for Orrin Triyan. His name before it all went down.

“It had been my father’s first tricorder when researching the science field.” Skye admitted, willing to hand it for her to see. A soft yet nervous smile crossing her mixed features. As her hair was moved out of the way on the left side of her neck was the moment in which that scar became visible. This made the junior officer turn her head away. ‘Talk about first impressions, way to go’ she thought. Pulling up at the uniform’s collar before turning to face her once more, hair now covering the area. “Ensign Skye Rose Shepherd,” her voice lowered just a tad. Glad it wouldn’t be a harsh officer she’d be working with. Just another forest girl starting to understand nature. A life now surrounding them.

[[Ensign]] [[Skye Shepherd]]
[[Science Officer]] [[U.S.S. Chimera NCC-98730]]

Nytha’rae noticed the ensign’s attention drift toward the terrarium where the small dragon rested among the glowing vines.

The faint bioluminescent lines along her cheekbones brightened just slightly.

She turned her head toward the tall glass column and lifted her hand in a small beckoning gesture.

“Nytha’kae.”

Her voice was soft but carried easily through the lab.

Inside the terrarium, the small dragon stirred.

He lifted his head from the branch where he had been perched among the glowing moss, jewel-toned wings stretching outward in a shimmer of emerald and sapphire light. For a moment he studied the room with bright curiosity.

Then he moved.

A narrow access opening near the upper edge of the terrarium allowed him passage, and he slipped through it easily. His wings beat once—twice—before he glided across the room in a quiet arc.

Nytha’rae extended her forearm before him.

Nytha’kae settled there lightly, his claws finding gentle purchase against the fabric of her uniform sleeve as his wings folded neatly along his sides.

She stepped a little closer so the ensign could see him clearly.

Her arm remained steady, held out comfortably.

“This is Nytha’kae,” she said.

The dragon tilted his head, luminous eyes studying the new arrival while the faint glow along his scales pulsed softly.

“He has been with me since he first left the branch.”

Her tail shifted slowly behind her, brushing the floor once as she stood balanced and relaxed on her bare feet.

After a moment she lifted her gaze back to the ensign.

“And you, Ensign Shepherd.”

Her voice remained calm and curious.

“Where is it you call home?”

Her head tilted slightly.

“And what field of study has brought you to the Chimera’s science department?”

LT.JG Nytha’rae

As soon as the dragon perched against her arm, the while room appeared to go silent. “And you, Ensign Shepherd.” the Scientist had spoken up, “Where is it you call home?” Skye took one step back, and then another as the tricorder returned to her hands. She looked down on it, and the letters engraved on the side. “I was born in a rural village named Heran’zul on Trill,” her lip tensed to the side and then relaxed once more before she continued, “that is before the whole family had to abandoned the forest and reach the big city.”

“We had to move due to my mother’s diplomatic work on and off world, as a member of the Federation’s Council.” Speaking about her family wasn’t a topic usually mentioned until now, not many had bothered asking so far about them. The only known fact happened to be that she was an only child born not long after Changelings and the Borh had united forces in order to overpower the Federation. Those first few years of her life had been basically spent in a bubble, with a Starfleet Officer for a father and an Ambassador mother.

After glancing away for a moment, the hybrid’s head lowered to look out from that viewing port located at her left. Such a vast sea of stars which their ship had navigated through to find her. Remaining uncertain about continuing the story, a sigh followed. “At the age of 12 my father, Lieutenant Commander Castel brought me onboard the U.S.S. New Jersey. One of the few Constitution Class vessels that have yet remained in service.” Somehow, that starship held a special place in her mind and heart. A second home someone would say.

Shepherd had spent at least five years as an acting ensign before enrolling to the academy under the 49 year old, Trill officer’s shadow. Most of her life spent serving the Fleet followed achievements and failures. This would become her fourth time serving on a vessel without having yet become a Lieutenant JG. after a long disagreement with the last Commanding Officer which she had served under. But those w3re stories she wouldn’t want to remember when this was a new opportunity to actually excel at her duty.

“After five years spent onboard, time came to enroll into the academy. As a first and second year cadet all classes were taken in campus at San Francisco, on Earth. In the Sol System.” That moment felt like rambling on words that perhaps had become irrelevant about her life. The CSO would probably be reading her personal file down the line. Her first two assignments had been considered much too savage for someone to handle. Her first outing as a newly established ensign mentioned having saved a senior officer who became trapped under the rubble of a collapsed hallway. Lucky to have remained alive. Security officer from a lunar base located on Paldor II. Khiray, the caitian had made it out with extensive injuries to one of his lower limbs, having escaped alive.

So many memories had crossed her mind to the point it would be hard to believe such an anxious ensign had survived through that much without being court martialed by an Admiral. She had taken a Leave of Absence to rejoin her father back on the New Jersey before being called back to Starfleet after a year off grid. Blue eyes came across the officer standing in front of her, then the tiny sized dragon perched on her arm. Thoughts wandering to Zephram, her beloved Bernese Mountain Dog.

Bad experiences had made their mark on the Trian (Trill/Human) becoming a commissioned officer. But this ship was much different from those in which she had walked before. But that creature’s curious eyes gaze landing on her brought back a sense of hope to the ensign, perhaps the third try would become the winning prize. Clearing her throat to face Nytha’rae, Shepherd’s shoulders seemed to drop just slightly after that next question had been fired at her. “And what field of study has brought you to the Chimera’s science department?” she had asked.

“I’m a xenobiologist.” The words left a bad taste on her tongue before continuing, “xenobiologist with a specialization in exozoology.” Though she hadn’t performed field work for at least a year before being recalled. It took some convincing from her parents to give Starfleet a second chance. Each word had come our showing more nervousness than the last. She continued trying to focus her gaze on the reptile instead. Animals had become save haven since, the only creatures who seemed to accept someone so broken.

The fabric of her uniform seemed to flatten around the ensign’s wrists, beneath them, scars from that one mission in which she had endangered her life to save that Caitian had become visible. A topic often avoided by the individual. Castel’s medical officer, an experienced Denobulan named Talex had stitched those wounds back up. But the worst marks being left behind still remained in her mind.

[[Ensign]] [[Skye Shepherd]]
[[Science Officer]] [[U.S.S. Chimera NCC-98730]]

Nytha’rae did not interrupt while the ensign spoke.

She listened.

Completely.

Her posture remained still, balanced lightly over her bare feet, her tail resting in a slow curve behind her as it occasionally shifted in quiet, unconscious movements. The bioluminescent lines along her throat and cheekbones glowed softly in the dim laboratory light, pulsing faintly as she breathed.

Nytha’kae remained perched upon her forearm, his jewel-toned wings folded neatly as his bright eyes studied the young officer with the same quiet curiosity.

But Nytha’rae’s attention was not on the words alone.

She watched the spaces between them.

The step backward when the dragon moved closer.

The tightening of the ensign’s lip when speaking of her home.

The way her gaze drifted toward the viewport instead of staying grounded in the room.

The way her hands tightened around the tricorder that clearly carried more meaning than a simple tool.

And most of all

The way her shoulders carried weight far heavier than the story she was telling.

Nytha’rae waited until the last of the words had settled in the room.

Only then did she move.

Slowly.

Carefully.

She lowered her arm slightly so Nytha’kae could hop lightly back toward the terrarium perch if he wished. The dragon’s wings gave a soft flicker of emerald and sapphire as he glided across the short distance and settled once more among the glowing branches inside the glass column.

Then Nytha’rae took a small step closer.

Not invading the ensign’s space.

Just enough that her presence felt steady rather than distant.

Her bare feet touched the deck without sound.

Her tail settled behind her again.

The glow along her markings softened.

“You have walked many difficult paths for someone so young,” she said quietly.

Her voice held no judgment.

Only observation.

Her dark eyes moved briefly to the ensign’s wrists where the scars showed beneath the uniform sleeve.

She did not stare.

But she noticed.

She noticed everything.

When she spoke again, her tone grew even gentler.

“You hold your body as if you expect the ground to fall away beneath you.”

The words were not harsh.

They were spoken the way a naturalist might comment on the behavior of a wounded animal.

Simply recognizing what was there.

Nytha’rae tilted her head slightly.

“What has made you so sad, Ensign Shepherd?”

The question was not pressed.

It was offered.

An opening.

Behind her, the small forest within the terrarium continued to glow softly, and Nytha’kae watched quietly from his branch as the Chief Science Officer stood waiting—patient as a forest that had learned long ago that healing rarely happens quickly.

LT.JG Nytha’rae

The weight of the question made her instinctively lift her head towards the viewport, warm breaths fogging the transparent titanium up front. Nytha’kae had abandoned his owner’s arm, returning to the terrarium in which he had once been perched on the branch of a bioluminescent tree. But, for once, she had been listened to instead of judged. It was almost as though the lieutenant understood what Starfleet really stood for. Every officer risking their lives daily for the sakes of every Federation citizen. Skye had already turned her gaze to the black fabric from her left arm’s sleeve. She proceeded to roll it up to reveal a set of four perfectly placed slits beneath her wrist. Those which had once belonged to the claws from a Caitian Security Officer’s life whom she had saved after the hallway collapsed throughout open fire against the Emerald Chain.

With a sigh, she turned to face her superior. “That mission was the first which our generation of recent Academy graduates were faced upon, a scientific research base located on a moon orbiting a planet known as Paldor II.” Skye began, the muscles along her neck tensing up as she spoke. “An away team conformed from a science and medical departments had been sent planetside to investigate the latest reports on a maggot-like parasitic plague.” That had been the moment in which the hybrid allowed the tricorder to fall back inside its holster. There were echoes from screams of terrified Paldorian residents when the Orions opened fire. She and Khiray had become trapped amongst concrete and metal debris. His leg caught beneath a block of titanium, which had caused extensive fractures throughout the skeletal structure. “We, the crew from the U.S.S. Chin’toka were supposed to provide medical aid against that flesh eating parasite which had already taken at least a dozen lives before the ship’s scheduled arrival to the quadrant.” Those muscles surrounding her neck, beneath spotted patterns had already tensed. Talking about these memories weighing down on the junior officer as she had shared her first experiences spent as a commissioned Starfleet Officer. “An Orion troop took notice of Starfleet officers present on the moon’s surface before they opened fire. Our triage area was spared temporarily, but other officers…” she swallowed harshly, “They were not that lucky.”

For a moment, she took another step back before turning to walk towards one of the holographic consoles. Shepherd brought up a security camera footage from the scene in which they had been raided. A squadron of at least 20 Orions throughout the entire building. Down one hallway leading towards the base’s power core showed a slightly younger girl being accompanied by an Amur Leopard resembling Caitian dressed in Operations gold. Not much of their conversation could be heard through the microphones, but he appeared anxious. While the junior officer remained naive about the event that would follow just seconds later. An explosion was heard, followed by screaming before the feed cut off to static. “We were trapped beneath all that rubble for at least 36 hours before a rescue team was able to track down our communication badges which had apparently gone offline after that blast.” The display disappeared before showing its default, Starfleet emblem idle screen. “I made it out alive with just a few cuts and bruises, yet he had to take an extended Leave of Absence because of those fractures. It was stated on his file that an amputation had to be performed in order to prevent Lieutenant Khiray from bleeding out.” With every word that followed the guilt became more and more evident, being shared to an individual whom the ensign had just met.

That had been just one of the few missions she had served onboard that Luna Class vessel before a great fight broke out with its Commanding Officer, Skye refusing to fall back in line after being revoked from a rightful progression to the next rank on the board. Afterwards, a decision was made to transfer the 23 year old hybrid to another vessel. This time a Sagan Class starship exploring the Beta Quadrant, focused particularly on research instead of becoming an overpriced armory. Those first few months were calm with the rookie learning to earn her place in that department. There were a lot more scientists rather than the Chin’toka where only four scientists had been serving. Time spent onboard the U.S.S. Octavia E. Butler had taught Skye a few lessons, especially never to trust the word of someone she had once considered a close friend. “My second assignment was a Sagan Class under the command of Captain Rouiancet.” She explained before rolling her uniform’s sleeve back down. Her whole record had included those reports. Yet she wondered why the Fleet had granted her a third chance to make things right. “A research vessel surveying the Beta Quadrant against the Borg, using force as a last resource to defend ourselves. Though the last mission I spent onboard was internal to the ship when it automatically set itself on lockout. Officers from different departments had become trapped throughout different decks and rooms throughout the vessel.” She continued with a shake of her head, side eyeing the Junior Grade Lieutenant. “Recalling my experience, three officers including myself were trapped within a sauna while performing maintenance to the pipes. A Betazoid Security Officer, a human Diplomatic Officer, and I…a Trill/Human Science Officer, the rookie.”

Speaking about it just made the ensign laugh bitterly as she recalled the situation. “The ship’s computer had gone haywire since gaining a consciousness of her own, becoming another noncorporeal member of the crew. She had been the one on control across the bridge.” Skye turned to face the officer, already expecting a shocked look from her dark eyes. “We had to override every preprogrammed protocol that had been established from the shipyards when the OEB had been first built under a different name. Many crew members were wounded, we were almost suffocated by heating water. After that shoreleave came, both captains from my previous assignments filed a formal report towards starbase 118’s fleet.” Her posture slouched just slightly for a few moments as that young face drew back towards a neutral position. “They gave me no choice but to provide an extended leave of absence. Returning to the U.S.S. New Jersey as a civilian. Just another Federation Citizen.” Every word that abandoned her lips became so much more reluctant than the last, it was unlike Shepherd to be so overbearing as an officer. She had so much left to learn, but her faith on the fleet was already nothing more than a small, flickering light in the dark.

“My father attempted convincing me to shuttle back to Earth, take some time to explore what laid beyond the confines of Starfleet as an officer. Learn to be a kid instead of being overwhelmed by interplanetary diplomacy and politics.” Lieutenant Commander Orrin Castel happened to be a well known Stellar Cartographer across fleets. Ever since his youth remaining loyal to the same vessel. ‘Old Reliable’ some would call her, U.S.S. New Jersey, a Constitution Class that still remained active as part of a fleet on smaller sized vessels. That is the place that Skye had come to call home. “At least a year went by before one of my former crew mates from the Luna Class paid a visit, it wasn’t long but she just seemed to want to check in. A Vulcan/Trill engineer which had surprised my father. She laid down a gift I never forgot, bringing a puppy from Earth with her in hopes of restoring my faith on the Fleet.” In her personal file there was a picture of the shared quarters with Commander Castel, Skye dressed in her science blues with her arms wrapped around a gentle giant. Tricolor furred Bernese Mountain Dog who happened to be wearing a blue nylon collar with a Delta badge for a tag. When they came across that picture, she allowed the edge of her lips to curl upwards just slightly. “Oh that’s Zephram.” She explained, “My dog, he…remained back home due to protocol with a new assignment.” Having received a call from the admiral to speak with her dad regarding those reports seemed like giving the ensign one final chance to set things right.

She could still remember that night though it had been at least three months when an Admiral first contacted Orrin. The memory returned with an unusual clarity, as though time itself had slowed around that single evening.

Night had already settled across the hull of the USS New Jersey, though the stars beyond the viewport still burned with the quiet brilliance of distant suns. The small set of family quarters shared by Ensign Skye Shepherd and her father felt unusually silent that evening. Most of the ship’s crew had rotated off duty hours ago, leaving the corridors calm except for the low mechanical hum of the warp core buried deep within the ship’s structure.

Inside the living space, Orrin Castel stood beside the desk terminal, tall and composed in the way only decades of Starfleet discipline could produce. His blonde hair was slightly disheveled from a long shift in stellar cartography, and the spotted patterns along the sides of his neck disappeared beneath the collar of his uniform. The leather cord around his neck rested against his chest, the raptor fang hanging quietly as he waited.

The console chimed.

A blue glow filled the room as the incoming transmission resolved itself into the uniformed image of an older Starfleet officer seated behind a large desk on the other end of the channel. His rank insignia gleamed under the light of his office.

“Lieutenant Commander Castel,” the admiral greeted, his tone measured but not unfriendly. “Thank you for taking this call.”

Orrin straightened slightly. “Of course, Admiral.”

For a brief moment neither man spoke. The silence carried a weight to it that Orrin immediately understood.

“This concerns your daughter,” the admiral said at last.

Orrin’s expression barely shifted, though his gray eyes sharpened with attention.

“I assumed as much.”

The admiral leaned back in his chair. A stack of reports sat on the desk beside him. The topmost one carried a familiar name.

“Ensign Skye Shepherd. Formerly of the USS Chin’toka and later the USS Octavia E. Butler.”

Orrin remained silent.

The admiral exhaled slowly. “Her service record is complicated.”

“That’s one way to describe it.”

“Two commanding officers submitted disciplinary evaluations following separate incidents. One involving insubordination during a tactical withdrawal order. The other related to an internal systems crisis aboard the Butler.”

Orrin folded his arms behind his back.

“I have read the reports.”

“And you know how serious they are.”

The admiral tapped one of the padds.

“Technically, these findings could have led to formal charges. Court martial was considered.”

Orrin’s jaw tightened, but he did not interrupt.

“But,” the admiral continued, “several senior officers also submitted commendations. Including Lieutenant Khiray of the Chin’toka. He credits your daughter with saving his life during the Emerald Chain raid on Paldor II.”

The admiral paused.

“Those statements carried weight.”

Orrin allowed a breath to escape slowly. “Skye does not see it that way.”

“That is not uncommon among young officers after their first trauma.”

Another moment passed before the admiral spoke again.

“Commander Castel, I would like to offer your daughter an opportunity.”

Orrin raised an eyebrow slightly.

“A posting?”

“Yes.”

The admiral brought another file onto the display.

“A newly commissioned vessel operating on exploratory assignments along the frontier. A USS Chimera.”

Orrin studied the file in silence.

“Mjolnir class,” he said. “Compact crew complement. Heavy science integration.”

“Exactly.”

The admiral leaned forward slightly.

“The Chimera’s captain is aware of Ensign Shepherd’s history. She requested an officer who has already seen the realities of the field rather than another academy graduate.”

Orrin allowed himself the faintest trace of a smile.

“You want someone stubborn.”

The admiral almost smiled back.

“I want someone who still believes the Federation is worth fighting for. Even if she currently doubts it.”

At that moment the door behind Orrin slid open with a quiet hiss.

Skye Shepherd stepped inside the room, her posture slightly tense as she noticed the glowing holographic transmission. She had clearly not expected company.

Her blue gray eyes moved from the admiral to her father.

“Did I interrupt something?”

Orrin turned toward her.

“No. Actually… you arrived at the right moment.”

The admiral’s gaze shifted as he recognized her.

“Ensign Shepherd.”

Skye froze slightly.

Her shoulders stiffened.

“I am not an ensign anymore,” she said flatly. “I resigned.”

The admiral did not react to the tone.

“Your resignation was accepted pending review.”

She crossed her arms.

“Translation. I was sanctioned without being formally expelled.”

“Something like that.”

Skye let out a quiet breath that was closer to a bitter laugh.

“What do you want, Admiral?”

Her father gave her a warning look, but she ignored it.

The admiral studied her carefully before answering.

“I am offering you a chance to return to duty.”

Skye stared at him.

Silence filled the room.

“With respect,” she said slowly, “two captains filed reports describing me as unstable, insubordinate, and a liability.”

She gestured vaguely toward the console.

“I read them.”

The admiral nodded once.

“Yes.”

“So why exactly would Starfleet want me back?”

“Because despite everything in those reports,” the admiral replied calmly, “you saved multiple officers during two separate crises. Because several people whose lives you protected asked us not to discard you.”

Skye’s jaw tightened.

“That is not how the fleet works.”

“Sometimes it is.”

The admiral brought up the Chimera’s file again.

“You have been recommended for a position aboard the USS Chimera as a science officer.”

Her expression did not change.

“A third ship,” she murmured.

“Correct.”

Skye looked down briefly.

Then she looked back at the admiral.

“And what happens when the next captain decides I am a failure too?”

Orrin spoke then, his voice firm.

“Skye.”

But she kept her eyes on the admiral.

“I am not interested in another lecture about resilience.”

The admiral shook his head slowly.

“This is not a lecture. It is an opportunity. You can refuse it.”

The room fell quiet.

Finally Skye spoke again.

“Why me?”

The admiral answered simply.

“Because the fleet still believes you deserve a chance to decide who you want to be.”

Skye’s gaze drifted toward the floor.

Her voice softened slightly.

“I thought Starfleet had already made that decision.”

The admiral gave a small nod.

“The Chimera departs in two weeks. If you accept the assignment, you will report to her captain.”

Another pause.

“I will give you forty eight hours to decide.”

The transmission faded as the admiral ended the call.

The room suddenly felt much smaller.

Skye remained standing near the doorway, staring at the dark console.

Her father turned slowly toward her.

“Well.”

She shook her head immediately.

“No.”

Orrin blinked.

“You have not even thought about it.”

“I do not need to.”

She began pacing across the room, agitation rising in her voice.

“They already made their opinion of me clear. Twice.”

“You are letting two captains define your entire career.”

“I am being realistic.”

Orrin stepped closer, towering slightly over her.

“You saved lives.”

“And it still was not enough.”

Her voice sharpened.

“I followed my instincts and they called it insubordination.”

“You disobeyed a direct order.”

“Because the order would have gotten people killed.”

Orrin’s gray eyes flashed.

“That is what command decisions look like.”

Skye stopped pacing.

“And what happens when command is wrong?”

He did not answer immediately.

“That is a question every officer faces eventually.”

She let out a tired breath.

“I am not sure I want to be an officer anymore.”

The words hung between them.

Orrin’s voice softened slightly.

“You spent your entire life preparing for Starfleet.”

“That was before I realized what it really was.”

“And what do you think it is?”

She looked up at him, frustration burning in her eyes.

“A system that chews up its young officers and throws them away when they do not fit neatly into someone’s command structure.”

Orrin’s expression hardened.

“You think that is what happened to you?”

“Yes.”

“No,” he said firmly. “You were tested.”

She scoffed.

“I nearly ended my career before it even started.”

“And yet they still offered you another ship.”

“That does not mean they trust me.”

Orrin stepped closer.

“It means they believe you are worth the risk.”

Skye looked away.

For several seconds neither of them spoke.

Finally she whispered quietly.

“I do not know if I believe in the fleet anymore.”

Orrin’s voice softened, but the strength in it remained.

“Then maybe the Chimera is where you figure out if you still can.”

[[Ensign]] [[Skye Shepherd]]
[[Science Officer]] [[U.S.S. Chimera NCC-98730]]