02-24-2026, 03:58 AM
Ameen watched the overhead lights dim and then surge back to full strength. He listened as the frantic alarms on the alien pods died down, replaced by a steady, synchronized hum.
He looked over at the Saurian midshipman, noting the drops of blood on A'kilees' chin and the torn cable casings on the deck.
Not exactly textbook Starfleet engineering, Ameen thought, but out here in the dark, textbook doesn't keep you breathing...
"Brutal, but effective, Midshipman A'kilees," Ameen said, the ghost of a smile touching his lips. "I'll have Engineering send down a replacement panel for the surgical arch, but you just bought them their lives. Well done. Lieutenant Gath, see if you can assist him in securing those lines so nobody trips over them."
Ameen then turned his attention to the corner where Dr. O'Fee was working on Mid Cortez. He heard Evie's prompt, putting him squarely on the spot. Ameen was a private man, but he knew what leadership required in this exact moment.
Command isn't just about giving orders, he reminded himself. Sometimes it's about bleeding a little so they know you're human too...
He walked over and crouched down slightly so he was at eye level with the young officer.
"The Doctor is right, Midshipman," Ameen said, his voice losing its command edge, replaced by a quiet, grounding earnestness. "During my first deployment, our ship took a direct hit. I spent the first five minutes of the battle frozen in a Jefferies tube, convinced the bulkheads were going to crush me. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't move."
He held Cortez's gaze.
"Fear is a biological imperative, Cortez. It's your body's way of trying to keep you alive. Courage is not the absence of that fear; courage is deciding that the mission is more important than the panic. You held that live wire. You saved twelve souls today. Remember that, not the fear."
Ameen stood back up, adjusting his tunic as he addressed the rest of the room.
"Lieutenant Gath, authorize a security team to be posted to sickbay, they will answer to the CMO while our guests are here. Doctor O'Fee, these patients are now your primary responsibility, any other resources that you require can be discussed with the Commander Keir."
He turned his gaze to the Chief Science Officer. Seeing Amila standing safely in Sickbay, exhausted but unharmed, lifted a quiet, specific weight from his chest. Their eyes met for a fraction of a second—a brief, private acknowledgment of relief before the mask of command slid back into place.
I'm glad you're in one piece, he thought, the tension finally leaving his shoulders. Now let's find out what we just brought aboard...
"Lieutenant Ra'an," he said, his tone crisp and professional, "that data module is our only key to understanding who we just invited aboard. Take it to the science labs. Try to extract a translation matrix and some answers before these people open their eyes."
Finally, he sought out his First Officer. Commander Keir was standing nearby, already reviewing the transporter buffer telemetry on a tricorder, projecting the quiet, steady authority the room needed.
Good to have you back on deck, Ameen thought.
"Commander Keir," Ameen called out, raising his voice just enough to be heard over the hum of the EPS conduits. "Once your done here, head up to the Bridge and relieve Lieutenant Powl. Let's get the Zephyr back to standard operations and stand down from Red Alert. Resume our previous route and heading."
== Tag Everyone ==
He looked over at the Saurian midshipman, noting the drops of blood on A'kilees' chin and the torn cable casings on the deck.
Not exactly textbook Starfleet engineering, Ameen thought, but out here in the dark, textbook doesn't keep you breathing...
"Brutal, but effective, Midshipman A'kilees," Ameen said, the ghost of a smile touching his lips. "I'll have Engineering send down a replacement panel for the surgical arch, but you just bought them their lives. Well done. Lieutenant Gath, see if you can assist him in securing those lines so nobody trips over them."
Ameen then turned his attention to the corner where Dr. O'Fee was working on Mid Cortez. He heard Evie's prompt, putting him squarely on the spot. Ameen was a private man, but he knew what leadership required in this exact moment.
Command isn't just about giving orders, he reminded himself. Sometimes it's about bleeding a little so they know you're human too...
He walked over and crouched down slightly so he was at eye level with the young officer.
"The Doctor is right, Midshipman," Ameen said, his voice losing its command edge, replaced by a quiet, grounding earnestness. "During my first deployment, our ship took a direct hit. I spent the first five minutes of the battle frozen in a Jefferies tube, convinced the bulkheads were going to crush me. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't move."
He held Cortez's gaze.
"Fear is a biological imperative, Cortez. It's your body's way of trying to keep you alive. Courage is not the absence of that fear; courage is deciding that the mission is more important than the panic. You held that live wire. You saved twelve souls today. Remember that, not the fear."
Ameen stood back up, adjusting his tunic as he addressed the rest of the room.
"Lieutenant Gath, authorize a security team to be posted to sickbay, they will answer to the CMO while our guests are here. Doctor O'Fee, these patients are now your primary responsibility, any other resources that you require can be discussed with the Commander Keir."
He turned his gaze to the Chief Science Officer. Seeing Amila standing safely in Sickbay, exhausted but unharmed, lifted a quiet, specific weight from his chest. Their eyes met for a fraction of a second—a brief, private acknowledgment of relief before the mask of command slid back into place.
I'm glad you're in one piece, he thought, the tension finally leaving his shoulders. Now let's find out what we just brought aboard...
"Lieutenant Ra'an," he said, his tone crisp and professional, "that data module is our only key to understanding who we just invited aboard. Take it to the science labs. Try to extract a translation matrix and some answers before these people open their eyes."
Finally, he sought out his First Officer. Commander Keir was standing nearby, already reviewing the transporter buffer telemetry on a tricorder, projecting the quiet, steady authority the room needed.
Good to have you back on deck, Ameen thought.
"Commander Keir," Ameen called out, raising his voice just enough to be heard over the hum of the EPS conduits. "Once your done here, head up to the Bridge and relieve Lieutenant Powl. Let's get the Zephyr back to standard operations and stand down from Red Alert. Resume our previous route and heading."
== Tag Everyone ==