03-24-2026, 03:41 AM
Ameen had just managed to draft the second paragraph of his official log when the sharp chirp of the desktop communications console broke the stillness of the Ready Room.
[Lieutenant Ra'an to Commander Ameen. Jukish and I have some ideas on how to unlock this thing, but there are some precautions we'd like to put in place first. Where can we meet you and Commander Keir?]
At the sound of her voice, Ameen’s fingers froze over the PADD’s interface. He felt a sudden, distinct flutter in his chest—a heartbeat physically skipping its rhythm. It had only been a short while since he had seen her in Sickbay, covered in frost and exhausted, but hearing her voice now, clear and focused, made a sudden wave of longing wash over him. He realized, with a quiet sense of defeat, just how profoundly he had missed her presence.
I spend half my time trying to push you out of my head just so I can do this job, he mused privately, a faint, genuine smile touching his lips. And all it takes is your voice over the comms to pull me right back in...
He took a slow breath, letting the residual warmth of Hannah's coffee settle his nerves, and carefully smoothed his features back into the mask of the commanding officer. He reached out and tapped the flashing transmit button.
"Ameen here. Your timing is impeccable, Lieutenant." He allowed just a fraction of warmth to bleed through the professional timbre of his voice. "I am currently in my Ready Room attempting to summarize the impossible for Starfleet Command, and I could certainly use some concrete answers."
He considered her mention of precautions. It was exactly what he wanted to hear.
"I appreciate your caution," Ameen continued. "Given that we have twelve genetically engineered sleepers and an unknown data drive aboard, precautions are the only logical approach. Bring your findings here to my Ready Room. I'll have Commander Keir join us so we can review your proposed setup before we make a final decision on how to proceed. Ameen out."
He closed the channel to the Science Lab and immediately routed a secondary ping to the bridge.
"Ameen to Commander Keir. Please step into the Ready Room. Lieutenant Ra'an has an update on our puzzle box, and I'd like both your operational input and your engineering perspective before we move forward."
Closing the channel, Ameen leaned back in his chair and set the PADD aside. The bone-deep exhaustion from the rescue was still there, but the quiet thrill of discovery—and the imminent prospect of seeing Amila walk through his doors—pushed it firmly into the background.
Let's see what you've found, Amila...
[Lieutenant Ra'an to Commander Ameen. Jukish and I have some ideas on how to unlock this thing, but there are some precautions we'd like to put in place first. Where can we meet you and Commander Keir?]
At the sound of her voice, Ameen’s fingers froze over the PADD’s interface. He felt a sudden, distinct flutter in his chest—a heartbeat physically skipping its rhythm. It had only been a short while since he had seen her in Sickbay, covered in frost and exhausted, but hearing her voice now, clear and focused, made a sudden wave of longing wash over him. He realized, with a quiet sense of defeat, just how profoundly he had missed her presence.
I spend half my time trying to push you out of my head just so I can do this job, he mused privately, a faint, genuine smile touching his lips. And all it takes is your voice over the comms to pull me right back in...
He took a slow breath, letting the residual warmth of Hannah's coffee settle his nerves, and carefully smoothed his features back into the mask of the commanding officer. He reached out and tapped the flashing transmit button.
"Ameen here. Your timing is impeccable, Lieutenant." He allowed just a fraction of warmth to bleed through the professional timbre of his voice. "I am currently in my Ready Room attempting to summarize the impossible for Starfleet Command, and I could certainly use some concrete answers."
He considered her mention of precautions. It was exactly what he wanted to hear.
"I appreciate your caution," Ameen continued. "Given that we have twelve genetically engineered sleepers and an unknown data drive aboard, precautions are the only logical approach. Bring your findings here to my Ready Room. I'll have Commander Keir join us so we can review your proposed setup before we make a final decision on how to proceed. Ameen out."
He closed the channel to the Science Lab and immediately routed a secondary ping to the bridge.
"Ameen to Commander Keir. Please step into the Ready Room. Lieutenant Ra'an has an update on our puzzle box, and I'd like both your operational input and your engineering perspective before we move forward."
Closing the channel, Ameen leaned back in his chair and set the PADD aside. The bone-deep exhaustion from the rescue was still there, but the quiet thrill of discovery—and the imminent prospect of seeing Amila walk through his doors—pushed it firmly into the background.
Let's see what you've found, Amila...