U.S.S. Longbourn: Stardate 2275.308
Captain Bennet and Commander Darcy walked briskly along the corridors to the bridge. Now that they were alone, Elizabeth considered apologizing for, well, everything- but it seemed like the wrong time. Instead she accepted the awkward air that seemed to hover between them until they finally stepped onto the bridge.
Even though she had been captain of this vessel for over four months, she still felt a bubble of pride settle low in her chest. The sleek instrumentation, the star-smattered sight of the galaxy through their viewscreen, the quiet sounds her capable and efficient crew made as they went about their day all made for a picturesque scene to her. Sure, this job was incredibly stressful and yeah, there was some personal shit going down. But who in their right mind would trade this life for any other?
Bingley turned at the hiss of the door opening. "Captain, you have an incoming transmission from Admiral Jabara." His ever present cheerful demeanor sparked a hint of irritation in the captain. Usually his chronic happiness inspired a smile of her own, but the image in her head of her sister crying over this man momentarily soured her mood.
She shook it off and politely returned the smile, even as she suppressed the sudden urge to reach across the console and flick him on the head.
"I'll take it in the ready room," she informed the communications officer before she started walking toward the door the to right of the bridge. "Commander," she called over her shoulder when Darcy remained near Bingley, "you're with me."
"Yes, captain."
The ready room was an area directly connected to the bridge, which made it convenient for the captain to have easy access during an emergency. It contained only a desk with a screen on top and a conference table; Lizzie had kept the room as sparse as possible to prevent any distractions.
The screen was just flickering to life as Darcy and Lizzie arrived, and an elderly Andorian woman appeared as Lizzie sat down in the chair. Darcy stood slightly behind her right shoulder.
"Admiral, how can we help you?" The captain's smile turned less forced as she focused on the face of one of her previous mentors. Jabara's antennae bent forward slightly, an idiosyncratic habit of greeting that Lizzie was familiar with from years of interactions. Her mentor's blue skin and gray hair had both lightened a little with age, but her brown eyes conveyed the same sense of astuteness as it did a decade ago.
"Captain Bennet, Commander Darcy, as usual it's great to see you both. The parameters of your next assignment have been altered."
Accustomed to the admiral's curt nature, the captain took the segue in stride. "Our mission on Acamar III- has that been delayed or canceled completely?"
"Starfleet is sending the U.S.S. Hartfield in your stead. The Longbourn will reroute to Vulcan and rendezvous with a team from the Vulcan Science Academy. How familiar are you with the current epidemic occurring on Tarkalea?"
Despite Mary's frequent protestations, Lizzie did in fact listen when she spoke. Therefore she was able to recount some relevant information Mary had told her during breakfast two days ago. Actually, 'told' was a generous term; more often than not Mary lectured rather than discussed something.
"If I'm not mistaken, the Tarkalean population is currently suffering from an influenza epidemic. Apparently the children on the planet are particularly susceptible to this strain, which is common, but the fatality rate is much higher than previous years."
"Your information is correct." Despite being past the age she thought she still needed praise from role models, Lizzie couldn't help but to feel pleased at Jabara's approving smile.
"The VSA," she continued, "has been fast-tracking a vaccine for this specific disease and it has just been approved for the last phase of clinical trials today. The Longbourn is to pick up their xenobiology team from ShiKahr tomorrow morning, and escort them and their very fragile medicine to Tarkalea. The coordinates will be sent to you shortly."
"Acknowledged."
Instead of dismissal from Jabara, which Lizzie fully expected now the the critical information had been discussed, her mentor rubbed her face as if she were tired before leaning back in her chair. "After the xenobiology team is settled and the trial has passed its initial stages, Starfleet wants you and the Tarkalean health ministry to give a joint press release."
Lizzie paused at the wording. "They want me? Not Lieutenant Heath?"
Lieutenant Heath was probably one of her least favorite people on her ship, given his dramatic nature and tendency to hyperbolize, but in short bursts he could portray himself as a charismatic and sympathetic man. Overall, he was a rather good public relations officer.
"I'll be frank, Elizabeth. The academy has seen a dramatic increase in cadet applications from Denobula since the incident. Dozens of them have explicitly stated that your actions five and a half months ago encouraged them to join. We want to broadcast the press release to Denobula."
Anger and grief coursed through her veins. Her limbs felt somehow tense and numb, and suddenly she had trouble hearing over the sound of her own heart. The abrupt shift in her mood made her a little dizzy.
"There are children dying, and you want me to use the opportunity to help Starfleet's P.R.?" The question came out rough, shaky- not at all like the calm and collected demeanor she had wanted to convey. Truthfully, though, it was hard to say anything over the burning sensation in her throat.
Jabara sighed softly. A hint of pleading colored her steady words. "Do you think we could help people all over the galaxy without any officers? The press release is in no way going to interfere with the vaccine efforts- if anything it might help the VSA receive more funding. I know you're still struggling with what happened-"
The protest came quickly, but Jabara spoke over the strangled noise. "There's no need for denial, Elizabeth, it would have been a difficult situation for anybody. Starfleet has tried giving you enough time to... recover, but surely you must have known your captaincy would come with strings attached. You're one of the youngest captains in the history of the United Federation for a reason. "
"I..." Speechless, Lizzie racked her brain for a reply. Seven officers murdered that day, and Starfleet wanted to take advantage of the tragedy for recruitment.
The compassion in the admiral's voice barely registered to the shocked captain. "Think of it this way. If you hadn't been there, most of these young Denobulans wouldn't even be alive. Their desire to join Starfleet is a way of expressing gratitude. Nobody is forgetting those officers or their sacrifice anytime soon."
I should have died with them.
The familiar mantra rang loudly in her mind. It was hard to hear anything over the screaming thought.
A hand laid on her shoulder, and Lizzie almost jumped before remembering Darcy was still in the room. At first she thought the first officer had meant to slightly restrain her, before realizing the loose hold on her was a gesture of comfort. The combination of her current discussion and the solace emanating from the commander made her deflate.
After all, Starfleet was making it clear this was a command, not a request.
"Understood."
"Good," Jabara responded soothingly before straightening back up. "Call me next week about your progress. Jabara out."
Lizzie stared at the blank screen for a few seconds before pressing her comm badge. Her hands were still slightly numb.
"Bennet to Gable."
"Gable here."
"Set a new course for Vulcan, ensign. Warp 5." The captain felt as if she were giving commands on autopilot. She waited for confirmation from the navigator before turning to the commander. "Gather the heads of the departments for a briefing."
"Captain," Darcy said hesitantly, "are you alright?"
His commiserating expression seemed totally foreign on his face. Swallowing several times against the tightness of her throat, Lizzie shook her head slightly. Darcy's hand returned to her shoulder before giving a slight squeeze. He was bending at the waist a little as to not tower over her. "Perhaps we could call the counselor in."
"I think... I think that's a good idea," Lizzie relented. "But, I want the department heads here in an hour. We have to coordinate with the VSA, the Tarkalean health ministry-"
"I have a contact at the VSA that will be immensely helpful; I know she is working on this project. I can coordinate with her and Dr. Bennet while you are meeting with the counselor," Darcy interrupted delicately.
"Okay," the captain whispered before clearing her throat to speak louder. "Okay."
The commander gave a comforting rub of her shoulder before stepping back. The move was so unexpected- and clearly not something he engaged in often, if his robotic motion was any indication- that Lizzie had to stop a bubble of nervous laughter from escaping.
Instead she watched as he patted his own comm badge before speaking clearly. "Darcy to Counselor Bennet."
"Bennet here," her sister's soothing voice answered.
"Please report to the captain's ready room."
Unbeknownst to the people in the room, the counselor had arched her eyebrows in surprise at the rare request from the first officer. Of course, her tone did not portray any of this. "Acknowledged."
Darcy's eyes found the captain's once more. "I will set the meeting for an hour from now. Do you require anything else, Captain?"
Lizzie cleared her throat before responding. "No, that will be all Commander." Darcy turned to leave the room, but was stopped by the hand on his forearm. "And Darcy? Thank you."
The Vulcan simply glanced over his shoulder and nodded slightly before continuing out the room.
At the appointed time the senior officers relevant to their assignment gathered in the ready room. The captain had spent the better part of the last hour with her sister, who listened patiently while she tried to articulate the maelstrom of emotions. The cathartic nature of their session left her feeling lighter, but she also felt extremely drained; this meeting would have to be as short as possible with her feeling this out of it. Jane remained in the room to participate in the briefing, and greeted the officers as they entered one by one.
Darcy was the first to arrive, and Lizzie gave him a tight smile. She thought she would feel shame, or embarrassment, after her display of emotion, but she was surprised to feel a sense of reassurance from the usually aloof man. They had a quiet conversation about what time the VSA expected them as the rest of the staff- Fitzwilliam, Charlotte, and Mary- filtered in.
"Thank you all for coming," Lizzie began. "Our next mission has been altered. Instead of continuing to Acamar III we have changed course for Vulcan." The captain then imparted all the information she had received from the admiral before she began to assign tasks. "Dr. Bennet, I want you and Dr. Lucas to coordinate with the Commander's contact at the VSA. Admiral Jabara mentioned that the vaccine was 'fragile.' At the very least they'll probably require a stasis field, but find out what other requirements their team will need." The captain waited for a nod from both women before turning to her older sister.
"Counselor, I'll need information about Tarkalean vaccine history- if there are any specific customs or controversies surrounding vaccines or even medicine in general."
"Yes, captain."
"Officer Fitzwilliam, start analyzing for any security threats using the Federation's intelligence of Tarkalea. Pick the security officers you think will be necessary for the task; send your selection to Commander Darcy by 0600 tomorrow."
"Will do," James replied amiably.
"Commander," Lizzie turned to the man beside her who, to nobody's surprise, was already intently looking her direction. "If you haven't already, get the complete list of team members the VSA is sending us."
After the confirmation from her first officer, the captain turned to the room at large. "Any questions or concerns?" The group remained silent; some shook their heads slightly.
"If you think of anything, contact Commander Darcy; he'll let me know if anything requires my attention. Everybody be prepared to greet our guests at 0700 in the transporter room tomorrow. Dismissed."
U.S.S. Longbourn: Stardate 2275.309 at 0746 hours
For the second night in a row, Lizzie had slept like absolute shit. Her sleep had been plagued by a mixture of memories and nightmares, which had combined to form her own personal hell. In her dream she was back on Denobula, listening to her fellow officers being slaughtered in the next room, but for some reason Jane and Darcy's voices had also been present in the chaotic mix. What made it worse was that, despite the truly horrendous procession of dreams, she hadn't woken up once as far as she could tell. If she had she would've stayed up, but her body remained trapped in sleep until the chime of an incoming message- a veritable blessing in disguise- woke her.
At the noise she sat up, gasping for air and sweating thoroughly.
"Commander Darcy to Captain Bennet. Your presence is requested in the transporter room." The abrupt wake-up meant her mind was still in that surreal space between slumber and consciousness, but the steady tone immediately calmed her.
"Acknowledged," she responded, trying to keep the shakiness from showing in her voice.
Sitting on the side of her bed, she took a minute to calm herself. You're on the Longbourn, Jane and Darcy are fine, you're fine. You can break down later. Breathe.
Quickly donning a uniform and grabbing her comm, she jogged to the transporter room. To her surprise Darcy was standing outside of the doors.
"Everything alright, Commander?"
Her first officer met her gaze evenly. "Yes, captain. I could not help but notice you sounded a little troubled. I merely wanted to check in before the team from the VSA arrived."
She had to bite down the habitual response of "I'm fine." If Darcy was asking after her well-being, she knew she was probably very obviously not okay.
"I had a... rough night," Lizzie explained, the exhaustion clear in her stance before she straightened up. "But I'll be okay. Let's go greet our guests."
Darcy nodded before gesturing for the captain to enter ahead of him.
Jane, Fitzwilliam, Charlotte and Mary stood patiently at the edge of the room. The ensign at the control panel turned to the commanding officers.
"The VSA members have notified us that they are ready."
"One moment, ensign," Lizzie commanded before turning to the Vulcan. "What are their names?" she whispered, shame coating her words. She had spent the previous afternoon review Tarkalean viruses, and clearly her plan to wake early to learn about the people boarding her vessel did not work out.
"The head of the team is Dr. T'Lii. She will introduce her staff by rank," he explained quickly.
Nodding at the ensign, Lizzie commanded, "Energize."
Four Vulcans and, to her utter surprise, a human appeared on the transported pad. The eldest Vulcan stepped forward, and the others waited as she exited the pad before walking behind her.
The captain held up her hand in a traditional Vulcan greeting. "Welcome to the U.S.S. Longbourn, Dr. T'Lii."
The Vulcan woman returned the ta'al. Despite her age- which was apparent by the deep grooves in her face and thinning hair- she walked smoothly and with confidence. Her ebony hair was twisted into a complex braid, and- like the other members of the team- she wore long, gray robes.
"Captain Bennet, Commander Darcy, the VSA thanks you for assisting in our endeavors. Please allow me to introduce my collaborators." The other four people in the group had lined up to her right, and as she said their names they nodded in greeting. With great difficulty, the captain forced herself to listen to T'Lii, although her eyes kept being drawn to the human, a young woman with soft amber eyes and shoulder length blonde hair, at the end of the line.
"This is Skon," T'Lii introduced the Vulcan to her immediate right, an older male with the customary Vulcan hair cut and serious brown eyes. The male to his right was Falor, a slightly younger Vulcan with a similar hair style and deep frown lines. The last Vulcan female was named T'Hain, and Lizzie noted that unlike the others she gave a slight bow as her name was called.
T'Lii continued, not knowing the bomb she was about to drop on the captain. "And our last member is Georgiana Darcy."
...Wait, what?