The hours between Brennan‘s and Una‘s last conversation felt longer than they had any right to. Alcyone wasn’t an empath, but she could swear that she felt the mood on the Callisto shift with every passing second, moving from careful optimism to misplaced euphoria.

Eventually, just before the waiting became unbearable, their group of renegades assembled in her quarters.

Brennan’s heart sank as she regarded the skeptical faces in front of her. A small group of individuals she had perhaps worked with but had not gotten the chance to know. Having them here in her living room felt out of place, far too personal, and like they were doing something secretive and wrong.

“She just stopped talking to me,” said the newly minted Lieutenant Junior Grade Leski, earning a look of sympathy from the dark-haired woman next to him.

“I understand your frustration,” she replied. “I encountered the same thing. It’s… unpleasant, but surely there is a reason. We just need to find out what is happening.”

Instead of chiming in with her own experiences over the last two days, Brennan pressed her lips into a thin line and crossed her arms in front of her chest … before uncrossing them again and forcing herself into a more open, more approachable posture.

The word pathetic popped into her mind, unbidden and unwelcome. It was very much a reflection of how she scolded herself for her own insecurity regarding the situation with Eshrevi. She might have even gone as far as to dismiss her concerns – and those present – entirely, if it weren’t for the several Vulcans in the room, remaining silent amid the emotional exchange.

“What I am noticing,” said Una, who spoke up after what she seemed to deem an appropriate amount of time to let Leski and Sila, the woman next to him, have their moment of self-pity, “is that the individuals assembled here all share one defining trait.”

“What’s that? Abandonment issues?” huffed Lieutenant Humias, who wasn’t generally known for his great bedside manner but had good chances of becoming their new Chief Medical Officer regardless.

“No,” Una replied calmly, entirely unbothered. “We are all, in one way or another, telepathically gifted.”

Brennan’s eyes widened a fraction as Una pointed out what should have been obvious. She glanced around the room once more, finding herself nodding in assent. It was true. She herself was part Rodulan – a highly telepathic people – and those present all seemed to belong to species that were gifted with some flavor of telepathic ability.

The others seemed to come to the same conclusion, and eventually, even Humias conceded.

“I suppose it would make sense on a purely physiological level,” he said. He paused, as if waiting for someone to ask him to elaborate, then simply continued. “Different neural patterns.”

“It could also have something to do with how the gamma radiation coming from the planet is affecting us,” said Coss, an Astronomics officer presently researching Asada.

“Then again, it would be odd if it affected a specialized vessel like the Callisto,” remarked Leski. “It’s standard procedure to modify our shields accordingly or report any difficulty in doing so.”

“Well,” Coss shrugged, “with us focusing on retrieving the crew of the USS Givens, the officers dedicated to modifying the shields might have been substantially fewer than they should have been.”

“But even then,” Brennan said, “even if the gamma radiation causes some sort of hallucination, this one seems to be shared and very specific. Members of the crew have been talking about this Naeric individual independently from one another… And from what I’ve found out, experiences have been widely positive. If this is a hallucination, it shouldn’t affect everyone in exactly the same way.”

“That’s right,” agreed Sila. “When people experience hallucinations, they are usually based on their past experiences. That’s why drugs affect people in different ways and often emphasize an already existing mood.”

“I… this might be far-fetched, but I’m wondering if this might be a telepathic presence,” said Leski slowly.

“We are specialized in those encounters. We would have noticed,” remarked Humias, furrowing his brows.

“But like Coss said… we’re busy. It’s not our main focus right now,” Leski said defensively, looking relieved as Sila once more came to his aid.

“Telepathic species vary from one another, as does their telepathy. As far as I’ve learned, Rodulan telepathy is very different from that of Betazoids.”

She looked at Brennan, who shifted uncomfortably and had to resist the urge to cross her arms again. “It’s true,” she said eventually. “I have never encountered anyone whose telepathy is quite like mine, and a connection is often either painful or not possible.”

“I think we should bring this to Captain Ceix sooner rather than later,” suggested Sila.

“I agree,” Brennan nodded. She knew that the captain was preoccupied with the question of how to extract the crew of the USS Givens from Asada’s surface, as well as with his own personal feelings toward the Givens’ commanding officer. Still, she needed his experience.

Leski chewed on his lip before finally convincing himself to speak again. “There’s just one problem,” he said slowly. “I have heard Ceix talk about Naeric.”

The silence that followed this revelation was deafening and lasted several seconds.

“It shouldn’t matter,” Brennan said abruptly, and to her own surprise. “I know I haven’t been First Officer for long, but I trust Captain Ceix. Even if he is also affected by what is happening, I don’t believe he will simply dismiss our concerns. Whatever or whoever this Naeric person is… perhaps Ceix will doubt that there is something wrong with him, but as a Captain, his priority remains the well-being of his ship and crew.”

She drew in a sharp breath. “And in addition, he is very experienced. I wouldn’t be surprised if he has encountered something similar before—maybe not as Captain Ceix, but perhaps through the several lifetimes of his symbiont.”

“If you think it’s the right decision, I would like to come with you, Commander,” said Una.

Brennan, who seemed to have talked herself up with that little speech, gave a nod. “In the meantime… Leski, Sila, and…” she gestured vaguely to those whose names she didn’t know, “I would appreciate it if you could research the matter further. Check if you can pick up any unusual readings of psionic energy. Go through the ship logs of the Givens and the Qualle and see if there is anything the other teams overlooked. Or weren’t supposed to find.”

Once Una and Brennan arrived at the ready room, they found Captain Ceix in quiet discussion with Lieutenant Commander Keller. Brennan’s first thought was that their Chief of Security had earned himself another reprimand for being an utterly awful individual to everyone around him, but this discussion seemed to be of an entirely different nature.

Keller looked relaxed, calm, almost serene. Ceix, on the other hand, looked alarmed. He glanced at both women as they entered and gave Keller one last nod before dismissing him.

“Commander,” he said once they were alone. “Impeccable timing. I was just about to speak to you.”

Brennan tried a smile, though it lacked its usual brightness. “I meant to talk to you too, so that’s a happy coincidence. I have Lieutenant Una with me, if you don’t mind.”

Ceix shook his head. “I do not. As a matter of fact, I wanted to speak to her too.” He took a seat at his desk and took a moment to organize his thoughts. “Unfortunately, I have to inform you that Lieutenant Commander Keller has decided to resign from Starfleet.”

Brennan flinched. “He told me the same. I was hoping we’d get a chance to talk it through before he finalized his decision.”

“It seems his mind is already made up,” Ceix said, reaching for his cup of coffee. “But there’s more than that. He has asked for permission to beam himself and his two children down to the planet.”

Brennan’s eyes widened. “Why?”

“That is what I am trying to find out,” Ceix replied. “I will admit that, over the years, there have been moments where I considered settling down somewhere peaceful, without the pressure of Starfleet life. I can understand that Jonathan wants to protect his children. After his wife’s death, Starfleet doesn’t seem like a safe place anymore – but then, it never claimed to be.”

“We can’t let him beam down to the planet,” Una protested.

Ceix gave a nod. “I agree. We are working on extracting the Givens’ crew, not adding more people and further interfering with the natural development of the native species. On the other hand, the fact that he suddenly wants to go down to the planet might give us insight into why the others have done the same.”

“But we can’t let him leave,” Brennan agreed.

“For the time being, I have no intention of allowing it. I told him he would be confined to his quarters. I was prepared for him to argue against it.”

“But he didn’t…,” Brennan sighed.

“No… he didn’t. He told me there was nothing I could do to convince him otherwise, but that he understood I only wanted the best for him. He has agreed to remain in his quarters, and I have withdrawn his transporter privileges.”

He let those words linger before looking at Lieutenant Una. “Congratulations,” he said. “It looks like you are Acting Chief of Security.”

If Una was surprised, it didn’t show on her face. “Thank you, Captain. I will not disappoint.”

“I know you won’t,” Ceix replied. Then, he turned to Brennan. “What was it you wanted to talk to me about?”

Brennan, whose thoughts had been preoccupied with Keller, straightened. “Sir, we have noticed several changes in the crew’s behavior. We have also noticed that many of them are referencing an individual—someone we have not heard of before.”

“And who is that?” Ceix asked, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.

“They call him Naeric.”

“Naeric?” Ceix repeated incredulously, though there was an undercurrent of amusement in his tone. “Zion, I know you haven’t been here long, but Una—I would have expected more from you. Naeric has been a valued member of the crew for years. He has been an excellent advisor, someone who has shown reliability, dedication, and loyalty to the Callisto.”

Brennan bit her lip. She had been prepared for something like this, but not for the condescending tone that colored Ceix’s voice in such an uncharacteristic way.

“With all due respect… I… If I may ask – what is Naeric’s function here?”

“He is a counselor,” Ceix said, frowning at what seemed to him like a stupid question.

Brennan continued. “Is he a civilian counselor, or is he Starfleet?”

“Starfleet,” Ceix answered. Though there was the slightest hesitation in his voice.

Brennan pressed on. “Then why is there no mention of him in the ship’s database?”

“I can assure you that he is, Commander.” Ceix rose from his chair, clearly unwilling to indulge them any further.

“But sir, if you could check, you would see that-…”

“The situation has us all on edge. But I would suggest you focus your energy on the matter at hand and not on a witch hunt. I am sure you will get to know Naeric sooner or later.”

“Captain,” Una tried, but to no avail.

“Dismissed.”

Una and Brennan left the bridge in tense silence.

“I suppose we should let the others know that, well, there seems to be nothing to worry about,” said Brennan slowly, though she did not quite believe her own words.

“At the very least, we have received a direct order to invest our energy elsewhere,” Una nodded, though she, too, didn’t seem convinced.

At that moment, Brennan’s combadge chirped.

“Commander,” came Leski’s shaky voice. “There is something you should know. If this is a good time…”

“It is,” Brennan confirmed. “Did you find out anything?”

“We looked through the ship logs of the USS Givens and the Qualle. There was no mention of Naeric on the crew manifest, but…” A pause. “We accessed the personal logs. He’s mentioned in all of them. And… according to the dates, he has been on both vessels at the same time – and only since they entered Asada’s orbit.”

“Thank you, Lieutenant.”

The comm line closed, and Una looked at Brennan. “I do not know if we should bring this to the Captain again.”

Brennan considered for a moment. “No. Ceix seems to be affected by whatever this is, and the way he reacted was… strange. I’d rather not find myself in the brig for asking too many questions.”

“Then what do we do?”

Brennan would have loved to have a reply – but she didn’t. If most of the crew was affected, it was bad enough. But if the captain was no longer able to make sound decisions…

“We need a plan,” Brennan said firmly. “I just have to come up with one.”