Alcyone Brennan had never met another Rodulan, let alone had the opportunity to learn about Rodulan culture from anything other than the rare encounters that described them. That one of her birth-parents must have belonged to that species was something she hadn’t realized until her teens, when her telepathy had first manifested, but turned out to be different from that of Betazoid classmates, Napean friends. 

Rodulans, so Brennan had found out, were a rarity across the galaxy, rarely left their homeworld, and the one time joining the United Federation of Planets had been a matter of contemplation, it had been shortly after the Dominion War but remained without results. 

With this context, she was stunned in utter disbelief to see one of them here, on Asada. 

The same pitch-black eyes, the same tall, slender frame. But there was something else – his telepathy sung to her, beckoned to connect, invited her to expand beyond the borders she had set for herself. 

“I’m Naeric.”, he said to the assembled group of Starfleet officers, but Brennan could feel a telepathic undercurrent to his greeting, one meant specifically for her. 

Welcome, Alcyone. I am glad we can finally meet.

Brennan took a step forward, then backed away again. The name “Naeric” had become synonymous to the mysterious change in behaviour that had spread like wildfire – a name suddenly mentioned by most of the crew, but belonging to a person previously described to her as human. And someone who had not accompanied them down to Asada. 

She glanced at the others around her, who seemed just as enthralled as she had been, and still was. Eshrevi, standing to her right, had an expression of surprise on her face. 

“Odd, isn’t it?” Brennan whispered quietly as the group began following Naeric towards the village. 

Eshrevi nodded both antennae. “Yes. I … didn’t expect that.”

“Agreed.” Brennan said, struggling to maintain pace with the eager group, and feeling her pulse rise with every step. “I gave up on meeting another Rodulan, but I definitely didn’t expect one here.”

At that statement, Eshrevi shot her a quizzical glance. “Another Rodulan?”

“Yes. That… Naeric person.”

It took a beat until Brennan remembered that Eshrevi had met with Naeric, and that they had a fight about it. How couldn’t she have realized that he was Rodulan, especially after being friends with her for so long?

The answer came a moment later. “Since when are Rodulans blue?” 

“Blue?”  Brennan asked, perplexed. 

“Are you still sea-sick? You’re seeing things.”

“He’s… not….” Brennan started, but fell silent mid-sentence.

Focus, she told herself. Telepathic presence, most of the ship under its influence, present on the Callisto, likely at this very second. Everyone’s friend and confidant. 

She repeated those thoughts like a mantra before mustering the courage to speak up again. “Yeah, probably. I’m still dizzy. What does he look like?” She gestured towards the Rodulan to make absolutely sure they were talking about the same person.

Eshrevi sighed. “Tall. Blue skin, Antennae, long white hair. He has a scar on the left side of his face. Looks almost like mine.” A pause. “You are being weird.”

“I am not what’s being weird here.”, replied Brennan, but left it at that,

It will all make sense. This, I promise to you, said Naeric’s voice in her head. 

When Brennan woke from her slumber, she was still tired. Still, the warmth of the sun on her face made her smile. For a moment, she thought herself to be back on Colludia, where the large windows of her room allowed for a breathtaking view of the nearby lake, and bathed it in sunlight on the days where the weather was pleasant. 

Then she remembered that she wasn’t home.

The memories of her journey to Asada washed over her. How they had taken the boats across the sea, how they had been greeted at the other shore, and how they had led into the village. The rest was a blur of celebrations and, before eventually, she and Eshrevi had been shown to her room.

Eshrevi!

Brennan turned, only to find the other side of the bed empty, blanket and pillow nearly folded. 

In the blink of an eye, Brennan wasn’t tired any more. She jumped out of bed, wanted to reach for her uniform, and found it replaced by a simple but lovingly crafted linen dress instead. 

Once she was dressed, she hurried out of the room. 

The hallways greeted her with silence, devoid of the fellow crew she had expected to find, and Brennan felt panic wrap around her chest. She opened doors here and there, only to find the rooms behind them empty.

Where were the others? Had something happened to them? She had to find them!

Just when the questions became unbearable and the silence oppressive, she noticed a familiar face. Lieutenant Leski, who had come with them as one of the unaffected individuals, was sitting by a window, thoughtfully stirring a bowl of oatmeal. 

“Leski.”, Brenna said as she approached, then took a deep breath to regain some of her composure. “Where are the others?”

The young Betazoid looked up, and his face showed relief as he saw her.

“You’re … I was looking for you, Commander. The others… they joined some kind of … service…?”

“A service?”

“A… it sounded like… a religious thing.” Leski explained. “Lieutenant Sh’shiquil is there too.”, he added, anticipating Brennan’s next question. 

Brennan frowned. While mythology was certainly ingrained in Andorian culture, from the day she had met Eshrevi, she had made fun of Brennan’s faith. Her attending anything that resembled any kind of religious function was ludicrous.

“Where is that held?”, she wanted to know. 

Leski’s looked to the window, and Brennan followed his gaze. The innocent beauty of the place wasn’t lost on her, but it was the large… barn… that drew her attention.  

She offered Leski and appreciative nod, and was about to leave when she paused. “Why aren’t you there?”

Leski bit his lip and lowered his gaze. “It … I don’t know. Just not feeling like it, I suppose.”

“Why not?”

“It just feels strange. All of this. And this Naeric… I… yeah…”

“You’re not alone in that assessment.”, Brennan reassured him. She placed her hand on his shoulder – a gesture she hoped to be comforting – before making her way out of the building and down the path towards the barn. The closer she got, the stranger she felt about this. 

She considered herself a tolerant person, accepting of others beliefs, even though she considered her own one to be the most correct. She had always been interested in other faiths, but never once attended a religious ceremony other than those held in the temples of Colludia.

Now that she could hear the sound of strange hymns in a foreign language coming filling the air around her, she wondered what her parents would say…

But right now, that mattered very little. And so, she entered. 

Inside the building had a warm, rustic feel to it, and it smelled like wooden hay and beeswax. Rows of simple, wooden benches and some mismatched chairs, all of them filled with people, faced a central altar – a table draped with a white cloth, and decorated with candles, flowers, and the hand carved image of male figure in long robes, arms outstretched in a welcoming gesture. a with a makeshift The aged, wooden walls were adorned with foreign symbols and murals in place of windows, and the last note of the hymn echoed from it just as Brennan entered. 

Then, Naeric, still Rodulan in his appearance to Brennan, stepped forward.

“Just yesterday, we were blessed to welcome new brothers and sisters into our community.”, he spoke. “I have promised to you that you would not miss the families and the bonds you have formed on your ships  and I will keep this promise. Others are already on the way to us, and we will greet them like we have greeted you. The boats will set sail within the hour.”

Joyful, anticipatory murmur rose from the crowd, but Brennan tensed. More people were coming? Did that mean that additional crew of the Calisto had decided to leave? If this was the case, she needed to get back. But how?

She had left her communicator badge at the beach as instructed, and no way of getting back there. Unless….

As the crowd dispersed, some heading outside, others remaining to speak to Naeric or amongst themselves, she searched for a familiar face. Ceix.

She spotted him as one of those who, for now, remained in the barn. He was conversing with Jonathan Keller, and every now and then glanced at Shivni, who stood nearby. 

“I have to talk to you.” Brennan said, without the usual decorum and show of respect.

“Of course,” he nodded, but made no attempt to move away from Keller to give then sine privacy. Brennan took a deep breath.

“I was happy to hear that this will be joining us.”

“So was I. It’s good to have the family together.”

“I’ve… been thinking…” she said slowly “I would like to be one of the people greeting them at the other shore, when they first land.”

Ceix raised an eyebrow. “How come?”

Quick, think of something Brennan thought to herself. 

“I was one of the people who had reservations about all of this, and seeing me there might reassure them.”

“I see.”, Ceix said slowly, and Brennan wasn’t sure if he really did see what she was getting at. 

“Would you like to come with me?”, she asked. 

Ceix thought about that moment. He turned, his gaze sweeping over the content faces and the picturesque setting around him. And then he shook his head.

“I’m good here”

“But Captain…”, Brennan sighed, but once more, he shook his head. 

“It’s just Aldris now, Alcyone.”

It sounded so strange being called by her first name. They had always maintained a professional distance, and having that barrier broken down so carelessly only was further proof that he was being influenced by… whatever Naeric was. 

“ I understand.”, she said quietly. 

“So do I.”

Brennan turned, and with a heavy heart, they parted ways.