Captain’s Personal Log, Supplemental:

Captain Kirok Skyrunner recording…

No fate is more daunting for a starship commander than to stand before a General Inquiry hearing, facing the weight of responsibility for the loss of their vessel and crew. My heart sinks with anxiety as I think of my wife, an experienced starship commander, having to endure this ordeal. When we rescued her and Lieutenant Commander Flummox Vael, the sole survivors from her ship, she recounted the harrowing tale of her ship’s demise. I know she did everything in her power to safeguard her crew. Despite the circumstances, she bears the weight of guilt and accountability.

As her partner, I’d give anything to shield her from this burden, to bear the weight of responsibility myself. My instinct is to protect her, to lay down my life if it would spare her the anguish she’s facing. Though I couldn’t change the course of events, I’ll stand by her side as she faces the inquiry on Starbase 72. Together, we’ll weather this storm, and I’ll offer whatever support I can muster. I am her rock, her confidant, and her advocate, as she confronts the questions and scrutiny that lie ahead.

In the silence of the moments leading up to the hearing, I’ll hold her hand, look into her eyes, and remind her that she’s not alone. I’ll remind her of the strength and resilience that defines her, and the unwavering love that binds us together. As we step into the inquiry room, I’ll stand beside her, a constant presence in the turmoil that surrounds her.

End Personal Log.

Captain’s Kirok Skyrunner and Sophia Rodriguez were walking together through the corridors of the USS Carlsbad. They walked hand in hand, showing everyone that they stand together to face any challenges that come their way. They approached the main turbolift and were greeted by Commander Aramis Lionel and Chief Engineer Catersha, who were also holding hands. Aramis saw them coming from the corner of his eye. He turned to face them.

“Good morning Captains,” Aramis said to both Kirok and Sophia.

Catersha turned to see who Aramis was talking to. Catersha stepped over and hugged Sophia. Catersha softly said to Sophia.

“Good luck Captain.”

Sophia smiled at Catersha, just as the turbolift doors opened. Kirok, Sophia, Aramis, and Catersha all stepped inside and the doors closed.

“Transporter Room 2,” Kirok ordered.

The turbolift started moving. Sophia wipes a small tear away from her eyes. Kirok gently took her hand, intertwining his fingers with hers.

“Thank you Catersha. Your support means a lot to me,” Sophia said.

“You got this Captain,” Aramis said.

“We are all behind you babe,” Kirok said softly.

“Thank you everyone for your support. I’m sure I will overcome this,” Sophia said warmly.

The turbolift stopped and the doors whooshed open. When Sophia looked down the corridor, she saw what looked like the entire ship’s complement lined both walls. Captain Skyrunner stepped out of the turbolift first, in his dress uniform, issuing the order to his crew.

“Attention on deck!”

Everyone came to attention as both Captain Skyrunner and Captain Rodriguez started walking down the corridor, Commander Lionel and Lieutenant Commander Catersha followed. Sophia almost came to tears as she and Kirok walked down the corridor.

“See baby, you got support here,” Kirok whispered to her.

They turned a corner and walked into the transporter room. There is where the rest of the bridge officers were. They each stepped up to Captain Rodriguez and gave her a friendly hug, showing that they support her. When the rest of the bridge officers were done, they exited the transporter room.

“All hands, dismissed,” Commander Lionel announced after he tapped his comm badge.

Aramis and Catersha remained to see Kirok and Sophia off to their inquiries. Kirok and Sophia stepped up onto the transporter platform.

“See you soon Captains,” Aramis said.

“Same to you Aramis,” Kirok said. “Chief, energize.”

The dim hum of the transporter filled the air as Captain Kirok Skyrunner and Captain Sophia Rodriguez stood side by side on the platform. The transporter operator’s voice echoed through the room as he was talking commands into his control board.

“Transporter lock established, Captain Skyrunner and Captain Rodriguez. Energizing now.”

The transporter energized, turning their physical bodies into energy and beaming their patterns to a transporter room on the Starbase. The molecular structure of their bodies broke down, their particles suspended in a quantum state, and their consciousness flickered for a fraction of a second as they were dematerialized. The energy matrix holding their patterns stabilized, and the transporter system on Starbase 72 locked onto the incoming signal. The patterns began to take shape, and the transporter’s advanced technology precisely reassembled the molecular structure of the two captains. They rematerialized correctly, their bodies reforming with precision, and their consciousness snapping back into focus. Captain Skyrunner and Captain Rodriguez took a deep breath, their surroundings coming into sharp focus as they gazed around the Starbase 72 transporter room. The bright, sterile lights enveloped them, and the hum of the transporter’s machinery subsided. The Starbase’s JAG officer greeted them with a crisp salute and a friendly smile.

“Welcome, Captains. You’re expected in Conference Lounge Five for the General Inquiry hearing.”

Captain Rodriguez nodded, her piercing eyes narrowing slightly as she adjusted her uniform.

“Let’s get this over with,” she said, her voice firm.

Captain Skyrunner placed a reassuring hand on her arm, his eyes meeting hers.

“We’ll face this together, Sophia,” Kirok said just loud enough for only Sophia to hear.

Together, they stepped off the transporter platform, their footsteps echoing through the room as they followed the JAG officer toward the conference lounge, ready to face the inquiry. The JAG officer led them from the transporter room, down a corridor and into a turbolift. The JAG officer tells the computer what deck and section to go to and the turbolift starts moving.

***

Aramis and Catersha exited the transporter room and headed to the ship’s lounge for breakfast. With the crew on administrative leave pending debrief, the overall sense from the ship’s crew is relaxed. They walked into the lounge and chose a table next to a viewport. The view out the window was full of worker bees busy with taking damaged hull plates off the ship. The waitress came over and took their order.

“Steak and eggs for me, with a side of bacon, orange juice and a coffee,” Aramis ordered.

“I’ll have the supreme omelette and strawberries on the side and a coffee with 2 creams and sugars please,” Catersha ordered.

The waitress tapped the orders on her PADD and walked back to the bar to get the orders out into the replicator.

“So, what are you planning on doing for shore leave,” Catersha asked Aramis.

Aramis looked out the viewport for a minute, then turned to look at Catersha, replying, “I’m not sure. Probably just go to Earth and visit my family. What are you planning to do?”

“I’m not sure honestly,” Catersha replied.

The waitress came back, carrying a big tray and a second waitress came over and took one plate off the tray and placed it in front of Aramis, then grabbed the other one, placing it in front of Catersha. Aramis took a bite of his eggs, then said to Catersha.

“Why don’t we go together? We can make it a date. What do you think? We can go somewhere romantic, like Maui.”

Catersha took a bite of her food, thinking about what Aramis offered. After she swallowed, she replied.

“You are wanting to rekindle our old spark from our Academy days?” Aramis, chewing on a piece of his steak, nodded. Catersha smiled at him. “I think it’s a good idea. Let’s do it.” Aramis smiled back at her as he took a sip of his coffee.

They finished their breakfast and left the lounge. They went back to their own quarters to start packing, so they can be ready after their debrief with Command.

***

Lieutenant Commander Flummox Vael, former Chief Engineer of the lost ship, USS Thunderdragon, was standing in the Engine Room with Kaelara’s people, and the rest of the junior Engineering officers.

“Ok people, listen up,” Flummox said, looking everyone in the eyes. “Everyone here is not on short leave right now. You will be pairing off and working with the engineering teams from Starbase 72. Once the repairs are completed, then you will be granted leave, after being debriefed. Understood? This assignment is from Captain Skyrunner. It is designed to help our new crew mates,” Flummox gestures to Kaelara, Aximo, Vora, Sorvath, and Naomi, “to get better acclimated into the crew and the ship’s systems.”

Flummox looked at everyone’s faces, then gave out team and work assignments.

“Lieutenant John Williams, you will pair up with Aximo and Ensign Lindsay McDowell. You three will replace all the plasma relays throughout the ship. Lieutenant Emily Rodgers, you will pair up with Naomi and Vora. I need you to replace the EPS conduits in preparation for the construction teams to install the new Sickbay module, then your team will connect the new Sickbay to the power grid. Lieutenants JG Alex Rodgers and Ethan Smith, you will pair up with Sorvath. You three will overhaul the EPS manifolds. Kaelara, you get paired with me as we will do a level 1 diagnostic on the entire power grid. Everyone understands their assignments?”

Everyone that was assembled in the meeting nodded and started walking off to get tools and equipment for their assignments. Only Flummox and Kaelara remained at the Master Engineering Console next to the powered down warp core. Kaelara broke the silence.

“How shall we start?”

Flummox tapped a few keys into the master systems display.

“First, we can start with a full Level 1 diagnostic to determine the full status of the power grid,” Flummox said.

“That is a logical start as well,” Kaelara replied.

Kaelara and Flummox looked at each other, eyes locked for a second and something happened between them. Was it a spark?

***

The JAG officer escorted Captains Kirok Skyrunner and Sophia Rodriguez into the conference room where the General Inquiry hearing was being held. The JAG officer, a young Lieutenant, ushered the married couple forward. Along the back wall was a long table where five high ranking Starfleet Officers, a Rear Admiral, a Vice Admiral, and three Captains. All senior officers assigned to this sector. Captains Kirok Skyrunner and Sophia Rodriguez slowly looked around the room as they walked to their seats. They sat down and faced the panel board members.

The inquiry hearing room was a space of stark seriousness, its atmosphere thick with the weight of responsibility. A long, polished duranium table stood at its center, a symbol of the gravity and formality of the proceedings. Behind the table, the five senior flag officers sat in judgment, their faces etched with concern and scrutiny. Captain Sophia Rodriguez stood before them, her posture ramrod straight, her eyes fixed on a point ahead as she steeled herself for the ordeal ahead.

The soft, ambient lighting cast long shadows across the walls, imbuing the room with a sense of solemnity. As the holographic display flickered to life above the table, images and data related to the incident flashed across its surface, casting an eerie glow over the room. The silence was oppressive, punctuated only by the gentle hum of the life support systems and the quiet rustle of the board members’ uniforms as they shifted in their seats.

The tension in the room was palpable, a living, breathing entity that seemed to wrap itself around Captain Rodriguez’s shoulders, weighing her down with the burden of her responsibility. She knew that the next few hours would be crucial in determining her future in Starfleet, and the weight of that knowledge hung heavy over her like a sword of Damocles. As the board members leaned forward, their eyes fixed intently on her, Captain Rodriguez steeled herself for the questions to come, her mind racing with the memories of the incident and the fate of her ship and crew. Admiral Jacobson, the inquiry board’s President, voice cut through the silence, her tone firm but measured.

“Captain Rodriguez, the purpose of this General Inquiry is to investigate the circumstances surrounding the loss of your ship and crew. We will be examining the evidence, and you will be expected to provide testimony and answer our questions to the best of your ability.”

Captain Rodriguez nodded, her eyes still fixed on the point ahead, as the inquiry began. The board members leaned forward, their faces intent, as they prepared to scrutinize every detail of the incident.