Captain Sophia Rodriguez stood tall, her eyes fixed on the stern-faced admiral seated across from her. The cold, sterile atmosphere of the General Inquiry hearing room seemed to press in around her, making her skin prickle with unease. Sophia looked to her right and down. To her right, her husband, Captain Kirok Skyrunner, sat next to her. He was a rock to her, his calming, steady presence a beacon of comfort in the midst of turmoil. His eyes, a deep, piercing brown, met hers, and Sophia felt a surge of gratitude, support, and love.

Admiral Jacobson, a gruff, no-nonsense veteran of the fleet, cleared her throat, his voice like a rusty gate. “Captain Rodriguez, please state your name, rank, and position for the record and who is with you today at this hearing.”

“Captain Sophia Jasmine Rodriguez, formerly the commanding officer for the USS Thunderdragon. I brought my husband with me, Captain Kirok Skyrunner, current commanding officer for the USS Carlsbad.”

“Thank you Captain Rodriguez. I remind you that you are under oath as a Starfleet Officer and are required to tell the truth. Please give the court a full account of the events before and leading up to the unfortunate destruction of your ship,” the Admiral stated.

Sophia took a deep breath, her mind racing back to the fateful day when her ship, her crew, and her dreams were torn apart. She began to speak, her voice steady, but laced with the weight of her emotions.

“We were on a routine mission to patrol our assigned area of the Cardassian border. Our long range sensors detected a strange comet that was unusual. I ordered a detailed sensor scan and ordered a course change to intercept the comet. I was naturally curious about why it was unusual. A few minutes later, we dropped out of warp near the comet and I ordered a detailed short range scan.”

The admiral’s expression remained impassive, but Sophia could sense a flicker of interest behind his eyes. “Go on,” he prompted.

“Shortly after we started our scans of the comet, we detected massive subspace energy fluctuations.” Sophia’s voice faltered for a moment, but Kirok’s gentle squeeze on her hand gave her the strength to continue. “Before I could react, my ship got pulled into some kind of subspace tunnel. I ordered a damage report and options to get out of the tunnel. Helm reported a large piece of ship wreckage ahead and we were going to collide in minutes. I considered my options, which were very few. I chose the best option available. I ordered photon torpedoes fired on that wreckage, knowing the shockwave should throw us clear of the subspace tunnel. It did work, but my ship was badly damaged. Warp engines were offline, impulse engines were sluggish. We only had partial main power, some shields and weapons.”

Sophia was still fighting back tears as she stood there, giving testimony on what happened. The Admiral noticed, “Captain Rodriguez, do you need a moment to compose yourself?”

Sophia looked from the spot on the wall she was looking at when she started giving testimony, to the Admiral herself. She swallowed hard, then looked down at the table. She reached up to her face and wiped away the tears that were falling down her cheek. Captain Skyrunner glanced over at Captain Rodriguez. He squeezed her hand, getting her attention.

“Babe, the Admiral asked you a question,” Kirok whispered to Sophia.

Sophia looked at Kirok, blinked to refocus her thoughts. She gave Kirok a slight smile and squeezed his hand back, a silent acknowledgement.

“Captain Rodriguez, did you hear me,” the Admiral inquired.

Captain Rodriguez looked up at the Admiral. She nodded at her.

“My apologies Admiral. Bringing these painful memories up is a little overwhelming. I never got to process my feelings since I lost my ship,” Captain Rodriguez said.

The Admiral’s time of voice softened.

“Captain, I know how it feels to have lost a ship myself personally. My heart has sympathy for you. Are you capable of continuing your testimony or do you need a break?”

Captain Rodriguez straightened up and looked at the Admiral.

“No, Admiral. I do not require a break. I would like to finish giving my testimony to close this matter out,” Sophia replied.

“Very well, Captain. Please proceed,” the Admiral requested. Captain Rodriguez nodded.

“Our sensors got overloaded but when they came back online, we detected a battle in orbit of a nearby Class M planet. My Tactical Officer did a scan and three ships were there. One was a Borg Type IV Assimilator class cruiser and two Vaadwaur cruisers. One of the Vaadwaur ships broke off the attack and headed towards us. The Borg ship pursued it and the other Vaadwaur ship chased the Borg ship. The Borg ship managed to destroy the Vaadwaur ship that was closing on us, but then they were in turn destroyed by the remaining Vaadwaur cruiser. They of course took advantage of our weakened state and fired on us. I returned fire, but it was of little use. A quantum torpedo hit us, which caused catastrophic damage to the antimatter containment system. Engineering said they could do nothing, not even eject the storage pods. I then ordered all hands to abandon ship. We were rocked by more weapons fire. I was with my bridge officers, making sure they got to the escape pods. My Chief Medical officer and Chief Engineer did the same thing. We made sure all hands had left before we got in the last pod.”

Sophia again was crying and had to wipe away more tears. Kirok tapped on Sophia’s right arm. She looked at him. Kirok mouthed the words ‘are you ok?’. She nodded and mouthed back ‘im ok’. Captain Rodriguez looked back at the Admiral.

The room became eerily silent for several seconds. Her testimony sank into the heads of the panel. They looked at each other and murmured amongst themselves. The Admiral leaned forward, his eyes boring into Sophia’s.

“What about your crew, Captain Rodriguez? What happened to them?”

Sophia’s vision blurred, and for a moment, she was back on the bridge of the Thunderdragon, surrounded by her crew, her friends… her family. She felt Kirok’s hand tighten in hers, and she drew strength from his touch.

“They… they didn’t make it,” Sophia whispered, her voice cracking. “I’m so sorry… I wish I could have saved them.”

She broke down in tears as she stated what she saw from the viewport of the escape pod she was in, with her Chief Engineer and Chief Medical Officer.

The Admiral inquired, “what do you mean they did not make it? Please explain this.”

Captain Rodriguez answered the Admiral’s question through tears and sobs.

“When the pod that had myself, Chief Engineer Flummox Vael and Doctor Zorvath T’Koren was launched from my broken ship, what I saw was horrific. Vaadwaur fighters flew around and picked off the escape pods, as if they were practice targets,” Sophia testified, her tears flowing from her sorrowful, red eyes.

The board members spoke to each other about this information. The admiral’s expression softened, ever so slightly.

“Captain Rodriguez, no one is questioning your bravery or your devotion to your crew. This inquiry is to determine what happened.”

Sophia nodded, a sense of determination rising within her. She would get through this, for her crew, for her husband, and for herself. She would find a way to honor the memory of her crew, and to ensure that their sacrifice was not in vain. Kirok’s hand remained wrapped around hers, a constant reminder of his love and support.

“Captain Rodriguez, is this all of your testimony,” the Admiral asked, glancing at the other board members.

“Yes, Admiral. That is my sworn testimony,” Captain Rodriguez stated.

“Very well. Please give us the room while we confer.”

The JAG officer ushered the Captain’s to the corridor while the Board Inquiry members discussed what they heard.

Sophia looked at Kirok, tears pouring down her cheeks. Kirok held her close.

“You did good Sophia. You stayed strong for your crew. I can only imagine how difficult it must have felt at that moment,” Kirok whispered in her ear.

“I know, love. I just wondered if I could have done more,” she whispered back.

“You did what you could sweetheart,” he said as he looked into her eyes.

The JAG officer approached them.

“Excuse me Captains, the Board is ready with its decision.”

Kirok and Sophia nodded to the Lieutenant and followed him back into the board room. They walked up to the table again and stood together.

“Captain Sophia Jasmine Rodriguez, after discussing the available information to us and your sworn testimony, it is the decision of this Inquiry that you are cleared of any and all charges regarding the destruction of the Thunderdragon and the loss of your crew. We find that you followed proper procedures and regulations. However, we also strongly recommend that you seek out professional counseling before you receive your next assignment. This General Inquiry hearing is closed.”

Sophia turned and hugged Kirok, who embraced her in return.

“One more thing, Captains.” The Admiral said, after the other board members had left. “Captain Skyrunner, I have already read your official report and examined your log entries and I am satisfied regarding your official debrief. You and your ship are officially cleared for shore leave. Excellent job Captain, and welcome home.”