I don’t wanna die, I don’t wanna die… I’m so gonna die…

The litany rolled through RJ’s mind for all of the two point four seconds it took Mason to shove back away from him. He opened his eyes warily, expecting one of those massive fists to slam into him any second, but instead Mason stood a step or two away, watching him with an odd look on his face. 

He wasn’t dead.

RJ blinked, tempted to pat himself down to make sure he actually was alive, rather than beaten to a little pulp in the corner of sickbay and this was some kind of dream before he died. If so, it was a weird one. There were less harps and clouds than he’d expected, and he’d always hoped for scantily-clad virgins… not one very large, very handsome, combat veteran giving him a look he couldn’t work out. 

“Bridge to the captain,” the internal comms sparked into life, and Mason held a hand out to him, finger raised in the universal signal for ‘we’re not done here yet’. 

RJ nodded and leaned back against the wall as Mason tapped his commbadge. So much for making a quick getaway. The speed Mason could move, he doubted that he’d make it halfway to the door before the guy was on him.

“This is Mason,” the Resolute’s captain growled out, his gaze still locked with RJ’s. “Talk to me, Burton. What’s going on?”

“New orders from command, sir,” the Resolute’s XO replied. “The call has been sent out for all available ships to head to Farpoint at top speed.”

Silence stretched out for a second, then Mason nodded. “Sounds like a last stand. Get everyone off the ship who doesn’t need to be here, and then set a course. I’m on my way up. Mason out.”

He regarded RJ for a moment, then turned and strode out of sickbay without a backward glance. RJ watched him go, then sagged against the wall again, shoving a hand through his hair. 

“Fuck!”

“Well, that was enlightening.” 

The sound of Aya’s voice made his head whip around, and he found her watching him with frustrated affection. “I thought I was the one taking one for the team and seducing Mason to get you out of the shit? Why’d you have to go and ruin all my fun!”

He pushed off from the wall and was by her bedside in a heartbeat. “How are you feeling?” he demanded, looking around for one of the medical staff. “You were supposed to be sedated not spying on me.”

“Yeah, yeah…” She closed her eyes and lay her head back against the pillow. “So, how quickly are you getting me off the ship so you can have another crack at the captain?”

“Shut up, brat,” he growled, and caught the attention of the nurse who’d just walked in. “She just woke up, and I believe that we need to get all non-combatants off the ship? I’m going to need to get her transferred to the Morningstar ASAP.”

——— 

That had been… unexpected. 

Raan’s expression was unreadable as he stalked through the corridors up to the bridge. Reese-Riggs was… a frown creased his brow as he stood in the turbolift, feet shoulder width apart and his hands behind his back. He didn’t know what the crazy commander was at the moment, but that was a problem for tomorrow. Today had other problems already lining up.

“Computer,” he said as the doors closed and whisked him away. “Retrieve signed divorce documents from my personal files and send them to Captain Ilona Hale.”

“Affirmative.”

He sighed, dropped his head back and closed his eyes. He’d held off sending the paperwork back to Ilona, but now it was time. Past time. And they did say when one door closed, another opened. 

He rolled his shoulder and bit back a groan. He hurt, his entire body aching from the fighting and having half a planet dropped on his back earlier. He caught sight of his reflection in a plate of the turbolift door and winced. No wonder Reese-Riggs had asked him about treatment, he was a freaking mess. 

He’d head down and find Micheals after they were underway for Farpoint. He’d also check in and find out how Rennox was doing. The kid had held up well during the situation on the ground, but he was going to need some time with Armstrong, that was for sure. 

The lift slowed and he stepped out onto the bridge. 

“How we doing Burton?” he asked as his XO stood from the center chair. 

“We’re offloading non-crew members as we speak,” Burton replied, dark circles of exhaustion under his eyes. It looked like he hadn’t slept since this whole thing had started, much like Raan himself. Command officers often didn’t get that luxury, they were too busy keeping shit together and making sure other people held their shit together. 

Raan nodded. “Hand that off to Quinn, then go get some sleep. If we’re heading into combat, I’m going to need you at your best. Even just a catnap will make a difference.”

“Aye, sir.” Burton nodded, for once not arguing protocol or any of the rules he liked to throw at Raan. Instead, he just sighed tiredly, then looked Raan up and down. “How the hell are you still on your feet looking as fresh as you do?”

“Practice, stamina and a shitload of coffee,” Raan chuckled, clapping a hand on Burton’s shoulder. “Go get some sleep.” 

Raising his voice a little to carry, he addressed the bridge crew. “That goes for anyone on alpha shift who hasn’t slept recently. Hand off to beta team and get a nap. We’ll bring you back up when needed.”

There were no complaints, just tired movements as officers filed out to find what little rest they could. One person though, remained at her station. 

Raan smiled as he crossed the bridge to stand next to Kovash at the helm. She looked up at him over her shoulder. 

“Not dead yet then, verenias?” she asked, eyebrow raised. 

Unlike the rest of the bridge crew, she looked as bright and fresh as a daisy even though Raan knew she would have been at her station through the whole incident, just in case. But if llanarians were hardy, able to stay awake for days at a time, then Kovash’s people outstripped them and then some. 

“Not yet, no,” he replied mildly, watching the view of the planet in front of them. Other support vessels had arrived, and emergency humanitarian efforts were being coordinated by the retired starfleet captain they’d discovered on the surface. From the way the guy was acting, Raan wouldn’t be at all surprised if he ended up back in uniform before too long. 

“The Jem’Hadar tried,” he admitted, wincing as he rolled his shoulders again. “Then some damn fool dropped one of those rafts on the planet and caused a tidal wave of dirt.”

Kovash whistled. “That Morningstar pilot? He crazy. Awesome move. Even I not dropped something from orbit while on it. I need to meet him.”

Raan raised an eyebrow. The idea of RJ and Kovash in the same room? He put his hand on the riv’s shoulder. “You’d eat him alive, Ray, and then some. Okay, do we have anything else from Farpoint? We should put some ideas together…”

Kovash looked up at him and grinned. “For what? We do same as always. You shout orders, I fly, we shoot at things. If battle goes well, we win. If not…” She shrugged. “We die in glory, fighting for what we believe. Is good way to go. No?”

He smiled, squeezing her shoulder. Sometimes it was refreshing being around Kovash and her way of looking at life. 

“Yes, indeed. It would be a good way to go. The best way to go.”