Those Precious Little Lifeforms

Posted on 12 Dec 2025 @ 8:55am by Ensign Mira Quinn & Ensign Ryan Collingway

638 words; about a 3 minute read

Mission: The Displaced
Location: Eirian ship

----Eirian ship----

//Engineering////

Growing increasingly concerned, Ensign Collingway contacted Commander Batenburg. "Collingway to Ensign Batenburg. I've lost contact with Ensign Quinn." Ryan was poised to run out the door and see what happened to Mira. "Request permission to investigate," he said in his call to the Commander, knowing that he was technically closer.

//// Bridge ////

"What the...." Suzanna muttered under her breath, panic trying to rise, and she had to force it down hard. "Be careful and keep your comm line open. Ensign," she decided after a moment. "We should have more internal sensors and support."

"I am not losing a crew member," Suzanna muttered, then turned to Elaera, "can you help... Ensign Quinn is missing.... she cannot be far."


////Engineering////

Ryan paused only long enough to glance at Kleat. "Lock this door. I'll be back," he instructed. "Be safe."

"....safe," Kleat agreed.

////Memory place///

Ryan arrived a short time later. "Mira! Are you okay?" He bent down to touch her.

Mira was lying on the floor, curled to one side, eyes tightly shut, tears streaming down her face.

She shifted in small, frantic movements, as if trying to pull away from something she couldn’t escape.

Serel was kneeling by her side, but was not touching her. He looked up at Ryan's concerned face, his skin shimmering in gray and
silver. "She hears... deeply."

He turned back to Mira as a tiny sob escaped her lips.

"Mama... Mama..." she whispered. "I want to go back home."

No doubt the Commander could hear what she was saying over the com. Ryan tried to raise the ship on another channel to request a medical beam out, without any luck. "I can't raise the ship, Commander," he reported.

He lifted her up in his arms. In the distance he could hear...something. It sounded like pounding. "Do you have a medical?" he asked Serel. At his puzzled look he clarified. "A place where people can heal?"

"We... " Serel said something in his tongue and the UT struggled for a few seconds. "Together heal."

"Together." He repeated.

"So that would be a no," Ryan guessed.

The pounding sounded again. This time it sounded like something breaking. Ryan definitely didn't like that noise. Where could he go, though? The shuttle was way too far away. He was in decent shape, but it would take him forever to carry Mira there. "We need to get out of here," he said to Serel. "Whatever that thing is sounds too close. We need to find somewhere safe."

Mira was still holding her hands to her ears. "I'm scared... so scared," she whispered.

Before anybody could answer, the bulkhead to their right buckled inward and a semi-translucent orb shimmered through—its surface rippling like liquid light, tendrils of distortion trailing behind it.

It hovered in the newly created 'doorway' for a single, trembling heartbeat.

It pulsed once, twice. Then vanished down the corridor.

For a moment, nobody said a word.

And then Mira slowly lowered her hands and opened her eyes. She drew several deep, shaky breaths.

Realizing where she was, she started to shift in Ryan's hold.

Ryan had instinctively done his best to protect her with his body as...whatever it was passed by. He didn't have a phase pistol. Why didn't he have a phase pistol? Only the Commander had one, not anticipating danger. But he was also to blame. He didn't like phase pistols and would have probably declined given the opportunity. Now he was regretting it.

When it passed by, he finally let her go. "Are you all right?" he asked cautiously.

"I'm..." she began, still dazed, still confused. "It was so sad."

Her fingers went to her face, tracing the tears carefully.

"So sad," she whispered again.


=/\=

Ens Mira Quinn
Science Officer
USS Arawyn

Ensign Ryan Collingway
Engineering Officer
USS Arawyn

 

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