The Family Factor
Posted on 18 Apr 2026 @ 10:53am by Lieutenant Commander Elias Harlan & Lieutenant Jorik
1,042 words; about a 5 minute read
Mission: The Starfall Carnival
Rebecca Harlan didn’t waste a second.
She had been monitoring the Arawyn’s approach since the moment its arrival window was confirmed. The USS Intrepid sat in drydock at Starbase 369, undergoing repairs after a rescue mission had gone sideways and shattered Captain Harrington’s three-year “no red alerts outside of drills” record.
The Intrepid had limped in two days ahead of the Sovereign-class ship. While their own damage was relatively superficial, the ship would still be in dock for at least another week. Rebecca had spent the intervening time checking her personal messages obsessively — and silently seething.
The only update she had received about her brother came from Jorik. The same Jorik who had once been part of Elias’s life. The same Jorik who, apparently, still cared enough to send a terse but factual report.
Elias, true to form, hadn’t sent a single word.
Outwardly, Rebecca remained the picture of composed Starfleet professionalism — calm smile, steady voice, shoulders squared. Inside, she was contemplating exactly how many creative ways she could throttle her little brother for making her tell their parents he’d been critically injured with almost no details.
Finally, the Arawyn appeared on the external feeds — sleek, powerful, and visibly scarred along the port nacelle pylon. Rebecca zoomed in on the damage. The breach near the plasma transfer conduit looked catastrophic. No wonder engineering had taken such a hit.
She watched the Sovereign-class vessel glide into its berth with smooth precision, then stood.
“Computer, inform Captain Harrington I’m heading over to the Arawyn. I’ll be back within the hour.”
A quick walk to the transporter room. She didn’t bother with pleasantries.
“Beam me to the Arawyn,” she told the chief, voice clipped.
The chief’s eyes widened slightly at her tone. “Yes, sir. Energizing.”
Rebecca materialized on the Arawyn’s transporter pad. The room still carried that faint new-ship scent — clean duranium and fresh carpet.
“Welcome aboard, Commander Harlan,” the young ensign at the controls began.
“Thank you, Ensign. If you’ll excuse me — my business is time-sensitive.”
She didn’t wait for a response. She strode out of the transporter room, already calling out, “Computer, locate Lieutenant Commander Elias Harlan.”
“Lieutenant Commander Harlan is in his quarters, Deck Five, Section Nine.”
“Take me there.”
The turbolift deposited her on Deck Five. Rebecca moved with purpose, her steps sharp and agitated, crew members instinctively stepping aside as she passed. No one wanted to get in the way of the commander with fire in her eyes.
She stopped outside her brother’s quarters, took one steadying breath, and jabbed the door chime.
The doors parted.
Jorik stood there, medkit in hand, looking as composed as ever.
“Where is he?” Rebecca asked. It wasn’t really a question.
“Inside,” Jorik replied, stepping aside without argument.
Elias was sitting in a reclining chair in the living area, dressed in loose recovery clothes, a PADD resting in his lap. He looked surprised — and exhausted.
Rebecca turned back to Jorik. “Are you done here?”
“Yes, I was just—”
“Leave.”
Jorik didn’t argue. He gathered his kit and slipped out. The doors hissed shut behind him.
Rebecca rounded on her brother.
“Seriously, Eli? Not one goddamn message to let people know you’re still alive?!”
“Becky—”
“Don’t you ‘Becky’ me!” She jabbed a finger in his direction, voice rising. “You know who told me? Jorik. The only person who bothered to send anything. I had to tell Mom and Dad myself, and I didn’t have any details because of regulations!”
Elias sighed, looking suddenly smaller in the chair. “I’m sorry.”
She wanted to keep yelling. Then she really looked at him — gaunt, weary, the faint tremor in his hand as he set the PADD aside. He looked twenty years older than he had the last time she’d seen him.
“How bad was it?” she asked, voice quieter now.
“A junction exploded in engineering. A piece of shrapnel went straight into my skull, right between the eyes. They had to do neural surgery to repair the frontal cortex damage.”
“And you’re still alive?”
“If it had gone in another centimeter or two… probably not.” Elias offered a weak smile. “I spent the entire trip here in sickbay. Only got released to quarters a couple days ago.”
“Christ, Eli.” The anger drained out of her in a rush. She huffed and dropped onto the couch beside his chair. “Prognosis?”
“Motor cortex took the worst of it. Walking wears me out. I get dizzy if I stand too fast. Jorik says I have to use this for now.” He lifted the elegant cane leaning against the chair. “But I’m still here. Still thinking. Still me.”
Rebecca looked away for a moment, swallowing hard.
“I’m sorry for not messaging,” Elias said softly. “It wasn’t because I was ignoring it. I just… hadn’t made it that far yet.”
His hand reached for hers. She took it, gripping tightly.
When she looked back, that small, familiar Eli grin was there — tired, but real.
“Okay,” she said, exhaling. “I’m sorry for barging in like a madwoman.”
“You’re forgiven. And I’m sure Jorik understands.”
Rebecca’s eyebrows rose. “Speaking of Jorik… are you two…?”
“We were talking before the accident,” Elias said. “He’s the reason
I’m alive. He carried me out of engineering and stabilized me before they could beam me to sickbay.”
“Well,” she said, a hint of surprise in her voice, “that’s an improvement from how you two were acting on the Intrepid.”
“It is.” Elias gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “So… can you stay for a while? I could use the company. I’ll even let you ask all your annoying questions. I won’t roll my eyes this time.”
Rebecca grinned, the last of her anger melting away.
“Done deal. I hope your replicator can brew a decent tea.”
“It can brew,” Elias said with a weary shake of his head. “Whether it’s good is another question.”
“Let’s find out.”
—
Lieutenant Commander Elias Harlan
Chief Engineering Officer
USS Arawyn
Lieutenant Jorik (apb Jeff)
Medical Officer
USS Arawyn
Commander Rebecca Harlan (apb Jeff)
Executive Officer
USS Intrepid
RSS Feed