New Friends?

Posted on Mon Jan 19th, 2026 @ 1:54pm by Commander Kyle Reece & Lieutenant Anna Esquivias

Mission: Season 6: Episode 6: Conglomerate
Location: USS Elysium, Main Shuttlebay
Timeline: MD 4 / 1205 hours
1137 words - 2.3 OF Standard Post Measure

It had been nearly eighteen hours since the battle with the Galatonian ships, and already much of the repairs had been either started or completed. Given that that Havraha and Elysium were working together, much of the work had been completed faster than thought.

While most of the supplies needed could be transferred via the transporter systems, other materials were too fragile to distant the process. Thus, several shuttle trips had already been made between both ships. Currently, a heavy cargo shuttle from the Havraha was sitting in Elysium's main shuttlebay, as raw ore was unloaded and fed into the industrial replicators, located throughout the Obsidian Fleet Flagship.

Standing to one side, signing off on each container as it was pulled from her shuttle, was Erein Valta D'chora, the Havraha's chief opetations officer. Her green eyes scrutinizing each container as Romulan and Starfleet personnel dispersed them out to the Elysium.

Anna approached with her hands clasped lightly behind her back. Her eyes scanned the Romulan ships as they completed their tasks. This was largely an affair for flight control on the Elysium as well, but operations dealt with the requisitioning and removal of these materials. Anna had people waiting to move them. It was both a strength and weakness of operations. Almost everything was done in coordination with another department. But Anna was here to check the paperwork personally as well as make contact with the Romulan officer. These supplies were important. "I'm Lieutenant Esquivias," she said. The Romulan officer knew who she was meeting.

Valta heard the female voice and turned, seeing the Elysium’s Chief Operations Officer. "Erein D'cjora, Ma'am." She gave the senior ranked officer a curt, yet polite nod. "I imagine you are here to oversee the transfer of materials?"

Anna was the Chief Operations Officer. She returned the nod. "And confer with you," Anna added. "We are all working together now."

The Romulan woman nodded again, though she wasn't entirely thrilled with the prospect of allying with Starfleet, she respected that the Preator had placed Olmex in command and would follow his orders. "Yes, Ma'am," she replied politely, if a bit stiffly.

"I imagine you've had a rough go of it too," she said.

For a moment, Valta said nothing. Then, her shoulders sagged slightly. "Yes," she said quietly. "I lost my best friend during the crossing." She took in a ragged breath as the memory flashed behind her emerald green eyes. "The emergency bulkhead slammed shut between us and...he...he was sucked out into space during the high speed transit. His body....if it still exists....is floating out in the empty void between our galaxy and this one. Lost forever." She finished speaking in a whisper, her features ashen.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Anna said. She took a step towards the other woman and then paused, not sure it would be appreciated. "We're all very far from home and it's been a rough journey."

A few moments passed in silence, then Valta spoke. "This was my first assignment aboard a starship. I had just graduated from the Academy two months before Riov Mishka started following your ship along the Neutral Zone." She looked at Anna with a slightly uncharacteristically Romulan look of....apprehension? "There are concerns, on our ship, that we will never return home."

"We're hopeful," Anna said, sharing optimism without making any promises. There were no guarantees, after all. "Maybe we'll all make it home together. I actually wasn't with the Elysium when she was in the Milky Way."

This took the Romulan officer aback for a few beats, then she thought she understood. "You are one of the people that was rescued from that alien slave market?"

"I was, yes," Anna told her.

Valta nodded thoughtfully again. "We arrived at the planet shortly after you left. We found a few of our own people, taken from three different time eras. One was from the original war with the Federation, a second was from one of the ships that secured Narendra III from the Klingons, and the third was apparently taken from Shinzon's warbird just before it exploded." She paused to take a breath, then asked, "Which time were you taken from?"

"Closest to Shinzon's warbird," she said, "but slightly after. My entire ship was attacked. I'm surprised they were able to sneak someone out of an active combat like that, but we don't know exactly what they are capable of."

Valta nodded again. "They are a vile species. Personally, I am glad that their transport technology was destroyed. Though it has kept us stranded here, it also keeps them from attacking and abducting more of our people for their own sick desires." She scowled in disgust as she spoke about the slavers.

"I agree wholeheartedly," Anna said. "They were...not kind." She looked down a second, replaying that horror in her mind. "But they won't be able to keep hurting people as they were."

Valta nodded again. "It would be a far better courtesy for all life, if those demons were simply eradicated."

"I've felt that way before," Anna admitted, though it wasn't quite agreement. Starfleet scruples wouldn't let her sign off on any genocide, as tempting as this society might make it.

Over the next several hours, Valta and Anna worked diligently, transferring and securing various supplies needed on both ships. As they worked, Valta started to relax around the Starfleet officer. They even started to joke slightly among themselves as they worked. It was clear, at least for Valta's perspective, that they were becoming friends, washing away the unspoken barrier between their two peoples.

Anna certainly felt the same way. She had been surprised at the Romulan's sense of humor. "Anyway, like you can imagine, I never heard from him again," Anna said with a laugh as she told Valta a funny if slightly embarrassing story of her life. "I should get to the staff meeting," she said. "It was good meeting you. We can accomplish a lot more together than alone."

"He was a fool, and you are better off without him." Valta nodded once crisply, emphasizing her point. She then arched an eyebrow and grinned softly. "I will admit, it has been a very enjoyable exchange, between the two of us. I hope we mat fo do more at another time." She then nodded in response to Anna's comment that she had to go attend a senior staff meeting. "I shall send you a copy of everything else we transfer over to your ship, before I return to the Havraha."

"Thank you," Anna said.

Fatana dipped her head again, then both women got back to their particular jobs. For her part, Fatana felt that, if not a friend, she may have just made a new ally in the Starfleet officer.

~OFF~