Captain Mo’Lee-Krabreii pinched the bridge of her nose as if the action alone could banish the headache brewing behind her temples. The briefing room was quiet, save for the gentle hum of the ship around her and the soft clink of the raktajino mug she set down. Across the table, Commander Savel stood with his usual Vulcan composure, hands clasped neatly behind his back. His expression, though impassive, carried the weight of someone delivering news they knew would border on absurd.

“Let me guess,” Krabreii sighed, rubbing the ridges along her forehead with slow, deliberate strokes. “Kulucis is complaining again about something Brad’s done.” Her eyes flicked up, meeting Savel’s calm gaze as she reached for her mug once more.

Savel nodded, maintaining his usual rigid posture. “Lieutenant Commander Kulucis thinks Mister Anderson needs a reminder about,” he said, looking at his PADD and scrolling for the precise wording, “the unwritten rule regarding appropriate attire for senior staff during off-duty hours.”

Krabreii let out a short laugh, a genuine chuckle, as she tucked a stray lock of dark hair behind her ear. “The ‘unwritten rule’? Oh, this should be good. What did Brad do now?”

Savel’s delivery was as flat as the ship’s deck. “He dressed as Peter Pan.”

Krabreii blinked. “Peter Pan? Isn’t that some Earth story?” Her forehead creased slightly as she leaned forward, intrigued despite herself.

“Indeed,” Savel replied with a curt nod. “A boy who refuses to grow up, befriends fairies and fights pirates.” He paused, noting her raised eyebrows. It was apparent by the captain’s expression she was still clueless and needed more details. “Last night, Mister Anderson and Mister Jines entered the crew lounge directly after completing the Peter Pan holonovel program. Both were in character-appropriate attire.

“And the issue is?” Krabreii prompted, taking another sip of raktajino, eyes narrowing in mild amusement. She still did not feel like she fully understood what the issue was.  

Savel hesitated, carefully choosing his words. “Lieutenant Anderson’s costume was…minimalistic.”

Krabreii set her mug down slowly, leaning back in her chair. “How minimalistic?” Her tone drifted somewhere between curiosity and exasperation.

“His torso was largely exposed, and the garment covered very little below the thigh. His costume appeared to be constructed from replicated leaves and intentionally distressed fabric. I can confirm, however, that no regulations concerning public decency were breached.”

For a brief moment, there was silence. Then Krabreii erupted into laughter, loud and unabashed, the sound bouncing off the walls of the briefing room. “Oh, come on!” She stood and walked over to the replicator, still shaking her head as she wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. “Is Kulucis serious about this?” she asked as she ordered another raktajino. The whole thing she had just heard sounded absurd. Why was Kulucis making such a big thing over this?

Savel’s gaze followed her as she leaned against the replicator, arms crossed, awaiting the beverage. “I believe his concern is less about the attire and more indicative of his ongoing discomfort with Mister Anderson’s promotion.”

Krabreii blew gently on the steaming surface of her coffee, shaking her head in disbelief. “Let me get this straight. Kulucis is bothered because Brad’s costume showed too much…nipple?”

Savel inclined his head slightly. “That is an accurate summary, Captain.”

Krabreii laughed again, softer this time, more out of incredulity than amusement. “Unbelievable. Savel, I’ve seen Kulucis spar in the gym. The man practically lives shirtless when he’s boxing or lifting weights. The double standard is ridiculous.” She returned to her chair, cradling her mug as she rolled her eyes. “No more nitpicking. Tell Kulucis he needs to accept that Brad is our Chief Security and Tactical Officer. If Brad and Andron want to play fairies and pirates on their downtime, that’s their business.”

Savel gave a subtle nod. “I concur, and I have spoken with Counsellor Coralia about this, as she was also present when he wrote his complaint. She agrees that this is part of the grieving process that Lieutenant Commander Kulucis has been going through since the death of Lieutenant Commander Reynolds,” Savel stated. “In her expert opinion, he sees Mister Anderson as trying to replace, possibly remove, all traces of Mister Reynolds from the Orion.”

Rolling her eyes as she sat down, the captain shook her head further. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Enough was enough, in her opinion. Krabreii’s expression softened, though her tone remained firm. “We all lost people that day. But we can’t let that cloud our judgment. Tell Coralia to keep working with him. And until further notice, Kulucis is not to involve himself in any more disciplinary matters regarding senior staff. If he has concerns, they come directly to you or me. Make it clear that if he can’t maintain a balanced perspective, I’ll re-evaluate his role in this command structure.”

“Understood, Captain,” Savel replied with a slight bow of his head.

Glad to have that matter resolved, Krabreii looked down at her PADD. “Anything else pressing?”

“The repairs to the plasma injectors were completed earlier this morning; we should be able to resume cruising at warp eight, and astrometrics reported the possible sighting of a cluster of microsingularities on long-range sensors. I suggest we send a probe to study it.”

“Good and agreed,” Krabreii said in her usual efficient get-to-the-point approach. She wasn’t someone who minced her words. “Is that all?”

Before Saval could nod, the intercom chime went off and was followed by the voice of Ensign Bollwyn. “Ops to Captain Krabreii.”

Tapping her combadge, Krabreii answered. “Go ahead, Cheryon.”

“Sorry to disturb you, ma’am; however, Commodore McCallister has just replied to your request.”

Krabreii smirked, already anticipating the answer. “And?”

“His message reads, ‘Go for it’, captain,” Bollwyn chirped.

Krabreii’s eyes gleamed as she closed the channel. She turned to Savel, a hint of excitement in her otherwise measured tone. “Assemble the senior staff. We’ve got a pre-warp civilisation to study.”

“Aye, Captain,” Savel responded, departing with practised efficiency.

As Krabreii sipped her coffee, she allowed herself a moment of anticipation for their rare chance to study a pre-warp society. By the time the senior staff gathered in the briefing room, the air hummed with quiet excitement. Soft murmurs of conversation filled the space as officers exchanged theories and speculations. The large panoramic windows framed the swirling starfield beyond, casting silver light across the polished conference table.

Krabreii stood by the window, arms crossed, observing her crew with a vague, unreadable smile. The moment the last officer took their seat, she turned, the faint creak of her boots on the deck plate signalling the room to stillness.

“Good news, everyone,” Krabreii began, pacing leisurely toward the head of the table where she usually sat. “The lord and master of our squadron has approved our request to investigate the M-class planet we detected on long-range sensors.”

A ripple of interest passed through the room.

“Finally,” Lieutenant Jines said, leaning back in his chair with a grin. “When do we depart, ma’am?”

Krabreii tapped a nearby PADD, activating the table’s holographic display. A projection flickered to life above the centre, showing a distant star system. The fourth planet, highlighted in amber, slowly rotated as sensor data scrolled alongside it.

“Immediately,” she answered. She remained standing as she briefed everyone on their mission. “This world hosts a pre-warp humanoid civilisation. Our scans suggest they’re at a technological level similar to mid-twenty-first century Earth. Early estimates show at least four billion life forms exist.”

Kulucis leaned forward as the hologram expanded. “My initial scans showed that they might possess rudimentary space observation technology. We may risk detection.”

“It is a possibility,” Saval interjected, his calm Vulcan tone cutting through the speculation from where he sat at the other end of the table. “The Prime Directive is clear. We must take extensive precautions to avoid interference. This is not a first contact mission. Purely a study.”

Nali had already been scribbling notes on her PADD before she spoke. “I can modify the shields to mask our presence from their sensors. Basic EM scattering fields should suffice, but for visual concealment, I suggest we outfit the outer hull with holographic projectors.” She glanced at the captain. “We could effectively blend into their night sky.”

Anderson chuckled at hearing that idea. “A mobile duck blind. I like it. Do you need a hand with it?”

“If the captain approves,” Nali responded, looking at the security chief before she checked with their commanding officer about his offer.

Krabreii’s approval was immediate. “Ensure the projectors don’t overload the power grid, Nali.”

“I can help by installing backup power modules, just in case,” Jines offered. “We should also consider shutting down non-essential systems, just to play it safe.”

Krabreii nodded. “Good thinking, ensign. Will you coordinate with all departments about what is deemed essential for the successful completion of the mission regarding resources and power allotments?” She turned to her chief science officer. “Commander Kulucis, I want you to lead this study. We will have four days to gather as much information on this species as possible.”

Kulucis stiffened slightly but inclined his head. “Understood, Captain.”

“Will there be a surface expedition?” Counselor Coralia asked from the far end.

“Not immediately,” Saval replied with characteristic caution. “Any contact risks contamination.”

“I won’t rule it out,” Krabreii added, cutting him off gently but firmly. “Should conditions permit and security protocols be met, I may authorise limited away missions to go in and study anything we think is of interest. Until then, we observe from orbit.”

Saval inclined his head in respectful silence.

Doctor Tomraf shifted uneasily. The Acamarian was worried about the captain’s idea of letting others leave the ship. He took a breath before speaking up. “If they’re humanoid, I’d like time to study their biology remotely. If cosmetic adjustments are needed for infiltration, I’ll need accurate data.”

“You’ll have it, doctor,” Krabreii assured him. Her gaze sharpened as it fell back on Kulucis. “However, commander, I want their military capabilities evaluated before further studies proceed. I’d hate for us to start an interstellar war with a pre-warp civilisation that is tens of thousand light years away from Federation space. Work with Lieutenant Anderson on this.”

Kulucis frowned slightly. “I can handle that alone, Captain. The lieutenant has his hands full with the shields.”

Anderson smiled easily. “I can manage both. Happy to assist, sir.”

Krabreii placed a firm hand on Kulucis’ shoulder, the warmth in her expression softening the command. “Brad’s involvement isn’t optional, Kulucis.”

“Understood, ma’am,” Kulucis replied, masking his irritation behind a professional façade.

“All departments will submit status reports one hour before arrival,” Krabreii concluded, glancing at Jines. “Andron set course for the system. Warp eight. Once we approach the system, take us out of warp at the edge of the system and hold position.”

“Aye, ma’am.” The pilot replied excitedly. 

As the officers filtered out, Krabreii took one look at Saval. Immediately, she knew what he was thinking. She didn’t need a mind-meld with him. They had known one another for a long time now that they were a well-oiled machine. A duo that could predict what the other would say or think in most scenarios. They were long-time friends and had been through so much together. She was confident he was thinking the same thing as she was. Without hesitation, Krabreii spoke up and caught Kulucis with a subtle glance. “Commander Kulucis, a word.”

Kulucis lingered as the room emptied. Saval had moved from his chair to stand by her side, silent yet attentive.

“Commander Saval mentioned you have some concerns regarding Brad,” Krabreii said, folding her arms after sitting down in her chair. She hadn’t realised she had spent most of the briefing on her feet. 

Kulucis’ gaze flicked to Saval, then back to his captain. “I have some reservations, yes.” He admitted.

Krabreii’s tone cooled. “Drop them.”

“Captain?”

“I said drop them,” she repeated, firmer now. She wasn’t going to stand for his conduct any longer, and she wasn’t going to mince her words. “This whole bull crap you have against him, Jines, Nali, it needs to stop. Get to know the man.”

Kulucis’ brow furrowed. “With respect, Captain, he exposed himself to—” 

Krabreii held up a hand, silencing him. “Enough, Kulucis. Saval was going to talk to you about this in private, especially about your unhealthy obsession with what Brad was wearing in the Belt last night, but that little stunt you just pulled in front of everyone was unacceptable. This ends now. I need a cohesive senior staff.” 

“Yes, but—”

Krabreii glared at him now before speaking quite candidly with him. “Perry trusted Brad enough to appoint him deputy. That trust wasn’t misplaced.” She knew mentioning their former colleague, especially one that Kulucis was best friends with, might have been a low blow, but the captain needed to make her point with him. 

Kulucis shifted uncomfortably at the mention of his old friend’s name. “I know, but—”

“Perry didn’t sacrifice himself to save all of us so that you can treat his protege like shit, Kulucis. I get it. You miss him.” Krabreii said quietly, her gaze steady. She took a second to compose herself. “We all do. Honour his memory by supporting the officers he trusted. Brad needs you to watch his back, just like Perry did for you. Frontier Day hit everyone hard, especially this crew. But like every crew in Starfleet that was hit hard by it, we need to move on. That’s the job we are in, commander and I need everyone to step up and deal with the situation we are in. You’re my Second Officer; act like it. Get to know the man. Take him under your wing. Find out what makes him tick. Go play pirates and fairies with him on the holodeck if you have to. But for goodness sake, Kulucis, stop being an ass to him. Drop the passive aggression as well. That’s an order.”

Reluctantly, Kulucis nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”

Krabreii’s expression softened. “I appreciate it, commander. I know it’s not been easy on any of us, but it is what it is. I’ve made a decision. I trust Brad, and that’s final. All I need now is for you to behave. Plus, you never know; you may find that you two have a lot in common.” 

“Of course, ma’am,” Kulucis took a breath. His embarrassment was plastered across his face. “I’m sorry, captain. I truly am.”

“I appreciate it. Remember you had someone supporting you and Perry when you first started out all those years ago.” She indicated towards Saval, who was standing behind her with her eyes. “And years later, he still is.”

“And I am grateful for it, even now,” Kulucis admitted with a respectful nod towards the first officer.

“Sometimes, we all need to have a verbal splash of cold water to remind us what is expected of us, Commander. Dismissed.” Krabreii ordered.

After Kulucis left, Krabreii turned to Saval. “Think he got the message?”

Saval nodded. “It was quite… direct, Captain. I believe so.”

Krabreii smiled faintly, gazing out the window. “Good. He needs to.”