Greene stood on the bridge, watching the Percival break apart as her core exploded. His gaze fixed on the viewscreen where the Percival had been just moments ago. The fiery remnants of the ship illuminated the space around it. It all happened so suddenly, the Valiant’s sensors had barely detected it before she was gone. The accompanying shockwave from the blast rocked the Valiant and the rest of the battlegroup, forcing Greene and the rest of the bridge to brace themselves.

In an instant, reality came crashing down upon Greene. She’s gone. He felt a lump form in his throat as the thought unfolded. His grief was instant, it felt like his heart was physically breaking in two. Palmer was on that ship. The two of them had been together for almost two years now. Leanne is gone.

No time for that now, push it down, deal with it later, he thought. He looked around the faces of the bridge crew, trying to bring himself back into the moment at hand. He found them covered in shock and sorrow. He clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white as he squeezed them tight. 

“What happened?” he asked openly to the floor.

The science officer on duty, Lieutenant Talev, a young Andorian woman nervously turned her gaze away from the viewscreen down to her console. “Sensors detected a warp core breach, sir,” her voice was a little more shakey than she would have liked.

He then asked the question he really didn’t want the answer to, “Lifesigns? Survivors?”

“None, sir. It looks like it all happened so fast, nobody would have even had time to get to an escape pod,” Talev responded, sadness creeping into her voice.

Almost on cue, Captain Wright’s voice came in over the comm.

“Wright to Valiant, what was that?” Wright’s voice firm and clear.

It took a moment for Greene to compose himself. He couldn’t help but think about Palmer and how he hoped it was at least quick and painless for her. He rallied enough to respond, but his voice was trembling.

“It’s the Percival, sir or, at least it was the Percival.”

There was a short pause before Wright enquired, “What do you mean?”

“She’s…gone. No survivors.” That one stang. It was the first time he’d said it out loud. She really is gone he thought as an image of Palmer appeared in the back of his mind.

Greene’s voice cracked as he spoke, the weight of his grief evident in his words. Wright’s voice remained steady but carried an undertone of empathy. “I’m… I’m so sorry, Nathan. Are you going to be able to continue?”

Clearing his throat to bring back some level of steady into his voice, Greene replied, “Yes. We’ve got a job to do. That comes first.”

“Understood. We’re mopping up here. Wright out”

As the communication ended, Greene took a deep breath, his fists slowly relaxing. He turned his attention back to the viewscreen, his gaze distant.

“Status report,” he requested, his voice steadier now.

Lieutenant Talev responded, her voice stronger despite the sorrow in the air. “Shields held up against the shockwave, but we’ve sustained minor structural damage on the port side of Deck 5. Emergency teams are already on the scene.”