Call to home

Posted on 23 Nov 2025 @ 5:32pm by Ensign Ryan Collingway

573 words; about a 3 minute read

Mission: The Displaced
Location: Viewing Lounge
Timeline: Night

-----Viewing Lounge----

Ryan naturally wanted to work rather than delve into his feelings, so he did a double-shift in engineering. Most of the day was spent replacing an internal com system that was long on the fritz, along with creating a plan to board the alien ship. That done, he went to the viewing lounge to clear his head.

And saw a statistical impossibility.

The viewing lounge was empty. He sat on the couch, staring at a magnificent view of the alien spacecraft which spilled silver light onto the pitch-dark lounge. It was breathtakingly beautiful, and a reminder of why he was in Starfleet.

All of a sudden, Ryan desperately wanted to talk to someone. Anyone. The idea of Alura being on that couch next to him crossed his mind, before forcibly removing it from his mind. He reminded himself-for what seemed like the hundredth time-that he had no right to desire that. Instead he took his data padd and made a call to Earth.

His father answered instantly, a man with short brown hair wearing a crisp white uniform. "Yes?' he asked.

"Hey dad," Ryan said. "I just wanted to let you know how I was doing. We found this amazing alien vessel. You can probably see it-" He clumsily turned the padd around so he could see. "It might have technology on there that could change science as we understand it!"

His father looked unimpressed. "Ryan, your mother isn't doing too well."

"Oh," Ryan said. "Well, let me talk to her."

"Give me a copy of your resignation from Starfleet and I will."

"Come on, dad," Ryan sighed.

"I see you're still an Ensign. If you're really hell-bent on being an engineer, you could be in charge of one of my freighters. A whole fleet of them, if you want," his dad said. "We need you here."

"Is that why you didn't visit me from the hospital?" Ryan asked. "Because I disappointed you?"

"I had a good contact at the hospital. They gave me daily updates about your condition," his father said dismissively.

"Yep. I'm sure you did," Ryan said with a bitter laugh. "You have contacts everywhere. Except in Starfleet. That's why it bugs you, doesn't it? No one can 'update' you about me, right?"

His father said nothing. Only looked at him with cold eyes.

Ryan sighed. "Dad, I'm not okay. I haven't been since-"

"Stop it. You dare turn your back on this family and then have the gall to whine at me? I taught you better than that. Handle your problems, boy. And if you can't do that, then come home. We have the best therapists here, probably better than whatever quack you are talking to right now. You can have everything, rather than going on this foolish mission to spite me."

Ryan said nothing.

"And if you need a reminder of that, then maybe the Borg need to pay you another visit."

The padd clicked off. Ryan resisted the temptation to throw it against the wall. "Great to hear from you too, dad." He honestly didn't know why he expected that to go better. He was so tired. He should go to his quarters, but instead he lay down on the couch. As he was bathed in the silver light of the alien ship, he closed his eyes. For a moment, sleep removed the worry from his face.

Ensign Ryan Collingway
Engineering Officer
USS Arawyn

 

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