Clearing the Air

Posted on 16 Feb 2026 @ 8:40pm by Lieutenant JG Ryan Collingway & Lieutenant JG Mira Quinn

737 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: Silent Inheritance
Timeline: Mess Hall

=/\= Mess Hall =/\=

The mess hall was nearly empty when Vel stepped inside. The alpha-shift crowd had already passed through for breakfast, and most of gamma shift preferred grabbing something small in their quarters before collapsing into bed.
She ordered a bowl of rich vegetable soup and carried it to a table by the wide windows.

Outside, the windows looked out at a static field of stars. At least it wasn't Lathira IV. That planet had already started invading her dreams.

She wasn’t entirely sure why it had to dominate the bridge viewscreen while they were in orbit.

Ryan was on a somewhat opposite shift from Vel, and it was his lunchtime. That didn't change the fact that he was exhausted. The weight of what happened during the week exhausted him far more than the work itself. He also grabbed some soup-though his was a meat broth-and saw Vel.

It couldn't be her. He refused to believe it.

But the idea was still there.

He walked over to her table. "Do you mind if I join you?"

"Sure." Vel gestured to the empty chairs around her.

As Ryan sat down, her smile wavered. “I thought you were still mad at me."

"Mad? About what?" Ryan asked neutrally. Inwardly though, his stomach began to tighten.

Vel blinked at him. She set her spoon down. "About... getting you in trouble with your new chief."

She searched his face, frowning slightly. She couldn’t tell if he was pretending not to know what she meant, or if he genuinely didn’t.

"I thought he was going to come down on us a lot harder, but..." she hesitated, "I'm sorry about it all."

Ryan released a sigh. "I'm okay with the lift incident. That's not what I'm worried about." He looked at her. "Vel, someone told Lieutenant Flammia about my conversation to you on the beach. About what I did in the past. He then took it upon himself to interrogate me about it last night. I would really like to think that it wasn't you who reported that," he said. He studied her face. "But I've been wrong before."

"Oh. Okay. Good. Because you all didn't say a word to me-"

She stopped, realizing what Ryan had just said.

She glanced left and right, making sure nobody was sitting at the nearby tables, then lowered her voice.

"I didn't say anything, Ryan, I promise."

She hesitated, then added, "Corin was there. Though he was asleep, and I don't see him reporting it, either."
Silence stretched between them.

“What can Flammia actually do to you?”

"I don't know," Ryan admitted. "Something about that interrogation wasn't right. I can't predict what he's going to do. I'm sure he's at least told the Captain though. And I told Commander Harlan myself. He gave me some things to think about."

He sighed. "I don't know what will happen to me. But I'm glad it wasn't you who told them. I didn't think it was." He frowned slightly. But then, who did tell them? Something nagged at his thoughts. A feeling that he has forgotten something. But just as quickly it was gone.

"You're still here, right?" she said softly.

"If the Captain thought you'd done something wrong, you would be in the brig, not reporting for duty.”

"I did do something wrong," Ryan said quietly, almost to himself. "But you are correct. One jail is more than enough for me." He started to relax a little. "How was your punishment? Mine is double shifts with the occasional lecture from Commander Harlan."

Vel shrugged. "Gamma shifts and no off-ship privileges for a while. I'll survive."

"You're really not upset?"

"No, Vel. I could have easily told the truth to Commander Harlan. I choose not to. I keep doing that, because it seemed easier. Maybe I should try to be more honest going forwards," he said with a quiet reflection. "But I'm not mad at you. Not at all."

He looked up at her and smirked. "Don't get me wrong though. I'm still going to be on the other side of the planet the next time you decide to have a party."

Vel grinned back. Then sighed. "Next time is not going to be anytime soon."

She pulled the soup bowl closer and took a long spoonful.

A JL by
Lieutenant Junior Grade Ryan Collingway
Engineering Officer
USS Arawyn

Ensign Vel Zodeil
Helm Officer
USS Arawyn

 

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