The Witness

Posted on 18 Feb 2026 @ 1:52pm by Lieutenant JG Ryan Collingway
Edited on on 18 Feb 2026 @ 3:20pm

659 words; about a 3 minute read

Mission: Silent Inheritance
Location: Transporter Room/Crew Quarters

///Transport Room three////

A few hours after his meeting with Commander Harlan, Ryan worked in the transporter room. Operations had complained that there was a three second delay between putting in the command to beam someone down and the action actually happening. Probably an easy fix. He began work to disassemble the panel.

The familiar work put his mind at ease, helping him not to thinking about the meeting with Commander Harlan. It was difficult, and the end result tore at his soul. But strangely, it wasn't at the forefront of his mind.

The identity of the witness. The feeling that he had forgotten something. Something important. But it was *there*. At the tip of his tongue.

The back of the panel opened. Inside was a collection of circuit boards and wiring, not to mention a fair amount of gunk that had somehow gotten in there. Ryan went to work cleaning up the gunk first.

He slowed everything in his mind that day. The beach. The lift accident. Jail. Commander Harlan. A lot of things had distracted him.

Next was to double-check the connections. One of them seemed loose. He fixed that. Then check the circuitry for damage.

Before all that. Something else had happened.

The repair work was done. The transporter chief would test it for him. He closed the panel. The lights went on. At the same time, a light went on in his head. The realization hit him like a ton of bricks.

He knew who the witness was.

////An hour later////

It was breaktime. Normally he would get a snack and decompress for the day. Instead he went back to his quarters and sent a transmission.

His dad appeared a moment later. "Hello, son. Why are you calling?"

"Hi dad. I'm just reminiscing on some old family memories. You know, when I was a kid I never could understand how you were always able to get those suits and big corporate entities to talk so easily. Now I do," Ryan said. "Who was that woman in the bar with me? What was her fake name-Gamma? A touch telepath?"

His father snorted. "Telepaths are expensive, Ryan. Nope, just some Orion pheromones can work wonders when you need information. It's cheap and doubles as a nice perfume. Does the job just fine. I mean, hypothetically of course. It sounds like you had a bad encounter at the bar and spilled more than you should have, without remembering what you did."

"No I didn't," Ryan said in realization as the memory finally cleared. She had wanted information from him. He had talked about a lot of things, but had not actually talked about Benzar. They were interrupted before he could. She had left him wondering why fifteen minutes had suddenly become forty. "But she followed me and overheard my conversation with Vel. Then you directed her to contact the ship as a concerned citizen."

"If that's what you believe." His father's expression was neutral.

"How did you know I was here. On this planet?"

"I have contacts everywhere. You know that," his dad scoffed. "It wasn't hard for me to hear that the Arawyn was in orbit on a popular shore leave planet. It breaks my heart that you never talk to me and I have to find out from third parties. Truly it does."

"Yeah, well, your attempt to kick me out failed," Ryan said coldly. "In fact, it actually helped me. So thank you so much for that." But he had a note of uncertainty. That decision might still be pending.

"Until the next thing comes along and crushes you. Another borg ship. Or something else that attacks your vessel. You're not built for that, Ryan. Soon you'll realize where your place is. By the way, did you end up seeing that girl you liked? What was her name, Alura-"

Ryan ended the transmission. The quarters became silent.

Lieutenant (JG) Ryan Collingway
Engineering Officer
USS.Arawyn

 

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