The Beginning is Always The Hardest

Posted on 03 Mar 2026 @ 9:32pm by Lieutenant Daynah Ral & Commodore Harvey Geisler

1,213 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Epitaph
Location: Captain's Ready Room - Deck 3 - USS Black Hawk
Timeline: July 13, 2390 || 0900 hrs

Daynah had finally made the rendezvous with the Black Hawk. She was unaware of their previous mission, but whatever it was it kept the ship away for some time. She was glad to see that she was welcomed with open arms and settled into her quarters on deck four. Chief Science Officer of a ship this size was no laughing matter. Now came the time that she typically dreaded in her Starfleet career. That if meeting her new commanding officer. The words of one of her previous hosts Alaryc Ral, a Captain in Starfleet, rang in her head. They are just people too. Look at them as such and all will be well.

She made her way to the Ready Room and before she could change her mind rang the chime.

Harvey sat at the table in his ready room, eschewing the desk for now as he reviewed several readiness reports while sipping a mug of coffee. At the sound of the chime, he didn't look up from the device he held, but he instead looked at his mug and tilted it so that he could inspect its contents. As he'd suspected, it was nearly out. "Come in!" he called out, rising from the desk and approaching the nearby cart with the daily carafe.

Daynah stepped in and came to attention. "Lieutenant Daynah Ral reporting as ordered sir. I have orders to assume the role as your Chief Science Officer." She placed the pad containing those said orders on the desk. Daynah knew that most Captains shunned the procedures such as this. However, they had to be followed.

The Commodore had only glanced over to the new arrival, but not because he didn't wish to stand on ceremony, but instead was focused on refilling his coffee mug. "I didn't think Command would be able to fill the open position so quickly," he confessed.

One of the arrangements that Command had made following his last mission was that any replacements aboard the ship would be dictated by the department of personnel, and not a decision to be made by Harvey personally. Harvey had not been in a position to push back on the directive, but they had afforded him the opportunity to receive Ral's dossier prior to her assignment.

"Ral..." he said, his tone trailing off as if he was trying to remember something. With a full mug of coffee, he picked up an empty mug and turned towards the lieutenant, silently offering her a beverage. "Any relation to a Jazra... Jadzia... Ral? I'm struggling to remember the name, but I think I met a Ral during a conference on Betazed a few years ago."

A soft and sort of bittersweet smile crawled across Daynah's face. "Yes sir. Jazra was one of my previous hosts..." Her voice trailed off for a moment as Ral sent the memories through to Daynah. "...Yes I remember. Something about a rather rebellious young man, and prison sentence if I recall correctly. Jazra thought fondly of the short meeting you had."

Harvey chuckled, remembering the altercation he'd had with a Zaldan. "More like avoiding a prison sentence. I think Jazra witnessed the whole thing and stood up for me in an informal inquiry." Harvey, full mug of coffee in hand, turned to face the new Ral host. "Regardless, I trust Ral is in good hands now. Would you like something to drink?"

"A cup of coffee would go great." Daynah said with a crooked smile. "Truth is, I hate the stuff. But Ral is absolutely addicted. So, I have to suffer. The things we do for the ones we love." She said with a smile. "It seems that you have gone far since we last saw each other. Glad to see you landed on your feet." Although they had just met her tone was as if she spoke to an old dear friend. It was simply the way with Trill in Starfleet, when they came in contact with someone the symbiote knew previously. It was if they knew them all along.

Harvey chuckled, picking up a spare mug to fill. "It was a long road getting from there to here, and many of those turns were anything but voluntary. But such is life." With a fresh full mug in hand, he brought it over to Ral and offered her a seat in front of the desk. "And life it seems brought Ral here and Jazra not. If you don't mind me asking, how long have you been joined?"

Daynah sipped the coffee and made a wince at the taste. That was something she did every time she drank coffee and almost as a reflex. She truly had no idea how anyone liked the stuff. "It has been seventeen years since Jazra was killed on Betazed." She almost reflexively touched her stomach. "Ral was placed in stasis until Norah Sytar a renown diplomat could arrive from Trill. Norah was joined as a benefit to Ral. Norah was at the end of his life but his life's work of diplomacy and peace needed to be shared and passed on so the Commission allowed the joining. In 2386 Norah died of natural causes and Ral was transferred to me. And here we are." She raised her glass in toast and took another winced sip of coffee.

"Well," Harvey remarked, sitting behind the desk. Once he was in the chair, he took a sip of the hot elixir and then placed the mug on his desk. "When I think I meet a soul with a very storied life, I tend to forget how much that life pales in comparison to those like symbionts, El Aurians, and Lanthanites. But, here on the Black Hawk, your service will very much reflect your accomplishments and capabilities, not just the symbiont's. I trust you are ready to take on the role of Chief Science Officer?"

"I am sir. Looking forward to it. Ral is excited to get out there into the unknown. The sciences has been our forte." Daynah smiled broadly. She meant every word of what she said. Being on this ship sparked an interest that she had known was there before. Additionally the brief contact with the Captain in the past helped.

The Captain took a sip of his coffee before placing the mug down on the desk. "Excellent. In the meantime, do you have questions?"

"No sir. This ship and its crew speaks for itself. Although, now that I am serving under your command. I do hope you keep that hot temper of yours under control." Daynah said with a knowing smile. The kind of look joined Trill gave when they knew more about a person than they should.

Harvey chuckled. "I think you'll find things have changed quite a bit in the last decade," he assured her. "I suppose I'll you go settle in. If there's nothing else, welcome aboard, Lieutenant. Dismissed."

Daynah smiled softly and turned to leave the Ready Room. She made her way to her quarters where should would unpack and settle in. Her heart swelled with the knowledge that a friend from Ral's past was in command, that was something she had not expected. This could be a place that she called home for some time to come.

RSS Feed