The lights in T’Vaya’s quarters were dim, softly lit by candles in a Vulcan ceremonial pattern. A faint scent of herbal incense lingers in the air. For the most part her quarters were sparse but serene. Her hands trembled as she lit another candle, kneeling before a small stone altar. She attempted to meditate but her hands were still shaking. Although her body was motionless not portraying a single hint of emotion her face however, was scrunched as she tried to cover the feelings that lay just beneath the surface.

Linton stood by the door as she watched her closely. Although she tried her hardest to not make her body show her emotion, the strain was evident across every muscle. He watched as her hands shook, then abruptly she stood from the ground. Her eyes were closed as she tried to steady herself. Linton could tell she was trying to maintain composure but the blood fever was starting to grow outside of her control. He knew the mental toll it would take on him but he didn’t care. All he wanted was to help his friend.

“Don’t you need to meditate first?” Linton asked her as she stood from the ground and walked towards him. He watched her carefully as he studied her movement.

T’Vaya sighed as she struggled internally to process her emotions “I’ve tried,” she said, it came out more forcefully than she meant. She sighed heavily then her voice softened as she began to tremble looking into his eyes as she slowly approached him, “Logic cannot soothe this… fire that’s burning inside me. If we are to continue we must initiate… the bond. It will connect our minds—your thoughts, my thoughts, your memories, my memories, your feelings… and mine.”

She stood directly over him as she prepared herself for what comes next. He stared up at her as gently processed her words.

“I’m not afraid T’Vaya. Whatever it takes you don’t have to do it alone.”

She smiled at him. He placed his hand on her cheek to steady her and himself. She grabbed his hand falling into his grip slightly as let herself go. Then she gently pulled his hand away as she brushed his fingertips—the ozh’esta. His eyes searched his face with a vulnerability she had never shown before. Slowly, she lifts her hand to his face, fingers resting on his temples and cheek. Her voice is soft, ritualistic.

“My mind to your mind… my thoughts to your thoughts.”

A moment of stillness passes between them, then a flood: his memories, her memories, flashes of color, sound, emotion. She gasps as the bond initiates. It’s overwhelming—but grounding. They are no longer separate.

Linton stares at T’Vaya as he feels her emotions, her thoughts and her… feelings. “I can feel you… all of you,” he says breathlessly. Almost ethereal in softness.

T’Vaya looked at him as she struggled to speak. “It is… intense. You rage with… with compassion. You are so loud.” She stated to him her eyes flicking between his eyes hoping to catch a trace of a feeling he was hiding but what was the point. She gripped her eyes closed as she shuddered under the intense feelings that flowed off of him. Suddenly she felt a hand touching her. Looking up she saw it was Linton, his warm touch helped ground her physically as well as mentally.

He looked at her his eyes full of care and longing. “Then hold on to me,” he said, his voice carrying that same ethereal feeling.

They move together—not with urgency, but with quiet intensity. Their connection deepened with each breath, each touch. His presence gives her something to focus on, anchoring her to the now. Her mind, once a storm slow-growing out of her control, was now vulnerable.

Deck one of the Paramount, was usually the most active part of the ship with the bridge crew moving from turbolift to station and from station to station. Constant movement. Constant talking. But now…

Silence.

The signal they had received from D’Deridex had sent a chill across the bridge. They sat still at their stations as they tried to crack the enigma that lay just in front of the ship, and none worked harder than Lieutenant Jackson. Her fingers moved with chaotic purpose as she tried to break through the wall that sat in front of her. This was unlike anything the young scientist had ever seen or heard about. She couldn’t begin to understand what was going on and it upset her. But she couldn’t stop. She needed ro help those people.

“You need to take a break,” came the steady voice of Lieutenant D’Antonio. He cautiously walked towards her as if, if he wasn’t careful she would pounce on him. The two Lieutenants had started dating a week before the ship’s encounter with Underspace and since then they have moved in to the same quarters and have spent every bit of free time together

“I need to figure out how to reach the D’Deridex system.”

D’Antonio sighed as he stood behind her. “You can’t work efficiently if you haven’t slept or eaten,” his voice low and soft echoing the worry he felt for his girlfriend’s well-being. He watched as her fingers moved lazily across her station.

“The Lieutenant is correct,” came the measured voice of the Paramount’s executive officer. She slowly rose from the center chair as her hands clasped behind her back looking around at the tired expressions of the senior staff. “You all have been working non-stop for the past day and a half. Go get some rest. We will start fresh at the beginning of alpha shift tomorrow.” The Vulcan spoke her voice cool as she turned and walked towards the ready room. “Dismissed!” she said firmly, after noticing that no one had moved from their stations. She pressed the button beside the door.

“Enter,” came the voice of the Romulan captain.

The doors opened with a hiss, she slowly stepped inside. Noticing that the captain wasn’t at her desk she turned in and saw her on the couch spotting with a PADD in one hand and a cup of tea in the other. Nitus slowly lowered the device as she looked up at her.

“Yes, Number One?”

Her hands still clasped behind her back, T’Soni stepped forward. “I have instructed the senior staff to take the rest of the day off and start fresh tomorrow.”

The Captain sighed as she stood from the couch setting the PADD on the coffee table. “That’s good,” she said as she rubbed her eyes. She was tired and needed rest but she wouldn’t allow herself. Fearful of the dreams that may come to her. The memories of Telvin IV, of seeing Lieutenant Zolath’s body go limp and even the memories of the Dominion War. She was only a lieutenant then, still with much to learn and experience. Nitus walked past T’Soni as she gestured for her to have a seat across from her desk. She set her tea down with clank as she joined her. “Have you ever studied the D’Deridex system, Commander?” she asked her after a beat of silence.

T’Soni raised her brow at the question as she looked at the captain. Examining her face which showed clear signs of fatigue. “Negative Captain. I have never seen the need.” She watched as the senior woman leaned back in her chair, her eyes fluttering shut before she quickly sat up.

“Captain… permission to speak freely?”

Nitus sighed that eventually became a yawn as she nodded her head in approval.

“I think you… we should join the rest of the senior staff. There’s no need for us both being exhausted and hungry,” the Vulcan spoke with a warmth Nitus hadn’t heard from her before. Truth be told, a warmth T’Soni didn’t know she had.

“Truthful as always, Number One,” Nitus said as she yawned again. Her hand raised to cover her mouth as she excused herself. She stood up walking over to the coffee table grabbing the PADD of the coffee table as she headed for the door. “Are you coming number one?”

T’Soni stood from the chair as she nodded crossing the threshold back onto the bridge as the beta shift began to fill in their stations. They wished them a good night as they stepped into the turbolift, the doors hissing as they shut.