I need to explain

Posted on Tue Aug 18th, 2026 @ 12:58pm by Captain Remy Johansen & Samuel Wynters
Edited on on Tue Aug 18th, 2026 @ 12:59pm

2,506 words; about a 13 minute read

Mission: Peril at the Unification Accords
Location: USS Astrea, Captain's ready room
Timeline: MD 09, Late

The last several hours had been extremely hectic. After he had met the French Starfleet captain, Samuel had been pulled from Remy's side, due to a horrible feeling he had suddenly had. When he returned to the ship, he found a communique that had been sent from the ruling council of the fledgling rebuilt El Aurian colonies. After reading the message, he knew that he had a decision to make. One that was difficult, at first. However, he soon realized that the decision had already been made.

And so, with that in mind, he made his way to the nearest replimat and ordered one of Remy's favorite deserts. He then made his way to the Bridge, and to her private office. After nodding a polite greeting to the officers on the bridge, he moved to the door leading to Remy's ready room, pressing the door chime when he reached it. He then waited for her to allow him entrance.

Inside the Ready Room, Remy was trying to hold it together. "Lieutenant Leilani's word, my ship's Counselor, should have been more than enough for you to release my officers and their charge back to the care of my ship. I don't understand why they weren't simply transported here immediately. We could have dealt with your personal feelings on the matter later."

Remy was talking to Commander M'Tret, Vulcan security liaison for the Accords when the chime to her office interrupted. He had just informed her that Josef Forstinger and two of her officers had been taken into custody over some type of ballistic weapon Josef had managed to carry into the facility, and her presence was being demanded before they would release the three. She was trying to push his buttons, even though she knew her efforts would most likely prove fruitless. Power was slowly slipping away from Starfleet and toward Vulcan control. They were allies, but not always without tension.

"I'm going to have to put you on hold, M'Tret," Remy stated, too exhausted for formalities. "Someone from my crew needs me. "We'll be in contact shortly about retrieving my crew and the civilian."

Remy cut the transmission and stood up, putting on a face for whatever was about to step through the door. "Come in," she called, queuing the doors to open.

Upon hearing her voice authorization, the Astrea's computer unlocked and opened the door leading out onto the bridge. Instead of one of her crew. It was someone of a more personal nature. Samuel stepped inside and paused as he waited for the door to slide shut behind him, giving them privacy again. Even before he spoke, he could feel the tension in the room, and not all of it was aimed at him. "Before I begin, I wanted to bring you something in an effort to brighten your day, even if only by a little." He set the sealed container on her desk and stepped back, allowing her to open the covered dish that held her favorite dessert.

Her expression softened at seeing Samuel. He'd been on her arm one minute, and then gone during the chaos at the event. She only looked briefly at the plate before looking up.

"What happened to you earlier? Where did you go?" Remy asked. She had forgotten how worried she'd been when they'd been separated at the conference. How could she forget about being worried about the man she'd promised her life to. That wasn't normal. She'd been so consumed with everything else, her job had completely taken over.

He took in a deep breath, then let it out slowly. Clearly, what he was about to say was very troublesome to him. "I've told you about my people, and the various abilities we are born with. Well..." he paused for another breath, then continued. "We can also feel someone we are bonded to, regardless of the distance. Normally, it's just something that sits in the backs of our minds. The bond in question here, was the one I had with my mentor, Gretalla Gooltan. She was my instructor when I entered the academy. I trained under her tutelage for nearly sixty years. She helped mold me into the man I am today," he paused again, this time a few tears fell from his eyes, as he finished his explanation.

"During the party, I suddenly felt as if my gut had been ripped open. I knew immediately what has happened, but I left to party to come back here, so I could send a subspace message back home." He looked into Remy's eyes as he said, "When I reached my quarters, I found a message had already been delivered. Gretalla died in a shuttle accident three hours ago."

"Three hours ago? What happened? Where was this?" Remy asked as she took a seat. There were already a number of moving parts and not enough of her to go around, but at least she knew that her people who were in Vulcan custody were safe and would be treated well enough. Yet, she had a way of focusing on one emergent thing at a time, and right now it was Sam, in front of her, grieving. A man who had already grieved so much.

Samuel remained standing, mainly as he had not yet been invited to sit, and also, as he was feeling very torn inside, and sitting wouldn't help him. He took in a breath, then let it out slowly as he began. "As I've told you before. The El Aurian Confederacy once spanned a vast amount of galactic territory. Then the Borg, or who they had been before they became the Borg, betrayed us all. Over the span of two millennia, many of the other members of the Confederacy were attacked and ultimately wiped out. During this time, I've recently discovered, my government had set up secret bases out on the frontier of our territory, to both search for a way to defeat the enemy and also, hide what could be hidden of our people and knowledge, in case we failed."

He gripped the back of the chair he was standing behind as he continued. "After the Borg invaded the Home System, a massive exodus took place. In the chaos, as you know, nearly all of my people where killed. Along with those lost lives, went the vast amounts of knowledge they had. As those of us who managed to survive limped through space, our focus shifted on merely surviving, so much more information and history was simply lost." He took in another breath and continued.

"After we found a new world to claim as our own, things started to change. Ideas once forgotten started to be rediscovered, either through deep thought or from various pieces of information or technology that were saved by the survivors and passed down to their children. In any case, my mentor, Gretalla, is...was...one of our oldest scientists from the time of the Exodus. When the bits of information started coming in that there could be more of us out there, in hibernation..." he shook his head slightly. "The Empress put forth a decree that all relevant information was to be gathered so that we could bring our lost sisters and brothers home. If they still survived. So, Gretalla led an expedition to one such possible outpost, a dwarf planet in a system located near the core of the spiral arm we are gathered on." Another breath.

"I've been informed that, during their descent to the moon's surface, a pulse of ionic energy lanced out from the surface, and the shuttle lost all control, crashing into the moon and killing Gretalla and her team of five other scientists."

"Ionic energy?" Remy caught on to the last bit that Samuel was relaying. "A defense system on the moon - the dwarf planet? I'm sorry, do we know what was there?" She was getting caught up in details now. Details that probably didn't matter. Thinking too much like Starfleet and less like a loved one meant to comfort her lover in a time of grief.

Samuel shook his head. "The reports were very thin on details. All that could be gathered and remembered was the possible location of the base, and the fact that it had a population of nearly three hundred thousand El Aurians. With our current population numbers, that would be a decent bump in our survivability as a race. So, the expedition was sent out. Unfortunately, the nature of the base defenses had been completely forgotten, at the cost of several well-respected historians and scientists...and one of my oldest friends." His eyes dropped as they filled with pain.

"I'm... I'm sorry..." Remy stepped forward and placed a tentative hand on Samuel's arm, unsure of what to do, of what sort of support to offer. Despite her position as Captain, he'd always been the strong one in the relationship. He had been the one who found her softer side, the one who had encouraged her to open up.

Now she was in the middle of a homicide investigation and a political firestorm and he needed her. Did he need her? And she wasn't sure what to do. This had often been the sort of thing that kept past relationships from getting too serious.

"What can I do?" She asked. "Do you need... Are you..." Remy paused awkwardly. "I don't know what I'm asking. "How far away is this place? Are you going to try to go?"

Samuel smiled warmly as he reached up and put his hand over Remy's on his arm. "Thank you, my love. There isn't anything really that can be done at this point. Besides, you have your hands full. I don't want to distract you from your duties, I just needed to explain my earlier disappearance." He took a breath, then replied to her other questions. "The moon in question is located on the far side of the Beta Quadrant, so there is nothing we can do from here, as it would take a few weeks to get there. I'm going to just need to meditate for several days, while I observe both the healing and farewell rituals."

"What is that mean? How does meditating for several days work?" Remy asked as she took a step closer to him. "When do I see you again? Should I leave you be? Or will you want my company at some point? I don't know what I'm supposed to do."

Samuel took Remy into his arms and held her close. Gently touching his forehead to hers, he spoke softly. "The meditation rituals are required when someone that you are connected to passes. The death can cause a painful rip in one's soul, as I explained to you before," his tone was soft and gentle as he spoke.

"You can come to be with me whenever you choose to, my love. I'll just be in one of the holosuites, running one of my meditation programs." He then gave other a loving smile, followed by kissing her deeply. Afterwards, he touched his forehead to hers again. "There is nothing that you must do. If you wish to sit with me during the ritual, you are of course welcome."

"I --I want to," Remy responded genuinely, with sadness. It hurt her that she couldn't be with him. She didn't deserve him, and soon he'd realize it. "I don't know how much I'll be able to get away. Ambassador T'Varel is dead, some of my officers were arrested by the Vulcans just now. I don't think it will be a problem, but I have to go get them."

Remy shook her head and then let her shoulders drop. "I never should have..."

"I want to try," she offered, feeling pathetic for such a menial gesture.

Samuel could feel the tumultuous feelings within Remy. As his mate, he knew she wanted to support him in every way she could. However, as a starship captain, she was also forced to focus on the things that were happening to both her crew and her ship.

It was one of the things that made him love her as much as he did.

"Beloved," he began softly. "I know you have responsibilities to your ship and crew that will always come before us. Do what you must, I will gladly take what is left." He kissed her again, the tenderness of the contact expressing how he did not feel slighted by her torn attention.

"I don't deserve you," she whispered quietly, moving in to feel his warmth.

Samuel gently wrapped his arms around Remy, holding her close to his chest as he kissed the top of her head. "You deserve far better," he replied softly.

"I don't know about that," she replied, her words now muffled into his chest as she took in his scent, everything about him was like a drug to her when he was around. She didn't want to let him go, even when she knew she had to. As she nestled into his body, she felt pulled into two directions - one wanted to stay there and just press pause on the moment and make it last forever. Yet, in the other direction, she could feel her heart sounding in her chest, the stress of the multiple facets of the mission, the pressure, pulling at her to do more, to be better.

"Sam?" She said softly, a question, a nudge gently reminding him of what she didn't want to do next.

Holding Remy against him, his arms wrapped around her like a protective cocoon, Samuel gently kissed the top of her head, and asked, "what is it, my love?" Though he had asked the question, his senses were already picking up the vibe that what she was about to say, was not going to make her happy in the slightest.

"I am so sorry," she said she she pulled away with a pained look in her eyes. "I feel like I should be able to drop everything for you right now, but the Vulcans arrested two of my crew, and the civillian from the 21st century we picked up. I-I can't. I have to go figure out how to get them released."

As Samuel looked down into Remy's face, he smile a warm, loving smile. "I know, my love. I knew who you were when we started seeing each other. I know where your primary focus must be. I do not fault you for that. Go. Do what you need to do for your crew. "I'll still be here when you come back."

Remy nodded. "I love you. Thank you."

---

Captain Remira Johansen
Commanding Officer
USS Astrea


Samuel Wynters
Ten-Forward Manager/Bartender
USS Astrea
(NPC of Maxun Spello)

 

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