A Late Night Talk

Posted on Tue Dec 2nd, 2025 @ 10:37am by Treon Brevor

1,142 words; about a 6 minute read

== Treon's Quarters, SS Starburst ==

The chime rang.

And again.

And again.

Barely half a millisecond later, somebody pounded on the door, hard.

Treon was still awake, going over any piece of information she could cobble together about SR-4216 IV - the planet where Piper was supposedly found.

And now, her heart was already leaping to worst-case scenarios.

Maybe something had gone seriously wrong with the ship? But her crew would have contacted her first.

Maybe Starfleet Security had boarded the ship? If Jos had told them... No. She refused to believe that.

She hurried to press the door release --

—and stared as Deirdre stood in the corridor.

“What happened?” Treon asked — because Deirdre didn’t show up so late unless something had gone very wrong.

“I was about to ask you the same thing.”
Deirdre pushed past her without waiting.
“Leaving at 0700? Care to explain?”

The adrenaline was still hot in Treon’s veins, but now her mind caught up.
No emergency. No disaster.

Just Deirdre — furious.

Of course. Marken had spoken to Deirdre. Treon supposed she should’ve expected this.

She didn't really care to explain. This was her ship, after all.

But she didn't want to start a fight with her sister either.

And the thing is - Deirdre was right. Treon really didn't want to tell her she was leaving. She'd hoped that she could somehow do it after they were already en-route

She drew a long breath, anchoring herself. "This is a personal mission."

"For Starfleet."

Deirdre had a way of jumping straight to the point.

"No!" The denial was out of her mouth before she realized that Deirdre might actually have it right this time too.

Her sister was pacing around the small room.

“Look, Dee, I can explain,” Treon said quietly, “but not here.”

This wasn’t the place to start talking about Jos — not with the crew able to overhear through the bulkheads.

====

The ship was small and though the crew only numbered four — it was crowded. The crew quarters were right on top of each other, and the entire crew area was quite compact.

When someone wanted space to themselves, they retreated to the cargo bay — more specifically, the aft cargo bay. Nobody usually ventured there.

The two sisters walked silently along the corridors. Treon could understand Deirdre. She just wasn’t sure what she could say to make Deirdre understand her.

Treon entered the code for the cargo bay furthest to port.

A lone hammock hung between two bulkheads, Lerik’s preferred hideaway, swaying slightly in the recycled airflow. Venn had dragged an old recliner here as well. A small table to the side held a half-finished strategy game, probably Marken's.

Deirdre stepped inside behind her. The door slid shut, sealing them into silence.

Neither of them sat. They both stayed standing.

Treon opened her mouth to begin —
but Deirdre beat her to it.

“Your former CO shows up, and suddenly you’re running toward Starfleet.”

"It's not like that." Treon said. "We're both helping an old friend who's in trouble."

“Starfleet trouble or real trouble?”

Treon paused long enough for Deirdre to figure out she was right.

"I thought you've had it with Starfleet," she continued.
“I have. That hasn’t changed." Treon tried to reach Deirdre. "This isn’t about them — it’s about Piper.”

"Your friend."

"That's right. I can't get into details, but whether he knows it or not, he needs help. Real help," she added. "And if I don’t go… Starfleet will handle this, and they'll do it the way they always do.”

“Meaning badly.”

“Meaning without compassion.”

That landed. Deirdre looked away.

Treon continued. "Whatever you or I think of Starfleet, Jos is different. I trust him."

"Like you trusted Starfleet." Deirdre said.

Treon wasn't about to let her derail the conversation. "He's here because he cares about his people."

Deirdre’s answer was immediate, quiet but sharp.

“Do you?”

Treon took a slow breath. "You know I do."

Deirdre opened her mouth, but Treon raised a hand gently, stopping her.

“I should have handled this differently,” she admitted. “I care about my crew. All of them. If I’d talked to Marken earlier… maybe he would have stayed.”

The words were heavy — because Treon knew they were true.

The heat had drained from Deirdre’s voice, replaced by something worn down, almost resigned.

“Marken thinks you chose your Starfleet CO over your crew.”

Treon shook her head, jaw tightening.

“Well, I didn’t. This isn’t about Starfleet. I can understand Marken — I… we… we’ve all been hurt by them. But this? This is something I have to do.”

She took a breath, steady but firm.

“If you heard about a border colony that needed help, would you refuse just because Starfleet was also involved?”

Deirdre’s arms crossed tightly. “That isn’t fair.”

Treon met her eyes.
“It never is, isn't it? Because that’s what we’re really talking about. I want to help a friend — so now I’m supposed to walk away because he once wore a Starfleet uniform?”
A beat of silence.

Deirdre’s posture eased — not much, but enough for Treon to see it.

She met Treon’s gaze.
“You said you trust your CO. You trust him enough to risk everything we’ve built out here?”

Treon held her eyes.
“Yes.”

Deirdre nodded slowly. “I hope you’re right.”

Treon added quietly, “We go in, we get out — and Starfleet doesn’t need to get involved.”

Deirdre’s mouth curved into a soft, rueful smile. “I’ve always been a sucker for saving people *from* Starfleet.”

Treon let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.
“I know.”

Deirdre gave a quiet laugh at that.

“So,” Treon said softly, “since you’re already here and the rest of the crew’s asleep… I’ve got a bottle of Raktajino liquor I picked up on our last run. Want to try it?”

Deirdre raised an eyebrow. “When were you going to mention that?"

Treon shrugged with a small smile. “I’m mentioning it now.”

====

As they neared the crew lounge - Treon heard voices and laughter.

When the door opened, she saw that her little crew was already there - Venn, Lerik, even Jos.

Venn looked over as the two sisters stepped into the room. “Finished with your secret chat?”

Treon spotted the half-empty bottle in his hand. “Where did you get that?”

Venn shrugged. “Your secret stash. Come on, join us?”

Deirdre opened her mouth — probably to object, or retreat — but Treon caught her arm lightly and pulled a chair out for her.

“Yes,” Treon said with a small smile. “Why don’t you join us?”

For a heartbeat, Deirdre hesitated.

Then she sat.

====

Treon Brevor
SS Starburst

&

Deirdre Arlen
npc apb Treon

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