The ibn Al-Haytham offered no shortage of spectacular views as the massive Sutherland class ship barreled though subspace at warp 7 on its way to DS17. The forward rim of the saucer section was lined with lounges and viewing areas ranging from small to large and that was where Aakon Keacen found himself, gazing out into the tunnel of subspace the ship was carving out. The ibn Al-Haytham was the largest ship he’d ever been. His first assignment out of the Academy had been on the USS Thorbjarnardóttir; a Nova class ship. It was cramped but was the most at home he’d ever felt in Starfleet. Days spent cataloging planetary surveys on the frontier, evenings spent in one of two mess halls or in the gymnasium. With a crew of just 77 you ended up knowing everyone and rank tended to melt away when off duty. It also meant everyone knew your business; he learned quickly to handle his more romantic liaisons with a greater degree of discretion than he had at the Academy.

After two years there he bounced around to a few other ships as Starfleet pulled back from frontier exploration more and more until he found himself taking the bridge officer test in 2398 while serving on the Saxony, an Echelon class ship. Command was never a path he intended on pursuing but as opportunities for true deep space exploration dried up in the late 90’s he desired something more. He passed on the first go and the rest was history; a quick promotion of Commander and executive officer until early 2401 when Frontier Day decimated the fleet. He quickly got a fourth pip and was given the Resnik; a posting that was typically not given to a first time Captain but Starfleet had little choice with how many officers it had lost.

Resnik. He was hesitant when he took command but quickly settled in. They had done well in the nearly year he’d been in command. Mostly patrolling sectors where pirates were known to attack, stints along the former Romulan border, protecting weaker vessels working in systems along the frontier. Nothing amazing and little in the way of exploration but he at least felt he was doing some good and the crew has just started to pick up that ‘vessel family’ feel to it. That, like the Resnick, was shattered. She was adrift in some nebula, beaten to the point of near destruction. Two of his senior staff were in the ibn Al-Haytham’s morgue as were countless others from the ship. They were his first losses as a Captain. Despite what people tended to think death was not common on a Starfleet ship. It happened but more often with the exploration ships; you knew that going into the unknown had risks. There were always risks serving on ships in the core systems but they resulted in small losses here and there. Many Captains spent years without a single loss. They trained Captains to deal with that. The training on how to deal with loss on a massive scale was woefully minimal. The training on how to deal with senseless losses was even less.

The door to the lounge slid open with a barely perceptible hiss as Isabella Broska entered the room. She hovered around the edge of the room; it was clear to her that Keacen was lost in his own thoughts. She couldn’t blame him. In the hours since they had evacuated the Resnick the two had only spoken briefly in Sickbay; Broska had broken a leg and Keacen his right arm. She cleared her throat and stepped forward, a PADD in hand.

“Excuse me Captain, I have a preliminary report on survivors.”

He turned to her, a thin smile on his face. “Thank you Izzy.” He took the PADD, scrolling though silently. “Are we sure this is accurate?” His voice was quiet and hoarse.

She nodded. “Aye, sir.”

She watched as a small tear slid down his face. It was understandable. She’d shed more than a few tears as she read the report. Talnot and K’Vevka had been killed instantly when their consoles exploded. Out of the 344 officers on the Resnik only 62 escaped with their lives. The ibn Al-Haytham had performed three mass evacuation transport cycles, beaming over any commbadge it detected. That had accounted for over 90% of those lost but still a few bodies remained on the Resnik. She was still numb to it all, honestly.

She took the PADD back as he silently handed it over. “Task Force Command is reporting that the Vaaduwar are in full retreat. I don’t have details but it seems a large, joint, effort amount among the Alpha and Beta Quadrants governments sealed the Underspace tunnels. A lot of systems faced a full scale invasion and slaughter, including some core worlds, but it’s over. We won.”

Aakon let out a soft ‘Hmm’ as he turned back to the view out the window. “Victory is preferable to defeat but it’s pretty hard to feel happy about it when the battlefield is littered with those we lost.”

Izzy nodded. The point wasn’t lost on her. “Captain Vako says we’ll reach DS17 in a few hours. She’d also like to meet with you before arrival, if you feel up to it.”

Aakon nodded but provided little else.

“Thank you, sir.” She said softly before turning and exiting the room. She took a few steps down the hall before stopping to lean her back against the walls of the corridor; her eyes closing the moment she felt the cool metal of the bulkhead come in contact with the back of her head. She could feel the little pinpricks of fresh tears poke on the corner of her eyes. She inhaled sharply, willing the burgeoning moisture to retreat. It worked, for now. She doubted anyone who walked by would judge her or think less of her if they found her crying in a corridor but she’d already had far too many people try and comfort her in the hours since she arrived on the ship. She didn’t need more.

She’d never seen Aakon like that in the year she’d served with him. The man always had a smile on his face, a quick quip or joke to diffuse a tense situation. Inspiring words. Something. He had been a new Captain but he slipped into those four pips like they were a comfortable shoe he’d been wearing for years. She wasn’t sure what to do for him. Hell, she wasn’t sure what to do for herself. 

She cleared her throat and took another deep breath, pushing off from the corridor wall. She had a hard rule of never stepping into another officer’s personal life but she wasn’t quite sure of any other way to help. She gave her commbadge a light tap.

“Broska to Ruthledge. Are you able to come to one of the observation lounges? Don’t wear your uniform. I’ll explain when you get here.”