Kyle and Varinity

Posted on Tue Feb 17th, 2026 @ 2:35pm by Commander Kyle Reece & Lieutenant JG Varinity Atoro

Mission: Season 6: Episode 6: Conglomerate
Location: USS Elysium, Deck 10
Timeline: After the attack ~2 hours?
1055 words - 2.1 OF Standard Post Measure

The hounds really did a number on the ship. Varinity carefully stepped around torn up deck plating, her balance not at all helped by the sling her right arm was in. While it sucked, other people had worse injuries that required more urgent attention, so she opted for the quick patch so she wouldn’t bleed out, some pain medication, and an immobilised arm until Sickbay was less chaotic. She could tell from the nurse's expression that she was probably going to need surgery to fully repair everything.

While waiting for her time go back to Sickbay, she opted to roam and look for other survivors. It was both horrifying and impressive how much damage the Galtonians could cause.

Kyle was moving through the ship, doing a visual inspection of the areas where combat had taken place. His own arm was in a sling as well, from when he was thrown across the bridge and fractured his shoulder. He had insisted that the medical team focus on the more heavily injured first. He had certainly had more sever injuries in the past. The pain he felt now was annoying, at its best.

Turning the corner, he saw Atoro, similarly hobbled as he was. "I see you are holding off the good doctor as well?"

The voice made Varinity's head turn, and she saw her obnoxiously tall boss. A quick look-over caught his sling, which made her wonder what trouble he got into. "The more critical should be seen first," she replied, knowing already that he was probably of the same mindset. The stained hole in the shoulder of her uniform left little speculation as to what had happened. She gave him a faint smile, "I asked for picture before they fix it because the nurse couldn't hide her reaction."

Kyle chuckled softly, then glanced around, his tone changing to a more somber one. "What's the status down here? How many dead or injured?"

Her initial response was probably a little too optimistic for the situation. Varinity blamed the pain medication. Her gaze shifted down the corridor, which had only patches where one could actually see the deck plating. "The most recent count I've heard is 85 dead," she replied, her voice a little quieter. "About twice that injured. Not everyone has been found yet."

Something shifted in her expression. To see it outside the numbers and predictive models was an entirely different beast. The death toll continued to climb as more and more bodies were uncovered. A knot slowly formed in her stomach. She anticipated this, and at the same time not enough of it.

Kyle nodded solemnly as he gazed over the carnage himself. "I don't know how much more this ship and crew can take. Don't get me wrong," he looked her in the eye as he continued. "This is the best ship and the strongest crew in the entire fleet, however, one can only take so much before collapse occurs."

They moved to the side as more medics rushed by to try and save the injured.

"Get yourself to sickbay and get your wound seen to, Lieutenant." He fixed her with a commanding look that showed her would brook no argument. "That's an order."

Varinity looked up to him. "I already did, Commander. Sickbay was the one who told me to wait for surgery because life threatening injuries are the priority right now." When she first transported in with Leilani, she was considered part of that group, but once they got the bleeding under control she quickly dropped down to a less critical category.

Kyle nodded, glad she had at least been seen. "Very well. But when they call you back to finish up, no delays, understood?"

"Aye, Commander," Varinity responded. Silence fell between them as she looked back out over the damage. While it didn’t help anyone to dwell on guilt, that didn't mean it wasn't there. Hanging around sickbay would have only made those feelings worse. "What I gave you was supposed to be worst case scenario," she said, her hushed tone not hiding anything. She took a shuddered breath. "I know what you will probably say... I couldn't have known it would go like this. Nobody expected the hounds to be as aggressive as they were." Her head shook ever so slightly. "That's not good enough for me."

Kyle reached out and gently laid a large right hand on Varinity's uninjured shoulder. "Listen, I know all too well how the self-doubt can rear its ugly head at times like this. I've fought it myself more than you can know." He took a breath, then continued. "You will doubt yourself for the next several days, at the minimum. That is completely natural. What makes the difference...what makes an excellent officer stand out from a mediocre one, is how you work through that doubt. Dont look at the failures as the end of things. Look at them as learning lessons. If you feel you made mistakes, then figure out how not to do so in the future."

The pair moved aside, as a pair of medics carried the covered body of a fallen crewmember. After a few beats of silence, Kyle spoke again. "For what it's worth...I would have done the same thing you did before the battle." He gave her shoulder a gently squeeze of encouragement, then left her there, to go gather more reports from the various locations of battle.

Varinity looked up at him to force herself to look away from the medics as they rushed by. It was times like this where she both appreciated his words and hated them. As long as she felt like she wasn't living up to expectations, perceived or otherwise, that duality would persist. Her internal expectations meant that she was probably going to dedicate excessive time to studying her own reports, just like she did with the prior ones. At least she'd have something to read after surgery.

The sensation of his reassuring squeeze lingered on her shoulder. His final words reminded her that he was once in her shoes, or at the very least, understood what she was experiencing. Hell, he probably felt it now, since he was roaming the ship just like her. "Aye, Commander," Varinity quietly said as he walked away.

~End~