“Walking Among Them”
Posted on Tue Apr 7th, 2026 @ 3:51pm by Commodore Phoenix Lalor-Richardson & Lieutenant Marin Doss [ADMIN NPC] & Crewman Apprentice Jani Reth [ADMIN NPC]
Mission:
Below Decks
Location: Decks 10–15 – USS Elysium and Deck 18
521 words - 1 OF Standard Post Measure
The turbolift doors opened with a soft hiss, and Commodore Phoenix Lalor-Richardson stepped into the corridor—alone, for once. No aides, no armed escort, just the quiet hum of life support and the distant rattle of repair teams.
Her uniform jacket was unbuttoned at the collar, sleeves rolled to the elbows. She didn’t need ceremony; she needed connection.
Deck 10 smelled faintly of coolant and metal dust. She passed two engineers kneeling beside an open panel, both startled to see her without warning.
“Carry on,” she said gently, crouching beside them. “How’s the EPS conduit holding?”
The senior of the two blinked. “Stable, ma’am. For now.”
Phoenix nodded. “Good work. The ship’s standing because of hands like yours.”
They stared for a moment, uncertain how to respond, before one of them smiled faintly. “Thank you, Commodore.”
She continued down the hall.
Everywhere she went, the pattern was the same—hesitant surprise, then quiet gratitude. She stopped in Medical, asking after patients by name. She visited Environmental Control, complimented a young ensign for their clever rerouting of airflow to stabilize Deck 7’s humidity.
At Engineering, she paused to watch Chief Yates and her crew at work. The Bolian technician, Rennik Tol, froze when he saw her. For a heartbeat, tension flickered between them.
Phoenix met his eyes and offered a simple nod. “Petty Officer Tol. I read your repair logs. Efficient work.”
He looked taken aback, then gave a short, respectful nod. “Thank you, ma’am.”
No speeches, no reprimands. Just acknowledgment. Then she turned and moved on.
Later, as she stood at an observation window, Kara’s words echoed in her mind.
“They need to see the woman keeping this ship alive, not the rank on her collar.”
For the first time in weeks, Phoenix saw more than fatigue reflected back at her in the glass. She saw flickers of faith—fragile, but alive.
Deck 18 – Security Hub
Lieutenant Marin Doss, Beta Shift Security Chief, set down his padd with a grim expression. “Anonymous report came in,” he said to his assistant. “Claims a group’s been meeting in the cargo bays to ‘coordinate dissatisfaction.’”
The assistant frowned. “Command ordered us not to pursue without clearance.”
Doss snorted. “Command’s not the one who’ll pay when this turns into sabotage. We’ll keep it quiet.”
By 2100 hours, a three-officer patrol intercepted Crewman Jani Reth outside a maintenance junction.
“Crewman,” one of them said, “you’re needed for questioning.”
Jani blinked, confused. “Questioning? About what?”
“Routine follow-up,” the officer said flatly, taking her arm.
By the time she was released an hour later—shaken, humiliated, and still unsure what she’d done—the whispers had already begun again.
“Security’s rounding people up.”
“The Commodore’s walkabouts were just cover.”
“They’re coming for anyone who spoke up.”
Rennik heard about it in Engineering. His jaw clenched. “So much for trust,” he muttered.
Across the deck, Kara Loran felt her stomach twist. She’d seen Phoenix only hours before—calm, sincere, almost hopeful.
Now the ship’s rumor web had flared back to life, darker than before.
