We're All Friends Here

Posted on Thu Apr 2nd, 2026 @ 8:48pm by Captain T’Kal & Lieutenant Commander David Erickson & Lieutenant Karane Inda

894 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: ARYL 1X04: All the Friends We Can Get
Location: Resistance Hideout

David carefully wrapped some ice in a cloth that another resistance fighter had brought him, and held it to Sripat's temple where the bruising was the worst. "Hold this still and try to breathe steadily," he said. The woman was lying on a cushioned bench and David was doing his best to tend to her wounds while keeping her and Karane as far apart as he could. He'd entrusted Karane with the weapon they'd stolen only after getting her to promise out loud that she wouldn't shoot everyone on principle.

The Drenkul woman held the ice to her head and thought about her situation. Sripat had expected to force these people to do what she needed, or at least to have hostages, but one was actively helping and the other was...feisty.

Meanwhile, Karane was sat grumpily in a corner away from Sripat. She was watching David attend to this woman, and giving him dagger eyes that could pierce even the hardest of starship hulls. Her arms were crossed across her chest as she scowled at them both.

I like her, thought Sripat. She stuck her tongue out at the engineer.

David left his patient to her swelling and to decide what her next move would be, and walked over to Karane, sitting next to her and giving her a semi-playful nudge. "Don't look so cross," he said. "She knocked you out, you knocked her out--and she got the worst of it. I'd say you're even." He tapped the gun in Karane's lap. "And you have a new toy."

Karane huffed and looked away, her grip tight on the weapon. "I'm an engineer. Not a security officer," she muttered loud enough so David could hear her.

"Yeah, but you can still take it apart and see how it works. Who knows? Maybe it's got a neat power source you can reverse engineer." He patted her thigh affectionately. "Don't say I never got you anything."

"If you two are finished," Sripat said, pulling herself to her feet, though her ribs ached as she did it. "People will begin to gather outside the government building soon. It means security forces will be out, and the shield will be up. You're going to bring it down."

"Still waiting for the 'why' on that one," David said. "What's your goal here? You've already shed blood. We're not here to help you shed more."

Karane glared at Sripat. "And what makes you think I'm even going to help you bring it down huh?" She asked. "I've already kicked your ass once, I'll be happy to do it again."

"And I won't deny enjoying watching," David said. He looked at Karane. "To be fair, the ruling caste here is...cruel, to put it mildly," he said, quietly. "What I saw yesterday is, I'm guessing, only scratching the surface of the mistreatment her people are enduring." He sighed and sat back. "The revolution is already happening. If we can keep it from getting bloodier, I think we should."

"I disagree." Karane said simply. "We'll be interfering with another cultures internal affairs. That's breaking the Prime Directive. If we do this, we'll be breaking our own rules."

"So we quietly suffer under the heels of our oppressors, and the Federation says 'yes that's fine, carry on'? Is that it?" Sripat asked. "And when we do something about it, and ask for help, you say 'no, it can't be helped'?" She scoffed. "Look if your only value is as a hostage, that's fine. We'll do our job, and if we need overwhelming force to bring down that shield, so be it. Just remember that you could've made this a much cleaner job than it needed to be."

Karane sighed. "Are you seriously that stupid?" she asked narrowing her eyes. "There are ways of doing things without the need for violence or killing others." she explained. "It takes time, but it's better than what you're suggesting."

"Time isn't always a luxury people have," David said, quietly, looking at Sripat. "And, as far as the Prime Directive is concerned, we're already in the thick of it. Non-interference isn't possible." A thought occurred to him. If T'kal beamed down during it, or if any of the crew was on the ground...

The bigger picture opened wide in front of his mind's eye instantly.

"We're in," he said, looking at Sripat he saw Karane open her mouth to protest and immediately took her hand and squeezed it, silently willing her to hold. He leaned down and whispered in her ear as quietly as he could. "If the Captain, or any of the crew are caught in the initial attack, they won't back out. We need to make sure this ends quickly and safely, for everyone's sake now."

He sat back up and looked at Sripat. "Let's go bring down a shield."

Karane scowled back at David. "If you want me to bring down that shield, I'm going to need access to the shield generator. If not, then I'll have to do it the hard way. And that isn't going to be easy." She focused her gaze back to Sripat. "Which one is it?"

"We'll get you there," Sripat said. "Now let's go. There's no time to waste."

END


Lieutenant Commander David Erickson
Chief Navigator

Lieutenant Karane Inda
Chief Engineer

Sripat Pinnya-Senkatra
Rebel Leader

 

RSS Feed