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And so, she did.

Two weeks later, Kess came onboard the Emberkind as its new Chief Medical Officer. The standard intake procedure for the role was to run baseline scans on the commanding officer, working to establish that medical relationship and begin the data file that would track Reyna's biology for as long as Kess served aboard, along with the rest of the crew.

Reyna sat on the examination table while Kess ran the entire scan with steady hands and steadier markings. That silver-blue, unwavering and professional, kept Reyna informed of everything happening in the physical without words.

And Reyna, for the first time in months, allowed her composure to shift. In the presence of another Kaelari, the shift of composure told so much more than words ever could, and standing next to her was someone who understood what Reyna' gold at baseline cost. Without words, Reyna gave her new CMO all the information regarding the medical stability of her current mental state. And somehow, that made it so much easier, loosening something in her chest that she hadn't known was locked.

She watched as Kess looked over her readings, most likely noting the raised cortisol and all of the markers noting disrupted sleep. She was certain her stress indicators were consistent with prolonged grief and insufficient recovery time.

Kess looked up from the data readings, really eyeing Reyna for the first time since her hire.

"Tough couple of weeks?"

Reyna actually scoffed. "More like a year," she admitted, surprised at the ease she felt conversing with Kess.

Kess nodded slowly, turning her eyes back to the datapad. "Should I be concerned?"

Reyna took a deep breath and closed her eyes, letting her chin drop. "I don't think so. Just... time." She was met with silence long enough that Reyna looked back up at Kess to see the doctor staring at her.

"I'm going to schedule you for weekly sessions with me."

Reyna jolted. "I don't know if that's necessar?—"

"That wasn't a request. It's a prescription. From your doctor," Kess enunciated. "That is what you hired me for, isn't it,Captain?" Reyna watched as the woman raised one eyebrow at her slowly, almost inviting her to challenge the statement.

Reyna suddenly realized she may have met her match. And that felt... friendly.

She nodded once.

"Satisfactory," Kess said, and returned to her datapad.

Reyna heard what she meant in that word.I see what this is costing you. I'm not going to make you explain. But I am going to do everything within my power to help you heal.

The next week, Reyna began having sessions with Kess, and though it felt wasted in the beginning, the sessions eventually became a place to talk about the areas of loss and grief that wouldn’t go away, despite Reyna's constant chipping at them. Kess never told her to hurry up or get over it. Instead, she provided her tools to work through it on her own, at her own speed, which was the greatest gift of all. And, in the process of these sessions, Reyna began to consider Kess a friend, a word neither of them ever once said because Kaelari women from Aurevia did not need to say it out loud to know it was true.

Torvax was hired directlythrough a military transfer, arriving with a single duffel and a posture so rigid that Reyna privately suspected his spine had been built in a factory. He presented himself in her office, delivering a report of his qualifications in a precise and exact manner. He only used the number of words required and none extra on his paperwork, and stood at attention the entire time Reyna read the documentation.

With blue-gray skin and pale eyes that assessed everything, Torvax reminded her of a security camera. A member of the Droven species, Reyna knew Droven expressed devotion through decades of showing up while not experiencing romantic attraction at all. They were exact, deductive, and could lead whole armies to victory on efficiency alone. But what caught Reyna's eye was the veins under his very skin that shone brightly through. In a way, he was beautiful, comprised of the allure of space.

"You're very quiet," Reyna said after finishing her read-through of his overall qualifications.

"Quiet does not mean lack of efficiency, Captain. Efficiency is not a skill. For Droven... for me... it is a disposition."

She looked at him for a long moment and he looked back without blinking, holding her gaze. He did it without any indication that he had just said something that might, in a different context, have been funny. Reyna smirked up at him, causing his expression to morph into confusion.

"You'll do," Reyna said.

"Thank you, Captain?" Torvax replied, and this time, Reyna really did laugh, making Torvax's confused expression only deepen.

And that was the beginning of Reyna's new Droven First Mate keeping her lined up with the ship's needs. He fell into step beside her the next morning and, frankly, never left. He always appeared at her door with a datapad every morning, ready and waiting for rounds. Reyna saw him with the silence of someone who had decided he intended to occupy his role until the ship ceased to exist, possibly even after that.

But somehow, he too took notice that Reyna was grieving. He didn't tell her this directly. But, on that first day, Torvax led Reyna to the Observation Room on the third deck.

"You have fifteen minutes," he said.

"Fifteen minutes?"

"Correct, Captain."