What's One More Mess...
Posted on Sun Sep 6th, 2026 @ 10:52pm by Commander Theya Zh'Líran
896 words; about a 4 minute read
Mission:
Initial Conditions
Location: Shidahr Outpost, Regulus System
Timeline: 2150
“I was wondering if I’d ever see you again.”
His voice came from behind her, melodic, soothing, familiar. Theya wasn’t surprised to hear it. She’d seen his name on the roster, though she had no idea how he’d come to be under her command. This assignment didn’t exist for him to have requested it, and she would never have brought him here, as she was convinced that she was the last person he would want to see on a remote outpost.
She hoped that it was the spirits, maybe fate. But she wasn’t one to get her hopes up.
Theya turned to see where it was coming from and she saw him emerging from a corridor that she had just past. Surprisingly, she hadn’t been paying attention.
Theya closed the gap between them quickly, stopping only when they were close enough to speak in whispers.
“I’m sorry. This wasn’t my doing. If you wish to be reassigned, I’m sure the Directorate would make an exception,” she offered in a hushed tone. He was taller than her. Only a few centimeters, but enough that she had to look up to meet his eyes at this distance. Her antennae twitched uncomfortably, her nostrils involuntarily taking his scent. His smell always reminded her of the air before a snowfall, like a cold drink of water.
His eyes met hers intently. More intently than she’d expected. “I don’t want to go anywhere. Unless you don’t want me here.” He held back the urge to reach out and touch her fingertips against his. He wanted to see if she was real. He’d seen her image when he’d received his assignment and knew it was her. A woman he’d met under another name in what felt like another time.
“Theya?” He whispered softly. “Is that your real name? Can I call you –”
“Not here,” she said cutting him off sharply.
“Right.” Shoshua swallowed and took a step back, straightening his posture. She had hurt him once before, he shouldn’t be so foolish to step toward her like this so blindly.
“No,” pain flashed through Theya’s eyes mirroring Shoshua’s own. “Not like that I mean. If you want to talk. If you don’t… My quarters, 2100 hours.” It was an offer, not an order.
“Okay,” Joshua nodded understanding. If they were going to talk there was much to talk about. Much that couldn’t be discussed in the corridor, even if the only ones inside the outpost had passed black operations security clearance.
“Okay.” Theya nodded curtly and turned on her heels and walked away.
This was Commander Zh’Líran’s first command.
She’d spent much of her career in the Imperial Guard too deep undercover to have a crew.
She had junior officers of course. Had trained them, given orders. But she’d always been boots on the ground, and she’d been good at it. Now, here she was on Shidahr Outpost - a place that didn’t officially exist. The Intelligence Directorate had placed her here to try to pick up the pieces after the P’Jem mess.
A mess that wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for the Humans.
But here they were. Cleaning up the mess wasn’t a problem. The Intelligent Directorate was capable, equipped. She was one of its best assets, also capable and equipped.
What she hadn’t expected was that of the skeleton crew assigned to keep the Outpost operational, that his name would be on the list. She’d kept track of him of course. He’d been a civilian on the Wehtahn terraforming project when they first met, though he knew her by another name then. There’s no way he could have known she was here. No way he could have known that here was an assignment to request.
She knew that he enlisted in the Guard when the civilians were eventually evacuated from Wehtahn, a scientist turned tactical defense expert. The transition had made her smile at the time. It wasn’t a far jump - weather systems to shields. She’d wished she could reach out to him then and find out why. The real why. That they could have one of their late nights talking for hours and she could listen to his whole thought process - the pros and the cons. She was certain it wasn’t a decision that he’d made on a whim. Or had it been. Tensions had been heating up everywhere then.
Mostly she’d wanted to reach out to him and apologize. Apologize for leaving without saying goodbye. Apologize for lying about her name, and who she was. Beg him for forgiveness and understanding. Ask him too if there was ever a chance that they might have a future together. If he could ever trust her after everything.
The heels of her boots made too much noise as she neared main operations. She stopped and took a breath. Heavy feet. She looked back over her shoulder to see if she was being watched. Shoshua’s presence had rattled her more than she thought it would, seeing him there, close enough to touch.
It felt forbidden, which made him even more desirable.
Theya Zh'Líran
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