Ensign Meris: A Promise to Return

[Meris/Brian]

(( Valhall Lounge - Deck 5 - USS Thor ))

 

Meris sat at a corner table near the bar, cup in hand. The windows of Valhalla framed Deep Space 14 neatly and the slow drift of local traffic. The view was pleasant, with New Bajor hanging below, Deep Space 14 standing as a silent sentinel over her, its fusion of classic Federation lines merging with the grandeur and curves of Bajoran architecture. There was a beauty to the station's structure that they could observe and appreciate from here. They lifted their mug of Saren Blend #4. The smoky tartness of z’relli fruit, mountain bark tea, and a touch of sweet grain milk rose in the steam and settled in their mind like a distant memory.

 

A barista wiped the nearby counter. The door swished open from time to time with the comings and goings of various crewmembers. Beyond the windows, work pods traced neat arcs along Thor’s saucer as the ship underwent repairs. Meris took another sip. The taste of home opened a door within them.

 

(( Flashback - Family Home, J'naii ))

(( 18 years prior, Age 5 ))

 

Sunlight spilled across a low table littered with blocks and simple toy science kits. Seral aligned a chain of molecules as carefully as their young hands allowed. Zereth stood nearby and watched with a patient gaze. Tarell knelt between the twins and offered guidance, placing a block in young Meris’ hand.

 

Tarell: Let's stack these together.

 

There was a noise at the open window and Meris looked that way. Across the Capital City of Wendaii, a shuttle roared from the spaceport and cut a white line against the sky. Their breath caught.

 

Meris: Look! ::pointing:: A launch!

 

Zereth shifted their attention to Meris, then to the model in Seral’s hands.

 

Zereth: How many molecules of hydrogen have you added to that model, Seral?

 

Seral: ::counting with their fingers:: Two. Two hydrogen molecules and one oxygen molecule.

 

Zereth: ::nodding:: And what does that represent?

 

Seral: Two hydrogen molecules and one oxygen molecule is... water?

 

Zereth: ::nodding again:: That's right. Very good.

 

Zereth crossed the room slowly and closed the window.

 

Tarell placed a hand on Meris’ shoulder and nodded toward the blocks.

 

Tarell: There is time for both study and wonder. We will make room for both.

 

Meris returned to the table and fitted two pieces together, though their eyes kept flicking back to the bright trail that arced above the horizon.

 

(( Valhall Lounge - Deck 5 - USS Thor ))

 

A pair of engineers in coveralls entered Valhalla and moved to the bar to order their coffees to go. Meris watched them pass and traced a ring of milk foam along the inside of the cup with a lazy turn of their wrist.

 

oO The sound of engines from far away. The way the walls hummed. Oo

 

(( Flashback - Secondary School Hall, J'naii ))

(( 13 years ago, Age 10 ))

 

The lecture hall swelled with young voices. Displays lined the walls. Ribbons gleamed under pale lights. Seral’s table drew a small crowd. Their proof sketches and clean experiment flow had already earned two awards from the judges.

 

Zereth stood with a cluster of scientists and listened to Seral explain a correction to a data set. Approval warmed their face.

 

Meris waited beside a modest teaching exercise. A lesson plan in structured inquiry sat on the stand. While they waited for the attention of the judges, their hands moved across a sketchpad, holding a simple piece of charcoal between their fingers. The lines of the hall, the patient curve of a banner, the faces turned toward success — all came together in strokes that felt like breathing to the young J'naii.

 

Two peers passed by and halted.

 

Peer One: Is it art?

 

Peer Two: How unusual.

 

They moved on with a look that slid sideways like a shadow. Meris closed the sketchpad and set it under the lesson plan. Tarell approached and studied the board.

 

Tarell: You worked hard. Your structure is clear. I am proud.

 

Meris searched Tarell’s face and found steady kindness there — love and warmth. They looked toward Seral’s table and saw Zereth throw a glance their way. It did not quite settle on them. It skimmed the surface and returned to the bright orbit of Seral and the crowd around them.

 

Meris straightened the lesson plan and stood ready to present. Waiting.

 

(( Valhall Lounge - Deck 5 - USS Thor ))

 

Meris tapped idly at a data PADD, scrolling through the news of the day. They opened another tab and checked in on bridge systems. Docking clamps secure. Power transfer stable. Repairs were at least two hours ahead of the original forecast. The lounge’s grinder thumped once and fell quiet. Meris breathed in the smoke of their tea.

 

oO Not wrong to draw. Not deviant. Only close to the edge. Close enough that the room changed temperature. Oo

 

(( Flashback - Family Home, J'naii ))

(( 8 years ago, Age 15 ))

 

Meris stood before a canvas propped against a window. Brushes lay in a shallow tray. They painted the spaceport at dusk. Smoke and heat lifted in thin veils. They captured it all — the launch gantry, the runway lights that strung a path into a violet sky.

 

Tarell entered with a stack of data slates. They paused at the door and took in the work.

 

Tarell: You have an undeniable talent for this.

 

They approached behind Meris, admiring the canvas.

 

Tarell: But remember your path. You were meant to teach. Keep this for yourself. There's nothing wrong with a hobby. But keep your studies in front.

 

Meris nodded and lowered the brush. They looked to the window briefly.

 

Meris: Do you ever wonder what is out there?

 

Tarell set the slates down on a low table.

 

Tarell: Out where?

 

Meris: Out there. ::gesturing at their painting:: Beyond the horizon. Beyond J'naii.

 

Tarell looked at the painting and a tired expression crossed their features. They’d had this conversation before. Lightly, Tarell placed their hands on their child's shoulders.

 

Tarell: We know what is out there. Beyond our homeworld lies a galaxy of noise — stars that flare unpredictably, species that thrive on conflict, and worlds that bend to chaos rather than reason. There are places where identity fractures, where emotion overrides thought, and where beings chase novelty at the cost of peace.

 

Tarell: We do not seek what lies beyond J'naii because we have found balance here. The galaxy may be bountiful, yes, but it is also restless. It tempts with difference, with disorder, with the illusion that fulfillment lies elsewhere. But we know better. We are taught to look inward, not outward — to cultivate clarity, not curiosity.

 

Gently, Tarell turned Meris to face them and, with the index finger of one hand, inclined their child’s head until they were looking into one another’s eyes. Meris was only an inch or two shorter than they were now. Soon they would look down upon their parent.

 

Tarell: So, when you look up at the stars, child, do not ask what is out there. Ask how you will strengthen what is here — what is beneath your feet. How will you make us more resilient so that we can hold out against what is out there? The stars may call, but the J'naii do not answer. Our duty is here. Yours will be here too. Harmony in thought. Unity in form. Clarity in purpose. Remember it, always.

 

Meris repeated the mantra they’d heard all their life.

 

Meris: Harmony in thought. Unity in form. Clarity in purpose.

 

Their parent smiled softly and lowered their hand, clasping them together in front of them.

 

Tarell: Now, return to your studies. It will be day’s end soon enough.

 

Tarell turned and stepped out of the room. As the door opened and closed, a burst of voices could be heard from the next room. No doubt news of Seral’s mathematics award had arrived with a chime and a congratulatory call from the Academy President. It had been all they discussed at the dinner table that evening. Zereth’s voice rose with muted pride. Meris looked back to the painting. The runway opened like a road they could take with a single step. Their brush touched down again and pulled a line of light toward the horizon.

 

(( Valhall Lounge - Deck 5 - USS Thor ))

 

A junior officer from Operations lingered at the counter and ordered a quick snack. The barista handed over a plate with a slice of cake and gave the man a warm smile. Their hands touched and then lingered. Meris watched. There was a brief flirtation between the two before the young man stepped away with his cake, giving the barista a warm smile and a wink. Meris wondered if someone would look at them like that someday. They finished a long final sip of their Saren Blend #4 and set the now-empty mug down with care.

 

oO Seral gathered ribbons and citations. I gathered sketches and quiet questions. Oo

 

(( Flashback - Family Home, J'naii ))

(( 4 years ago, Age 19 ))

 

A travel pack rested by the door. Meris stood in the center of the room. Tarell faced them with hands folded quietly in front of them. Zereth stood with a stillness that carried weight. Seral was not present. The Science Academy held their hours in full this session and attendance was mandatory.

 

Meris: I want to go to Earth. I'm going to attend Starfleet Academy.

 

Zereth measured the request in a silence that pressed on the floor and walls.

 

Zereth: This does not match your path.

 

Tarell’s gaze softened and then steadied again.

 

Tarell: If you went, you would leave your duty unfinished. Unattended. You would weaken J'naii as a whole.

 

Meris lifted their chin defiantly.

 

Meris: Is J'naii really so weak that the absence of a single member causes fracture?

 

Zereth: This is what you want?

 

Meris: Yes.

 

Zereth: ::loudly:: It's not about what you want! It is about what J'naii demands from you. It is about what J'naii demands from us all.

 

Tarell moved to stand beside Zereth and placed a calming hand on their spouse’s arm.

 

Tarell: ::to Meris:: You know your path. It is not Starfleet Academy.

 

Meris lowered their head and pursed their lips.

 

Meris: No. ::a pause:: But my path could lie through Starfleet Academy.

 

Zereth narrowed their eyes and Tarell turned their head slightly to one side, uncertain what their child meant.

 

Meris: Every book I’ve read about education says there is not just one way to teach. Who’s to say my path as an educator does not pass through Starfleet Academy? ::with unusual passion:: Imagine what I would see! Imagine the things I would experience! There is a bountiful galaxy beyond our homeworld, full of things to learn. Full of lessons to be captured.

 

Zereth scoffed and turned away. Tarell seemed less skeptical.

 

Tarell: ::slowly:: You would learn these things, have these experiences, and then return to J'naii to share them with your people?

 

Meris: I... ::pausing:: Imagine the things I could return with. One day I would bring back all that I had learned. I would teach all of J'naii, but I would carry a larger classroom. I would make our path wider.

 

Tarell’s face shifted through worry and pride. Zereth looked Meris’ way skeptically, searching for the truth. The search took longer than it once had.

 

Zereth: ::shaking their head:: Who would listen to such lessons?

 

Tarell: ::considering, then to Zereth:: There are those... who might be interested in learning such things. Our child is not alone in their desire to understand the galaxy.

 

Zereth’s eyes darted between Meris and Tarell disbelievingly. They finally settled on Meris.

 

Zereth: How do you know that you would even be accepted to the Academy?

 

Meris: I... I don't know. But there is a summer program I can attend. It will teach me what I need to know and prepare me to take the entrance examination in the fall.

 

Zereth: And you would give your word to one day return? And you would keep it?

 

Meris nodded slowly at first, surprised that their parents seemed to be bending to their argument.

 

Tarell: ::solemnly:: You must remember your promise, Meris.

 

Meris: ::looking at Tarell:: I will. I will keep my promise.

 

Meris had shouldered the travel pack when they stepped outside. Night had fallen. The spaceport sent a shuttle out into the dark. The fire under its engines briefly turned the clouds to flame as it departed. Meris watched it rise and felt the distance pull tight like a thread that would not break. Zereth exited the family home behind them and stood beside Meris for a moment, watching the shuttle travel into the inky darkness above. When only the sound of the vanishing shuttle remained, Meris turned and regarded their parent. Zereth looked so much older than they remembered.

 

Zereth: ::looking to Meris:: My child will not walk to the spaceport.

 

Meris embraced them fiercely.

 

The strength of the embrace surprised Zereth, but he held firm to his feet.

 

(( Valhall Lounge - Deck 5 - USS Thor ))

 

A courier shuttle slowly glided past the Thor, briefly filling the viewports of Valhalla as it banked in front of the parked starship. Meris rose from the table, carrying their mug. They deposited it on the bar and nodded to the barista, who gave them a brief but pleasant smile in return as they collected the mug. It was nothing like the smile they’d had for the junior officer from Operations.

 

oO I went. I learned. I graduated. I will return. I must return. I must fulfill my path. Oo

 

They collected their PADD from the table. Outside, the work pods continued their repairs, oblivious to the musings of a single J'naii. The USS Thor waited with quiet patience for the repairs to be complete. Meris stepped into the corridor and paused a moment to reach out and touch the polyduranide wall paneling. The hum of the ship matched the one in their chest.

 

(( End Scene ))

 

---

Ensign Meris

Helmsperson

USS Thor

A240207M14