Coffee [Part Three]
Posted on Wed Jul 16, 2025 @ 3:26am by Commander Cara Letsul & Lieutenant Kael "Vex" Tharien
1,489 words; about a 7 minute read
Mission:
Time After Time
Location: Promenade Observation Deck
Timeline: MD 09 Later in the Evening
“I was born on Betazed. Raised between embassies and starships. My father was Vulcan—strict, precise, distant. My mother… Betazoid. Intelligence division.” A pause, as if measuring how much to say next. “Sharpest mind I’ve ever known. I didn’t inherit her patience.”
[And now the Conclusion]
He looked briefly toward the window, the stars beyond, then back.
“Starfleet came naturally. Tactical, Intelligence, a little Diplomacy along the way. I’ve served on three ships and one consulate. Then the Resolute.”
There was a shift in his tone—just faintly guarded.
“The last assignment didn’t end well. Too many decisions made outside the chain of command. Mine included.”
He picked up his cup again, the warmth between his hands almost grounding.
“Now, Starfleet has me ‘waiting’ on Deep Space Five. For what, they haven’t said.” A beat. Then, dryly, “I imagine they’re still deciding if I’m an asset… or a liability.”
He let the words hang for a breath, then added with just a thread of humor:
“I’m told I ask too many questions. Usually of the wrong people.”
Then, a shift again—this time offering her the lead.
“What else would you like to know?”
"StarFleet tends to weigh who is useful and who isn't." another bite as she contemplated what else she could ask, her mouth emptied, a sip from her cup. "Have you lost anyone, during your time with Intelligence? A family member?"
Vex’s gaze held steady, though something behind his eyes flickered—not hesitation, but memory. He leaned back slightly, fingers brushing the rim of his cup.
“Yes.”
The word hung in the space between them—simple, heavy.
“Not in the field. Not on a mission. But because of the work.”
He paused, choosing his words with care.
“My half-brother. Riyal. Full Vulcan. Worked for the Security Directorate. We didn’t agree on many things—particularly methods. Somewhere along the line, we stopped speaking. And then… he disappeared.”
Vex exhaled quietly, not in grief, but in resignation.
“There was no funeral. No final report. Just silence. And in Intelligence, silence says more than confirmation ever could.”
His eyes met hers again, steady.
“So yes, I’ve lost people. Some to death. Others to duty. And some to the space between both.”
He offered the faintest tilt of his head.
“But I suspect I’m not the only one here carrying that kind of weight.”
"I have lost someone, several someones. A team I used to work with. My older brother was in Intelligence, I was as well. It didn't start that way though, as my first choice was Counseling. However I was brought into intelligence to work with my brother as he needed my help. Two years, then I got out to take up my original profession, that of being a counselor. It was my brother who-insisted that I not be a part of intelligence anymore. Our team leader didn't want me to leave. I think my brother had something on our team leader and utilized it to get me out. And I feel that he paid the price for using that information. As we got word that he was killed on assignment."
She looked down at her plate, picking up her fork once more to take another bite of her food. "It hurt losing him, he was my older brother, and he was taken away too quickly."
There was a flash of emotions, one of sorrow combined with anger.Before it disappeared behind a wall she placed up. "I had gotten word that my old team, one by one they have died." Cara lifting her eyes to meet his.
Vex observed her closely—not with pity, but with the quiet depth of someone who felt the current beneath her words, even if he didn’t name it aloud.
He placed his fork down, fingers briefly steepled in thought, a distinctly Vulcan habit—disciplined, still.
“Grief is… persistent,” he said calmly. “It is not logical, but it is... real.”
He met her gaze fully now, his voice softening with subtle Betazoid warmth.
“I have tried to suppress it, as my father taught. And I have tried to feel it fully, as my mother would insist. Neither path offers peace. But together, they offer… understanding.”
A breath passed between them.
“Losing your brother. Your team. It imprints on the psyche. Not just memory—but identity. And still… you endure.”
His head inclined slightly, an old gesture of respect.
“That is not weakness. That is strength tempered by pain—refined by choice.”
Another moment passed. Then, almost gently:
“You carry their loss with dignity. And if you ever need a place to set that weight down, even briefly… I would understand.”
A gentle smile appeared, an expression of gratude in Cara's eyes. "I thank you." giving a nod of respect of her own. "Finding a balance is something I continue to strive for as well as finding my path in this new place, and wanting to feel welcome in this new home." a pause" If you ever need a place to set your own burden down, or talk, my offer is the same as yours."
The waitress walked over to where the two dining companions were. "How are things? Do you need a refill of coffee?"
Cara looked up towards the server. "I am alright thank you."
"And you sir?" the server looking at Vex.
Vex inclined his head slightly, his expression composed but undeniably present. As the server stepped away, his gaze lingered on Cara—not invasive, but intentional. There was something searching in the way he regarded her now, like he was reading not just her words, but what rested beneath them.
“No more coffee, thank you,” he said quietly, almost as an afterthought.
Then, turning back to Cara with a rare stillness in his tone—not Vulcan restraint, not Betazoid empathy, but something caught in between.
“You said you’re still finding your place here… wanting to feel welcome.”
He paused, letting the quiet sit just long enough.
“When you’re not in uniform. When there’s no one to counsel, no orders to follow or give… who is Cara?”
There was no challenge in the question—only intrigue. A quiet wonder.
“What brings you peace? What pulls you off-center?”
A pause. A faint lift of one brow.
“And is there a part of you that no one on this station has seen yet... but maybe should?”
"I am someone who could be compared as being like an onion, preferably a purple onion. An onion, which has many layers." Cara picked up her cup, taking a sip of it, even though the fluid was cooling down. "It depends on when or what I will feel ready to show or reveal. There are things that will stay hidden deep inside. Sufficeth it to say, I've seen much." lowering her cup, Cara gave a slight smile. "I've revealed much to you, that I haven't told many. I could almost count on two hands who knows the different facets of me."
Finishing up the cup, Cara placed it down upon the table. "You ask me what brings me peace? I am working on what could bring me tranquility in this new setting. What pulls me off center? Currently it could be finding my direction on where I need to be. Yes, I have been prevailed upon to be part of the command team, I still need to find my center."
Vex listened intently, the corners of his expression softening as Cara spoke. There was no impatience in his silence—only the quiet acknowledgment of something rare being shared.
When she finished, he nodded once, slowly.
“Then perhaps I’m fortunate to have seen even a few of those layers. Purple onion or not.”
A flicker of something wry crossed his features—dry, but not without warmth.
He stood, not abruptly, but with a smoothness that signaled the moment had begun to shift. He offered his hand—not out of formality, but as a gesture of simple respect.
“I won’t press further tonight. But if you're still peeling back the layers... I’d like to continue listening.”
He looked out the observation window for a brief moment before turning back to her.
“Perhaps next time, a change of scenery. Fewer stars, more spice. You choose the setting.”
A slight incline of his head followed—Vulcan calm with just the faintest thread of Betazoid charm.
A brief smile and acceptance of his hand up from the chair, "I shall see you tomorrow in the meeting with the Commodore, thank you for the meal, and an enjoyable conversation." another smile from the dark haired Commander. She chose to leave once she was firmly on her feet. Giving a wave of farewell. "Until tomorrow?"
Lieutenant JG Kael "Vex" Tharien
Star Fleet Officer
Deep Space 5
Commander Cara Letsul
Executive Officer
Deep Space 5
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