Cautious Optimism
Posted on Fri Sep 5, 2025 @ 4:39am by Lieutenant Commander Alanna Wells & Civilian Nyla Thane
Edited on on Sat Sep 20, 2025 @ 6:47am
1,958 words; about a 10 minute read
Mission:
Time After Time
Timeline: MD14 - 1100 hours
Nyla stood outside Commander Wells’ quarters, the invitation still fresh in her mind. This would mark their first official meeting. Wells in her capacity as Director of Science, Exploration, and Archaeology, and Nyla as her recently appointed Deputy. Given the nature of their roles, close collaboration was inevitable. Nyla had worked with Starfleet science officers before, some brilliant, others lacking, so she approached this new partnership with cautious optimism.
She wore a charcoal-gray field jacket over a sleek, dark-blue utility tunic. A pair of durable, black trousers and reinforced boots hinted functionality over formality. Slung across her shoulder was her worn satchel. She stepped up to the door, pressed the chime, and waited for Commander Wells’ response.
Alanna was rearranging her quarters. Not because they needed it, but because she needed a change. So much had happened since she moved down to the planet that she felt like this was a new start. New position, new commanding officer, and new quarters. Sort of. Well, new on the inside, anyway.
Most of her personal items were at Bag End as she planned to spend more time there, but with Jason's new assignment, and with the commodore on the station, she needed to be here as well. She had prints of an ancient city, a desert cactus, and a colorful nebula on the walls. She also had a bookshelf filled with books. Copies of books, but it made her feel like the space was hers.
When she heard the door chime, Alanna turned. "Come in."
Nyla stepped through the doors as they parted. She offered a small, polite nod. Her eyes swept the room. Not in judgement, but out of habit. The prints on the wall drew her attention for a moment longer than necessary: an ancient city, a desert cactus, and a colorful nebula. Perhaps she'd get along with this woman after all. She turned her gaze to Alanna. "Hello, Commander." She said. "I hope I'm not intruding."
"Not at all. Please, have a seat. I've just been doing some rearranging." It took Alanna only a moment to recognize the other woman. "You're Nyla Thane, right? Hi."
Nyla stepped further inside. She shifted her bag to one side before setting into the offered seat. "That's right.' She replied. "And you're Commander Wells." Her eyes drifted toward the wall adorned with prints. "You have good taste."
Alanna looked at her prints and smiled. "Those are to remind me of home and things I like most." She indicated the sofa. "Have a seat and tell me why you're here. Not that I doubt you're ability to do the job, I just want to know why."
Nyla settled comfortably into the seat. “The reason I’m here is the same reason I chose this path in the first place...curiosity. The kind that lingers, no matter how much you try to ignore it.”
She slid the satchel from her shoulder and pulled out a book, placing it in her lap. The title read...Lost Civilizations of the Known Universe.
“My father used to read to me from this every night.” She said. “Stories of forgotten worlds, empires, secrets buried beneath centuries of...silence. I didn’t always understand the words, but I understood the wonder. That need to know what came before... and why it was lost. That need never left me.”
Alanna hadn't read that particular book, but she was equally fascinated with lost civilizations and unknown history. "I think that's why a lot of us go into science. Curiosity. There's still so much we don't understand about the universe and the people who once lived here." She smiled. "I have a database filled with information on extinct civilizations and odd discoveries. There's plenty here to keep me busy, too. I like curious people. What sort of experience do you have in your field?"
“I’ve taken a bit of an unconventional route. My undergraduate work was in cultural anthropology. Later, I went into subspace physics. That was… less about digging in the dirt, more about decoding ancient technologies. My master’s thesis focused on a series of ruins where the architecture was physically impossible without manipulating local spacetime.”
She leaned back slightly in her seat. “I finished with a doctorate in xenoarchaeology, specializing in pre-warp civilizations that vanished under… unusual circumstances. I’ve worked in a few places Starfleet would rather not advertise…worlds where the ruins were more dangerous than the locals.”
She placed the book back in her satchel. “That’s the short version.”
Alanna nodded. "Sounds like you'll be a good fit here. What's your security clearance? That is also important to work here."
"Level Eight, with additional provisional clearance for classified archaeological sites." Nyla answered.
She was certain Alanna already had access to that information, but for the sake of conversation and to start their professional relationship on the right foot, she answered without hesitation.
“It pains me to admit I don’t know much about you, Commander. What’s your background?” Nyla asked.
"I have degrees in history, archaeology, and anthropology. I taught undergraduate courses while I got my advance degrees and I spent time working in the field." Alanna smiled. "Then I joined Starfleet so I could explore the galaxy. I was the chief science officer here before the commodore arrived. I now work on the planet and the station to excavate and preserve the history. Because of the nature of what we do, a high clearance is necessary."
Nyla nodded. "It sounds like you've been able to bridge the best of both worlds. Academic and hands-on exploration."
Alanna nodded. "I've been fortunate. Especially when I was assigned here. There's still a lot to learn about the planet, but much of it is off-limits. And some of that is classified. It would be the two of us, Commodore Michaels, and Commander Haines. At least for those currently here. The two commanders that came before also had the clearance."
Nyla welcomed the shift in conversation toward the planet. Her curiosity stirred, and the prospect of uncovering something new made her eager to begin. Work was where she thrived, and she was ready to dive in.
"I see." she said. "When will I have the chance to go down to the planet?"
"When do you want to go down? I spend at least half my time there, so whenever you're available," Alanna said. "I can show you Bag End, which is my research station, and the research colony. The portals aren't active right now because of the recent temporal activity. I could show you, but it would be academic."
"Whenever you’re next heading down would be fine with me." She said. "That way I can see things in their natural rhythm rather than on a staged visit and start getting a feel for how everything works down there."
"Okay. I'll let you know. I want to spend a few days transferring some of my data to the science computer and spending time with Jason. Then I'll head back down to the planet."
Nyla nodded, trying not to let her disappointment show. She’d been hoping to get planetside sooner, but it didn’t seem like she had much of a choice.
"If I’m going to be here for a few more days, is there anything I should be doing to prepare?" She asked. "I'd rather hit the ground running once we get down there."
"See what information is available on Pangaea and the portals. If it hasn't been scrubbed, it would be in the sci8ence computer only. There's only generic information in the main computer. I can give you access to the science computer if you can't get it." Alanna paused. "When Hydel Turvan was trying to get information on the portals. I copied everything I had to Bag End. I can get you set up with your own office on the planet. Would you like to be closer to the research colony?"
Nyla nodded, mentally noting the need to dig into the science computer later. “If it's all right, I’d prefer to be closer to the research colony.” She said. “It’ll be easier to collaborate with the others down there and I’d like to get a feel for the daily flow of things.”
"Great. I'll see about getting you somewhere to live closer to the colony. I'm a bit of a distance and need to use a shuttle from Bag End. But I'm closer to one of the working archaeological sites." Alanna raised an eyebrow as she clarified. "I assume you don't want to stay in the colony itself, correct?"
Nyla gave a small shrug. “I don’t mind the research colony. It makes sense, especially if that's where the work is centered right now.” She met Alanna’s gaze. “Wherever you need me, that’s where I’ll go. I’m here to work, not to be picky about the view.”
"You can start there. We can always change things later." Alanna paused. "There's a linguist on the station. I don't know if she'll be needed, outside looking at any runes or pictographs we find, but she could help if the UT has problems with dialects."
Nyla nodded. She felt confident in her own ability to handle UT issues if they arose, but she didn’t want to dismiss anyone else's expertise. “I’d be open to connecting with her.” She said. “Even if it’s just to get a sense of her capabilities. Having another perspective never hurts.”
The other woman nodded. "No, it doesn't. Around here, you learn to expect the unexpected. It's good to know who you can ask for help and who can be a good resource."
Nyla nodded in agreement. "That's a lesson sometimes learned the hard way." She said. "I'll make a point of reaching out."
"Good. Once we get down to Bag End, I'll give you access to the archaeological and planetary databases and show you around. I might have a place for you to stay, but that will depend on what I can work out in the next few days."
"Sounds good. What’s the name of the linguist?" Nyla asked.
"Ensign T'Vren. She's in operations."
“I’ll make a point to speak with Ensign T’Vren before heading down.” Nyla said, her eyes drifting around the quarters. The conversation felt like it was drawing to a natural close. She returned her attention to Alanna. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll let you get back to rearranging your space.”
"More like getting used to being on the station again." Alanna grinned. "In some ways, I got spoiled on the planet. But thank you. I think we'll work well together."
“I know the feeling. I’ve always preferred being planet-side myself. There’s something about working with the real thing, soil under your boots, structures you can touch that you just don’t get on the stations or ships.” She nodded. “And I think so too. I’m looking forward to it.”
Alanna nodded. "I agree." It was one of the things she appreciated about DS5.
“Thank you for taking the time to meet with me. I appreciate the welcome and the insight.” She rose up and took a few steps toward the door. “I’ll let you get back to rearranging.”
Alanna grinned. "Thanks. It was nice to meet you. I'll let you know when I'm going back to Pangaea."
“I’ll be ready when you are.” With that she stepped out, letting the door slide shut behind her.
A post by
Dr. Nyla Thane
Deputy Director of Science, Exploration, and Archaeology
Lieutenant Commander Alanna Wells
Director of Science, Exploration, and Archaeology
Pangaea
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