Meeting the parents

Posted on Mon Jul 27th, 2026 @ 6:54am by Captain Marc Steyn & Leia Beaumont

2,336 words; about a 12 minute read

Mission: Season 1, Episode 1: Ashes of Wolf 359
Location: USS Genesis - Civilian Education Facility
Timeline: Shortly before launch

ON:

Leia pulled a strand of her hair back before taking a sip of the iced latte in front of her. Which parent did she have now?

David's dad. "Oh the Captain." Her heart sank a little. She was not looking forward to this conversation. She decided to make herself more presentable in the five minutes she had left, sweeping her hair up in a French twist and quickly checking her face.

"Ermm the Captain Leia," one of her teaching assistants said standing aside to let him in.

She stood up and offered her hand, "Captain. Thank you for coming."

Marc stepped into the office. It was modest compared to his own, yet every bit as immaculate and meticulously organised. If anything, it boasted the better view.

His ready room overlooked the port quarter, where stars at warp would eventually streak away at an angle beyond the broad viewport. This office, however, occupied a position a deck higher than Ten Forward, offering an entirely different perspective. With Genesis still secured in dock above the red planet, the window framed Mars in all its rust-coloured splendour, the planet hanging motionless against the velvet backdrop of space.

"You're welcome," he replied with an easy smile, his attention lingering for a moment on the woman before him. She possessed a quietly striking beauty, with luminous honey-blonde hair that fell in soft waves to her shoulders, framing a heart-shaped face. Wide grey-blue eyes lent her an open, thoughtful expression, while a dusting of faint freckles across her nose softened otherwise elegant features. She carried herself with an effortless poise, her warm smile both genuine and quietly disarming.

"David should be arriving within the next day or so. I'm not sure whether you've had the opportunity to start classes with any of the families already aboard..." He paused, letting the thought trail off before returning to the reason for his visit. "So, what can I do for you?"

"No not yet, I'm trying to kill multiple birds with multiple stones so to speak. Please," she indicated the chair. "Would you like a drink Captain?"

“Thank you, but no. If I have one more raktajino today, I think Doctor Syvar will be placing me on medical leave,” Marc said with a laugh.

Even as he chuckled, he was still quietly reeling from the striking resemblance between David's teacher and his long-deceased wife. Apart from the colour of her eyes and hair, they could have been the same woman.

"Obviously I'm new and this is the first time I've done a curriculum on a star ship. My first ever job on a star ship. I'm trying to link in and meet all the parents where I can and get a base of where each child is but I also wanted to talk to about what things I might be able to do in my planned lessons. We have several teenagers, your son included where I thought an old fashioned work experience as they used to call it on old earth would be good. Basically the kids shadow and have a taster of certain roles. Would that be something you might consider? Letting them shadow both civilians and officers if they were looking in that direction of a career?" She asked.

“I have every confidence in your decisions, Mrs... Mrs...?” Marc asked, breaking off as he realised he had never learned her name.

His lilting South African accent lent the question an almost playful quality as he settled into the chair opposite her, crossing one leg over the other. His piercing blue eyes never left her face, holding her gaze with quiet, unwavering attention.

“Beaumont. Leia Beaumont. Sorry,” she said mortified she hadn’t introduced herself.

“Mrs Beaumont,” he replied.

The same lilting playfulness in his voice tugged at something deep within him, tempting him to answer it in kind. The captain in him, however, kept a firm rein on the impulse, refusing to let it surface. She was, after all, a member of his crew—an officer under his command. The thought gave him pause. Was it appropriate to indulge in even the hint of flirtation with someone who served aboard his ship?

“I'll ensure my officers work in complete tandem with you on any programmes you wish to implement,” he said, his tone returning to one of measured professionalism.

A warm smile worked its way up her face. Why had she been worried? He seemed very nice. And she liked his accent.

“Miss Beaumont. I never married but please call me Leia,” she told him.

“Thank you captain. I might be pushing my luck now,” she looked a little sheepish and bit the corner of her lip subconsciously.

“Does that include field trips? If we can find something that works round the ships schedule of course. And is safe. I know I could just book a Holodeck but it’s not the same and you don’t have much opportunity for the students to meet other kids. But perhaps if we were in the right area for something that might be going on what’s the likelihood I might be able to enquire about borrowing a shuttle or organising beam downs?”

"That I can't promise. We have no idea what we're going to find, or whether we'll encounter any dangers," he said matter-of-factly, retreating further behind the protective armour of his role as the ship's captain.

It wasn't that he lacked any interest in getting to know her. Quite the opposite. It was the feelings she stirred within him—the memories of his wife—that made him keep his distance. Command had become his refuge, a place where duty could silence emotion. It was how he coped without revealing even the slightest hint of vulnerability in front of a member of his crew.

"If an opportunity presents itself, and my Science and Security officers deem it appropriate, then we can certainly consider it. Until then, however, I'm afraid I can't make any guarantees."

Leia nodded. She flashed a smile again. “I understand completely captain. I just want to give the kids the best opportunities so if the universe aligns and you and your crew are happy who knows.”

She stood up and smoothed down her dress, then picked up a PADD and walked round. She handed it to him and to his surprise instead of going back to her desk chair at the other side leaned on her desk.

“Are we okay to chat about David now?”

She hadn’t met him yet but had seen his photo. He had his father’s eyes for sure. On the PADD was the previous teachers last recorded information. She gave him chance to scan over it. Grades, what they had covered last year. He excelled in sports but was pulling in only average grades the rest of the time. David seemed to struggle to keep focus.

"That would be my fault," Marc said matter-of-factly, already knowing where the conversation had been heading. If anything, the turn it had taken made it easier to distance himself from the thoughts and feelings she was stirring within him, however subconscious they might have been.

"Since my wife passed away, David's been moved around far too much because of my assignments. For the past year he's been staying with Dana, my ex-wife's sister..." He paused, the admission hanging in the air before continuing. "It hasn't been ideal. I pressed Starfleet to make sure this command allowed officers to have their families with them for that very reason."

The words spilled out almost of their own accord, stripped of the measured restraint that usually defined him. It was an unguarded honesty, one entirely unbecoming of an officer of his rank.

She nodded then reached over and put a hand on his shoulder gently. “Children are very resilient and,” she said bringing her hand back, “you can’t blame yourself. It could be anything affecting his focus. Maybe it’s just boredom, a curriculum just needing updating or maybe he’s struggling with some subjects. It might even just been the dreaded hormones and puberty. I intend to figure it out and between us we can get any support he needs in place.”

"My hope is that, with him living alongside me again, we can finally give him the stability he's been missing and help him focus on his education." Marc's voice softened, the quiet confidence that had marked so much of the conversation giving way to unmistakable regret. "He's talked about wanting to attend Starfleet Academy one day. It's something he's wanted for a while now."

A faint, sorrowful smile crossed his face before quickly fading.

"The trouble is..." He paused, choosing his words carefully. "I simply haven't been there enough to help him get there. Every assignment has taken me further away, and every promotion has seemed to demand a little more of me. Somewhere along the way, I realised I'd become better at serving Starfleet than I had at being the father he deserved."

He lowered his eyes for a moment before looking back up.

"I'm hoping this command gives me the chance to change that. Not just for his future... but for ours."

Realising how much he had said, Marc let out a quiet, self-conscious breath and offered an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry," he said softly. "I didn't mean to unload all of that on you."

He shook his head, almost embarrassed by his own openness.

"I suppose it's been bottled up for longer than I realised. Thank you... for listening."

“Captain, it’s no trouble at all. If I can help lend a friendly ear,” she smiled at him. “You know where to find me.

What you sound to have now in place will be beneficial for you both. If he really does want to go to the academy then we do need to get his grades up. Some experience shadowing some of your officers will help with that I know from experience with prior students and we can tailor some of the learning to the types of things they like to test cadets on for the entrance selections. I can help with this.”

Something outside the window at the far end of Leia's office caught Marc's attention.

For a moment, he said nothing, his gaze shifting away from the conversation and towards the sky beyond the glass. A transport vessel was moving steadily overhead, its engines glowing softly as it manoeuvred with careful precision. Suspended beneath it was a large metallic structure, its shape vaguely oval but unmistakably engineered rather than aerodynamic.

To anyone else it might have appeared to be nothing more than an unfinished piece of equipment being moved into position.

Marc knew better.

Even at this distance he could make out the familiar details—the exposed ODN conduit junctions, the power relay assemblies, the isolinear transfer ports waiting to be connected. Every component had a purpose, every line and interface part of a system he had studied countless times.

His expression changed almost immediately.

Recognition.

Anticipation.

Pride.

He stepped closer to the window, following the movement of the transport as it carried its precious cargo across the sky.

"Well..." he said quietly, almost unable to hide the smile forming on his face. "There she is."

His eyes traced the outline of the structure as it passed overhead, sunlight glinting briefly across the unfinished framework before it began to disappear from view.

"And that, Miss Beaumont, is Genesis' bridge module."

There was something almost reverent in his voice. It wasn't just a piece of the ship—it was the heart of everything he had been working towards. The place where decisions would be made, where discoveries would begin, and where the future of the mission would take shape.

He watched until the module finally slipped beyond the edge of the window.

"We should be fully operational within the next few days."

Marc turned back, the quiet excitement still visible in his expression.

Leia couldn’t help but be caught up in his excitement. She moved to stand next to the window with him watching what he was suddenly so happy about. She had felt so comfortable talking to him in their brief conversation it seemed she had forgotten how busy a man he was. The bridge she knew would be one of the places he would spend the most time. She would probably not get to see it but could appreciate its importance.

“That sounds wonderful Captain,” she beamed. “I hope the installation and the launch all go smoothly. I fear I have taken up enough of your time. I’m sure we will have an opportunity to speak about David again soon. I do look forward to meeting him also.”

"It has been a pleasure meeting you, Miss Beaumont."

Marc offered her a genuine smile, unable to hide the quiet satisfaction he felt. With the final piece of Genesis' now almost in place, the ship finally began to come alive. Soon, the last remaining preparations would be complete, and the vessel he had spent so much time pulling together, literally and figuratively, would finally leave the safety of the yard.

He had to admit, he had also been pleasantly surprised.

The person Starfleet had assigned to oversee the ship's educational programmes had been far easier to speak with than he had expected. There had been no formality, no unnecessary posturing—just an intelligent, thoughtful conversation with someone who clearly cared about the people who would call Genesis home. It was a refreshing reminder that the success of the mission would depend on far more than technology and orders; it would depend on the people aboard.

Marc found himself quietly looking forward to the opportunity to speak with her again once they were underway.

"If you will excuse me," he said, offering a polite nod.

With that, he turned towards the door, leaving with the same calm assurance he had arrived with—but with a little more optimism about the future.

END

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