Home is the heart of it all

Posted on Sat Sep 26th, 2026 @ 1:40am by Captain Mhiess Hru’da & Lieutenant Zhi'rev

2,488 words; about a 12 minute read

Mission: Bloodline
Location: Crew Quarters, USS Saratoga
Timeline: 2439-08-12, 18:00

Arranging new quarters to one's liking was always a tedious job and usually a family endeavour. However Sethan wasn't home yet from his shift, no doubt delayed by one emergency or the other. Zhi knew it would and could happen, as Sethan had made that abundantly clear from the moment they had started dating. Equally, Sethan knew that Zhi's own duties could delay a homecoming just as well.

Mneiha stood in the middle of the living area, her tiny face pinched in scrutiny of her father's work. "You missed a spot," she said seriously, looking directly at him before bursting out in a giggling fit. It was obvious the four-year-old wasn't referring to a freshly repainted wall, but rather the man's paint covered appearance. "Looks Saeihr, father looks like that wall," she said to her infant sister. The ten-month-old girl was sat in a special baby seat and watched the spectacle with dark amused eyes. She waved small fists around and smiled though she barely understood what was going on.

A firm chime echoed into the quarters from the corridor outside. Captain Mhiess Hru’da stood patiently beside the frame, his posture tall and impassive. Performing routine deck walk-throughs before launch was standard practice, but making a brief stop by a newly assigned department head’s quarters was a deliberate gesture of command oversight.

"Lieutenant," Mhiess called out calmly through the companel, his baritone steady and measured. "Excuse the intrusion. I am conducting a final walk-through of the deck and wanted to ensure you and your family have everything required before we clear dock."

He waited in the hallway for the hatch to chime open, making no move to breach the threshold or assume entry without explicit permission from those inside.

The door slid aside and a little girl stood in the doorway, straining her neck to look up at the visitor. "Let him in Mneiha," the paint covered adult chuckled. "Please come in captain and please don't mind the disarray. This is my daughter Mneiha, over there in the seat is Saeihr. We were ah... decorating. It keeps her out of trouble if I let her help." The names of the children clearly weren't Vulcan, and the girls were so different in appearance from the fair haired man, it was almost obvious they weren't biological offspring either.

"A practical approach to family management, Lieutenant," Mhiess remarked as he took in the paint-splattered wall and the domestic clutter with the same calm neutrality he brought to a briefing. Refocusing his attention on the Science Officer, "The quarters on this deck are fully equipped, but launch prep can occasionally cause logistical oversights. Have your requisitions for family accommodations been processed to your satisfaction, or do you require anything?"

"We are waiting for Saeihr's crib but other than that I think we've got everything we need." The little girl looked positively cross at the mention of her bed, as if she understood all of it. "Can I get you anything captain? Sethan should be home soon, if you wanted to meet him too."

Mhiess looked down toward Saeihr, noting the baby's indignant glare at the mention of the crib, before returning to the paint-dusted science officer, "Thank you, Lieutenant, but a drink won't be necessary and please extend my regards to Sethan upon his return. I will personally ensure the Quartermaster expedites the delivery of the crib. Deck 3 is quiet, but should any other quartering issues arise, contact myself or my Yeoman directly. I expect my department heads focused on their duty stations, not administrative delays."

"I don't think anything should arise, we can replicate small necessities as they come up." Zhi retrieved the glaring infant from her seat and cradled her in his arms. The child squirmed, reaching out towards the captain and the Vulcan sighed apologetically. "Do you mind?" He asked, taking a hesitant step closer. "They haven't been with us for very long yet, only a few weeks and we're still adjusting. Saeihr is very strong willed and she seems to prefer Sethan over me, and we don't really know why. Her reaching out means something we've yet to discover."

"I don't mind, Lieutenant," Mhiess said, stepping forward with deliberate, steady composure. He lowered his tall frame slightly to bring himself closer to eye level with the child, offering a single gloved hand toward Saeihr. He observed the infant's small, reaching fingers with calm focus. "Children are remarkably sensitive to subtle cues... vocal resonance, posture, even the underlying cadence of how an individual moves through space. A Vulcanoid mind approaches the world with an innate, measured stillness, whereas young children often respond to dynamic, instinctual energy. She is not rejecting you; she is merely learning to interpret an entirely different manner of presence."

He allowed Saeihr’s small hand to briefly swipe at his uniform sleeve, his expression remaining neutral yet attentive, before gently pulling his hand back and straightening to his full height. He glanced down at Mneiha, then back to the Science Officer, "Adapting to a starship environment is a significant transition for any crew member. For children so young, it requires time and consistency. Don't mistake her early preferences for a lack of connection, she'll find her rhythm with you soon enough."

The baby continued to reach towards the tall alien, grunting loudly with the effort. "Well, she seems to want to be held by you rather than me right now," Zhi sighed apologetically. "Those are wise words sir, did you bring a family with you as well?" He hadn't been able to read up on the captain's history between moving, settling and exploring the ship, not to mention his first shift on a brand new ship. "And you might be right about a rhythm... the nurse who brought them to us said that Mneiha hadn't spoken a single word between being rescued and being brought to us. She considered it a sign of fate, as we hadn't had much luck prior to that."

"No, Lieutenant, I don't have a family," he answered smoothly, his deep baritone completely level as he addressed the Vulcan officer's query regarding his background. He made no mention of his own brutal, isolated upbringing on Deciria, nor the estranged Klingon lineage he had left behind to forge a life in Starfleet. Instead, his dark Romulan-Klingon eyes remained fixed on the domestic scene before him, acknowledging the strange, unexpected bonds that often held non-traditional families together in an unforgiving galaxy.

"My path to this center chair was... unsuited for dependents, but destiny, much like fate, is merely a Human term for patterns we have not yet fully calculated; if this ship provided a haven where your daughter found her voice, then the Saratoga has already served a higher purpose than simple starship operations."

Zhi shook his head. "We received the children a few weeks ago, before we got out transfer orders for the Saratoga. I have no doubt they'll thrive here, despite the dangers involved. They are blood relatives and I have noticed Mneiha looks out for her sister. See how she watches her like a hawk as the little one keeps reaching for you."

The Vulcan did wonder what the man didn't give in to the infant's clear demand to be picked up. The wagging fingers that stretched out and the scrunched up face in growing frustration when she wasn't getting what she wanted. "Better oblige her sir, so she can settle again. It's that or deal with a wailing infant until Sethan gets home."

A faint, almost imperceptible twitch of a brow was the only outward sign of Mhiess’s internal calculation. The cold, hyper-analytical Romulan mind within him balked at the tactical absurdity of surrendering control to an infant’s emotional tyranny, yet the pragmatic strategist recognized the immediate utility of keeping the household quiet. Stepping forward, he extended his broad, gloved hands and expertly scooped Saeihr from Zhi’s arms with practiced, rigid care. The moment the child was brought against his massive chest, her scrunched face relaxed, and her reaching fingers instantly clutched at the silver braid of his uniform shoulder strap. Mhiess held the baby with absolute stillness, his imposing, stoic presence acting as an anchor.

"Tactical compliance achieved through path of least resistance," Mhiess remarked dryly, his deep baritone rumbling through his chest frame - a vibration that caused Saeihr to let out a contented, bubbling sigh against his collar. His dark eyes shifted toward Mneiha, acknowledging the older girl’s vigilant, hawk-like gaze with a subtle nod. "She protects her own. That instinct will serve her well aboard a starship."

"Not exactly the path of the least resistance," Zhi chuckled as he watched the baby close her eyes. "She has to get quite demanding there." Looking down at Mneiha his smile widened. "Yes she's a little hawk that one, has been from the moment they were introduced to us. She's very protective of her little sister, and I wonder if that's natural to her heritage." He gestured for the man to follow to the children's bedroom so he could put the baby in the crib. "They are Romulan orphans."

At the mention of their heritage, Mhiess’s posture locked into absolute rigidity, his dark eyes sharpening with an intense, calculated stillness. For a fraction of a second, the quiet warmth of the domestic scene was overwritten by the weight of his own brutal history that he carried beneath his skin. He followed Zhi into the small bedroom, his heavy, measured steps making almost no sound against the deck plating. Lowering his broad frame with deliberate, immovable control, he carefully laid the half-asleep Saeihr down into her temporary bedding, ensuring her small fingers released his silver shoulder braid without waking her.

"Romulan blood carries a deep, uncompromising loyalty to the family unit, Lieutenant," Mhiess said, his baritone dropping to a low, quiet rumble as he straightened back to his full height. He glanced down at the sleeping child, his stoic expression completely unreadable, though a hardened, protective glint settled in his gaze. "In a universe that is often hostile to our kind, that fierce protectiveness is not merely natural... it is a survival mechanism. See that you nurture it."

"She chose us. Her caregiver told us that she had flat out rejected any other candidates but when she was presented to us and Sethan held her baby sister, that was the first time she had spoken in weeks. I encourage her protectiveness, but she also needs to learn when it's safe not to have to watch her. We fully intend to educate her with values belonging to her heritage, but we also want to teach her ours. She will never be denied access to where she came from. She is a Rihanna, not Vulcan and we're very aware of it. But she's also our daughter, which means we will protect her when needed, and we will care for her and her sister as though they are our own blood."

"A rare and formidable clarity for one so young," Mhiess remarked, "Most spend a lifetime attempting to discern where their true loyalties lie. If she chose your household, it is because she recognized a strength capable of shielding her. Honoring their heritage while offering them a home built on stability is not merely commendable, Lieutenant... it's essential," Mhiess continued smoothly. "Under my command, the Saratoga will be a safe haven for your family, but the strength to navigate what lies beyond these bulkheads must begin here. They will face a galaxy that often judges them by the history of their bloodline before the content of their character. Ensure they are prepared for that reality."

"It's not just bloodline that is judged," Zhi answered, somewhat bitterly, "it's appearance too. People are judged by the general appearance of a species. Step out of line of the general expectation and you're already judged." The Vulcan cast the man a knowing and somewhat sad look. "How often were you judged or even held back because of your genetics? Treated as outcast? I've been there too, treated as outcast or taunted by my supposedly controlled and emotionless peers because I choose not to control my emotions. Because I don't live up to their expectations."

Just at that moment, a dark haired Vulcan male stepped inside. He instantly moved to the blonde's side as his senses picked up several strong emotions. "Everything alright here?" He asked as he glanced between husband and visitor. "Captain," he finally realised who their visitor was. "I'm Sethan, Zhi's bond mate."

"Everything is in order, Sethan," Mhiess replied smoothly, his deep baritone carrying its signature, measured calm as the Captain turned toward the newcomer. "I was merely concluding a routine inspection of department head accommodations before launch."

He allowed his gaze to shift briefly back to Zhi, acknowledging the Science Officer's bitter, probing inquiry with an intensely calculating stillness. The memories of his past (the "Outcast Burden" moniker branded onto him by his own mother, the brutal trials of Deciria, and the cold prejudice of Klingon military academies) remained locked behind a wall of impenetrable Romulan stoicism.

"Expectations are merely variables introduced by those who lack the discipline to evaluate an individual on performance alone," Mhiess stated, his voice dropping to a low, quiet resonance. "Prejudice is an inefficiency of the mind, Lieutenant. I do not allow it to dictate my standing, nor do I permit it aboard this starship." He squared his shoulders, taking a subtle step back toward the threshold to grant the newly reunited family their privacy. "Your household has found its balance, and your daughters are secure. That is all that concerns command. Welcome aboard the Saratoga, Sethan. I will leave you both to finish setting up your home."

"Thank you sir," Sethan replied politely, still clueless as to what had transpired before. "And we have no patience for intolerance either sir, we are who we are and we are happy." He smiled as he circled an arm around his husband's waist. "You are welcome to visit again if you desire, perhaps when we have completed decorating." He looked sideways at Zhi, who nodded in agreement. "Dinner, in a few days?" While no was still a viable option, Sethan was only trying to be hospitable.

"Your hospitality is appreciated," Mhiess replied, his voice steady. "Once our initial patrol is established and ship's operations settle into a standard rotation, I will accept." He offered a final, brief nod to both Zhi and Sethan, his dark eyes lingering for a fraction of a second on the quiet hallway leading to the children's bedroom before settling back on the couple. "Good evening, gentlemen."

"Good evening captain," Zhi responded with a friendly smile. "Thank you for stopping by."

Mhiess offered a single, controlled incline of his head as the hatch began to slide shut, stepping smoothly back into the quiet curve of the Deck 3 corridor.

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