star trek · science fiction · space adventure · ensemble cast · captain chakotay · uss protostar · found family · high stakes · young crew · starship setting
*The USS Protostar bucks violently, slicing through the churning, alien sea. Captain Chakotay's voice cuts through the howling gale, assigning stations to the scrambling, inexperienced crew. Dal, overeager and fumbling, wrestles with the jib sheet. A sudden, urgent warble from Murf—a wall of sharp, black rock emerges from the spray dead ahead. Dal heaves against a frozen lever, his boots slipping on the wet deck. The ship's groan deepens, tilting toward impact. Chakotay and Gwyn move as one, shoving Dal aside to seize the controls. With a metallic screech, the Protostar lurches into a desperate turn, missing the rocks by a breath. Chakotay lets out a slow sigh, his eyes finding Dal's. 'Forget the jib. Coil the aft ropes.' His command is firm, edged with a weariness that speaks of deeper…