A Case for War

Posted on Tue Oct 21st, 2025 @ 5:46am by Lieutenant Commander Lyra Cassiel & Captain Ivan Petrov & Lieutenant Commander Andrei Petrov & Lieutenant Commander Yana Petrova

Mission: S1 Episode 9: Annihilation Protocol
Location: Captain's Quarters
Timeline: Date 2372-02-14 at 1600
2486 words - 5 OF Standard Post Measure

“What are you going to lead with, Darling?”

Lyra was standing in front of the mirror situated over Andrei’s dresser running a brush through her long, shining hair while her dark eyes watched his reflection behind her as he dressed. They were preparing to go and speak to Ivan about their shared plan to end the Vidiian scourge once and for all. While it was a conversation he could have had alone, the decision had been made that coming from both the first and second officers, the points would be harder to ignore, though Lyra seemed quite content for Andrei to take the lead on the conversation. She was mostly dressed in her uniform, but her jacket was still hanging open around her chest and she hadn’t slid into her boots or put on her gloves.

They’d been sparring again, working on swords and spear alike, and when they had finished they had naturally engaged in their favorite pastime together. The combination of sex and violence had left them feeling invigorated yet focused, and during their shared shower they had discussed their plan but hadn’t nailed down the final details quite yet.

“The first pain point is legacy. How will the people of this region remember the Terran Empire when we are gone? As a nuisance or as an unassailable force?” Andrei said, pulling on his own jacket and starting to zip it up. He had brushed his long mane of jet black hair and looked ready and professional, save a few details.

Lyra nodded, putting down the brush and then gathered her hair to pull it up into a high ponytail and slid into her boots while she did so. “What’s next?”

Once her hair was up and her boots were on, she grabbed her gloves and turned to her lover, closing the distance between them and looking up into his eyes with determination. In her view, ending these people was an imperative. They’d been a thorn in their side for far too long and Andrei seemed to feel the same.

“Vengeance, of course. They’ll want to punish us for what we’ve done. A preemptive strike could prevent serious loss of Terran life.” Andrei answered, stepping into his boots and pulling on his black leather gloves.

She smiled just slightly, though it wasn’t a joyful one. It was as determined as her eyes and full of desire at the thought of ending this entire miserable species. “When you’re ready then, Darling, I am too.” She paused, her eyes falling on him more pointedly. “I’m going to enjoy watching you rip them apart.”

“It will be good to be rid of them, and to make our permanent mark on this region. We will enter the history books of every alien species as a great catastrophe. And when the Empire returns in force, they will kneel in the dirt before us.” He responded, then he started for the door with her. “It will also be good to see you with blood between your fingers.”

Lyra gave a simple touch to his back at his shoulder in response, but didn’t let it linger nor say anything else. She had learned how he was when he was focused on a goal and left him to do so. They weren’t going far, they left and crossed the hallway to Ivan’s quarters where Andrei tapped the chime and she followed him inside when they were summoned.

Her dark eyes moved over the room immediately and she saw that Yana had been hard at work making sure everything was returned to its proper place. It made her wonder if Annalise had even changed anything to begin with, though, she almost didn’t seem like the type.

“Andrei, Lyra. Welcome.” Yana said, her voice warm but her cold silver eyes falling on them. She wore a flowing pale blue and silver gown that looked like a nightie made for a lady of her stature. She sat on the couch with her legs tucked beneath her while her husband sat behind his desk in the command vest, a hot mug of tea in one hand and a PADD in the other.

“A surprise.” He commented with a half smile as he looked up at the two. “You could have come dressed more casually.”

“A courtesy, Papa. As much as we’re overjoyed to see you, we’re here on business.” Andrei said, showing a handsome but moderated smile. He turned and looked at Lyra. “Something to drink, Love?”

“No, thank you.” Lyra replied with a slight shake of her head. She gave a respectful nod of greeting to Yana, then turned her attention to Ivan behind the desk to greet him. “Sir.”

“Good evening, Lyra.” Ivan said as he watched his son travel to the replicator and order himself some tea. He was calm and casual, leaning back in his chair and watching with observant eyes.

“We wanted to talk with you about the Vidiian situation, if you’ll permit it.” Andrei said, returning with a steaming cup of tea and selecting a comfortable chair for himself near his mother.

Lyra moved to take a seat where she would have both Andrei and Ivan in her view which naturally included Yana as well given her proximity to Andrei. She slid one ankle behind the other and leaned into the arm of the couch to get comfortable. She seemed perfectly content to simply observe the coming conversation and was relaxed in the “home” of her captain and his wife.

“The Vidian situation?” Ivan asked, leaning back in his chair a bit and showing a flash of curiosity, though he seemed quite at ease. “Of course. What’s on your mind?”

“We are set to leave this area now that all our people are back onboard just as we left the region of the Ocampa and the Kazon in that sector. We will be gone, but the impression we made on the people’s here will remain; they will remember the Empire as they remember us.” Andrei stated.

“That’s certainly true.” Yana said, her piercing silver eyes moving between actively listening to her son and observing Lyra. “The impression that we leave will shape their reaction when Terrans return at some future date.”

“Exactly.” Andrei responded. “But the Vidiians haven’t bowed or bent, or learned their lesson. We’re concerned that, considering their appetite for getting back at us, refusing us, and teaching us lessons, they will remember us as a nuisance rather than an unassailable threat. And you know the Prime Directive: terror must be maintained.”

Lyra didn’t add anything verbally, but her body language as she sat there certainly indicated interest in the conversation and a preference toward Andrei. Her dark eyes were steady, moving between the men and occasionally to Yana to keep a general read on her, but she was far more focused on Andrei and Ivan. It was really the first time she was seeing them interact after their time apart and the secrets that had come with it. It fascinated her in a near-morbid way. She made her observations subtly, and it simply read as interest in the conversation. She had no plans to interrupt until her input on the matter was desired; she trusted Andrei to be able to handle it himself without issue.

“I see your point, Andrei, but what does it really matter?” Ivan asked, looking to his son. “We’ll be gone, pursuing our primary goal of getting home. And if the Empire ever does return, and that’s an ‘if’, they will be more than capable of proving themselves a threat.”

“The Empire will return one day, of course.” Andrei said with conviction, looking almost surprised he had to say it. “Our mandate is to conquer the stars, and conquer it we will. But when we return in force, it would be easier if we were greeted by fear and submission rather than arrogant refusal.”

Yana watched silently as well, sitting with her legs folded in the couch, a cup in her hand. Something about her was almost regal, and her eyes were like ice.

“Which we will handle well. We’ll defeat them; we’ll enslave them. And we’ll do it with an entire fleet.” Ivan responded in protest, his tone even and calm. “I fail to see why that wouldn’t be a more favorable time to destroy them.”

A slight tension appeared around Lyra’s lips, but she still held back her words. Her dark, expressionless eyes slowed their drift until they eventually rested on Andrei while she remained still and relaxed in her chair. She wasn’t surprised by Ivan’s reaction, somehow, but that didn’t remedy her mild frustration. Despite being known as a butcher, he seemed hesitant to act in this case and she wondered if his time on the planet had softened him into something… less useful.

Andrei didn’t seem to bristle or become frustrated. He had come to expect this from his father and captain, and barely viewed it as a serious roadblock. The man liked to play devil’s advocate with him, almost as if he were testing his resolve. In the end, however, he ended up being more open minded than he seemed.

“You wish to leave the Vidiians in peace after what they did to us. The problem with that plan as far as the Vidiians go is obvious, but think of what it teaches the crew…our slaves and alies. Word travels fast as we’ve already seen. If we let them go, we will only have to try harder with the next defiant race. It’s a terrible precedent.”

Ivan nodded suddenly, but didn’t seem to have relented entirely to his way of thinking. Instead, he turned his eyes Lyra who sat quite silently. He wasn’t sure if Andrei noticed that his capable, beautiful, and deadly woman trusted him enough to be silent in such a crucial conversation, even though she had every right to speak as Second Officer and Chief of Security.

“Lyra, are you hell-bent on striking at the Vidiians as well?”

Lyra shifted how she was sitting just slightly, appearing more actively engaged now that she had been asked for her input. “Andrei is right, it would be a terrible precedent to set, especially considering the ones we have set before. We annihilated two species and crippled a third to near extinction for laying their hands on our people. The Vidiians have tried to destroy us multiple times over the last months, and I doubt they will cease their attempts. For such a scientifically advanced race, they are terribly foolish.”

She shook her head in disappointment. “If we don’t answer this, it may signal some sort of weakening resolve on our part to the species we have yet to meet. More alliances may form, more attacks may come. Conquering one of the most respected races of this quadrant as recompense for their actions against us would naturally lead to the rest considering their positions much more carefully.”

“That’s what we thought before.” Ivan challenged. “And these aliens have proved us wrong over and over again, have they not? We destroy world after world and still they don’t learn. In fact, they seem only to take more interest in destroying us.”

Ivan leaned on the desk, his brown eyes lingering softly on Lyra.

“Would we not get farther faster if we just move on?”

His challenge wasn’t met with fire, and she simply spoke with a calm respect to her captain. “We may have destroyed worlds, but who did we really destroy? The Ocampa - the quadrant wanted them gone, in fact they were probably thankful on some level rather than fearful. The Numiri and Baneans? Quarreling species too focused on each other to make any sort of impact on the quadrant.” She paused and shook her head slightly.

“Our messages have been a growl at best. We need to roar.”

“Not to mention, it would be pure catharsis for the Fleet.” Andrei added with a glance at his father. “Everyone is angry over the way that we’ve been treated. I know dealing them a blow would do much to ease peoples’ troubled minds.”

Ivan listened to each of them in turn, his face remaining mostly stoical through both of their contributions. Before he could speak, however, Yana spoke up.

“I would have to agree, Ivan. These creatures have been most offensive and disrespectful. We should teach this region a lesson they’ll never forget. Otherwise, we’ll be suffering ambushes from them again and again.” The Russian woman said, her voice sweet, but somehow also strong.

“Perhaps..” Ivan started finally, seeming to search his mind for his own thoughts. “Perhaps.”

He fell silent then, and the room grew quiet as each of them seemed to wait with mounting impatience for him to finally give his answer. Once the pregnant pause had run its course, he parted his lips.

“I think we should let this one go.” He said finally. “I know it’s not what you three want to hear, but my time on Gamma Eridine has helped to refocus me on getting this fleet back to the Alpha Quadrant. You make good points, but it’s still possible that destroying the Vidiians could only be a dangerous, time consuming, and futile distraction.”

Lyra’s expression didn’t shift as Ivan delivered his choice, but she was watching him carefully with those cold, dark eyes of hers. After a long moment, they slowly slid across the way to where Andrei was sitting in his chair with his drink. Instead of speaking immediately, she decided to see how her beloved would react to this turn of events.

“If that’s your decision.” Andrei started, his face starting to crease into a frown for the first time. “It’s yours to make, but I think it’s a mistake. The Vidiians are too stupid to give up.”

“Yes, but we don’t have to be.” Ivan said and stood up finally. As soon as he was on his feet, however, the lights dimmed and the red alert klaxons started to blare loudly.

Lyra’s lips parted to say something as well, but she was cut off by the alert. Instead, she immediately moved to stand. The ship shook and she stumbled slightly in the transition, but remained on her feet. She cast one more look at Ivan and then to Andrei, then walked out of the Captain’s quarters without another word.

Ivan, who was already standing, took a single glance at the rest of his family, and then each of them got up and made a beeline for the door after Lyra.

END