Just Like That... (Backpost)

Posted on Sun Aug 2nd, 2026 @ 1:10pm by Lieutenant Arianna Frost
Edited on on Sun Aug 2nd, 2026 @ 1:23pm

Mission: A New Day at Midnight
Location: Earth, Melbourne - Australia
Timeline: some 3 months ago

ON:

Gruelling. Gruelling and devastating. The past year had threatened to finish her. After the physical and mental death of Memory Theta, Arianna and the members of the unsanctioned rescue team, had to be brought to account and face the consequences of their actions. They had to answer for what they had done, for what they had failed to do, and what they had done instead.

Every day, for the last year, Arianna had been reliving the disaster that was the Hebron rescue mission and Operation Whytesand. Arianna and the team had been arrested when the cavalry was called in, and brought to a court-martial for disobeying direct orders to stay put and let the better-equipped team handle the crisis because Memory Theta team was way too close to it, for not reporting MIA officers on time, and for the death of the commanding officer.

Images danced behind her eyes day after day: his lifeless body, his face contorted in shock, pain and disappointment all at once. There was no blood, no phaser burns, nothing. Just a life extinguished. Autopsy later showed deadly paralytic poison. She hadn't gone with him, she had duties to attend to, as the Deputy Administrator, and truth be told, after what had happened in that Ready Room, the night before he left, they both needed space, and time.

"Why hadn't I insisted? Why hadn't I gone with him?" A constant thought in her head, as a tear slid down her cheek as she sat at the enclosed balcony, memories flooding her. "Because you did your duty, first and foremost. You could be dead too...the paralytic poison ending you too," tought filled with reason and logic broke through the painful haze of memory.

Admitting to herself that she realized in that time she loved the wickedly smart, withdrawn Hebron Captain, now felt like a knife stabbing what was left of a wounded, barely open heart. He would never know.

He would never know.

The stab always turned to a twist. Long ago, she would have berated herself for even developing feelings for someone, given what she did for a living. Attachment was dangerous in Intelligence, or so she had long believed.

Then a deltan woman completely broke through the long held, carefully maintained walls, and reminded her that it can be otherwise. So long as one was reminded of priorities and held to them. The deltan reminded her that connections she so easily formed as part of the job could also be real, and that there was nothing wrong with it.

Arianna had started to believe her.

Then Hebron happened and blasted Frost with the harsh reality of Intelligence life.

"Are ye broodin' again?" An irish accented voice broke through her daily mental self-flagellation.

Frost stiffened slightly, moving to sit, from her reclining position. As she looked up, the first thing she saw were two glass bottles of a light hued liquid. Beer. Belgian. The nice stuff.

As her eyes travelled upward, she was met by a half smirk of a dark-haired, blue-eyed Commodore. Commodore Alexander Night, formerly her Commanding Officer at Internal Affairs, formerly the man who trained her to be an Intelligence operative. Through it all, a friend.

"Where were ye?" He asked, sitting on the opposite recliner.

She reached out for one of the bottle, not quite meeting his eyes. As he handed over the other bottle she sighed, still not answering.

"Ari, they made a decision." The man said, opening his bottle and setting the cap on the small table between them.

This made her look up, her fingers stopping mid-uncapping of the bottle. Frost blinked for a moment and then finished opening the bottle. She clinked her bottle against his and took a long sip. "Alright, hit me with it."

He took a sip too and sighed, looking over at her. "You're all getting demoted," he pulled out a PADD from his coat pocket and handed it to her. "They are taking you back down to Lieutenant. The others to Ensign." He began as she started reading over it. "The Diplomat...is having to seek other employment."

Alexander's words resonated within her. The spooks got off scot-free and the volunteer got fired. "That tracks." She gave a mental sigh. "They're not locking us up." The former Commander, now Lieutenant, said with half a breath before she took another swig. "Why? We broke every rule in the book, we're a security risk."

Night nodded and took another swig, then looked at the glass, at the ticket - an old brewery, with a rediscovered recipe from before World War III. Practically ancient.

"Alex..."

He blinked, looking back at her. "The fact that you opened Whytesand and the subsequent intel you brought in. They managed to action it, and The Group has been dealt with." He said, speaking his words very carefully, very measuredly. "That was your one saving grace. You're...still useful, basically."

Arianna understood the proverbially reducted answer. Her clearance had been rolled-back. 'You're still useful, basically.' The unsugarcoated truth stung. How easily one became footnote in the grander web of duty.

Another swig and another nod, Ari looked over at Night. "The others?"

Night shook his head, "you're not cleared for that intel, I'm sorry."

Part of her wanted to rebel, wanted to justify why she needed to know. They were her colleagues, her compatriots, her partners in disobedience. The other part understood clearance and the authority to dispense and receive. She had very little of that left now.

Ari downed the rest of the bottle. "Alright, so...now what? Back to Internal Affairs? Counter Intelligence? I doubt I'll ever be able to set foot in Spec Ops."

He watched her for a moment with a barely readable expression. She could swear she saw pity.

"Oh no...not sh..." Her thought pattern was interrupted by his words.

"Ship service."

"Fuuuuck!" She ran a hand through her somewhat dishevelled bob. Frost would almost rather choose the prison sentence. Almost.

Night chuckled and reached out placing his hand on her forearm. "Yeh'll be fine, lass. Have a look at the second file."

Ari gave him a dirty look and sighed again. "Okay! Okay."

She tapped a few controls on the PADD and brought up the details. Chief Intelligence Officer, USS Pandora. A rapid response vessel.

Her eyes darted over the data. Deep within, something stirred. Something she couldn't yet name.

What she could name, was the grin she could just tell was on his face.

"You old bastard. You knew this would hook me." She gave him an accusatory look.

He just gave a non-chalant shrug and finished his beer.

Ari finished the info on the PADD. "Alright, so when do they want me? Their target destination is a fair bit away."

Night nodded. "As soon as you can get to Omipro. You'll be travelling with the new Security Chief, you'll pick him up with the scoutship and head to Omipro."

She narrowed her eyes at him, "When you say pick him up..."

"'E's got a log cabin near Dartmouth. Here in Victoria." He said.

"That's in the High Country, not exactly an easy pickup." She countered.

Alexander nodded with a smile as he stood up. "Then you best get going. Fourth file has the location data for the scoutship and his file, and the coordinates for the cabin. Well, at least we think. He hasn't provided us with a staying address."

Frost sighed. Of course he would make this difficult.

"Get your big girl pants on, woman! You got a second chance, you will bloody well use it, and you will soak up all the hits you need to to get there." She chided herself mentally as she too stood up. "Thank you, Alex."

He nodded, "no' needed. Yer house arrest is officially over. Good luck, Leftenant!" Alex nodded and saw himself out, leaving Arianna standing in place, still somewhat dazed.

Just like that...it was over. The Court Martial, the house arrest, the days of doing nothing but relive the anguish.

Just like that.

OFF: