| Date & Time: | Day 01, 1203 |
| Location: | Dorian’s Promenade |
| Written By: | Lieutenant Rhys Bennett Todd Bennett Riley Bennett |
| Post Date: | 02/27/2026 |
| Episode: | Ep. 2 – On Shaky Ground |
Rhys was quietly enjoying a cup of coffee in the replimat, after several hours in the science lab checking on various experiments. He had his back turned as he heard the sound of one of the crowds of people coming from the outer docking ring into the promenade. Over the past week this had become a normal occurrence.
The Lieutenant was aware that civilians were coming and going, as were additional Starfleet personnel as the station gained the crew. He took a sip from his mug and picked up the datapad that was in front of him, it was just a news report. Things all along the Cardassian border were quiet, in fact there wasn’t a whole lot going on in the Federation. Rhys felt as if he shouldn’t have been surprised by that, it had been fourteen years since the worst war in Federation history had ended.
“Excuse me, but are you Lieutenant Rhys Bennett?” A feminine voice from behind the Lieutenant asked him.
Rhys started to answer, “Yes I am,” He turned and was just about to ask what the person needed when he noticed the elderly couple standing there. And in front of them, he noticed the two children, he swallowed. It took Rhys a moment to recognize the source of the voice as it had been ten years since he last heard it.
Glendora Duncan looked at Rhys with a weak smile on her face as she stood there next to her husband Franklin. “It’s been a long time, perhaps we should find somewhere to sit and talk.” She suggested to the Lieutenant.
Rhys nodded, “Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.” He said, “Let’s go where there aren’t so many people.” He suggested and led the four of them toward Dorian’s, the bar had just opened two days earlier. It also wasn’t super packed on the second level and so he led them inside there before sitting down.
Franklin spoke, “It’s good to see you’re well,” He said to the Lieutenant.
Riley looked around nervously, as the ten-year-old stared at the man that her grandparents had insisted was her father. She’d never seen this man before in her life and as she found a place to sit that was nearby she reached out and took Todd by the hand. The younger of the two twins looked down at her feet, but she said nothing.
Todd tried his best to comfort his sister, but he knew that was a challenging endeavor that he was ill equipped to handle. So he took her by the hand and squeezed it firmly, “It’ll be okay Riles,” He said softly to her. Todd had never been off Earth before now, he was nervous being on the space station.
Rhys watched the two children for a moment, “How old are they?” He asked both Glendora and Franklin, afraid that he already knew the answer. The twin children seemed to be roughly the age that they would be if they were his. Isabelle had ran off on him, and he never did figure out where she went or why she did it.
“Ten,” Glendora answered him, “They’re both ten,” She said. Glendora could tell her grandchildren were uncomfortable. But she also knew how important it was that they be with their father now, “We’ve spent the last six years trying to figure out who their father was before we found you.” She answered, “I figured you might recognize us.”
Rhys had only met Glendora and Franklin once shortly after Isabelle and him had started dating. It was in passing too, so he was rather surprised that they’d remembered him at all, and if the children were ten then they were probably his. They both looked like him anyway, though Riley looked more like her mother. “Where’s Isabelle?”
Franklin frowned, “We don’t know,” He answered. “Isabelle had stopped talking to us shortly after the two of you had started a relationship. Then, suddenly four years later she left these two on our doorstep before she vanished. We don’t know what ever happened to her, but we’ve not heard from her since then. We also don’t know why she just left two four year old children in the cold.”
Glendora sighed, “We’re willing to have them tested if you think this is necessary, but we think they need their father more than they need us.” She looked over her shoulder at the two children before her gaze returned back to Rhys.
Rhys wasn’t sure what to say, or how he felt. This was not as he’d imagined things would have been with Isabelle and he thought the two of them would get married. He wanted, desperately, to know where she’d disappeared to. “I had no idea,” He admitted. Rhys always had some inkling of suspicions. “Ten years ago,” He took a breath, “Ten years ago she just up and left. I haven’t seen or heard from her since.”
Glendora sighed, “We wish we could say that was unusual for Isabelle, but she always did run away when things got tough. We think that may have been why she left them on our doorstep that night, but without talking to her we don’t know.”
Franklin nodded, “We’d hoped she’d talked to you, or at least told you about them. You don’t strike me as someone who would just leave their children behind though.”
Rhys wasn’t sure what kind of person he was, but he knew he’d have taken responsibility for the two children had they been brought to him sooner. And now he was staring at the possibility that he’d be a single dad. “There are things that will need to change if they’re to stay here with me,” He told the two of them.
“I’m assuming that’s why you brought them to the station?” Rhys asked.
Glendora nodded, “Yeah,” She answered. “Come here you two,” She said to both of the children.
Riley got up first though she was still anxious and nervous as she stopped in front of the man her grandparents insisted was her father. She looked down at her feet for a moment, “Hi,” She said to him softly. She’d barely heard herself over the sudden surge of laughter from the lower level. “I’m Riley,” She said.
Todd watched his sister carefully, “Todd,” He told the man. “Grandpa and Grandma say your our Dad.” He added the last part, though he was uncertain what else to say. He’d never met his mother, or at least remembered her. Todd had only known his grandparents and his life back on Earth. “They said we’d be living with you.”
Rhys didn’t have an answer for the two ten-year-old children, nor did he have an answer for their grandparents. “You can both live with me,” He said to them, “And, I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you sooner.” He felt a wave of guilt and frustration at the situation. “I’ll need to talk to someone about changing quarters.”
Riley heard him saying they could live with him, but she was still rather nervous. Though a wave of relief washed over her, she was terrified that this man would reject them like their mother had seemingly done. “Will you stay on the station for a few days Grandma?” She asked.
Glendora smiled, “I already arranged for guest quarters Riley,” She answered. Then she looked at Rhys, “Todd and Riley.” She told him, “We have quarters big enough for the two of you to stay with us until your Dad is ready.”
Todd felt a little relief in that, “Okay Grandma,” He answered her. Then he looked at the man that was supposed to be his father. He hugged his sister tightly, but he knew this was only the beginning of a number of changes that were about to happen for them.
Rhys stood up, but he didn’t hug the children. Instead he got down onto his knee in front of both of them, “I’ll have to get bigger quarters, and we can figure out the rest while your Grandma and Grandpa are still on the station. I won’t abandon either of you,” He told them, “No matter what.” He then stood up while looking at Glendora and Franklin.
“I’m going to go start making those arrangements we talked about. In the meantime settle in, we can have dinner later.” He told them before leaving the four of them in the bar. Rhys’ mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. He looked over his shoulder as he made his way to talk to the Executive Officer about this.