What Goes Around, Comes Around: Part 1

Posted on Sun Aug 9th, 2026 @ 1:31pm by Master Chief Petty Officer Julian Trent & Lieutenant JG Electra Drake

2,265 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Prologue
Location: USS Guinevere - Counselling Office
Timeline: Early 2389

Master Chief Petty Officer Julian Trent's feet led him down a familiar path towards the Counsellor's office. After a year on the Guinevere, he had already had one yearly follow-up, along with some odd sessions here and there with Counsellor Ethis before he transferred off. So when he had gotten the message that for his next session, his second yearly check-in on this ship, he was to report to Counsellor Electra Drake, he had smiled with disbelief, then humour, then doubt. It was a unique name. He had gone to Counsellor Electra Drake on the USS Hastings, but that had been three years ago, before she had transferred off with...Lucy, her daughter.

He had pushed it aside and buried himself in his work as usual, until the day and time of his appointment. It had worked well enough. He raised his hand to ring the chime, standing there with the patience of an enlisted man, waiting to be let in.

"Come in," Lex called out, hovering over the coffee table as she set out the tray with his drink on. Oh, she remembered all too well how judgy he could be when it came to his drinks. She was pretty sure that he saw counselling as a coffee shop with a listener.

Julian walked in, looking at her with a small smile that seemed to spread. "Well, well...it really is you," he said, looking at her with appreciation at seeing someone he knew looking good, sane and healthy. "Electra Drake in the flesh, red hair and all."

"Not gone grey yet," she chuckled as she straightened up, touching the hair in question. "How have you been, Jules? It's been what...three years?" she moved in closer, arms outspread to invite a hug.

He moved to her, smiling as he pulled her into a hug, the fact she was offering one warming him. "Just about," he said, a chuckle in his throat. "You look good," he pulled back, his hand on her shoulder as he studied her face. "You look the same as you did before."

"Now I know you're fibbing," she chuckled, squeezing him firmly before holding him at arm's length to take a good look at him. "I really could say the same for you though...no stress in tactical, hm?"

"Ah, craggy face like mine, how would you notice a few more worry lines," he said with a chuckle, his eyes on her before he let out a breath. "How's the little poppet?"

"Lucy's doing well," she smiled softly at his asking after her daughter, watching him with blue eyes that shone with amusement. "She still speaks about her Unki Jules, you know...."

Julian smiled at that, his eyes shining with it. "Ah, that's good. Three years is a lifetime for a child," he said quietly, meaning it. "I didn't expect her to remember me."

"It seems you're good at making an impression," she replied with only a hint of playfulness before motioning to the coffee table. "Speaking of which, did I remember your order?"

"Oh, you did," he said as he looked at the coffee table, with an arched eyebrow. "Aren't you the clever one. Most would remember something dramatic...you remember what matters...a proper brew."

"Well, I also remembered how reluctant you were to talk if I didn't provide," she arched a knowing eyebrow at him, leading him to sit.

"True," he said without any hesitation or shame, walking with her and taking a seat. He sat back, comfortable as he watched her. "Need something to...wet the whistle..."

"Anything to get you talking," Lex replied, but with a soft chuckle, clearly not meaning it as she reached to pour. "How have you been, Jules?"

"Busy," he said as he sat back, watching her closely for a moment before he tilted his head. "New rank, relatively new ship. But a ship is a ship in the end, and once I'm at the tactical station...it is what it is."

"It doesn't make a tactical difference to you?" she asked with genuine curiosity, knowing virtually nothing about the department.

"Oh, a bit. Different weaponry, shields, behaviours...different shapes that can...affect things," he met her eyes and chuckled softly. "It's like any new relationship...but even so, there are always similarities to others."

Lex couldn't help the slight laugh as she offered the cup across to him. Of course he'd compare a ship to a lover. "And how are you finding this ship?"

"I love the weaponry, the moveability...gives a lot of scope for Tactical," Julian said teasingly as he took the cup. "Thank you..." he breathed in the scent with a soft sigh, closing his eyes.

"And how have you been in yourself?" she asked gently, guiding him a little further towards the area he usually shielded with jokes and shrugs.

He watched her closely before he took a sip, closing his eyes at the taste. Familiar. Warm. He opened his eyes, but this time he wasn't looking at her. "As you get older, you get more used to yourself," he said, as if it explained it all. "I am keeping busy, Lex."

"With what?" she asked with interest, reaching for her own cup to join him...but her eyes were still on him.

"Work," he said and tapped his rank pips, his eyes shining. "Master Chief title gives me more to do. Bridge duty. Training juniors...bailing them out of trouble if the little idiots decide they know it all...a wise voice in a darkened corridor telling them about ship's tactics."

"I see you're as patient as ever," Lex teased lightly as she sat back, crossing her legs as she got more comfortable with her tea.

"Patient enough until they blow us up," Julian said lightly as he looked down, a smile twisting his lips. "I make do, like most of us old guard."

"And how has your personal life been?" she asked gently, warming up to the subject that they'd have to touch on at some point.

He sighed as he looked at her, tutting with mock disappointment. "First session? Really?" he looked down into his drink. "It's been fine," he said and then grimaced at how it sounded. "I dated a bit after you left, but then...well, transfers happen. And I've not had that sort of connection with anyone here yet."

"I'm not judging," she looked to him with an arched eyebrow that said he should know better. "I just want to know you're comfortable with it."

"Ah..." Julian took a deeper breath, slowly, watching her for a moment. "I am most comfortable when there's someone in the bed when I go to sleep. No change there."

Lex nodded weakly as she watched him with regret for the loss he still felt. "And are you still doing that?"

Julian smirked at that, giving a small shrug at the words. "Not as much as I did fifteen years ago. Not as much as I did six years ago," he said softly. "But I still enjoy doing it. Just...this ship...well, it's a bit different here. With the rank."

"You feel a sense of responsibility," Lex nodded with understanding, smiling at the notion. Good. He'd needed something to ground him.

"More that I now hold rank over the enlisted...and that sort of sours it," Julian said softly as he watched her, including a dramatic eyeroll as he moved his hand lazily, gesturing to his collar. "I don't like a power dynamic like that...but unfortunately, Starfleet likes rewarding continued service by...rank..."

"Ah...the reluctant leader..." Lex quirked an eyebrow, challenging the stereotype as she held his eyes.

"Not that reluctant, we all like being the hero in our own story," Julian said with a chuckle, hearing the tone...and recognising that he often did make himself sound like the reluctant leader. He was...less...reluctant. More resigned, the way that age made you realise you were suited for some things and not others. "And I'm not going to lie, Nico...would have liked it for me. So maybe in a way, I do it for him too."

"That would make sense," Lex replied quietly, deciding to talk about it seeing as he had been the one to bring his late lover up. "I think you liked the man Nico made you."

Julian chuckled and gave a nod, looking at her for a moment. "Nico gave me a sense of...belonging I never had before," he finally said. "When he died, a lot of that died with him. But the things that survived, those I can still use. And you'd have liked him. He was...smart. Funny. So strong on the inside. He was a medical technician. Not a nurse, not a doctor...he could repair anything medical quicker than Ops or Engineering could. And equally help out with medicals. But what he loved was...being the first there if needed. And being a MT allowed him to do that."

"I think I'd have liked him too," Lex assured softly, but also honestly. She'd always thought it was no coincidence that Julian had chosen a healer. "It's nice to see you smile about him."

"It's..." Julian paused as he considered it, before he nodded. "I've been working on remembering the good things. That for a little while, I belonged somewhere, to someone...." he met her eyes again before he chuckled. "And I took a risk regardless of my fears."

"It's a lot to be proud of," Lex agreed openly. And it was more than so many other people would have done. Or had. "What about him has stayed most with you?"

He looked at her for a moment before he chuckled, but there were tears in his eyes. "His faith in the goodness of others," he admitted with a soft breath. "His...belief, that people were good, if you gave them a chance. I've always been too cynical, too...manipulative. A bit of a bastard. Nico was...good. In his soul. In his actions."

Lex watched him with regret, reaching out to just gently rest her hand close to his arm on the chair. "Or maybe he just had different experiences to you...that allowed him to see that, while you had to adapt to a different side of life. Neither are wrong."

He looked at her and his hand went to cover hers, giving it a squeeze. "He was a very kind, gentle man...most of the time," he said before he winked. "Temper though. Passionate about his views."

"I feel like you'd have loved that part too," Lex replied with a small, knowing smile, squeezing his hand gently.

"Yes," Julian said before he gave a small smile. It was tired. But it was genuine as the tears escaped. "And...as selfish as it sounds, I loved that he loved me. That I mattered to him."

Lex leant forward, wrapping her arms around him to hold him tight, her hand gently touching the back of his head. "That's not selfish, Jules, it's beautiful."

Julian hugged her back, closing his eyes for a moment. "Well. A long time ago now," he whispered softly, his voice quiet with it. "And I'm...I've had other relationships. It's not like I am pining for him, or anything like that."

"You're allowed to, you know," she assured softly, pulling back enough to meet his eyes with a weak smile. "It's okay to miss him...so long as you're still living."

Julian met her eyes for a moment before he wiped his face. "I am," he said, quietly. "I am still alive, still breathing, still doing my job...still doing this."

"Still living," she said again, softly as she watched him with a small but knowing smile. "Not just going through the motions."

He met her eyes before he chuckled, shaking his head. "I don't go through motions. A lot of it may be routine and repetition, but it's...a choice too."

"Good," Lex nodded with a small smile, taking his word for it. He could be evasive, but she'd never known him be dishonest. "Have you been getting to know people here?"

"Getting to know is a strong sentiment," he said with a small smile and raised an eyebrow. "I know where the bar is. I know the people in my department. Have even spent time with the Commodore. Avoided the soldiers."

"They know how to behave themselves," she assured him with a soft laugh, shaking her head. "I wouldn't put up with it if they didn't."

"No, you wouldn't," Julian said as he met her eyes, holding them for a moment. "You've never put up with anything that made you or others uncomfortable."

"And I'm not going to start now," she assured with a soft chuckle, shaking her head lightly. She'd worked with prisoners. Violent criminals. She wasn't afraid to make boundaries known.

Julian nodded and sat back, with his lazy posture, watching her with eyes still bright. "Reason I always liked you. You never took the bait, but you also didn't mind the games if the mood struck."

"Sometimes, you learn more from the game than the other person realises," Lex admitted with a soft smile, letting him into a trade secret.

"I suspected as much," Jules said confidently before he reached for his drink, sipping it. "Next time, maybe we can make this scotch. Something stronger at least."

TO BE CONTINUED:

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Lieutenant JG Electra 'Lex' Drake
Counsellor
USS Guinevere

Master Chief Petty Officer Julian Trent
Tactical
USS Guinevere

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