Think Of The Children
Posted on Wed Feb 18th, 2026 @ 8:52am by Captain Marc Kidd & Petty Officer 2nd Class Rhihannon O'Connell & Commander Mariko Tao & Lieutenant Commander Corin Layal & Lieutenant Jonathan Corwin & Lieutenant Christopher Blake & Lieutenant Vincent 'Ghost' Zandrell & Lieutenant James Constantine & Lieutenant Siadra Molaur & Lieutenant Maya Canak & Lieutenant Ezra Van Wijnbergen & Cassandra Frost & Captain Kiyoshi Shingoen
Edited on on Wed Feb 18th, 2026 @ 8:56am
4,923 words; about a 25 minute read
Mission:
Episode 2 - The Sins of History
Location: Observation Lounge - Deck 3 - USS Artemis
Timeline: MD001 1030 hrs
Marc had been reviewing all that had occurred during their first case in the Observation Lounge. He got lost in deep thought as he watched the starfield race past the window. So, it was a surprise when Rhiannon, his Yeoman, spoke to Marc; it was as if she came out of nowhere.
"Sorry, sir, I did not mean to startle you. But this came through for you, priority one." Rhiannon's lilted voice always seemed to put people at ease, and this was no different. "Thank you, Rhi." Marc said, and he took the PADD. He made a quick, cursory glance of the information and his eyes widened as he read. "Is everything okay, sir?" Rhiannon asked. Marc sighed and said softly. "Why does it have to be children?"
"I am sorry, sir?" Rhiannon's response was filled with both fear and curiosity. "Nothing, Yeoman. Please summon the Senior Staff. Have Lieutenant Zandrell and Lieutenant Constantine come as well." Marc's head was already swimming with thoughts about the task ahead, as well as disgust at what this case was about. An idea struck him in the head like a ton of bricks. "Oh, and Rhi have Lieutenant Van Wijnbergen come as well. Lord knows they are going to need a Victim's Advocate for this one." O'Connell had no idea what the Captain meant; however, in this moment, she knew better than to question him. Whatever was on that PADD changed his whole demeanor from Pensive to almost scared and faithless. "Yes, Captain. Right away." She left to set about her task.
Cassie quickly walked into the conference room, looking a little confused at the sudden summons. She’d been on the bridge manning her station while monitoring a few database searches she’d been running on a couple of local smugglers. “Captain, what’s going on?” She asked, walking over to the table.
Maya had been in sickbay, but it was quiet at the moment, which allowed her to leave immediately for the observation lounge. She arrived a few moments later and smiled at the two already present. "Hello, Captain, Ms Frost. I hope you are both well." Then she took a seat at the table.
Layal walked in with her usual air of confidence, though internally she was feeling more tentative than she was letting on. She wasn't sure what the meeting was about, and she was still getting accustomed to shipboard dynamics and not being a part of a larger JAG department. She found a seat near the foot of the table and gave a warm smile to the others seated around her.
Kiyoshi had been running an inventory check on the supplies within the prison when he'd gotten the summons. It was, like most of his duties, boring. So, he was relieved at the opportunity to leave his office. He walked into the room, got a glass of water and took a seat.
Cassie gave Maya a nod of acknowledgment, “Doctor.”
The door opened and Ezra stepped through, his large, imposing frame pausing momentarily as he drank-in the lounge. It was a place he had yet to visit in his weeks aboard Artemis. He glanced at the table and the individuals seated there, his eyes lingering briefly on Layal before searching for an empty chair.
The man seated at the head of the table was almost as tall as Ezra himself--the Captain. This was their first time meeting and Ezra knew if he'd been summoned to a briefing, there was more than likely a need for his expertise.
Ezra seated himself, throwing a smile and a nod to Maya.
"Captain," he said curtly straightening his uniform and folding his hands before him.
Maya smiled and nodded back to Ezra. She'd been watching the others arrive and wondered what brought them all together--although she was fairly certain she wouldn't like it.
Vincent arrived at the Observation Lounge with a smile on his face. Dressed in his ESU Uniform with empty holster for his EM-33 hanging from his left shoulder. He gave everyone a nod to everyone there, before taking an empty seat.
Mariko entered the Observation Lounge with her usual measured pace, the doors closing softly behind her. She took in the room as she crossed it—the gathered senior staff, the Captain at the head of the table, the quiet that felt newly settled rather than comfortable.
She inclined her head to Marc as she took her seat beside him, smoothing her uniform once before folding her hands neatly in front of her.
“Captain,” she said simply.
Her gaze moved briefly around the table, registering who had been summoned, then returned to the Captain. Whatever had prompted this meeting, it was serious—but until he spoke, it was not hers to define.
Chris walked into the briefing room and took the seat closest the door. He'd just been relieved, but like to be close in case of emergencies. "Good morning everyone." He greeted calmly as he took his seat and sat down with his hands clasped in front of him on the large table.
James Constantine wasn't far behind...and he sighed inwardly when Chris took the seat he had planned to go for. It had been sheer instinct, to place himself close to the door. He moved further in, taking one of the few seats left. Indeed, the room was more full than he'd expected...senior staff and he'd been invited too? A new case then.
The door opened yet again, Siadra stepping inside, "Morning everyone." moving gracefully towards a chair, her eyes drifted towards Ezra, then towards the others who had already arrived she took a seat across from Blake giving him a nod in greeting.
Deep within her mind, the voices of the former hosts were all in a dither and filled with curiosity. All clamoring to know what was going on.
Be still, we all will find out very soon. I don't think everyone is here yet.
Jonathan had just sat down for breakfast when the summons came to respond to the ready room for a senior staff briefing. Jonathan scowled and went to the nearest turbolift and to the bridge. " These meetings are rarely good news." He said to the empty turbolift. " Why can't it be news like the entire crew is going to Risa for a week?" He muttered. He got a Grande Raktajino from the replicator and found an open seat and sat down and took out his data PaDDs to record the meeting and take notes.
Marc took the dregs of his coffee and stood up. Almost as if on cue O'Donnell refilled his coffee with fresh. "Ladies and gentlemen we have our next case. It seems that throughout the Federation children have gone missing from a number of colonies. Local authorities state that these disappearances coincide with prescheduled trade with Orion vessels. Thus far there have been little to no leads in this case. However, recently, sadly one of the children's bodies was discovered. We have been asked to perform an autopsy and see what happened to this child."
Vincent remained quiet, while still paying attention. He knew there would be days like this. Even though he might not be in a position to see it, knowing there was a dead child involved and others were being kidnapped, only prompted images of Cassie in the same position. What he might do in order to get her back. He already lost his wife, his daughter, would push him over the edge. Vincent placed his hands together and kept his eyes lowered to the table, trying to keep himself focused and distancing himself from those dark thoughts.
Mariko did not react immediately.
She remained still in her seat, hands folded, expression composed — but the words children and body had landed with unmistakable weight. Her gaze lowered briefly to the tabletop, a measured breath taken and released before she looked back up at the Captain.
“Where was the child found?” she asked calmly. Not cold, but deliberately steady. “And have local authorities identified any immediate links between the disappearance and the Orion trade schedules beyond timing? Even circumstantial patterns may give us something to work from.”
Her tone remained professional, but there was an edge beneath it — not urgency, exactly, but intent. This was not a case that allowed for distance, even for someone without children of her own.
Marc turned to Mariko to address her questions. He thought that with the amount of questions that would be asked he would address them one by one. "Sadly, no there is not much to go on. They are hoping that we will get some answers. The only connection is as I said, each child disappeared while an Orion vessel was in port on business."
That children were being kidnapped made Maya feel sick to her stomach, but that one was found dead caused her to close her eyes for a moment. Death was inevitable, and she had been taught to deal with it from an early age, but this... She shook her head. They would find who was responsible and bring them to justice. that was their job, was it not? "I take it there is currently no indication as to how the child died?" she asked quietly. "And are these kidnappings directed to one species more than others?"
Cassie sat there processing the information as it came in. Kidnapping was a typical Orion practice for their slave markets. The Federation has tried to shut them down in the past, but they always seem to pop back up eventually. Generally in Syndicate control. The fact that one of the children was found dead means he didn’t sell at market. “What do we know about the child? Were they disabled or malformed in some kind of way?”
Jonathan felt sick to his stomach, but he had to ask his question. "Expanding on Lieutenant Canak's question about the species of the children. First off how many children do we know have been killed? What are the species of the slain? If we have a number of Klingon or Andorian children amongst the deceased, Then we could have a blood feud on our hands during the investigation which could very well complicate things."
Constantine watched on, his jaw clenched, but no other outward sign as to how the briefing had affected him. He'd come across this kind of filth before during his time with Intelligence. Slavers. Creatures that preyed on the vulnerable. One such case had made him question everything after he'd flouted orders to put an end to it. He still had no regrets on that front, but it was unsettling, how his resolve to follow orders and the mission had been shaken by this exact kind of activity.
Ezra found himself remaining quiet and visibly unmoved. That word... children... hit him the same way the sound of a dropped glass does: sharply and violently. He kept his hands folded in front of him though any who knew him might see the subtle tensing of his jaw.
He drew a slow breath through his nose before letting it out even slower and longer. It was how he kept his heart rate low and his parasympathetic nervous system on a gentle idle. There was an accounting to be had. It was a part of him that had begun accustomed to counting the cost of such things. One child dead meant there were families already living in a future that would never find closure. Others missing meant days and nights that would stretch and stretch while parents and loved ones bargained with dead silence.
He glanced around the table when he finally did speak, offering the question openly to all rather than to one person. "Do we know how the families were notified?" Ezra inquired, his tone kept gently and professionally. "The colonies--have they been told to preserve personal effects? Bedding, clothing, anything the children slept with or carried." He paused a moment. "It matters. For the families. And for what comes after."
Marc turned toward Ezra. "Yes, on each of the colonies where a child was taken the personal effects that remained, and anything that ties to the day of disappearance have been preserved by local authorities. As to the families. Sadly, no the family of the deceased has not been notified. That is your first assignment Lieutenant. A list will be provided to you, you are to contact the family of the deceased and inform them. You will also assist the families in any way possible. Should they share pertinent information with you, you in turn will provide it to the investigating officers."
The last two words "investigating officers" acted as a pivot point for Marc and the conversation he now moved on to assignments for all those present. "Doctor Canak, you and your team will take possession of the body upon arrival at Starbase 304. The autopsy should be performed aboard this vessel to preserve chain of evidence. Congratulations Ms Frost you, Lieutenant Constantine, and Lieutenant Zandrell this case is yours." He paused long enough to hand each of them a PADD. "Those PADDs contain all the known information thus far in this case. Lieutenants Blake and Molaur I would like the two of you to work the escape problem. In each disappearance there is no evidence of anything. No ship, no warp trail nothing. Even cloaks leave a residual something. So, lets see if we can get ahead of that problem. Commander Corin and Lieutenant Corwin any information will be made available to both of you as it comes available." Lastly he handed a PADD to Kiyoshi Shingoen. "Captain, I am informed that part of our duty is to be a moving prison. Hence your assignment as Warden. On that PADD are the files of the first five residents at your wonderful hotel. Lets try to make them uncomfortable, shall we?" He said with an smirk. "Any questions?"
Chris nodded and glanced at the science officer before looking back to the Captain. "We'll figure out what's going on sir. I'll also make sure our full compliment is ready for deployment and use as needed."
Looking over the information, Cassie was immediately trying to find any connections between the children, locations, hobbies, anything that might create a lead. “We should shut down all traffic in and out. Double check each ships papers. We might need to call in a few other ships to assist.”
"I can get a boilerplate search warrant drafted in case our checks give you cause enough to want to board any of the ships moving in and out," Layal offered. "Streamline the process for you."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Vincent said, as if the conversation suddenly snapped him out of his quiet state. He through his hands out and looked over to Cassie. "We can't just stop every ship from coming and going to search them?" He shifted his gaze to Layal as he continued. "Correct me if I am wrong, but this killing has happened long before we get there to do our thing. There is no possible reason why, after something like this, someone would stick around and wait for us to get there before trying to leave. We have no reason to believe they are still there until we get there and look into and find something that tells us that." He slowly leaned back in his chair and let out a sigh. "We have no justification to search any ship without something that tells us the killer may still be the area."
There was a slight pause in his speech as he closed his eyes, either thinking of his next words or just holding back his own feelings on the situation, before opening them again to add. "Too much time would have passed and that's too big of a window for whoever did this atrocity to get off world and long gone. We have to investigate first before we start stopping ships and searching them without cause. Otherwise, we cause more problems for ourselves and only widen the window of them to get away with this even bigger." He slowly looked to Cassie, then he looked to Marc, before adding softly. "The child isn't missing. We know where to find their body. We need to do our jobs first before we start throwing around nets and searching ships." As he said the words it was as if he felt a pain in his chest. It hurt him to say the words. Even more to admit it to himself that what they were thinking might be a waste of time and their resources.
“This isn’t just one child though” Cassie responded, looking to Vincent, “and I know the Orions, if they’re taking people from a federation world, they’re not doing it through raiding parties. They’ll be using an underground network to keep the local authorities non the wiser.” She said, trying to explain her reasons for such an extreme decision, “yes. We don’t have cause right now, but if we don’t at least scan each ship coming and going, we might miss another victim.”
Mariko listened to the exchange without interrupting, her attention fixed on the table for a moment longer than necessary before she looked up. When she spoke, her voice was even — not distant, but deliberately steady.
“I agree with Lieutenant Zandrell,” she said calmly. “At this stage, we do not have the legal or diplomatic authority to halt or search vessels indiscriminately.”
Her gaze shifted briefly to Cassie, not confrontational, but firm.
“A correlation with Orion trade schedules is not evidence. It is a line of inquiry — nothing more. Acting on it as proof risks undermining this investigation before it properly begins. More than that, it risks condemning an entire group based on reputation rather than fact.” She paused. “That is not justice. It is assumption.”
Mariko folded her hands together, grounding herself before continuing.
“I understand the instinct behind wanting to act quickly,” she said, her tone softening just slightly. “Children are missing. One child is dead. That alone is enough to make restraint feel inadequate.” Her eyes lifted again. “But intent does not replace justification.”
She inclined her head a fraction.
“Broad-spectrum scans of civilian vessels conducted for investigative purposes — beyond standard navigational or safety parameters — still constitute a search. Without articulable cause, that places us in violation of Federation transit law. Any evidence obtained that way would be challenged, and likely dismissed.”
Her gaze returned to the Captain.
“To be clear, sir — at present we have one confirmed death and multiple unresolved disappearances, correct? No confirmation that the other missing children are deceased, and no direct evidence tying their disappearance to Orion personnel beyond timing and access.”
The question was precise, procedural — not rhetorical.
“Until we can establish cause, method, or a defensible evidentiary link,” she continued, “our responsibility is to investigate, not accuse. Acting prematurely doesn’t protect potential victims — it alerts whoever is responsible that we are panicking, and gives them every reason to disappear completely.”
She inclined her head subtly toward Vincent — a quiet acknowledgement.
“If we want this to hold up in court, and if we want cooperation rather than resistance from the worlds we’re entering, restraint now is not weakness. It’s discipline.” Her voice lowered just a touch. “And discipline is what ensures we can actually bring whoever did this to account.”
Cassie put her head in her hands, feeling frustrated, “uhh, this was so much easier outside of Starfleet. These regulations just feel so damn restrictive” she said, taking a deep breath in and holding it.
Vincent let out a sigh. He understood her frustration, but he also understood they couldn't cut any corners if they wanted to make sure these people were captured and arrested. "Frost, I get it. If it were my daughter, captured or God forbid the other things, I wouldn't want anyone else but the people at this table doing the hunting. At the same time, I would want these people captured and put behind bars. That's our job. Not just capturing the bad guys, but making sure they are convicted of their crime. Justice and closure for those affected. Like the families of those kids. We can go about this breaking regulations because its easier or faster. We need to be smart. Smarter than them, because right now they made the dumbest move possible. They got us involved."
Ezra remained still as the conversation shifted from grief and revulsion to procedure. He certainly understood the need for it, and he respected it. Still, there was a quiet side of him that was already measuring the distance that was now steadily opening. It would be cases such as these which could turn into maps and warrants and theories before any one of them might stop and sit with the facts.
Watching the others speak in turn, Ezra noted how each staff member's arguments would rise and fall--all shaped by their own unique lived experiences. Some seemed to be founded on training, others by loss. The emotion in Vincent's voice carried a personal quality to it and while Ezra hadn't yet worked with the man, he sensed something there. Cassie's frustration seemed to come from a similar place--understandably. He could see Mariko's restraint was its own brand of attention. Everyone assembled here wanted the same thing--they were just approaching it from different ends of the same long, dark corridor.
And somewhere, Ezra thought, somewhere far away from this room, there was a family who still didn't know.
That thought weighed heavily in the center of his chest.
He had performed notifications before. Several, in fact. There was no good way to carry news like that. You simply do it and remain ready.
Giving a sigh, Cassie nodded, “right, right, rule of law. Pillar of civilisation and all that. I’m just too used to kicking in doors rather than asking the door for permission.” She looked over at Vincent, “you’re right, we need to do this by the book”
Marc had listened intently to the conversation. He knew the moment he learned children were involved that things would get intense among the crew. He raised his hand as if to signal the end of the discussion. "Listen everyone, you would not be a living being if you did not feel some sort of emotion at the thought of could be happening to these children. However, we are professionals, we are Starfleet, and what's more is we are the long arm of the law. We must whenever possible remain as neutral as possible. To that end Commander I appreciate the offer. But we need to gather some evidence first. But, keep the judge on speed dial. There is something that does not feel right about any of this. Something that deep in my gut screams cover up, it screams of something that I don't even know, at least not yet." For the first time since he took command Marc allowed the part of himself that was spiritual if anything was spiritual anymore, the part that seemed connected to his surroundings to come out. Something about this just didn't feel right.
Siadra was quiet through out all of this, her fists clenching tightly into a ball. Good thing she didn't have long nails as they would have been biting into the palm of her hands. The minds/memories of the hosts reeled with the horror that they had just been told.
Memories had bubbled up, that of two parents who came into Keema's shop mourning and canceling an order, due to their child having been stolen from them.
Keema remembered the child, a boy. Smart, creative very cute. His name was Davi. He and Keema had talked while she had made his other clothing. Him treating her like an adopted aunt.
She looked at those there, "These monsters need to be stopped."
Mariko didn’t add to the Captain’s words.
She inclined her head slightly in acknowledgement, hands folding again on the table as the room settled. The emotional edge hadn’t vanished — it lingered, sharp and human — but the direction had been set.
Neutral. Methodical. Relentless.
Her gaze shifted briefly to Siadra when the Trill spoke, and there was no disagreement there — only understanding. Stopping them would be the goal.
Doing it properly would be the method.
Mariko straightened a fraction in her seat.
“Then we proceed,” she said quietly.
Not as a question. Not as a challenge.
Just the next step.
James Constantine looked to Cassie, giving a slight by unmistakable nod to her. Oh he understood only too well how she felt. He'd actively disobeyed orders the last time he had been involved with slavers. If that was what was going on. He didn't want to jump to conclusions and make himself blind to other possibilities "Do we have resource for an undercover officer to investigate the Orion vessels?" he asked lightly. In his experience, an undercover operation didn't need hard evidence to be approved, so long as it was deemed necessary and proportionate to the potential threat.
Ezra nodded carefully when the Captain's attention moved past him and the discussion shifted back toward operations. He kept his hands folded on the table in front of him but his mind had already moved far away from the Observation Lounge.
Somewhere, there was a name attached to that child. And that child's room still held their things. There was a place at a table that would remain empty whether anyone verbalized it or not. Every minute that passed without that child's loved ones knowing was another minute they were living in the cruelest Schrödinger's cat equation.
He waited for the right pause, then spoke without lifting his voice. As it happened, his deep baritone voice rarely needed to be raised to garner attention.
"Captain, I'd like to begin my work as soon as possible."
Maya had been listening quietly as the others voiced their thoughts. This case was going to be difficult for most of them. She wasn't looking forward to an autopsy of a child, but if she could find answers to help catch whoever had done this, it would give the family closure. It was something she could focus on, and not on the life that had been cut short. At least, that's what she told herself.
Marc looked at Constantine. "The resources are here. However, we do not have as reason yet." He then turned to address all those present. "Our first stop is Starbase 304 that is where this hunt begins. For now prepare, and do whatever research you can. Dismissed."
Siadra rose from her seat, her lips pinched into a thin line, looking a bit pale. Her mind was now thinking of what had been discussed. Now she wondered about the missing boy, Davi, that was a mystery that hadn't been solved. His parents never knowing what happened to him, not knowing whether he was alive or dead.
This troubled her.
Maya slowly made her way out of the room, her thoughts on the children.
Meanwhile, Ezra remained seated at the conference table, his hands folded neatly in front of him and his eyes fixed somewhere far, far away.
A Joint Post By
Captain Marc Kidd
Commanding Officer, USS Artemis
Starfleet Criminal Investigations Unit
Petty Officer Second Class Rhihannon O'Connell
Yeoman, USS Artemis
Starfleet Criminal Investigations Unit
Commander Mariko Tao
Executive Officer, USS Artemis
Starfleet Criminal Investigations Unit
Lieutenant Commander Corin Layal
Judge Advocate General, USS Artemis
Starfleet Criminal Investigations Unit
Lieutenant Jonathan Corwin
Defense Council, USS Artemis
Starfleet Criminal Investigations Unit
Lieutenant Christopher Blake
Chief Flight Control Officer, USS Artemis
Second Officer, USS Artemis
Starfleet Criminal Investigations Unit
Lieutenant Vincent Zandrell
Criminal Apprehension Officer, USS Artemis
Commanding Officer, Emergency Services Unit
Starfleet Criminal Investigations Unit
Lieutenant James Constantine
Criminal Investigations Officer, USS Artemis
Starfleet Criminal Investigations Unit
Lieutenant Ezra Van Wijnbergen
Victim Advocate Counselor, USS Artemis
Starfleet Criminal Investigations Unit
Lieutenant Siadra Molaur
Chief Forensic Science Officer, USS Artemis
Starfleet Criminal Investigations Unit
Lieutenant Maya Canak
Chief Medical Officer/Medical Examiner, USS Artemis
Starfleet Criminal INvestigations Unit
Cassandra Frost
Chief Security/Tactical Officer, USS Artemis
Starfleet Criminal Investigations Unit
Captain Kiyoshi Shingoen
Prison Warden, USS Artemis
Starfleet Criminal Investigations Unit
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