The fate of the Pyji
Posted on Fri Aug 7th, 2026 @ 11:34am by Lieutenant JG Caitlyn MacRae & Captain Erik Norsgaard
1,695 words; about a 8 minute read
Mission:
Friends and Traitors
Location: Science Lab 2
So this was the Pyji… Curious, Lieutenant MacRae studied the makeshift temporary habitat which was now home to the unauthorised guests. Nine in total, all now in the early stages of an artificial hibernation while remaining safely contained. After a not insignificant effort to capture the creatures, nobody wished to take any chances.
Overhead, monitors displayed detailed sensor readings as the scientists indulged in a rare opportunity to study a species which had never before left the Trill homeworld. Every now and then she would hear excited whispers or someone declaring the data ‘fascinating’. She had to find a way to get these kids out more…
What she did have was some pertinent facts.
One, the Pyji were an indigenous species which the Trill government seemed to consider endangered more often than not. Currently, not. However, there was an advisory stating they should not be removed from the homeworld.
Two, the Pyji possessed small incisors which magnified on a screen gave all kinds of bad vibes. That aside, they could access the circuitry in the ship and cause heaven knew what kind of damage… added to this, they discovered the newborns secreted a mildly acidic secretion although this seemed to last only a few hours. Both of these combined was why there was an equally important diagnostic underway to identify any potential damage.
Three. At its most basic level, this was all caused by a crewman who had flouted the rules to bring a pregnant prohibited pet aboard.
All of this was bad enough, but it was going to get worse.
Petty Officer (3rd Class) Elynya Teikil seemed well aware of this. She was standing in the corner, keeping vigil over her pet and waiting to discover what would happen to her. There was no denying she had made a grave error in judgment and it could see her kicked off the ship but Jii was … she was important to her.
Caitlyn glanced down at her Padd as an update from engineering came through just as the doors to the science lab opened. “Ensign MK’Tir, since the creatures are contained and asleep, could your team give us the room,” she asked the team lead. As everyone began to file out she looked across at Teikil, “oh no, you are definitely staying.”
Elynya seemed to deflate as she retreated back to her corner as the scientists filed out white ship’s captain entered.
"Well," Norsgaard said as he entered the room, "I've just had an earful from an official on Trill who was happy to hear that we had a Pyji on board." He found a seat at the head of the table and turned his attention to the ensign hovering protectively over the creature and her brood. "Step forward ensign and explain yourself."
Nervously tugging a stray lock of blonde hair behind her ear, Elynya stepped out of the dimly lit corner. “It’s… not ensign sir…” she began, swallowing down her nerves to correct her CO. Something she was sure couldn’t end well. “Perry Officer Teikil, third class, Sir.”
She shot a glance towards MacRae who simply nodded for her to go on and answer the question.
“I’m sorry for everything that has happened, Captain. Truly. You see, I’m a scientist and many years ago when I was a student, my father and I reached Jii and nursed her back to health. Her species is so few in number and we couldn’t just leave her…
That, I guess, isn’t important right now. What is important is that her recovery took time and bu then she was incapable of surviving alone in the wild. We tried. Every time she reached the brink of starvation or almost ended up a snack for one of their many predators. So we kept her safe - my father and I. But he is sick and cannot keep up with her care. So… so he brought her to me. And I…. I brought her aboard.”
She kept looking at Jii as she spoke, a sadness in her voice.
“Apparently, the petty officer’s roommate was unaware and used the transport container to hold some candles for meditation,” MacRae added, “the Pyji have some… quirks. One is blending in with their surroundings when they feel threatened. Unfortunately this meant Jii, the mother, was able to escape.”
“Jii wasn’t herself, Sir,” the petty officer chimed in, more animated now. “She would never have gone so far from her habitat normally but she was close to giving birth and I believe this drove her to find a more comfortable place for her and her young.”
"My mistake. I apologize," Erik said, his voice gentled, though his expression spoke of the seriousness of the situation. "I'm not sure you are aware, Petty Officer, but I've been informed that among the Trill we have on board, there are at least five with a life-threatening allergy to the Pyji. Now, this could be controlled through medication but it wasn't deemed medically necessary. Do you know why it isn't necessary?"
Elynya was a scientist and capable of putting two and two together. “Because the Pyji shouldn’t be here, Sir?”
Caitlyn, meanwhile was studying the slumbering critters with newfound respect. For something so little, they were big trouble. You had to respect that.
"That's right," Erik said. "It's a reasonable assumption on their part that an endangered creature which is generally not permitted to leave the Trill home world would be aboard this ship. And yet, not only was one here but it escaped and had offspring. Any one of which could have put lives in danger."
Certain this would go as bad as it could possibly go, Elynya nodded in agreement. “Of course, Captain. I … I didn’t consider that.”
"Now, point number two. When you were sworn in to Starfleet, you took an oath which requires obedience to Federation law as well as Starfleet orders and regulations. And then of course there's the whole non-interference thing. Any of this familiar to you Petty Officer?"
Staring at the floor, hands clasped behind her back, the scientist nodded. “Aye, Sir,” she confirmed in a quiet voice, resisting the urge to tack on anything more in her own defence.
Caitlyn couldn’t help but feel some sympathy, clearly the younger woman had not brought this creature aboard with any malicious intent- and the situation had descended into chaos. She had already led a small operation to scour the ship for any other potential hidden dangers in the form of undeclared pets and it had been … eye opening.
"I know," Erik said, raising his hands, "you meant no malicious intent. You were trying to care for something you clearly love. But there's more to it than that which is what I'm hoping you'll see. The Trill are very insistent that the Pyji do not leave their world and they have good reason for this. As a Starfleet officer, you are sworn to obey my orders and those of Starfleet." He leaned forward slightly in his seat. "The thing is, if I can't trust you not to bring a pet aboard without authorization because you thought you knew than anyone else, how can I trust you with the mission of this ship?"
There was a glimmer of hope in his apparent understanding, only to then feel it evaporate. “Captain I…. I cannot apologise enough. As a scientist I should have thought through the risks and never brought Jii on board. I understand that now. And while I know it doesn’t seem like it… I am very good at what I do and I have worked so hard my entire life to get here. I will take any punishment but please, give me a chance to prove this one moment of poor judgement doesn’t define me.”
"But it wasn't one moment, was it, Petty Officer? It was hundreds really. Every day on board, you chose to lie. And that's ... inexcusable. This will become part of your permanent record along with the displeasure voiced by the Trill home world. This creature, and her offspring, are to be returned to Trill; I understand Lieutenant Knight is going to take care of that. You'll stay on board but you will be more closely supervised going forward and may be subject to periodic room inspections to ensure that this behavior doesn't repeat itself."
For a moment Elynya was speechless, unable to make words form as she tried to keep her composure. Her gaze flitted to Jii then to the floor as she nodded. “Yes, Captain. Thank you. I won’t let you down again.”
"See that you don't," Erik said. "You're dismissed."
Thinking twice about saying more, Elynya uttered a ‘yes sir’ and all but ran out the door.
"Lieutenant MacRae, get with Commander Choi and organize an inspection of all quarters aboard the ship. I want to know if there are other unauthorized pets aboard."
“Already taken care of,” Caitlyn assured him. “We confiscated two goldfish, one Risian lizard and one Denobulan toad. Fortunately no spiders.”
"And you included the officers' quarters as well," Erik asked with a tired sigh.
“Yes, with help from Security. Although,” she added with a warm smile, “there was one exception. Of course, I am happy to personally tick that off if you insist, but I figured you’d have your hands full with Atticus to be sneaking pets aboard.”
"Well, you're welcome to check," Erik said, laughing suddenly, "though Atticus is a bit territorial. King-sized bed and somehow, he manages to claim half of it as his own. In all seriousness though, well done. And I mean it about the supervision. Given how the Maquis keep sneaking people aboard, at least for the present, count her among the vulnerable."
“I’ll keep a close eye on her,” Caitlyn promised. “And clearly will be having a chat with a certain cat in the near future.”
Erik grinned as he rose and walked out, whistling.
Captain Erik Norsgaard
Commanding Officer
USS Thunderbird
Lieutenant Caitlyn MacRae
Second Officer
USS Thunderbird
Petty Officer (3rd Class) Elynya Teikil
Science Dept.
USS Thunderbird
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