Editing Olen Rhinehart (section)

===Picking Up The Pieces===

Now stationed aboard the USS Hypatia, a long period of reflection and reassessment began for Rhinehart. Long and sober contemplation led him to the conclusion that, in light of the devastation the civil war had wrought, Starfleet was not an organisation his conscience would allow him to serve. His natural conclusion then, had been to resign his commission, and re-establish contact with his estranged mother, his one surviving relative. Unlike many others, however, who would struggle for months to ascertain the whereabouts and health of their families scattered across the galaxy's warzones, it was excruciatingly easy for Rhinehart to discover that his mother had in fact been killed during the 52nd's final onslaught on Earth, and his childhood home had been razed to the ground. He used his leave to journey there anyway, to inter his mother's remains and say his final goodbyes, and then to turn his mind to the question of 'what next?' He returned reluctantly to his duties, buying himself time to think things over. During this period, his application to complete an accredited PhD with the Institute of Tellarite Excellence (which had been working overtime to rebuild after the devastation it had suffered), was accepted. Once again, he made plans to resign his commission, with the aim of travelling to the institute in order to take on a quiet research and teaching role. It was not to be, however. Several attempts at drafting his resignation went uncompleted, and he spent many uncomfortable nights attempting to convince himself he was committed to the path he had chosen.

An eventual discussion with [[Susan Rivers]], confirmed to Rhinehart that his explorer's heart was not yet satiated. She, too, wanted no further part in any conflicts, internecine or otherwise, and was pulling every string she could to ensure her next assignment was one of peaceful exploration, in line with Starfleet's original charter. She hinted that she was optimistic about being offered command of a brand new, first-of-her-class ship, specifically tooled for deep black exploration, and added that she was building her command team, and many of the former Champlain crew were among her selections. On that proviso, she offered him the chief counsellor's position. In spite of his misgivings, he found himself accepting before he truly realised what he had done. 

Contacting the institute, they agreed to postpone the teaching role indefinitely, but offered him the chance to complete his PhD remotely via subspace contact with his supervisor. Rhinehart accepted, and settled then into an uneasy, yet busy, anticipation of the many changes that were to come.