Beginnings are always messy
Posted on Wed Nov 17th, 2021 @ 12:40am by Remal Kajun & Captain Rhenora Kaylen
Mission:
*CD*
Location: DS9 and Beyond
Timeline: Before the Sunfire Left the Station
The transport stood waiting, a small congregation of people waiting at the cog shaped airlocks to board for the relatively short journey to Bajor. With the station now strategically positioned near the Wormhole it took a little longer to reach their home planet, such the journey was definitely still enjoyable.
Rhenora waited, fidgeting anxiously with her duffle slung over her shoulder as the group of people organized themselves into something resembling a queue. It felt wrong to be leaving the Sunfire, wrong to be leaving her crew yet still she felt obligated to help with the situation on the planet. Their friends were dying and she had a bad gut feeling that something bigger was going on other than an unfortunate series of accidents.
She regarded her husband, feeling utterly blessed to have him by her side and willing to walk away from everything so they could do this together. Hopefully all would be clear in a few days and they could rejoin the Sunfire in the Gamma Quadrant but a niggling corner of her mind told her otherwise.
He stood tall by her side, rather he would be tall at anyone's side, but next to her he had the added height that comes with pride and protection. His height was matched only by her magnanimus strength of character against all odds.
Once the doors parted, they moved along with the small throng of people into the docking hatch, and on into the small transport shuttle. One might call it crowded, another, cozy. In either case it would serve its purpose. They would arrive in Zanadine City within a few hours, where they would be greeted with open, yet cautious arms. For reasons he would share on the walk up to the house.
Allowing her to enter the row first, in order to get the window view, he waited before scrunching himself into the small seat and making sure she was as comfortable as the trip would allow. Their luggage stowed above, and in the cargo hold, now all they could do was wait. Wait, and maybe share a story or two. “Maybe you’ll be able to see the Sunfire shortly after we take off. You rarely see it from a civilian's perspective.”
“ She is still a sight” Rhenora smiled as she settled into the seat, scooting over to allow Remal more room to get comfortable. She was a little nervous about what they would uncover on the planet when they started digging into things. “ As are you of course” She added with a gentle dig in his ribs.
They waited patiently as the rest of the passengers filed in and filled their seats, stowing their items and shuffling impatiently for the shuttle to leave and their journey to begin. The crew of the transport vessel began the perfunctory briefing, including locations of the emergency transporters and escape pods, along with the current weather at the transport’s destination. Rhenora settled into her seat, shifting a little to get more comfortable. These transports weren’t exactly designed for comfort, more the mass transportation of people from one place to another for a shortish period of time.
Minutes later, the engines began to hum and a distinct sound of docking clamps being released resounded over the din. The small ship slowly backed away from the ring, turned her nose towards a small dot on the horizon and began to move away. Out the window, a large white vessel rested like a guardian over the station. Her smooth lines and tapered edges creating a symmetry against the blackness of space beyond. And then the wormhole opened casting a whole new light from behind the Sunfire. It was brief but oh so spectacular.
As the transporter changed its orientation and headed towards Bajor, Rhenora settled in for some quiet time with her husband. There was the constant drone of idle chatter amongst the passengers “Now… you promised me a tale from the past… which one will it be this time?” She asked, as they usually resorted to sharing pearls from the occupation during these kind of flights.
“Ah yes, I did say maybe I would share Balin’s string and button story, didn’t I?” He chuckled lightly and then began telling the story as he remembered it. “So, the day was like any other day in the resistance. Balin was charged with a local patrol H.R., you know, a Hit and Run. It was a group of five against a group of ten Cardassians, but the way he tells it, it was just himself and his young side-along.”
“Anyway, they waited in a grove of Thaket bush for the patrol to pass…”
Hours later, as the transport begins its descent into the city.
“...and that’s when he says ‘some-strings gotta give’ as he twists the string which cuts off the circulation of the last guard allowing himself to walk away with only a broken nose and a helluva story.” Remal belly laughed, “At first I had never heard of using a button in such a unique way, but then the way he tells it changes slightly each time.”
She chuckled at the last comment, knowing that stories such as this were generally well embellished to a point where discerning the actual events could prove difficult. It didn’t make it any less entertaining though. “ So tell me, was there a button at all then?”
His smile disappeared and his face like a blank slate. “To think of it, I’m not sure. I’ve just always assumed there was a button, but now that you mention it I cannot confirm or deny the existence of an actual button.” He stared off into the distance for a moment before turning back to her with a smile. “So, I need to warn you about the first place we are checking into, actually about all of them, but the first in particular might surprise you.” He said as the transport touched down on the landing pad.
TBC
