Reunion pt 3

Posted on Sat Oct 29th, 2022 @ 9:49pm by Captain Rhenora Kaylen & Remal Kajun

Mission: Planet of the Dinosaurs
Location: Captain's Quarters

They headed slowly back to their cabin, partially damaged in the crash but mostly intact, at least the structure was. Prising the doors opened revealed the mess strewn over the floor from the landing, all their possessions in a jumbled and broken mess.

All Rhenora could do was sigh. She wanted to sleep, close her eyes and make this whole shamozzle go away for just a few hours but right now there was no time for rest. Decisions needed to be made, actions needed to be taken and with Savar on an away team, it was up to her to make the big calls until he found a suitable camp site. Still she sat on the bed, gloriously intact as it was albeit slightly skewed from the wall and closed her eyes for a blessed moment.

He, meanwhile, set to work stuffing as much survivor gear as he could in their respective rucksacks. The coffee he was working on was a total loss, as were some of the seedlings he was trying to cultivate. All he could do was sigh and carry on packing. Only the essentials, he told himself as he reached for the '35 Springwine, and then pulled back deflated. Well, maybe it wouldn't hurt, he thought as he put it in the bag and covered it with a change of clothes.

Minutes later he deposited the gear unceremoniously upon their bed, careful enough not to disturb his star light, as she appeared lost in thought. Instead he looked about the room and groaned inwards at the destruction. That was until his eyes fell upon the small prayer shrine, made out of carved timber, standing tall in the living space. The candles had been tossed but the box itself remained firm. "Huh, looks like something of value survived anyway."

She opened her eyes at the sound of his voice, the reality of the situation coming back to the fore. There was a bag on the bed, with essential supplies in it. A tricorder, a pair of boots, their personal medical supplies, a small container of herbs, and their personal weapons. The replicators were on the fritz, which wasn’t entirely surprising and most of their kitchen had ended up on the floor. There wasn’t much in the way of long life foodstuffs they could take with them and somehow a bottle of Springwine seemed like a long lost luxury. The bottle was probably more useful than the wine within it.

He noticed her stir, "look see." He said pointing at her prayer box. "Stronger than most, at least that's something." He placed a comforting hand upon her shoulder and gave a small squeeze.

"We made things to last back then. You make things to last now. Too bad we can't put a little of that Remal strength into Starfleet ships" the quip fell flat even to her ears, but it was the effort that counted.

She took the wooden box, opening the lid and seeing her most treasured possessions inside. A necklace from her mother, a shirt button from her father, a lock of hair from her brother, and the betrothal bracelet that Remal had given her years earlier. Most a symbol of what she had lost, one a ray of hope for the future. She clutched onto that hope now, hope that they would get through this tough time together, both as a growing family and as a Starfleet crew.

Their quarters were a shambles, but cleaning could wait. They took a quick stock of their personal items and stepped over the debris towards the door.

The fact she had not taken anything of persona value was a testiment to the idea they would return. Captain Mercer had his frog, Piccard his photo album and Kaylen her trove of memories. Each deportation from the home they loved most dear meant leaving something behind to come back to, to come home to.

He gave their home one last glance, squeezed her hand and asked, "Ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be" she replied as she hoisted herself to her feet and leant against him for a moment, absorbing the warmth and more importantly the strength he provided. "We need to tell the crew"

"I'll walk you down to the shuttle deck. Biggest gathering location I know of, and we can deliver the news there." He sensed her strength was waning and so added with a one armed hug, "and I'll be right behind you the whole way."

She gave a small nod, and together they walked away, down the broken hallway and to the lift. She casually tapped her badge and announced, "All able-bodied personnel and team leads please report to the Hangar bay for an announcement from your Captain." And then she tapped it again to close the channel.

With comms broken across the ship, the signal would reach those team leads who would then pass it on down the line until everyone was accounted for. It was slow, but effective. And by the time they reached the bay, a small crowd was beginning to form. Given another half hour everyone would be present to hear what she had to say.

Tbc