| Author | Message | ||
     Lt. SG Maiko D'rall |
I know this woman. Or more accurately, I know her granddaughter. They look so similar, share the same name, and when I look at the face, I hear the tolling of the ship' bell. Once for the woman before me; another for her granddaughter's name, always read last in the list of crew from the Dauntless. From my past, Valentine, Captain Teresa... Valentine, Lieutenant JG Teresa... She must have seen me staring at her. She's looking at me, probably having seen what to her probably looks like an ugly uniform. I'm still not used to these things myself. Where's the colors, the vibrant ochres, ambers, and pastel blues? Sometimes putting on my uniform, I feel as if I'm just dressing myself up like another drone in the machine for the next 8 hours. To her, I am probably just another face. Her phaser's fine, but some of the concussion grenades I brought along appear to be of some interest to her. Can't help but wonder what would happen if she were to die. I hate time travel as it is, but this alternate universe stuff makes me sick. Should I tell her that one day a descendant of hers will save Reor? I'm not sure what the answer to that would be even if this were 'our' universe. Is there a point to even saying it here and now? 'The Churchill is out there,' they said. She should be in M64 building our future there. What of the Braid? When the Accursed come, we won't be there for them. We're standing a ways back from the defensive firing line she's set up; a few dozen dead Klingon are scattered across the floor. And she's talking to me. She looks a little haggard; I guess I would be to - or am really. As powerless as I am, this is her ship, and she's holed up like some rat, she says. Mutters something about only having a week left until she would have been off of the ship. Kinda sounds like me on a bad day I guess. I mean, I wear the uniform, but I'm an imposter. Coronado was a way for me to do SOMETHING during the occupation, something I couldn't do back home. Starfleet was a tool I wielded with my aggression, and now that the Accursed are practically neutralized - I hope - I feel like I don't belong. The last time I did feel I was where I should be was when we met the Rylans. Or I suppose meeting that Frant counts. Exploration. The best defense lies in going to meet your enemy away from your home rather than fighting on your own ground, and making allies far from home. Instead, I get Xanadu. I get the *Jjaro*. Personally I think anything made by the Jjaro should be thrown in the nearest sun. Nothing but a giant headache. The only thing they've been of use with was getting to L'howon and back. "My kind of time, it falls past me. The door of faith remains asleep." That damned song again. If I ever get back to Reor again I'm going to go to that bar and phaser that music thing out of existence. I tell her I feel the same a lot, that I'm not sure why I'm still with my crew. How I have a captain who seems to have the worse luck with first contact situations, a first officer who has two settings - PermaBitch and Glare - that's always on my case, how the ops officer tried to butt into my private life and got a punch for... Well, whatever I said just got a smile out of her. Wonder if I could cheer her up more by saying it could be far worse - she could have been stranded in M64 with no way home, no way of saying goodbye to anyone here... but that she would be blessed with a strong family, that her hard work would help build a new future... I can't help but wonder if the same is true for me. Is that why I'm still in Starfleet - that instead of defending my people now, I'm defending their future? My children's future? I know I've never discussed it with Clarence, but I've always wanted to have a family of my own. Dad - wherever he's disappeared to - would love to have a grandson. I can't help but wonder what my daughter, grand-daughter, or even my grand-daughter's daughter would be like. Or maybe a son. There's not much I can say to her; only to tell her I've been through a lot myself, but that I've also learned quite a bit about myself and my people. The last bit seemed to confuse her a bit though. Oh well. It's not like I told her in the next few decades in our universe the Feds and Klingons became staunch allies. Not that THAT lasted long. Back to Sickbay I guess. Drop off a few spent weapons, then pick up some fresh ones... "I'm just a traveler upon the sea. Of time, of life, of Fate's Wide Wheel. Just a traveler in this mystery. The me I am is all that's real to me." ...and then I'm going to fight. It won't be for Coronado or Reor. It's time I started fighting for myself and my future. [[To Be Continued...?]] |