Burial at Sea (part 2)

Posted on Sat Jan 26th, 2013 @ 12:23pm by Commodore Samantha York & Lieutenant JG Ronnie Wolfe & Lieutenant Commander Damion Wolfe & Lieutenant JG Anthony "Shade" Benge & Sergeant Amarylis Beckinsale
Edited on on Sat Jan 26th, 2013 @ 12:27pm

1,210 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: A Pirate's Life
Location: Holodeck

[CONTINUED]

Anthony was busy roping off his area. Grabbing one tin he started pouring fuel in it followed by four torches with barrel wicks. Over an inch and a half in diameter they were perfect for breathing and eating. Another tin and fire snakes were placed inside, followed by fuel at just over three feet they produced a wall of flame.

A bottle of lamp fuel was placed by the torches and two more tins that closed over the wicks for the staff. Fuel was added to them, and a twentieth century Zippo was checked. Everything seemed to be working as he let the wicks soak up. Noticing people coming in he said little. Thats why his name Shade. He was normally silent as a ghost. As his padd beeped he smiled and waved the Commodore over. "We have a surprise for the crew, Leo left a message."

"Oh?" Sam asked, wondering what sort of "message" he was referring to.

Amarylis entered the holodeck adorned in a pair of red slacks, knee high black boots, a white blouse and red bandana. A cutlass secured to her waste by a black belt and holster completed the unusual dress for her but nevertheless she wanted to remain in good spirits and be part of the festivities. She looked around for Commodore York and Commander Vance but only found the Commodore. She walked through the crowd to York.

"Commodore? Could I speak with you privately?" Amarylis asked.

"Of course." Sam led Amarylis to the port side of the ship. "What's up?"

"Is Commander Vance attending the ceremony?" Amarylis asked knowing full well Alexandra would not.

"No. I tried, but she has issues." Sam looked at Amarylis. "I think you're aware of them. I'm not going to push the issue this time, but she's going to have to come to terms with what happened and accept that it wasn't her fault."

Amarylis sighed. "I am..." She began to weep knowing her reaction could be wrote off as mourning for a lost comrade. "She's torn inside I can see it in her eyes. She may speak coldly and act all tough but I can see it. It's just pain....so much pain. I don't know how she even keeps it together, what kind of heart do you have need to go through that much and still put on a straight face? I don't know if there is any bringing her back this time..." she began to sniffle as she wept.

Sam gave Amarylis a hug. "I know. I'm a telepath. I think, if we can give her a little time -- little, not a lot -- and then show her we value her as a person and as a member of the crew, we might be able to help her get past this. It isn't too late."

"Not all enemies can be seen....and she will fight to keep it that way." Amarylis stammered wrapping her arms around Sam not caring who she was, right now she was enjoying the comfort of a friend.

"Indeed. But she's got the two of us, whether she likes it or not," Sam assured her. "And from what I know of you, you're not likely to give up on her. I'm very stubborn. Neither am I. We'll let her skip the funeral as it will likely bring up too many bad memories. But we're not going to let her continue on her path of self-destruction."

"I don't fear for her destruction....I fear for them..." she replied softly.

Damion walked into the holodeck, dressed in all black and dark shades. He was accompanied by two security guards, which made sense, but also made him feel a bit uneasy. He felt like a captive, but given how he has been forcing himself to act it was justified. He cleared his throat and walked in further, looking around at everyone who was there and more importantly, looking for Ronnie.

Ronnie was running a little late. She'd lost track of time studying the ghostly apparition from Tiberius IV. By looking through the computer data collected from the Borg compound she'd discovered that it was a failed experiment to create a drone that existed in two dimensions simultaneously. The idea was to have something that could pass through walls and be unaffected by attack and still be able to interact with its environment. The actuality was a non-sentient creature that was attracted to lights and life but could not react with them nor could it exist in any one place. It just ... drifted.

She looked at the time and hurried to dress in a pirate costume and run to the holodeck. She arrived slightly out of breath but not too late. She saw Damion and stopped, not sure what to say or do.

Damion felt her the moment she walked in. He wanted to smile but he also remembered what happened between the two of them and was almost afraid to see her. He took in a breath and turned to face her. They looked at each other for a while, none of them sure whether to smile or not. He finally broke the silence by speaking. "Hi" Damion said softly and tried to smile but stopped himself. "Can I talk to you, please?"

"You know the rules, Lieutenant." One of the security guards said, putting his hand on his shoulder.

Damion looked over to him and then back to Ronnie. "Come on, Guy's. Its a holodeck. I'm not going anywhere. Can I please talk to my girlfriend?"

"Limited Interaction, Sir." The Second guard spoke up.

Ronnie saw Damion approach her and took a deep breath, bracing herself for whatever might come next. "Hello, Damion."

"At least you still know my name. I was afraid you were gonna resort to calling me Lieutenant for the rest of my time here." Damion took a breath and added a small laugh as he cleared his throat. "I'm sorry about how I have been acting lately. Of everyone I have hurt with the way I have been acting, I regret hurting you the most of all. I know lately I haven't been myself, but the way I feel for you has never changed. I hope, how you feel for me, hasn't changed either."

"If you don't like the way you're behaving, then why do it?" she asked quietly.

Damion stood there looking at her and then sighed. "Medication." He said, knowing full well it was a lie but he had to tell her something. "Starfleet Medical had to cook up a new batch. My body got used to the one I was on already and it didn't work as well. I have to deal with how I was acting and now I am atoning for it." He slowly held his hand out to her, hoping she would take it. "You mean everything to me, Ronnie. You know what. One day I am hoping I won't need this anymore and we can settle down somewhere and have a life together."

(To be continued...)

Lieutenant JG Anthony "Shade" Benge
Assistant Chief Intelligence Officer

Commodore Samantha York
Commanding Officer

Sergeant Amarylis Beckinsale
Marine

Lieutenant Damion Raine
Chief Intelligence Officer

Lieutenant JG Ronnie Lancaster
Assistant Chief Science Officer

 

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