We meet again

Posted on 18 Jan 2025 @ 11:51pm by Lieutenant T'Lara Ahmad & Captain Bane Plase

2,802 words; about a 14 minute read

Mission: Shoreleave and Reassignment
Location: Mess Hall
Timeline: Shoreleave

T’Lara stood at the large transparent aluminum viewport and looked out at the damaged exterior of Cygnus and a strange sense of dismay took a hold of her. It was distressing to observe the current state of the ship, even with the repairs ongoing. Was this simply the possessive nature of the engineer to their ship or was it something else?

Her thoughts—and emotions—had been so chaotic since awakening in a medical bay of the space station. The Cygnus team were able to keep her alive long enough to obtain specialized medical care. A most ideal outcome. She had been released, cleared to return to duty. Recovered…but different, somehow. Time had been taken. T’Lara still had not recovered her memories on Cygnus prior to waking up on the deck of main engineering.

Sighing heavily in a very un-Vulcan-like manner, T’Lara pushed away and walked a bit more to board a small shuttle which would usher her back to her ship. It wasn’t an overly long ride, and it gave her a moment to sit and regain her strength. Physical therapy was still necessary for ongoing restrengthening of the affected side of her body. It was physically exhausting, recovering from this particular injury. Not that her physical state factored into what she wanted to accomplish today. As long as her energy held out, T’Lara wanted to inspect main engineering and do a generalized walk-through of the ship to see which areas had already been repaired and refurbished, and to see how much more was left to do…but first…

It wasn’t often that T’Lara’s stomach growled. However, her normally regimented world had been rather upended, and an adequate intake of sustenance had been impacted. Hopefully the mess hall would be functional; she did not recall reading that the space had taken any damage of significance.

It was functional, thankfully, and she carefully made her way to the main bank of replicators and ordered several items to consume before taking the now filled tray over to a table by the ship viewports and took a seat.
She looked down at her tray, satisfied with her selections. Oatmeal with dried berries and chopped nuts, plain yogurt, and a half of an Earth citrus fruit--inexplicably named a ‘grapefruit’--also occupied a small bowel. Finally, there was a mug of hot tea, Darjeeling today, perched on the upper corner of the tray. Unrolling a square cloth that served to protect her clothing, she placed it in her lap and picked up her spoon and began to consume the first ‘real’ meal since being released from medical.

Bane stood in front of her for a moment, holding his own tray, before realizing she was too engrossed in her food to notice him. Politely, he asked, "May I join you?"

T'Lara blinked and looked up, having been drawn out of her thoughts by the voice of...Her brows furrowed as she furiously tried to match the voice--and the face--to a name. Ah, yes.

"Captain Bane. Of course. Please sit."

The Captain smiled and sat down, placing his tray down gently, along with the cup of liquid he was carrying. Noticing she was looking at the liquid, he commented. "It is called 'root beer.' Non-alcoholic. I hear it is a delicacy. He picked it up and brought it to his nose and inhaled, then coughed in surprise. "The fizz gets to you," he exclaimed jovially.

"Root beer..." T'Lara repeated as she looked at the dark brown, bubbling liquid. "I have never heard of such a drink. Is it Bajoran in origin?" Reaching out, she picked up a spoon and took a bite of the oatmeal. T'Lara did not have any qualms eating and talking at the same time - if her training as an engineer hadn't taken that inefficient Vulcan social more out of her, then being raised by a human from her teen years up, did. Malik Ahmad had engaged with her in a lot of conversations during mealtime.

He took another sip out of it and smiled. It was quite delicious. "It's not, and you know, I don't know where it originated from. Based on the name, I would guess Ferenginar. You should try it sometime."

The Vulcan woman tilted her head in manner that conveyed something non-verbally. "Why?" She posited simply after Bane did not respond to her gesture, belatedly realizing that few off-worlders knew the intricacies of Vulcan communication. It was the same for every alien, really...all had unique methods of conveying information.

"Why should you try it? Because it is quite delicious. It is, surprisingly, vile at first, I must admit. However, it is coy, has a way of growing on you. Before you know it, its all you crave and want. It is almost insidious, delightfully so."

"Vile. At first." T'Lara looked puzzled. "Why would you continue to consume something that was so unsatisfactory? Was it the only liquid you had available to consume, and as a matter of adaptability developed an affinity for it?" That was something she did understand somewhat. Upon being placed with Commander Malik Ahmad years ago after her parent's death he prepared many meals of dubious provenance which she consumed out of necessity.

Plase laughed. "You know, that is a very good question. I guess Bajorans aren't all that smart," he quipped humorously. "It obviously is not the only drink available. I guess I mean that it is vile, not so much in the taste, but in the coyness of it. It is so....bubbly and happy. It can be off-putting to some species, Bajorans among them. I guess that is why the Ferengi like them so much, and why they developed it," he said smartly. "Make the drinker forget all their troubles and enjoy the moment. A very Ferengi thing to do, I think. You really should try it. I think you would enjoy it."

T'Lara raised a brow. She did not know where to even begin with what Bane just said. Perhaps it was 'best' to simply let it what the captain said...slide. Bringing her attention to the glass that held a dark brown, bubbling liquid, she inwardly 'sighed.' Best to get this exploration over with. "Excuse me for one moment, please." She said in response, standing and walking over to replicator and procured a glass of this 'root beer,' and returned to the table.

She lifted the glass and sniffed at the bubbling liquid and shuddered as the bubbles--and strange aroma--tickled her nostrils. This was a bad idea...nonetheless, she brought the glass up and took a tentative sip.

It was sweet, so very sweet, but with a slightly spicy flavor, with a subtle cream undertone. It was herbaceous, and bizarre...but the carbonation was a fascinating additive. "It is quite sweet." T'Lara said in commentary after her experimental sip.

The Captain smiled while he watched her experiment with the drink. She was Vulcan, so there was very little to go on with how she felt about it, but he had been in Starfleet long enough to know that she didn't hate it. "It is that, for sure." He took a bite of his food. "How goes the healing process," he asked, fork still in hand, motioning to the Vulcan's head.

"I am...healing." T'Lara's response was somewhat hesitant. "I was cleared today by Starbase medical to return to Cygnus." She took another sip of the root beer and crinkled her nose slightly as the carbonation burned for a second after swallowing. It gave her a moment to consider her next words. "I have sustained retrograde amnesia, Captain. I do not remember much of my time here before my head injury."

Plase blinked at her for a second, fork suspended in space between his mouth and the plate. He knew she had been hurt badly, but this was really bad. He sat his fork down with a clink, then wiped his mouth, time enough that he hoped this was some sort of sense of humor that she had been working on developing, and failing that, for him to select his next words carefully. "That is awful, T'Lara. I am very sorry to hear that. Very sorry indeed. Uh...do you remember your Starfleet training, or your assignments prior to this ship? Do you remember me and our conversations and friendship? I guess what I am trying to say is, what do you remember?"

The Vulcan woman looked down at her food for a moment before answering. "When I regained consciousness after sustaining my head injury, it was like waking up in a completely unfamiliar place. I do not remember you at all, other than what interactions we have had since the explosion. My training does not appear to be impacted, just my memories regarding serving here."

"MMMmm," Bane responded, looking down at his food. They ate in silence for a bit before Bane continued. "It is good you have been cleared to go back to duty, but the Cygnus is currently being refitted," then he chortled, "More like being rebuilt after everything that happened." He then realized he had inadvertently circled back to her not remembering what had happened. "Uh, what I mean to say is, you should take some time instead to visit Calisto, the planet down below," he referred to the planet hanging a short distance away from them, which they could see through the transparent aluminum windows that encircled them, and beyond the battered hull of their ship. "Breath-taking beauty, isn't it?"

T'Lara turned her attention to the viewport to observe the planet in question, understanding that the captain was changing the subject. She did not 'blame' him for that. What did one say when they heard their subordinate did not remember anything regarding their time here on Cygnus?

"The visual aesthetics are agreeable, yes...I had not considered doing that." She had been too focused at getting back aboard during the initial stages of recovery and trying to get re-familiarized with her life. Visiting the planet seemed...incongruous, somehow - and the thought of going alone was not enticing to the normally independent engineer. Realizing that she had stopped eating, T'Lara returned to the consumption of her oatmeal.

"I hear a bunch of people are going down there in the next several days. There is a settlement, really a large village, called Elysia that is about to have a festival of some sort. It might help if you went with some of the people from the ship instead of working on the Cygnus," he said, thumbing in the direction of the ship beyond their artificial environment, "With a bunch of yard engineers and starbase personnel that you do not know. It might help your memory some," he said, hopeful. "Commander Bast has made a remarkable recovery and is planning on going. You and he were good friends, too. Lieutenant Seitha is also going."

"I see..." T'Lara said considering the captain's suggestion logical. She could not very well close herself away while she recovered. It would also satisfy the physical therapy requirements as well. "If you believe it would be beneficial, I will go down the Calisto's surface."

Plase nodded. "I do think it would be good." He took a bite of his food and chewed it before continuing. "Have you heard any updates about our ship?"

T'Lara shook her head. "I have not heard anything. I wanted to have something more palatable than hospital fare before going to main engineering and demanding an update on our repair timeline."

"Same. I have a meeting with a Commodore...uh....Commodore....sorry, I dont remember his name. He is in charge of Starbase Repair and Maintenance. Anyways, I have a meeting with him tomorrow morning about the ship. I'm hopeful I can apply some pressure to have the ship worked around the clock until she is repaired. I don't want us lingering about too long. Starfleet has a way of reassigning idle officers and crew, and I dont want to lose any more people. We have an exceptional crew."

T'Lara tilted her head to the side as she considered his words. "Given the extent of the ship's casualties, no doubt we will receive an influx of new personnel that will, inevitably, change the dynamic of the ship. However, might I remind you that you are our captain. It is your leadership style that sets the tone for the crew."

Vulcan logic, thought Bane. It was always a bit too hard on the nose. "You aren't wrong, about either statement. I know it is my will that dictates how the crew performs. But, the crew is the soul and the heartbeat of the ship. Yes, we will get a lot of new people, but I doubt the feel of the ship will change much. Sure, it will be a bit more rigid at first, but there will come a time, very soon after we leave here, that things will gel once again, and it will be a lot like it was before. Still, that isn't exactly what I meant. We have people like Temerant and Stovek, you and Maralen. Doc Winters and Counselor Morak and Lieutenant Ziyal that will be the backbone of the ship, the shoulders in which all the rest of the crew will sit upon, from which I can perform my duty as the Captain."

"Ah." T'Lara responded; using the sub-vocal oscillation to acknowledge Bane's words. It appeared that he too was affected by the uncertainty of all of this. "Your expectations are clear, captain. I shall endeavor to exceed them."

Finishing the last bite of his food, Bane had to laugh. "You always do, Lieutenant. Remember on the mission to The Commonwealth how you worked for hours getting their telenetwork system back up and running so we could find out what happened to their civilization? You certainly exceeded all of our expectations then. Commander Larsen put you in for that award you got, did you know that?"

T'Lara's brows furrowed as she considered what Captain Bane's words. She furiously 'wracked her brain,' trying to coax it to recall the memory that Bane was discussing, but it was an empty blank space. Unfortunate. "I do not recall this, captain. My apologies...and I did not realize that Commander Larsen did such a thing. I am unused to being honored in such a way." She felt unsure, and found it a disagreeable sensation. There was nothing else to be done but to move forward, to re-establish acquaintances on the ship.

Plase paused guiltily. "I am very sorry, T'Lara. It slipped my mind your head injury has made you forget the last few years on the ship. I did not mean to make you feel badly about that. It will take all of us some time to get used to it. Have you looked through your own personal logs, and the ship logs to see if you could jog your memory? Also, what are the doctors saying about your memory returning?"

"Your apology is acknowledged however it is unnecessary, Captain. The medical staff have tested my cognition and my technical knowledge appears intact. They have informed me that it could return in time and to be...patient. I haven't considered looking through my personal logs. I have been rather preoccupied with the status of my...ah...the ship."

The Captain smiled, his eyes full of good-natured humor. "You always did refer to it as your ship. I suppose, if you are amenable to it, we could share," he teased her.

"I do not know how 'good' of a partner I would be. I can be somewhat territorial over that which I have designated as 'mine, however I am willing to compromise. I answer to you, after all." T'Lara's eyes widened at her own comment. What she had just uttered was very un-Vulcan-like.

The Captain laughed again. "That's the spirit! Anyways, take some time to get down to Calisto to visit Elysia. We have the time, so I want to make sure you get all the R&R time you can get. I will tell Commander Bast to keep you on light duty for the next few weeks so you can continue to heal, and again, to get that time in Elysia."

T'Lara struggled with the new knowledge that she would be forced to continue her idleness, but she wasn't about to argue with the captain. "Aye sir." She answered formally. It was an order after all.


OFF


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Lieutenant T'Lara Ahmad
Chief Engineer
USS Cygnus

&

Bane Plase, Captain
USS Cygnus, Commanding

 

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