A New Horizon

Posted on Fri Jun 19th, 2015 @ 11:48am by Lieutenant Commander Gaelan Tor & Commander Adara Gunnar

Mission: Further Challenges
Location: USS Copernicus

* Pacifica - Two Weeks Ago *

Tor shifted on the lounge chair beneath the palm tree and adjusted her sunglasses. A young man in a swimsuit stopped to offer her a fresh towel and she smiled, reminded of hers and Adara's favorite holodeck program. The thought of Adara pulled her mind from the young man to the transfer order that still waited for Tor's acceptance.

She had been on Pacifica exactly one week and the offer had come through the day after she arrived. As usual, Adara seemed to know just what she needed. Her week away from the station had saved Tor's sanity. Her life there had started off on a rosy path that had fast descended into a hell she would never have imagined and from which she was still trying to recover. She had done her best to stay, now that the ordeal was over, but no peace was to be found there. She'd requested leave to come here, to Pacifica, to try and get her head on straight. What it had done was show her that being far away from ground zero was the only way she could begin to pick up the pieces of her life and put them back together.

She had to make a clean break from it all, including the man she'd promised to give the rest of her life. It also meant saying goodbye to Tobin, a man she'd loved since she was a child, had lost for three years due to the vagaries of Trill joining rules, then found again when he lost one symbiont and gained another. Except it had been too late and she was already involved when he'd arrived. They had adjusted, however, and settled into a comfortable friendship. He was happy where he was and knew nothing of the horrors Tor had lived through, thanks to the compassion of a JAG officer who'd understood the need for silence and had kept her name out of the news.

She thought again of Adara's offer and knew that it was the best move for her. It would take her just about as far away from the past months as she could get - the Delta Quadrant and a new colony. And if she left from here, she wouldn't have to return and explain herself to anyone. It was, perhaps, the coward's way out but she didn't care. Now that she'd had a week away, she knew she could never set foot back on that station. She couldn't stay where the reminders of all that had happened, both to her and to save her, were ever fresh. They would look for her, of course, but she could request her location be classified for her own security. Given the events she had just lived through, Starfleet had a lot of making up to do and would easily grant the request.

She reached for her towel and bottle of water, then rose. It was time to call Adara.

* USS Copernicus - The Present *

Tor sat on a sofa before the panoramic portal in the observation lounge. She held a cup of coffee and her feet were propped up on a low table before her. Two weeks this trip had taken from Pacifica and every light year that passed had loosened her tension just a little bit more. Having Adara along for the ride had been like a breath of fresh air for her, someone to make her laugh, distract her, listen when needed. It had also been quiet. Starfleet had given her no trouble over her request to keep her whereabouts unknown except to her new CO and the Admirals present in the Delta Quadrant. The crew of the colony, whoever they might be, would know when they arrived but that could be handled as needed.

Hearing the doors slide open behind her, she looked back over her shoulder and smiled, seeing Adara.

“Get all your business done?”

"Yup. Our colony design guy and his team have an idea for a park, complete with a pond and a dog park."

“That sounds lovely.” Tor smiled up at Adara. “We always enjoyed the park…” That we meant Fritz and that was not somewhere she wanted to go mentally. “Have a seat and let’s compare some notes. I got a transmission from Starfleet with some requests that were routed through them. I’m curious how many messages you’ve received from Tobin demanding to know where I went, then I’ll share.”

Adara looked down at the spot where Cody would normally sit next to her; she missed the dog. "Tobin.... He, ah, contacted me day before yesterday, worried that you've dropped off the map. I told him I didn't know where you were. At that moment it was true: I didn't know whether you were in the shower, the mess hall, a holosuite...." She shrugged. "What requests have you gotten?"

“Starfleet received four from him and too many to count from Fritz, most of those growing increasingly irate when the previous answers were ‘that’s classified’. I’ll deal with him eventually, just not now. I can’t.” Tor, too, looked at the empty spot beside Adara. “I hope he’s okay.”

"Fritz?" Adara's brow wrinkled as she looked up at Tor. "Oh, you mean Cody. He's fine. It's just stasis, right? Still, it's lonely without him around. Sometimes I forget how great it is to have his goofy face smiling up at me." She laughed. "I'm glad you're here - otherwise, I'd be really lonely, since Isi's transfer hasn't come through yet either."

“Well it won’t be long.” Tor patted Adara’s hand and smiled once more. “And you’ll have him and Cody smiling up at you.” She laughed briefly at the joke. “Do not tell Isi I said that. He'll think I'm calling him a dog.”

That made Adara snort with laughter. "I won't tell him that." She sobered considerably and asked, "Was there something about Fritz that had you running away?"

Tor visibly tensed at the question but finally, she answered. “Yes.” That single word was so quiet it went almost unheard. “When he found out what was happening, he was so careful not to push but…he wanted so much to take away my fear that….” She fell silent and sat, fidgeting with her coffee mug. “I think it would always have been there between us.” That wasn’t what she had started to say but it was, itself, the truth.

She wasn't going to apologize for prying; she had intended to do just that. But she wasn't going to push. Eventually, Tor would find her balance. Adara hoped Tobin would be there for her when she was ready; that was on reason she'd requested Tobin for the Colony. "Oh, did I tell you that Antos Lev is my XO?"

“Lev? Here?” Tor set the mug back on the table before her trembling fingers spilled it. Clasping her hands together did little to still her fingers and she gripped them tighter together. “He is the one who blocked the Commodore’s transfer order and kept us on the station with all of you. If not for him, I might be….” Dead....the thought rose instantly in her mind. “It will be wonderful to see him, though I am surprised you managed to lure him away.”

"Marsh," Adara said the name like it tasted bad. It was good the man was dead, otherwise, he'd have a line of otherwise very law-abiding Starfleet Officers looking to kill him. "So, yeah, he's here. I think he looks forward to getting a Colony up and running. I know I am."

“And Isi of course. Starting a new colony’s exciting. From what I understand, I’ll be busy as well. The rebel activity in that area may keep me on my toes.” Tor looked down at her hands and consciously separated them. They were still enough now that she trusted herself to pick up her coffee once more. “You and Lev will be a good team.”

"We'll all be a good team. We've worked together before, some of us. And, yes, I look forward to having Isi here. Funny how he turned down the transfer without talking to me and I accepted it without talking to him. Oops," she laughed. "At least that's been straightened out."

“Good.” Tor reached over to take Adara’s hand. “You may never know how much I appreciate your offer. I also don’t want you to worry. My personal life may be in ruins, but it won’t affect work. I think being busy may be the best thing.”

"I agree. And if I thought you ever let your personal life interfere with work, I might not have asked for you," Adara smiled at Tor. "Maybe this assignment will help ease some of ...that situation."

“I hope so, Adara, I most certainly hope so.” Tor smiled briefly and decided to change subjects. “How soon will we reach 900?”

"Another ten hours or so. Feel like going for a jog?" Cody would have been her running partner, but.... he was sleeping this trip.

“I would, but I need to change first.” Tor gave her a smile and stood. “It will help pass the time. Suddenly I can’t wait to get there.”

***********************
Commander Adara Gunnar
Codeless

Lt. Commander Gaelan Tor
Traveling Icognito