Rendezvous

Posted on Wed Sep 16th, 2015 @ 11:16pm by Captain Li Hawke & Lieutenant Riley Sukotav & Lieutenant Raj Amani & Lieutenant Commander Leto & Admiral Ricky Wegener & Lieutenant Bryce Kendrick & Ensign Leela Carter & Ensign Reva Madhava & Robart & Desta
Edited on on Thu Nov 5th, 2015 @ 9:56pm

Mission: Further Challenges
Location: OSN Kyllini / Valhalla Colony

* OSN Kyllini *

After appeasing her stomach, Reva had slept, hard, curled in Riley's arms, her head tucked against his chest. She was woken by a voice over Riley's commbadge:

"Lt. Sukotav, we are approaching Cha'ru. We'll be in geosynchronous orbit over the Colony Valhalla in ten minutes. Robart asks that you be ready to beam to the planet."

She shifted, gripping his shirt a little tighter before looking up at him with one eye. "Few more minutes?", she mumbled.

He had to laugh at the question. “Sorry, sweetheart, but it’s time to go. We’ll get down to the colony and get you some normal clothes, another meal and you can sleep some more if you wish.”

"Robart has a terrible fashion sense," she said and let him get up. She followed him, pulling her fingers through her hair. "I really want to see what warp ten is like. And check the engines out."

“There will be time later,” Riley answered. “He will be back at 900 before long.” Hurriedly, he gathered up what little he’d brought and stuffed it into the bag. He slung it over his shoulder, then took Reva in his arms. “At least you’ll be one of the first to see the new colony. After you’ve gotten some more sleep, have Tobin show you all the hardware.”

"Yeah," she nodded and yawned. Impulsively, she stretched up and kissed him then let him direct her to the transporter room.

The call had reached Raj in the small lounge where he’d taken up residence after securing Desta in his room. She had seemed wary of being left alone and so he’d sat watch until she had dropped off to sleep. He’s also grabbed a short nap and was up having coffee as they approached Valhalla.

He hurried off to his quarters and opened the door, trying to be quiet. His first step into the room had pulled her immediately from sleep and she sat up at attention, fear in her eyes. Seeing him, she relaxed and gave him a slight smile.

“Raj. What do you want of me?’ The words came out automatically, a rote recitation.

Raj shook his head and the thought came that he had a lot of work to do with this young woman. “I actually just came to wake you. We’ve reached the colony and are ready to transport down.” Like Riley had, he packed his bag, then turned back to Desta. “Ready to go?” As he saw the wariness in her eyes, he smiled and offered his arm. “It’ll be fine. Trust me.”

She rose and clung to his arm tightly. “I do,” she answered. The idea of the colony frightened her but she drew strength from Raj and his certainty. “As long as I am with you.”

Raj opened the door and they hurried out to the transporter room.

Robart met the four in the transporter room. “Cyllene,” he bowed slightly as he greeted her, “The Kyllini will be departing as soon as you are on the surface. As I told you earlier, we will return to the Starbase shortly, perhaps in as little as a week. Until I return, stay close to Lt. Sukotav.”

Reva glanced up at Riley and smiled slightly then nodded to Robart. “As much as I can, okay. But why the rush to leave?”

He see-sawed one hand side-to-side and said, “We have cargo to deliver.” Truth was, he and his crew had lifted the cargo from the Fisheries before destroying the ship. One of his crew was inventorying it and they were off to see what income it’d bring in.

Raj stopped by Robart and offered his hand. “You have my deepest gratitude Robart. It’s thanks to you we are going home with these two and reporting good news. Come find me when you get back to 900.”

Robart shook the man’s hand. “I will. You’ve been a good passenger and are welcome here.”

Raj smiled, then turned back to the group. “Alright, let’s get to it.” He motioned to the two women to go first, then followed them onto the pad. Riley stopped to clap Robart on the back, then he too stepped onto the pad. Moments later, the four of them vanished in a swirl of energy.

* Cha'ru, Valhalla Colony *

Oz and Li were back from their walk around the colony and waiting for the foursome to beam down. As they materialized, Oralia spoke first, “Welcome to Valhalla.” She recognized Reva, an easy one to recognize, and Riley, from his recent trouble with Six, and Raj, a counselor for several of her officers. But the fourth..., “Lieutenants, Ensign,” she said, “and...?”

Remaining silent, Reva took Riley’s hand in hers and watched the Captain and Commander. Desta saw Reva’s move and did the same with Raj.

Desta taking hold of Raj got Li’s attention and she glanced to Oz before speaking. “I’m glad to see you here, Ensign Madhava. I’ll confess that we’ve all been worried sick.” Now she turned to Raj. “Counselor Amani?”

Raj stepped down from the transporter pad, using Desta’s hand to help her down, then slipped his hand away to offer it to Reva. “Captain Hawke, Commander Zeferino, I’d like to introduce Desta. We discovered her on the ship with Reva in much the same circumstances.” He left it at that, but looked at Li, who nodded.

“Very well, welcome to Valhalla, Desta.”

Reva had taken hold of Desta’s hand and quietly calmed Desta, enough that she could nod and say, “Thank you... um....”

Oz had seen the look on Desta’s face before, on other women who’d been terrorized and broken down. “Desta, Captain Hawke is second in command on Starbase 900; I’m the Chief of Security. We’ll get you to the starbase and take care of you there. Are either of you injured?”

Both women shook their heads. Reva answered, “Raj... Lieutenant Amani treated my wounds on the Kyllini.”

“That ship already left orbit,” Oz commented, having just seen that message flash on the transporter console.

“In that case, let’s get over to the mess hall. I understand a good meal is in order?” Li asked. And something to get them out of being the center of attention. That one’s shaky. She passed the thought to Oz.

“Yes please!” Reva answered that one, surprising herself both with having spoken up and with how hungry she was.

Smiling, Oralia nodded. “Food, then. Come on, I’ll lead the way.”

Reva glanced up at Riley before letting go of his hand. She then wrapped an arm around Desta and held her hand. “Come on, the replicators can make anything you want. Do you have a favorite food?”

I can choose? Of course I can choose.... I’ll get used to that, she smile faintly at Reva and they followed the dark-haired Security Chief.

“I’ll meet you there Oz, as soon as the rest arrive.” Li watched as they departed, making a mental note to speak with Raj as soon as she had the chance.

Nodding in response, Oz led the group to a crew dining hall. As they entered the hall, she stepped to one side and said, “Lieutenants, could I speak to you two for a moment? Desta, Ensign, please go ahead and get something from the replicators.” As Reva and Desta headed towards a bank of replicators, Oralia said to the two men, “First, leaving on an unknown Orion’s ship? Not smart, gentlemen.” That was as much disapproval as she could show. She couldn’t really reprimand them - for one, neither was in her department; for another, they’d ended up with a good result. “Second, what happened to the slave trader?”

A look passed between Raj and Riley. Finally Riley spoke. “He’s dead. The ship exploded just as we were jumping to warp.” Riley stopped there, wondering if Oz would press for details.

“Good,” she nodded, watching the two women. “When we get back to SB900, we’ll need full statements from both of you and from them, if they can, Lieutenant Amani. Do you think they’ll be able to talk about what happened?”

Raj frowned at the question. “Reva possibly. She appears relatively normal at the moment but that’s common in situations such as this. The relief at being rescued and the adrenaline rush at being free and safe can cause a rise in spirits that makes her appear to be perfectly fine. I expect, once we are home and back to normal routine, the reality may sink in. We’ll take it as it comes. The other, Desta, was on that ship much longer and still hasn’t quite grasped the idea that she’s safe and I am not her new….controller.”

“That was the hand-holding thing?” Oz asked.

Raj nodded. “That’s just a drop in the bucket,” he answered. “She still hesitates to move without permission and she’s still wary of any man aside from Riley and me.”

“Permission?” Oz said the word with disgust. “All right. Ensign Carter and Lieutenant Leto are in charge on the Takei; they’ll be here soon. Let’s join Madhava and....” She paused, her attention drawn across the room.

Across the room, the door opened and four more people entered: a very tall man and two women, all in Starfleet uniforms. Li was with them. She directed the three towards the replicators and joined Oz, Riley and Raj.

“This is turning into a party,” she commented. “Tor and the Admiral are on their way too.”

Nodding, Oz was just about to respond when a clatter of plates and silverware falling to the floor drew everyone’s attention. Reva was trying to hold Desta, who looked to be attempting to duck under a table. Their replicated meals were scattered on the floor. “Desta!” Reva said, not quite shouting, “It’s okay! They’re my crewmates.”

“He’s...,” Desta gripped Reva’s arms and turned wide, frightened eyes on Bryce, “Pash’s size.” She retreated under the table.

“Excuse me,” Raj said to Li and Oz, then hurried over to the table where Desta was hiding. He ducked under and took her hands. “He’s with us Desta. He won’t hurt you I promise. He’s a security officer and it’s his job to protect people like you and me. I know you’re frightened and that’s alright. Why don’t you come out, take it slow? You don’t have to be near him till you get a little more used to things if you don’t want to.”

Nodding slowly, Desta tightened her hold on his hands and let him pull her out. “Okay. You’ll stay by me?” Reva was comforting, but in Desta’s world, males had the power of life and death.

“I will.” Raj moved her away to another table and sat her down. Leto and Leela had begun cleaning up the dishes and food. “Thank you,” he said as the neared the table, then turned back to Desta. “I’ll get you something to eat and then you and Reva can take a look around before we leave if you like.”

"I'll get that, Raj," Reva said, "I know what she ordered. You stay with her." She headed back toward the replicators, stopping to pick up some of the plates and dropped food Leela and Leto had put on a tray. "Thanks."

Leela asked, "She's from Fisher's ship?" Reva nodded, promoting Leela's next question, "How long had she been on it?"

Glancing over at Desta, who was shyly watching everyone else from beside Raj, Reva answered, "Too long." Reva had had only a few days on Fisher's ship; she wasn't sure she'd have survived much longer if Riley hadn't caught up and saved her. She followed Desta's gaze now and saw Admiral Wegener enter the mess hall. "I need to get food. 'Scuse me, Ensign," she skirted around Leela and completed her trip to the replicator.

Li left Riley and caught up with Bryce. “Sorry about that Bryce,” she said softly. “It’s a rather unusual situation. We will brief you, Leela and Leto when we’re done here.”

“Unusual,” he repeated. “That’s what it looked like to me. She’ll be okay?”

“Good question,” Li answered. “She will be returning to 900 with you and Leela and Leto. There will be time for her to adjust to the idea that you aren’t a danger to her. I hate to push but how soon do you expect to be leaving?”

“As soon as they are ready,” Leto answered as she appeared behind Li. “Ensign Madhava and the young woman will be comfortable on the ship and can rest up there while we put some light years into getting home so medical can check them over. Ensign Madhava has that collar to get rid of and that won’t happen till we are home.”

“What she said,” Bryce said with a smirk. “I’d just like to get a bite to eat and I can leave anytime,” he said, this time pointed at Leto. “Can even take a doggy bag to the ship if need be. Just say the word.”

“Good man.” Leto smiled and clapped Bryce on the arm. "I knew I liked you. Let’s go eat.”

As they moved away, Li joined Admiral Wegener. “So what do you think of the place?”

“It’s definitely coming along. I’ll have to make another trip back when it’s completed and maybe hang around a few days.”

“Oz and I were just talking about that.” Li smiled. “The beach got mentioned, though I wonder if Sakkath would bar the doors if all three of us decided to take off together again and leave him holding down the fort.”

"Actually, on that note, I'm going to head back with Carter on the Takei," Oralia told the two.

“Wait--” Rick said, holding up his hand. “There’s a beach?”

“A lot of them,” Li answered. “Do you want to stay over?”

He began nodding, then stopped. “Ah, no. I want to be back home when El returns.” His head wobbled back and forth, like he was a bit uncomfortable, but he had a goofy grin on his face. “I miss her,” he said, stepping closer to Li to deliver the line a bit more privately.

“Whipped,” she whispered and smiled. “Since Oz is leaving with the Takei, we can go as well if you wish?”

“Yeah, sounds good,” he said. “Maybe I should have planned this a bit better, but I am glad I finally got to see the place. Maybe I’ll bring El with me next time, once it’s completed. I think she’d love it here.”

“In that case, I’ll make the preparations. We’ll depart once you’ve finished dinner.” Li smiled and taking Oz’s arm, moved off to the side. “Is there anything you need from me before you hit the road?”

"No, I'm good. I'd like a chance to chat with the two women, casually. Once they're on the Station, that'll be tough. The Orion in charge of that ship is here because Madhava's mother sent him here." She'd had a conversation with Darwin about the man.

“Ohhh...I want to hear about this when I get back. I suppose we’ll see you back at 900 then. If you need us enroute, we won’t be far away.” Li started away, then stopped. “Good luck Oz. You may need it.”

"I hope not," Oz smiled and went over to join Carter, Bryce and Leto.

____________________________
Lt. Bryce Kendrick
Admiral Ricky Wegener
Ensign Reva Madhava
Lt. Riley Sukotav
Desta
Lt. Raj Amani
Robart
Lt. Leto
Ensign Leela Carter
Captain Li Hawke