Off On A Journey

Posted on Wed Feb 17th, 2016 @ 11:57pm by Captain Li Hawke & Lieutenant Commander Michael Darwin

Mission: Further Challenges
Location: Archadia III

* Archadia III *

As tired as she was, Li found sleep elusive. She had sent Darwin off to his room next door, then crawled into bed. Two hours later, she gave up fighting with her pillow and got up. It hadn’t taken long to grow tired of wandering around her room so she had put her shorts and shirt back on and slipped out. Thanks to the trip to Eden, and sharing a room with Darwin, she knew he had a sixth sense when he was asleep that seemed to alert him when someone was trying to be stealthy around him. She referred to it as his ‘up to no good’ sense and so she was careful to walk the opposite direction so as not to pass his door. Not that she was doing anything she shouldn’t but she needed to get outside, get some air, maybe just sit and watch the ocean.

Once outside the inn, she stepped down onto the sand. It was warm as it shifted beneath her feet and that made her happy. It sometimes was the little things that brought you joy when nothing else could, she reflected. She wandered closer to the ocean, stopping just above the high tide line and sat. The breeze was light and warm too, and it ruffled her hair as she sat looking out at the horizon. The moon cast a lambent glow over the water, the reflection shimmering over the breaking waves. The crash of the surf was soothing and she felt the tension began to ebb away. It was timeless, this scene, and for now, she wanted to remain lost in the in-between time. Going back to the station would make it all too real and that was something she couldn’t face just yet.

Closing her eyes, she rested her head on her knees, giving herself up to the sound of the waves, slipping into that meditative state she had often used to block out the world. It also successfully blocked out the whisper of footsteps on the sand behind her.

Several feet behind her, Darwin stopped and stood still, looking up and down the empty beach. He glanced at his watch. By Crane's estimation, the neural inhibitor Darwin had administered earlier would likely be wearing off in the next hour. He had a hypospray in his pocket, just in case Li wanted it again. For now, though, he was willing to sit quietly and let her do her mourning.

Li opened her eyes to look out at the ocean and now, Darwin’s slight shadow on the sand caught her attention.

“I see your sneaky sense is working,” she said. “Or were you watching out the window?”

“Sneaky sense,” he chuckled. “I've seen lots of grief, so I figured you might have a rotten time sleeping tonight. I put a sensor on your door,” he admitted. With that in place, he had been able to sleep, knowing it'd go off if her door opened. It had, and here he was. “I didn't mean to intrude, though.”

“It’s fine.” Li patted the sand beside her. She waited till he sat, then looked over at him. “When was the last time you had a vacation?”

“I don't recall,” he skirted the subject, “It was down here, though. I went hiking and did a bit of rock climbing up in their Revinu mountains to the north of here.”

“That sounds wonderful,” Li replied, her tone wistful. She was silent for a few seconds, then nodded. “We’ll go there. Now... tonight. Or tomorrow morning.”

“You sure?” Darwin looked at her. “I'll need to notify the admirals, C&C, Security. Gilroy is nearly back, so it shouldn't be a problem. We’ll replicate some equipment and you can check in with Piper while we’re up there.”

Li shook her head. “I am not going back to Piper, Dar. I know you promised Earl but it’s not going to happen.”

“Yes it is,” he said simply.

“No it isn’t,” she answered. “I don’t need to be in Piper. I need to...to be anywhere but lying on a bed in sickbay, remembering why I am there.”

“You need to be checked out by one of the doctors - that doesn’t mean they’ll put you in a bed and make you stay there. You aren’t sick, but I told Earl you’d be there, so you’ll be there.”

“I’m not going back right now! You can go if you want but without me!” She jumped to her feet and dashed off down the beach, away from the inn.

“Ah crap...,” Darwin sighed and slumped down where he was. After a moment, he hopped to his feet and tore off after her. “Yes! You! Are!”, he shouted.

“No...I’m...not!!” Her words blew back at him. Too late she realized that since Darwin’s legs were about as long as her entire body, this foot race was not going in her favor.

He caught up to her then slowed down to race alongside her. “How... long... can you.... keep ... this up?”, he huffed at her.

She stopped immediately and watched as momentum carried him a few more steps. “Until you agree,” she said flatly. She propped her hands on her hips and frowned. “I’m not going back up there yet. I want to be anywhere but there, and I want to be anyone but me right now!”

He came back the few steps, working to get his breathing under control. Frowning, he reached out to pull her close for a hug. “I get it, Li, I do. But we are going back up there.”

“Please, Dar,” she whispered. “Just call and tell them we’ll be away and not to ask questions? Tell them I’m fine and promise Earl I’ll have my telepathy shut down till I get back?”

He debated on what to do: honor his promise to Earl and take Li back, exposing her to sympathetic people spouting platitudes and worry or let her run from it till she had a handle on the grief? “Let me call them, then,” he said, tapping his commbadge. He didn't let go of her as he wasn't sure whether he'd be calling for a beam-out or not. He got Earl and explained the situation.

Immediately after, he made another commcall then told Li, “We can transport to the trailhead in the morning.”

“Thank you.” She studied his face a moment, then smiled. “I know this all seems a little crazy, and they likely think I am up on the station. Is this going to get you in trouble? Commander Leroy is a strict one.”

“I hope I'd have a couple of admirals and a captain backing me up,” he replied. “They don't think you're on the Station - they know you're here, with me. Think you could sleep some?”

She slowly shook her head. “No, not really but you need to, don’t you? What if I camp out with you and promise to stay there, will you sleep easier?”

“Camp out with me?” He was glad her telepathy wasn’t going at full-tilt; his had a couple of thoughts about what ‘camping out’ could mean. One was quite inappropriate to be thinking about a superior officer; another involved her sitting in a corner of his hotel room, watching him while he slept. He thought the latter was actually the worse of the two.

“Your room? You know? Sit in the corner, read a book, stare out the window? That way you’ll know where I am and can get some sleep without worrying that I’ve run off.” She tilted her head back to look up at Darwin. “That ok?”

They'd slept in the same room on Eden, so it wasn't like this was new. And she’d said she’d stare out the window, not at him, sleeping. “Fine. Let's head back,” he turned her around in the direction of the hotel and started walking.

They reached the inn and since Li had nothing really to bring with her, bypassed her room and settled on the second bed in Darwin’s room. She had picked up a padd from a shelf but none of the reading materials in it were able to hold her attention. So, she sat on the bed as Darwin climbed back in his. Soon she could hear his soft, regular breathing. He had that admirable ability to fall asleep almost instantly and right now, Li was envious. She wanted nothing more than to shut down for a while and forget the world but it wasn’t happening. Finally, she moved to the window seat and sat watching the waves flow in down on the beach. With the window open just a little, she could hear the surf and it soothed her. When the sun finally brightened the sky at dawn, she slept, and dreamed of nothing.

To Be Continued...

**************
Captain Li Hawke
Lt. Commander Michael Darwin
Getting Away From It All