Off On A Journey - Part II

Posted on Fri Feb 19th, 2016 @ 11:30am by Captain Li Hawke & Lieutenant Commander Michael Darwin & Lieutenant Commander Earl Crane

Mission: Further Challenges
Location: Archadia III

Upon waking, Darwin saw Li was asleep. He moved quietly, hoping not to wake her and made it to the outer room of the suite. There, he stealthily made a few commcalls. “Earl, yeah, I know... I woke you last night and now I’m waking you again. Shush! I need you to pay attention for a minute. Geez...” He outlined his plan for Earl. Another call was to C&C and the Security offices, informing them of their status. Yet another call was to Admiral Hawke directly. “Sir, Commander Darwin here. I’m with Li and wanted to assure you she’s fine.”

=^= Darwin? Where are you?=^= Lucius’ voice came over the comm and it was clear he was worried.

“We’re on Archadia, in the capital. We’ve stayed the night in an inn on the beach... you’ve probably seen the place on the way to the palace: Bayside Inn? Li’s sleeping at the moment,” he told him.

=^= Good, it’s about time. Uh, Darwin? How does she seem to you? I’m a little concerned and you need to be aware that she may not quite be herself. =^=

“I’m aware, Sir. I traveled with her to Eden, so I’m hoping I’ll spot any out-of-character-isms. She’s adamant about not returning to the Station just yet. I can’t blame her: here, there’s space to do some grieving; there, no offense, Admiral, she’ll be bombarded by everyone being solicitous and reserved or offering platitudes about greater meanings.” He obviously spoke from experience.

=^= You’re right. You do what you need to, I’ll cover for you if there’s any issues but take the time you need. And know that you have my deepest thanks, Darwin. =^=

“We’ll take the time she needs. And thanks. Gilroy will likely want to skin me when he gets back, since he’ll need to take over immediately,” Darwin said. “I’m reachable if you need to contact Li.”

=^= Understood. The Hammond will be landing any time now but I’ll get him up to speed. Call if you need anything. Hawke out. =^=

“Calling Dad?” Li’s voice came from behind Darwin as she stood, lounging in the doorway.

“Augh!” He yelped and jumped up to turn and look at her. “Don’t be sneaky and listen in on conversations!” He straightened his shoulders and added, “Yes, calling dad - um... your dad. So that we don’t worry him to... o much.” He’d nearly said, ‘to death.’

Li nodded. “It’s okay, he needs to know that things are under control here. Well, they aren’t really, but I’m glad you let him think so.” She rubbed her eyes and then slipped into Darwin’s mind. He’s afraid I’ll loose it, isn’t he?

“I suppose. You’d know better than I do,” he said. “Feel like packing up and heading up the mountain?” Now that he had the Admiral’s go-ahead, Darwin felt much better about doing this.

She nodded slowly. “I need some clothes. And another shot. Trust me, you want me to do that.”

“I’ve got that,” he went into the bedroom and returned with the hypospray. He administered the shot then set about checking the items in the two packs he’d had beamed down while Li replicated clothes. An hour later, they were standing on a bare patch of ground, looking around at the trees on one side and a series of beaten pathways leading off into brush on the other. Beyond the brush, rising along the horizon, was a ridge of mountains, their peaks white with snow. Darwin took a deep breath and smiled.

“It’s gorgeous,” Li whispered. “I forget how much I love the outdoors since I’m on the station all the time. I never minded the away missions, though he did. He wanted me home more and maybe I should have been. Hindsight, huh?” She hoisted the pack onto her back and settled it in place. “Ready?”

“20/20,” he agreed and set off. As they hiked, he occasionally checked a GPS device and their time. He kept up a steady pace and, soon after noon, called a break for lunch. “Let’s rest here a bit. You doing okay?”

“I am.” She flashed him a warm smile. “Once we go back, you’ll have to join Leto and me for a dinosaur hunt.” A memory rose suddenly and she closed her eyes. “I’d just come from one particularly rough one the day I first met Sakkath. Clothes ripped all to hell….I went into the lounge on the Berkeley and he was sitting there. What a sight I must have been….I almost spilled my drink and he reached out to stop the glass. Our fingers touched and it was as if we’d both been shocked. I made a rapid retreat.”

“Love at first shock?”, he joked, smiling slightly. He took a seat on a convenient log and pulled out a packet of protein bars. “Have one,” he told her, “and remember to hydrate.” As he spoke, transporter harmonics sounded nearby.

A moment later, Earl came crashing through the underbrush. “Darwin! I think your coordinates were a bit off!”, he griped.

“You might think that...,” Darwin mused, grinning. “We’re where we’re supposed to be.”

“Hmmphf.” Earl grumped.

Li had been reaching for the protein bar and stopped as Earl appeared. She turned her stormy gaze on Darwin. “What have you done??”

“Hey, Mohammed refused to go to the mountain, so I brought the mountain to Mohammed,” Darwin said around a mouthful of protein bar. “Don’t be churlish about it and I’ll refrain from being unctuous.” His grin was a bit smug.

“Bite me,” was Li’s crude response. “But later.” She crossed her arms and looked back at Earl. “So, what is it? You can see I’m fine, not a complete wreck or in hysterics. Darwin’s fed me some Lexorin and I am good to go. This Mohammed is going to the mountains...those mountains.” She pointed at the range in the distance.

Earl, who’d been trying to scrape something off of his shoe, stopped and looked where she was pointing. “That makes me tired just looking at it. That range is days away!”

“Just today and another day of hiking, during which the grade goes up, then we’ll hit our first ravine,” Darwin said.

“I think the transporter chief transported me right into a pile of wild animal--”

“Doc, wanna check out Li’s vitals?” Darwin stopped him.

“Yes, yes, hold your pack animals. Li,” Earl moved towards her, using a tricorder to read her. “Lexorin levels are good. Darwin, I’ll leave a few doses with you. Administer them once a day, unless, Li, you want it less often.”

“Got it,” she answered. “Today’s will wear off about the time we stop for the night. We’ll see then how I feel. Everything look okay?” She made an effort to curb her irritation. It wasn’t usual for her, especially where Earl was concerned. None of this was his fault after all. She narrowed her eyes at Darwin however.

“You check out just fine, otherwise, Li. Darwin, keep it up,” Earl smiled and tapped his commbadge. In a moment, he was gone.

“Hey, you’re the one that said you weren’t going up there. I kept my promise, sort of. And Earl wasn’t patronizing. All’s good.” He took another bite and sat chewing it as his gaze went to the mountains.

“You’re sneaky, Darwin,” she shot back. “What else aren’t you telling me? Who’s next? Gilroy? Jackson? My mother? Please tell me it’s not my mother or we’ll fight.”

He laughed out loud then shook his head. “No, no one else, I promise. Particularly not your mother. Can you imagine her out here in the wilderness?”

Li rolled her eyes. “No way.” She finished off her bar and drank some water. “Alright, I’m ready when you are. Earl thinks this trip is punishing, maybe that’s what I need.”

“Yeah, remember how old Earl is, though.” He stood and shouldered his pack. “Onward we go....” He led the way.

* Nightfall *

They had made good time and as Li had predicted, the pace they had set and the incline had made for a punishing hike. By the time they stopped, both were dusty and bathed in sweat from the long trek in the sun. In short order, Darwin had gathered up wood and had a most inviting fire going. Li had taken care of setting up the small tent on the one flat area after clearing out the rocks. Finally, she splashed her face clean with water and settled on a log he’d drawn up by the flames.

“I am exhausted and that’s good,” she said softly. “Maybe I’ll sleep tonight and not keep you awake tossing and turning.” She brushed back her hair and closed her eyes. It had grown chilly and she appreciated the fire’s warmth.

“If you do toss and turn, don't go wandering in the dark. We haven't seen any today, but there are some wild cat-type animals in the area. They hunt at night and have attacked hikers,” he warned her as he stirred a pot on the fire. “Depending upon our pace tomorrow, we should get to the ravine in the afternoon. There's a pond down there and we’ll camp for the night.” A moment later, he stopped some of the stew in the pot into a bowl and handed it to Li. He ate from the pot.

“Good to know.” She watched Darwin in silence, wondering at his willingness to drop everything to go wander Archadia with her and stand stalwart at her side. Watching him now, real life seemed so very far away and she was glad. Real life was, for the moment, too painful to even think about. She had never been one to openly show the strong emotions that came with being Betazoid, and her years with Sakkath had only strengthened that tendency to keep everything private. Now, in the middle of nowhere, those self-imposed limits vanished, blown away in the face of a tragedy that stripped her down to her true nature. She closed her eyes once more and was in Darwin’s thoughts before she realized the lexorin had worn off.

His thoughts were mundane: at the top, he thought of the ‘pond’ they'd reach tomorrow. It was one of his favorite places and the last time he'd been there, he'd spent two days lounging in the sun and water. Part of why he liked it was that the Station's transporters and comms couldn't reach to the bottom of the ravine; something in the rocks lining the ravine walls.

Deeper, he worried about ...everything: Li's loss of Sakkath, that Gilroy had witnessed his death, that Oz and Iggy had been assimilated, that Carter and the others were on the Kohana. He wondered whether Iggy would be available for their monthly movie night; he'd been thinking about showing her a movie called “Eight Legged Freaks”, but now thought that might not be appropriate.

His thoughts also turned toward Edana. He was glad he'd nixed the idea of her joining them. Ed tended towards the talkative side; he sometimes initiated sex just to make her stop forming words. He glanced at Li and the caveman in him noticed Li as a sexual being. He suddenly wished Ed were there - though he was glad she wasn't as well.

“So which is it?” Li asked. “Are you glad or not?” She was referring to Edana.

He nearly dropped his dinner. Recovering, he frowned at her. “The medication is wearing off, huh? Do you want another dose?”

“Not yet.” She studied him in silence for several seconds. Darwin’s thoughts gave her something else to focus on besides the emptiness in her own thoughts. “Well? Your situation with her is... complicated I see.”

He shook his head. “Not really. The sex is good, we’re enjoying each other and we have a mutual assignment, so it works out. The rumor mill has it that Ed's paid for by Suresh as my ‘bonus’ for looking the other way.” He laughed.

“I see.” Darwin’s other thought regarding Li herself floated to the top and she smiled. “I’m flattered. Most don’t see me that way….well, there was one, but it has passed I think.” She didn't really want to get into the idea of her relationship with a Vulcan….there was something complicated.

This time, his cheeks burned and he hoped the color from the fire would make it unnoticeable. “Ah... Well..,” he cleared his throat, “It's not a thought I try to have about women who are my superior officers.”

“Most everyone thinks the way you do. It might lead to a lonely life going forward.” That was the Betazoid coming out in her and she frowned a moment. It was also something she wasn’t in the habit of discussing with anyone, so the fact that it came out so easily surprised her.

He chewed on that for a moment. “I said I try. Didn't say I was successful. Although, I could make the argument that, right now, you're not in my chain of command, so you're not a superior officer.” He grinned at her.

“Is this like the trip to Eden? We were close then, but when we returned…..it changed.” She continued, this time in his head. I always regretted that loss.

“You didn't lose that. It's just that, usually, we see each other in public and I don’t... I'm not sure it's a good idea for me to be seen being friendly with you, considering the reputation I'm getting in the Pit,” he said.

“There is that...though I’m sometimes seen in the Pit with Suresh.” She continued to brush Darwin’s thoughts and finally smiled. “You are a complicated man, Darwin. I think you need this vacation as much as I do.”

He nodded and sighed. “I needed one before Gilroy got called out to rescue Oz, especially after that trip with Niro. I wanted to kill him, Li. Nearly did on the way back but Six....” He knew she could see that memory if she wanted to. He chuckled. “This is not how I imagined my vacation, though.”

“Me either but I’m glad it’s you. I think the big worry for me is that with him gone, I’ll fade away….become nothing more than the XO. That it will be nothing but work, no private life, and no passion, even though now there are no restraints.”

“Weren't you...,” he hesitated, wondering how to phrase it, “You're Betazoid, Li. Your dad is worried that you won't be yourself. I'm not sure what he meant by that. But you've got passion in you. Being married to Sakkath might have... mm..., tamed? that a bit.”

“Dad certainly thinks so,” she agreed. “It’s difficult to explain but there was so much there that was mental and spiritual but….” she stopped and frowned, not wanting to say something that might be seen as a criticism of her husband. “Sometimes it was problematic for me. One situation in particular.” She opened up her memories to Darwin, replaying a scene with the old Suresh - the night they had arrested Suresh and shaved his head. It was the night he had held Li close hoping to comfort her. “He was a difficult situation. He got too close.”

“He was a problem all around.” When she'd started to say that Sakkath was there mentally and spiritually, he thought for a moment that sex - physical intimacy was going to be the downfall. He hadn't expected Suresh to be part of that issue. “I... I didn't know he was that much of a problem,” he added quietly.

“For me, yes. I never did anything I shouldn’t have but it would have been too easy and for that I will always feel guilty. What I did for Suresh, to keep him under control? Wasn’t just good for him.” She looked away, avoiding Darwin’s gaze. “That’s really why I pulled out of that operation, not because of my promotion. I had to.”

“What did you do for that Suresh?” He hadn't been in on that operation.

“This.” She faced Darwin once more and in an instant, a wave of pleasure swept through him that was almost overwhelming. It kept coming, washing through him and seeming to have no end, threatening to drown him. “Now you know,” she whispered.

Darwin sat silent for a moment; after just tiny taste of that, no longer having it left him bereft. Swallowing, he stood suddenly and moved to just outside the firelight’s reach. “Holy gods, Li,” he whispered as he ran his hands through his hair. “Don't....” Suddenly he laughed and asked, “You can do that but you think you'll be without passion?”

“I don’t use it.” She watched him carefully now. “Tell me honestly, you’ve only had one shot and what would you do to have it back?”

He came back into the light, his dark eyes reflected the fire. “Nothing,” he said seriously. “Don't ever do that to me again. I can see... feel... why someone would want that, but it's a drug and easy to get lost in.”

“He did. I almost did.” She shrugged finally. “I never told anyone till now.” She looked up at him and gave him a sad smile. “You know a lot of things now that no one else does. The only one who did is gone.”

He sat next to her and pulled her into a one-arm embrace. “It's okay. Until you tell someone else, no one else will know. Ready for some sleep?”

“I think so. No wandering in the woods, I promise.” She rose, then touched his cheek and crawled into the tent.

It was a surprisingly long time before Darwin slept, but once he got to sleep, sunrise was the next thing he saw.

************
Lt. Commander Michael Darwin
Captain Li Hawke
Lt. Commander Earl Crane