The Aftermath
Posted on Thu Jan 24th, 2013 @ 8:25pm by Admiral Ricky Wegener & Captain Li Hawke
Mission:
The Struggle Within
Location: Alternate Universe SB900
Timeline: Current
* * * SB900 - Alternate Universe * * *
Things had been crazy to the point of making it impossible to think really, just react. And while the medic had healed up the stab wounds, Li was still rather sore in places and now could add mentally drained on top of that. It had been one thing after another since they arrived. And while it had kept them from thinking too much on their situation, now that help had arrived, with it had come ...hope? Li pondered that and realized that the help that had come was not of her own universe. Even so, it gave them time to breathe as well as think, which was turning out to be a double-edged sword. She gave Suresh some instructions, then put through a call to Ricky.
“How’s it going up there?”
“Much better now,” Rick replied. “The Archan vessels have been pounded into scrap, the weapons on the surface have been taken out and we’re already taking on help from our, uh, their ships.” He paused, making sure he’d given her everything pertinent. “And that’s about it. How are you? You doin’ okay? Things working out alright? ...hungry or anything? Need a nap?” He was trying to bring a little levity to the end of the situation they’d just come through.
“And my blankie,” she answered with a laugh, surprised at how good it felt. Across the room, a snort of laughter came from Suresh as well. “How about taking a short break? Things are under control here for a bit.”
Rick turned to Sakkath who nodded. “I’m on my way. Seems I still have a little pull around here--at least when it comes to break time.” Looking around the command center, they were in good hands. Several more security personnel, command and operations or engineering had arrived to begin bringing 900 back to her former glory. The medical staff had been sent to the arboretum area to check on the personnel there. “Nothing’s open, but how about meeting me on the Promenade? Deck 271. I may be able to scrounge us up something. I’m in the mood for a celebratory feast.”
“Sure, I’m on my way. See you in a few.” Li closed the connection and turned to Suresh. “Call me if you need me.”
“Better believe I will.” Suresh smiled, then turned back to the control panel.
Li had beat Rick to the Promenade since she was much closer. It didn’t take long, however, to find a place that still had power. Rick began frying eggs, bacon, hash browns, toast and replicated some orange juice.
“I hope that’ll work,” he said. “For some reason I’ve been dying for breakfast foods.” He sat the plates down on the table and seated himself across from her. “How’s the wound? You okay?”
“I’ve had worse that got treated slower.” She smiled and drained the orange juice. “I always thought that OJ tasted like sunshine must, if we drank it.” She took their empty glasses and moved over to replicate two more before returning to the table. “Still a bit sore, though, to be honest.”
Letting the yolk from the eggs run into his hash browns Rick took a bite. “I’m glad it wasn’t worse than it could have been,” he said. “I never suspected her of coming after you. Not in the least.”
“I think we all sort of forgot her, you know?” Li looked down at her plate and smiled, seeing the bacon. A memory bobbed to the surface and she shook her head. “Funny, Rhys always cooked bacon for me when I’d return from undercover missions. Doesn’t matter. As for this Isha, we just assumed she was not a threat. Our mistake. Just like with Rhys. He was too close to be suspected.”
“Truth be told, Li,” he said between bites, “I had forgotten all about her, which is a wonder considering who she is to us.” Draining his juice he stood for another glass and refilled Li’s as well. “Now that help has arrived, I’m wondering if they’ll be able to help us get back. And, seriously, can we leave Suresh here? I still hate his guts.”
“I’d be dead if not for him, Ricky. That changes nothing of what he did, though, and he has to answer for all the things he’s done. Leaving him here would allow him to get away with it all.”
He shook his head. “I should have killed him a few days ago.” He jabbed the toast into the yolk and took a bite. “But...I’m sure you don’t want to hear about that. So, what do we do now? The danger has passed, the good guys won and we’re still stuck. Do we have any idea how to replicate what happened to us so that we can get back? And even if we manage to replicate it, how sure are we that we’ll wind up back in our own universe and not random universe number 5,482?”
“That’s the thing, really. We don’t.” Li frowned as she reached for yet another piece of bacon. “There are no guarantees and we could die trying. I think putting our hope in Patrick and his science team is a better bet. Our Patrick. The one here is dead. But we’re in a very strange position. I can’t stay here, no matter how many times Suresh begs me to. He’s not my life. Nor is the Sakkath here and he’s too painful to be around for long at a time. And then there’s Nahi. My brother, a traitor, and killed by a man who looks like my husband. Sorry, that brings back bad memories of when my own tried it under Rhys’ influence. At least he wasn’t in his right mind at the time.”
With a nod Rick replied, “I can see how leaving as soon as possible would be better for you. I’m not at all comfortable with several things here, not the least of which is that we’re dead, but I know it’s much worse for you.” He put his hand on hers and patted it. “We have some smart people working on it, I’m sure. We’ll get back and things can go back to normal for us.”
“Eventually, yes. Ricky,” she paused a moment, looking back at him. “What happens if we don’t get back? How long do we wake up every morning hoping, and at the end of the day, lose just a little of that when it doesn’t happen? Do we take up our old positions and soldier on? Make a place here?”
“We--” he started, then stopped. “I...honestly, Li, I don’t have an answer for that. At some point we’d have to just call it quits, no matter how much we wouldn’t want to. I’m not sure that Starfleet here would continue working forever on getting three people back to a different universe. I mean, I’m sure they’d try to help for a while, but committing time, resources and personnel on it for an undetermined amount of time?” He shook his head. “I doubt that would happen. So, I guess we could make lives for ourselves somewhere out of the way or, if you wanted, petition the Federation here to take up where Captain Li Hawke left off.” He smiled. “In any universe, you’re worth your weight in latinum and they’d be foolish to reject your offer, if that’s what you would choose.”
“I don’t think I could do it here. It would be like looking in at my old life from the outside but never able to have it, or him, back.”
There was nothing that Rick could say to console her on this. The only thing that could happen to make her happy was for them to get back to their own universe. “Well, in that case, I’ll do everything I can to try and get Starfleet here to help us return. I’m not sure if an alternate version of a dead Admiral will have any sway but I’ll do what I can.”
“We can hope. And take some comfort in the fact that I suspect Sakkath, our Sakkath, as well as the rest of the crew won’t rest till they have us back.” She decided not to mention her other certainty - that Sakkath would be fighting himself over the logic of such an effort. “I have to believe that.”
The two sat silently for a bit finishing their breakfast. Neither was sure that a way back could be found but they had to hope that, by some miracle, someone would be able to open a door back to their own universe. As they finished up Rick took their plates to the recycler and came back. “Listen, kiddo,” he began as she stood from the table as well, “no matter what happens, I’ll be here for you. Whether we are forced to stay, or I have to fight tooth and nail to get help from these guys,” he said, throwing his thumb over his shoulder, “I’ll be here. At least there’ll be one familiar face that you actually know.” He smiled and opened his arms for a hug. It had been years since he’d hugged Li. She was much younger, he remembered, but he thought, in this instance, his XO wouldn’t object.
She smiled and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tight. “I know. and if we are stuck here, you may not have to worry about Suresh. We stay long enough, I‘ll kill him myself.” She left it at that, deciding not to mention his suggestion where Rick was concerned.
=^= Ops to Admiral Wegner. =^=
With a sigh he let go of Li and tapped his communicator. “Wegener here.”
=^= Sir, Commander Sakkath wished me to convey that we are reading a strange spatial anomaly approximately ten kilometers off of our port side. We’re not sure what it is yet but he suggested that you return to C&C. =^=
“We’re on our way. Wegener out.” With raised eyebrows he looked at Li. “Either this is just some crazy shit going on or Sakkath thinks it may be a rescue attempt from our side.”
“Hard to say. The new wormhole’s been stable on our side but there’s no telling what it’s like here.” She waited for Rick to lead the way, then called Suresh to let him know she would be in C&C.
***************
Commander Li Hawke
Taking A Look At Reality
Vice Admiral Ricky Wegener
Chef and Counselor
