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2374 A Grave Unearthed.

CPO Salem Martin | Starbase Alpha | Earth Orbit ] Attn:  @the Ostritch
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Earth was one of those things that Salem had never really thought of seeing. He and his sister had grown up on a colony far away from this place, and yet they had both gone into the service of Starfleet. Now he was standing in the central transport platforms of the largest starbase above it. Overlooking one of the vast windows that looked at the giant blue planet. He was nervous, and pacing at that.

There was a plan in motion to make him some sort of hero. He was getting an award for his service in getting him and  20 others free from a Cardassian prison. Apparently the war wasn't going in the federations favor so any news was good news. They were making tonight some media circus about how the group had managed a heroic escape.

Yet the only thing that did was annoy Salem. He wanted to get back, he wanted ten really big ships to go storm  Kalevia get the other remaining officers before they were worked to death. But that simply wasn't in the books.

So he was trying to focus on the more personal side of things. Any minute now that pad was going to energize and he would be face to face with someone he at times never thought he would see again. His sister, Vivian. The thought was a touch heart warming, with a mountain of dread and salt mixed in. It had been a long time since he had seen her, and while she had been pulled back to earth, he had requested her presence at tonights ceremony, but he was also still in the midst of coming back to life. So all of his messages had been through third parties as they started to get Salem set back up with comlinks, commissioned status and all the other things that got taken from you when you were KIA.

As such it felt like a bit of a prank. He was still listed as KIA and his sister had no idea he was alive, so when she arrived at that platform... well he wasn't sure what would happen.

Re: 2374 A Grave Unearthed.

Reply #1 –
[ Ltjg Vivian Martin | Starbase Alpha | Earth Orbit ] Attn: @Masorin

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Vivian had her nose buried in a PADD as she materialized in a blue hum of energy and light. She didn’t know why she was here. Well, she did actually, someone had requested her presence at some fancy awards ceremony. Unfortunately nobody had been able to tell her who, and as such she wasn’t overly interested. She probably would have declined if her ship hadn’t already been in the system taking on new personnel. Truthfully, the only reason she had decided to attend was at the gentle urging of her CO.

She stepped off the transporter pad and looked up at the young, darked haired man waiting for her. It took a couple of seconds for her brain to register the face before her, and when it finally clicked her eyes widened and the PADD slipped from her fingers to clatter loudly against the floor. Her mouth moved, as if she was trying to speak, but all that came out was a series of high pitched squeaks.

When her brain finally clicked to the fact that she wasn’t making any real words she gave up trying to speak and simply leapt at her brother, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in his shoulder. She hugged him tightly for a long time before finally looking up through tear filled eyes.

”Salem?” Her voice caught in her throat ”What...how...you...they told me you had been killed in action.”

Re: 2374 A Grave Unearthed.

Reply #2 –
CPO Salem Martin | Starbase Alpha | Earth Orbit ] Attn:  @the Ostritch
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all the anxiety and tension that had built up while Salem had been waiting had melted on seeing his sisters reaction to him. As she embraced her his arms wrapped around her and for a few moments he felt more at ease than he had been in a very long time. He shivered feeling some of the tension drop against his twin and when they pulled apart she wasn't the only one crying, he brushed off the tears with his hand, and tried not to sob for a moment catching his own breath.

"There were about... two hundred of us that survived in various escape pods, and shuttles when the Britannic exploded." He shivered thinking about that day, and gently ushered his sister away from the public area. He didn't really want to talk about what happened yet. It was all still fresh in his mind.

"We were captured by Cardassians, rounded up, and sent to a labor camp." Salem clammed up at that, He didn't really want to get into the various tortures he had gone through or the work he had to endure, hell he had to assume that his sister already knew most of the details when it came to Cardassian prison camps. He stopped at a window looking down at earth. "They didn't help."

He was looking at the Federation ships in orbit above earth. He glared at them with a kind of malice he hadn't expected to feel. he took a deep breath. "Me and a few others escaped thanks to some Maquis intervention. created enough of a delay that me and a hand full of others could steal a Cardassian shuttle, and leg it out of system. The rest of the crew is still out there, and the Federation wants to throw me a party."

He smiled towards Vivian. "Sorry I would have sent you an invitation personally, but there is apparently a lot of paperwork involved in coming back from the dead."

Re: 2374 A Grave Unearthed.

Reply #3 –
[ Ltjg Vivian Martin | Starbase Alpha | Earth Orbit ] Attn: @Masorin

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Vivian slipped her hand into Salem’s as he led them away from the public area. She held him tightly and close, as though she was reassuring herself that he really was here. She shuddered as he explained that he had spent the last couple of years in a Cardassian labour camp. She didn’t want to hear the horrors that he had suffered, but she listened nonetheless, supporting her recently returned brother.

”I’m just so relieved that you escaped Salem. And I know that Starfleet is working hard to find a way to save the rest of your crewmates.” She smiled reassuringly at him, but was unsure if she was trying to reassure him, or herself. ”I almost didn’t come, but my Captain recommended that I should. I’m glad I took his advice. Starfleet hadn’t told me why I was invited to the ceremony.” She grinned widely at Salem and gently elbowed his ribs ”But I do now. My twin brother, getting a Medal of Valor. No, not just a Medal of Valor, the Christopher Pike Medal of Valor.” She made a noise which was half laugh, half sob as she threw her arms around him again, finally allowing her tears to flow freely.

”I’m so proud of you, but if you ever scare me like this again I swear I will kick your clever ass so hard you won’t be able to sit properly for a week!”

Re: 2374 A Grave Unearthed.

Reply #4 –
CPO Salem Martin | Starbase Alpha | Earth Orbit ] Attn:  @the Ostritch
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It felt odd that his sister was saying that she was proud of him. Both because normally he was the under achiever, he had been the one to fail the entrance exam into Starfleet, while she had accelled after all, but more than that he hadn't done anything worthy of praise yet. He had only saved himself and a hand full of others, there were so many other worlds that needed help, the war wasn't over. He didn't want the award, he wanted to raise Ccardassia to the ground.

"I would have sent the invitation personally, but well like I said I can't send messages yet, not till they reinstate me anyway. Also I didn't know which ship you were serving on or if you were still alive." He sighed a lot could have changed in the years since he was imprisoned. "It is... good that you're here. I don't think I would be able to go through this whole medal nonsense without you."

He chuckled as she threatened to kick his ass. "Right I'll let you know next time if I am actually dead, out of curiosity how was my funeral did anyone show up? did I get a proper grave marker or just some dumb holographic photo?"

"You went with the photo didn't you? I told you I wanted a temple in my honor." Salem rolled his eyes and was glad that he was holding her hand. "Trust me, the Pike medal of honor is not worth what you have to go through to get it. I know you usually try to one up me, but for your own sanity don't try this one." Every school project they had ever been assigned she had one up'd him, heck she had won like 9 scioence fairs growing up while he... well there had been a lot of potato batteries growing up.

Re: 2374 A Grave Unearthed.

Reply #5 –
[ Ltjg Vivian Martin | Starbase Alpha | Earth Orbit ] Attn: @Masorin

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”Funeral? Oh, umm...” Vivian suddenly felt a little bit guilty. The funeral had been a small private affair. Family and close friends only. As for the memorial...well without a body there had been nothing to bury, and thus nothing to mark. Instead Vivian had indeed opted for the photo, a nice one with a casual and carefree smile creasing Salem’s features.

She gave a small laugh at his comment about the temple in his honour, not entirely sure if her brother was being completely serious. She gave Salem a sly smile when he mentioned the possibility of one upping him and she gently elbowed his ribs. ”I think we are both more mature than that now.”

She held his hand tightly as they walked, as though if she were to loosen her grip he might slip away and she would awaken to find this all a dream. ”Where is Starfleet sending you next? With the war going as it is they can’t afford to have officers hanging around with nothing to do. I want to know how long it will be before we can catch up properly.”

Re: 2374 A Grave Unearthed.

Reply #6 –
CPO Salem Martin | Starbase Alpha | Earth Orbit ] Attn:  @the Ostritch
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"Right now I'm on earth, me and the others are gonna do light duty, propaganda stuff here in the heart of the Federation while they keep a close eye on us." He sighed slightly he wanted nothing more than to get his next assignment and head out in a ship but it seemed that would have to wait a minute or six.

"They already tested the lot of us to make sure we aren't shape shifters but I get the feeling they are doing this to watch me and the others. Keep us close and observe our mental states. See if we have gone traitor from our time in the camp or if we are still fit to serve in the first place." He supposed it was only natural. With the founders in play in the war anyone could be a shapeshifter.

"The war isn't over for us, but for now it's on hold until they can make sure our time away hasn't changed us too much." He held Vivians hand tighter and sighed " They may put me in psychiatric care for a bit."

- FIN
 
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