Day 04 [1915 hrs.] Breakout!

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Re: Day 04 [1915 hrs.] Breakout!

Reply #25 – April 11, 2022, 11:50:44 PM

[Ens. Mia Dunne |Interrogation Room aka “Room of weary but stubborn recently awoken officers” | Security Center | Deck 07 | Vector 02 | USS Theuurgy ] ATTN: @rae @RyeTanker

Mia smiled tiredly as Azrin described several various scenarios for holonovels and, quite honestly, If she wasn’t so tired out it might actually be fun to try. Maybe once they were both feeling better they could do something like that. It would be nice to stay in contact with Azrin ,and even Zark, and who knows, they might actually become good friends. Lord knew she needed a few of those right now.

When Azrin said she was tired but not ready to tap out just yet Mia nodded her head in agreement. Zark went into her own variation on participation of a holonovel. Mia had almost laughed at the thought that Zark would do all the violence, Azrin seemed to enjoy that too and getting into tech stuff. Mia was not sure they would find a program where she would even fit in with either of them. She looked down at her hands and wondered if they would even try, or if they would each go their own ways after this and never really talk. That sort of saddened her but she kept it to herself.

Mia’s eyes lit up at the mention of the arboretum. “It’s still there? I never got the chance to go there before... well, you know,” Mia said quietly, “I think I would like to see this Memorial wall. It might help bring some, well, to help me deal with the loss.”

While she would really like to stick with Azrin, she would not blame the engineer for not wanting to hang out with nature. But for Mia, the idea sounded like just what she really needed at this point. She glanced at Azrin and then to Zark, “I don’t really want to go back to sickbay just yet either.”

Re: Day 04 [1915 hrs.] Breakout!

Reply #26 – April 20, 2022, 02:53:38 AM

[ Lt. JG Azrin Ryn | Interrogation 1 AKA ‘anywhere but sickbay, please.’ | Security Centre | Deck 7 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] @RyeTanker @Eirual

“Then the arboretum it is!” Azrin declared, perhaps a bit too exuberantly. Like she’d said, she really didn’t want to go back to sickbay yet. Her mind didn’t quite focus on the idea of the Memorial Wall, the mere mention of which had caused her guts to twist. She’d already found the names of enough people who would be on there, and had no desire for more surprises tonight. But it was the arboretum, so if – when – it proved too much, she could go… climb a tree… or something. Azrin had been raised in space, so nature wasn’t really her element, even artificial nature cultivated on board a space ship.

The holodeck would have been her first choice, but Azrin wasn’t convinced that she had the stamina to play. Passing out in exhaustion in a holonovel would only increase the time she had to spend in sickbay once they went back. And she didn’t want to spend a second longer in that room than necessary. “But when we do go do a holonovel together, dibs on Sherlock.” Azrin flashed a grin at the other two, her hand sneaking between Zark’s cleanup efforts to grab another handful of pretzels. They all seemed to get along well enough. In Azrin’s mind they were already friends. She was already planning to send out the invites to the holodeck once they were all good and mended. All the fun with no displeased nurses after.

“I can’t actually touch the warp core until I’m back on duty,” she explained in between popping pretzels into her mouth. “So even if you took me down there, we’d just be sitting and staring at it and getting in everyone’s way. And it would drive me nuts when I see something that needs doing and don’t have the authorization to do it.” Also, it probably wouldn’t bode well with the new chief engineer if they met while Azrin was fiddling with something she wasn’t supposed to touch. “So, arboretum.”

Azrin stood up slowly, one hand on the armrest in case she needed to steady herself. The short rest and the food had done her some good, she definitely felt better than when they’d arrived at the observation lounge. “Want to try walking a bit of the way there at least? Work on getting our strength back?”

Re: Day 04 [1915 hrs.] Breakout!

Reply #27 – April 22, 2022, 03:09:01 AM

[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Interrogation 1 AKA ‘the departure lounge' | Security Centre | Deck 7 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy]

Attn: @Eirual @rae

Zark smiled as Azrin demonstrated a healthy sense of hunger and stuck her tongue out at the Trill and found herself nodding in agreement on not heading to Engineering. The medico was very ready to nix the idea of the two others walking down to the arboretum. "In your current states, I can carry one of you, but not both of you." The Andorian said as she smiled at the thought of having to try to lift one woman over each shoulder. Good thing transportation is already taken care of, though I don't quite think the nurse's really thought this would happen."

The security officer tapped her combadge to get the whole process going. "Lieutenant zh’Ptrell to Nurse Ellison, you can bring the two hover chairs to the Security Centre. Lieutenant Ryn and Ensign Dunne are ready to go." "Understood ma'am. We'll be there in a few minutes." came the reply. There was a beep at the door indeed after a few minutes as Ellison and Brown with a pair of hover chairs. The comfy chairs, and wreckage of ceramic ware elicited very different reactions from the medical staff as Brown's mouth smiled in amusement, while Ellison frowned. "Okay, let's get you two back to sickbay where you can rest." Ellison stated neutrally as she moved in towards Azrin, only to be stopped by a cobalt hand and smiling blue face. The nurse's eyes betrayed their trepidation at what could go wrong for her next. "Lieutenant Ryn, and Ensign Dunne here are still quite antsy after waking up, and need a more calming environment to help soothe their nerves." Zark interrupted, and Ellison gave the Andorian an incredulous look. "So, let's take a stroll to the arboretum for a bit."

Brown and Ellison did not see that coming and they looked at the security medic like she'd grown a second head. Ellison recovered first "Zark, Ma'am, I don't think that's appropriate considering what they've just gone through, they're clearly exhausted..." Ellison's reasoning died off as Zark's expression went from happy to a slight frown and her arms went from open to crossed over her chest. "Kitty, you're night will go much easier if these two are at ease instead of being all fidgety and itching to get out again. At least, this way, they're in a calming environment" Zark somewhat doubted this with Azrin though, but gave no sign of it. "and they get a chance to visit the wall." It wasn't the best line of reasoning, but it hit an emotional chord and Nurse Ellison paused her counter argument before her lips twisted into a 'girl looking to save up spit' and stubbornly pressing on. "I get that, but they're really over due in sickbay and...."

Lieutenant Zark gracefully if somewhat abruptly got out of her seat and placed hands on each the blonde nurse's shoulder as she stared deeply into the human nurse's eyes. "Were you at the memorial ceremony?" Zark gently asked. The nurse's mouth seemed to pop open and closed like a fish before her head nodded slowly. The security officer was sympathetic to the nurse doing her duty, but Zark also had her own promise to keep and nodded once. "Do you remember who was the piper that day?" Ellison's eyes widened and she nodded again, more jerkily. The Andorian bagpiper stared soulfully into the Kitty's eyes. "And do you remember what you were feeling that day? Do you really want to deny them that sense of closure?" Kitty's eyes misted at the emotions the security officer had dredged up and breathed as her head dropped slightly shook her head.

Zark nodded gently in sympathy and looked over at Kavon who was stone faced. "Kitty, Kavon, let's get these two the arboretum." the senior officer gently ordered the two medical personnel who moved to comply.

Re: Day 04 [1915 hrs.] Breakout!

Reply #28 – April 26, 2022, 04:36:21 PM

[Ens. Mia Dunne | Interrogation Room #1 | Main Security | Deck 07 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy] ATTN:

Mia covered her mouth to hide the growing smile as Zark all but laid down the law for the two medical officers. While she knew they really were trying to do their job, she almost felt like cheering for Zark. She stood from the chair and was assisted into the hoverchair for their trip to the Arboretum. She smiled over at Azrin, “When we have both recovered, I would very much like to try that Holonovel of yours.” She looked over at Zark, “Thank you. For everything, for understanding and taking care of us.”

Soon they were being pushed out of the interrogation room by the medical officers. Looking over to Zark once more, “I do hope I see you again in a less official capacity.” She gave the Azure skinned Security officer a wave of farewell then settled her hands into her lap. She smiled at Azrin, “I could get used to this,” she quipped with a small nod of her head to the nurses who were guiding the hoverchairs.

OOC
I do apologize for the short post. Fighting a bit of writer's block this past month after getting some bad news.

Re: Day 04 [1915 hrs.] Breakout!

Reply #29 – May 16, 2022, 09:53:30 PM

[ Lt. JG Azrin Ryn | Interrogation 1 to the Arboretum and everywhere in between | Deck 7 – Deck 21 | Vector 02 - 03 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @RyeTanker @Eirual

As it went, the arboretum wasn’t high on her list of favorite places on the ship. Azrin could think of many preferable places: engineering, both auxiliary engineerings, the observation lounge, holodecks, Jefferies tubes… the list went on. However, it was far above the recovery ward. At least it wasn’t boring. With that in mind, Azrin flashed Ellison a magnificent grin and a wink as Zark undercut the nurse yet again, securing their next location. Thankfully Ellison seemed more worried than vindictive, or Azrin would have expected some harsh hypospray jabs in her future. Good things rarely came from pissing off medical staff, but tonight was an exception.

Her face fell instantly as Zark finished. How was seeing a wall going to give her any sense of closure? But she was too desperate to avoid sickbay to dwell on that thought, and forced it out of her mind instead, using the move to the waiting hover chair to hide her frown. Once seated, Azrin had gotten herself mostly under control again, enough to add her own pressure to the conversation, laying it on thick. “We can rest in the arboretum just as easily as in sickbay,” Azrin assured her earnestly, “Look, sitting down and everything.” Anyone who had ever had a conversation with her could quickly call bullshit on that – after all, Azrin had been volunteering to walk just before the nurses arrived – but she figured Zark and Mia would let it slide if it helped get to them to their destination. She was itching to get out of the chair as soon as they made it into the hallway, biting her tongue to avoid replying to Mia’s comment with something that would surely get them sent back to sickbay. Every time they passed someone in the hallway she got more embarrassed about it, like being escorted in a hover chair was somehow worse than walking around barefoot in a hospital gown.

At first, she contented herself with tapping patterns on her knees. By the time they made it to the turbolift and informed the computer of their destination, Azrin had enough nervous energy that she was pulling the control panel off the armrest to get a look at the components beneath it. “Lieutenant,” Brown began in a long-suffering tone, before Azrin went right over him. “Just looking! It’s not like we need this panel anyway, since you’re controlling the chair. Unless you want to let me drive?” She turned around as far as she could in the chair with the beginnings of a winning smile, which quickly vanished at the resounding ‘no’ written all over his face. For a fleeting moment, she actually considered the idea of rewiring the chair real quick and seeing how fast the little antigrav units could make it down the next hallway, before remembering that she was needed to stay out of any more trouble tonight. “I’m not touching the hover controls, if that’s what you’re worried about. Push away helmsman, straight on!” Conveniently, she got to that bit right as the turbolift doors opened and they continued on their way. ”I’ve never seen the innards of a hoverchair before. Very modular, I see all sorts of different relays to reroute control functions. To account for different injuries?” Azrin filled the air as they walked, rambling about whatever she noticed in the little bit of chair she’d uncovered.

The words died in her throat as they went through yet another door, the starship’s recycled air giving way to that of the forest inside. Azrin always forgot how curiously odorless space ships were until she was overwhelmed by the freshness brought on by trees, grass, and water. It made their destination feel very real, and Azrin wanted nothing more than to take the hover chair apart with her bare hands if it kept her away from the memorial wall. There would be no closure here, her wounds were still too fresh.

OOC: I'm so sorry for the wait guys I've had all sorts of issues for the past few weeks. I thought I'd leave the description of the Memorial Wall to Rye, since you probably know what it looks like best.

Re: Day 04 [1915 hrs.] Breakout!

Reply #30 – May 19, 2022, 10:54:32 PM

[Ens. Mia Dunne | Between Interrogation Room 1 and the Arboretum | Decks 07 - 21 | Vector 02 - 03 |USS Theurgy] ATTN: @RyeTanker @rae

Mia tried not to giggle as she watched the engineer fiddle with the hoverchair. Azrin was in front and Zark was right behind them. “Can’t keep your finger ou of the equipment for even a few minutes, can you,” she called out to Azrin with a humorous tone in her voice. Mia could sort of understand, but she did not have access to what she needed to do her work. She would have to wait until she was back on duty. Maybe she could get some practice with a sketch pad and pencils while they were in the arboretum. That is if she could get her hands on one.

She was having mixed feelings about seeing the memorial wall. On one hand she wanted to see what had been done for those that were lost. On the other hand, six months of battles meant that there would be far too many names on that wall. She was almost afraid to see the names of people she had known, however briefly, in stark relief. To her the loss was still raw, and she thought maybe Azrin felt the same way. Neither of them had really had time to come to terms with what had happened. As the lifts doors opened to the Arboretum she was overwhelmed by the scents of plants and fresh air. Her eyes opened wide as she took it in, “This is... Just... Wow!” Her chair was pushed forward and she looked around as she tried to take a deep breath, although her ribs did remind her she wasn’t fully recuperated, just yet. She glanced over at Azrin, “I can’t believe this survived, and thrived even! It’s amazing!”

OOC: I have also been inundated these past few weeks so I completely understand. I hope all is well with you and glad you were able to get back to the Theurgy!

Re: Day 04 [1915 hrs.] Breakout!

Reply #31 – May 21, 2022, 06:38:23 AM

[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | From the Security Centre to the Arboretum | Deck 7-21 | Vector 02 - 03 | USS Theurgy]

Attn: @Eirual @rae

The little entourage had garnered a few strange looks from their passerby's as the group made it's way from one of the ship to the other. Lt. Zark kept a pleasant smile on her face as she linked her hands behind her and followed the group. Truth be told there wasn't a whole lot that the security officer could do if the medics decided to turn around and took the two back to sickbay. What she'd done to wtih Azrin and Mia in the Security Centre was already iffy at best since it certainly broke a whole bunch of medical protocols, and she was piling more trouble on herself just by ordering the two sickbay attendants to extend the outing of the two patients just that little bit further. The Andorian was sure she was going to have an interesting time herself doing any sort of explaining if she got called to account for this little trip. Oh Well, there's always ways around these things, otherwise I'll just have to accept whatever medicine comes my way. The main relief in the entire trip was that Azrin seemed to be her usual irreverent self and was needling Nurse Brown. Zark didn't know Brown that well, but she knew Ellison well enough to know she desperately wanted to take the two back and only the fact that Zark was behind them and still capable of human pretzel making was keeping her heading towards their ultimate destination.

As the group piled into the turbolift, Zark's eyebrows arched as it seemed that the engineer was actually becoming more nervous, but she decided to take note of it. As Zark mentally chewed on the problem, she couldn't fathom what the issue was and casually ordered the turbolift to deck 21. Zark decided she'd clear out the people towards the memorial wall and walked around the two chair bound patients to lead them and put their mind at ease. This didn't happen as they passed through the arboretum doors. Whatever vegetable and life scents the plant repository gave off were lost on the combat medic as her brows furrowed in confusion. The Trill was looking ready to claw the chair apart and was clearly a bundle of nervous energy. "Ellison, Brown, hold up a moment. Let's give these two a chance to take in the sights for a moment." Zark had a suspicion, but when she looked at Mia, she saw a joyous serenity take over the scientist as if she finally found something to be really happy about and enjoy. Mia looks fine, but Azrin..... I don't like the look of this. Zark's eyes settled on the memorial wall for a moment. It was a standard grey ribbed Starfleet bulkhead that extended from Deck 20 to Deck 22. Why it had been given the name of Memorial Wall were the simple metal placards of the names of the fallen. Each metal plate had the name of the person, and their rank. Zark sighed as she knew the list was long, but at the same time, she felt a little uncomfortable seeing how she'd misjudged the situation and one of her charges was in distress. "Let's head to Deck 22 instead. I think it's more peaceful down there and I have a couple of stories for the two of them." The two medicos looked non plussed at having to continue to push Azrin and Mia around, but they didn't argue as they directed the chairs out to the turbolift and down one deck, then back into the arboretum.

Lt. Zark gave Azrin and Mia an easy smile as the group moved towards the centre of the foliage and to a pond in the middle. She had to starts somewhere and took a deep breath before starting but her eyes were focused on the pond as the Andorian linked her hands behind her again. "Did you know that every ship picks up a personality? It's so hard to define, yet every ship does. It's almost like the collective conscience of the crew infueses the hull and gives it a personality. Something that everyone can see, but is undefinable at the same time." Zark knew she was spouting mystic nonsense, but hopefully it would be enough to confuse Azrin and help her mind reset before turning to face her two friends in chairs. "I met a very interesting person here last week. I came here to get a change of scenery and have my cat stretch his legs. Anyway, I came down here for dinner when Saucer, my cat, ran off and suddenly decided that there was this other person who looked more interesting to take nap on. She's definitely one to give a ship personality. Generally foul mouthed, illogical, and disorganized, but overall a friendly, good person, and a natural pilot." Zark looked at the pond for a moment and laughed at a memory. "You'll know her right away if you ever meet Via Wix, scatter brained, and motor mouthed with a questionable sense of well sense, but always willing to be there for her friends."

Zark hoped Azrin didn't see it as patronizing, but she knelt in front of the the Trill. "Azrin, I hope you consider me a friend, and I have a hunch as to what's going on. I'm sorry for bringing you here since it seems to be upsetting you." Zark's compassionate side took over as she gently reached out and her hand held on to the pale one. "Do you want to tell me what's bothering you?"

Re: Day 04 [1915 hrs.] Breakout!

Reply #32 – May 22, 2022, 09:38:45 PM

[ Lt. JG Azrin Ryn | Arboretum | Deck 22 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @RyeTanker @Eirual

Deliberately not looking towards the wall, which she assumed was the gray bulkhead in the direction they were heading, the trill jumped on a new topic. “Arboretums are really hard to kill actually,” Azrin explained, her attention effortlessly switching from the hoverchair to the engineering components behind this room, responding quickly to Mia’s enthusiasm. She could live without trees, but the science of getting them to thrive on spaceships was fascinating stuff. “It’s tied in as a redundant atmospheric system, but once they transplant the ecosystem and get everything cycling, the place basically runs itself. We use it for recreation, but it’s allocated with way more importance in emergency procedures. They keep them away from the hulls, so most breaches won't reach here. If we ever crash on a desolate planet, this dirt is supposed to be our salvation. I have no idea why we don’t just keep bags of dirt in a cargo hold somewhere, but I suppose the botanists do. Do any of you guys know about botany?” Azrin scanned the small group to see if anyone had insight to add, then completely lost her train of thought when she saw how Zark was studying her. She was uncomfortable enough already, but the feeling only seemed to intensify under the Andorian’s firm gaze. Her rambling stopped cold, leaving a heavy silence in its wake.

Azrin shifted uncomfortably in her chair, certain that they were going to get sent back to sickbay now. To her surprise - and relief - Zark suggested that they go to another part of the Arboretum instead, taking them back to the turbolift and down again. It was only the knowledge that she didn’t have permission to touch anything that kept her from escaping down the few decks that now separated them from main engineering. She’d take the consistent hum of a warp core over the random rustles of leaves any day. The pond they ended up at probably would have been picturesque to anyone else’s eyes, a deliberately imperfect circle of water, its surface broken on the edges by reeds and flowers, tucked away between the trees. People probably came here to forget they were on a starship. That was precisely what Azrin didn’t like about it.

She was thoroughly confused when Zark began talking again, waxing poetically about how ships had personalities. Her head tilted to the side as she watched the medic, not saying anything, but clearly not understanding this abrupt topic change either. Maybe she was talking for the others’ benefits? Because Azrin knew perfectly well that starships were - in their own ways - alive. After all, her whole job was coaxing engines into contentment, fine tuning them until they could sing in perfect harmony with the space around them. She didn’t quite agree with the crew bit. Azrin had worked on brand new, freshly installed warp cores. They could be strong minded even months away from meeting their crews. This was followed by a short anecdote about how her cat had befriended a rude pilot, by which point Azrin had lost all sense of where this conversation had even started. The pilot sounded fun at least. She mentally filed the name Via Wix away for someone to meet later.

When Zark ended her speech by kneeling in front of Azrin and taking her hand, the trill saw two ways for this conversation to go. Her instinct was to laugh it off, ask Zark if she was planning to propose human marriage to her by getting on her knees like that. They’d only met today and she didn’t even have a ring, for shame. She needed a little more foreplay in her romance, etc. etc. Motormouth she was, Azrin knew how to drag it out. However, she was leaning towards the second option. To tell the truth, since she’d obviously failed at keeping her problems to herself so far today. And to think she’d been so good at it during the Dominion War. She wanted to blame the symbiont for making her damn transparent now, but Ryn had been a politician once. The worm should have had plenty of experience in deflecting. Most likely she was just too old now, lacking empty corners of her mind to shove the unpleasantness of the universe to a place where it could no longer bother her.

Besides, Zark had been sincere about helping them, going out of her way to keep them from the recovery ward for as long as they needed. She seemed like someone who appreciated a practical joke, but this didn’t feel like the situation for one. The medic was directly in front of her, so it was painfully obvious that Azrin was avoiding her gaze, blue eyes traveling around the room picking out all the bits of starship that she could see. The artificial markers helped ground her back in reality. She cast an apologetic look to Mia, fully aware that her minor breakdown wasn’t helping their ‘avoid sickbay at all costs’ plan, then finally turned back to Zark. “I didn’t really think about it until we got down here. But I haven’t finished reading through the whole list…” The engineering roster had been traumatic enough. The Chief Engineer roster had been bad enough. Azrin stumbled over her words for a moment, trying to find a good way to say it. “I don’t know… there’s going to be…” She leaned forward a bit, flipping her hand under Zark’s so she could grip it tightly in turn. Letting the contact make her brave, Azrin was finally able to say it. “This isn’t how I want to find out that my friends are dead.”

Re: Day 04 [1915 hrs.] Breakout!

Reply #33 – May 23, 2022, 09:40:59 PM

[Ens. Mia Dunne | Arboretum | Deck 22 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] ATTN: @RyeTanker @rae

Mia almost rolled her eyes at the in-depth description that Azrin gave about the survivability of the arboretum. As a scientist, Mia was well aware of the significance for the ship and the crew. After all, she had been tasked with helping to set one up for a different vessel. Yes, it had been a lot smaller, but the idea was the same. Sustainable food source and natural oxygen filters. But she was still surprised the attacks hadn’t caused any visible damage to the delicate eco-system that had been created here. She almost had to laugh, because she knew for a fact that there were some storage containers in the science cargo bays that held exactly that, or they had. She wasn’t sure if those had been destroyed or not. She made a mental note to look into that whenever she was back on duty. Hopefully in the near future.

Mia was glad when they went back into the turbolift and went to another level. She had avoided even looking towards the wall. While she may not have know a lot of people, she just did not want to see how many had been lost while she’d been frozen in time. The scenery here was a bit more serene. The small pond making it feel almost as if they were on a planet. Not quite, but almost. Mia listened to Zark speaking about the ship’s personality. Mia furrowed her brow in confusion as to what Zark was even talking about. In her mind it was the crew who had the personalities. Then they tried to ‘humanize’ the machine in which they resided. There was no magical mystical mysterious source. Mia had to blink when Zark started on a new story almost immediately about a cat and someone named Via Wix.

But when Zark got down in front of Azrin, Mia realized that Zark was attempting to somehow ease the engineers mind. Mia looked at Azrin and Zark, knowing that whatever was happening was deeply emotional. Mia returned the apologetic smile with one of her own and tried to focus her mind and eyes away from their interaction. She began to mentally classify the various botanical specimens. Well, at least she tried, but Azrin’s pained confession brought her focus back to Azrin. Mia hadn’t looked through the casualty list completely either. She felt the loss again, acutely, and grasped her own hands together as her head lowered and her eyes closed.

Mia could feel the sting of tears in her eyes. And the large lump in her throat was back. She spoke very quietly as she turned towards Zark and Azrin, “Me neither!”

Re: Day 04 [1915 hrs.] Breakout!

Reply #34 – May 28, 2022, 07:37:56 AM

[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Arboretum | Deck 22 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy]

Attn: @Eirual @rae

Lieutenant Zark wasn't really surprised when the pale warm weight flipped over and gave her blue hand a hard squeeze. It wasn't a Klingon hand breaker, but it clearly communicated Azrin's desperation and despair, much better than her words. It was as if Zark's hand had become a lifeline to keep her from sinking into the black depths that could swallow her. The security officer mentally kicked herself for putting the Trill in this position and was about to mouth another apology when her head turned over and she saw the same look of bleak sadness on Mia's face and Zark would have slapped herself if she thought it would do any good. The Zhen really was capable of turning a person into biological pretzel when necessary, so she had sufficient strength as the Zhen placed her hands on both chairs and by main strength, pulled them together till they touched, startling the two medical personnel in the process who let go. It placed the two patients much closer together and with a bit of stretch, arm reach for the Andorian who stretched out and barely managed to get her arms under Azrin and Mia's arm pits and gently yanking them into a group hug.

It wasn't the easiest supporting the weight of two ambulatory people, but it wouldn't have been the first time the combat medic had carried more than one person and she felt the need to take their troubles and depression on to her own shoulders. "I'm so sorry for doing this to both of you." Zark regretted her choice in bringing everyone to the arboretum and the oppressive mood continued to pervade and push down on her despite the setting. When she finally gently released Mia and Azrin back into their chairs, blue hands slowly, almost hesitantly made their way to pale hands and held them protectively together. The Andorian's seafoam eyes were bright with unshed tears and she needed to take a steadying breath to re-centre herself. She could still feel the tendrils of melancholy in her arms, chest, and head. "I'm so sorry. I was hoping that when we all came down here, it would be a time to remember. A time to commemorate, and a time to move on. I'm sorry that I forgot it's only been a blink of an eye for you and your world changed in that blink." The Andorian quietly explained to her two friends. She refused to turn her eyes away from theirs even though she had the strongest urge to look at the ground.

Lieutenant Zark was a woman of action at the end of the day, and she didn't want an evening that had been so much fun to be spoiled. Seeing the two nurses also looking downcast at how the night had turned out, she was determined to have it all end on a positive note and if being in a place that reminded everyone of their loss wasn't the answer they were looking for, then it was time to come full circle and look to the future once more. The Andorian gave the two woman a tighter squeeze before putting forth her last ditch idea. There wasn't much time as it was getting late and she had another task that she really needed to keep an eye on. "Azrin, Mia, are you ready to back to the beginning of our story? You got transported once, ready to go again?"

Re: Day 04 [1915 hrs.] Breakout!

Reply #35 – June 04, 2022, 10:11:02 PM

[ Lt. JG Azrin Ryn | Arboretum | Deck 22 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @RyeTanker @Eirual

Ah, she’d really done it now. Back to the beginning of their story, to sickbay they would go. Even though Azrin had expected this, at the moment she was really regretting telling Zark the truth. What she hadn’t predicted was the emotional toll her words had clearly taken on the Andorian medic. The woman who had so confidently threatened to turn them into pretzels earlier this evening was now kneeling before them with tears glistening in her eyes. Azrin had wanted to get away from her trauma for an evening. Apparently all she’d done was drag everyone else back into it with her.

She hated herself even more for that, having remained stony faced and tense as Zark pulled their chairs together and gathered Azrin and Mia for a hug. It wasn’t the most comfortable position. Azrin had tried to hold herself slightly apart in an attempt to keep her full weight off Zark. The still healing muscles in her abdomen had protested in a new flare of pain. It only added to the burning in her eyes and sinuses as the trill tried her best to avoid joining the other two in tears. She didn’t respond to the apology. She couldn’t do more than nod as Zark accurately described how fresh their wounds still were. Azrin didn’t trust herself to speak just then. Her throat felt like it had closed up completely.

The thing was, Azrin normally prided herself on hiding her emotions well. It was bad enough when she felt terrible, but dragging the others down with her was inexcusable. She’d grown up on a small cargo ship without much privacy to be had. Azrin knew how a bad mood could be contagious, a downward spiral that dragged everyone down with her. She hadn’t been able to contain herself, so now everyone else was miserable too.

“Yep,” she finally replied, relieved that she’d managed to get a word out. Azrin tried to sound upbeat about it, but her dejected air as she relaxed back into her chair ruined that mood. “You’re in charge Lieutenant Zark. Beam us to the next dungeon.” They were getting the dungeon tour today, be it recovery wards, rooms of comfortable chairs, or a graveyard masquerading as a beautiful garden.

Re: Day 04 [1915 hrs.] Breakout!

Reply #36 – June 09, 2022, 03:07:15 AM

[Ens. Mia Dunne | Arboretum | Deck 22 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy]

ATTN: @RyeTanker @rae

Mia had really tried to be upbeat with visiting the Arboretum, even if she had purposely kept her eyes away from the memorial wall and was now doing the same with Azrin. Although she was feeling the exact thing, or at least close enough that it didn’t matter. A sudden jarring of the hover chairs being pulled together caused her to lift her hands to make sure they didn’t get caught. The next thing she knew the Azule skinned Security officer had pulled her up into a group hug with Azrin. The gasp that came from her was one of both surprise and pain as her ribs were still a bit sore. When she was finally lowered back into her seat, Mia wasn’t sure what to think. But then Zark spoke and took one of her hands and pulled it so that it was next to Azrin’s. She looked at Azrin first and then to Zark, trying hard not to let her tears fall.

When Zark tries to explain why she had brought them down here, Mia wanted to fade into nothing. Zark only just now realized that in that one moment when the lad exploded it stole not only those few she had been getting to know as friends, but it stole six months of her life. Six months that she could never get back. She could feel the tear escaping from her eyes despite her trying hard not to let it happen. Mia couldn’t speak past the large lump that suddenly seemed to be lodged in her throat. In her peripheral vision she saw Azrin nodding, and did the same.

Then Zark said something about going back to the beginning. Of course she probably meant back to sickbay, but Mia thought to herself, If only I could go back six months and somehow make things right. Azrin’s remark about dungeons seemed to be accurate for the moment. Zark was in charge, and Mia was certain the next step was taking them back to recovery, whether they liked it or not. Of course, that would make to two medico’s pushing the chairs a lot more happy. Mia let out a resigned sigh and nodded, “Right, go ahead. Do what you need to do.”

Re: Day 04 [1915 hrs.] Breakout!

Reply #37 – June 09, 2022, 06:51:47 AM

[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark) | Arboretum | Deck 22 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy]

Attn: @Eirual @rae

The security officer was serene as the mood of Azrin and Mia plummeted and as she rose to her feet, she pushed the hover chairs apart and stepped between them. The statuesque blue woman stopped for only a moment to squeeze their shoulders and smile at them both before she continued to stand behind them. Out of sight, the two nurses moved to secure the chairs once more and slender muscular arms rose up to stop them. Zark ignored the exasperated looks she got from Ellison and Brown and linked her arms behind her as she turned to face the same direction as Azrin and Mia. "Thea, party of five to transport to the Observation Lounge. Energize." As a shimmering light moved everyone to from one end of the ship to the other, Zark's smile split her face showing off her perfect white teeth for everyone to see.

[Observation Lounge aka The Beginning and The End | Deck 10 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy]

When the sparkling lights cleared and her vision was restored, Lt. Zark mentally thanked Thea for her superb judgment or serendipity in placing the party so close to the giant windows that allowed everyone to see the stars, or in this case, the planet of Qo'nos, and the space station the ship was currently docked at. The security officer gripped both chairs and pushed them closer towards the windows before stepping through the two of them and linking her hands once again to stare out the same window. "And thus, we come full circle to where our story began. Here is where we all met first the first time, and it's here where this chapter in our story must come to and end." The Andorian walked to the glass and looked out it for a moment before turning around linking her hands in front of her as her smile never left. "Azrin, Mia. It's been an interesting evening so far and I hope this is as exciting as it gets for me." The security officer privately had her doubts about that statement since Enyd Madsen was involved, but shook her head for a moment to clear that thought before looking at the two medicos. "Ellison, Brown, thank you for being with us this night. Do us a kindness and let these two enjoy the view till their ready to go back to sleep. It's not even 2200 yet, and they're going to be released tomorrow morning anyway, so let them have their fun. They have a lot of catching up and work to do starting tomorrow."

Zark looked back at her two new friends and decided to leave them one last parting gift. It had been a while, but the voice was still there despite all the time spent on the pipes. "When I left Scotland to go home to Andoria at the end of one of my Academy summer's, my bagpipe instructor told me that I was a lost Celt. Born on a different world, but always welcome back home where I belonged." Her smile turned into a smirk as she snorted one last piece of advice her instructor had given her while drunk in a pub one night, if you're missing an instrument, just hum the notes. With that, the Security Officer, born of the frozen wastes of Andoria with a soul that also belonged to the highlands and emerald fields of the British Isles began to circle the two chair occupants in a circle of warding and began to sing.

They say there's a place where dreams have all gone
They never said where, but I think I know
Its miles through the night just over the dawn
On the road that will take me home

[Show/Hide]

The Andorian's cheeks darkened as she hadn't performed in public like that in years and it felt good after so long as a smattering of applause came from the few crew members in the lounge. Taking a deep breath to re-centre herself. She turned her attention back to Azrin and Mia. "Take care, and I hope we'll be seeing each other soon under better circumstances. I still have work to do, but I wish you both a speedy recovery."

With that, Zark gave nods of thanks to the two medicos and squeezed Azrin and Mia's hands once more before leaving for the Security Centre.

[Show/Hide]

OOC: I figured I'd tag @Ellen Fitz because Enyd was mentioned here.

Re: Day 04 [1915 hrs.] Breakout!

Reply #38 – June 14, 2022, 01:00:56 AM

[ Lt. JG Azrin Ryn | Observation Lounge | Deck 10 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Eirual @RyeTanker

When the transporter beam released them, Azrin noticeably relaxed at the sight before them. Her eyes hungrily traced the curve of Qo’nos, before her head tilted back to lock on the stars visible over the planet’s horizon. Thank The Great Bird of the Galaxy, they weren’t back in sickbay yet. Idly, Azrin realized that this made more sense. She’d been too focused on her own doom and gloom to remember that Zark’s part of this story - her beginning - was finding the escapees here in the Observation Lounge.

She flashed Zark a grateful smile as the medic ordered the nurses to let them stay awhile. But she couldn’t help but add, “You know, if you put some biobeds in here, all of your recovering patients would be way happier. You guys have a suggestion PADD somewhere? That needs to be on there.” Never one to stay down for long when she could claw her way out of it, this new setting was enough to bring about her cheerful mood once more. This time it wasn’t an act. Even as she spoke, blue eyes remained locked on the distant stars, like they were a tractor beam pulling her from the dark corners of her mind. Azrin wished their bright light could burn the darkness away, but… she wasn’t there yet. If only it were that simple.

Her mind was just starting to concoct a fictional history of one of the stars - a calming little game that she’d stolen from one of Ryn’s past hosts - when Azrin was startled back to the lounge by a haunting melody. Spinning in her chair, the trill was surprised to see Zark singing. Had there been some sort of introduction to this? If so, Azrin hadn’t been listening. Not that Zark wasn't a beautiful singer. She was. Her song choice was sorrowful, mourning that was lost while hopeful for what was to come. It fit the mood perfectly. Elza would have approved. Azrin didn’t. She would have picked something aggressively happy to combat the mood.

The song managed to affect her anyway, her eyes this time drawn to the dark between the stars. She’d never had a home, not in the way this song described it. Sure, Azrin had lived planetside, but she’d never been comfortable there. She’d been born in space, a nomad unbound to any roads. A good navigator could look out this window and point towards their homeworld. But Azrin had no idea where her family was. The Izar could be anywhere in Federation space right now. What had happened to them - the people, the ship, the business - when their daughter had been deemed a traitor?

“I've a long way to go, the stars tell me so…” Azrin liked that line. She fixated on it, keeping it in the back of her head while Zark finished. That one definitely applied to a space brat.

The song ended just as the engineer wiped away a few stray tears. They’d threatened so many times today, and they’d finally made a successful escape attempt of their own. Clever tears. As Zark said her farewells and grabbed her hand, Azrin held on for a moment to prevent her from leaving. When she spoke, she was surprised that her voice remained steady. “No need for hoping. Sherlock Holmes, holodeck, invites incoming. Once we’re officially freed.” And after Azrin unleashed six months of nervous energy on the warp core. Most likely a model ship’s warp core. Hopefully Thea’s once she calmed down a bit. “Thanks for all the help Lieutenant Zark. Appreciate it.”

Making new friends didn't mean she missed her lost coworkers any less. But it gave her hope that her heart would heal.

OOC: Tagged Rye one last time because Azrin talked to her. Eirual - do you want to have them chat for a bit before returning to sickbay, or wrap it up?

Re: Day 04 [1915 hrs.] Breakout!

Reply #39 – June 24, 2022, 05:08:35 PM

[Ens. Mia Dunne | Observation Lounge | Deck 10 | Vector 01 |USS Theurgy]
ATTN: @RyeTanker @rae

Mia was shocked to find herself looking out the window of the observation lounge. A small smile played on her face as she glanced at Zark. Yes, this was where their adventure with the Andorian had begun and so they had come full circle. When Zark began to sing, the entire room grew quiet as those already here began to listen. The voice was strong and the words seemed to touch deep into her soul. Mia could feel the tear that slid down her face. It was a powerful and emotional moment for her, and she suspected it was the same for her new friends.

When Zark had finished she found it hard to speak. She felt something more than she could identify as friendship at that moment. It was closer to a bond that sisters would have. She returned the gentle squeeze of the hand. She chuckled slightly when Azrin announced she was sending invites for a holo-event. She reached up and wiped away the tears from her cheeks and nodded her head. Looking over her shoulder as Zark left she said a quiet, “Thank you, for everything.”

She turned back towards the windows to look at the planet, the base, and the stars beyond. Her thoughts on those words so recently sung...

And I know what I've lost and all that I've won
When the road finally takes me home

Somehow that was like a balm over her aching soul. And she bowed her head and closed her eyes in remembrance of those that had been lost.

She lifted her head after a few minutes and turned to Azrin, “I look forward to that adventure,” she smiled, “But let’s wait until we are both a bit stronger.”

OCC I was so moved by Zark's post I had a hard time keeping my eyes dry enough to write!! SO Beautiful!!
And we can either end there, or if you can thing of other things to 'chat' about that's fine too.

Re: Day 04 [1915 hrs.] Breakout!

Reply #40 – July 05, 2022, 02:54:35 AM

Some time later…

[ Lt. JG Azrin Ryn | Recovery Ward | Main Sickbay | Deck 11 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Eirual @RyeTanker

“Don’t do that again,” Clearly trying to sound stern, poor Nurse Ellison’s demand came out more like pleading than anything. Azrin hadn’t noticed earlier, caught up in her own emotional storm as she was, but the blonde looked stressed. Apparently, they’d given her quite the scare. It was - in Azrin’s opinion - an extreme overreaction, but she supposed it was the thought that counted. What was the worst that could have happened? They passed out in a corridor and someone immediately beamed them back to sickbay? Aside from a few minutes at the beginning, their entire escapade had been under a medical professional’s watchful eye.

They’d stayed in the observation lounge for as long as possible, Azrin having done some begging of her own to extend their time bit by bit. Eventually, when the engineer nodded off in her chair and nearly face planted off it, Ellison had put her foot down, summoning another set of hover chairs and escorting the wayward patients back to sickbay. When they’d arrived, it had been to the sight of a tech reversing Azrin’s earlier modifications to the biobeds. Even the simple repair job was more than enough to get the Trill’s blood pumping again, eliciting a cheerful offer to finish the work for him. Which in turn prompted a series of warnings from Ellison, who rightfully assumed that she still had a flight risk on her hands, no matter how exhausted Azrin seemed.

“I was just going to fix it! Not that it matters now anyway, he’s…” Azrin paused to give the crewman a look, and he obliged her silent request by hitting a button on the biobed, “Done. Nothing to worry about Nurse, I’m going to take a nice nap, then when I get up I’ll be free! With doctor approval this time and everything.”

Ellison didn’t look convinced. “Really Lieutenant, if you don’t get your rest, we won’t be able to release you tomorrow!”

“I’m not going anywhere!” Azrin insisted, voice practically dripping with sincerity. Any effect was immediately ruined as she turned to Mia, continuing with an air of mock hurt, “why doesn’t anyone ever believe me?” She didn’t wait for an answer. There was no need for one. Tonight had made it perfectly clear. Azrin was prone to stir crazy and it didn’t take long to reach her breaking point. To prove her good intentions, she pushed herself out of the hover chair, absolutely refusing to wince when the harsh movement elicited another bout of soreness, and clambered back into bed. It wasn’t at all graceful. Normally she would have jumped, but her body protested so vehemently that it turned into some combination of climbing and crawling. Surely the biobed hadn’t been this tall before? Had he made it taller while repairing it? Anyway, she got there eventually, laying back like a model patient. Only her fingers ruined it, as they always did, tapping out rhythms where they lay against her stomach, always aching for something to tinker with.

The moment she closed her eyes, Azrin knew she was in for a long night. She hadn’t fully seen the memorial wall, but it haunted her nonetheless, a ghost imprinted on her eyelids. Her bones were heavy with exhaustion, muscles crying for rest, but her brain felt like it had been shocked back into full awareness. She knew she needed sleep, but her mind rebelled against the thought. What if she woke up and another six months passed? By then that damn wall would probably extend all the way down to… her eyes snapped open, mere seconds after they’d shut.

Their jailers were still there. “Have fun guarding the door.” It was meant as a joke, but came out far harsher than Azrin intended. “Sorry,” she added quietly, staring up at the ceiling instead. That blank, boring, gray roof. She tried to use it as a blank canvas, letting her mind paint starscapes on it, imagining the view from the observation lounge instead. But the hated gray kept peeking through, every slight imperfection turning into a letter, every letter becoming a name of the dead. Azrin persisted, conscious mind warring against the unconscious, memorializing each ghost with the birth of a bright star.

She wasn’t sure when Ellison and Brown finally left. It could have been minutes, it could have been hours. Azrin was busy with the same fight that had consumed her for the day, forcing her mind away from its dark corners. Zark was right. She really needed to visit a counselor. She could do that. She’d do it right now - if only she weren’t trapped in sickbay.

Eventually the lights dimmed, and the patients had the recovery ward to themselves again. Azrin beared the silence for what felt like an eternity - though was probably only a few minutes - before asking, “You awake?” in a less than curious manner that implied it didn’t matter either way. But it did. Azrin barreled on anyway, because even if it meant she was talking to the hated gray ceiling, she needed to ask. “Do you think it will ever feel normal? All of this, I mean? Everything was so different yesterday. But it wasn’t yesterday! It was months ago! It’s like being trapped in one of those weird temporal mechanics lessons that give everyone a headache. A second out of sync with the rest of the universe, how do you get back? I remember dying, but even that has continuity to it. A host dies, then seconds - or hours if you’re unlucky - later the symbiont is placed in a new host and everything continues. Sure, it feels different. Wildly, frighteningly different, but I-they-the symbiont gained something. A bigger whole, something beautiful and new. But now, I feel like something’s… missing.” Azrin had never agreed with the more hardline rules of the Symbiosis Commission, but tonight she doubted that conviction. Would it have been better if they had let her die and saved the symbiont instead? Then another trill could have taken the best parts of her and helped, instead of spending six months in limbo.

“As long as I’m moving it’s ok, like interacting with the world makes it feel more real. Or I’m just not thinking about it. But now that we’re back here again… I can’t stop thinking about it. Everything we missed. Everyone we lost. Even when we lost people in the Dominion War, at least I was there. I tried to make it better.” It was a stupid wish, she knew that. A lone little engineer wouldn’t have made a difference in the long run. But she could have tried. The only thing worse than trying and failing was not trying at all.

One night wasn’t going to solve all of her problems. It wasn’t enough time to alleviate her grief, nor enough to even come close to processing it. But now she had friends, an ever expanding group she’d always made quickly and loved fiercely. Having people to talk to - that made her feel better.

“I guess what I’m asking is this:” After that uncharacteristic bout of serious conversation, Azrin couldn’t resist ending with a joke. “Do you want to break out again, go to the shuttle bay, steal a ship, slingshot around a star, and go back in time six months? Should be easy enough. Might have to fight Ellison first. There’s probably a line of nurses sleeping in front of the door.”

Re: Day 04 [1915 hrs.] Breakout!

Reply #41 – July 05, 2022, 03:00:47 PM

[ Ens. Mia Dunne | Recovery Ward | Main Sickbay | Deck 11 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy]
ATTN: @RyeTanker @rae

For what felt like hours Mia had gazed out the viewports at an unfamiliar star system. She heard the soft murmur of voices of others in the room with them, yet apart. Even though she had not looked at the Memorial Wall, she could picture it in her mind’s eye, a dull grey bulkhead with the names etched into it. She had not argued when the adventure was finally called to an end. She felt more than tired, she was bone weary. It was almost a relief to be back in sickbay. She had about as much grace as a lame duck trying to get herself back onto the bed. Although she did accept the help from Brown to get herself situated, it was still awkward and somewhat painful moving in certain ways.

If she hadn’t been so tired, she might have laughed when Azrin seemed to get her third, or was it fourth, energy boost when they were brought in, and another engineer was undoing what Azrin had done hours ago. She nodded in agreement that she too would stay put and rest, if that was even possible with all the thoughts still racing through her mind.

Mia lay back in the bed, her eyes open but not really seeing anything, just sort of staring into the not-so-distant past, a past she had not been a part of. Once the nurses had finally left, Mia had tried to close her eyes, but even though she felt exhausted, they wouldn’t stay shut for more than a second or two. The rhythm of Azrin’s fingers tapping felt almost relaxing, like a soft summer rain hitting the roof of a cabin. It had almost lulled her to sleep when Azrin asked if she was still awake. Mia took a breath to answer, but never got the chance to speak as the engineer just kept talking. Mia felt a small sad smile form on her lips.

It would seem that she wasn’t the only one pondering their fates. Instead, she listened. Mia had never really thought about how the joined Trill dealt with death. The way Azrin spoke it had to have been frightening, but it was not final. Not like a human death, or even a Klingon’s. For Mia, death was final, there was no return from the dead in any form. She vaguely wondered which was better, but in the end, she knew it really didn’t matter. When she died, everything she was, everything she knew, everything she felt would all die with her, just like it had for all those whose names were now etched on that damned wall.

Azrin’s last question brought a chuckle forth from Mia, and she glanced over at her temporary roommate, “To answer the first question, I doubt that things will ever feel quite right again, as for normal, we’ll just have to find a new normal and go from there.” Mia looked back upwards towards the ceiling, “I’m still just trying to ... not think about that last moment. I keep thinking there was something I could have done, but all I can remember is that last second when everything ... changed.” She closed her eyes, feeling a tear slide from her eye as she felt the pain of loss, certain that Azrin was feeling the same thing.

She forced a more cheerful note into her voice as she continued, “As for the last question, I don’t think we can get past the nurse this time, and I really don’t want to piss off anyone else. And I am not sure I want to learn first hand what being a human pretzel feels like." She chuckled, remembering Zark's threat. "And besides, I’m not sure how good a pilot you are, but with my skills in that area, we’d more likely end up crashing the ship before we even got launched, never mind landing it. And I think someone would get really mad about that.” Mia paused a moment and sighed, “But, yeah, I do wish I could go back and somehow stop what happened. Or at least tell those people I worked with that I liked being their friend. I don’t remember ever telling any of them that.” Not that it really matters now, she thought to herself.

She turned her head towards Azrin, “I want you to know something. I am glad we met.” She couldn’t stop the yawn from escaping, her eyelids slowly closed as exhaustion finally caught up, she mumbled softly, “Good night, my friend...” as slumber pulled her under and claimed her for the next several hours.

Re: Day 04 [1915 hrs.] Breakout!

Reply #42 – July 11, 2022, 05:41:39 AM

[ Lt. JG Azrin Ryn | Recovery Ward | Main Sickbay | Deck 11 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Eirual @RyeTanker

In Azrin’s opinion, two good things came from ending serious conversations with a joke. The first was that it lightened the mood if she accidentally went too far and dragged people down. The second was that it gave the other person an out. Continue with the serious part, or go straight to joking. Mia had stuck to the heart of the matter, which Azrin truly appreciated at the moment.

“A new normal. I can do that. I’ve done that.” She’d done it - reluctantly and petulantly - when her parents had banished her to Trill as a teenager. She’d done it at the Academy, letting years of training and discipline tone down her wild impulses into something more manageable. Though no one who’d met her today would believe it. Most recently, she’d done it after being joined, finding a new version of herself with five new lifetimes mixed in. So why did doing it now feel so difficult? Because it was more abrupt?

Because it was more traumatic?

She did not understand why Mia wasn’t thinking about those last few moments. Azrin had been obsessing over them, gnawing over every minute detail, fretting on every vague remembrance her post-explosion brain hadn’t managed to retain. That was the perfectionist in her, the engineer determined to do better the next time she was diving into a jefferies tube to prevent imminent disaster. “I don’t remember the last second,” she admitted, sounding positively aggravated about it. “I know I must have finished the repair - we wouldn't be here otherwise. I know I was close! But I don’t remember it.” Would that make her feel better? Would those few seconds of consciousness have made the next six months feel shorter?

Azrin laughed when Mia continued, apparently treating the joke with the same seriousness as the rest of the trill’s wide ranging musings. She was rather surprised by the sound as it escaped her lips, light and breathless and far happier than she felt. “I’ve never been a pilot,” she declared, as though she’d just realized it and was affronted by the fact. “Not that it would help anyway since it would all be horribly out of date now, but how did the Symbiosis Commission miss giving the worm such a valuable skill! Maybe I’ll complain. Get some piloting expertise in my next life.” Mia was falling asleep, but Azrin’s exhaustion was coming out in a different way, over boisterous words punctuated by giggles. She was even waving her arms around like her hand was a shuttlecraft, dipping and diving in imaginary flight. A dim light behind her bed - presumably meant for reading - was casting her hand shuttles into shadow puppets on the ceiling, finally chasing away the dull monotony. “We could program the ship to launch itself? And never land. Transporters all the way.”

Eventually, her arms fell back to her side, muscles too weighted with lead to continue her game. Robbed of the distraction, Azrin was forced to confront Mia’s final words. Judging by the deep, even breathing from the bed beside her, the scientist wasn’t listening to the reply when it finally came, subdued once more. “I told them. My friends I mean, I didn’t know yours. Wish I had. But I don’t think it mattered. They were your friends, so they already knew." Azrin didn't know if that was true, but she liked it better that way. Mia was nice. Sweet and welcoming. How could they not have known? "Goodnight Mia. I’m glad I met you too.”

It still took her a long time to fall asleep, humming to herself in a vain attempt to avoid the unavoidable. She didn’t remember all of Zark’s song, but the tune stuck. No matter how many times Azrin tried to replace it with something more upbeat, she’d always drift back to that melody. Then that faded away too, as she finally fell into a deep - and hopefully dreamless - sleep.

Surely sorrows shall find their end
And all our troubles will be gone

And I know what I've lost and all that I've won
When the road finally takes me home…

— Fin