Personal Log - Dani Atarah - Blast From The Past - Earth Pt III

Posted on Mon Aug 25th, 2014 @ 4:18am by Danielle Atarah

750 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: In the Dark

The door opened and Dani walked in, a knot in her throat, staring at the woman she already knew would be there in utter shock.

"Well, well, well. Danielle Atarah. Now that's a face I did not expect to see again."

The Bristol may have looked old from the outside and from its hulls, but you would never guess its age from the furniture of the Captain's office. It was long and bright, two of its walls completely covered with viewport, open to the rushing stars at warp speed. Exotic plants grew from an overhead plates at the rim of the ceiling, their leaves falling gracefully at the walls, creating bright patterns of green and yellow. A plush dark blue sofa graced the left corner, fitting into the room as if a Feng Shui artist placed it with precise accuracy.

At the farther side of the room, at the corner where the two windows met, was a huge shiny oak desk peppered with buttons and overlaying holoemitters. Some of that equipment was beyond what most Starfleet ships had.

A tall female Trill walked carefully around the massive desk, smiling at Dani brightly, her hair, dyed with different shades of purples, reds, and yellow, bouncing around her shoulders.

Dani lowered her bag to the floor by the strap and stared at the woman in front of her, taking extra care to not outright drop it. Or gape. Or both.

"Zett," she muttered, her voice raw, "I, uh," she choked, then cleared her throat. "I didn't expect... you were... last I saw you, I mean, you were all..."

The woman laughed. "All caught up in a Starfleet jail cell? Yes, I remember." She approached Dani, giving the smaller woman an appraising look, "you've changed, little girl."

"You haven't."

"Oh, I have," The Trill smiled and looked into Dani's eyes. "What is that?" she reached, but Dani recoiled, tearing her gaze off and staring at her bag on the floor.

A hand touched her cheek gently, lifting her head up, reclaiming the gaze into the deep blue eyes of the Bristol's captain. "Those eyes of yours," the woman shook her head gently, dismayed, "What a shame you lost them."

"Yeah," Dani muttered, her voice caught in her throat. She felt so small now, so much like the young child she was when they've first met, a million billion years ago, under such different circumstances, and without the troubles that followed. "A lot has changed, since... since we've last..."

"Yes, a lot changed." The woman agreed, and stepped away, her expression intensifying, her eyes staring so fiercely into Dani's, the smaller Engineer found herself unable to move. "You remember? The last time we saw each other?"

Dani nodded slowly, swallowing the memory. "I... I'm sorry about the--"

Her head flung -- quickly, and without warning -- to the side, her cheek reddening immediately, her eyes watering from the sting on her flesh. A slap. Dani was so shocked, her face remained tilted for a moment, her brain taking longer than expected to absorb the flood of overwhelming messages, physical and emotional.

"That's for leaving me behind." The Trill whispered, her anger mixed with such strong disappointment, Dani thought the words themselves turned into a knife and stabbed her in the heart, twisting mercilessly.

"And that--" the taller woman reached and wrapped her arms around Dani's shoulders, pulling her close for a soft, gentle kiss. "-- is for coming back."

Dani experienced it all slowly, her brain lagging behind, intercepting the events as if they happened in slow motion, to someone else, from far away. Slowly, she felt herself pulling closer and closer, rushing through the panic and confusion until her brain finally synchronized itself with the input from her nerves. She took a breath, dropped the bag strap to the floor, and succumbed.

Memories filled her mind, dancing like shadows from the past, awakening feelings she never thought she remembered anymore; first love, freedom, adventure, romance, loyalty... and betrayal. She leaned in and kissed back, tears filling foreign eyes that weren't really truly hers.

Almost as quickly as it began, it ended, softly. The tall woman smiled, brushed Dani's bright red cheek, reminding the nerve endings to sting again, and kissed her forehead gently. "I've missed you, little girl."

And Dani, unexpectedly vulnerable, lost for words and drowning in memories, let the tears mature into a steady stream, and cried.

* * *

Danielle Atarah
Ex-Engineer
Nowhere and Everywhere
Bristol supply ship, on the way to Earth

 

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