Rob Dougan - Instrumental
SCENE >> Pisces Commercial Sector
Marina was soon disinterested at the current subject; she came here to escape the situation she had been pushed into, not to drag herself further into it. And so, with a bright smile, she changed the idea. "Ne, Nozomi, would you like to come to the observation deck?" Unlike most Yamataians with traditional educations, Marina evidently didn't mix languages in that manner that infuriates native english speakers.
She seemed...puzzled at first, but quickly relented to the idea of spending a few minutes or perhaps hours with her clipboard in standby mode. Steadying her hand against the table to stand, Tetsuko nodded. "Alright, I'll bite. And please for the love of pulsars, you're allowed to use my given name or my moniker; I'd hate the underlings to think we weren't on friendly terms."
"Your last name suits you better...the way things are going, you seem to be the last hope for the station, after all." Marina said that horrid pun with no sense of hyperbole whatsoever...she really meant what she said. The way her eyes laid upon the Chief was that of someone filled with awe. "Follow me," she said, as she led Nozomi to one of the currently operable lifts.
Chief shrugged, and followed to the lift. Not really trusting the damned things, but having no alternative in the matter. "Okay, so the observation deck...no one else there hopefully?"
"It's fairly empty, or at least should be," Marina said, stuffing another stick into her mouth.
"Good. I'm rather...bored of being surrounded by people at the moment." She leaned against the far wall, opposite the lift doors, and gripped the handrail rather tightly. Muttering to herself, "bloody things, they go the wrong way when they bounce..."
"They are rather large," Marina muttered under her breath with a blush, as the lift arrived at the observation deck. It was mostly empty, but that was by design; nothing obstructed the view, the entire wall on this part of the station made of transparent zesuaium and providing a beautiful view of the planet below. Albini, in all its blue and white glory, was a beautiful sight below them; the gaze of the sun was largely filtered by the material, and so too added to the beauty of the sight.
Even here, Tetsuko's thoughts began to drift back to the days past, horrible things...from up here it was easy to forget what had been done to the planet, to its people. Most of them would be returning, as soon as enough spare bodies could be made, but there were some that would never be seen again.
"I thought it would be appropriate," Marina simply said, as she stepped out to the windows, looking for all the world like a child looking down on their home planet for the first time.
"Appropriate...and do you always try to comfort your subordinates by reminding them of things they would rather forget for all eternity?" She didn't mean to sound harsh, or critical of her captain, but there it was, staring her in the face like the blue-tinted eye of a mockingbird, peering out of the surrounding blackness.
"..." Marina didn't respond. She didn't know, of course. But the connection soon came to her; she was there on the planet when it was destroyed, all life on it obliterated...after what seemed like an eternity, she responded. "Even here, there's no way to forget about war...is there?"
"It follows us like a shadow." For some of us more than others, is what she didn't say, but the meaning was there, lingering unspoken in the space between herself and Marina.
"...I heard them, you know. The screams of those who were killed in battle, who went to fight and die...and why?" Marina seemed on the verge of tears as she reminisced. "We never did anything wrong..."
Tetsuko shuffled closer, brought her arm arond her captain in a soothing embrace. "They did it because they could and that's all that matters. Maybe they saw us as threatening; maybe they're aggressively territorial and are punishing us for trespassing." Whatever the reason, they still deserved to burn for their sins.
Marina was slightly shocked by the action of her executive...but didn't stop her. This was a moment, and there was no need to ruin it...not with words, not with anything.
But as with all such things such moments had to end; the shaking in Tetsuko's body was reaching noticeable levels and the chief pulled away, fearful of being found out. But she might still have to tell all anyway and hope there wasn't anyone snooping.
Such thoughts were shortlived, however...as something caught Marina's eye - a certain package. A package of familiar size, and covered with a dark blue paper, with black smiley's and a yellow ribbon. And on the top – an ornate Green bow and a note, ‘For my dearest commander, Marina.' As would be expected of such a package, Marina picked it up...and immediately knew that it was another message.
"Another...another..." Tetsuko steeled herself against...whatever it was causing her to stammer so suddenly. "Another package?"
"...the medbay." The commander manifested herself once again. "Now." And all thoughts of anything but duty were forgotten, as Marina returned to the lift, motioning for Nozomi to follow.
She nodded, sighing as once again duty intruded upon calm and shattered it like fragile glass. "As you wish."
END
