A Quick Bite (Part 1 of 2)

Posted on 08 Oct 2013 @ 11:18pm by Chief Warrant Officer 3 Lamar Darius & Commander Allyndra illm Warraquim

2,473 words; about a 12 minute read

Mission: Episode 04 - Exodus
Location: USS Galileo - Deck 4, Arboretum
Timeline: MD 04 - 2325 hrs

[ON]

It was late in the evening, well past Lamar's bedtime, yet the warrant officer had been having trouble sleeping lately. The devastating attack on Galileo combined with the abduction and assimilation of so many crew members had recently plagued him with nightmares, and his only escape for the moment was to wander the decks of the ship while trying his best to avoid looking at any of the Borg drones which were randomly standing around 'guarding' the Nova Class' internals. He despised the drones with a passion, and the more he saw them, the more infuriated he became that they were on his ship. Worst of all, there was nothing he could do about, even though every fiber in his body told him the best course of action was to procure a phaser rifle and go on a Borg shooting rampage.

And so, he found himself in the arboretum for what was probably the first time since he had come on board the ship. It wasn't that he disliked arboretums -- rather, he simply had no use for them...until now. He wasn't a particularly ecological-friendly person, but the calm and quiet scene of nature's serenity in the large room was a comforting feeling which helped to quell his emotions.

Allyndra knew that technically she was on duty, but then she had not been off on any shift either really. The time and days had blended one into the other and with that just slow dragging leach like thing that lack of decent sleep and food brought along. This would hopefully not take long, and Allyndra snugged the bag closer. Her damaged wings had dropped off a day earlier.

She made her way into the Arboretum which was dimmed currently and absently for a moment looked up to see how long to Ring Rise. It struck her with a slowness that Ring Rise would not happen here. This was not home, nor this soil native, but it would have to suffice. She found a spot and veered off the path and pushed through the bushes until by some miraculous reason a small opening appeared surrounded by some trees.

Dropping to her knees, she opened the bag and gently pulled out the ragged remains and then a small field style shovel that she had found in the stores.
Allyndra scrapped the dirt back and though the trench was shallow it should be enough. She was tired, dead tired but gently laid the ragged remains in the shallow trench.

She sat back on her heels and raised her arms and then began to sing.
"Ha'ku ala Hak'uina ena A'ole ea Po'lealu, Houniana eta hapi elalu pillia'u din'atu L'ani. Mai Po'lealu...." It was as far as she got before with a wave of dizziness she all but fainted.

From far across the path, Lamar heard a rustling in the bushes and then what sounded like music; a very beautiful melody, he added. He wasn't too familiar with how the arboretum worked, but he was pretty sure the sounds he was hearing were not pre-programmed into the maintenance cycle of the garden. His curiosity got the better of him and he slowly began to wander towards the source of the music. After a few steps it suddenly stopped, but he continued his search even more puzzled now.

Craning his head to look in between a cluster of trees, he finally spotted the silhouette of someone, and upon further observation, noticed the familiar blue-collar which all Starfleet science and medical officers wore. "You've got a great voice," he said as he pushed his way through the brush and into the clearing, however he paused when he looked down at the woman who was in the middle of doing something strange. "Oh...sorry, lieutenant, I didn't mean to interrupt." he gave her a sheepish grin after identifying her by the pips on her collar.

Allyndra heard sound, a voice, male and it brought her back to reality. She pushed a hasty bit of dirt, this was something that a husband would help with but then the situation hit her. She looked up at the man. He was big, as big as neuter back home and if was any judge perhaps human. She stopped what she was doing and sat back on her heels.

"It is alright. You startled me that is all. I..." Allyndra felt the colour rise in her cheeks. "Allydnra, please. I really do not like rank and title unless the situation calls for it." She looked down at the ragged things and then back up. "You are probably curious, I can not fault you on that, I would be as well."

"Yeah...I won't lie, I'm a bit curious." Lamar gave her another smile and stepped closer, careful to avoid treading on whatever she was previously doing in the soil. "Lamar Darius, support craft pilot." he extended his large hand in greeting and got a good look at her for the first time.

Her dark, almost jet black hair was streaked by what appeared to be some sort of metallic blue highlighting, and was tied up in a high ponytail. Her features were very attractive, but what stood out the most were her deep sapphire eyes which were completely solid in color and seemed to reflect the dim lights of the arboretum. Even though she was on her knees, he could tell she had a slim and toned frame, and he absentmindedly oogled at her for a moment. What a beautiful lady creature... he mused, completely unfamiliar with her species.

"They are my wings," Allyndra said absently. She smiled. "Truly in the truest sense. We grow wings, sort of like an Earth dragonfly." Allyndra made a sweep of the hand, "We shed them periodically and these were shed because they were damaged. It is tradition to return them to the earth."

Allyndra looked down at the shallow trench. She was dead tired and really did not have the strength to finish. It was unheard of a male that was not a husband to help and Allyndra could not help but feel the tears suddenly spring to her cheek.

She looked up. "Could you help me please? I know it is not something your used to, nor is it in my culture to have someone not a husband to help with this but I am so tired I am not sure I can finish."

The warrant officer was a bit shocked by the request. From what she had just told him, it seemed like a very personal ceremony, but he was happy to oblige and assist her. The mention of her damaged dragonfly wings was also very curious to him, but when he noticed her beginning to cry, he suddenly felt sadness and sympathy for her. "Sure, of course." he answered, then knelt down to her and put his hand on her shoulder in a reassuring manner. "So...you're married? I hope your husband won't mind..." he said as he began to help her dig through the soil with his hands.

"Married once, I am Ma'kane, a widow."

Dammit, Lamar, he scolded himself, Way to add insult to injury. He squeezed her shoulder and rubbed his hand down her back. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked. None of my business." He carried on digging large chunks of earth out of the ground until he hoped the hole was large enough to accommodate her wings.

Allyndra winced as the hand went down her back. It was not that she did not like the touch but her back was still sore at the wing roots. She closed her eyes again for a moment reveling in the touch feeling guilty. How long had it been. "It is alright, without question we do not have knowledge. A question asked in ignorance no matter the how delicate the subject is always forgivable. At least that is what we believe."

"Wise words." he replied quietly, feeling a little better that he apparently hadn't offended her too badly. "If you don't mind me asking...when you say "we", what species are you talking about? I don't think I've met any of your kind before." He gave her another good look and once again took in the sight of her features and body. "And I definitely haven't met anyone with wings before."

Allyndra smiled at that. "We call ourselves Akkadians. We are an allied world but not a member world and not many of us out here. A world of twin suns, almost all ocean with scattered islands. The closest I could think of is a bit like Earth's South Seas." She looked up, "Have you ever been there?"

"Once or twice." he answered with a shrug. "I'm from the Northern hemisphere in Philadelphia, but I traveled to Mexico and South America a few times when I was younger and got to hang out in the Caribbean sea area. It was nice." he paused as he recalled his family vacations as a youth.

"So you know a lot about Earth? And Humans?" he curiously asked. "I've never heard of an Akkadian before...not that you aren't very pretty." he smiled at her again, this time noticing how fatigued she looked.

Allyndra laughed. "Thank you for the complement sir. As for the former, yes, as any Starfleet officer I attended the Academy on Earth. The South Sea area reminds me a bit of home. I am a medical doctor so as far as function of humans, yes," she had that light musical laugh back again. "I know a bit about humans."

She patted the ground and figured she could finish her song later. It was just a tradition and though she sometimes followed them, the analytical side of her made her wonder why such silly things got started at all.

"Thank you for helping." Allyndra felt that odd daze as a wave of dizziness passed over her. There was a long pause and she mumbled, "H'oni A'likoa". She closed her eyes and then a second later collapsed in the loose dirt.

Lamar's eyes went wide when he saw her faint, and his Marine Corps medical training kicked in. He rolled her over on her back and put his hand on her chest to feel her heart, then leaned his head down over her mouth to try and listen to her breathing. He was relieved to feel her warm breath on his cheek which signaled her respiratory system was at least functioning, but his hand felt what he thought were three different heart beats. He wasn't sure if that was normal for her species, but considering she could grow and shed wings, it could very well be.

"Allyndra?" he shook her shoulder gently to try and revive her but with no use. He frowned and looked around, as if somehow a doctor was suddenly going to walk into the arboretum and render assistance. Not likely. But did she need a doctor? Maybe she was just tired? He admitted to himself that she had looked rather fatigued when they were chatting, and maybe she was just suffering from lack of sleep.

His mind contemplated what to do for a short moment, after which he decided it would be best to take her to sickbay. He hastily wiped his hands clean on his uniform, then picked her up with one arm under her thighs and the other around her neck and shoulders to support her head. He rose back to his feet and was surprised to notice that she weighed much less than he had expected. She was tall for a woman, but her body felt very light in his arms.

Carrying her back through the trees and onto the main path, Lamar moved towards the arboretum's exit and stepped through the doors as the parted with a swish. He looked around in the corridor and began to make his way to sickbay, but caught sight of a Borg drone standing guard as he rounded the corner. Dammit... he mumbled to himself in his head, then suddenly decided that he didn't want to take her to sickbay and have to deal with more mechanical nemeses on the way. "Computer, locate Allyndra's quarters." he called out to the nearby LCARS terminal on the wall.

"Lieutenant Warraquim's quarters are located on Deck Two, section Tenthe computer answered in its distinctive soft female voice.

With this new information, Lamar carried Allyndra to the turbolift and took her back to her quarters. If she was just tired, she would probably appreciate her own mattress instead of those stiff biobeds in the medical bay, he reckoned. The door to the Akkadian's quarters opened after sensing her bio signature and Lamar carried her inside. It was dimly lit and very spacious with multiple rooms, and he realized that Allyndra was most likely a senior officer. Most junior officers and enlisted crew weren't granted the luxury of such lavish quarters, and a twinge of jealousy ran through him as he briefly looked around with envy.

Moving down the hallway, he located her bedroom and took her inside, then gently laid her down on her bed and sat next to her. "Allyndra?" he tried again to revive her, this time patting her arm. "Are you okay?"

Allyndra felt as if she were flying again. Carried on the currents of air, for she could feel them caress her face but it was dark. She wondered if she was on another matron flight. There were no stars, no Queen of the Night's Promise...but how could that be.

A shaking, gentle but insistent and a voice, male finally came through. She opened her eyes and there was a face there, male. Was it her Gerrin? The vision of the face was different but then it seemed to shift in her mind to that of her long dead husband.

Allyndra pulled the wrist to her lips and whispered, "H'oni A'likoa". She kissed the wrist gently with her lips before gently turning it and letting the tiny sharp inner teeth pierce the flesh.

Lamar watched with a sigh of relief as Allyndra regained consciousness, but then frowned when he realized she still wasn't fully herself. He listened to her speak in a strange language, the words of which he couldn't decipher, but raised his eyebrows in surprise when she kissed his wrist. Although she was speaking a different tongue, he understood well enough the universal sign of affection. Suddenly, he felt a pinch like several bee stings on his skin and his body stiffened in reply. What the....

To Be Continued...

[OFF]

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WO Lamar Darius
Support Craft Pilot
USS Galileo
NPC'd by Lirha Saalm

Lt Allyndra illm Warraquim
CMO
USS Galileo

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