Afternoon Surprise

Posted on 30 Nov 2017 @ 6:25pm by Rear Admiral Lirha Saalm & Commander Scarlet Blake

1,445 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Episode 15 - Emanation
Location: Earth - Australia, Perth, Penal Colony
Timeline: MD 54, 1522 hrs

[ON]

Waiting for the door to be opened, Scarlet remained still, her features emotionless as she kept her patience...despite the scans she'd gone through, and the longer than expected wait. As she finally walked through, she took in the figures in their bland, grey jumpsuits. The veneer was order, but there was a note of tension thrumming throughout the penal colony.

Blake was escorted by a warden, remaining silent after her first attempt to ask a question was met with little more than a grunt and a shake of his head. She kept her gaze directly ahead as they walked, but she was taking it all in...the surroundings, the people.

Even in the drab, grey uniform, Scarlet recognised her in a moment as they approached. It seemed completely and utterly surreal. "Lirha..."

Lunch period had ended several hours ago and Saalm had initially been grateful for the visitor notification. She still had another couple hours left of menial work before yard time, which meant anything to take her mind off the boredom tickled her interest. Of course, she didn't know who was visiting her, but the details didn't concern her much.

When she walked into the visiting room and laid eyes on the familiar features of one of her former officers, however, she frowned with confusion before giving the woman a small smile. "I wondered if I had really seen you at the trial, or if I'd been imagining things."

"The ghost of Christmas past?" Scarlet suggested, but with a slight smile pulling at her lips as she moved quickly to sit with her. "No, I was there. I saw the whole debacle. I can't think of any better word for it," she added bluntly, folding her arms tightly.

"My trial? Come now, it couldn't possibly be worse than it felt." The Orion took a seat across from her visitor, pausing only briefly to tug at her loose grey trousers. "Much happened after you left the ship...as you probably heard. I suppose it was only a matter of time before Starfleet found someone to blame," she lamented.

"That's exactly what they did," Scarlet replied quietly...but she didn't need to speak any louder for her disdain of the situation to be clear. "A useful scapegoat," she shook her head with a frown at the idea of it. "We can't let it rest."

"You've come to break me out, then?" Lirha said with a small grin. She agreed wholeheartedly with Scarlet's philosophy but wasn't sure there was much that could be done. And if she were to suddenly be set free...where would she go? The life of a fugitive had never really appealed to her. "I suppose it was inevitable. I'm not really the consummate example of a Starfleet captain," she sighed.

"No, you got far too much done for that," Scarlet replied drily, but with a touch of humour in her eyes as she offered her a small smile. "The truth is sometimes there are no right answers, and sometimes situations have no good ways out...let alone a way to win. Anyone can be a good leader when the odds are in their favour and there's calm waters. But when things are rough, the strong Captains are the ones who are willing and able to make the sacrifices necessary to find the least worst outcome in a no win situation."

Scarlet had always seemed like a wise woman and Lirha missed the days when they'd shared the Galileo bridge together. As she listened to her words, she found them strangely comforting despite the inevitability of failure in a Kobayashi Maru. And then she wondered...

"Do you think I was a good captain?" Lirha asked.

"Do you think I would be here if I didn't?" Scarlet replied, her eyes serious as they met Lirha's. "I think you were a great Captain. Especially when the chips were down. Which is when you need a great Captain the most." She crossed her legs as she leant forward to her, lowering her voice to a near whisper. "Because they don't give up."

Lirha tried to smile but sighed and looked down in an attempt to advert Scarlet's gaze. She might not have given up when it'd mattered the most, but now, after several weeks in the penal colony and five more years of this life as a prisoner...she felt exhausted. Both mentally and physically. "...I can't," she quietly replied. "There's nothing left for me in Starfleet or on Earth, they don't want me. I think that was made clear enough at my trial..."

"You mean, a few short sighted people with agendas," Scarlet replied quickly, shaking her head with a frown at the prospect. "They're not Starfleet. They're not my Starfleet," she said firmly, with no qualms of stating it out loud. "You have more than you think, Lirha. Nothing can change that you're an astute, courageous woman. You have family who love you. And friends who care."

"Yes, I suppose," the Orion shrugged. It was good to be reminded of her family both on Earth and Vajripam, but she'd never seriously considered settling down planet-side to spend time with them. "But I need to be out in space, traveling. I never enjoyed the sedentary life."

"I know," Scarlet said quietly, nodding to the words, knowing how true it was. It was easy to see that need in the other woman, especially as it was something she shared with her. "All the more reason not to give up and settle here," she added with a slight frown. It wasn't unknown, afterall. "I know it's not easy to fight once you're trapped," she held her eyes, so that she'd know she was being honest, that she really did know it. "Just know that some of us are still fighting for you."

As much as the Orion wanted to resist and keep her mind focused on life after her sentence, it was easier said than done. "I will try," she smiled weakly. "It makes me feel better when you say that," Saalm then admitted.

"Good. I just wish I could do more," Scarlet admitted, shaking her head with a weak smile. "Oh, Lily made a picture for you. I had to hand it in to be checked over. Presuming Lily didn't manage to interweave poison into the fibers of the paper, it should be passed on to you," she chuckled, shaking her head softly.

"A picture?" Lirha wondered it looked like and her choice of scene. She'd have to pick it up later, after visiting hours were over. "That is very kind of her. How old is she now?"

"Five. It won't be long until she's six. It goes...quickly," Scarlet took a deep breath at that, nodding slowly with a small smile. "She speaks about you a lot. She plays 'Captain' a lot too."

The Orion remembered her own childhood fixation with being captain; except instead of emulating a Starfleet commander, she followed her mother's captainly inspiration aboard their family's trade ship. "She might be one, one day. Dreams are often forged at a young age," she thoughtfully remarked. "Hopefully by then, we will have found space dragons for her to chase."

Scarlet laughed softly at that, a genuine laugh that made her shake her head. "I suspect a number of adults would be just as excited," she added with a slight motion of her hand. "She'd want one for a pet though. That's what happened with the bloody tribbles..."

Just as Lirha started to recall the joys of Galileo's tribble infestation, heavy footsteps began to approach from behind her and she knew it was most likely one of the guards.

"Time's up for today, Saalm," he said with critical gaze cast on both her and Scarlet.

Scarlet's jaw tightened just a touch at the words and she considered making a fuss over how short a time they'd been allowed. She figured that would do nothing but cause Lirha more aggravation in the end though, so she kept her mouth shut. Instead, she stood slowly, meeting Lirha's eyes, her own firm and honest. "I'll be seeing you again soon, Lirha," she promised.

Sighing and slowly getting to her feet, Lirha gave her a smile of thanks and hoped 'soon' wouldn't be too long. "Send my best to Lily and...thank you for this. This visit."

Scarlet gave a brisk shake of her head at that, waving a dismissive hand with it, her lips curled into a half smile. "No thank yous. It's my pleasure, Lirha."

[OFF]

--

Lirha Saalm
Prisoner 29-388-290

Commander Scarlet Blake
Instructor
Starfleet Academy

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