Never Parted (Part 4 of 5) [18+]

Posted on 03 Dec 2024 @ 8:45pm by Chief Warrant Officer 3 Lamar Darius & Ensign S'Ers-a M'Lyr'Zor
Edited on on 03 Dec 2024 @ 8:47pm

3,617 words; about a 18 minute read

Mission: Episode 20 - Reconstruction
Location: Remidia I - Northern Hemisphere, Creek Bed
Timeline: MD 07, 1132 hrs

Previously, on Never Parted (Part 3)...

Her touch masterfully returned his attention to her gorgeous blue eyes and flushed, sweaty skin. For a short moment her distraction worked and he leaned in to kiss her on the lips, but then he broke the joining after several seconds while his dark brown eyes discerningly scanned the surrounding purple forest. "I think there's something here watching us. Maybe camouflaged...or cloaked," he revealed in a private whisper.

And Now, the Continuation...

[ON]

Sera's normally neutral expression went through a shift of micro-expressions before landing on a slightly furrowed brow. She fought against her instincts to sit up and to actively engage in looking for whatever concerned Lamar, but she stilled herself. "The planet is devoid of fauna...present company of Galileo crew notwithstanding." She countered softly, but she tilted her head to listen more closely. Their breaths, their heartbeats...the sound of the creek, a slight breeze ruffling the leaves on the trees...but she could not perceive what he had alerted on. "What has alerted you to such a concern?"

"I..." his deep whispery voice trailed off while he tried to articulate an answer to her query. His fingers pulled out from her and his hand firmly pressed atop her tight abdominal muscles while he propped himself up onto his elbow. "...I think I saw something. A shimmer. Might be Jem'Hadar...but why here? How?"

Concern. Confusion. Arousal. Fear? Sera listened and scented the air, but the direction Lamar had alerted upon was downwind from them. "I find it...highly unlikely a Jem'Hadar is here on the other side of galaxy from the wormhole. Allow me up, and I can assist."

Lamar released the pressure on her belly then withdrew his arm from behind her back before shifting upright then finally standing to a low crouch. He was still naked, of course, aside from his boots, but he disregarded such a trivial state of dress when the enemy might be closing in. Maneuvering with careful and quiet steps to stand beside her, he flicked his chin up and toward the orientation she was looking. "There, behind that wall of tree trunks. 300 meters," he called the location and distance which now visually revealed nothing more than a series of low swaying branches captured by the wind.

Sera stood unnervingly still, focusing what attention she could towards the copse of trees that he had gestured to. She simply did not perceive any threat in the same manner Lamar did, but she was also feeling somewhat...distracted. Again. The primal creature within her crooned, If someone is there...let them watch... That's wasn't the correct tactic, given the paranoia and anxiety pouring off of Lamar in waves.

"Adun... Sera started hesitantly, "I do not believe anyone is there...I did comment on the compounds found in the spores being released by the plants...perhaps it is affecting you now?"

Spores...Jem'Hadar...an alien world. Maybe this plant life was one of their new weapons? He did feel strange. More cerebral than normal and now on heightened alert. "...No...they're experimenting with hallucinogenics. We got intel on that during the war," he predicted with a curt shake of his head. Why was he so hungry again? "Go and get my primary pack from the tent," he instructed. "I'll keep watch."

Sera tilted her head slightly and studied Lamar very carefully. He looked...concerned. No, it was more than that. His whole demeanor had changed; this was a male on high alert, ready to engage. This was not in alignment with her desires. Reaching out, she took Lamar's hand and projected calm to him. Lamar...We are safe. She thought silently, in an experimental manner, unsure if it would even work given humans were not telepathic at all.

The intricacies of touch telepathy were foreign to Lamar but he was slowly adapting to his wife's new method of communication. This wasn't the first time he'd experienced her ability to non-verbally communicate with him in a most intimate manner, but it still startled him nevertheless. His head snapped over to look at her and his thoughts projected a pointed reply. My pack...now.

Sera removed her hand from his as if burned. She had not expected much of a response at all. Lamar had then all but screamed in her mind with how pointed his order was, and his imperative demanded obedience. She walked to the tent and obtained the pack and returned it to Lamar as demanded. "I will assist you, Lamar." Sera said determinedly.

His eyes were slowly becoming bloodshot and he displayed a curt appreciation to his wife for bringing his requested items. Lamar reluctantly pulled his attention from the forest landscape to focus on the hard-shell standard-issue Starfleet pack now at his feet. He tapped the release lever and it unlocked, presenting a multi-layered stack of clothes, toiletries and...weapon components. He retrieved the latter set of pieces then quickly began to assemble them with uncanny infantry professionalism. A quick procurement of the barrel followed by the primary and secondary firing receivers resulted in a series of audible clicks while he finalized his task. A final insert of the aft variable stock completed the Type IIIc compression rifle's construction.

Weapon in hand, Lamar swiftly checked then double-checked it its alignment before slapping a fresh battery pack into its magazine. An audible increasing whir sounded while the rifle's power display bars rn up from red to yellow then to green. He expertly spun it 360 degrees on its later axis to acclimate to its weight per habit, then tapped the power cycling switch to increase its lethality to level 10 - the baseline kill setting when engaging Jem'Hadar.

"Flank left and let's draw him out..." he whispered to her, now hunting the alien specter.

Sera watched transfixed as Lamar pulled out the components of phaser rifle and rather efficiently put the firearm together. She was buffeted by the chaos that was his mind, and she brought her hand up to temple and shut her eyes for a moment realizing that some how he had the upper hand here. Sera burst into motion to find her boots and slip them on and then moved away from towards the left, to perform the flanking maneuver that he desired...the farther she went away from him the more uncomfortable she felt. Now was not the time of separation...it was imperative that he knock this shit off and get back to mating with her! Sera grit her teeth while she moved silently through the underbrush once beyond the treeline of the grove. She began to pant at the expenditure and the control it was taking to not turn around and stalk him and--She tripped over large root unseen due to the layer of fern leaves and fell on her hands and knees, skinning them. The minor pain snapped Sera out it and she scrambled to her feet and kept moving.

He watched her take off as ordered and shouldered his rifle at the ready. Hazy fog permeated his thoughts and vision and more shimmers started to appear within his line of sight. It was an entire platoon of them. He shifted right in preparation to maneuver but the sudden scent of a bacon cheeseburger assaulted his nostrils. Lamar was so hungry. He cast a momentary look toward the still-smoldering grill and the temptation which he couldn't resist. If he was going to die, it might as well be on a full stomach.

The naked conn officer shuffled his pants-constrained feet toward the grill he'd assembled then snatched one of the uneaten burgers from the small serving platform attached to his. He plunged it into his mouth then bit down and his eyes quickly dilated from the crunch of bacon, lettuce and perfectly-marbled beef patty. He chewed with a savagery rarely seen and stuffed the remainder of the entire patty and bun in between his lips while grease started to drip down his chin. "...So good..." he mumbled to himself before he turtle-walked himself back to his own designated position.

The further away she got, the harder it was to think clearly. Was that causation or correlation, Sera wondered curiously. She stopped, having to catch her breath. The differences in the atmosphere were starting to catch up with her. Perhaps a slower pace would be prudent? Or perhaps you could turn back, hunt him instead? the creature within her spoke. Wow, her voice was very clear right now...but...that wasn't the plan. Stick to the plan. Left flanking maneuver. Screw the plan.

He uncomfortably crouched down behind a purple brush bank and breathed heavily. The air was becoming thick and inducing a subtle level of nausea within him, but that was irrelevant now. Chewing of the burger continued until he fully swallowed it and tried to focus once more on the hidden enemy. The treescape...it shimmered again. His entire periphery shimmered. But this entity he seeming identified was the one. "One o'clock 50 meters!" he called out to Sera before depressing the trigger of his rifle and sending four consecutive bursts of precision fire into a large tree's trunk. The accuracy and swift cadence of the weapon's employment was impressive and the bright orange bolts of phased energy screamed through the quiet landscape before exploding with bright sparks into the tree and decimating its foundation. "Push!" Lamar yelled out while shuffling forward.

The phaser fire--set to level 10 from the micro-harmonics of the blast, was very alarming. The urge to call out to him, to tell him to stop was almost irresistible. Instead, Sera prudently crouched low and silently made her way back towards the camp. Lamar's hypervigilence poured into her, and it set her teeth on edge. This was grossly abnormal...She would have to protect him.

He was far too focused on things unseen, and did not appreciate her coming up behind him. Once she was close enough, Sera reached out to the juncture of where Lamar's neck met his shoulder and applied the appropriate amount of pressure and to perform a nerve pinch, ending his 'watch.'

Lamar collapsed like a boneless marionette, and Sera winced in reciprocation before setting to work getting the phaser rifle away from him--and the power cell from the phaser rifle--and dragged his limp form back to the tent. Yes! the voice crooned. Once his body was inside, and positioned on the sleeping sacks already set out, Sera worked to divest him of his boots and left-over clothing. She hid the power cell in her pack and pulled out a square of fabric and bottled water and gently began cleaning his face. Was that cheeseburger smeared all over his chin?

Sera continued working her way down his body, wiping away at the shimmering pollen that covered huge swaths of his skin. It was an opportunity to further familiarize herself with his body while cleaning all of this suspect pollen off. Maybe she could lick it off, wait, what? It would appear that even the concern for the well-being of her mate wasn't enough to keep what was becoming a gnawing need at bay. This was a most dissatisfying situation.

Forcing the breath of her lungs, Sera sat back on her knees and closed her eyes in an attempt to regain clarity, but all it did was amplify the burning in her veins. This was not agreeable. She laid down next to him, and curled up on her side facing away.


Some time later...

The passage of time ambiguously transitioned both forward and back while Lamar remained unconscious. His physical form lay motionless within the tent atop the silver, thermal-lined sleeping sack and he outwardly appeared to be engaged in a serene slumber. The reality within his hippocampus, however, painted a much more troubled canvas. Visions of a dire future resurfaced from a time when the Federation teetered on the precipice of total defeat - billions already dead and core worlds conquered with Galileo seemingly the final salvation. Memories of the past interspersed these specters and suddenly he was engaged in a fighting retreat on the barren surface of AR-184 with Jem'Hadar pulse fire screaming above his head while a cacophony of urgent orders, wounded cries and weapons fire assaulted his nervous system.

Then...he was somewhere else. In the present but out of time, in a place not of this universe. A place of perdition full of flesh-like abominations who controlled the entire domain of existence. It was a location devoid of happiness, laughter, joy and contentment - well-beyond what one could conceive of the opposite. It was damnation personified in its rotting flesh with one singular savage voice penetrating his thoughts. The flayed man had returned.

Lamar's body now twitched and his breathing cadence shifted before sharply inhaling. His fingers started to tighten and sheen of sweat began developing across his exposed skin.

Sera felt something unsettling. Lamar. Inwardly groaning at the thought of moving, she forced herself back up to sitting with trembling hands. Lamar still appeared asleep. Why was he so...Oh Gods...so afraid. Yes. I know this emotion. It is most distressing. Something was wrong. Why had he not awoken? This was all most unusual. Nerve pinches, like getting stunned with a phaser, could take a few moments to recover from but this was exceeding the time limit and he wasn't even beginning to rouse. Now this sickening panic was becoming unbearable.

Regardless, Sera did not hesitate to reach over and place her hand on Lamar's chest, using the contact to obtain a further read on his mental state. That physical touch served as a conduit, a bridge...into the hell that his mind currently inhabited. It was a cold place, and her mind recoiled and yet could not break free.

Almost against her will, Sera strode forward down a shadowed corridor that seemed to distort and lengthen in a menacing forced perspective. Her mind screamed danger, and the need for self preservation warred with her obligation to him regarding what to do.

Sera continued to move determinedly forward. She refused to acknowledge the Lovecraftian noises oozed and echoed down the corridor, along with uncannily familiar skittering, wet sounds - it was dreadful. Her stomach clenched again, not in unfulfilled desire, but in fear. Cast out fear. There is no room for anything else until you cast out fear.

She began to experience an tightening sensation as her breathing came out increasing pants and her heart began to race. The coldness bit at her naked flesh as a sickly sweet smell of decay rolled over her sense of smell. It triggered all sorts of primordial alarms in her mind...Gods!

There was a horrible sense of conversance regarding this place, yet Sera had no recollection of ever being wherever 'here' was. It took all of her control to recognize she was still touching Lamar's chest and had not, in fact, been returned to...to where, exactly?

Lamar? Sera called out silently, but her voice came out distorted and wrong. He was here, somewhere in this place. She had to find him; she could not leave him.

There was no reply at first, not for many long seconds which seemed to pass with no discernible form of time passage. Then a deep, bass-filled voice returned a single, shuddering word. ...Heeerrre.... It wasn't from Darius. ...HEErree... it repeated, this time growing in intensity and unseen proximity. The words to describe its torturous tonality and inflection were far beyond humanoid comparisons.

Sera gasped at the sound of the 'voice' echoing back to her. It skittered down her spine, turning her resolve into gelatin. A horrid sense of deja vu overtook her. LAMAR! she screamed, giving into the instinct to run down the corridor that now stretched on in menacing shadows. It did not matter how distressful things became, Sera had focused on finding him within this nightmare and she would not be thwarted from her goal.

Decomposing arms - or at least limbs with varying numbers of digits haphazardly attached to them - began to swiftly emerge from the walls and grasp toward the Vulcan's form, creating a hazardous obstacle course to navigate with terrible consequences for any error. At the end of the corridor was a single large door. A Starfleet door very familiar to those aboard Galileo and especially the Nova-class' engineers. It was the primary entrance to main engineering on deck 7. Ss...era.. a weak call from the conn officer managed to sound through from the other side.

Gods...somehow all of this had taken on the distinct feel of the recurrent nightmare she experienced after Viruk's death. Her mind scrambled to make logical sense where none was to be found. The hands scrabbled and grabbed at her legs, and burning lances of pain shot up her extremities and it felt has if strips of flesh were being flayed from her bones. She stumbled and fell into their 'loving' embrace, and screamed in agony and fought to right herself. It was as if fire and ice had embraced her; the sour sweat coating her body crackled subtly as it froze in the frigid air, and yet the fevered warmth over blood trailed down from numerous 'wounds' now decorating her skin.

The door before her shuddered as she ran into it, almost in a blind panic. Bloodied hands smeared a verdant green all over the doors as she scrabbled to find purchase to open it, tearing her metaphorical fingers almost to shreds in the act of prying the blast doors open. Squeezing her way through once she had managed to pry one of the doors open enough, Sera fell again to the ground as one of the decomposing hands latched onto her ankle with a vice-like grip. Something awful began to spread up her calf and Sera began to panic, losing sight of her need to find Lamar, and simply tried to keep the inexpertly tied threads of her regained sanity from unraveling completely. She fought and pulled against the grip and finally it released and she pulled her bloodied, discolored leg through the small gap. Internally nearing hysterics, Sera crawled into the space beyond the corridor and looked around nearly hyperventilating.

The auburn-painted door clamped shut behind Sera and the bright, pristine interior of Galileo's warp core bay was now present. Colorful lights from the multitude of LCARS panels and the soothing, vibrating thrum of the reactor's intermix chamber created a familiar backdrop free from peril and a short respite.

"..Sera...." whispered Lamar from somewhere nearby. Above her? A heavy stream of crimson fluid suddenly splattered on her forehead and face from the ceiling before a pained wheeze followed. In the upper level of the engineering bay, an eyeless body dangled from the bulkheads head-first toward the lower concourse, its thighs and lower legs fused into the duranium-plated revetment. The human form had no skin. Exposed, bright red muscles and ivory bones revealed the shape of what remained of a man. Blood dripped down its form from across its entire body and pooled at the crown of its head before releasing another splatter onto the Vulcan below. Then it twitched, coughed and wheezed, a bubbly mix of saliva and ichor expelling into the air to land at her feet. "...Sera.....run..." It was Lamar. What remained of him.

She blinked slowly as a solitary tear escaped from the outer canthus of her eye. It mixed with the red and black splatters as it trailed down her cheek.

She was back...had she ever left? Was she even now staring up at the ceiling of her quarters on Juneau? Her psyche recoiled, but outwardly Sera remained gazing upwards at something that could not be reconciled.

It was a testament to her upbringing, just how calmly Sera responded to the tortured being that hung above her when the what she wanted to do was the gouge out her own eyes - knowing it was futile...even the ritualized lobatimization of the most skilled of Vulcan healers couldn't remove the essence of the existential terror that was rekindled upon seeing her mate all but turned inside out.

Was everything up unto this point just the hallucination? The grueling therapies endured once returned to Vulcan...the struggle to put herself back together...the trip out to Galileo...the future that wasn't...here and now? This. This felt real.

"No running...no escape." If this was somehow, inexplicably, Lamar's fate--on the very back of a wondrous joining that made her feel whole again--then it was one they would share. "I will not leave you here alone, adun." Sera shut her eyes, not needing them to see the ruin of his flesh--that would be indelibly burned into her memory for as long as she lived--and in surrender, dropped her head back, exposing her throat to the ruined creature and raised her palms upwards as if offering herself as a supplicant for sacrifice.

Adun. "...Adun'a....." his final words croaked before his hanging figure started to involuntarily spasm in his final moments. "AahhHH!"

To Be Continued...

[OFF]

--

Ensign S'Ers-a M'Lyr'Zor
Chief Engineering Officer
USS Galileo-A

&

CWO3 Lamar Darius
Conn Officer
USS Galileo-A
[PNPC Tarin]

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