" Life "
(Previous Post was Jessica's "The Undefined Aspects Of Science Are Sometimes The Most Interesting")
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Stardate: 60327.1100
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Draxx/Rikar's Quarters
The young woman laid in her bed with her daughter nicely snuggled next to her under her arm… the pair enjoying a peaceful moment of serene tranquility and bonding away from the chaos and pains of the universe that extended around them.
As much as the redheaded woman had tried, her thoughts could not move beyond a specific point in time which had occurred less than 2 days ago but seemed both to be in a distant past and immediate present all at the same time. On stardate 60325.1930 life had changed in a way that the young woman could never have expected, and this change had not only affected her but her daughter as well. Now that the CO of the ANUBIS had confirmed that this had not been some sort of bad dream, Sabrina knew how life-mate must have felt when she had learned about the accident that had claimed the life of the then CSciO of the only Transdimensional ship in the fleet.
The last 2 days had come and gone in a whirlwind of emotions and responsibilities that had bounced the young woman from one end to the other of the emotional spectrum. As a life partner to Enaii, the redheaded woman could not help but be personally affected by this loss… and having suddenly become the only parent for their daughter Talia had not made things any easier. As CO of the ANUBIS though, Capt. Rikar had been obliged to display a certain detachment to the lost of a member of her crew, not being permitted to show any preferences amongst those who served under her command… and who had paid for their dedication with their lives. The ship's ILO had not been the only one not to return from this mission, so why had it been so hard for the single mother to think of only that single void now left in her personal and professional life?
"Bina?" The warm bundle under her arm said as she awoke, her movement triggering another creature to stir… this one located on top of the blankets in a small furry ball. The moment the small monkey had heard the voice of its owner, it moved up towards the head of the bed like a cat, stretching each arm and leg one after the other before finding the cheek of the young child and caressing it with a rough tongue.
"Good morning sweetheart… would you care for some breakfast?" The young woman inquired easily remembering the last time she had made this offer, planning not to repeat the errors of the last time.
The child seemed nervous at first but eventually agreed sending the redheaded woman on her way while Talia snuggled with Capi for a few minutes, enjoying the animal's morning playfulness. It was only after several moments that the young child realised what time it had been as her eyes crossed over the time display as she followed the moments of the monkey as it bounced from one end of the bed to the other. As much as she tried Talia could not remember either of her mothers having stayed in bed for so long in the morning… and this troubled her.
After having called Capi back over to her, Talia slid out of bed and made her way to the kitchen in her Pjs with the small monkey securely hanging on her shoulder.
"Bina no work?" Talia inquired, the young child having once again proven to have a far more solid understanding of the life around her than someone of her age should have had.
"Not today sweetie… today you and I are spending the day together… there will be only 1 thing that I will have to do… the rest of my time will be entirely dedicated to you." The young woman announced as she brought to the table a bowl of cereal for her daughter and a bowl of fruit for her pet.
The time to prepare the memorial for Enaii would come soon enough… but for now the redheaded woman wanted to focus all of her time and energy on the 1 life that still gave her the courage to get out of bed in the morning and face the chaos and pains of the universe.
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Stardate: 60327.1200
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Bridge
Breakfast… actually brunch, had been very enjoyable making the young woman forget for a short period of time the task that had been hers to accomplish not only by default as the ship's CO but also by respect and love to her mate. On the way to the bridge the redheaded woman had noticed the increased number of security personnel roaming the corridors… an observation that had added another task to her list.
As the CO stepped off the turbolift she was most happy to see the ANUBIS' new Sec/Tac officer at his station, his presence on the Bridge had saved her having to summon him to the command deck in order to explain why there had been so many security officers on duty.
"Good morning Ensign Rostov… guess you have something to tell me?" The young woman offered with a smile, her having stayed in bed for so long having offset her internal clock so much so that she still believed it to be morning.
"Good afternoon Captain." The Nausicaan replied and corrected the CO as he handed her a PADD that detailed the sequence of events that had led to his taking the decision to have every available security officer on duty, which included the unexplained disappearance of the ship's CMO, Cns and CSciO, the last 2 having been added to the list following a ship wide search for the Doctor.
The young woman carefully read the information that the Sec/Tac officer had provided before reaching for her comm badge but stopping at the last minute. Having Doctor Summers vanish from both the ANUBIS and NEW ALEXADNRIA had been something unusual but remembering that she had pretty much done the same when James had taken her to the SANCTUARY the redheaded woman figured that there had been a much simpler explanation than abduction.
"I presume that you have informed the Base's C&C of the disappearance of our officers?" The young woman inquired, already guessing as to the answer that the Nausicaan would give.
"Yes Ma'am… they have assured me that there is no way for them to have left NEW ALEXANDRIA and that they would do a thorough search of the base… just in case our sensors are at fault." The Sec/Tac replied obviously not at all impressed by the answer that he had received from the base's C&C which had only been made that much more annoying when combined with the ExO's apparent unwillingness to see the potential threat that Ens. Rostov had perceived.
"Maintain the increased security onboard the ship… just in case something else happens… but as for our missing officers… let me see if I can't find out more. There are still a great many things that you do not know about NEW ALEXANDRIA and the way Admiral Koniki runs it, so although they are not *visible* to our sensor it may not mean that they are in any sort of trouble. It could be as simple as them working in a classified area of the base, away from our reach." The CO offered, recalling some of the more vague references made by Enaii as to the existence of highly classified sections in New ALEXANDRIA, 1 of which she had the privilege of seeing first hand.
"As you wish Captain." The Nausicaan acknowledged realising that life would be a little more different while onboard the ANUBIS than the one he had been used to.
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Sabrina Jones {sabrina_sweet@hotmail.com}
Captain Sabrina Rikar
Commanding Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
"We are Grey, we stand between the Candle and the Star, between the Darkness and the Light" 2005 post #448
-Entilza Delenn, Babylon 5
