Rising out of the Shadows

Posted on 241501.03 @ 10:12pm by Fleet Admiral Cerywyn

Mission: Reconciliation & Reconstruction [Fleet Plot]
Location: Starbase Versailles, YDalla Sector
Timeline: Present
Tags: cebuff44@mediacombb.net

OOC: I am new to writing in this system . . .so I hope this gets posted correctly.

Cerywyn twirled the loose piece of hair in her fingers, her gaze clearly indicating her thoughts were far away as were the stars that twinkled on the horizon. She turned to look at the sleeping form in the bed and a small sigh escaped her lips. She loved to watch him sleep - a habit she had developed over the course of many years. His breathing was regular and steady, his face relaxed, absent of the concerns of waking moment. Gray hair at his temples and black hair everywhere else confused people but he wore an air go dignified grace that could silence any room when he walked in. She sat on the edge of the bed which barely moved under her light frame. She gently stroked the side of his face startled when he reached out and caught her hand, bringing it to his lips for a gentle kiss. “Good morning” he said quietly, his voice barely a whisper against her hand. She smiled. “I thought you were asleep.” He smiled. “I know. I was watching you.” She chuckled lightly, “I should have known.” He pulled her down beside her and wrapped his arms around her. “We only have a few more hours before I lose you to your ‘duties’.” She leaned into the crook of his arms, enjoying the feel of his arms - the only place she felt truly safe. Nodding, she replied “I know, but it will not be as before. Wisdom comes with years eventually” but the rest of the comment was cut off as he swiftly moved, covering his mouth with hers. Any other thought she might have been about to express was lost in the rising emotion of the moment.

A few hours and a shower later, Cerywyn and Korin stood looking at their packed belongings with both a hint of regret tinged with the thrill of excitement that always comes with a new assignment. When Cerywyn had left the Beta Quadrant last time, she had not expected to ever be going back - there was enough work in bringing stability to the Delta Quadrant to have kept her busy for a lifetime or two. And yet, here she was, spit out of the Chloran wormhole near the Ydalla sector and heading towards Versailles. She stood with her arms folded across her chest as Korin navigated their small craft deftly towards their destination. They’d opted to leave the Concordia docked where it was for now. Her XO there had his instructions - keeping the ship in the DQ would help maintain the hard worn stability of the last few years. The same could not be said for her current circumstances.

The file she and Korin had been sent indicated that unrest in the area was the understatement of a lifetime. They knew, of course, of the ‘war’ that had occurred in the intervening years. It had been difficult for Cerywyn to let events unfold as they would. She observed - watching as the face of StarFleet and the Federation were changed. In its current state, the United Federation of Planets was a huge mess - Starfleet perhaps not much better but better at concealing their mess. Major players in a game that has been going on for a millennia it seems were now little better than pawns on a huge chess board….their ‘Knights’ battered and their ‘Kings’ or ‘Queens’ cornered. The final move of such a game was as yet undetermined. There was a weary truce in place and all the players had retreated to their safe zones. But, Cerywyn knew that such a peace was but an illusion. Nationalists, loyalists, whatever name they wore always worked in the shadows - making promises on moves yet made. She sighed. She had her work cut out for her. She’d been pulled out of her diplomatic role in the DQ and asked to return to the YDalla sector as Sector CO once more. Along with that came command of Versailles. As they approached the shuttle bay, Cerywyn noted that there was damage everywhere. There was indeed much work to be done. She straightened, smoothed out the blue and grey tunic she wore, barely moving as Korin docked the shuttle, powered down and opened the hatch. He grabbed a quick kiss before he too straightened - his face falling into that all too familiar unreadable expression. As the door lowered, Cerywn noticed the condition of the bay. Scorch marks and dangling wires were everywhere and it looked as if duct tape was the only thing holding the place together. She raised an eyebrow as she stepped onto the station for the first time in 2.5 years.

The not so young man wearing Engineering yellow, cleared his throat, darted a gaze upward before returning his gaze towards a deep inspection of his feet. She wasn’t sure whose reputation the officer was frightened of, hers are Korin’s. She smirked and took the PADD that he had extended into thin air. She could tell he was nervous but she was unsure of the cause. She looked down at the PADD in her hand. Looking up, “Are the consoles in here in working order, Lt. Longman?” He nodded, still not quite meeting her gaze. She continued reading the PADD as she walked over to the nearest computer. “Computer, Authorization Tau Delta Phi, 07070314.” The computer hummed in a somewhat broken matter but the sigh of relief from the Chief Engineer standing just behind her, was palpable as the computer responded. “Transfer of Command of Starbase Versailles to Admiral Cerywyn is complete.” She turned to the engineer “Be ready to give me a status report in one hour . . . in a clean uniform Lt.” He swallowed and nodded. “Permission to be excused ma’am?” She nodded towards the door which he quickly exited. Once the area was clear she could hear Korin chuckle behind her. “He’s worn out almost to exhaustion and the relief at turning over the station to you might have just added years to his life.” She smiled. “He did look a little worse for wear. . . but he’s not the only one.” She inhaled deeply, squared her shoulders and headed towards the door. “I’m still assigned quarters on the station. Resetting the codes should not prove difficult. I’ll leave that to you while I find out what is going on, on the station. I need to put a few calls out for officers to return to duty. I am not sure all of them are going to like it - but I need people here I can trust to get the job done, secure the station so we can stabilize this sector. The pair were soon settled in the Admiral’s suite. It was much like she left it as had been her request with one exception - the shielding she herself added to the suite. Korin didn’t need the file to know how to activate it so he settled his belongings in the closet and drawers as did she then and then he set to getting the work done. There were several tense moments as he swore in a mix of Vulcan and Klingon when the sparks flew out near his head. “If this wiring is any indication, the station is a right mess.” Several more moments passed as he pulled himself up right and tapped the console above where he had been working. “Computer, display station map.” The map quickly appeared. Cerywyn glanced at it and noted that while her space was visible in the layout, it was not quite there either. She nodded to Korin. “Nice touch.” She stood on her tip toes to kiss his cheek. “I’ve got to get to work. I don’t know when I’ll be done.” He shrugged. “I know. I’ll be here.” She smirked. “If you get bored, you could check out the stations’ tactical systems. It’s not like you don’t know what to do.” With that, Cerywyn stepped out of the room and headed for the main bridge. Stepping out of the turbo lift it was soon clear how bare the station was. There were only two crew on the bridge and showing signs of fatigue she could feel before the doors opened. The snapped to attention as she walked by “At ease.” The doors to the office slid open in anticipation and closed behind her. As she took a seat at her desk, she thought about the familiarity of it all and for a moment, it felt as if she’d never left. She sighed however - the scorch marks on the wall and the dangling wires, quickly brought her back to reality. She was beginning to wonder if she’d made the right decision. Her mental voice however told her she had. She sighed, tapped the console and quickly looked at the personnel files. She frowned. It might be harder than she thought, but it had to be done.

“Computer. Send a message to Cmdr Hailey Konhua. She’s on Earth. Tell her to report to Admiral Cerywyn ASAP.” The computer chirped in acknowledgment and a moment later responded. “Message sent, Admiral."