Joint Log | RAdm Sadie Stanton & Capt Sarah Deco | "An Unexpected Reunion" [2/2]

Posted on 241709.25 @ 10:44pm by Rear Admiral Sadie Stanton

Mission: Non-Plot Log
Location: Earth, Earth Spacedock

The questions raged. She wanted to know what happened! Where had she been? How did they think her dead when she wasn't? But it was clear that this wasn't the place for that story, so she had to wait. "It's...really good to see you again, Sarah," she settled for saying instead.

As they started walking, Sarah wondered where they were going, but didn't ask. Any place was fine to her, really. The worst was over, approach your best friend who'd thought you dead for years. She had confidence things would become easier from here onwards. Glancing over at Sadie, she saw the woman's mind working overtime trying to make sense of all of this. She didn't blame her. On the contrary, she was anxious to give her friend all the answers she possibly could, and then some. And she would do that as soon as they were seated somewhere private. Right now, it wasn't the time for small talk either. So, she let Sadie's statement hang in the air, but not appreciating the sentiment any less.

They arrived at one of the massive transporter centers of Starfleet's ground, and Sarah waited patiently for Sadie to order their destination. As an Admiral, she could pretty much go anywhere she wanted.

Sadie considered perhaps finding a cafe or more private park to spend time in, but she ended up going for a return to Earth Spacedock. "I think we'll be afforded a bit better privacy at my home," she explained. "And the kids can have their rooms." They were prioritized up to the station and Sadie again led the way.

Darien wasn't home just then and the kids decided to give their mother some privacy. Sadie paused and looked around, then back to Sarah, "Can I get you something?"

Sarah looked around the quarters as well. She settled for heading to the couch while nodding to Sadie. "OJ's fine," she spoke. She hadn't had it in years, but it's what she always had before. Figuring she might as well try it again, the choice wasn't hard to make.

The Stanton-Johnston residence was large, befitting her rank, but not excessive or opulent, befitting the family living there. The decor was a step beyond "Starfleet Standard," but was understated and just a little ahead of minimalist. It was otherwise warm, and lived in. No living space with children could avoid that.

At the replicator, Sadie ordered an orange juice and a raktajino. She carried them to the couch and handed Sarah hers before taking a seat beside her and sipping her own. "So...is now a good time for a long story?"

Leaning one arm over the back of the seat, Sarah made sure she was able to look at Sadie. She put the OJ on the small table in front of them and let out a low sigh. "I'm really sorry for all of this," she started and looked idly into space for a moment. "I remember waking up in a hospital on an unknown planet. I couldn't remember anything at all. Everything before waking up, was one giant abyss in my mind. They told me I had been found in a small craft, but I didn't know more than that. I healed, was discharged, and everybody was really kind to try and make me fit in with their society. The lack of memory didn't make that easy though," she trailed off, reaching forward to drink some of her OJ.

Sadie listened, and then her mind raced--she thought back to what they knew of what happened to her ship, and how this might have been. They had thought she'd been killed on the ship in the explosion, unable to get to an emergency pod in time...but clearly not? "I can imagine that it didn't," she said quietly, encouraging Sarah to go on.

"I tried to make the best of it," Sarah continued, glad for the encouragement. "It worked fine for a few years. They integrated me in their society, I even got a job to keep me busy. I picked up some hobbies, including some sort of martial art. A few months ago, I received a serious blow to my head when my helmet came off moments before the impact of the blow. When I woke up in the hospital once more, I remember thinking how this wasn't a Starfleet facility. It was very disorienting."

"That's only natural," Sadie said. To think that her friend had been out there all these years, and she'd had no idea. "And after you remembered, you decided to come back?"

Sarah wasn't about to lie to Sadie. "I hesitated. For weeks, I mulled over that very question. I didn't know if I had a life to come back to, here. I had one over there. It would have been much easier to just stay there. But ever since my memory returned, I didn't feel quite as at home anymore. So, eventually, I contacted Starfleet and they were kind enough to reroute a transport to pick me up."

The admiral nodded thoughtfully. "I can't blame you for that, the hesitation. I mean, you'd been there for years. It must have been hard to leave."

With a sigh, Sarah climbed to her feet and went to stand near the viewport. She suddenly couldn't bear to look at Sadie anymore. "I'm sorry I left you in the unknown all those years," she finally near-whispered.

Sadie's gaze followed her as she moved. "You didn't know," the woman said pragmatically. "You didn't do it on purpose."

"What..." Sarah started, paused and tried to figure out how to ask what she was thinking. She didn't want to turn around just yet, and so she remained with her back towards her friend. "What did I miss here?"

"You mean aside from an entire new child?" Sadie said with a half-smile of amusement, trying to lighten things a little.

Aside from an entire new child, with her name, undoubtedly named in honor of a lost friend. Who'd suddenly reappeared now. "Yes, aside from that," Sarah spoke, forcing a small smile.

How did one sum up a few years, Sadie wondered. She considered for a few moments and then tried to do the most succinct play-by-play of the past years as she could, hitting the important highlights in this summary because Bella is too lazy to figure it out in detail enough to write the dialogue.

Sarah listened and returned to her seat somewhere in the middle of the story. It was hard to hear what she'd missed. Then again, she guessed she should be glad to be back at all. Took her long enough. "So.. now what?" she asked as soon as it became clear that they'd finished swapping historical stories.

"What do you want?" Sadie asked simply, pragmatically. "You've come back. Do you want to stay here? Take back up the old life, or form a new one? Or just be here to let us know you're okay, visit, and go somewhere else?"

"I'd like to stay. I'd like to pick up the pieces," Sarah replied. She'd been thinking about it for a few weeks, and if she'd be given the choice, she'd prefer to see where Fleet life took her once more.

That made Sadie smile. "Then that's what we do," she said. "I'll help in any way I can."

=/\= End Log =/\=

Rear Admiral Sadie Stanton
Commander, Sol Sector

& Captain Sarah Deco, Unassigned