round 10 LtCmdr Rennyn & Ens Sovak - Tomorrow, Tomorrow

[Guest]

((PANIC Room, USS Atlantis))

::The PANIC Room was back in business as Atlantis made its way through the rift zone. The Par'tha Navigation Control Center, with its dramatically souped-up navigation equipment and its awkwardly shoe-horned acronym, shouldn't have been needed outside the turbulent and unpredictable Par'tha Expanse. With Atlantis already damaged by the unexpected rift this far from Prometheus Station, and the possibility of more rifts appearing at any moment, they needed to employ all possible navigational aids. Though the PANIC Room was expected to be on break while Atlantis ventured out of the Expanse and into normal Federation space, it was now returned to active duty.::

::Ren and Sovak worked side by side, fingers flying over consoles in an investigatory frenzy. Blueheart wanted them to determine the nature of their comm malfunction, and if there was some way to contact any ships in closer proximity to the endangered Outpost Bravo.::

::The tall Trill slammed his hand on the console in frustration.::

RENNYN: Nothing. There's nothing. These systems should be working, but we can't raise anyone at distance. And is it tied to the long range sensors being down? I can't stand being in the dark like this.

::The Vulcan, by all outward appearance, took a calmer approach.::

SOVAK: We have yet to exhaust all options. There are possibilities of boosting our signals through probes, or existing Federation relays. As we travel closer to Bravo Outpost, our chances of making contact increase.

RENNYN: Probes! Probes! I am sick of probes! From day one on this ship, all we talk about is probes! All the vast resources of the Federation, and our only answer is always PROBES?

::Ren's face was on fire with frustration. His head was still swimming from the concussion. Every avenue they explored on the comms problem was a dead end. And then there was Sovak. They were roommates at the Academy, where Sovak harbored secret feelings for Ren. As ensigns on Atlantis, they'd danced around each other, never quite landing together. Years before, when Navin died at the hands of the Borg before his life with Ren could truly begin, Ren thought his heart would never feel full again. Just when it did, just when it swelled anew and filled with something Sovak put there, that frustratingly illogical Vulcan ripped it all away. He decided to turn his back on emotion and renew his path to kohlinar. He decided to turn his back on Ren, before their life together could begin.::

::Now they did a new dance, but one as old as time. They circled each other, coming close sometimes, but always arcing away.::

SOVAK: Probes are a highly useful and versatile tool.

RENNYN: You're a versatile tool.

::Ren stopped himself. Rude words spoken sharply weren't what was needed. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. The worst part was that, despite Sovak's lack of expression or reaction, Ren knew exactly what the Vulcan's heart looked like inside. He knew just how much harsh words could sting that kind, illogical soul.::

RENNYN: I'm sorry. I'm frustrated. There's no call for taking it out on you. ::"Even if you are the cause of it," he did not add. He tried some kind words instead.:: Smart thinking on that warning beacon probe you programmed. You'll save some other ship a lot of trouble.

SOVAK: It was Captain Blueheart's idea. I merely followed orders.

RENNYN: You came up with some clever programming, telling that probe to get out of the way of any further rift activity.

SOVAK: Insofar as that activity may be predicted, yes.

::Sovak had become much better at suppressing his emotions. All that study with Ambassador T'Mani as his kohlinari was paying off for the Vulcan, Ren thought. But he recognized a certain tightness in Sovak's voice. The Trill's own diplomacy lessons with T'Mani obviously had a long way to go. He'd been thoughtless, and he'd upset Sovak.::

RENNYN: Look, I really am sorry I said that. It was stupid. You of all people should know how fast my mouth can get ahead of the rest of me.

SOVAK: You have already apologized. Please think of it no more.

::Ren returned to his scans, determined to finish the job in a professional manner. If only Blueheart would understand that he shouldn't assign the two of them to work together. They wasted time on their interpersonal back-and-forth, while the situation demanded attention. Without long range sensors or comms, they had no idea what was happening on Outpost Bravo. There could be lives in danger. And Ren and Sovak weren't getting the job done because they were upset about their feelings. At least, Ren was. So far as he could tell, Sovak had already purged all that from his system.::

::Another dead end. Until Atlantis got closer, there was nothing else they could do. Even then, they wouldn't know the condition of Bravo until the Tiger Shark approached it at close range.::

RENNYN: There's no one out there. We're the closest ship. We're Outpost Bravo's only hope.

SOVAK: Lt. Anora suggested that Atlantis' communications might be impaired for the same reason as Prometheus' and Bravo's communications.

RENNYN: Yes, that's good thinking. It's possible the rifts might be the cause. But if we can learn how they're affecting the comms, then maybe we can learn something about the wave frequencies they're operating on. Once I get my hands on the station's physical equipment, we might finally know something useful. Then its just a matter of fighting off the space zombies or pod people or robot locusts or whatever curve ball gets thrown at us, and getting that information back to Atlantis.

SOVAK: You suspect you will be in danger on Outpost Bravo?

RENNYN: We're always in danger. Just being out here, we're in danger. And beaming down to a top secret research facility that stores biohazards and who knows what else on ice and has likely already suffered major disruptions to its systems, is probably a sign that more danger is ahead. I don't have a clue what we'll find there.

::He remembered that Sovak's only away mission to date had seen the Vulcan mauled by a vicious doomkitty. He knew a thing or two about danger. But Ren had been away many times, and always came back in one piece.::

RENNYN: You know what it's like out here. We can't predict what's going to happen tomorrow. Or later today. Or in the next few...

::The sentence went unfinished. True to its sentiment, it was interrupted by the unexpected.::

::More than a year before, Ren had learned that Sovak's feelings for him ran deeper than friendship. It turned the Trill's head around, made him rethink his own feelings. Examining his heart, he'd found that his own feelings were much deeper than he'd known. For all the irritating, backwards-brained, round-about illogic of it, he loved Sovak. So much so that he still hadn't figured out how to move past him, though there had been chances, and he'd made his attempts.::

::Now, Sovak held Ren by the neck and the arm. Sovak pulled Ren close. Sovak, at long last, kissed Ren with a passion that had a logic all its own.::

::They pulled apart. Everything had changed. Ren ran a hand nervously through his hair, boldly blushing, smiling shyly.::

RENNYN: I'm not sure how to feel. I mean, I liked it... What was that for?

::Sovak's face was unmoved. This was not a return to the wanton emotionalism of his youth, that flew in the face of convention. This was something new.::

SOVAK: A prediction for tomorrow.

RENNYN: I don't understand.

SOVAK: Nor do I.

::Their eyes were locked, searching for answers neither of them knew. Ren's mind whirled. Sovak was calm, and dignified, though Ren knew there was turmoil underneath. As usual, Ren broke the silence.::

RENNYN: Why does everyone keep kissing me today!?

::Before Sovak could ask what that meant, an alarm beeped on Ren's console.::

RENNYN: Shoot, that's me. I have to report to the Tiger Shark.

SOVAK: The mission to Outpost Bravo.

::Ren nodded. He closed out his workstation, then hesitated awkwardly. How to say farewell after a kiss so long in the making? And then what would he do? Would he be distracted on the mission, thinking about it? Was he even allowed to fraternize with an ensign? What would he say to Daro? So many questions beyond the present. His muddy, mildly concussed brain trudged foggily through all the thoughts of what must come next, until it remembered the point he himself had made. Tomorrow would be what it pleased. The best he could do was to live in the moment today.::

::He wrapped his arms around Sovak, and kissed him again. A kiss for today. A kiss for the moment. A kiss for tomorrow, too. A promise.::

::Sovak's eyebrow raised high as Ren released him, though his face remained calm and collected. His voice, though, betrayed him in its hushed, breathless tone.::

SOVAK: Tomorrow?

RENNYN: Yes. Tomorrow.

::They parted. There was much to say, much to figure out. Tomorrow they would do so, as best they could.::

::Ren crossed the large room, grinning his way toward the door, unashamedly looking back more than once. They'd danced around each other for so long. This was a step together, or a leap. Towards what, Ren dared not guess. The future remained unknowable. The present, now, was all the sweeter.::

Lt. Commander Rendal Rennyn
HCO
USS Atlantis
NCC-74682

&

Ensign Sovak
Operations
USS Atlantis
NCC-74682

[Jordan aka FltAdmlWolf]

This was incorrectly marked as Round 9. I have updated the round number and notified the judges panel to consider it as part of the Round 10 judging.

[Guest]

This was posted to the list March 3, during Round 9.

[Guest]

Is the Round meant to indicate when the post was submitted here for the contest, or when it was originally submitted to the ship's list? I see the one month time restriction in the rules, but I don't see a distinction on this point. Thanks for clarifying!

[T'Mar/Mel]

My understanding is that the Round is determined by the Contest Calendar Date and is based off of when you are submitting the Sim to the contest.

I hope that helps!

[Jordan aka FltAdmlWolf]

Is the Round meant to indicate when the post was submitted here for the contest, or when it was originally submitted to the ship's list? I see the one month time restriction in the rules, but I don't see a distinction on this point. Thanks for clarifying!

The round tag you choose should correspond to the date that the sim was submitted to the contest. As this was submitted to the contest on 10 March 2015, it's considered part of Round 10.

[Guest]

That's clear now. The rules made me think it was to be the date the post was written. Glad to have that cleared up, thanks.