round 18 Fleet Captain Kalianna Nicholotti - Unremembered Familiarity

[+ Alex Blair]

((Garridon V))

::The flashes of the lightning broke the relative darkness spread by the storm. For a moment it blinded her, making her blink, but the collective gasps around her forced her to focus. In the sky, the shuttle that had just launched seemed to be falling. Everyone seemed to watch in horror as their friends and fellow crewmates fell to the ground, the shuttle crumpling on impact.::

Blair: We have to help them. Do whatever you can! Doctor what’s the chance that they survived impact?

::She wanted to run to them, but she was cautious. With those creatures around, was it safe for the rest of them? She offered hope to the First Officer as she assessed the situation.::

Nicholotti: It's more than possible that they've survived, if we can get to them.

::The answer she waited for came quickly as the others began to run for the crash, but the scene quickly faded in a flash of blue shimmers. She fought to come to a realization of the newly changed situation, which coalesced in her head as the scene in front of her did. The dim nature of the planet faded, along with the rain and ice, to be replaced by the familiarity of a starship flight deck. Immediately she found Jonesy nearly on top of her, on guard until he, too, figured out that they were safe.::

((Flight Deck - USS Daedalus))

Cody: Ladies and gentlemen. First, let us apologize. We determined there wasn't enough time to inform you, and rather than establish communications, decided the best course of action was to descend and beam all of you directly onto the ship. You are aboard the USS Daedlaus, a Prometheus-Class Starfleet vessel. We are currently ascending off planet, which based on what little I saw, I'm sure we're all glad to get off. ::indicating Scythe:: This is Lt.Cmdr. Elizabeth Scythe, the first officer of this vessel. I am Commander David Cody, temporarily commanding this vessel, although it is not my permanent command.

::Somewhere in the middle of the crowd, shadowed by her 'security' detail, Kali found herself drawn to the voice. There was something familiar to it, something almost comforting. She searched her mind, looking for the name, seeking the reasons behind her instinctual reactions as she listened to the exchange between the familiar voice and her own First Officer.::

::Drawing many blanks, she wished she had been on the Gemini where she could look it up in her logs. Thankfully, the conversation at the front of the room turned towards that very eventuality and the raven-haired doctor stored the feelings and thoughts away until she was back in her quarters. In silence she waited, instinctively looking around her for injuries that needed treatment. For a moment, she allowed those in charge to do what they did best while she fell back on her own strengths.::

::But there wasn't much there. Weston had been right, they had missing, but not really many injuries. Once again she found her gaze drawn to the front of the room and those in charge. The sound of a padd dropping and cracking hit her and she found herself looking at the eyes of the man whose voice had sent tracers through her mind.::

::And all she could think of was how hard it was to look away from those eyes.::

::Finding herself unable to tear her gaze from his, Kali watched as he approached. The crowd seemed to part easily, leading him straight to where she stood, frozen in that moment. And then, as if the universe had conspired against death itself, she found herself staring at him as he stared back at her. For a long moment it felt as the entire galaxy was holding its breath. Even she felt like she stood on the edge of something so much greater than herself, but for the life of her, she couldn't figure out just what it all was.::

Cody: ::almost disbelieving:: Kali?

::The sound of her name spoken from those lips felt sweeter than anything she'd known or could remember. A wave washed over her, though she could not tell what drove it. Deep inside Kali wondered why something so simple, like the sound of another officer saying her name, touched her to the core. She blinked, questioningly, searching for answers that didn't readily surface.::

Nicholotti: ::Barely audible.:: Yes?

::The feelings felt like they were undermining her ability to control the situation, and that scared her. He looked as if he were going to speak again, but then he reached out and took her hands. Another wave washed over her as the universe seemed to fade into nothing. With nothing to link the strange familiar feelings to, she felt detached and unsure.::

Cody: It's me. It's David.

::David. The name rolled around in her mind as if it belonged there. She clasped his hands a bit tighter, as if she held on to something, though she was far from sure of what that something was. It was the lack of connection to a memory that forced her to look away. Finding a place on the floor to stare at, she searched once more among her thoughts to figure out what and who and where...and then with a profound sadness she looked back at him, her crystalline blue eyes shining with tears she didn't allow to fall.::

Nicholotti: ::Shaking her head slightly.:: I'm sorry. ::Her voice wavered. She wanted to, but she couldn't remember. And it felt like she was missing a large part of herself in the process.:: I don't remember.

::Again, he stared at her, a searching look in his eyes. Her lack of memories didn't seem to bother him then as he leaned forward and kissed her cheek before drawing her into a tight hug. She didn't fight it, but found herself, for a brief moment, caught in an embrace that felt more real and natural than most of her experiences since her return. His voice whispered directly to her as she relaxed slightly in his arms.::

Cody: ::whispering, just to Kali:: It's okay. I'll remember for both of us.

Nicholotti: I'm sorry.

::Hidden from the others, the raven-haired Fleet Captain allowed a tear to fall for the past that she didn't remember, but found herself desperately seeking...Soon she would return to the Gemini, but in this moment right now, she felt safe and complete. What that meant she wasn't sure of yet, but like so much since her return, it would take time to figure it out.::

Fleet Captain Kalianna Nicholotti

Chief Medical Officer
USS Gemini