Round 6 Lt. Sahmson & Aodhnait Cair - Lights

[Landau]

((Civillian Sector - Keros Gardens - Starbase 118))

::Sahmson felt the alien hand in his, its fingers twitching slightly as it

adjusted its grip. In front of them was the darkness of a path they'd not

seen yet, leading someplace down toward the fluid treatment absorption

matrix. There was a kind of hum, indistinct from the rest of the

surrounding sounds, merging into the winds and the chirping birds.::

Cair: So I take it everything's under control?

::It was now. He was here for her for the rest of her life. He'd turned

his back on Reikara, on Romulus, on home. He turned to face Aodhnait now.::

::Aodhnait looked into the yellow irises, into the darkness of the pupils

at their centers. Around Sahmson's eyes the face changed slightly, and

Aodhnait's mind did its best to provide for her some inkling of a copy of

what he must be feeling. Parts didn't match, twitches here and there

betraying happiness amid a decidedly less optimistic haze.::

Sahmson: We're fine.

::The words were quiet, to the point that her universal translator almost

didn't register them.::

::Sahmson watched the expressions crossing the human face. The gestures

seemed like variations on his own, subtle twists of the meanings of words

from a language he'd half learned before he'd been forced to grow up. In

her Rinanov flickered before him and then dissipated, a transient brilliant

flake disappearing into the tepid liquid of so many years.::

Sahmson: Don't worry. You're safe.

::It was all that mattered. Around them several fireflies shimmered.::

Cair: I never doubted you for a second.

::She pushed her cheek up against his arm as they walked together. Sahmson

felt a gentle breeze in his hair, his forehead beginning to tingle with

pleasure at the sensation. In the distance he could see the trees grow

narrower, the path darker. This was the less maintained area, where vast

ecosystems were allowed to grow unchecked.::

::Aodhnait looked up at the labyrinthine mark on Sahmson's forehead,

marvelling again at how it changed colour. She'd only seen it do that once

before. She looked ahead again, into the greenish darkness that seemed to

sparkle with the distant fireflies. There was something final about all

this. The narrowing, winding path, the darkening forest. The silence.

They were safe at last. Life was returning to normal. Sahmson was

close.::

::He looked down at Aodhnait as she stared at him and reached down to kiss

her. Her lips against his were soft, and there was something familiar in

the sensation. The world seemed to stop for a moment as everything went

dark. Their lips were still locked but he could see only himself. Beside

him was a soft female voice speaking now, its quality eliciting in him a

mesmerizing warmth, something he'd not felt since--::

Voice: Ensign Sahmson. Service Numer 422345622-B.

::Inside of himself he felt his lips move, as though his body were now a

tower stretching out above him.::

Sahmson: Ma'am!

::The faint outline of a Starfleet officer emerged in the corner of his

vision. She was clad in some kind of dress uniform.::

Voice: The only cadet whose pastimes included intelligence manipulation,

social engineering, genetic encoding, and distributed virtual network

infrastructure penetrations... Not to mention rigging every strategic

maneuvers simulation.

::The clucked her tongue.::

Sahmson: Yes ma'am!

Voice: Not that you really had a choice. Did you really think you were in

control--::

::He felt his fingers begin to tighten, the joints cracked. And in front

of him his mother gazed into his eyes, whispering softly,::

Mother: Sahmson, you've found a girl!

::The forest returned, gentle sparks of light criss-crossing it. Their

lips parted and Sahmson gasped.::

Aodhnait: What's wrong?

Sahmson: Nothing.

::She pulled him in to her again, their lips locking once more, Aodhnait

whispering into his ear,::

Cair: I love you.

Voice: You're never really in control.

Cair: I want you.

Voice: You're never really who you think you are.

::The sound of her voice dissipated again, and all he could hear now was

Aodhnait breathing beside him, accompanied by the sensation of her teeth

gently biting at his ear. Around them the lights came and went.::

TBC

Lt. Sahmson

Security Officer

Starbase 118

and

Aodhnait Cair

Student

Starbase 118

all simmed by

Lt. Cmdr. Kevin Breeman

Chief Engineer

Starbase 118