Star Base 1123 - Port in a Storm

[Annabelle O'Halloran 0]

Starbase 1123 had an extensive market area, but Anna walked through it without taking too much time to explore it in detail. They would be here for a few days she supposed. From the way Reaent looked, it could even be weeks, although she would never sell Starfleet Engineers short. Their reputation as miracle workers was well earned. The gist of it was, she didn't know how long they would be on this base and she wasn't sure how she was going to fill the time. Walking into one of observation lounges, located just off the Midway, she glanced around and then paused, smiling as she recognized Jon Shamor. He had his back to her, he was looking out the windows, but she recognized his stance and the ponytail. She walked purposefully towards him but then faltered as she drew near. Maybe he didn't want to be interrupted.

 

Jon turned to see Anna; he must have suspected someone was approaching him. "Enjoying shore leave?" The way he asked seemed to indicate it was rehearsed.

 

She looked searchingly at him for a moment-he seemed a little...off, and then nodded slowly. "I suppose I am, if only because we're off the Reaent for right now and I desperately wanted to be off of her."

 

"That's understandable. Too bad I couldn't borrow a fighter and fly around even if it is for a little while. Find anything interesting on this station?"

 

She guessed flying was one of the things he used as a coping mechanism. He'd mentioned to her that there were a few ways he dealt with terrible stress and she was sorry he didn't have that available to him right now. "I haven't been over too much of the base, but I just walked the length of the Midway without really stopping and exploring." Anna turned her back on the cold vista outside the window and turned to face the warmly lit lounge. "How long do you think we'll be here?"

 

He shook his head "I'm not sure. It depends on how long the Captain's hearing is as well as how long it will take for repairs."

 

"The Captain's hearing," Anna stated and then stopped. "Do you know specifically what the hearing is in regard to?"

 

"The situation we went through. More specifically the other Reaent. I did everything I could to help but I'm not sure if it's enough. I'm hoping for the best case scenario which is he is cleared of the charges."

 

"How can there be charges stemming from the alternate reality event? We have proof it happened but then it's also clear that it doesn't matter--time somehow reconverged." Anna crossed her arms over her chest and let the window take her weight as she leaned back against it, her expression one of frustration as she met Jon's calm gaze. "I'm sure your report was incredibly detailed, but it makes no sense that there would be any kind of disciplinary hearing for it. Am I missing something?"

 

"The Admiralty apparently wants a scapegoat. In my opinion, the Reaent should have never been picked since it's not designed for stealth. They were better off borrowing the Defiant or rigging up a stealth fleet to investigate. This so-called hearing is a waste of time!" The frustration he was feeling was clear as he voiced his opinion to Anna.

 

"If the Reaent wasn't an appropriate choice for this mission, why would she have been chosen? There are more than two hundred people dead; that must be the focus." Jon's frustration was palpable and Anna wished she could make him feel better but she'd just been struck by a new thought, and it wasn't a comfortable one. "Jon, if what you're saying is true, does it sound like perhaps Reaent wasn't supposed to come back from this mission?"

 

He lowered the volume of his voice to where only Anna would be able to hear. "I don't know if that is or is not the case. All I know is that the Reaent shouldn't have gone. Please keep this kind of talk quiet, you never know who could be listening. I'm not telling you this to scare, but to protect you."

 

He at least thought it was possible that what she'd asked was true. That in and of itself was rather terrifying. "I don't know who I'd say it to anyway. Everyone's been through so much already and then having the Captain relieved of command..." Anna looked up and asked the question that she'd already asked herself countless times. "Do you think it was worth it? Their deaths, Jon. In the end, do you think it was worth it?"

 

"It never is worth it. Not to sound awkward but perhaps we could talk about something else." The look on his face showed that he didn't want to remain on this topic.

 

Feeling stricken, Anna cast about for something else to say. The topic was painful and she felt awful that in trying to make herself feel better, she'd made him feel worse. He really did believe that the heinous loss of life experienced by Reaent's crew was not mitigated by the discovery that the Romulans could create an artificial wormhole. "Jon, I'm sorry," she replied quietly. "If you're not able to take a fighter out, maybe you'd like to see a little of what the base has to offer. Have you already eaten dinner?"

 

Shaking his head, "No, I haven't, been preoccupied so I couldn't find time to do so. What would you recommend?"

 

She tucked her arm through his and drew him away from the bank of windows. "I say we take a walk and stop wherever it smells good enough to eat."

 

"Sounds like a plan. I bet we'll find something pretty quick."

 

"Jon, we should walk the length at least once and then double back and choose. If we stop at the first place, we might be missing something wonderful. I mean why settle for Bolian bobs or something like that when there might be something fascinating and mysterious and rare just around the corner?" Anna patted his arm as they left the Observation Lounge. "Stick with me, and I'll show you how this is done. My family travels for a living and granted, they avoid Fed installations like the plague but these Midway places are generally civilian run. I promise you we'll get our credit's worth."

 

He smiles "I'll take your word for it. No offense, but did your family have something against the Federation to where they wouldn't go to Fed Stations?"

 

Anna shot him a sideways look and then returned to looking at the shops and restaurants they were passing. "I'm not offended. My family just finds it easier to run their business without any Federation supervision." Anna paused for a moment and sniffed the air. "Bajoran. Smells good, let's keep this one in mind as a possibility."

 

Jon looked around as they walked, taking in the sights. "So your family is independent. A bold risk but not without reward I guess. By the way, I never had the chance to properly thank you."

 

Anna chuckled at his comment, thinking it was actually quite true. "Yes, they're very independent, and what do you mean, you haven't thanked me? What did I do?"

 

"You were you. Compassionate, caring, and a good friend. For that, I thank you." He pointed out a restaurant. "How about that place? Smells like they have some good food there."

 

She immediately felt much better. She hadn't made him feel worse back in the lounge, "Well, you're welcome, and thank you for telling me. I thought maybe I had inadvertently made things worse, and I appreciate you setting my mind at ease." She turned to look at the restaurant and she noted that the tables were mostly full, so it probably was good, it looked like they were decently staffed so service was probably better than average and...they had a bakery! With enthusiasm, she turned to Jon, "Excellent choice, Mr. Shamor. I think I see pastry in our future."

 

Jon spotted an empty table. "Here's an open table; let's have a seat and rest our legs."

 

Anna followed him to the table, casting one longing glance back at the pastry case, before seating herself so that her back was to it, vowing to take a little something from it back to her temporary quarters here on 1123. "Now that we're on base, will you take the opportunity to contact your family?" She tapped the table and brought up the menu, peering at Jon through the holo display.

 

Looking down at the table "I'm afraid that won't happen. You see I never knew my family. I was an orphan because my family died in a quake when I was but a year old. I was raised by the Order of Knights so I never had a chance to take in a father's wisdom or even appreciate a mother's love."

 

She seemed to have a real talent for putting her foot into it tonight, Anna thought with dismay. "Oh, Jon. I am so sorry. What an awful lonely thing for you. The Knights...were there other children raised by them?"

 

"Yes...the Order often takes in orphans and gives them a future. It gave me direction as well as a sense of honor, respect, and integrity. Of course the Order has stood for the longest time." A sense of pride clearly detectable in his voice as he talked about the Order.

 

"I suppose they have stood for many thousands of years?" Anna asked, thinking that since Jon himself was over two thousand years old, the math was obvious as was his pride on the Order.

 

He nodded, "Though things got shaky every once in a while, the Order stood strong even during the darkest of times. Although the one thing I desire more than protecting those I care about is spending time with those I care about."

 

"How long has it been since you were able to spend any time with the Order?" She had no idea what the Order actually was and determined that she would ask, given the opportunity.

 

Jon simply smiled. "I don't spend much time because I have made my peace with them. My place is with the Federation now and they respect my decision."

 

"You made your peace with them?" Anna looked questioningly across the table at him. "Does that mean you were once at war?"

 

"Not at all. It means that I don't cling to them for support. I needed to prove that I could survive alone, which I have. Although with all the traveling I've done my only regret was that I was alone."

 

Anna looked at him, a frown of concern creasing her forehead. "Survival is different than living and I guess you realized that because you then joined Starfleet. The very definition of what we do is teamwork. How many years were you alone? You've been alive for so long; did you ever bond, have a family?"

 

"To answer your first question-too many to count. As for the other I've always been alone, never had a chance to settle down. Plus most of those I cared about, namely friends, were non-Zemuns which meant I outlived them."

 

That had occurred to her before; his life span was so much longer than everyone else's that he always outlived his friends; he would outlive any partner, too. "I don't know what to say, Jon. I can't imagine what it must be like to have so much time and to be forced to endure some of the sorrow that would go hand in hand with it. And yet...you also have the luxury of time. You've seen and done things that no one could experience in a normal human life span."

 

"Time is only a luxury when you share it and I would rather be happy than live such a long existence without companionship."

 

"I hope you find that happiness, Jon. After so much time, you deserve it."

Edited May 17, 2009 by Annabelle O'Halloran