"You Can't Go Home Again"

[Kestra 0]

"You Can't Go Home Again"

 

A Miral and Sans production

 

 

Ariago sat back and watched the happy group continue their talks for a while, before quietly excusing himself to get the rest of his belongings from the station.

 

"Need some help?" Kestra offered, noticing the quiet officer. "I'm heading back in a bit myself."

 

He turned his head around. "Uh, sure Lieutenant...I mean...I wouldn't want to bother you or anything..."

 

"Oh no, no trouble at all," she assured him. Saying goodbye to the rest of the group, she followed him out of the bar. "So I thought I heard someone mention you're in engineering."

 

"Uh, yes...I just graduated from the Academy before being posted." He walked along somewhat awkwardly, not sure of his step as he passed a security officer.

 

"Well that means we'll be working together. Have you been on board and met the chief yet?" She tried not to notice his awkwardness. Oddly enough, he made her feel outgoing.

 

He continued to walk along, clutching his clothes bag. "Uh yes...but if I may say...he seems like a very...'odd' man."

 

Kestra laughed quietly. "Odd?" She thought about it for a second. "Yes, I suppose he is a bit odd. But he's a good officer, and really quite pleasant. I heard the last chief was a slave driver."

 

From the odd range of behavior Ariago had seen from Commander Light...well, he decided to wait until he saw the man as his true self. "Well then, I am glad he's around. My sister she was never...uh...that hard on the engineers either..."

 

"Oh, you have a sister in Starfleet? Me too. What ship?"

 

He pause for moment, trying to find proper words. "She used to serve. She was the Chief Engineer on the USS Bozeman."

 

She noticed his hesitation and was confused. Was she just reading too much into it? She couldn't read a thing from him. "That's quite a feat," she said, glancing over again. "My sister's in medical. So is the rest of my family actually, though we're the only two in Starfleet."

 

He nodded in an interested manner as they reached a large area, with an overwhelmed Starfleet officer trying to manage the people retrieving large personal items. The only thing there for him was a rather large couch, that appeared to be rather badly burned. He quickly got an anti-grav hauler, and the two made their way back to the Arcadia

 

Kestra looked at the couch and back at the confusion of people. "That's it?" She peered curiously at the couch, trying not to seem overly obvious.

 

Ariago walked along, looking at the couch for a moment. "Uh, yeah, it was my sisters. Its the only thing I really held onto from the Bozeman."

 

This time the past tense hit Kestra like a ton of bricks. Was. How could she have been such an idiot? ~You sure have a way with men, Kessa.~ She wanted to kick herself but instead nodded slightly and continued walking.

 

Even though she couldn't read him through his shields, he extended his perceptions enough to feel her. "Yeah...The Bozeman participated in the Battle of Sector-001 against the Borg. My sister was killed."

 

The embarrassment and sadness was plain on her face. "I'm so sorry, Ensign Sans. I didn't realize. I should have." Was now a good time to run away?

 

He walked along, looking forward this time brushing past one of the many security officers that had seemed to flood the promenade since he and Lt. Miral had left the bar. "Don't be, it was over seven years ago. I don't expect every inquisitive crew member to be a scholar of Federation Military History."

 

"This is why I stick to machines," she mumbled as they reached the airlock to the Arcadia, which would force them to go separate ways.

 

She turned, and waved him goodbye, hoping he had a good time on the ship. He gave her a weak wave of his own until she was out of sight. "Me too."