Lieutenant Commanders Chythar & Lael Rosek-Skyfire: Return to Astraeus Part I
Zeph
((Station Commander’s Office, Shemsh Colony))
{{Time Index: Two Months Earlier…}}
Lael sighed, setting the PADD aside and tried to rub the fatigue from her eyes. She’d lost track of how long she’d been staring at the latest round of mundane reports, trying to make any sense of them. She had everything she’d ever wanted. A command of her own, a husband, a family…and yet, she wasn’t happy. Her command kept her away at all hours and she was at the beck and call of anyone who needed her. It had begun to affect not only her sanity, but her family life.
She loved Chythar, but felt distant from him. They hadn’t been on a date in weeks and she saw him for maybe a few minutes each night before she drifted off to sleep and woke up the next day to start the rat race all over again.
Her gaze flickered to the nearby window. However, her mind was several dozen lightyears away.
Chythar made his way toward his wife’s office on the way back to his quarters. His shift had just ended, and he felt very tired but at the same time was worried about the impact that the stress of the job was having on his lady. As he approached, he paused for a moment outside to see if she reacted to his mental presence. Upon no reaction, he pressed the buzzer to get her attention.
She almost missed it. If she hadn’t programmed her monitor to alert her with an onscreen message, she would have.
Rosek-Skyfire: Enter.
Chythar made his way into the room and relaxed a bit, trying to soften the impact of him dropping by with a soft smile.
Her brain still in work mode, the station commander in her responded before she could fully process who was standing in front of her.
Rosek-Skyfire: Report, Doctor?
C. Skyfire: oO Damn it. Oo Not much to report. A few minor burns from a leaky plasma conduit, but nothing serious. Sickbay has been pretty routine. How are you?
The last three words snapped her from her thoughts and, for the first time since he’d entered the room, she saw her husband, not her Chief Medical Officer. Her expression softened and she rose from her desk, moving toward the couch that she’d had placed in her office to make those serious conversations with her officers less nerve-wracking.
This time, the shift in venue was intended to shift her mindset. Of course, it meant she was more vulnerable. But if she couldn’t be more open with her husband, who could she be more open with?
Offering him a wane smile, she patted the cushion beside her.
Rosek-Skyfire: I’m sorry, mia amo. It’s been a long day.
He nodded slowly and joined her on the couch, despite the fact he’d been filling out the requisition paperwork for the last three hours for supplies they needed. It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, but sitting for so long did get a bit tiresome when it was just paperwork. Even if it was digital.
C. Skyfire: I can tell. Same here.
Letting her guard down, she sought out the comfort of her husband’s embrace, laying her head on his shoulder. She took in the familiar scent of him, allowing her brain to ignore everything but the man next to her. How long had it been since they’d sat together like this, not talking about or thinking about duty?
Rosek-Skyfire: ::murmurs:: I’ve missed this. It seems like work always gets in the way. ::pauses:: Remember when we’d sit like this for hours, just staring out at the stars? ::smiles::
He nodded slightly and kissed her forehead. It had been a while, he admitted. And with the munchkin and a pre-teenager on their hands, the chances to get away weren’t as frequent as they used to be. It was a long time coming.
C. Skyfire: You are allowed to schedule some time off for us, you know. I’ve got a decent staff that can survive without me for a day. And we both know that Commander Lakewood is perfectly competent in his own right to manage without you for a day.
Rosek-Skyfire: ::nods:: I know. I just– ::sighs:: This isn’t quite what I thought it would be. Station commander, I mean. It’s so–mundane.
C. Skyfire: It is. And the hours are horrible. Kaidan is probably driving the sitter nuts right now. Both of us working twelve plus hour days isn’t exactly my idea of a good time either. It’s all in the paperwork, you know.
Rosek-Skyfire: ::pauses:: Have you ever thought of going back? To the Astraeus, I mean. Yes, it has its risks. But I kind of miss it. A new adventure every day. ::grins unamusedly:: Here, the only real adventure I have is the adventure of a new mound of PADDwork waiting for me when I step into my office in the morning.
He nodded slowly and considered. He too missed the Astraeus, the BC that he’d so lovingly put together as a surprise for Captain Mei’konda when he’d retaken command on its latest launch, and the much smaller sickbay complex.
C. Skyfire: I agree. The holodeck is nice, the vistas are great here, but they just…aren’t the same as looking out at the stars over a cup of tea. The BC here doesn’t have nearly the same majesty as the fish tank.
Rosek-Skyfire: ::pauses:: Maybe I could talk Mei into letting me back into Engineering. ::smirks and elbows him playfully:: What about you? Think Mei would let you back into Sickbay?
CD smirked slightly. Where else would he belong aboard the Astraeus, besides the BC? Mission Ops? Nah. The red collar didn’t suit him at all. The teal or blue definitely did, however. It was what he loved, as far as work was concerned.
C. Skyfire: Probably. He wouldn’t want me in mission ops, but you look good in red.
Rosek-Skyfire: ::chuckles:: Don’t sell yourself short there, Commander. You were my right hand back in my first officer days. ::smile fades:: But that was a rough time for all of us. A lot happened that made me question my ability to lead. Made me question where I belonged. ::motions around the room:: What led us here, I suppose. I thought I wanted a command of my own. But maybe I’m not quite ready for it.
C. Skyfire: So what do you think? Transfer request first thing in the morning? Or perhaps a video conference with him first to see if he’ll even have us?
The smile returned. She had no doubts, given the good terms they’d left on, that the Captain would welcome them back. The question was, would Starfleet Command grant her request or would this be just what certain members of the Brass needed to pull her commission entirely?
The thought of losing Starfleet altogether bothered her more than she cared to admit. Though this wasn’t the right path for her right now, that didn’t mean another better opportunity wouldn’t come along in the future.
Rosek-Skyfire: ::pauses:: A conversation with Mei first probably wouldn’t hurt. Maybe he can put in a word with the Brass and make this more than just a pipe dream. And I think that Kadain and Maddy would benefit from us having more regular hours. We had a good routine aboard the Astraeus.
Another slow, but silent nod. On the one hand, he agreed with his lady in that they did have a good thing going, and made this choice because it seemed like the right idea at the time. Now that they’ve had a taste of planetside life, however, was it truly as easy to pull active ship board duty again? He knew it was probably easier for him, since he hadn’t had the same challenges. However, he had a disciplinary jacket with an assault charge and a demotion on his record, so perhaps that was a mark against him. After a few moments more of his silence, he replied.
C. Skyfire: You’re right, we did. And he may be able to pull a few strings.
Turning in his arms, she leaned forward and brushed a tender kiss against his lips. It was bittersweet. They’d started to build a place here, but no matter what she tried, it just didn’t feel right.
Rosek-Skyfire: ::murmurs:: We should ask Maddy, too. She has friends here and it might be hard for her to leave them.
C. Skyfire: That’s a good point. In spite of everything, I think she should decide if we go through with asking Mei about returning to the ship.
Rosek-Skyfire: ::nods:: In the morning. ::smiles:: For now–Computer, run program Rosek Sigma Four Eight Tengo.
A chirp from the computer acknowledged the command and the lights in the room immediately dimmed, the shades on the windows blocking off the outside light. Another chirp and dozens of twinkling lights covered the ceiling, forming the shapes of familiar constellations from back home on Earth.
Rosek-Skyfire: Ad astra (to the stars).
As CD glanced skyward, he smiled softly. The journey back into space would be a welcome change of pace from the monotony of planetside life. However, there was only one thing he could say in reply to his wife’s statement. He hadn’t gotten to use his Latin very much, but sometimes he could be equally as romantic.
C. Skyfire: Per Aspera (through difficulties).
(( Transporter room one, Deck 6, USS Astraeus ))
{{Time Index: Present}}
As the familiar scene of the transporter room shimmered into view, Lael couldn’t help but feel a sense of deja’vu. Giving up her first command hadn’t been easy, but the transition had at least been made easier by the arrival of someone intended to take her place as she prepared to lead a diplomatic mediation back on Earth.
Chythar felt his own sense of familiarity as he once again returned to the Astraeus, which was, in a lot of ways, more like his home. This would be his third tour aboard the ol’ gal, and he was well acquainted with the sickbay aboard. Even though his capacity these days would be that of a medical researcher, it would still be a much more challenging and yet much easier routine to settle back into.
TBC
===
Lieutenant Commander Chythar Skyfire, MD
Medical Researcher
USS Astraeus NCC-70652
O239002CS0
&
Lieutenant Commander Lael Rosek, Eng.D.
Mission Specialist
USS Astraeus NCC-70652
I238110RH0
&
Madeline Skyfire
Civilian Child
USS Astraeus NCC-70652
As written by Chythar Skyfire and Lael Rosek-Skyfire
I238110RH0 & O239002CS0
&
Kadain C. Skyfire
Civilian Child
USS Astraeus NCC-70652
As written by Chythar Skyfire and Lael Rosek-Skyfire
I238110RH0 & O239002CS0