JP: Cmdr. DeVeau & Lt. Cmdr. Fairhug - Switching Places (Part II)

[Amanda Nordstrom]

OOC: Takes place before Gogi leaves and Alora arrives. :-D


IC:


((First Officers Office, Starbase 118 Ops))



Telepathic crabs?  Sentient crabs?  The closest Alora had gotten to that
were the cyborg spiders back on Deep Space Ten.  Weather controlling
crabs, even.  Somehow, that sounded somewhat familiar, though she
couldn’t fathom why.  Maybe it would come to her later.

DeVeau: That actually sounds really interesting.

Alora was a zoologist.  Of course she found crustaceans interesting.

DeVeau: How many are there?

Fairhug: Actually, I think we’ve only come across one of those, so far.
I’m not sure if there actually are more. Doctor Raimor is your man
there, he made first contact.

Doctor Raimor.  Alora filed the name away in her mind for she knew she
would seek the medical officer out and try to get more information. If
they weren’t dangerous, she’d then go for a visit herself - but that
would come in due time.

DeVeau: It sounds like I have a lot to learn.

Fairhug: How about here on Ops? Anything I should be aware of?

He was sure there was plenty and most of it he would probably have to
learn about the hard way, but forewarned is forearmed. If Alora could
give him information that would help him get the jump on any potential
or existing issues, then he should definitely take advantage of that.

DeVeau: Well.  You’ve been here before, so I’m sure you’re aware of the
delicate political climate.  Which isn’t always completely fragile, but
you’d be surprised at how quickly that can change.

Case in point, the entire situation with the Romulans, which had been
complicated by Sal’s departure, then by an assassin, and even more so by
bombs planted by the aforementioned assassin.  All in all, they had
prevented a war, but everything had been rather dicey for a while, and
there were still consequences in the aftermath. Bad consequences.  Alora
took a deep breath and planted a smile upon her face.

DeVeau: You remember working with Sal, right?

Gogi smiled at the thought of the ginger-haired Betazoid Commodore. They
had gotten along well during his time as First Officer the last time
around and he was looking forward to catching up, although Sal had gone
up in the world since Gogi had left. He was still *Captain* Taybrim back
then.

Fairhug: I do. How is he?

DeVeau: He had surgery just a few weeks ago.  Don’t let him overdo
things.  He’ll push himself and not allow himself time to recover.

Some might say the same of Alora, though her recovery wasn’t from
physical wounds, but emotional ones.  That, however, would eventually
heal. In time.

The Bardeezan nodded along to Alora’s advice. That certainly sounded
like the Sal Taybrim he knew.

Fairhug: I’ll bear that in mind. What about the rest of the senior
officers? Anything I should know?

DeVeau: Doctor Trovek, she’s grumpy, but she’s excellent.  She’s also
struggling, so don’t let her overdo it either.

Fairhug: Trovek…hmm…that sounds familiar.

Alora took a breath and pondered over those she was leaving behind. Her
heart ached, but she knew she couldn’t fight against Starfleet. They had
made this switch for a reason, and she had to trust in their choices.

DeVeau: Egil...great flamenco dancer, and a good teacher.  Bruno
recently went from Intelligence to Science.  He’s got a past, but he’s a
good officer.  Solaris is back in Intel, she’s got some amazing
resources.  Willow’s sweet, but don’t let that fool you. She’s strong. 
An Aine’s an excellent chief, someone you can always count on.  There
are some new Ensigns…try not to scare them.

There was a lot more she could share, but that would take hours. No, it
would take days, even weeks, and they didn't have that much time.  She
glanced away, the eyes drifting around to take in the now empty
quarters. The walls were bare, the corners blank.  Everything that gave
a hint as to her existence was missing.

That was a lot to take in and Gogi wasn’t sure he would remember it all,
but he would try. At least there was one familiar name in there -
Solaris. Lt. Cmdr. McLaren had been on Ops the last time Gogi had, too.

For now, he followed Alora’s gaze as she cast it about the room.

Fairhug: Going to miss this place?

Her eyes drifted back to the man, and the sorrow that had hovered since
the loss of Kalin was accompanied by a different kind of sadness.  A
hint of a smile appeared, but no light reflected in her eyes.

DeVeau: Very much.  As soon as I stepped on to this place it felt like
home.  Now…now I’m leaving it.

She didn’t want to.  She wanted to stay, even if it wasn’t as First
Officer, but Starfleet had spoken and she had to go where she was ordered.

Fairhug: Starbase One-One-Eight has that effect on people. I know it was
a difficult decision for me to return home the last time I was here, but
when duty calls, we answer, right?

DeVeau: Yes.  When duty calls.

Her voice was soft, wistful.  There were a lot of memories on Ops, even
though she’d only been there three years.  Some were bad.  Most were
good.  It was those good ones she wanted to cling to, and while she went
back and forth on how she felt, in that moment, she suddenly wanted to
just tie herself down somewhere on the station and refuse to leave.  But
she wouldn’t, because it wouldn’t change anything.

Fairhug: I’m going to miss Denali, too. Look after them for me, okay?

There was a certain twinkle in his eye at that request. His time on
Denali hadn’t been all that long in the grand scheme of things, but it
had been a meaningful posting to him. It had helped him process things
that had happened in his personal life, as well as helping him to get
his Starfleet career back on track. He was eternally grateful for both
of those things.

DeVeau: I’ll do my best.  You’ll take care of Ops?

Suddenly tears sprang into her eyes, making them shimmer in the light. 
The room, so bare of anything that was hers, seemed so cold and
uninviting.  Her throat tightened and she swallowed as she struggled to
keep the tears at bay.

DeVeau: It means a lot to me.

Gogi took a couple of steps further into the room and placed a hand on
Alora’s shoulder. It was obvious that there was more at play here than
simply leaving a posting that had become comfortable and familiar and
the Bardeezan’s natural empathy (not in the Betazoid sense), wouldn’t
allow him to watch a friend struggle without offering them some kind of
support.

With a smile, he repeated Alora’s promise to him.

Fairhug: I’ll do my best.

DeVeau: Maybe….you can visit Denali?  I’ll come there when I can…

Because it was Ops.  Ops would always hold a special place in her heart,
and maybe someday she could call it home again.  She hoped so.

Fairhug: ::nodding:: There’s still a lot I’d like to see on Ring
Forty-Two. Something tells me I haven’t seen the last of it yet.

Alora nodded.  She was interested in finding out more about Ring 42, the
fascinating and mysterious place that had biomes from one extreme to the
other, and where mysteries abounded.  It was exciting.  But it wasn’t Ops.

DeVeau: I hope not.

Fairhug: And hey, maybe I’ll see you around here for an Academy class or
two.

That afforded another smile and she inclined her head.  Proctors
rotated, and Starfleet tried to get as many of its people involved as
possible.  It wasn’t required, but Alora enjoyed it.  This was not the
last she saw of Ops.

DeVeau: Yes, I’ll be around for that.

Her throat tightened again and she wrestled with herself as she realised
what she was losing.  She was losing a lot.  Even with what she gained,
that couldn’t take away the ache in her heart.  Every other transition
from one posting to another had been a breeze, but this?  This was
different.  This was hard.

He stepped back and allowed the woman to regain her composure, not that
she had lost it fully, in fact, she had done an admirable job of keeping
some clearly difficult emotions contained.

Fairhug: Is there anything I can help you with before you go?

There was nothing she needed.  All her personal belongings had been
packed up by those assigned to assist her for just such a purpose. Her
plants were in stasis.  All of it was already being loaded onto the ship
for the journey.  She had a couple of hours until departure, and all
that was left was to take the carrier that contained Sachiko and walk to
the docks.

DeVeau: I…wouldn’t mind a friend accompanying me to the ship.  That
is…if he’s willing.

Fairhug: I would be honoured.

He held out his arm as he had seen Terrans do from time to time, when
accompanying someone somewhere.

That time, the smile was a little wider, and a hint brighter.  The
sadness did not disappear, but at least she could enjoy his company in
person for a little longer until she had to say her final true goodbye.

DeVeau: Thank you.

Fairhug: Perhaps we can stop somewhere along the way and grab a drink or
a bite to eat?

There was time for that, and Alora couldn’t help but desire to linger. 
Ops still felt like home, and she didn’t want to leave. But she had to
leave.  Change came, whether they wanted it or not, but she would also
take the opportunity to spend that time with her friend.

DeVeau: I would love to.

Fairhug: Got anywhere in particular in mind?

DeVeau: Perhaps.  Do you like ramen?

Fairhug: ::scratching at his beard:: I'm not sure, but I'm willing to
find out!

DeVeau: Then I know just the place.

Her hand slipped into his arm and together the two aimed for the door. 
The panels parted and after they passed over the threshold, Alora
couldn’t help but glance back.  Before the door closed, the lights
dimmed, casting the empty quarters entirely in shadow, as if saying
goodbye to their long-time occupant.  Then, the panels slid to a close,
blocking it from view, reminding her that this was no longer hers.  It
was Gogi’s, and she was leaving.  Blinking back tears Alora straightened
and tightened her hold upon the carrier before taking a breath and
letting it out slowly.

DeVeau: All right.  Let’s go.

And just as the doors had closed to those quarters, Alora realised
another proverbial door had closed, but at the same time, one had
opened.  That was the nature of things, and all she had to do was walk
through it, just like Gogi was.  Even if they were trading places, in a
sense, both of them had to decide to take the opportunities presented to
them, even if that change was difficult. At least she knew she had
friends she could rely on, and that made all the difference in the world.


END

****************

Lieutenant Commander Gogigobo Fairhug
First Officer
Starbase 118 Ops
E239411GF0

&

Commander Alora DeVeau
Mission Specialist
Denali Station
al...@blar.net
M239008AD0