Fleet Captain Kalianna Nicholotti - Unremembered Familiarity

[Marissa Jeffrey]

((Garridon V))

::The flashes of the lightning broke the relative darkness spread by the
storm. For a moment it blinded her, making her blink, but the collective
gasps around her forced her to focus. In the sky, the shuttle that had
just launched seemed to be falling. Everyone seemed to watch in horror
as their friends and fellow crewmates fell to the ground, the shuttle
crumpling on impact.::

Blair: We have to help them. Do whatever you can! Doctor what’s the
chance that they survived impact?

::She wanted to run to them, but she was cautious. With those creatures
around, was it safe for the rest of them? She offered hope to the First
Officer as she assessed the situation.::

Nicholotti: It's more than possible that they've survived, if we can get
to them.

::The answer she waited for came quickly as the others began to run for
the crash, but the scene quickly faded in a flash of blue shimmers. She
fought to come to a realization of the newly changed situation, which
coalesced in her head as the scene in front of her did. The dim nature
of the planet faded, along with the rain and ice, to be replaced by the
familiarity of a starship flight deck. Immediately she found Jonesy
nearly on top of her, on guard until he, too, figured out that they were
safe.::

((Flight Deck - USS Daedalus))

Cody: Ladies and gentlemen. First, let us apologize. We determined there
wasn't enough time to inform you, and rather than establish
communications, decided the best course of action was to descend and
beam all of you directly onto the ship. You are aboard the USS Daedlaus,
a Prometheus-Class Starfleet vessel. We are currently ascending off
planet, which based on what little I saw, I'm sure we're all glad to get
off. ::indicating Scythe:: This is Lt.Cmdr. Elizabeth Scythe, the first
officer of this vessel. I am Commander David Cody, temporarily
commanding this vessel, although it is not my permanent command.

::Somewhere in the middle of the crowd, shadowed by her 'security'
detail, Kali found herself drawn to the voice. There was something
familiar to it, something almost comforting. She searched her mind,
looking for the name, seeking the reasons behind her instinctual
reactions as she listened to the exchange between the familiar voice and
her own First Officer.::

::Drawing many blanks, she wished she had been on the Gemini where she
could look it up in her logs. Thankfully, the conversation at the front
of the room turned towards that very eventuality and the raven-haired
doctor stored the feelings and thoughts away until she was back in her
quarters. In silence she waited, instinctively looking around her for
injuries that needed treatment. For a moment, she allowed those in
charge to do what they did best while she fell back on her own strengths.::

::But there wasn't much there. Weston had been right, they had missing,
but not really many injuries. Once again she found her gaze drawn to the
front of the room and those in charge. The sound of a padd dropping and
cracking hit her and she found herself looking at the eyes of the man
whose voice had sent tracers through her mind.::

::And all she could think of was how hard it was to look away from those
eyes.::

::Finding herself unable to tear her gaze from his, Kali watched as he
approached. The crowd seemed to part easily, leading him straight to
where she stood, frozen in that moment. And then, as if the universe had
conspired against death itself, she found herself staring at him as he
stared back at her. For a long moment it felt as the entire galaxy was
holding its breath. Even she felt like she stood on the edge of
something so much greater than herself, but for the life of her, she
couldn't figure out just what it all was.::

Cody: ::almost disbelieving:: Kali?

::The sound of her name spoken from those lips felt sweeter than
anything she'd known or could remember. A wave washed over her, though
she could not tell what drove it. Deep inside Kali wondered why
something so simple, like the sound of another officer saying her name,
touched her to the core. She blinked, questioningly, searching for
answers that didn't readily surface.::

Nicholotti: ::Barely audible.:: Yes?

::The feelings felt like they were undermining her ability to control
the situation, and that scared her. He looked as if he were going to
speak again, but then he reached out and took her hands. Another wave
washed over her as the universe seemed to fade into nothing. With
nothing to link the strange familiar feelings to, she felt detached and
unsure.::

Cody: It's me. It's David.

::David. The name rolled around in her mind as if it belonged there. She
clasped his hands a bit tighter, as if she held on to something, though
she was far from sure of what that something was. It was the lack of
connection to a memory that forced her to look away. Finding a place on
the floor to stare at, she searched once more among her thoughts to
figure out what and who and where...and then with a profound sadness she
looked back at him, her crystalline blue eyes shining with tears she
didn't allow to fall.::

Nicholotti: ::Shaking her head slightly.:: I'm sorry. ::Her voice
wavered. She wanted to, but she couldn't remember. And it felt like she
was missing a large part of herself in the process.:: I don't remember.

::Again, he stared at her, a searching look in his eyes. Her lack of
memories didn't seem to bother him then as he leaned forward and kissed
her cheek before drawing her into a tight hug. She didn't fight it, but
found herself, for a brief moment, caught in an embrace that felt more
real and natural than most of her experiences since her return. His
voice whispered directly to her as she relaxed slightly in his arms.::

Cody: ::whispering, just to Kali:: It's okay. I'll remember for both of us.

Nicholotti: I'm sorry.

::Hidden from the others, the raven-haired Fleet Captain allowed a tear
to fall for the past that she didn't remember, but found herself
desperately seeking...Soon she would return to the Gemini, but in this
moment right now, she felt safe and complete. What that meant she wasn't
sure of yet, but like so much since her return, it would take time to
figure it out.::



(OOC - with this, I'll end my time here on the Gemini. It's been a
pleasure serving with you all and I look forward to seeing some of you
aboard the Apollo!)

--
Fleet Captain Kalianna Nicholotti
Chief Medical Officer
USS Gemini