Ensign Falt: Welcome to the Jungle (Part 2 of 2)
Tom Cholewa
((Campsite, Hendrikspool Jungle, Bajor))
Erik: So, how is Starfleet?
Tomas considered this for a moment.
Falt: Honestly, it can be challenging. The last mission certainly was difficult.
Erik: What happened?
Tomas sighed inwardly. He hadn’t meant to bring up his vision of Enni and his returning memories straight away. He’d hoped for some simple conversation with his father first, but clearly his subconscious hadn’t been prepared to wait.
Falt: An alien artefact was brought on board that triggered visions for the entire crew. The really weird thing was we could all see each other’s visions.
Erik: That does sound weird.
Falt: It really was. ::sipping his coffee:: in fact, I wanted to ask you about my vision. It triggered some memories for me, memories I didn’t know I had.
Erik: Go on.
Tomas took a deep breath.
Falt: Do you remember Enni?
For a long moment the only sound was the crackle of the campfire.
Erik: So your memories have finally come back. That’s good.
Tomas felt a rush of mixed emotions. Relief that he wasn’t going crazy, guilt that he really had forgotten his friend, and confusion as to why his parents had kept quiet for twenty years.
Falt: I don’t understand, why didn’t you ever say anything?
Erik sighed and looked directly at Tomas.
Erik: We wanted to Tomas, especially when you were younger. It was the doctor who told us not to.
Tomas felt his confusion begin to turn into frustration.
Falt: What does that mean?
His father must have noticed the tension in his son’s words as he reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him.
Erik: Let me explain. You weren’t the same after you found that poor girl in her room, you stopped being able to remember her or what had happened. Your mother and I were worried, but at first the doctors diagnosed you with temporary dissociative amnesia...
Tomas interrupted, frustration turning to anger.
Falt: Temporary, it’s been twenty years?
Erik: ::calmly, sadly:: I know, I know. After you hadn’t improved at all for six months we took you to see a specialist at Starfleet medical. By chance he had been at the New Berlin medical facility when they took you and Enni, so he already knew about what had happened. Over a couple of weeks he tried a few procedures that should have helped you to remember but they didn’t work. In the end he said it was best for you if we let you remember on your own, that if we tried anything to force you to remember the trauma would likely cause psychological problems.
Tomas finally took a breath and felt some of the emotions ease. His father still had his hand on his shoulder. Tomas looked at him and could see pain on his face as well, pain that his son had suffered. Tomas softened his tone.
Falt: That… makes sense I suppose. ::short pause:: I’m sorry, everything came back at once, so suddenly, and it’s been taking a while to process.
Erik: You never need to apologise to me about this Tomas, ever.
His father squeezed his shoulder.
Erik: Have you been able to talk to anyone on the ship about it?
Falt: I have yes. We have a new counsellor on board who has been helping me, she’s really good. In fact it was her who suggested I talk to you, to find out if what I had remembered was real, as we couldn’t find any record of this on my medical file.
His father removed his hand from Tomas’s shoulder, his sadness now replaced with confusion.
Erik: That can’t be right, which records did you check?
Falt: I checked my own file and the records from the New Berlin medical facility, there was nothing.
Erik: That’s odd, did you check Starfleet medical? That was where the specialist treated you afterwards.
Tomas raised an eyebrow in surprise, he could just about believe a facility on New Berin could lose his information, but not Starfleet medical itself.
Falt: Starfleet medical? No, I didn’t know I was treated there but surely that would have come up on my Starfleet file. Are you positive I was treated there?
Erik: Absolutely.
Tomas felt a sudden sense of unease. He felt like they were on the edge of something, although he had no idea what.
Falt: Well then something isn’t adding up. I couldn’t find a record of Enni in the general Starfleet files either.
Erik: ::shaking his head:: There has to be something, I even remember it being on the local federation news service. Have you checked her medical records?
Falt: I don’t have access to those. I’d need family permission or a much higher security clearance to review them.
His father looked sad again for a moment.
Erik: Unfortunately family permission won’t be possible. After Enni died her parents moved to Romulus, they disappeared a couple of years later during the military coup .
oO Now we might be onto something Oo
Falt: Wait, are you telling me Enni was part Romulan?
Erik: Yes, her mother was half Romulan.
Tomas nodded, that would explain the severe hairstyle he remembered. It also started to paint an interesting picture.
Falt: So there seems to be no remaining record of Enni’s death, I lost my memory, Starfleet medical messed up my file, and it turns out her parents had ties to Romulus. Why do I get the feeling there is something going on here?
Erik: When you piece it together like that. ::short pause:: If you want to look into this Tomas I’d be happy to help?
Falt: Thanks Isä. Yes, I want to get to the bottom of this, for the memory of my friend.
Erik: Okay. I’ll speak to some of my connections, see what I can find out.
Falt: And I’ll start to carefully explore the Romulan angle. Good thing is I think there are a couple of people on the Juneau who might be able to help.
He paused for a moment.
Falt: Can you tell me more about her, about Enni?
His father smiled a gentle smile.
Erik: Your mother knew her better than I, but I’ll try.
((time skip))
The two men had sat beside the fire for hours, watching the flames whilst they shared memories of Enni. Tomas felt a weight lifting from his shoulders as his father helped him piece everything back together. He still had some gaps, and he still wanted answers, but for the first time in a while he felt whole again. Whole again, but tired.
The fire had died down to its last few embers, which his father was turning over with a stick.
Falt: I’m heading to bed.
Erik: Okay, I think I’ll turn in myself in a few minutes.
Tomas stood up and turned away from the fire for the first time in hours. As he headed for his hammock he noticed a faint orange glow in the distance, and the telltale rising sparks of a campfire. It seemed they weren’t as alone in the wilderness as he had thought they would be. His father had seen it too.
Erik: Looks like we’ve got some company, maybe two miles away.
Tomas crossed to his rucksack and took out his tricorder. A quick scan revealed Juneau comm signals and three life signs; two Human and one half Vulcan/half Romulan. Tomas half smiled, he knew who that would be.
Falt: 2.3 miles to be exact. It’s three people from the Juneau, including the XO. It’s late but I could hail them in the morning. We could go say hello, see what they’re up to?
Erik: Sure, I don’t know when I’ll get the chance to meet some of your crewmates again.
Falt: That’s the plan then, we can break camp first thing and meet up with them. ::yawning:: night Isä.
Erik: Night Tomas.
((time skip))
The next morning Tomas rekindled a small fire and got more coffee brewing whilst his father packed away the hammocks. Whilst he waited for the coffee to be ready he retrieved his comm badge from the rucksack.
oO I hope this doesn’t come as too much of a surprise Oo
Falt: =/\= Ensign Falt to Commander TLea =/\=
TLea / Any: =/\= Response =/\=
TAG / TBC
Ensign Tomas Falt
Science Officer
USS Juneau, NX-99801
J239807TF2