Lieutenant Amelia Semara - Letters from Ohmallera
Max
There was something about the light skipping across the ripples of water that spoke to Tori that kept her coming back to this particular bench by the lake. The leaves of the trees reached tall over the spot to give the bench shade, while their blossoms hung low, powdering her nose with fragrant pollen every time the wind caressed the branches. It was just far enough off the main public path to sit without drawing attention and for the wildlife to ignore the people further off, and close enough that sounds and telepathic sensations from canoodling couples and screaming children alike wafted overhead from time to time.
Tori wasn’t lucky enough to grow up around this many other Betazoids all the time. When she first came to Ohmallera, she was overwhelmed. That the empathic noise and stench would be sickening. For a time, it nearly was. Waking up every morning in the city with the blare of it all beating against her damaged senses came with headaches, mood swings, and a lot more… It was her idea to come here, but Kael was the one who convinced her to stay. He was the one who first took her to Lake Etriluna. He was the one who saw what this place meant to her through the pain, and convinced her to work through it.
Ever since, this lakeside had become Tori’s refuge. Every day she came. She remembered her mother and what she taught her as a girl, and finally refused to give up. One unremarkable morning, after weeks of coming to the same spot, of grappling with the noise and the demons that woke her up every morning… It wasn’t as bad anymore. The screams of children weren’t terror anymore - they were delight. The couples weren’t desperate for just one more moment together, they were building a future. History had been re-written, and the toll of what so nearly happened was still etched in Tori’s memory, but here? Here was a place Tori could finally sit.
And write…
(( Dry Dock Lookout, Deck 6, Deep Space 33 ))
Amelia had vacillated endlessly on where to set up a picnic. Ultimately, the overlook onto the dry dock was quieter than the arboretum, and with another renovation of the station’s greenhouse complete, someone had moved considerable excess foliage into the overlook rather than sending it to be dematerialized. With picnic-style tables besides, the space was transformed into an ad hoc park of sorts. The small space was stuffed with enough green stuff that it even smelled like outside - almost. Through the window, there was the yawning expanse of dry dock with Khitomer floating there. The housings were removed from the nacelles and a warp coil floated above its normal installed position for close inspection by a nearby work bee. The nacelles saw the worst of the damage from the filaments. Even if most other repairs were nearing completion, the job of finding every micro-puncture was going to be some time still.
But the quiet out-of-the-way space of the overlook served another purpose besides witnessing the progress of repairs. It was the perfect place for a private social meeting with Talia and Connor.
The three of them had been close even before their time-travelling children stepped out of the Ouachita and onto the Khitomer’s shuttlebay deck plating, but now who they were to each other defied definition. Gone were Amelia’s carefree ensign days where she had time to intrude on their time on a whim. Now it was replaced with an understanding they were always there for each other, no matter what their jobs looked like or how hard it was to have time together. She understood Connor a little better now than when she first met him, and the way responsibility seemed to overrule everything with every bit of additional mass on an officer’s collar. Still, she’d be the one to insist they all take time together.
The moment she saw Talia, Amelia’s feet took her on a happy little trot over to the woman. She immediately flung her arms around the Haliian, pulling her in tight. Remembering their conversation last shore leave, she allowed herself a passing telepathic word.
Semara: ~~ Hi Talia! ~~
Ohnari: Response
Amelia pulled back, grinning. Of course Statler Junior was invited, too, and the fuzzy bat got a scratch and a tiny forehead smooch that Amelia enjoyed and the bat tolerated. Probably because Statler was already smelling what sort of compensation the Betazoid had for him.
Semara: :: Baby talking :: And hello to you too, mister fuzzy Statler Junior!
If her aura hadn’t already given away the tenor of this meet-up to the empath, fresh post-blubbering makeup and a comfortable green-as-grass dress were equal clues that even Connor could have read. The man turned out to be right behind Talia.
Of course he was getting a hug, too. A big one. They hadn’t spent nearly enough time together lately.
Semara: Hi, Connor.
Ohnari / Dewitt: Response
After a content sigh, and holding on until right before the instant someone might wonder if it was too long, she let go. Amelia grinned and nodded them over to a picnic table she’d already prepared, walking over to set out the picnic lunch.
Semara: :: A little smirk over her shoulder :: I guess I gotta lotta news for the two a’ you… :: Beat :: But first things first!
Of course they both knew about her and Ras by now. Truthfully, the affair wasn’t as sordid as some of the lower-deckers made it sound (she almost wished it was), but it was definitely news. Either way, they’d have to wait to hear more: first, there was food. In picnic-lunch style, it was a much less formal affair than Amelia’s habit for dinner.
Semara: Help yourselves! I made stuffed shells and salad. :: Beat :: And I think I finally got a Toscra recipe I’m happy with for a treat. :: Beat :: ‘Course there’s some uttaberries and cheese as well as tea, and I brought a fresh peach for everyone… And two for Statler.
She grinned, loving every opportunity to spoil pets in equal measure with their owners. After giving Talia and Connor a moment to start, she took up the rear arranging a plate for herself. The cheesy, vegetable-filled pasta shells were still steaming hot as she put them on her plate. Rustic though the basket may have looked, it had some technological tricks hidden to keep the food fresh and appropriately hot or cold.
Dewitt / Ohnari: Response
Last, but far from least, she drew a PADD from a pocket inside the basket. The message downloaded onto it had taken time to decode, but the words inside were worth every precious second. She set it down on the table between the three of them. Amelia suspected her distant expression in the quiet moment and still-full plate of food already said everything in this audience. It felt like Talia and Connor’s eyes were still waiting for her to already say it. Her voice fell to a hushed tone.
Semara: It’s from Tori. :: A long beat :: Just… read it. It’s addressed to all of us.
She pushed the PADD forward. She’d already read it, and wasn’t entirely sure she’d get through it a second time without making a scene. A Toscra-tart smile curled at her lips as her eyes lifted from the device to Talia and then Connor. There were no simple feelings when it came to Tori and Kael for any of them.
—
Dear Connor and Talia and Mom,
I apologize for not writing sooner. Kael and I have been travelling since we parted. It seems the habit of rushing away from one place to the next as if still chased by an enemy out for our blood hasn’t been easy to leave behind. It’s only the last little while we’ve stayed in one place… And now we’re talking about putting down roots for the first time in our lives.
I suppose the news I must tell you first is that Kael and I have spoken to Temporal Investigations. Please don’t be worried! All is well - or as well as can be. We made this decision together. You cannot be forever hiding the truth of us as Starfleet Officers, and we owe you everything for this new chance. Besides, Kael and I can’t run the rest of our lives: not from the Alliance, not from a chronology that doesn’t exist any more, and not from the DTI. The DTI agreed to give us some freedom and peace, especially when they discovered they were unable to contact their counterparts in our future. It’s hard to say if the Alliance prevented the DTI’s formation, or if Sencha radiation permanently disrupted the flow of time there, or if our timeline simply no longer exists… Either way we’re here to stay.
So now we’re living in Ohmallera. I’m sure you’re wondering: why there? Why live somewhere that’s seen so much tragedy?
It’s hard to put into words. It feels familiar, yet the people here give me something I think I need. They’ve seen their whole world destroyed - their coworkers, their friends, their family - all gone in a flash, and they’ve chosen to still live and re-build. They give me courage to do the same, when I still don’t know if I have it for myself. This city doesn’t pretend that it will truly ever be the same, much like Kael and I cannot forget what we’ve done and lived through. But Ohmallera hasn’t given up, not the way I nearly did.
I won’t lie: living here started out hard. I’m not used to being around so many other people, let alone so many other telepaths. The city has a lot of people in not a lot of space, and the noise inside and outside my head is a lot more than I expected. I still don’t know how you lived around so many other people. The lessons you taught me as a child have helped, and I’m getting better at not just blocking it all out until I’m exhausted and crying… But I still have a long way to go. Kael has also been my pillar of strength. He comes with me almost every day to Lake Etriluna - it’s not far, and lets me have a break from the crowds. It’s beautiful. The Plorinna blooms are everywhere around me as I write this.
We have a small place in town. Not so long ago, I met a neighbor. It’s the first place we’ve been somewhere long enough for that to happen. I was nervous. Every Betazoid alive can feel what’s inside of me bleeding out into everywhere around me, and sense the way I hide things I don’t want seen or felt. Only this may be the only place in existence where that’s not unusual for a Betazoid. When I met her, she knew right away, of course, that I nurse my dark places. But… I knew she was the same. I’ve never had that before. Later, I learned she’s the same age as me and grew up in Ohmallera, so she was only 14 when the attack happened. We still haven’t spoken about it, but I think we both prefer it that way for now. We didn’t talk long that first time, but she invited me to come to her painting class. I don’t know why - I’ve never painted, and honestly I’m terrible - but I guess I was curious about her so I went.
Now I’m going every week. It’s strange, having a Betazoid friend for the first time. We’ve met almost every day this week on some excuse. She says I’m strange - I clearly practice Casperian tea customs, but I don’t have the accent. (She says I sound Human.) I know far too much science, but I’m not like any academic, researcher, or star-weirdo (as she calls you sort) she’s ever met. I’ve never had those things about me really noticed that way or thrown into relief like that before… and I like it. We even talked about therapists the other day. I didn’t hate it.
Not that everything is perfect. I’ve been encouraging Kael to find his people too - I worry he frets over me too much and struggles to go out on his own because of that. Not that I can blame him. I’ve never been even remotely “well” before. Luckily, Ohmallera is a very modern city by Betazoid standards, and has lots of other off-worlders I know he’ll fit in with. I’ve been telling him to join some of the remaining reconstruction and expansion efforts - I know he's itching to build something again. I keep saying: this is a chance to build something that will last, not just take us to the next star system. I think, deep down, he knows I’m right (I’m always right). But I’m giving him time. I think he likes the city, but he’s never been around so many people for so long either. It’s a big change for both of us.
Still, it feels foreign somehow. For the first time, I feel like I fit somewhere. I feel inspired. I feel like I understand the people around me, and they understand me. I want to be a part of this community, to help these people, to build something new and beautiful and add something to the universe for a change instead of taking it away. Some days I still struggle to get out of bed. Some days I think I still see faces of the dead. Some days I still cry for an hour for no reason. And some days I make terrible paintings of Nantahala, other days even worse ones of Lake Etriluna. (They’re truly childish and bad.) More and more days, I simply spend time with Kael (he’s very good about keeping that promise he made me in your sickbay), laugh with new friends, explore the markets, or visit the university library… And sit by the lake.
The things that happened in our timeline will always be with us. It’s hard to not feel guilty about everyone Kael and I left behind and how lucky we are compared to them. I’m not sure if that will ever go away, so I try to focus on the things I can change.
You and the short time we spent together, changing history, will be with us forever, too. We owe this new life - this new chance - to you, and we both mean to make the most of it.
Know that our love for all of you endures for all time, in all times.
Your daughter,
Aleatoranna Violet Semara,
Daughter of the Stars,
Heiress to the Golden Leaf of Semizad
—
Ohnari / Dewitt: Response