Ensign Haukea-Willow - A moment to grieve.
Aly Drolet
((Romulan Embassy Starbase 118))
With that the four of them moved away from the medics. They followed Sera’s tricorder scans, moving across small mounds of rubble before stopping near several larger boulders. It was time to get to work. Haukea was ready to devise a strategy that would allow for safety and efficiency.
After a few minutes of debate they began working together to lift and maneuver the largest of the boulders in front of them. With effort they managed to get it to roll away. As they lifted, and pushed, J’Lynn lost her balance, food slipping on smaller pebbles. Her balanced lost, she fell to her knees, tearing her dress and scraping her knee. Blood, as green as grass, flowing in a steady stream down her leg. With a gasp and a grumble the young woman got back to her feet.
Haukea would have assisted J’Lynn in regaining her balance. Yet, by the time she had considered it, ready to make the move, J’Lynn was already on her feet, annoyed.
s'Rehu: Do you need to stop?
J'Lynn: I'm fine. Let's just keep moving.
Havran gave her a nod.
s'Rehu: ::to J'Lynn:: Please, ::beat:: be careful.
Haukea could see how much J’Lynn and Havran had grown in respecting each other over the last few hours. It began to warm her heart.
J'Lynn: ::almost shyly:: Thank you. ::regaining her composure:: But your concern should be with our brothers and sisters trapped under this rubble.
Haukea more than agreed with J’Lynn’s statement. It was now their job to protect and serve by being a part of the rescue efforts. She wanted, no, found it necessary, to save as many injured and potentially dying from a fate worse than death. Perhaps in some cases death was preferable.
Chipping in, they dug deeper, reaching for the signs of life Sera’s tricorder had indicated. After several heart pounding moments a body emerged. The body was as equally dusty as the last one, caked with dirt, grim and dried blood. The only difference this time was that the individual was conscious enough to moan or twitch, yet not enough to open their eyes or speak. It was a sorry state as Havran knelt beside the body, placing a hand on the man’s chest as if assessing them.
s'Rehu: ::to Sera:: Can your device tell us what's wrong?
Sera: ::shaking her head negative:: It cannot. It is not a medical tricorder.
J'Lynn: Can't you perform another mind meld?
Haukea, having witnessed the last mind meld Sera performed, considered the idea unwise.
Willow: I would consider it unwise for Lt. Sera to perform another mindmeld. Even so, it is her choice whether or not she does another.
It was at that moment, all their attention was turned towards the injured individual. His breathing had begun coming out in short, sharp bursts.
s'Rehu: So it's too late?
Sera: I…cannot stabilize this one in the same manner…I am sorry.
Seeping beneath the man was a fresh pool of dark green blood.
Sera: When we unburied him, his wound was no longer clamped off from the pressure of the debris. His injuries are non-viable.
J'Lynn: ::Panicked:: So we are to just watch him die?!
Willow: I’m afraid, whether or not we had conducted medical intervention, it may simply be their time.
J’Lynn looked towards Havran who remained kneeling on the ground, head hung low, hands on their chest. Silence lingered all around. Not awkward but rather sad, somber. They were all stood around watching an injured man die. Haukea of course was no stranger to death. She had experienced it in other capacities, each equally as somber, yet it never got any easier.
Slowly the injured, semi-conscious man took a difficult, dry, rattling breath. The exhale wheezed out before stopping completely. Dead.
Sera: ::softly to J’Lynn and Havran:: I grieve with thee…
Willow: A better place for thee they go. Up above the world so high.
s’Rehu: Response
Dry throats, dry eyes and silence penetrated the air around their little group. For anyone it was difficult to watch death take hold of their next victim. It was a reasonable reaction. Even a necessary reaction. Grief was funny that way.
Willow: I’m sure they will be missed. If not by their family, then by us.
s’Rehu: Response
J'Lynn: ::clearing her throat:: No. My apologies. We should continue.
s'Rehu: Response
J'Lynn: He was just…so young. Perhaps our age. All his dreams, his promise…it will go unfulfilled.
Willow: The moon has a face like the clock in the hall; She shines on thieves on the garden wall,
On streets and fields and harbour quays, And birdies asleep in the forks of the trees.
The squalling cat and the squeaking mouse, The howling dog by the door of the house, The bat that lies in bed at noon, All love to be out by the light of the moon.
But all of the things that belong to the day Cuddle to sleep to be out of her way; And flowers and children close their eyes.
(OOC: Poem: The Moon by Robert Louis Stevenson)
Sayings, myths, folk tales, legends and poems about the moon were easy to memorize coming from a culture that practically worshiped the moon yearly. On top of that Haukea had a tendency to list platitudes when trying to be cheerful. In this case however, the idea of the moon and sleep felt nearly synonymous with death. The reciting was a way of comfort.
Sera/s’Rehu/J’Lynn: Response
Willow: Sorry. I figured it would be a comfort.
Sera/s’Rehu/J’Lynn: Response
Willow: No, you are right. They shouldn’t have had to die. It's wrong, cruel and painful.
Sera/s’Rehu/J’Lynn: Response
Willow: We can only honor their memory by striving to unite in peace.
Sera/s’Rehu/J’Lynn: Response
Ensign Haukea-Willow
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Starbase 118 Ops
M239512BG0
"One thing I've learned from my parents and from observing all the artists I've been lucky enough to grow up around is that you've got to be brave." - Maya Hawke