Posted by Commander Dr. Royal Sinclair (Executive Officer) in XO’s Office- Reunions

Posted by Lieutenant Corinne Dalton (Scientist) in XO’s Office- Reunions

(snip)

Before, her mind could analyze details of a person: their frame, the way they held their body, their vital signs. Now it was different. Gone were the analytical details that had just existed in her mind at all times to be replace by the beautiful nuances of a person: their scent, the way they breathed as they experienced different emotions, the timbre of their voice. All these sorts of things were layered upon the one feeling that Corinne Dalton could not remember ever feeling since the brief war with the Klingons that claimed her adoptive parents: safety.

She held on to him, burying her face in his chest, clinging to him and to life.

For so long she had pushed deeper connection away in favour of surface interactions, lust instead of love. When she opened herself up to love, there had been some beautiful moments, but far more pain than she ever imagined. Two out of three relationships had ended a sense of betrayal for their own reasons. One ended in the death of her physical body.

But this here? Magic. It was a balm on her very soul and Cori had often wondered if in her holographic existence she could even have a soul. Much like destiny or fate, she allowed herself to believe in this tenuous and beautiful concept.

After a time, Cori lifted her head and leaned back, wiping at her face. “I want to say that that was two years in the works, but really it’s only been a week. And I want to ask ‘what now but I already know the answer. I don’t care if I look like a mess but there is something very important I need to do and I think you should go with me.”

~Corinne Dalton

If she had asked him at that moment to jump out an airlock with her and into space while the ship was at warp; he would have done it, no questions asked. “Whatever you need.” he said with a resolve that was positively palpable. He stood up and took her hand and helped her to her feet. He then went over to the replicator and got a cool, moist towel and handed it to her. “Here…” he said and slowly and gently wiped her face with it. He tossed the towel into the recycler and then gestured to the door. “After you. You lead, I’ll follow.” Not once did ask where they were headed.

Sinclair, XO

Cane in her right hand, Cori nodded and then stepped out into the corridor. She hung a left, moving maybe towards the bridge entrance, but she stopped at the next door after Royal and pressed the chime to the ready room.

When the door opened, she stepped in and briefly took in the surroundings of the woman she was getting a better sense of all the time. “Captain,” she looked at Royal, smiled and then looked back. “As you can tell, the commander is now in the loop and the one open question we’ve all had I’m ready to answer.”

She straightened her posture coming not quite to attention, but close to it, even though she was not in uniform. “I’ve given it a lot of thought and I know what I want for my future. It’s like you said before about food: it’s a new adventure trying all sorts of things out now. There are gaps in my memory and maybe we’ll trigger those recollections or maybe not, but I get to experience things in a different way than I have for the last thirteen years. And I could gallivant about the galaxy in search of those experiences, but if there’s one thing I’m ready to try again properly it’s connection. And unlike my previous attempts it’ll be more balanced because I’ve experienced too much to go back to my old ways. Like a wise man said”-she cast a glance at Royal-“I need to be comfortable with myself, on my own, before I can be with others. I know I can be connected to people without making them my whole life.”

“It is for that reason that I know in my heart that I still love Starfleet. I don’t know what kind of scientist I am, or could be. I have no idea what my skill levels will be after everything, but I’m ready for the adventure of finding out. And I’d like to do so here. So, with your permission I’d like to be added to the crew manifest of the Ogawa and be formally reinstated as a Starfleet officer.”

~Corinne Dalton