Posted by Lieutenant Hannah Lori Asimina (Asst. Chief Medical Officer) in Seeing Ghosts

Posted by Lieutenant Tandra Mika (Counselor) in Seeing Ghosts

Posted by Lieutenant Hannah Lori Asimina (Asst. Chief Medical Officer) in Seeing Ghosts
Posted by… suppressed (28) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Sharah dismissed them from the staff meeting. It was routine and nothing new. They were all Star Fleet officers and this was old hat stuff. They all just didn’t see each other often because of the size of the contentment on Oed. Everyone got up and filed out of the mess and either went to sickbay or their quarters because they weren’t on duty yet. She stared at him as he got up and headed out. It couldn’t be…could it? The name, the face, now that she saw him the familiarity of the presence of her unknown bidder was so clear.

Ilena stood up and rushed after him. She reached out her hand, afraid he was insubstantial. ‘Ada???‘

Ilena Rox

Lieutenant Fayth had dismissed the meeting. When everyone else began to stand to leave, Adaril did too, and started heading out of the room. They were going to be on the Centurion for a while and it seemed like Ilena may not be ready to talk to him. She’d spent the entire meeting staring at him like he shouldn’t exist. But as he was heading out the door he felt a hand brush his back and then someone calling his name… Not someone, Ilena. He’d never forget that voice. He turned around to face her and smiled. “Ilena.”

~ Adaril Aveli

Confusion, disbelief, longing, Hope all swirled and flowed and rushed off her like a cascading waterfall. She stood there, shock, soul changing shock. Her voice didn’t seem to want to work, but he heard her clearly anyway. ‘H…how? We, we thought you were dead.’

Ilena

Adaril wished she had been there when he had realized she was alive. He’d felt much the same. But now, a calm familiarity washed over and off him, followed by hope and longing of his own. ‘I thought the same of you.’

He looked around and the ushered her out of the doorway into the side of the meeting room. ‘Let’s move out of the way.’ Talking to her telepathically was like second nature to him, even after all this time. Despite having been in Starfleet for some time, hearing her voice in his head coaxed it right out of him.

~ Adaril

Ilena followed him automatically. Her brain not having yet processed the fact he really was alive. She stood still for half a moment before throwing herself at him, arms around his neck, hugging him tightly, eyes squeezed shut, even as tears leaked out. A rush if released shock and grief and the need to know he was really there. ‘Ada, I’ve missed you SO much.’

Ilena

Adaril let out a soft ‘oof’ when she threw herself at him. He smiled and hugged her back, squeezing her tight. ‘I’ve missed you too. I… I thought you died. What happened?’ He was crying now too, tears coming down his face and landing on her shoulder. ‘I saw you at the charity auction but… I couldn’t win you… And then I just…’ And he shrugged.

~ Adaril

‘Why did you leave? I looked for you. I mean I didn’t realize it was you. I mean I…’ She had recognized the feeling but she just thought it was wishful thinking. That she had mistaken the person for Ada. ‘You didn’t have to win me.’ Ilena hugged him. It was unreal, but it wasn’t. ‘The Loneel Mountains…the caves from the resistance. There was a lot of work being done to fortify it. In case…’ Ilena shrugged, ‘But the fault line under them became active again. There was a massive earthquake....villages fell into fissures, canyons formed, there was even some volcanic activity. It…Ada it took them so long to find us because of the fistrium. It blocked the sensors so they couldn’t just beam us out.’

Ilena

‘I don’t know.’ Adaril shook his head and sighed. ‘I knew you recognized me. How could you not? But I could tell you were confused.’ He hugged her again, just because it felt good to hug her. ‘I know. I heard about the volcanoes and… Well, hundreds of people died in the eruptions and the earthquake.’ he started to tear up again, ‘My parents… And I just figured that you… That you were gone, too.’

~ Adaril

‘After the attack on the Advent, I didn’t hear from you, I thought everyone on your ship was lost. I…I could never bring myself to read the record. I didn’t want to know.’ Ilena looked up at him, tear stained cheeks and all. ‘Our parents had a falling out…we never contacted them after we were rescued. I…it was my fault. Your parents wanted me to bond with Icantis. I refused, I couldn’t. My parents supported me and…it started an argument that was never resolved.’

Ilena

‘The Advent went down, her crew lost.’ Grief and anger accompanied his words, hot and raw. ‘Some of us survived and were rescued. Not many.’ More tears made their way down his face. He sniffed and dried his eyes, shaking his head. ‘My family have known I’m okay for a while. They never told me about this falling out, or Icantis, or you.’ There was anger behind those words, anger with his parents. ‘They let me continue to think you were dead.’

~ Adaril

Ilena could feel his grief and loss. She did her best to offer him comfort. ‘I’m so sorry Ada.’ She shook her head, sad and upset, heartbroken over it all. ‘I didn’t know they thought I was dead. I would have…told them at least. We…losing you just…’ It had destroyed them all. They had all stopped talking. Then she had left for the Academy. She stared at him a long time. ‘I can’t believe you are here.’

Ilena

Adaril just hugged her again. ‘It doesn’t matter now. We can fix our families’ problems later. Right now I want to focus on us.’ He looked at her, confusion accompanying his confused expression as she stared at him. Then he smiled. ‘Then it’s a good thing neither of us are going anywhere.’

~ Adaril

Ilena’s head tipped to the side and she suddenly realized they were standing in the mess/conference room, holding onto each other having a very silent conversation, and they were on Centurion for a reason. ‘Maybe we should go somewhere else?’

Ilena

Adaril laughed aloud and shrugged. ‘Maybe we should. I don’t want to. I think I forgot how much I missed you.’ He started to walk with her out of the room. ‘I want to keep talking to you.’

~ Adaril

Adaril had changed since she had last seen him. She remembered it so clearly. The deep affection she had always had for him had turned into a school girl’s crush and then something much more substantial. She was so proud of him when he graduated the Academy, in his new blue officers uniform and one solid gold Ensign pip. She had tried so hard to be very mature that visit and not embarrass him in front of his friends again.

Ileana had changed too. No longer the little girl he remembered, she was mature and elegant. Yet she still reminded him of the cute little girl he had once thought of more like a little sister. His view of her changed during their later teenage years. At his Academy graduation, she had acted much more mature… He knew she was only trying not to embarrass him, but it had still helped him see her as the adult she would become. ‘I’m sorry I missed your graduation. I would have given anything to be there.’

He had been excited and nervous and happy. He was heading off to do what he had always wanted. In just a couple more years he was going to come home and they would be married. Ilena had been excited for the future and her head full of fairytale. Now he felt more mature and worn down some. He looked different to. Oh, her Ada was still there, but the boyish pieces that had still clung to him at his graduation were gone. ‘Sometimes I forget how much I miss you too. Then I remember, and it is so much worse.’

Ilena

Adaril had loved being a Fleet doctor. Absolutely loved it. From the time he received his first assignment, he had been so happy. That had been clear in the letters they exchanged back then. He was going to enjoy his time as much as possible, and then return to Betazed to fulfill his contract and marry Ilena. He looked forward to it though he did not speak of it openly.

Ilena hadn’t been sure what she wanted to do then. But after the earth quake and being found by Star Fleet rescue trams and then treated in their medical facilities she had discovered she wanted to be a nurse. The university on Betazed was quadrant renowned for their mental health programs but slightly less for their medical problems. But she couldn’t stay. Everywhere she went was a reminder of Adaril and she had chosen to escape. She would become a nurse and hinor Adaril by serving in Star Fleet. The campus held memories, but few. Some days though Ilena would wander the campus and wonder if Ada had been there, if he worked at that lab table, or studied under that tree?

Until he received news of her death. His parents wrote to inform him. For weeks he’d been crushed with grief for her. He’d had to see the ship’s counselor for grief counseling. He hadn’t wanted to just… get over her. What was he to do without her? A few months after the news was broke to him, there was an officer on his ship. A human woman about his age. He’d… been with her. Just once, and then decided he couldn’t do a relationship, not yet. The memory caused a surge of guilt within him. He hugged her again, an awkward side hug as they walked. ‘I’m never leaving your side again if I can help it.’

~ Adaril

Ilena had dated very little. She went out with her friends frequently. She even danced on occasion with a stranger if asked. Her heart just hadn’t been in it. She kept telling herself, eventually she had to stop grieving, to move forward. She tried, but no one caught her attention really. The CCDA agent had been a total surprise. She was the only one that was surprised though. He was polite and kind but after talking he had realized Ilena wasn’t exactly the person he had made her out to be in his head.

She felt the surge of guilt and a wave of understanding coursed over him. Then she laughed a little. ‘That will make for interesting shifts in sickbay and maneuvering about the ship.’ Was that what he wanted? After all this time. She supposed with both of them alive the contract was still valid. If he had new plans for his life though, she would understand. Did they even know each other anymore? Certainly they had known each other as adults. They had not grown together through those years. Oh but surely he was still her Ada.

Ilena

Adaril hadn’t considered the idea that Ilena might’ve moved on and when that idea entered his head, he felt bad. How selfish was he to not consider she might have been or be involved with someone else? He smiled, ‘Well, maybe not that close’ He looked at her, ‘You haven’t… I mean, you’re not… seeing someone else, are you? I didn’t even think to ask.’

~ Adaril

Ilena smiled softly, a bit shy and reflecting her own similar thoughts. ‘No, I’m not seeing anyone. The auction was a charity event and nothing more.’ There was always honesty between them. A habit of a society of telepaths, ‘I have been on dates here and there, but nothing serious. Ot just never felt right. You?’ She followed the hull around and paused at the lift. ‘You are welcome to come to my quarters, but I share.’

Ilena

There was that feeling of deep guilt again, and he looked terribly ashamed. ‘There was someone, once. A few months after I was told you died. It… It wasn’t serious. We hooked up once, and then I told her it wouldn’t work. I just…’ he shrugged. ‘My quarters are a single if you’d rather come to mine,’ he offered.

~ Adaril

Ilena paused and turned toward him, holding both his hands. ‘Don’t feel guilty, Ada. I am glad there was someone you could be close to, to be with you then. I could never be mad at you or them for that. I am glad you were not alone.’ She supposed she could have had Icantis, and in a small way they had had each other, but it hadn’t been like that between them. Then everything fell apart. ‘I am rooming with a science officer. I don’t know her schedule, so…I think … maybe … yours.’

Ilena

Maybe because they were brothers, but the idea of Ilena and Icantis bothered him. He wouldn’t mind if she had been with anyone else, though. Ada squeezed her hands and smiled, but it was a tight, sad smile. The sense of guilt eased considerably, but remained. ‘Thank you.’ he stepped into the lift and stated the correct deck number aloud. ‘My quarters it is, then.’ and then he smiled at her again.

~ Adaril

Ilena shook her head, he didn’t need to thank her. She kissed his cheek, like she had so many times before. Since they were young children. The idea of Icantis and her was repulsive for Ilena. She loved Icantis, as a baby brother and never anything more. It would have been wrong. Ilena didn’t say anything else on the walk to his quarters. It all felt so dream like. Like she would wake up. As they got to his door, ‘When I was in the hospital …I… I kept expecting you to … walk in…’

Ilena

There was a burst of affection and happiness when she kissed his cheek. She had done it so many times before, but it had been so long… and he’d thought he’d never see her again. They walked in silence and Adaril pressed the button to open the door to his quarters. Stepping in with her, he replied telepathically, ‘I wish I could have. I wish I’d known. I’d have taken leave to come see you. I was hurt in the attack, I was lucky and my injuries were minor, but even then I just wanted you there.’

His quarters looked like standard fleet quarters, his bag still on his bed. This was only a training run, anyway. No need to get too comfortable. He moved to the bed and moved his bag off the bed and onto a table.

~ Adaril

The quarters were standard, but the mission, size of the ship and contingent of Oed there was no point in being settled in the Centurion since they all rotated out frequently. They were comfortable enough. Ilena had only brought a couple of uniforms and pajamas. And a few necessities. Ilena glanced around and then sat in one of the chairs and looked at him. She looked for a long time, past and present and what might have been swirled. “It is strange to think that we would have been married by now, but we are…almost strangers.”

Ilena

Adaril looked back at her and smiled, then sat in the other chair. ‘Five years is a long time to be apart. I still want to marry you,’ He thought for a moment. She was right, she was so familiar yet so… unfamiliar. They had missed out on so much time together. He remembered when they were younger. He’d seen her as a little sister, almost, when they were kids. Then a close friend, and then, by the last time they saw each other, he’d had a crush on her. A big one. Looking at her now, he still definitely had feelings of that kind for her. He knew she’d had a schoolgirl’s crush on him for some time. He wondered if she still felt that way, or if she’d ever felt more serious feelings toward him? There was some uncertainty surrounding him. ‘We could spend time dating?’ he suggested at last. ‘We would’ve been married by now, but what’s the rush anyway? As long as I’m with you, I don’t mind. I’d rather wait to do our vows till we’re ready. I want us both to be happy and comfortable with this.’

~ Adaril

Ilena blushed brightly. ‘I did have a crush on you. But then at your graduation…things changed. I didn’t realize it at first. I was still young though I tried not to be. Do you remember how our parents kept leaving us alone together? I was so embarrassed. But things were different with us, or,’ Ilena smiled slightly, ruefully, ‘at least they felt that way to me. Then our letters, they changed as you started serving. We exchanged video calls instead of just letters. They felt more…Substantial, more…I guess just more. I got to know you…or was starting to. I had always loved you Ada, but it changed became romantic. I didn’t realize that though until you were gone.’

Ada smiled. The uncertainty in his feelings faded, replaced by happiness and affection. ‘It was for me too. When I graduated you were still young. Still trying to act older than you were. But as we wrote each other things changed. It was becoming romantic for me as well.’

Ilena smiled at him, a rush of excitement. ‘I would like that very much, Ada, to date you. Our vows are still very important to me.’ She reached over and held his hand. She felt like she needed to, to make sure he wasn’t going to disappear.

Ilena

Ada took her hand and squeezed it gently. ‘I’m glad. I should’ve talked to you after the action. We would’ve had more time than we do now.’ He smiled at her, ‘I look forward to getting to know you again.’

~ Adaril

‘And I you. Perhaps being here is…helpful? Sometimes work helps me when I have a lot to think about.’ Ilena seemed uncertain for a moment, a trace of that young girl from his graduation showing through. ‘I…where do we start? I guess I feel a little lost and overwhelmed.’ She took a shaky breath. ‘You said you were injured. Are you okay now?’

Ilena

‘Me too. Working clears my head sometimes. I was… A little lost when I saw you at that auction. It’s… A lot.’ When he felt her uncertainty, he squeezed her hand again. Her question caught him off guard, but then he smiled.‘It was five years ago. I’m alright.’ He shrugged, ‘And it really was minor. I broke my arm, I was a little bruised up, and… thirteen stitches. I didn’t even have to stay in sickbay.’

~ Adaril

It was a lot. The last time she had seen him, in person, been in his presence she had been, well just a little younger, but it felt like decades. She had a crush on him, and it had turned into something much more. Now though, he was, Ilena couldn’t help it, between the psychic familiarity, their shared past, and well…honestly the physical changes in him, she felt incredibly attracted to him. She should, she was supposed to marry him, but it was unfamiliar but welcome. ‘I’m glad you are. I…I have Varnak’s disease. I caught it when we were trapped in the caves. We didn’t have the inoculation I needed with us.’

Ilena

Concern. It was spelled out on his face, but Ilena didn’t need to see his face, it was more than readily apparent empathetically. ‘Are you okay? What do your doctors say? Are you doing your exercises to keep your muscles in shape?’ The questions came one after another.

~ Adaril