02-17-2026, 10:07 PM
Sometimes it was better to just say nothing. Just listen. And this was one of those times. Mara talked about her inability to swim after escaping Bandar, an edge in her voice that Robin wasn't used to hearing. Callaja was usually so confident, or at least so good at faking it that it amounted to the same thing. The CSO was feeling utterly overwhelmed... the new position, new friends, and being open with people. It was too much. When Mara talked about hugging someone the purple-haired young woman just gave a slight smile and a nod. The scars weren't just on Mara's body.
But then the Security Chief's conversation turned to the cloning facility the Artemis had so recently found. The two of them were of a like mind, though maybe for different reasons.
"How ‘bout you? How are you handlin’ it? We threw everyone else out so they didn’t have to deal with it, but you were there too."
Robin looked away, at the lake. There was a boat out there, a small group having their own party, and her sensitive ears could hear their laughter floating out over the water. She closed her eyes for a moment trying to focus her thoughts. How did she feel? She'd gone to the ship's chapel after the mission to light candles for the dead, as was her tradition. It had felt hollow, if she had to be honest.
I..." She stopped. Sadness came like a wave, just for a moment, and she fought to push it back. She kept her eyes on the lake, not looking at her friend. "I'm handling it, I guess. I've seen a lot of death over my short career. I don't know... too much."
Liar. You remember everything. Every soul you've seen pass in perfect detail. Nineteen Starfleet officers. Eight civilians. Twenty-seven enemies, including one by your hand. And now nine clones that never stood a chance in the world. And here you are on a beautiful lakeshore stuffing your face with steak.
"I'm a bit of a rarity in the human race; I'm still religious. Presbyterian. That comes from my home colony. Suicide is a sin, and a lot of the people there think it damns the soul to hell. Thankfully my congregation never preached that. Pastor Stross said that it should only ever be a last resort, and I believe that."
The nurse took a deep breath, still failing to come to grips with it. The smell of the facility came back to her, unbidden, and suddenly she wasn't hungry. "What choice did they have? A painful death as their systems shut down? No, I can't blame them for it. I don't know if I would have had their courage. They died with dignity, for what that's worth."
And ever since I've been thinking about it regarding myself. Is that selfish? Yeah, probably. My Turean’s Syndrome was cured, but there's always the thought in the back of my mind... what if they didn't get it all? Could it come back? What would I do if it did, if I was facing a slow end?
"My religious belief, my training, it all says that you fight until the last breath. But the universe doesn't fit into such neat boxes, does it?" Robin finally looked at Mara. "You know that better than me."
== Tag Mara ==
But then the Security Chief's conversation turned to the cloning facility the Artemis had so recently found. The two of them were of a like mind, though maybe for different reasons.
"How ‘bout you? How are you handlin’ it? We threw everyone else out so they didn’t have to deal with it, but you were there too."
Robin looked away, at the lake. There was a boat out there, a small group having their own party, and her sensitive ears could hear their laughter floating out over the water. She closed her eyes for a moment trying to focus her thoughts. How did she feel? She'd gone to the ship's chapel after the mission to light candles for the dead, as was her tradition. It had felt hollow, if she had to be honest.
I..." She stopped. Sadness came like a wave, just for a moment, and she fought to push it back. She kept her eyes on the lake, not looking at her friend. "I'm handling it, I guess. I've seen a lot of death over my short career. I don't know... too much."
Liar. You remember everything. Every soul you've seen pass in perfect detail. Nineteen Starfleet officers. Eight civilians. Twenty-seven enemies, including one by your hand. And now nine clones that never stood a chance in the world. And here you are on a beautiful lakeshore stuffing your face with steak.
"I'm a bit of a rarity in the human race; I'm still religious. Presbyterian. That comes from my home colony. Suicide is a sin, and a lot of the people there think it damns the soul to hell. Thankfully my congregation never preached that. Pastor Stross said that it should only ever be a last resort, and I believe that."
The nurse took a deep breath, still failing to come to grips with it. The smell of the facility came back to her, unbidden, and suddenly she wasn't hungry. "What choice did they have? A painful death as their systems shut down? No, I can't blame them for it. I don't know if I would have had their courage. They died with dignity, for what that's worth."
And ever since I've been thinking about it regarding myself. Is that selfish? Yeah, probably. My Turean’s Syndrome was cured, but there's always the thought in the back of my mind... what if they didn't get it all? Could it come back? What would I do if it did, if I was facing a slow end?
"My religious belief, my training, it all says that you fight until the last breath. But the universe doesn't fit into such neat boxes, does it?" Robin finally looked at Mara. "You know that better than me."
== Tag Mara ==