All As It Once Was

Posted on 20 Sep 2012 @ 1:00pm by Captain Jonathan Holliday & Lieutenant Commander Evelyn Coleman

4,523 words; about a 23 minute read

Mission: Episode 01 - Project Sienna
Location: USS Galileo - Lt Coleman's Quarters
Timeline: MD10 - 0025hrs

[ON]

The dimly lit corridors of the Galileo on night shift were perfect. At least, perfect for hiding the look of shame on Jonathan Holliday's face as he made his way past the damage control teams and damaged systems that were going to take an age for the engineers back on Earth to straight out.
In his hand was a PADD, enough to give him something to hold onto, like a child with a teddy bear or comfort blanket, something to give him a sense of purpose as he approached a set of crew quarters. One of his officers that he had let be taken by the Klingons and subjected to only knows what. Nervously, he tapped his finger against the chime, not sure what to expect.

Evelyn was laying still on her bed, arms relaxed along her sides. When she had arrived in her quarters she was extremely greatful her sonic shower was still in working condition.
After removing what was left of her uniform and washing up, she quickly redressed in a new uniform, albiet without the overshirt, and took a moment to lay on her bed.

When Eve heard her door chime she was merely gazing up at the ceiling. She shifted on her bed so her feet were now planted on the ground and rose up off the bed. She walked to the door and pressed the console. As the door parted shee couldn't help the small smile forming on her lips. "Commander Holliday, I had a hunch it was you," she took a few steps back, "please come in. I'm sorry for the mess, the renovation for my walk-in closet went very badly." She joked.

John was glad to see the Lieutenant in good spirits - at least, as far as the illusion she as showing to the rest of hte crew at least. Nodding at her granting permission for him to enter, John stepped inside, observing the state of her quarters...it seemed that no room on the Galileo had avoided at least a little bit of damage from the Klingons.

"I'd place a complaint with Chief Quinn in that case...his team need to do better work...."

For a moment Holliday had nothing to say, and instead just looked at the mess around him, tapping the back of the PADD in his right hand against the open palm of his left, before realising that the whole reason he had come down here was to deliver it, and instead rather sheepishly, offered it out to Coleman.

"I err...thought you'd appreciate an update on everything that happened whilst you were...erm...off the ship. I took the liberty of downloading all my reports onto here for you to review...."

Evelyn took the PADD, and arched her brow at him. "Was this really for me, or for you?" She asked.

"What do you mean Lieutenant? They're my reports, I think I know what's in the content seeing as I wrote them?"

Evelyn shook her head as she gently placed the PADD on the table near them. "I didn't mean who the reports were for. I was asking why did you feel the need to write them in the first place. Is there something troubling you Commander?" She asked.

It seemed he hadn't given the intelligence and strength of a gut feeling in a person who had lived so many centuries enough credit. It was true that ever since the first battle with the Klingons and the loss of some of the crew, Holliday had been trying to deal with the fact that it had happened on his watch, and at least now that he had people back, he could try to make amends for his failing.

"I...guess you could say that Miss Coleman.....I...wanted to apologise to you...I shouldn't have allowed the Klingons to capture you in the first place, let alone let them do what they did to you....I should have acted faster. I'm sorry."

Evelyn slowly nodded, "Should I slap you now or later?" she asked bluntly. "The ship is still in one piece, you rescued Captain Lirha and myself, the project is still with us; sure we lost a few good officers but frankly, you did what you had to do. If anyone should be feeling guilty it's those damn Admirals that assigned us this mission to begin with."

Hearing words that were almost exactly what Holliday would have said to himself had he been on the other side of the situation were enough to bring a smirk to his face. It was true that up until recently, he never gave a damn about the people he served with, but Galileo had been different. She was his first posting as a command officer, and even if she was small, underpowered and under-armed, she was still his ship.

"Striking a superior officer usually carries time in the Brig...although I'm sure you've done it a few times already with a lifespan as long as yours." He joked.

"Wouldn't you like to know." She responded with teasing smirk, moving to take a seat on the couch. "I bet you get a kick out of the fact that a point in my career I was a Chief Counselor."

"You were a counsellor?" The XO replied, not even wanting to acknowledge a fact that up until today he would have put aside as a story with no basis in reality. Coleman was much like he was, a cold exterior that acted as a front to most people, unless she approved of you.

"Your technique can't have been particularly effective? A swift slap and a sharp comment by any chance?"

Coleman chuckled, "I admit my methods were unorthodox, and my run as councilor was short, however all of my patients recovered." She said proudly, "I became one after the war. Most of them were our ground troops holding the lines. Others were from ships that suffered heavy losses..."

"I assume we're talking about the Dominion War here? That whole affair was one big mess...god knows how I made it through that one in one piece..."

After a moment the XO realised that he had spent the entire conversation so far standing up. Moving his weight from one foot to the other, eventually he relented and took up a seat on the other end of the couch, sighing as he took the weight off his rather exhausted legs.

Evelyn nodded, "The Dominion War truly tested everyone didn't it?" She said with a sigh, and looked at Jon. "fast-forward to today, and those three pips on your neck probably feels awfully heavy now, don't they?"

"They may as well be made of solid lead....I have no idea how the Captain manages it on a day to day basis....if anything I'm glad that she's back just so I can take myself out of that chair for a while....I...didn't exactly make an expedient rescue attempt....your last uniform can testify to that."

"Please don't tell me you're feeling guilty over all of this." Evelyn replied, shifting her body, so her feet were off the floor. "You didn't do anything wrong, Jonathan."

"Not doing anything wrong isn't the same as doing something right....I dunno....I mean...saying sorry is hard enough for me....you should know that by now....I just...I felt I had to come and rescue you guys....it was my problem, so I had to solve it, you know?"

Evelyn looked at him and saw herself for a brief moment in his eyes. "Yes I know, it is why I never accepted the offer for my own command. That chair, is a hell of a lot bigger than it looks. Now there are different reasons with me, but..." She licked her lips, trying to organize her thoughts, "but, that fourth pip is a wake up call. It makes this job more real than any other position."

"Heh...remind me of that next time I almost get a load of people killed...at least that stuck up moron D'Grath got his reward for kidnapping Federation citizens..."

John couldn't help but smirk at the thought of the look of horror mixed with surprise that Starfleet had boarded his vessel and gotten away without any casualties...of course being dead, the good General wouldn't have much chance to complain anyway.

Evelyn looked at Jonathan, "Thinking that undermines everything you've accomplished. The ship, while still damaged is intact, you rescued the Captain; saved me... that isn't something to be dismissed because peopled died." She looked around her damaged quarters, only could imagine how hectic the situation was when she was abducted. "If you feel guilty about the deaths, then perhaps I should too."

"I think we all need to remember what happened here....we've lost some damn good people....and almost lost some more....I'm err, I'm glad you're okay. Paperwork for wounded or killed crew is a pain in the ass." The XO replied, slapping the intelligence officer on her shoulder gently as he did so.

Evelyn looked down at her shoulder and back at him, arching her brow. She was going to question the action but followed through with her original thought, "Remember our first public...debate?" She asked him.

"Heh...how can I forget? I wanted to march across the Bridge and smack you in the jaw...some upstart Intelligence Officer trying to overrule me on the Bridge...damn I was pissed."

Evelyn chuckled, "Yeah well... remember my suggestions? One being we place some transport inhibitors in key locations on the ship just in case we lose shields..." Her voice trailed off. She looked him squarely in the eyes, "My reasoning for never accepting Command doesn't solely rest on the responsibilities, it has to do with a certain ability I have."

"The ability to piss off a First Officer at twenty paces perhaps?" John chuckled as he sat back in his chair and folded his hands in his lap. It was true that her method of getting his attention that day had been less than regulation, but her suggestion had saved a lot of lives, and a lot of heartache since.

She smirked, "That's more of a talent. How's your Dad doing?" She asked.

The mention of his father brought back more thoughts than he cared to remember right now. With the state of Galileo, the recent situation with the Klingons, and their still desperate need to escape, John had put his own life on standby, instead focusing on completing his mission before anything else.

"I...don't know is the answer...we haven't spoken since we reached the Starbase and I didn't think calling home from in here would aid our attempt to stay undetected...."

Evelyn nodded, understanding where he was going. "You doing alright though?" She asked him, "I understand the pressure and personal guilt you're probably experiencing but...is there something else that is bothering you Jon?"

Once again the XO felt like he was being drawn into an unscheduled counselling session. No matter where he went, it seemed that everyone was concerned about his wellbeing. Not that he could blame them, not only was he one of their crewmates, right now he was in command, and to be in a situation where the person at the top was in any way unstable, would have been more than enough to unnerve the crew.

"Besides wondering if my old man is still alive and figuring out how I'm going to save the Captain without getting us turned into a cloud of debris? Nah apart from that I'm good....for now anyway."

Evelyn smirked and closed her eyes for a moment and as she opened them she relaxed a bit more. "If things continue the way they are going, we should be fine." She said confidently.

"If things continue the way they're going.." John piped up before taking a moment to breathe.
"Starfleet's Engineering Corps are going to have me strung up for all the dents and dings they need to whack out of the hull plating....I'm finding it hard to remember what the ship looks like when it's not at red alert and exploding."

Eve smirked a little, "Well there is an independent shipyard facility a few parsecs from here if you want to bypass the SCE. That way when we return to Earth we'll string up the Admiral who thought it be a good idea to send an ill-equipped starship on such a vital mission."

Laughing at her comment, John had to control his own emotions as the thought of getting some kind of revenge on the Admiralty came to mind. He had been at odds with the powers that be for many a year now, and was used to being on the wrong side of the desk. That said, it had never stopped him from trying.

"Trust me...nothing would give me greater pleasure....heh, and after this mission I think the whole crew will be about ready for some down time. There's been enough pain on this mission so far."

"Believe it or not, this mission isn't the worst i've been on. Hell that wasn't even the worst torture session I've survived through. Now the Tholians... they have the toughest." She remarked.

"You keep this up lieutenant and I'll have to assume you actually enjoy being captured and tortured by the enemy."

Holliday thought back to the one time he had actually encounted a Tholian - one of their ambassadors back when he served on the New Orleans and was in charge of preparing security accordingly.

"Interesting biology those guys have...I remember some of our engineers having a fit when I gave their specifications to modify crew quarters accordingly on one of my last postings...damn near melted the walls when they first did the work."

"Torture is part of the job, especially when in Covert Ops for SI."
She mused. "And the Tholians are hard to accommodate." She sighed, "You know, it's a shame we're not a few dozen light years and fast-forward 4 months from now, and we could of met up with the Laetoxi."

"Laetoxi? That's a new one on me Lieutenant....care to elaborate?"

Evelyn arched her brow, "Oh right, the Federation never encountered one before..." She thought for a moment, "You recall reading about the events on Deneb IV and the Farpoint Station?"

"Of course, it's required reading for the exobiology classes...every graduate of the Academy knows that story."

John omitted to mention that on top of the work he had studied as a Cadet, there was also the almost incessant additions from his father when he had been a young boy about non-humanoid life forms, of which the creature discovered at the Bandi homeworld had been one of the older Holliday's favourites.

"The Laetoxi is a cosmozoan cousin to the star-jellies encountered by the Enterprise-D. To put it simply, it's nature's holodeck. It phases into our universe every twenty years for one purpose. To feed." She chuckled to herself. "It is highly telepathic and empathic, and has the ability to feel the positive feelings one has and absorb it. I've experienced it several times. There is no medical side effect or any damaging effects. The creature is extremely benign."

"Sounds....interesting....I think tht's the best word for it. Especially something that sees our emotions as an all you can eat buffet....call me old fashioned but I think I'll give that one a miss if you don't mind Miss Coleman."

She shook her head, "The opportunities you'll miss when you think that way..." She smirked and stood up, "I remember a time when Starfleet officers were so eager to explore." She said walking towards an undamaged wall. She knelt down and tapped an hidden console and a panel of the wall slide open revealing a hidden storage space. She reached for the box, grabbing the handles, and brought back to the couch. She sits down and places it between herself and Holliday.

"This..." she taps the box, "Contains several things from El-Auria. I was able to acquire this in 2401, some time after the destruction fo my homeworld. When I heard the news, I was on the Lexington. For as part of the faction of my race that can see time, I and the rest of us couldn't see the Borg coming. But not to get into a long story about myself. I encountered the Laetoxi when I took a Leave of Absence to mourn, and I was able to be on my home planet again. I was able to go into my old room, and..." She looks down at the box. "I have this because of the Laetoxi. The universe has wonders that... makes the horrors we face out here...almost worth it."

The small collection of trinkets and treasures wasn't something that Holliday had expected someone with such an armoured personality to have kept, in fact the thought of her being sentimental up until recently never would have crossed his mind. Looking down at the little box, Holliday couldn't help but feel sad that an entire world full of people could have been destroyed, and left so little behind.

"At least you weren't on the homeworld...otherwise we wouldn't be having this discussion right now...there's a silver lining to every cosmic dust cloud."

Coleman chuckled as she opened the box. "I would say so, but even as advanced as we were..." She pulled up what seems like a small glass cube, "I encountered a few survivors. They don't practice the old traditions, don't even speak about the culture... they became what we are known for. Listeners through and through, which is a shame..." She looked at Jon. "We are so much more, than that, and to see so many live a life of a nomad... it dulls the shine of the silver lining." she said sadly.

She sighed, "Perhaps that's the Q's way of punishing us."

"The Q? I'd heard rumours that they had been involved with your people but I've never heard it first hand from an El-Aurian...not...that I've encountered many of your species in my career though. It is a shame....culture should be remembered, not lost to the ages"

"Yes, the rumors are we all have a 6th sense. Well... it's more like, some of us has an 8th sense. All El-Aurians are empathic, it's sort of why we give great advice." She chuckled, "the 7th Sense is... I guess you can say temporal empathy. We can feel when the timeline has changed even subtly. About two thirds of the population had that ability due to the encounter with the Nexus ribbon. One time, when the ribbon passed through our world, it had gone through our star first. El-Auria orbited a Blue Supergiant, and the Nexus, instead of the red ribbon we were familiar with, was blue. That left a fraction of us the ability to actually see time."

"We became aware of the Q Continuum when a group of El-Aurians were visiting a planet to observe the population. Q was tormenting the locals forcing them to play silly games. They were able to stop the game, and sort of free the people." She shook her head, "Q called us imps, and we were a dangerous creature because, we can see them and we know how to protect ourselves. We interrupted several Q's fun time with innocent life forms."

"Well that would explain the data in the Starfleet database regarding El Aurians and the Q....now there's an argument I wouldn't want to get involved in..."

The XO couldn't help but stretch out his arms as he suddenly began to feel extremely comfortable sat on that section of sofa. It was as if the strain of the past few hours had just about caught up with him, or that a giant weight had just been lifted off his shoulders, and for the first time in a while, he could actually relax.

Evelyn smirked, "Not all the Q are alike though. The one I met was actually funny. And it's nice to have someone to talk to, especially in philosophical terms, when you both know how the universe works." She lifted the small glass cube, no more than 2in in size. With a simple touch to one of the cube's faces, it quadrupled in size in her hands. She touched the upper rim of the cube and the top face faded. She reached inside, and pulled out three small objects. "Sometimes you just, get tired of having to hide, you know?" She said as she rests the cube on the side table and quickly placed on of the objects beside it.

"Gimme a few centuries on that one will you?" John smirked as he leant forward to examine the collection of items that had been placed in front of him. One small item that could increase it's volume so easily was of particular itnerest, and for a moment, the XO wished he had brought a tricorder with him to get a better look at the item for himself.

"Practicing magic tricks by any chance?"

Evelyn looked at him oddly for a second, "No, why?" Her eyes then drifted to the box, "Oh! No it's a storage device." She then opened her palms to reveal the two identical objects in her hand. "These are, for lack of a better word, meditation crystals. When I feel stressed, or need to clear my head I would lay down and place this on my forehead. It's also useful for sleepless nights. For those long days when you need a good 8 hour sleep but can't get it... hold this in your palm as you sleep... you get 8 hours of sleep in 2." They both were a lesser dome in shape, and crystalline. "Here, why don't you borrow one for a while." She said as she handed John one of the small objects in her hand.

Not entirely sure what to say, John opened his palm and allowed her to drop the stone into it's waiting grasp. Feeling the rather delicate crystalline structure against his skin, Holliday wasn't exactly certain if she was telling him the truth, or if this was all an elaborate hoax.

"What you just, hold the thing and it works? There's no on switch or activation procedure or...whatever else there might be?"

Evelyn smirked, "That's what I said. Place it on your forehead when you lie down, and it'll begin working within a minute. It will illuminate, so don't be startled by the light."

"I'll try to remember that...you're sure this won't scramble my brain or make me think I'm a Klingon targ or something?"

Evelyn merely stared at him. "You'll be fine, should you choose to use it. No one has a phaser to your head." She said with a small smirk as she reached for the box, to drop her meditation crystal inside. She then picked up the box, and the third object she pulled out which was a unique tetrahedral shape. "Now this..." she held it up. "requires a word to restore it to full size."

"Let me guess....open sesame?" The XO replied with a wink, before depositing the small crystal on the table in front of him, and making a mental note to make sure he picked it up before leaving.

"No, and I won't be saying it. We're not in a shuttle-bay." She said as she gently drops it in the box. She touches a rim, and the top face materialized, and one of the side faces and the box, reverted back to it's small cube.

"I imagine those things are useful for when you need to pack in a hurry...must make going on shore leave as easy as picking up a glass."

The XO marvelled as the cube returned to it's original size. How exactly it operated was a job for the scientists around him, but it's applications were far more interesting to him as a military tool - being able to conceal weapons at a fraction of their size was an obvious tactical advantage to anyone.

"They are." She smiled seeing his eyes fixated on the cube. "You know I have knowledge about how to make items like this. There are a hundred individual items inside here, including my personal El-Aurian shuttlecraft. We were so advanced...our culture...our technology...so much to share..." she sighs and drops the small cube into the larger box. "All for nothing."

"At least the Borg didn't get their hands on all of you....that would have been the greatest tragedy of all remember?"

Evelyn snorted shaking her head, leaning back on the couch. "Yeah... well just think, if they had gotten all of us, you'd wouldn't have had to put up with me."

"Hmm....well next time you decide to try and overrule me on the Bridge remind me to put in a good word for you with the Collective..." John replied, bursting into a fit of laughter himself, something that he hadn't managed to do for several days since they had become trapped in this nebula.

"I've...taken up enough of your time Lieutenant...I should really let you rest up."

Evelyn smiled and softly laughed along with him. She stood up, "More like, I shouldn't keep you from your duties, Commander." she extended a hand, offering to help him up.

Accepting her hand, Holliday hauled himself up from the sofa, ignoring quite how comfortable he had become there, before straightening out his uniform tunic and preparing to leave, picking up the small crystal he had left on the table only a few moments ago.

"For now my only duty is an appointment with my bed...everything else can wait as far as I'm concerned....I think I've earned a few hours of sleep today."

"Eager to try out the new toy huh?" She teased, and then noticed some particle debris on his shoulder and brushed it off for him. "Thanks for the visit, Jon, sleep well." She smiled, before turning to walk him towards the door.

"Let's call it...a tactical appraisal....this kinda thing might be useful for soldiers in the field to catch up on some sleep."

The XO winked as he headed towards the door before thumbing the panel himself and stepping out into the corridor.

"Take it easy for a few days - those Klingons made a mess of your uniform so I can't imagine what they got up to with the rest of you. Don't need you collapsing on the Bridge or anything like that. Understood?"

Evelyn laughed, "Well, I'm sure if I fall you'll be there to save me." She grinned. "You take it easy, Hero, you deserve it." she chuckled and closed the door.

"Goodnight Lieutenant." Holliday replied simply, watching as the doors closed in front of him, before turning and heading back to finally get his head down.

[OFF]

Lt Cmdr Jonathan Holliday
Executive Officer
USS Galileo

Lt. JG Evelyn Coleman
Chief Intelligence Officer
USS Galileo

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