Extinguished in a Moment of Time..

Posted on 11 Sep 2012 @ 6:21pm by Lieutenant Commander Pola Ni Dhuinn M.D.

1,534 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Episode 01 - Project Sienna
Location: USS Galileo - Pola's Quarters
Timeline: MD10 0200hours

Running her hands over her hair, Pola looked again at the communica on the desk infront of her. Hooking her ankles around her chair legs,she moved her body until her elbow was at the desk and her forehead cupped in her hand. She wasn't certain why she'd left this so long to read. The communication had arrived just as she had boarded the ship and she hadn't been able to find time to read it..at least until now. She'd been searching for a piece of home, she never realised quite what this piece contained.

She still wasn't sure if the words on the paper where true, the words seemed to swim and repeat themselves over and over in her head. Closing her eyes, she hoped the darkness would help her force the pieces together, that what she was reading would make sense. That this was a lie...she knew that they made sense, just just didn't know how to believe that this was happening.

Catching a tear before it fell to the table, Pola shook her head as she realised that tears would do nothing for her, instead she moved to her feet and turning towards her dresser. On the top she picked up a box, plain and simple to the casual viewer, it was only when you looked inside that the items contained within actually begun to make sense.

Moving aside a miniature charm bracelet, pair of ballet shows and a horse shoe the only attached charms, her hand hesitated for a moment over a locket in the drawer, before moving to part the two oval halves. Her own heart clenched as she looked at the image of her Grandmother smiling out at her. Carefully she rubbed her thumb across the image, smiling at the memories it helped to stir up. It had been her 16th birthday present from her Grandmother. Even though at the time she'd tossed it so carelessly to the side, after the woman who had raised her died. After the funeral, Pola had been sorting a box not dissimilar to her own and came across the locket, from then on it had become a treasured memory.

As she closed the ovals back together, Pola kept her hand moving, digging through numerous data chips, each with a minut mark allowing her to know what it contained. As her hand finally folded over the one she needed, she paused a moment as she felt another clench around her heart, this one causing a cry to echo through her mind.

Catching her breath, Pola gave herself a moment before moving the box back to the place on her dresser. Moving across to her main living area, the Doctor took a seat at the terminal, looking down at the data chip in the centre of her hand. Closing her fist around it for a moment, she finally pushed herself to place it in the console, her finger hovering over the controls to create an output of the information.

Finding herself hesitating, her right hand started to shake. Bringing up her left hand, Pola cupping her right as she tried to get the shaking to stop. She never realised that a voyage into the past would be so terrifying to her, even when it was to look at memories which brought so much happiness when recalled. The thought that these were the last of the memories, that no more could be created or grown upon where what frightened her the most.

Shaking out her right hand, Pola pressed the button, watching as the hologram activated and pictures started to flash infront of her eyes. As the images rotated, Pola couldn't stop the smile forming on her face as the happiness on the faces of the people shone through. The only thing which gave away that something more was wrong, was the haunted look when you looked deeper into her eyes.

As the images continued their rotation, there was a sudden pause as the image changed to a video. Pola saw her own face as the video rolled.

"Pola! Catch!" A female voice full of laughter called out.

"Kate!!!" A shrek rang out as a laughing Pola dived to the side, a ball moving towards her as she cupped her hands to knock it back over the net, before falling flat in her face in the sand. Rolling her body as it shook with laughter, her sight was drawn to the woman on the otherside. "That's a foul if ever I've seen one one you brat."

A black haired woman crossed from her side of the net, reached out a hand as she helped Pola back to her feet. The image shuddered and shook as the operator of the camera, silently added their own laughter.

"Pol...if you paid more attention and were quicker on your feet you may have actually reached it."

As the laughter of the black haired woman rang out around the room, Pola felt the tears starting to stain her cheeks. As the console continued to stream more pictures, four years of her life flashed infront of her eyes. The hairstyles changed, the pips in the uniform varied, but there was always one consistency, the woman with the black hair.

As the images where interrupted once again, a second video started to stream.

"Pol! Put down that damn thing and get out here." As the black haired woman stuck out her tongue, she gestured to the person holding the camera as Pola's own voice rang out, a laugh evident.

"Gez Kate...I'm coming I'm coming."

The image became shaky as the camera was lowered to a table, the black haired girl shown to be holding out her arms as she laughed.

"We did it Pol...we are qualified medical officers!!" The black haired woman grabbed Pola into her arms as both laughed, only letting go when a man walked up behind her, causing her to squel as she was lifted into the air.

"Derek Malone! Put me down!!" The man was seen to wink at Pola as he leaned into the black haired woman to steal a kiss before drapping his arms across both girl's shoulders.

"So I got myself two Doctors...I'm telling ya, I'll be envy of every man in Starfleet...only thing that'd make it better would be if you were nurses instead."

The image showed both women bursting out laughing as they punched the man in his arm simultaneously.

Laughing, Pola moved out of the image. before moments later it bounced again from the camera being picked up.

"So you too...have you found out where your being stationed yet?", Pola's voice could be heard from out of the picture.

As the man and woman looked at the camera, they both had a grin on their face.

"Well Pol..seeing as some of us didn't make the medical academy, I've been positioned on the USS Valentine to start my internship. Surgical if you could believe it!" As the black haired woman grinned at the camera, her eyes widened with joy and happiness, before she looked up at the man beside her.

"And this big oaf...go on Derek, you tell her."

As the man focused his attention on the camera, his teeth showed as a grin overtook his face. "USS Gladiator. The big war ship herself. Ive been assigned as a brig officer but hell, we all have to start somewhere."

As the image started to fade out, Pola found the tears had become uncontrollable, bluring what she was able to see. The images of happiness and joy where flashing before her minds eye but now it was all over. One act in a moments of seconds meant that she would never see this woman again in the flesh.

As she placed her head in her hands, the sobs took over her body as she started to shake, her cries echoing around the room as the images on the console continued to flicker and pass. Hysterics shaking her to the core, the only thought was why...why did it have to be Kate...why of all the people did it have to be Kate.

Shakingly, Pola manovoured herself to her feet, the sobs still shaking her body. Carefully taking her hands away from the console, she only got two steps before her legs gave out from under her. As her back slid down along the window, the sobs continued to echo throughout the empty room.

Reaching the floor, Pola curled herself into a ball on her side. Wrapping her arms around her legs as she buried her head against her knees, the tears started to soak her uniform trousers. The only thoughts she had, were the same words repeated over and over. 'Why you Kate...why did it have to be you that gave in?'

As the minutes passed, the sobs continued to flow trough Pola's chest. The tears drying up as her breath hiccuped in her chest. Closing her eyes, she slowly slipped into an exhausted sleep, the images of laughter and happiness continuing as they flashed through her dreams, mingled with the pain and agonny of a loss.

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