Memory Lane
Posted on 13 Dec 2020 @ 2:54pm by Lieutenant JG Samantha Cavendish
Mission:
M1 - Emergence
Location: Samantha's Cabin
Timeline: After the visit from to the planet
1351 words - 2.7 OF Standard Post Measure
After her return from the planet, Samantha returned to her cabin. Once in there, she checked her messages. Just one from Jack, her long-time friend and surrogate Brother. She smiled, remembering the fact that he had been the one to find them all on that ice ball. Find them and bring them home. His contact and her dream the night before were dredging up memories. Samantha had been looking forward to this posting. It would be different for her and she was hoping that things would not wind up the way they had as they had on the Jean Luc.
The memory of the Jean Luc still haunted her. She vowed never to go onto an ice planet they could shoot her as traitor for refusing an order, but the words HELL NO would come from her before she went down to an ice planet again. She had, had enough of those places to last her a life time. Not to mention what had happened when she had returned to Earth.
Samantha sat down at the small table near the small window. She rubbed her hands across her face, not that the desert down there was much better. But the memories of… everything… were swamping her.
The questions, the looks, the interrogations disguised as briefings. Her best friend Jack’s arms around her as she sobbed out things to him that she had never told anyone, not even Jac from the Jean Luc.
The accusations, of dereliction of duty, of treason (If they could make that stick) and causing a conflict which had been flung at the survivors. All hidden quietly behind closed doors. The public heralding of them as survivors and heroes of sorts, and the private condemnation of them as traitors or worse for not dying on the battlefield. The counsellors, the doctors, the pitying looks and the fury of her parents that she had survived to come back and show up her sister. The invasive exams, the whispered conversations around her being anorexic or some such. The abusive letters from her parents, telling her to kill herself that she was a waste of space in their lives. Of holding Jack back as he stalked off to kill her parents. Of her holding other friends back, her closely guarded friends back, from helping him. Of her siblings and their comments and silence. Of Mia standing in the medical lab, sneering at her. Of James glowering at her, stating that she was a disgrace to the family, that at least if she had died, they could have mourned her as war hero. Of Eric merely standing behind James and nodding in agreement. Of Carla, her little sister, standing there saying nothing, looking at the floor. Carla who was the apple of her family’s eye, the baby, the beloved, not saying anything to a sister who had, for years, taken her punishments and the blame for her actions.
Shaking her head, Samantha pushed it clear of her mind and focused. She stood and headed to the replicator. Samantha replicated herself a meal, which was set to the recommendations from the Doctor on the station to put weight on her bones and sat down at the small table near the window to eat. And let her mind wander….
Ice and snow. As far as the eye can see. Tying a strip of cloth across her eyes, Samantha Cavendish, gritted her teeth. She had to climb up the cliffs to get to the food packs that their captors had left disdainfully for them. It was her turn. Not that it mattered that much, she was one of the few currently able to do so.
They currently number 239, they had lost two people in the last 6 months. And with the injuries they still had among the personnel, they would loose more she predicted. Climbing up the cliff face was horrible and she had a small window to get to the food for the crew. But she would not be able to carry the whole lot. But she had an idea that she hopped would work.
Turning Samantha faced the two men behind her and held out her hands. They carefully looped rope and scavenged timber to her arms and back. She would commence building a winch that if it remained and was allowed to remain, would allow them to lower more food to their comrades.
"Three hours" One man said softly. "Sam you have to go."
"I know Jac."
Rank had gone with the Jean Luc. Turning from them, she began the arduous climb.
They had timed her once, she knew it would take her 40 minutes to climb normally unburdened. This would take longer.
Sure enough just over an hour later she made it to the top, the wide expanse of ledge where their food, if it could be called that, was deposited. It was bland and minimal but still not enough for them to still the hunger pains.
Catching her breath she looked around. A glance at the sky, she knew she had under two hours to make it back down with the food before the sun vanished and she froze to death. As bad as things were, she was not ready to die just yet.
So she got to work. She managed to make the tripod in minimal time and then gathered up the containers of food, and using the length of rope she had carried up the cliff on her person, began to lower the food down to their prison’s ledge. with 30 minutes left before sunset, she finished the last parcel and felt the tug of all done from Jac and the others. Quickly she dismantled the tripod and buried it in the snow with a grey rock to mark its spot. Then she made the long trek back down the cliff.
She made it, just. The sun was vanishing as Jac bundled her into the cave and to a small fire to warm up. She pulled the cloth off her eyes.
Samantha looked up at him. "How much?"
"More than last time. You did good Sam."
"I hid the tripod, up there and brought the rope back." she uncoiled it from her jacket. "Next person will just need to reassemble as discussed and use the rope to lower the food. Its under a grey rock, 3 feet back from the cliff face."
Jac nodded. He knew that there were only a few of them able to make that climb, and one was sitting exhausted by the small fire. She would be making the climb again in two days he was sure.
A slim female Vulcan handed Samantha a tin bowl with a small amount of watery soup in it. "Heated Samantha."
"my thanks T'Val."
The Vulcan nodded and slipped away to feed others.
Samantha ate slowly as she dared, she felt ill most days after weeks of such meagre fare. Everyone was feeling it she was sure. So, she didn't complain or say a word. At least she was not pregnant. She was glad that extra food was given to those who needed it and she often went without to provide that to the young children and those who needed it to heal.
Jac watched his unofficial XO and sighed. Stubborn and quiet. He wondered if she would survive this. He knew they were all dying a little bit each day, but the Betazoid/Human female seemed to be folding in on herself more and more each day.
Tomorrow would be another day, he knew, and they would go on.
Samantha unaware of the thoughts of Jac, stared in silence into the fire as she sipped her meagre meal.
Shaking herself from her thoughts, Samantha was quite happy to be eating full meals. And finishing she carefully cleaned up and checked her schedule. She would have time to sleep before her next shift. With that thought in mind, she retreated to the small bedroom and went to sleep.
OFF
