Exploring Biology (Part 2)

Posted on Sun Jan 9, 2022 @ 7:21am by Lieutenant JG Brianthe Oaxaca & Captain Tam "Demon" Haican

1,870 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Si vis pacem, para bellum
Location: Pangaea
Timeline: MD06 1100 hours

[PREVIOUSLY]

After a few thoughtful chews, he swallowed it and grinned. "It is a bit tart. It could be good both for pie, or moonshine."

[CONTINUED]

"I am not going to start a distillery for moonshine. I've had enough of that for one lifetime. Pie, on the other hand, might be nice. Or just baked apples with sugar and cinnamon." She walked around and through the trees, taking scans and readings for later. She would definitely come back here to see how much fruit the trees produced over time. For now, though, she was more concerned with water, soil, and pests. She collected several more apples to see how they baked later.

Nodding, Tam had to agree. "Yeah, I guess now isn't the time to get sauced. After the Cardies are sent packing, however." His jaw clenched as he thought about what had happened, and what was still happening. Good people had been killed. All because the Cardassians thought they were superior. Looking over, he saw Brianthe looking at him. "Sorry," he said softly. "For a moment, I forgot we were in a war zone."

"No, it's fine," she replied quietly. "We need to forget from time to time. We need something...normal...to hold on to. Sabina and I were fortunate. We only had to get to a pilot. You..." She shook her head. "You were fortunate to get down here in one piece."

Nodding slowly, a look of guilt crossed his face. "A lot of my people weren't so lucky, Bri. I should have done more to get them ready for an attack. Trained 'em harder." As the CAG for the station, he was ultimately responsible for the men and women under his command.

She stopped and turned to face him. "No. None of us was prepared for what happened. How could we?" She shook her head. "You did your best, and that's all any of us can do."

He grinned grimly and nodded slowly, not totally convinced. One of the worst things a warrior can ever go through is survivor's guilt. Especially when the survivor was the commander of those lost in combat. In his mind, he saw the faces of those he knew had died up in orbit.

"I haven't experienced combat before, so I don't know. When this is all over, you might want to consider talking to a counselor," she said. "But until then, you know you have us, right? All of us here are there for you."

His grim smile grew a bit happier. Looking over into her deep, beautiful eyes, he suddenly felt a zing run down his spine. "Thank you, Bri. I will, I promise." He paused briefly, then he stepped over to her, reached out and gently took her hands into his, squeezing them softly. "I don't what it is, but just holding your hands like this, I start to feel calmer. You truly are a remarkable woman, and I am very honored to have the opportunity to get to know you better." He raised her hands to his lips and softly kissed them.

Her soft laughter had a bell-like quality to it. "I'm just a botanist. Alanna is truly remarkable. So is Jason." She shook her head. "I take care of plants for a living." She wasn't quite sure how to take the pilot. She was attracted to him, yes. She even felt a bond with him, but she was hesitant to act on it as they'd known each other for such a short time. She knew she could attract a man, but her track record wasn't so good with keeping them.

Tam could feel Brianthe's apprehension churn inside of her. Smiling softly, he said, "Please don't feel concerned about how things are going, between us. I'm not. Is it new? Certainly. Does that newness bring with it a feeling of uncertainty? Of course it does. Every new relationship has that. However, I can feel a bond growing between us. I, for one, am very curious to see where it goes. Of course, if I am going too fast for you to be comfortable, please tell me, and I will slow down. But please, never doubt that I don't want to be here, with you." The tender look in his eyes and the quiet tone in his voice practically screamed that he was telling the truth.

"I know," she said quietly. She wasn't sure what else to say.

Tam gave Brianthe a soft smile. "Maybe...we should continue with our foraging?"

She sighed. "Yes. We should." She needed to get her mind back on business.

For the next couple hours, they moved carefully through the forest, seeing what other edible curiosities they could find. "So, forgive me if I forgot," he began softly as they moved through a copse of evergreen-like trees. "How long have you been on the station?"

She stopped for a minute. "I'm not sure. Two or three years, I think. I came on about the same time as Alanna." She found a fallen log in the shade and sat down.

Sitting down next to her, Tam nodded and spoke. "Last time I was here, was a little over five years ago. I had just transferred here, following the latest misadventures that my sweet little Sabina had enjoyed. She's been finding things very difficult, since....since her mother and little brother were taken from us." He choked up slightly at the mention of them. "It didn't help that I allowed my work to swallow me nearly completely. At the time, I was only focused with doing absolutely everything I could, just to keep her safe. It never occurred to me, at the time, that I was making her feel like she had lost me in the attack as well." He sighed and hung his head, feeling ashamed and remembering the fights that he and Sabina had been having over the years since their family had been destroyed.

"She's my baby," he said softly. "She is all that matters, even before my own happiness." He suddenly started to feel like an idiot. What was he doing here, acting like a young fool, walking through a forest with a beautiful woman, acting like there was any chance that he could find happiness? He had had his happiness, and it had been ripped away from him.

Standing suddenly, he seemed full of anger and heartache. He moved off to stand by another tree, his back to Brianthe. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. It was clear that he was battling inner demons and couldn't find a way through without help, or even know how to ask for the help.

"You're not helping Sabina this way," she said quietly. She was still seated, figuring he needed his space. "You both lost people you love. She needs a father she can depend on, not one who is so eaten up with loss and guilt that he's as broken as she is."

She watched him for a moment. "And you can't possibly be interested in me when you can't let go of your dead wife and son." She didn't have a problem seeing if a relationship could develop with a man who had a daughter, but she wasn't going to be in a threesome with a ghost. She stood. "Maybe we should go back so you can have a talk with your daughter."

Now he felt even more like an idiot. Of course, Brianthe wouldn't be interested in him. He was damaged and who would want to get involved in that kind of situation. Hanging his head slightly, he was silent for a moment. Then he straightened and nodded. "You're right. I apologize for forcing myself on you earlier. You have my word that it will never happen again." His tone, while honest, was also full of anguish and loneliness.

"As a telepath you should know better," Brianthe said quietly. "I wasn't hiding my feelings from you. Not in word or in thought." She'd almost made a terrible mistake by letting herself consider a relationship with this man. His former wife still filled his heart. She understood that, in a way. Alanna had refused to believe Jason was dead, but that was only for eight months. Still, Tam had a right to his feelings, and she would respect them. "I'll...leave you to your family." It hurt, and she needed a few minutes to get herself firmly under control again.

Without looking at Tam, she headed off in the general direction of the cabin.

Tam let Brianthe go. He could feel the pain he had caused her. It made him feel even more like a failure. She was a wonderful woman, and he was a mess. She deserved such better. Perhaps he should just remain alone. What woman would want him?

"I'm sorry," he said quietly as she left him.

"I know," came the thought. But she needed to be alone right now. She'd been on an emotional roller coaster and she needed some quiet and...stability. They were both broken. What she didn't know was if they could heal each other, or make it worse.

After a few moments being alone, Tam finally turned and started after Brianthe. It was dangerous to be out here alone at the moment.

Brianthe was deliberately not paying attention to Tam. She wove through the trees, heading in the general direction of their current "home." She was listening for the squirrel-cat, though. It was mostly harmless, but she wasn't taking any chances.

Tam sent a mental message to Sabina, stating that Brianthe and he were on their way back. He then quietly moved through the trees, sure to keep Bri in his line of sight. There were still dangers in the woods, after all.

Slowly, Bri became aware of someone following her. It only took a moment to recognize Tam. She sighed. She wasn't ready to talk to him right now, and she doubted he was ready to talk to her, either. But she did appreciate the fact that he was keeping an eye on her. Even though she didn't think there were any Cardassians in the area. Yet. Still, she was a little tense until she saw the hill that was Bag End through the trees and made for the nearest entrance.

After seeing Brianthe enter the safety of Bag End, Tam stopped and took a few moments to open his mind to the surrounding area. He didn't detect any Cardassians within the range of his abilities, though, there were several lifeforms all around them. The squirrel-cats that he had sensed earlier, their warm, chaotic brains running. There was also something else, colder, slower, much more dangerous. While Tam couldn't identify it, the closest thing he could compare it to was reptilian, a serpent of some kind. Whatever it was, it was big, clearly a predator. He just hoped he never ran into, whatever it was. He didn't like serpents. Never had, even as a little boy. Slowly, he closed his mind, then made his way into Bag End as well.

____
OFF

Captain Tam "Demon" Haican
C.A.G.
327th Starfighter Group The Guardians
Deep Space 5

Lieutenant JG Brianthe Oaxaca
Botanist
Deep Space 5

 

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