Reunion of sorts

Posted on Fri Jul 31, 2015 @ 3:07am by Civilian 'Key Holder' Yolanthe Ibalin & Ensign Kaliko Mahelona

1,682 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Eye of the Beholder
Location: Promenade
Timeline: MD02 1800 ish (backpost)

Kali sat outside one of the cafes sipping her coffee and was reading an archaeological journal from a colleague on Earth. She was trying to distract herself from her own past by reading about the Vikings and the settlements in Canada.

She had awaken from a nightmare earlier that morning. Kai was in her dreams demanding why she had abandoned him, why she hadn't looked harder for him. She had tried to reach out to Kai but he was always just out of reach. Kaliko woke up drenched and shaking, even now as she sipped her coffee she gave an involuntary shiver.

Kai had been haunting her dreams for the past eight months. Kaliko knew he wasn't dead, no body, no DNA had been recovered from the supposed crash site. She was angry, angry with herself, angry with Kai and angry with the rescue crew that went out to look for them and returned with nothing.

Kaliko put her mug down harder than she intended and sloshed the coffee, she cursed and grabbed a napkin to clean the mess on the table.

"Let me get that for you," A young trill waiter stopped and used his cloth to soak up the spilt coffee. "Can I get you another one -" He straightened up, and she got a good look at him. "Kali?"

"I'm sorry I'm just..." She looked up and saw the trill. Very few people called her Kali, only her family and close friends. Kaliko opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out

"No, its me, Safri Kael. Well, I'm Edzo Kael now."

She nearly burst into tears when she saw her old friend... Kaliko stood quickly and hugged hugged him "oh Safri...Edzo!" She pulled back, "I'm sorry. What happened? I've been in my own head since Kai."

"There was a shuttlecraft accident. It blew up in the bay, and Safri took some shrapnel to the head. They couldn't save her, so I got Kael. What happened with you and Kai. Did you break up?"

She shook her head...another shuttlecraft incident. "No Edzo...there was an accident and he is presumed dead. It happened about eight months ago." She looked up at him "are you off soon? I'd really like to catch up. "

"Oh Kali!" His shoulders drooped, and he gave her such a feminine look of symptahy, that for a moment it was like looking right at Safri again. "I get off in about an hour. We could go get a drink at the Box. Drink something pink and frilly with an umbrella in it? Safri and Laral have given me very unmanly habits."

Kali laughed and smiled at him. "I've missed going to the bars on the beach with her and drinking those." She reached up and touched his arm. 'We will make new memories...you can drink something blue so it isn't so unmanly." She laughed again. "If you get me another coffee I'll drink it and read this while I wait for you to get off work."

One coffee, two Silk Stockings, three Long Island Ice Teas, a Warp Core, several hours and something with sparklers in it, later, and Edzo was sliding into a booth at the back of the BOx of Delights, with yet another pink cocktail in one hand and a long blue drink in the other. "So Kai." He said finally. "You said accident?"

Kaliko took the drink from Edzo and started playing with the umbrella. She went into the story of what happened. How it was a survey mission, something happened and they went into the side of a mountain. There were no bodies recovered, the conclusion that they were vapourized when they crashed. "But wouldn't the wreckage be gone too? There wasn't any DNA found. Captain Talok wouldn't let me examine the wreckage...maybe thinking it would be too painful for me. He was more of a father figure than a captain with me." She ended and looked up at Edzo and when she did there was a flash of anger in her eyes. "The inquiry concluded it was an accident and that the bodies were vapourized. He was a great pilot. He isn't dead!"

Edzo sipped on his drink. "transporter buffer failure on the emergency transport?" He shrugged. "Engineering was Safri's thing, and she hadn't really got far."

Kali shook her head. "I don't know...engineering was never my thing. I'll get the answers I need but let's talk about something else. How are you adjusting?"

"Its weird. I'm technically third host, but Safri wasn't in here long, so there's not a lot of her. to be honest, I wasn't expecting to get as far as this. I'm a poet, and a dreamer. Safri was so hands on, and Laral was so driven. And having memories older than I am. That's weird. And the meeting people. I mean. I remember the night at the Academy. You know. When we drunk the goldschlager, and braided each others hair and talked about periods." Edzo made a face, "Things I do not ever want to talk about again."

"I think that gives you a unique insight to women. do you still know how to do that intricate braid? I haven't quite mastered it." She said taking the finals sip of her drink. Kali put the glass on the end of the table and started drinking the second one that had been brought to her.

Edzo choked on a mouthful of drink. "My days of braiding hair are behind me. I am the all new Kael, master of words, not hairbands." He grinned at her. "Seriously, I think I'd have to be a lot drunker before I'm prepared to do that for anyone. And I'm kind of dis-coordinated compared to Safri. I'm comfortable with a pen, but thats about it.

"What have you been writing lately then?"

"Poems about life here. Frontier existence, liminal states of being. Love has no boundries here."

"I'd like to read some if you'd let me. " Kali looked at him again. "Edzo? Why did you tell me who you are...or were? Doesn't it go against..."

"Couldn't help it. You see someone you know, or think you know, you say hello. Besides Reassociation is for close family. We were just friends. And even so. Safri was only joined for less than a year. I'm sure she doesn't count. Not for that anyway."

"She will always count for me." Kali smiled sadly, " I was thinking about her the other day and was thinking about sending her a message but I got distracted by something." Tears were welling up. "I'm sorry...I'm sorry." She muttered and got up to leave.

He caught her hand and pulled her back onto the seat. "That's not what I meant. Its just. Shit." He gritted his teeth in frustration. "I was trying to say that Safri and you and Safri and me isn't going to get anyone into trouble. And I'm glad you think of her. Glad she left an impression on more than just a curious little wiggly worm who still can't believe he gets to hitch a ride on interesting people and see the galaxy for the next five hundred odd years."

Kaliko moved closer to Edzo and put her head on his shoulder. She needed his comfort. "She was great to me...even in those short months we were close. I know she's part of you but it will be different between us now, won't it?" Kali's eyes darted to his lips and then back to his eyes. Kaliko wanted him to kiss her, she wanted to feel anything except sadness for the loss of her friend and husband.

Different between us?"I think someone's had to much drink." He bumped her with his hip until she was out of the booth. And then stood himself, somewhat unsteadily. "I think its time to get you home."

"I have had three drinks Edzo. You know it takes a lot more to get me drunk." She stood up straight and walked out of the bar. Kali felt rejected, she hadn't meant to come onto Edzo. They walked for awhile In silence and once they were alone she stopped him and said, "it will be different between us and you know it. You're not Safri anymore than I am the same Kali she knew at The Academy...a lot has happened to both of us." Kaliko took a step closer to him, "this is difficult for me if you hadn't realised, I'm talking to someone who has the memories of my closest friend when we were at The Academy. Back at the Box we were talking like it was me and her but you're standing in front of me...not her."

"You're assuming I want to have anything to do with you." Edzo said gently. "There's more than you in whatever this ends up being. I'm not going to be a replacement or a substitute. I'm not Safri." HE paused, making sure she was looking at him. "And I'm not Kai."

"I never thought you would be either Edzo. Kai is dead and so is Safri...neither can be replaced or substituted." Kali took a step back from him and couldn't believe what she had just said. Kai was dead...it was the first time that she had admitted that to anyone, including herself. She mourned him everyday and part of her would always mourn him.

"Do you want anything to do with me?" She asked quietly.

"How would I know? I've just met you, and you seem like a weird drunk. Why don't you go home, sober up, and swing by the coffee shop again in a few days. How does that sound?"

"Yeah, ok." Was all she managed to say before she turned and walked away. She had made a complete fool of herself, throwing herself at someone she didn't know. What the hell was wrong with her? She never did anything like that before in her life.

::OFF::


Ensign Kaliko Mahelona
Alien Archaeologist/Anthropologist


Edzo Kael
Waiter

 

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