A Reflection of What is to Come...

Posted on Wed Mar 3rd, 2021 @ 1:37am by Lieutenant Commander Jaha Odan

Mission: The Relics of Isonzo
Location: Private Crew Quarters, aboard USS Zheng He
Summary:
Timeline: Mission Day 1 at 0500

Hello darkness, my old friend
I’ve come to talk with you again
Because a vision softly creeping
Left its seed while I was sleeping…

Jaha Odan, Chief Security Officer of the Zheng gasped with a jerk as he rose from his bed. A cold sweat dripped from his brow as the weight of the entire ship seemed to press on his heart. Sadness riddled every fiber of his being as he clenched his eyelids to hold back the tears. Most days, he held back the darkness, the sadness; but, he was always the most vulnerable right before he awakened. These feelings would creep inside him, flood his heart during that state between being awake and still asleep.

Years had passed by since he had lost his dear wife Tella. But, it was in moments like these that his heart felt as raw as it had the moment he held her hand, gave her his permission to let go, told her he loved her, and watched her life fade from her beautiful hazel eyes. “If you have to go, I want you to know it's okay. It's okay. I love you and I understand…” Jaha whispered these words to himself in the darkness of his quarters, the words skill haunted him.

Jaha’s bare feet touched the floor panel as he kicked his legs over the edge of his bed. Today was just another day, and like all the others that came before it, he would push through. He summoned up the courage and thought of something one of his senior officers had told him, the best advice he had ever received: “hang in there my boy. I know something you will come to know. That day will come. Mark my words. The day will come when you will think of your Tella and a smile will come to your lips before a tear to your eye....” His body moved and he rose from the bed. He walked over to his desk and picked up a photo frame and spoke softly, “play clip 23 dash 6.” He peered glassy-eyed at the photo of him and his wife.

The scene came alive, their laughter and voices filled his dark quarters. Tella giggled as he ran from him playfully. He growled like some kind of wild beast, a wild Targ perhaps as he chased her around their quarters. He finally caught her in a warm hug, which halted the chase between the swoosh of the bathroom door. Tella’s infectious laugh only intensified.

Jaha’s fingertips clenched the photo frame more tightly as he stared down at the scene, his face illuminated. A single tear now rolled down his cheek and kissed his chin before it descended to the picture below. Jaha’s thumb moved to wipe it clear.

Tella wrapped her arms around his waist as she stopped laughing, she smiled ear to ear and looked up at him. Her fingers intertwined and locked as if to hold on to him forever. Before long she looked straight up, lifting her eyebrows to make Jaha look up as well. Jaha saw an odd leafy plant with blue fluorescent pedals. He lifted a brow and looked down at her again.

“What’s that?” he asked.

“It’s a Tella weed of course!” she stated matter-a-factly.

“A Tella what?” Jaha replied through a smirk.

“A Tella weed, isn’t it beautiful? It’s my namesake, my mom used to hang them everywhere… Now kiss me, when you see a Tella weed you have to kiss someone, that’s the rule, it’s bad luck if you don’t...” Tella pulled him closer and smirked back.

Jaha lowered his head and gave her a long passionate kiss, his eyes twinkled happily.

Once the kiss had ended so too had the video. He set the photo frame back down on his desk with a sigh. Before long he appeared in front of the replicator, “Coffee black, hot.” Nothing happened. Jaha waited, yet no coffee came. Finally, a loud shrieking beep cut through the silence like a knife which startled him. He intensely became focused on the replicator, the lingering feelings of sadness dissolved with the distraction. Minutes had passed, as he ran several diagnostics. They all turned up inconclusive.

“What is it?” He mumbled and asked, “Computer, any ideas?”

“Please ask a complete question,” the computer voice shot back.

“Oh never mind, I’ll figure it out myself!” He grabbed a repair kit and walked over to the replicator, he would take the whole damn thing apart if necessary. “There must be something wrong with the command input system. The panel should be there but which compartment is the…mmm… where?” He paused inspecting the elaborate system the inners now exposed.

“Trial and error I guess…”

He pulled over a chair and started to remove components. “Umm…” Jaha, without a thought, lost patience and gave the whole machine a hard smack on the side, like that action has some sort of scientific evidence as a solution.

“What the…?”

The replicator began a low hiss as his cup of coffee finally materialized. Jaha gingerly reached toward the cup. He inspected it carefully before he lifted it up and looked inside. There lay, nestled at the bottom - a plant, its blue flowers were beautiful, his whole face glowed blue from their illumination. Jaha looked at it in awe.

“Tella weed…” The words escaped his lips as he swallowed hard, he could feel all the weight of his body in the tip of his toes.

“A Tella weed...!” He stated again as his smile grew and erupted into a honest laugh. His whole belly shook. “Thank you Tella, thank you...” he whispered as he carried the mugged plant over and placed it on the edge of his desk. His heart now beamed with new hope… The tears he had been fighting dried, replaced by a permanent smile.

If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?
Forget what we're told
Before we get too old
Show me a garden that's bursting into life...