You're Back

Posted on Thu Feb 7th, 2019 @ 11:36pm by Lieutenant Commander Catrina (Cat) Tendai & Lieutenant Commander Sarah Dufrai
Edited on on Mon Mar 11th, 2019 @ 2:28pm

4,418 words; about a 22 minute read

Mission: Mission 2: Into The Breach
Location: Cat's Quarters
Timeline: MD05 - 1900

The ceremony over, there was still work to do with the Medway even though they were back for now from the mission on the Minotaur, and things somewhat settling down (maybe), Cat decided to try and have a not-so-stressful evening and attempt to just sit and stargaze. She might be an engineer, but at the same time, stargazing was amazing. Typing in the code to her quarters, she had yet to change it...just in case. Once the door opened, she tossed her PADD onto her desk and started to unzip her uniform jacket, debating on a glass of wine or something stronger.

A dark figure stood on the balcony gazing upwards as Sarah looked at the stars and took a deep breath hearing Cat coming home 'Can she is trusted, can she understand?' Sarah looked a bit down and concern was in her eyes "She will, she does..." Sarah mutters and waited for Cat to notice her.

Not wanting to believe her eyes, Cat did a double-take to the balcony. "Sarah?" She took a few steps closer, but wasn't sure if this was another one of her dreams where she had seen her in that same place before.

Standing there as Sarah smiled at hearing her voice she took a deep breath and looked at her with a glance of red in Sarah eyes for a brief moment that changed back to her original color "Yes that would be me" She stated a bit bluntly.

Cat wanted to run over to her, wanted to never let her go. But at the same time, the red eyes caught her off guard, even if they were only there for a moment. She did, however, go over to her and put a hand on her cheek to make sure she was really real, a tear falling to her cheek.

Feeling her warm hand going over her face Sarah pressed herself against that warm hand and smiled "I am really here, but I am here for a reason" She stated calmly and looked concerned to her "I died Cat, at least that is what I think happened. It happened all so fast and yet here I stand, blessed or cursed..."

"You...died?" Cat asked in a whisper. "But..you're here. You came back, came back to me." Her heart sank slightly. "Sarah, what's wrong? Please..."

Sarah placed her hand on Cat cheek and smiled "The reports that my little sister received were true, I had to sacrifice myself to give my team the window to save themselves. But something went wrong, the ceiling collapsed on me and the ground cracked open" She lets her hand slide off her face as Sarah looked at the stars "I landed on a strange area, a ruin of some kind and I could feel my life force dripping out of me..."

Cat listened carefully to everything that Sarah was saying. "She was the one who told me you were missing...and..." she bit her lip, looking up at the stars, "I kept trying to reach you. But it failed, every time." She let her head lay gently on Sarah's shoulder. "But yet you survived."

Taking another deep breath and let cat lean on her “no, I was saved for a reason. You see the ruin was something that was suppose not to be found. I pledge to it, i need to obit to life and be with you” Sarah said with certain difficulty.

Lifting her head slightly, Cat looked extremely concerned over at her and frowned. "I don't understand, Sarah. What do you mean pledge to it?"

Letting a her deep inhale go as she blinked with her eyes seeing her pupils changing red and she looked at Cat “I want you to meet someone, I don’t know her exact name but her nanites are repairing my body. You see the damage to my body was severe and it was that high that I should not be alive right now...” Sarah gave her a soft smile as she closed her eyes. And with some struggle a shape appears from out Sarah body as if they had fused together. The shape was a woman in priesthood clothing that looked at Cat with calm “Good day Tendai Catrina”

Before Cat could question what Sarah meant by ‘meet someone’ the red eyes had returned and the figure of a woman appeared before her. Though startled, which, who wouldn’t be? She stayed where she was and gave a smile to the woman that had appeared. “I...good day to you as well, ma’am. You may call me Cat or Catrina if you would like.”

The woman nodded to her as Sarah looked at them both then her red eyes meet cat “She is a mmm my engineering is not great but AI? Of the iconian time period. She was a medical clerk to them and injected the nanites into me. But there is a catch...” Sarah pointed out with some struggle “If modern technology adepts to Sarah condition, the bites will cease to function as our people technology is a well kept secret” The priest told calmly with her hands before her over each other.

“Um...AI is the best word that I can come up with right now,” Cat whispered. She’d heard of things from the Iconian time period but never actually seen any of it. But hearing what was said, her heart sunk slightly. “So...any outside interference that attempts to help, it could kill Sarah,” she said softly. “Meaning I can’t say anything about this, right?”

“It would complicate life if miss Dufrai Sarah, if I was to be noticed, she would undergo mmm” the priest looked at Sarah “They would scan me, automatically the manures destroy themselves and I die pretty much within seconds “ Sarah scratch behind her head “i’m telling you because I trust you...”

Cat bit her lip and looked between the two of them. “You...trust me enough to tell me this...” She looked down for a moment. “I can’t say how easy it would be to stay away from tricorder scans...or any other scans for that matter.” She wanted to keep Sarah safe, keep her alive, not to lose her again. “I want to help, if there is any way to help.” Her eyes locked to Sarah’s again. “I can’t lose you again, Sarah.” She tried, and failed, to keep tears at bay.

Closing her eyes as the AI merge with her again and when opening her eyes the red eyes were gone to its normal color. Sarah catches the tear and smiled at her “i’m alive and well right before you kittycat” She smiles and kisses her nose “Everything is okay love”

“I was so afraid I’d lost you forever, Sarah. I...I couldn’t focus properly on anything.” Cat put a hand back against Sarah’s cheek. She wanted to say something, and it was obvious by her face, but she didnt’t want to scare Sarah away.

Looking back at Cat, Sarah looked a bit confused “Being scared is totally understandable, heck the only thing I thought about while I was down there was you. I love you Cat, it’s maybe direct, but my true feelings that I want to be here”

A few more tears hit Cat’s cheeks as she heard what Sarah was saying. The moment the words crossed Sarah’s lips, her heart lept up into her throat. It took every ounce of energy she had to not kiss the woman before her before saying something. Her other hand moving against Sarah’s other cheek, Cat pressed her forehead against her’s before speaking softly. “It isn’t direct Sarah. I realized while you were gone that...I love you too. And nothing is going to change that.” She gave in to what her heart was telling her and let her lips meet Sarah’s.

Letting the soft and warm lips of Cat reach her's and it made her smile "Well I would lie if I say that I did not miss that" Sarah looked at her as a light flash of red goes over her eyes "I am sorry for all the pain I might have caused you" Sarah spoke with sadness in her voice "It is not my intent, but my job is dangerous as you might have noticed"

“You don’t need to be sorry. I didn’t realize how strongly I felt for you until I couldn’t find you. I know you have a dangerous job, Sarah. Just...hearing that you were missing...”. Cat stopped herself and let her eyes look into Sarah’s. “I’ve miss you so much,” she finally let out after a long silence.

Looking her sob, made her catch the tear that rolled down on Cat cheek "I know, down that temple my mind raced to you and I wanted to be here with you standing in the cooling night of a hot day at Faltan" Sarah looked around and smiled "There are many things out there that we simply don't know off, that we are not taking in account. I need to find it Cat, for the safety of you I do everything"

Cat bit her lip as she listened. “I kept dreaming that you were standing right here, just waiting for me. Just like you were the last time you were here. I kept waking up to an empty room. I know there is so much out there, Sarah. But why do you do it all for me? I...I’m not that important...”

Giving her a sudden full passionate kiss and after a few seconds, she pulls slowly her lips from hers "Never say that, you pulled me out of the darkness I have been living for years. For years I was a cold-blooded covered agent that does what is required for the Federation safety and beyond. I ...never had this feeling, this warmth that you gave me!" Sarah looked with seriousness into her eyes as she felt anger in herself boiling up as her eyes began to flicker with red "Shit..." She grabs to her head as a surge of pain goes through her head.

Falling into the passionate kiss, Cat pulled back when Sarah did, she slowly caught her breath. She was about to say something when she watched Sarah grab at her head. “Sarah?!” A look of panic overtook her face but the only thing she could think to do was to wrap her in a hug, holding onto her. “Sarah, what is it?”

Feeling the hug, but not responding to it directly, she lets her hand slide to the side of the balcony and looked to the stars "I did awfull things Cat, I betrayed those that were in my care, I killed in regards of safety and I suffer to keep their idealism up" Sarah shrugs as the anger cools down in her "I....I am the person that is not worth of your love. Yet I would do anything if not everything for you"

“Do you think any of that matters to me? That isn’t who you are inside. The person you are inside is the one I fell in love with and would do absolutely anything for.” Cat slowly let go and stood next to her on the balcony again, letting her hand rest on top of Sarah’s. “You are worth all of my love as far as I am concerned.”

There was so much at stake and even telling her the full truth about what happened to her down there in that ruin. It was risky, but Sarah knew that it was worth the risk "What is the situation at Faltan Station? Did anything changed while I was gone?" She let her emotions sink in a bit, by doing so she needed information to get the whole picture that could calm her a bit.

Cat gave a small smile, and then looked back out at the stars after gazing at Sarah for another moment. “The opening ceremony went pretty well, though M’Mira didn’t seem to like my decorations. Other things happened with others that I will keep secret until they say something. It isn’t anything bad, just protecting their privacy. Got to meet your sister, which you already knew. Um...pretty much all the major projects here are done.” She glanced back over again. “Why’d you wanna know?”

"Eventually I will know, you should know that by now" Sarah teased back and narrowed a bit her eyes "This M'Mira, a problematic person?" Sarah said leaning a bit forward hearing about her sister "Yea, Eleanor got settled in quite well I saw. Never knew she would find me...I guess that is what you get by sticking around on one spot"

“I can handle M’Mira. She has this thing against me because I got to the station late and hasn’t let it go. So she finds anything she can to get upset at me over. She doesn’t bother me that much.” Cat laid her head against Sarah’s shoulder again. “I think she was glad to find you, but probably not as much as I am.”

Smiling softly and closing her eyes "That I know love if the kitty cat does become a problem. Do tell I might have some tricks up my sleeve to let her dance" Sarah laughed softly and opened her eyes slowly "a lot has happened in such a short time at Faltan Station and Faltan in total..."

Cat nodded. “It really has. A lot has happpened.” She looked back over at Sarah again, still wrapping her mind around the fact that she was there. “I didn’t expect falling in love with you to be one of them though,” she whispered.

"So did I..." Sarah replied with a soft kiss on her forehead "How about you, are you settling in on Faltan? Aside from your average worrying about a certain person situation" Sarah smiled looking again the stars.

"Trying to make friends I suppose. I think of Mint as a friend now." Cat bit her lip. "She's...the only other one who knows how I feel about you. She found me one night in the communications array trying to get a message out to you, and I completely broke down."

Sarah looked at the guards making their patrol at the wall "The Commander is skilled, makes me wonder how things worked out between her and the Captain. I mean the two are sleeping with each other" Sarah grins at that "Speaking about breaking rules..." Sarah pointed out to herself.

Catrina couldn't help but giggle. "Breaking the rules?" She knew that Sarah would know about the Captain and Mint, so she didn't continue on any of that. "I don't think we're breaking any rules, are we? I mean...it shouldn't matter as long as we love each other, right?" Her heart fluttered in her chest, watching Sarah instead of the guards.

Looking back at her with that same smile on her face "Well, technically speaking I am no longer part of Faltan Station. So we are not breaking inner relationship rules there" Sarah pointed out and placed her other hand on that of Cat "So I would not mind having you have my ...girlfriend?" It let her own heart skip a beat.

Squeezing Sarah's hand, Cat knew exactly how to answer that. Keeping hold of both Sarah's hands, she pulled her into another passionate kiss. It was quite some time before she pulled away, breathing heavily. "That answer your question?"

Getting the full passionate and she felt her heart beat quickly with every second she got the kiss. When it stopped, she looked at her with a stunned look "Well, I guess I need some more convincing. But not out here, more in there" She lean her head to the side with a grin on her face.

"More convincing? Well," Cat said as she walked back into the room, gently pulling Sarah along with her. "You sure?" Not giving her a chance to respond, she wrapped her arms around Sarah and pulled her back into the kiss she had just broken a moment ago.

Lets herself be overwhelmed by the dreamy kiss full love and passion and fell onto the couch with Cat on top of her. Sarah bites her own lip and looked naughty at Cat as she lets her hands slide over her back and under her uniform "I think you might get hot in those clothes dear..."

Grinning at the bite on her lip, Cat returned the look and sat back a bit, though still was laying somewhat over Sarah. "Good thing I already had my uniform jacket unzipped then, isn't it?" She got herself out of the jacket and tossed it to the side, leaning back down before nibbling at Sarah's neck.

---

Some time later...
Location unknown...

Catrina woke up laying on the ice-cold floor, she could see her surrounding as something that was from a war as marble floor was broken, the walls were ripped apart and the roof, well there was none. The dark clouds were grim as thunder and lighting were shown from through the skies. When standing up she would see the smoke and ashes from far away. She would not recognize where she was, but clearly, she was no longer on Faltan.

Cat was confused. Could this have been a dream? How had she ended up somewhere that she’d never been before, even in a dream state? The smoke was rising…where was she?

"You are connected, not by choice, but seeing Dufrai trust you. You would see her greatest burden" A voice came as on her side the Iconian priest stood there that Cat would know to be in Sarah, keeping her alive. The woman stepped forward onto the dirt and looked over her shoulder to Cat "Dufrai is not like anyone you ever have seen. Not even I have met a person like her. She has carried the burden of many deaths upon herself. This is one of them...this is Hailstorm"

Turning, Cat recognized the voice from earlier in the evening. Listening, she slowed her breathing. “She trusts me…” Cat whispered, “But why would you show me things she hasn’t even told me about herself?” She hadn’t heard of the word Hailstorm, other than, well, an actual hailstorm. She knew Sarah carried burdens..but...

The woman did not reply to Cat questions as she simply looked in the direction were a group of people stood. Walking slowly to them, the people were younger and around Cat age in full armored gear, broken and dirty as if they had fought for days. But Starfleet logo's were on them. Some equipped with swords and some with pistols and even one with a sniper rifle of an older type that Cat would recognize being out of commission since....the Dominion War?

Eyes going wide, Cat knew the weapon, but only be images she’d seen in history. And older Starfleet logo on all the people there. She was now questioning when she was, on top of where she was.

Sarah was broken, her armor was shattered as she stood there on the edge with the members facing her "Stand down Lieutenant, we do this together...Starfleet ordered this genocide and we are the tools to do it" A woman pleads to Sarah as she looked with tears down the edge towards a former battlefield that was in ruins and bodies "Sarah, you can't turn your back on our mission!" Another woman spoke as Sarah looked at them.

"You expect of me to kill innocent people, people that are not even siding with the enemy. Our intel is wrong Vic!" She pleads out of mercy back and looked at the others "We can't do this, this is against the code of Federation and for what we serve. I see in every one of you...the bloodlust, the hunger for more and I plead guilty for what I have done. I have created monsters, I trained you to feel nothing...to do what is needed to be done" A tear went down her cheek seeing the guilt in the younger face of Sarah.

Listening to Sarah’s voice, listening to the others voices, Cat’s heart sunk. Genocide, killing innocent people who weren’t siding with the enemy. She’d heard about this happening during the war but..never experienced it. She wanted to rush to Sarah, the younger Sarah, and protect her from them. But she knew she was only an observer. “Trained to feel nothing,” she whispered.

"Believe like fear or love, the phenomenon that determines the course of our lives," The priest said looking at the emotional scene as the frustration and tension was felt "Our lives are not our own, you are bound to Sarah now....her past and present. By each crime and every kindness, you shall feel her weight...but this day she was formed and created to face every danger she has seen and what is awaiting her"

Looking over at the priest, Cat did her best to keep her composure. “I’ll take the weight of it. I love her, I won’t give her up, no matter what she has done.” Her eyes turned back to what she was seeing.

The weapons get charged by the women with some of the tears in their eyes of fury and anger as Victoria rose her sword in the direction of Sarah "Than you shall die right now at this cliff with the Dominion you traitor!" Sarah grabs the knives from her side and began to breathe calmly "I shall not betray the Federation, Stop this madness Vic...that is my order" Vic, however, stayed calm and smiled at Sarah "As your best friend, I decline your order and take control of Hailstorm. You are relieved of duty Grey Fox, I will take pleasure in taking you down myself"

Cat wanted to turn away, she didn’t want to see the woman she loved in this situation. But it had already happened, and she couldn’t protect her. “Sarah…” She saw the hate in all of their eyes, a hatred towards Sarah. One she’d never seen before.

Standing there behind the tense scene as the Priest's eyes kept locked on Sarah that calmly rose her knives "Come and get me..." With that, a woman spurts forward with two blades in her hands as Sarah looked at her and twist around and slams the back of her knife in her neck as her body drops to the floor. The next stab Sarah with a spear into her shoulder as Sarah screams it out and pulls it to her slamming the woman on her side and throwing her to the floor pulling out the spear and dropping it to the floor. Not a second later she twists around to intercept the next punch and pushed the woman over her back down the ground hear a charge. Sarah then kicked a metal plate up and just on time reflected the shot from the woman that fired her rifle pushing Sarah down as she throws the metal at the woman disarming her with one harsh hit.

Breathing heavy as Vic slowly walked to her and grabs Sarah color. Sarah tried to resist as she gets dragged to the edge of the hill "I...I loved you like my own sister Sarah. You betrayed us by believing this crap above your own teammates....your own family. Think about us, about Claire..." Victoria said with tears and quite a difficulty in the situation "I guess, this is for the greater good..." Sarah suddenly moved as Vic stopped looking down her side seeing a hidden blade stuck into her side "I will ...stop you" Vic dropped Sarah and walked backward to fall on her knees grabbing to her side as Sarah hanged on the edge looking at the "This is by far not the end... " Sarah could see everyone looking at her and closed her eyes as she dropped off the edge.

Listening to Vic, listening to Sarah, listening to all of them. Tears started to stream down her cheeks as she watched. Vic’s words hit her, Think about us, about Claire…” “Claire?” She only questioned it for a moment as she rushed to the edge, trying to see where Sarah was, in a panic as she had been when she’d heard she was missing.

The moment froze as the priest smirks a bit "She was found severely injured by Starfleet, her actions were redeemed and classified as trying to stop a mutiny. The information was false of the planet, this is one of the biggest secrets Starfleet has it seems" She looked at Cat "No one knows, but this is why Sarah refused a team for so long...why she refused love for so long... Why she continues her journey to this day. Because she needs to capture her former teammates until blood has been repaid" She crossed her arms as Cat did not have the chance to answer only to wake up covered in sweat in her bed with Sarah sleeping next to her in peace and calm.

Doing her best to catch her breath, Cat looked to Sarah, feeling the tears coming back. The one’s she’d lost in that..was it a dream? No, that wasn’t a dream. The priest had allowed her to see what was buried deep within Sarah’s mind. She knew now what she had pulled Sarah out of, allowing her to love again. Reaching over, she slowly brushed a few hairs out of Sarah’s face, hoping both to not wake her, but wake her at the same time. How would she tell her that she just saw that?

Shaking her head, she slowly slipped out of the bed, moving back over to the balcony after pulling on a robe. The stars shone so brightly, but all she could think about was what she just experienced. “You don’t have to hold the burden alone, Sarah,” she whispered, not even sure if her moving out of the bed had woken her or not.

 

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