Turning Point

Posted on Wed May 11th, 2022 @ 3:28pm by Indigo (*) & Satun t'Rralleen

Mission: Elsewhere
Location: Freecloud
Timeline: 2397
1206 words - 2.4 OF Standard Post Measure

Having settled into the life of a Fenris Ranger, Satun thought about the last few months. It had been the longest she had stuck around with a particular group since the Hobus supernova. Maybe it was her mind thinking or maybe it was just a sense of something coming, but Satun was unable to sleep. She scrolled through her PADD a bit, checking the news and seeing if the latest convoy of refugees that had helped made it successfully. Starbase 621 was across the universe, but it was one of the only places allowing Romulans in the Federation at the moment. Rubbing her forehead a bit, she turned off her PADD and laid it to the side. She really did not feel like sleeping.

“You know something if you keep tossing and turning around you are going to roll onto the floor and into the bathroom at this rate.” A voice called from the curtained bunk above. Indigo was not asleep, she had been mediating until the noise of her room mate and interrupted.

"I've woken up in worse places," Satun joked. Indigo's voice had a calming effect on Satun. She had been one of the first rangers Satun had met as well as her bunkmate since she joined. Immediately growing a bit concerned, the Romulan asked, "Did I wake you?"

“I bet you have.” The blue haired woman teased staring up at her ceiling. “No but you are doing enough sighing to break into my mediations so it is crossing the time and space barriers.” Indigo teased just a little that some people viewed mediation as a way to get break the barriers between time and space. Indigo used it to think harder and to take stock.

“Did you discover anything in your journey through space and time?” Satun asked. Vulcans often used meditation in their efforts to discover logic, but Satun was a Romulan. Outside of the Qowat Milat, who Satun viewed as a dangerous group of extremists, her people did put much effort into the practice. Feeling her stomach growl a bit, she asked, “Hungry?”

“Not in the slightest.” The woman said before realised that could have answered both questions. “Not in the slightest did it help in my journey through time and space.” She admitted thinking on the incident with Calliope and the call that she had received requesting to meet up. “But neither am I hungry. The mess hall had noodles.” Indigo said happily. She could live on noodles is required to she was pretty sure.

"Which kind?" Satun asked. Her favorite was Earth ramen, hoping it would be something else. She had been absorbed into the latest convoy. It was the last group that she had helped gain access to the Federation's refugee program, so she had a vested interest in seeing that the ships made it to their destination safely.

The blue haired woman shrugged. “Earth.” Was all she said. She had not overly asked and it had been food after bridge duty and then gym. Indigo finally sat up moving aside her curtain looking up at the woman.

Still, in her own bunk, Satun heard the curtain move. So she leaned over the edge of her own bed to get a look at the pretty face staring back up at her. Unsure of what to say at this point, the Romulan asked, "What time is it anyway?

"Um..." Indigo looked around and spotted the chronometer on the shelf across from her. "Midnight ish. Very much not dinner time anymore. You might be able to find something in the mess though." She said trying to be hopeful if the woman was hungry still. She knew she would not be able to sleep if she was hungry.

"I'm not very hungry anyway," Satun admitted. Laying her head back down on the pillow, she considered if she should even share her worries with the other woman. Were she back in the Empire, the answer would be a clear no. However, things were different on this side of the galaxy. "I just got word from the Eihss'caevra, it was the last group of refugees I helped get across the border," she unemotionally let out in an attempt to keep how vested she was hidden. "They arrived at Starbase 621 a few hours ago and will begin processing."

"Well, that is good right?" Indigo said lying back down herself trying to work out what the woman sounded so worried about it.

"I hope so," Satun replied. "You know my people aren't readily accepted in certain places," she replied, skipping the chance to say that the Federation had not been very willing to extend a hand outside of its borders in the last decade.

"Not many if any of our friends are accepted, anyone." Indigo laughed as she decided to get comfortable if the woman was just wanting to chat about things. "But yes I do know you and many of your friends are not accepted in many places. You are here though." She reminded looking back up.

"Do you accept me?" Satun replied, sort of leaving her eyes on the blue haired ranger. Of course, the Romulan knew that Indigo was her friend. She also knew that she could be a Klingon and a Ferrengi and Indigo would still treat her the same, but for some reason, Satun almost feared the answer.

Indigo stared back. “I have always accepted you.” She said without hesitation. Where had the sudden concern that Indigo would not accept her come from? Indigo slowly got out of bed and stood so she was the same height as the woman and no longer needed to lean over in bed to stare at each other.

In a moment of what could be described as behaving unlike a Romulan, Satun threw her arms around Indigo and wrapped her in a hug. "I know, and thank you," she whispered. Pulling back slightly, Satun tried to sneakily wipe a bit of moisture from her eye. The Romulan ranger had just been a little too consumed with the report from the refugee transport. There was always a lot of negativity when it came to her people and settling into a new home.

Indigo froze for a moment before she wrapped her arms back around the woman making sure she did not buckle under the weight of the sudden force. Indigo did not miss the tear and wiped it away for the woman. "You do not need to be thankful. Should be the norm." Indigo commented.

"Should be does not mean that it is, otherwise there would not be a need for the Rangers," Satun pointed out. Desperate to change the subject, the Romulan ran a strand of Indigo's blue hair through her fingers and smiled, "I've been thinking about going pink. What do you think?"

"Deities no," Indigo muttered. "You would stand out so much doing it as a pink-haired Romulan. It was iconic sure but would it help her blend in not in the slightest." She laughed softly thinking of it for a moment before she shook her head. "No one needs to be able to find you." She added as she slowly started to pull away. “Sleep we will talk more tomorrow.”