Long Walk Home

Posted on Wed Aug 15th, 2018 @ 6:59pm by Commodore Ledeya ‘Ed’ Ehestri (*)

Mission: Cosmos
Location: Starbase 72, nearing Airlock 13
Timeline: Three Months Ago
2445 words - 4.9 OF Standard Post Measure

The day had been long, it was like the closer Mayterial got to the Fawkes the more the universe was trying to keep her away. After a delay in her shuttle transport the customs officer on the Starbase was a real pain before letting her through. Now she was rounding the bend on the promenade when an obvious, young, pickpocket seemed to be making their way over to her. She locked eyes with the kid and gave him a short but clear shake of the head.

He seemed startled and staggered a bit as he was about to strike at her and veered away, wondering what it had been that had tipped the woman off. Confused since he hadn't even made a move on her yet.
Mayterial sighed, life on the frontier was tough all around. It pained her to see young kids having to resort to petty theft. She realised why he had been there though. The promenade was packed with people, gathering around some sort of important person. Yet another obstacle between her and her home.

Having finally found her way through the crowd and approaching the assigned airlock for the Fawkes Mayterial saw a familiar figure standing beside it. Her heart immediately sank. This day was about to get even worse.

To Ledeya the fact that the Fawkes was on the same base that she was, almost seemed fortuitous to the woman. It was like all the deities in the galaxy had aligned the ships and the stars to allow this meeting especially as her new ship was being refitted with the newest technology. “Hello Mayterial.” The woman greeted as the other woman finally joined her in the airlock. She had almost thought for a moment she wouldn’t come to reclaim the Fawkes after she had been removed from it last time they had met.

“No. Whatever you’re selling, I’m not buying it.” Mayterial put her hand up and shook her head as she passed the Starfleet officer that had arrested her entire crew after her former first mate had stepped into their sting operation. Taking in a deep breath she made sure to focus on some telepathic defences, looking the fellow Betazoid woman dead in those endless black orbs.

“I was acquitted of all charges yesterday, I just want to get back on my boat and move on.” She walked up to the airlock and pushed in her access code to get access to the vessel, the doors didn’t budge, denying her entrance. Looking over her shoulder, back to the Starfleet officer, she felt her heart sink.

“I was there,” Ledeya said softly. She had watched from afar not at all convinced that this woman was innocent but she wasn’t going to argue with the Federation Supreme Court or the legal system. She truly wanted to know how it was done. How did this woman convince her whole crew to take the blame? “I saw that you fooled the court but… How… How were they that oblivious to what was happening”?

“Look, Starfleet. I didn't ask for any of this. I was betrayed by my crew, by my First Mate” Mayterial wouldn't give the officer the satisfaction of saying they were partners as well.
“I was acquitted because I did nothing wrong. For once in its paltry existence the system worked.” She couldn't help but be bitter and taking it out on this woman.

“Sure you did, Mayterial.” Ledeya commented on as she walked to the airlock and put her own access code in and watched as the airlock cycled the air, opening with a hiss. The Captain stepped back and indicated for the woman to step inside.

This was not what Mayterial had imagined when she knew this morning she was returning to her ship. The comments from the Starfleet Captain hurt her more than she cared to admit. She silently stepped forward into the airlock. The smell of stale air from the old Cardassian built freighter met her half way. She had gotten used to it over the years. Normally it was a sign she could relax. Right now it was only making her so much more anxious. The feeling started to creep over her that Starfleet was here for a reason. That this was far from over.
“Is there anything else you want to accuse me of?” She looked over her shoulder saying that with a weariness in her voice.

Ledeya followed the woman inside the airlock but held back from stepping over the threshold of the ship, it was still the other Betazoid’s ship despite her view on the woman. “Your ship.” The woman hinted that she should cross the threshold first.

Still hesitant Mayterial stepped forward and crossed the threshold onto the Fawkes. The lights were dimmed in emergency lighting mode. She could feel from the lack of vibrations underfoot that someone had switched the engines off. It would be hellish to get that back into proper working order, especially without an Engineer available. She didn’t bother to look or comment back to Ledeya.

The Officer followed inside and looked around sadly. It wasn’t nice seeing a ship as dead in the water as this one even if the Captain was a criminal. “Such a sad sight.” The woman finally said breaking the silence with her soft voice.

The two of them walked down the shadowy corridor up the spine of the ship. Looking around Mayterial saw wall panels that had been removed and tossed aside. She didn’t even want to know what the personal quarters looked like at this moment. She was headed for the bridge. Get at least some semblance of control back over her vessel. “Don’t have to tell me.” She quietly replied.

The Starfleet Captain followed to the Bridge and sighed a little herself at the panels tossed aside, her crew would have been more considerate at least, the crew that had done this were determined, to say the least. “You don’t have any access still,” Ledeya admitted softly. Starfleet were giving the ship back but they still had the access codes.

“I figured you weren’t coming with me to clean this mess your crew made.” Mayterial kicked aside a panel that was blocking her way to the doors of the bridge. “Do I even want to open this?” She looked back at the Starfleet Captain. Wondering for a short moment if the woman was getting some sort of perverted pleasure out of this.

“Wasn’t my crew that did this,” Ledeya said simply as she walked onto the bridge. If anything this woman, who had once belonged in Sickbay, she walked onto the bridge like it was her own. The place was clean and tidy despite a few panels being on the floor. “I’ve seen forensic searches do a lot more damage than this. This is all cosmetic.” The woman strode further onto the Bridge and pulled out a PaDD turning up the lights.

“You fleeters are all the same. Just like us cargo haulers are all the same.” Mayterial bit back, she was too emotional to listen to rational discourse from Ledeya. May picked up a panel from the floor and pushed it back into place on one of the watch stations behind the Captain’s chair. “Smugglers. Scam artists. Criminals. No way one of us can be innocent.” The panel didn’t seem to want to stick to its old familiar place. She felt frustration boil up. “No chance that we can be stabbed in the back and betrayed by our closest friends.” The panel was adamant about not slotting into place. “Never has it occured that an entire crew went against the explicit orders of the skipper” She pushed down hard on the panel and it stuck for a moment before falling off to the floor. The anger and frustration boiled over, she didn’t care that the other woman was there. “That the person closest to her worked behind her back” She gave the piece of metal a swift, hard, kick and instantly regretted it as she felt something snap in her foot and the panel not budging much. "Gaaahhh!” The yell echoed down the corridor through the still opened doors.

The Officer sat down as what she assumed was a communication station and crossed her leg as she watched the woman rant and rave. If that was what the woman wanted and needed to do, who was she to stop her? Betrayal by the people closest always hurt. “Surely you would have known…” The woman said touching her temple just as she saw the woman kick the panel and the noise that came from her foot. The Doctor in her was instantly on her feet going towards her fellow Betazoid.

In trying to put her foot down she felt a pain shoot through it and up her leg. She immediately slumped to the floor and looked up at the career officer. Panting heavily and wanting to pull her hurt foot close. “I think it’s broken.” She winced and leaned back against the station she was trying to fix just a few moments ago. “There should be a medpack in there” She pointed at the wall next to the door.

“I think the sound confirmed that,” Ledeya said without a second's hesitation in grabbing the medpack. She returned just as quickly and opened in surprise at the contents, they were pretty new even if they were a civilian style. She pulled out the tricorder and ran it over the woman's foot slipping into her old role without question. “This is going to hurt a little bit I am afraid.” She admitted moving to take the other Captains shoe off of her.

It must’ve been the understatement of the century. As the shoe came off the pressure that was holding back some of the pain was released and a new pang of pain went through her body. Tears started to well up in her eyes and roll down her cheeks. “Just make it quick” Her fists were balled into tight fists, knuckles white with strain, as she tried to stay in control of the pain.

“Scream and yell if it helps.” Ledeya said softly kneeling more comfortably on the floor to take a proper look. “Can even be in Betazed. Are you allergic to anything?” The Captain wondered as she looked at what was available in regards of pain relief for her.

Clenching her teeth Mayterial shook her head. “No” she was able to force out between clenched jaws.

Ledeya smiled softly as she gently administered the hypospray at the right prescription before taking a proper look at the foot in question. There were a few moments of silence whilst the former Chief Medical Officer looked over what the tricorder was telling her. “How is your sickbay?” She wondered.

Leaning back Mayterial looked up at the ceiling and took in a few deep breaths allowing the painkiller to take effect before gathering her thoughts. “Really depends on what your people left us with. It’s two decks down.” She reached up, waiting to be helped up to her feet.

Ledeya sighed softly slightly amused by the current change of events. This woman was going to hold a grudge worse than a Klingon and that was saying something. “The Starfleet personnel would have left you what was there unless your people were doing dodgy stuff there as well then we might be in for a transport to my ship.” Ledeya countered as she pulled the woman to her feet and wrapped an arm around her supporting her as they made slow progress towards the turbo lift and then inside of it.

An awkward silence filled the small space as Ledeya just stared into space thinking over options, leave the woman in sickbay able to fix herself up or just fix her up and make her escape.

The turbo lift doors opened up and allowed them to step out on the third deck. “It’s just down here.” Mayterial winced with every step, the painkiller helped but wasn’t enough to make it fully painless. The doors to the sickbay slid open and showed the place being turned upside down. The doors and the drawers all pulled open and apart. There were medical supplies thrown over the floor. With the help of the Starfleet officer she made her way to the bed and was lifted on top of it, her foot lifted up to give easier access. “Just hand me the bone regenerator.” Holding out her hand.

Ledeya looked around for it and found it underneath a cabinet door. She was surprised that the Forensic teams had gone this far but then remembered why the crew had been arrested - Drugs among other things. “Here but you will need help to make sure it is set properly.” Ledeya was pretty sure she was going to be kicked out but it made her feel at least her Hippocratic was upheld.

“I’m quite sure I don’t need any more of your brand of help.” Mayterial looked around the sickbay and just knew that the personal quarters were going to be an absolute mess. The worst shock of the pain started to ebb away as the painkillers were kicking into gear more and more. That only left more room for the frustration and rage. “I think it would be best if you relinquish command back to me and then leave.”

Ledeya levelled her with a look but nodded. She didn’t need to speak anything aloud as it was all able to be done by the PaDD she was carrying as the computer was barely functioning. “You have the command then but I would highly suggest when you get a doctor you get them to look at it properly as you can’t do it yourself properly.” The woman advised before turning on her heels leaving the woman alone in the mess.

Mayterial sighed loudly and lay back on the single bio-bed in the cramped sickbay. She was back on her ship. Starfleet left her alone, for now. For a moment she almost drifted into sleep before the pang of pain in her foot brought her back to reality. She needed to get to work with the regenerator and then put the word out for a new crew. Every moment that the ship lay motionless in the docks was a moment wasted.

OFF::

Captain Ledeya ‘Ed’ Ehestri
Commanding Officer
USS Cosmos / TG 72-B
(PNPC Gregnol)

Mayterial Droz
Captain
SS Fawkes CF-142AC