<USS Avalon> Sunsets Gone, Warm Nights Forgotten, and Bitter Tears Wiped Dry PT 3

Sunsets Gone, Warm Nights Forgotten, and Bitter Tears Wiped Dry.

PT3

-Dodge Thomas, Lindsay Kaiser, Carson Fuller



 

 

 

"Minor cleaning? What do you mean minor cleaning!?!" The chief engineer 
Lieutenant Dodge Thomas, was absolutely livid. "What did they do in here? 
Perform surgery with ceiling fans and chain saws!? Have you seen this place?"

"Yes, Lieutenant. I have." The Vulcan who had instructed him to thoroughly 
cleanse the entire cargo bay raised an eyebrow. "You are acting most...human."

"Imagine that!"

"Your sarcasm will not aid your avoidance of this task. It will be done. By 
you."

"Why me?"

"Because you are the only available officer, because it needs to be done, and 
mostly because I said so."

"Yes-Sir." Dodge said as bitterly as he could without being considered out of 
line. "Thank you sir."

"You are welcome, Dodge Thomas." The Vulcan raised his eyebrow again, turned 
and left the filthy room.

The few triage patients and a couple of attending nurses remaining in the cargo 
bay quickly turned away from Dodge as he returned to the room. It was obvious 
to him that they had been observing the entire verbal transaction with at least 
a minor amount of interest. He simply glared. He could have cared less about 
the wounded of the allegiance. He had his own issues to deal with. 

Ed, for instance, was reaching the last stages of self-decompilation, and he 
was stuck cleaning the bloody (literally) cargo bay.

"You've quite a temper there, Lieutenant." A Trill male said to him. Bandages 
adorned his head and the head of his female companion. Several cuts and bruises 
decorated both of their faces. 

Dodge scowled. "Of what business to you is my temper?"

"We were in the blast radius when you went off." The female replied.

Dodge stopped, then took on an air of mock sympathy. "Oh, I am truly sorry 
about that. Let me know if there's anything I can do to make your stay more 
comfortable."

"The Vulcan was right. Sarcasm will get you nowhere."

"Why should I care?!" Dodge was growing definitively tired of the conversation.

"Why are you so angry?" the woman asked softly.

"Hmm, let me see." Dodge made a show of looking around the cargo bay. "Oh yea, 
now I remember, BECAUSE YOU GUYS BLED ALL OVER THE PLACE!"

"That's too bad. You seem like such a nice person." The man commented.


"First of all, I don't know either of you, and second I don't care what your 
opinion of me is."

"Doctor Carson Fuller, at your service. This is Doctor Lindsay Kaiser."


Dodge narrowed his eyes. "You two are both Trill, right?"

The two of them nodded curtly.

"Then where's the 'Dax' surname, or are you two just unjoined?"

The two doctors looked aghast. To be an unjoined adult Trill was to be an 
outcast amongst the Trill. It bordered on criminal and was definitely abolished 
in all religious and scientific circles. To be unjoined was like living in the 
lowest caste of the society. Your accomplishments and abilities mattered not. 

"We are NOT unjoined, mister Thomas. That, I can assure you. However, 
circumstantially, our symbiants have chosen not to take on the Dax 
nomenclature."

"What does that mean?" Dodge had forgotten about being angry. Trill had always 
fascinated him with their ability to live multiple lives through multiple 
entities. 

"Many years ago, a transport carrying the symbiant part of the Trill 
crash-landed on a Federation colony. As you may or may not know, the Dax 
lifeform multiplies by division. Our Dax was severely injured in the crash. 
Most of the others died, but a group of humans rescued our Dax. However, 
several things were wrong with it, so the humans force-divided it and used 
spare organs from the already dead Dax to bring it back to health. Then, for 
three lifetimes, we existed inside human hosts who gave up their single lives 
to keep us alive. As such, the Trill family that were originally were committed 
to our Dax were viewed as outcasts--as unjoined. It wasn't their fault, but 
they were punished all the same." Lindsay looked at Dodge squarely, then at 
Carson.

"When the Trill, the Humans, and the Dax were finally placed in their proper 
areas, an emotional, mental bond had been forged. That bond lasts till this 
day. This bond is why the Dax symbiant has chosen to remain nameless. Out of 
respect for itself, or rather, itselves, and out of respect for the three 
generations of humans who housed it. I'm sure it's difficult to understand, but 
it is our goal in life to change the monolithic mentality of the Trill."

"Why? The Trill have survived with their Dax symbiants and the corresponding 
names for thousands of years. Why change that now?"

"Because," Carson continued, "it's outdated. On our homeworld, we are treated 
with little more respect than an unjoined Trill, simply because we the Trill 
and we the Dax have agreed to uphold an agreement made between the humans and 
the Dax, an agreement to take as little from the Trill as we can. Many Dax, you 
see, are greedy and obsessive about their Trill. They demolish many vital parts 
of the memory, replacing it with their own consciousness. With us, we are more 
Trill than Dax."

"The Dax is still a major part of us, carrying our minds, our souls, our very 
being from one life to the next and providing enrichment as it passes on to the 
next Trill."

"We are given a larger, more grand scale look at life. But that ability comes 
at a great social cost. On the homeworld, people stop short at hurtling rocks 
in our general direction, but all else goes." Carson let out a sad, shuddering 
sigh. 

"Without the Federation, we would be lost, Two people who share almost 
everything in common, from the same beliefs to practically the same Dax 
symbiant. I see the same in you."

"What are you talking about?" Dodge asked, a bit of the hostility returning to 
his voice.

"The Federation has given you more than you can imagine."

"You're wrong." Dodge spat bitterly. "The Federation is responsible for my 
greatest losses."

The two Trill remained silent.

"My wife...my beautiful wife...and my only son. Both of them slaughtered--but 
did the Federation intervene? No. Why? Why couldn't they have sent a single 
security contingent? Because of a clerical error. Given me more than I could 
imagine? I think not."

Lindsay took on the look and voice of pity. "It is a terrible thing, if what 
you say is true, that the Federation would ignore your cry for help."

"We won't." Carson said plainly.

"And why should I care what you two do? You're not my friend, your not my 
family. You're my total stranger."

"It doesn't have to be that way." Lindsay spoke softly.

"Who the hell are you two? Why do you think that I would ever care what a pair 
of rebellious Trill do or think or say? Why are you even talking to me!?"

"Because, you appeared to need help. Your words, your very body language was 
screaming out for help."

"What?!"

"You don't live several lives without learning a thing or two about humanoid 
expressions of emotion."

"Lieutenant, whatever happened to you, no matter how terrible or how cruel, 
it's all in the past."

"How cold do you get?" Dodge asked, shock and anger filling every word. His 
whole body shook.

"You need to get past this, Dodge. May I call you Dodge?" Carson asked 
cordially.

"No. No you may not."

Carson continued. "If you keep dwelling upon this, it's going to destroy you. 
Can't you see? It's killing you from the inside out. Dodge, if you don't deal 
with this right now, you'll die away, you'll become a shell of a man, unable to 
love or even care. Is that what you want?"

Dodge was silent, his face hard as stone. He was trying desperately not to 
break, but the lump in his throat and the burning within his very soul cried 
out. His lower lip trembled slightly and a trace of wetness began to show in 
his eyes. With a long, shuddering sigh, he sat down on a cargo crate. "Why are 
you doing this to me? You don't know what it's like, having to bury your loved 
ones, holding their lifeless hands and then covering them with soil stained red 
with their blood."

The kindness vanished from Lindsay's face, the Dax part of her speaking out 
with full force. "We don't, do we? You think we've never had to bury a loved 
one? Do you know how close we are to our symbiants? It's like losing a part of 
yourself e-v-e-r-y s-i-n-g-l-e b-l-o-o-d-y t-i-m-e! Do you know how that feels? 
Have you any clue what so ever?" Lindsay's eyes welled up with tears and she 
broke down. 

"You, unlike most humanoids have a clue...we know. We read your records. We've 
had a lot of time on our hands. Out of all the department heads, yours was the 
most accessible. We're sorry for the breech in privacy, but we are joining this 
ship in the security department, so it all fits with protocol."

Dodge barely heard what Carson had just said, his mind still dwelling on the 
ravings of Lindsay. "You two...care? Why? This isn't...that is, I?m not used to 
this. Why?"

"Because, Dodge, everyone, no matter who they are or what their lives have been 
like, is important. We learned that through the Humans who gave up everything 
to house us. They taught us to care about our hosts, taught us that everyone is 
unique. They taught us humanity. Very few Trill will ever know that trait. Most 
will remain content to be used, and most Dax will be content to use them. We 
just want to be different. We just want to care." Carson smiled cautiously.

Dodge sniffed, wiping his eyes with one sweeping motion of his hand. "You know, 
you...you really don't have to do this." His voice trembled as he spoke.

"Yes, we do." Carson continued. "You're a man apart from himself, watching with 
agony as you slowly decimate your own life. These choices that you're making 
only hurt yourself. You choose to be angry, mean and hateful. These bitter 
tears of vengeance that you cry are bile, burning and scarring your very soul. 
You have to let them lay to rest--Just like your wife. Remember her and stop 
tainting that memory with your own personal feelings. It's not what she would 
want, and it's not, deep down, what you want. We're offering our hand in 
friendship. All you have to do is reach out and take hold." Carson looked down 
at him meaningfully.

For a long while, Dodge stared at the floor. His entire mentality, the very 
hate and anger that had gotten him through the past few years, was beginning to 
falter. A great pain welled up within him. He remembered how life had been 
before, the happiness and contentment he had felt with himself and with life. 
That part of him still lived on, buried and suppressed deep within his cold and 
bitter heart. 


But now things were different. That part of him was struggling to be free. 
Dodge swallowed his pride and anger, looked up at Carson. A smile found it's 
way to his face. Carson smiled back. Dodge looked over at Lindsay. She was also 
smiling. 

"Thanks...both of you."

"Our pleasure, Lieutenant." Lindsay's face beamed.

"Dodge...you-you can call me Dodge."

"Any time, Dodge, any time at all." Carson spoke jovially, patting him on the 
back.

The two of them turned and started out the door. Dodge felt immensely happy 
inside, as if some great burden had simply vanished. An aching pain that he had 
become so familiar with, familiar to the point of acceptance and 
near-affection, was simply gone. A part of him that had been dead came to life 
again at that moment. Suddenly, and with sudden realization, Dodge found that 
he cared once again. 

His combadge beeped.

"Lieutenant Thomas. Have you completed the cleansing of the cargo bay?"

"I'm on it sir." Dodge replied, a note of happiness in his voice. The doors to 
the cargo bay slid shut and Dodge looked at them. He really didn't understand 
what had just transpired, but he knew he liked the feeling that was growing 
within. It was time to make something of himself, and a messy cargo bay was 
just the place to start.

 

___________________________________________________________________________

 

Several hours later, Dodge exited the sparkling cargo bay under the approval of 
the Vulcan officer who had instructed him to clean it. His back ached and his 
fingers hurt, but he felt good inside. A job well done, he thought happily. He 
passed by the doors to the holodeck and a feeling of unease struck him. He 
stopped and looked at the entrance, his brow wrinkling. 

It was time to let go.

He entered.

"Computer, activate program Thomas-zero-zero-six."

The gridded room vanished, replaced by a cliff-top view of a countryside. It 
was evening and the air was warm. Summer winds rustled through the trees. A 
woman of immense beauty sat on a grassy patch of earth beneath a weathered old 
oak tree.

"Dodge? Is that you honey?" A voice from the past called out with painful 
recollection. Dodge sighed.

The program running represented the last night he had spent with Bridgett, his 
wife while she was still alive. Before the Orions came and changed everything.

"Yes...it's me."

"Won't you come and sit down? It's almost time." Her voice was carried to him, 
a sweet sound lace with the love that had once lived within her.

"Yea...okay." He sat down near her, the sun reaching the horizon. The clouds 
were illuminated brilliantly, shades of red, purple, pink and blue scattered 
magnificently overhead as far as the eye could see. The two of them sat in 
silence watching the sun slowly set. The beautiful sunset faded gradually until 
it was only a shadow of it's former self.

"Night's coming." Bridgett said softly.

"I know." He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. "Goodbye, my dear."

She looked at him sadly, understanding in her eyes.

"Computer, end program and delete."

The sun sank beneath the horizon, the last bit of light leaving with it. A 
single star stood out in the sky. The program ended,. 

Dodge sighed. 

The time for healing had come, and Dodge was ready to greet it with open arms.

 

 



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