[ussbansheec] The Spark of Recognition
- From: Elizabeth Bethell <ejbethell@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: ussbansheec@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 8 Sep 2005 01:28:03 +0100
The Spark of Recognition
*Lieutenant Joseph Swiftwind S'Ghaladriel and First Lieutenant Evelyn Hale*
"I love you, Joseph," Caroline cooed as she pulled back from the knee
weakening kiss.
Joseph's insides turned to ice and he let go of her, taking several steps
away. Running his hand through his hair, he scratched at the back of his
head and hugged his other arm around his stomach. "Err... I think you're
really sweet, Caroline. Really, I do."
She blinked bright green eyes at him then frowned. "But you don't love me?"
Gripping his hair tightly, he tried to stay calm when he really wanted to
bolt from the room. "Err..."
"Err?" she huffed. "I tell you that I love you and all you can say is
'err'?" Stabbing one bony finger into his chest, she narrowed her eyes.
"When you grow up enough to realise how important I am to you, call me!" She
swept out, her long blonde hair snapping around her.
Blowing out a long, heavy breath, Joseph threw himself onto his couch. He
thought Caroline was sweet and he liked the kisses and cuddles but love?
"Na, man," he said to thin air, "she just doesn't have that spark." It was
something Jada had told him about when she'd met her future husband,
Enarrain Eamonn tr'Shen. She'd told Joseph that the moment she'd met him,
she'd known she was meant to be with him. And then as she grew to know him,
she had fallen deeper in love with him. But through it all, deep in her
soul, there'd been a spark of recognition that drew her closer to him.
Eamonn was actually a really nice guy, Joseph liked him, and he adored the
way the guy made his sister so happy. But Joseph could never imagine having
that.
Staring out of his viewport, he could still see the ship from the past that,
at first, had been so fascinating but now held a kind of cold sense of fate
that haunted his dreams. It had been years since he'd had nightmares of this
ferocity. The last time had been the night after he'd first met Moria when
he'd seen his father's body in clear detail as if it had been that very day.
Closing his eyes, the images flashed through his head once again.
Dark red blood was dried into his father's hair. When the men flipped his
head, a crater exploded through his temple. White bone singed dark brown by
burn marks surrounded the hole and the smell of burning flesh filled
Joseph's nostrils. His father's face was barely recognisable under the
broken and bloody skin. As he grew up, he began to realise that they'd
beaten him half to death before shooting him. He'd also worked out that his
mother, his Ri'nanov, the one true constant in his life, had been a witness
to the whole thing. But, unlike his siblings, Joseph had never pushed to
know about it and just that one act meant he was his mother's only
confidant.
"Actually," he muttered as he stared past the Avalon, "Nightwalker is too."
Then he snorted as he flowed to his feet. "Is? Or is that, was? Or will be?
Or may be? Or may have been? Bah! This is too much!"
Grabbing his uniform jacket, he slid it on and strode out of his quarters,
his long legs carrying him swiftly out of officer country and up to the Mess
Hall. Just the buzz of people there was a relief from his dark thoughts,
even if he chose to sit alone. Several people waved at him, smiled and
called out but he just acknowledged them and took his food to the back of
the Hall. Poking his fork into his mound of mashed potatoes, he used it to
sculpt the mash into a peak and then flattened it out. His eyes lost focus
as he played, his mind drifting out in time and space to his family.
"Y'know, you could make a fortune if you sell that," a Texan accent informed
him.
"Huh?' His ebony eyes lifted up to a pair of pale blues the colour of a
winter sky.
"Your potato," Evy said as she pointed to the sculpture of a bird on his
plate. "A bird of prey of some kind?"
"Huh?" Glancing down where she was pointing, he blushed the colour of spring
grass when he saw what he'd done. "Yeah, he's my hawk."
"Yours?" She slipped into the chair opposite him and dumped her tray down.
"Yeah, my name's Joseph Charging Hawk Swiftwind S'Ghaladriel. Charging Hawk
was the name Nightwalker gave me when I came of age." Offering her a shy
little smile, he said, "Most people call me Hawk."
"Evelyn Hale," she replied, holding out her hand and then blushing when he
kissed it. The side of her mouth quirked up into a smile. "Most people call
me Evy." Retracting her hand, she flexed her fingers experimentally before
picking up her fork. "Ain't you the gentleman."
"Flattery will get you everywhere," he smirked as he smooshed his little
hawk. Sitting back, he let his gaze take in all of his companion. Corn
coloured hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail, a mischievous glint
seemed to be a permanent aspect to those winter eyes and her natural
expression, which flashed through momentarily, was amused but soft. As he'd
grow to know her, he'd learn that his first impression was absolutely spot
on and yet totally different to the public image she projected.
"You mind me joining you?" Evy said. "I'm kinda in a funk and I need company
but I'm not what you'd call popular on this ship."
"It's cool, I don't mind. Have to admit, I'm in one of those funks myself."
"It's that damn ship, ain't it? Forty years. Damn, I'm not even a sparkle in
my mama's eye. Hell, my big sister can't be more'n five or six." Whistling
quietly, Evy rubbed a line above her eyebrow with her middle finger. "I just
keep thinkin' that we're not gettin' home any time soon."
Joseph hissed in sympathy. "That's the pervading sense through most of the
ship." It was more than that to him. The moment they'd gone through the
wormhole, he'd known... there was something *wrong* here. "But the Captain
will get us home. She's a good commander, I trust her."
"Wish I could." At the slightly shocked look on his face, Evy shrugged.
"This is my first assignment on this ship and COs have to earn my trust and
respect. I'm too old and far too cynical to give either of 'em on blind
faith in someone's pips. Now," she mused, "my direct CO, * him* I trust."
"That would be Andy, right? Captain Maluhia?"
"Yeah, you know him?" she said, tearing off a strip of her bread and
breaking it into smaller chunks that she popped into her mouth one by one.
"Course I do. Known him longer'n lost on this ship." Joseph watched in mild
amusement as Evy started mutilating another strip of bread. "Nightwalker,
that's my Great-great-grandfather, put me in touch with his family when I
first went to the Academy. His thinking being that Hawaii's quite a bit
closer to Australia than mainland US so it would be easier for me to visit
them than any of the Swiftwinds."
"Your *great*-great-grandfather?" Evy said with raised eyebrows.
"Sure, he's 166 standard years old... or he will be in forty years time."
"He *is* 166?" Evy repeated, trying to wrap her mind around the concept.
"That would be on your Rihannsu side, right?"
Joseph blinked. Not only had she guessed his heritage correctly when most
people assumed he was part Vulcan, but she'd got the word and its
pronunciation down perfectly too. "Err... no, actually. He'd be the Human
side."
"Dayumn, you Swiftwinds must have one hell of a long life expectancy."
Joseph shrugged. Then a sudden grin exploded across his face. "It was the
name, right? That's how you worked out about me being part Rihannsu."
"Well duh," she chuckled. "Ain't too many other folks with a name like
S'Ghaladriel." Pushing the rest of her food away untouched, Evy folded her
arms and sat back. "So... part Rihannsu and part Native American. Which
tribe?"
"Cheyenne," he replied, mimicking her posture.
"Makes for a handsome combination." When he blushed a delicate jade, she
laughed. "Damn, but you turn the prettiest colour when you're complimented."
Hmphing lightly, he covered his face with his hands as he turned olive.
"Gee, thanks Evy," he muttered.
"No worries, my friend."
They chatted for a good few hours, the Mess Hall slowly emptying around
them. When the change of shift sounded, Evy rolled her eyes and climbed to
her feet. "Gotta go. See ya around, Hawk." Wandering off, she felt a light
blush colour her cheeks when she heard him say, "Without question Evelyn."
Joseph's dark eyes followed the Marine out, a smile turning up the corners
of his mouth. Stirring deep in his soul, he felt a click and a flash. The
spark of recognition.
Other related posts:
- » [ussbansheec] The Spark of Recognition
