04 Flyspecks ~ Rainmaker

[Mevynn]

Giving the padd at the security officer that stood near the airlock, Kuerne took a deep breath. She was glad it was Redcloud standing next to her and not some stranger. Though after what she had seen and experienced on the Station four weeks ago, she felt as if an escort no longer was needed. Meeting some new, friendly people on the station, had somehow changed her already. She even had her doubts now, if visiting the Rainmaker was really what she needed to do but she kept Shelagh's advice in her mind. And also Lachlan's. She smiled as she thought about her brother. She had only been on the Station for four days when he had come to pick her up again and abducted her so to speak, for a surprise trip.

What Kuerne didn't know was that Lachlan, who had been on one of the nearby Klingon planets, had heard about the explosions that happened on the Starbase. He was having a drink in one of the local pubs as a Klingon came to sit at the counter and started to tell his audience that the Starfleeters had some problems keeping chaos away from their Station. Once Lachlan had found out the details, he had left, and pushed his ship's engines to the limits to get Kuerne off the station. He had been scared what the situation would have done to Kuerne's state of mind. But when he saw her, to his own surprise she was doing fine. She was even doing excellent. Yet, he didn't want her to know he had returned out of concern so he continued with the plan he had made.

It had taken him a lot of effort and a few favours, he even had to ask Trusia's help. That woman seemed to be able to get everything done but in the end he had managed to pull it off and he had the needed documents and permissions to go visit the Planet Kuerne always wanted to go visit as a child. Years ago, when they were telling stories to one another around the campfire, somehow she managed to bring it up in most her stories. Or it was the setting of one of their new imaginary adventures.

The look on her face was priceless as Lachlan had approached the planet. And she had been without words, once she was walking around in the area itself. Starting in the Research Facility with a guide, they hiked from one cabin to the other, and finally they reached the mountains, covered in ice and snow at the top. They got to observe the animals in their natural habitat, from the local and even the imported animals. Animals other people normally only knew from photographs or holo-images, could be observed life here. Lachlan knew there were groups against the whole private project, hence why it was so difficult to even get close to the planet, let alone actually spending time there.

But it had been worth the effort. This was a dream from both of them coming true. And Lachlan knew, when he saw the look on his sister's face as she said goodbye to return to the station, that she would be ok. Somehow he knew, she had already come to terms with the demons that had been haunting her.

And now roughly three weeks later, Kuerne stood in front of the airlock leading to the USS Rainmaker as she finally managed to get a hold of Redcloud. She was holding the PADD of which she feared the content in her left hand and accepted the other PADD the security officer had read and granted both her and Redcloud access to the Intrepid ship.

Redcloud had several jobs waiting for her, but when Dia asked her to walk the Rainmaker with her Redcloud shifted the personnel and jobs around till she had free time, Dia is a friend, she wanted Redcloud's help, you don't leave friends hanging.

Kuerne stepped through the airlock. As she walked through the familiar corridor, she started talking, "Thank you Redcloud. You have no idea what this means to me. I heard the ship has a new Commanding Officer. I hope she'll treat the ship with the necessary respect, just as Captain Maturin has done."

"I think she will, I went on her first mission as the Science Officer, it was... interesting, but she seemed to really care about both the Rainmaker and her people." Redcloud assured Dia.

Both continued their way, along the corridors. The first stop Kuerne made was at one of the transporter rooms. The same room where she had met the Captain, wielding a Batleh, for the first time. She then went to her previous quarters. She remembered where she had placed most of her stuff. She resisted the urge to go through all the cabinets and cupboards. After they were forced to leave the Rainmaker, someone else had stored all her personal belongings and everything was send to her. She wanted to make sure nothing had been forgotten but Kuerne also knew after all this time, she'd find nothing.

She lingered a bit as they walked to their next destination: the holodecks on deck 5. She stepped through the doors, only seeing the black-yellow grid. A smile showed on her face as she remembered the first time she had shown Tom Marek how the holodecks worked. How they walked briefly through Alaska's countryside. But this was also the place she was at when all the trouble started. The smile on her face faded. She was trying to recreate the place where Lachlan and her had spend most from their childhood with their friends, when the Holodeck started to malfunction. When she finally managed to get out, the emergency lights on the deck were flickering and only a few minutes later she had found out those Pequipage bugs were still alive and were taking over the ship. She had seen their first casualty in the Science lab.

Redcloud walked beside her friend, trying not to intrude in what was a very personal journey, as personal as any vision quests she herself had done. She was happy when she saw the smile on Dia's face but then it flickered and died to be replaced with another look all to familure to Redcloud, sadness and guilt. She wanted to reach out and hold her friend but knew that she could not, this quest had to be done, and if she interrupted it to soon...

Silently she walked out of the holodeck and headed towards Sickbay. A faint smile on her face as she remembered Guen's reaction as she, a fresh crewmember had promoted her own Chief in that very same Sickbay. But it was also that Sickbay that had been swamped with casualties caused by them bugs. The same Sickbay where she had given the order to Nurse Peter to warn captain Estaban that Dorella had got bitten by those bugs again and that the anti-dote they had wasn't working. The next time she saw Peter again, it was in the Malinche's Morgue, once she had found the antidote. After everything that had happened, and everything she had been through, Kuerne finally had broken down in that very same morgue.

She stood there for a moment thinking about all the people that had lost their lives here, people she hadn't been able to help. Quietly Kuerne turned and looked at Redcloud for a moment, she wanted to say something but nothing came up, so she just continued her way, walking out of Sickbay. She still wanted to do one final stop. The turbolift took them to their next and final stop. A few minutes later Kuerne stepped on the bridge. She looked at the dedication plaque at her left, reading the names. She then looked around, remembering how Captain Estaban had allowed her to sit at the science station during one event, even though she had no business there.

Dia was going to end it now. Redcloud knew, she had almost stopped in Sickbay but she was not done with her quest she had to finish, the spirits must all have their chance to live and die, to go to their final rest, and until her friend Dia exercised them they could not. Redcloud followed on, a silent witness to the ceremony.

Kuerne swallowed, her emotions started to take over. She had one last thing to do. She walked to the nearest seat and sat down. Taking the PADD with a message on it, she had never read before, afraid of what was going to be in it. Taking a deep breath she pressed her thumb on the assigned place. All those months ago, she had personally written to his family explaining what had happened, she had received a message from Peter's family in response but she had never opened it. That was until now, as she saw the words appearing in front of her eyes. She swallowed again as she started reading. When she was finished she read it again, by the time she reached the end for the second time, tears were running down her face and the PADD fell out of her hand.

"They don't even blame me," was the only thing she managed to stammer between two sobs.

And with the last personal demon slain, the cleansing tears could fall, the soul could be mended, and made whole once again. Redcloud did her part, she took Dia, her friend in her arms and held her. Softly chanting the ritual words her Grandmother had taught her for cleansing the soul of those in distress, her native words were meant to comfort the one in distress but they also comforted Redcloud who remembered her Grandmother and all the comfort, knowledge and happiness she had given to a small girl.

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JP between
Kuerne 'Dia' Dianti - SB Haven
Ensign Jennifer Redcloud - USS Rainmaker