For Koh, If...

Posted on Mon Jun 20th, 2022 @ 8:01pm by Lieutenant JG Shaille Levine & Commander Ichiko Gail
Edited on on Mon Jun 20th, 2022 @ 8:02pm

Mission: The Koldaran Encounter

Shaille stared long and hard at the pieces of parchment in her hand, reading over and over the words she had carefully written with a quill borrowed from one of the clerics in the temple. Though she couldn't bring herself to write the words while she was still on the ship, being down here on the surface of Odraclite, the words flowed unhampered.

Carefully she folded the pages and slipped them inside the envelope she had been provided, sealing it with a wax seal. Sliding it into her pocket, she walked quietly out of the room she had been occupying and headed off in search of Commander Tang.

It didn't take long to find the twin forms of Rostra, it was the nervous giggle that Shaille was used to that was the first give away. Crossing the main antechamber, Shaille waited patiently until Rostra had finished with the officers she was dealing with before stepping forward. "Commander, if you have a moment, can I have a word?" she asked quietly.

Coordinating a scenario and an operation this vast was hectic to say the least, but the Dalacari seemed to be handling it as well as could be. She was an advisor, she was an officer... her mantra was 'I got this' and to a point she did. Once she had two moments to squeeze together, she took a pair of breaths and just relaxed. At Shaille's presence and question, she offered a pair of smiles towards. "Oh of course. What can I do for you?" barraged by inquiries, pestered by constant questions of when the reinforcements were arriving, an honest question would be welcomed right about now.

"I need to ask you a favour, a..." she faltered. "It's a personal matter," she added uncertainly. "I know the Dalacari have a good relationship with the Ts'usugi, I was hoping..." she paused again, clearly struggling with her words.

Finally, she just reached into her pocket, pulling out the envelope and handing it across to her superior officer. "It's for Koh," she said quietly. "If something happens... to him... these are my final words. They need to go with him. After... I'm not a daughter of Tsu, I know they are very private and secretive about their worlds, I know they don't like outsiders, I don't expect his family or his people to understand or to like me..." she drew in a quick breath, the words coming rapidly now. "But these are my final words for him to take with him when he goes to the afterlife. If something happens to him during all this, please, promise me you'll make sure he takes them?"

Her knowledge of Ts'usu's customs, desires, and dreams struck Rostra for a moment. The Dalacari was amazed at the time, the effort, the... love. This was love. Pure, unfiltered, unbiased... The notion, the words, it almost brought Rostra to tears. A love like this, to flourish despite everything the two of them must be going through, must be going against. She had never seen Ts'usu. Hell, Rostra had never seen Ts'usu and her people signed the damn Three Dawn Accord.

However, Rostra knew the protocols. She knew the next steps. She accepted the envelope, holding it carefully as though it were made of fine ceramic and silk. "For Koh." she paused, "If." Rostra said, completing the ceremony with an air of seriousness that almost drowned out the tension of the moment around them. Rostra carefully held the envelope, before her classic concerns and behavior shattered the tension and gravitas of the moment. "These things don't come with pockets. I'll have to put this someplace secure so nothing happens to it." she remarked.

"But you have my word, Dia as my witness. It goes to him, or it goes to the both of you." her twin remarked. The pair took a breath, and gave a nod each to her. "He sounds like a phenomenal man." she offered.

Shaille paused for a moment, contemplating over the words, a small smile dancing on her lips as she thought about her Blink Pilot, back on the Wellington, waiting for trouble to start. "He's more than phenomenal," she said softly. "He's mine." She sighed softly and leaned back against a stack of crates. "It's hard to explain, but he just gets me. It's like, he knows me, he knows my soul. He's the one I can be content with, we don't have to be doing anything, we don't have to say anything, just being together is enough. It doesn't matter how bad things may feel, he walks into the room and the universe just feels right." She lapsed into silence for a moment. "The thought of going back to the ship, not having him there, that thought terrifies me more than I can put into words."

Rostra was silent for a moment and took the time to find a bit of room for one of her forms to lean back against. Having one relaxed body seemed to satisfy her need. It took a bit before she found the words to speak, and even then, they felt pale by comparison.

"You know, don't tell anyone... but I've been a Dalacari my whole life." she started. "I was born a Dalacari. I see myself everytime I look to the side. I see the world through..."

"... a pair of pair of eyes that only I can see. Everything I do, I do in tandem. I do twice. I experience twice. I live two lives, as you'd see it. What you just described..."

"... right there. The love, the bond that you and Koh have is probably the closest I've ever heard someone get to the bond I'm born with. Even to the point of the pain..."

"... at the thought of anything threatening that bond. Anything damaging it." she paused, "And that's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. I've watched stars die. I've watched..."

"... phenomenon that defy explanation occur without reason. I've seen things that, if I didn't actually WATCH THEM... I'd never believe they could happen. And yet all..."

"... of that is second, maybe even third... compared to being witness to the bond you have with him, and the bond he has with you."

And then Rostra gave a giggle, "I presume it's mutual?" she teased, shaking her heads as soon as she asked. "I'm teasing, I'm teasing. Though, semi-serious here. I don't believe in magic, but what you described sounds pretty magical. I'm almost jealous."

She smiled. "Almost."

Shaille offered a small smile. "It is pretty magical," she replied quietly. "It's..." she sighed. "People talk about soul mates... it feels like he shares my soul. I don't think it gets any more magical than that." She stopped speaking, watching Rostra for a moment. "Sorry Commander, I didn't mean to unload all of this on you," she said softly. "But if anything happens, please, make sure that that letter goes with him?"

"You've got nothing to apologize for. As for this, Dia as my witness." she gave a nod and secured the envelope. "You have my word."

There were tears in Shaille's eyes, tears that made her eyes shimmer. She reached out, resting a hand gently on one of Rostra's arms for a moment, a gentle squeeze of appreciation, a heartfelt thank you that could never be adequately portrayed with words. "Thank you," she said softly before she pulled away, looking across the room for a moment, giving herself a chance to clear the emotion, focusing her gaze on a group of junior officers trying to move a crate of what was clearly marked as explosives. "Damn it!" she cursed, silently glad for the distraction, and the reminder of their current situation. "Ramirez! Daniels! Are you trying to blow us all up? Pay some attention to what you're doing!" She glanced toward Rostra, offering a quick nod. "Sorry Commander."