Uncertain Futures
Posted on November 16th, 2016 by T'Lira

The room was quiet, just the sounds of the ship travelling through warp and the occasional noise from the corridor just beyond the door.

T’Lira sat near the window and read an authentic paper copy of Shakespeare’s Macbeth that she had never actually finished. She was in the midst of Act Two when her computer terminal chirped.

She flicked a glance at it, as if to ask it to silence itself, when it chirped again. When it chirped a third time, she stood and made her way over to the terminal, sitting down and noting that it was a transmission. Curious, considering that the circumstances.

Checking the security of the channel and noting that it was encrypted and secured on both ends, she decided to risk answering it.

To her surprise, Elena appeared.

“Finally! I’ve been trying to reach you for weeks now!”

“I have been… occupied.”

Elena scoffed, “Yeah, I’m sure you have. I don’t even want to know what you all are up to now. I’m stuck patrolling the Tzenkethi border, not that my tiny ass ship could do anything if someone starts a fight.”

“I am certain that your crew could handle themselves in a combat situation,” T’Lira replied.

“Totally not what I meant, but sure, we’ll go with that. Look, so, um… I got a call from Bril. Remember that one time when her telepathy started broadcasting when she was dreaming and…?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Well… that whole thing apparently made her susceptible to strong emotion from you. Now, when she said that, I nearly laughed, but then she told me exactly what she’d sensed. Mind you, it was faint because, hello… lightyears apart, but still. What happened? And don’t give me some cock and bull about it being nothing, I’ve know you for far too long for you to be able to pull that crap,” Elena said, leaning back in her seat as she waited.

T’Lira glanced down for a second before answering, “I do not wish to speak of it.”

Elena’s eyes widened slightly, “You know… anyone else saying that wouldn’t concern me as much as it does when you say that. Like I said, I’ve know you for too long for you to get away with that crap. Seriously, what happened?”

“I have no desire to speak of it at the moment. It is not something I would prefer to share over a comm channel.”

“So you’d tell me in person?”

“Yes.”

Elena looked like she wanted to push the subject, but she shrugged, “I’m holding you to that, okay? How about… actually, I can’t make solid plans because nobody knows what Starfleet Command will do next with either of us. They’re talented at last-minute things.”

“I do not believe that is a talent,” T’Lira lifted an eyebrow.

“They make it a talent,” Elena snickered before sobering up as she glanced past her screen and frowned, “Damn, I’ve gotta go. We detected a Tzenkethi ship and my first officer wants me out there because apparently he feels I need to keep an eye on it too because he can’t do it himself.”

“I wish you luck with that.”

“And I wish you luck with whatever the hell you’re doing. Garson out.”

T’Lira gazed at the screen for several more moments and murmured, “Perhaps it will be far longer than you expect before we can meet again…”

She turned the terminal off and picked up her book, returning to the window and opening the book, planning to finish it at some time in the near future.