Lightning All Around Me - Part Two

Posted on Mon Mar 2nd, 2020 @ 4:23pm by Division Admiral Thomas Lasky

Mission: Mission 42: A House Divided
Location: Runabout Delta One Five - Near the Kappa Fornacis system
Timeline: 0100Hrs - September 2nd, 2391

Lt Commander Tom Lasky woke up with a start as he felt something slam into his back, he let out a soft 'whoof' sound as he came to full wakefulness. "Zara." he turned to face her right before she punched him in the face, stars exploded in his face. "Oh shit." he muttered. "Zara... wake up!"

Sweat drenched her clothes as she thrashed at the thing that invaded her dreams. Poor Cleo retreated under the bunk as Zara punched at the thing in her dreams.

Something caused her to opened her eyes, however, and the thing she fought in her dreams, now had the face of Lasky. She cried, very hard, because his was covered in blood. That, and something she could not put her finger on, had shaken her to her core.

Lasky regarded Zara. "Zara.. It's me... It's gonna be alright.." he gently reassured her. "It's just me.." he added, referring to the blood. "I guess... I shouldn't shake you.. and Yeah... let that be a lesson to me to never do that again."

"I'm sorry," Zara sniffed and cried hard into Lasky's chest. "I d-d-don't know w-w-w-what's wrong with me."

"Its okay.." Lasky smiled. "But... what do you say I get myself looked at.." he gently held her against him. "It'll be okay Zara... You're just having a bad dream.."

"Why?" Zara cried, but it was a vague question only she knew she was asking about.

"Because of what happened to you at the hands of what vile bastard." Lasky responded. "Come on... Lets go into the bathroom... I can't arrive like like this... Lei Shen would think you beat me up.." he regarded her. "It's okay... It's gonna be alright.."

"I sh-sh-shouldn't of g-g-gave myself up," Zara hysterically cried as she walked with Tom to the bathroom.

"Had you not done so... She would have taken you by force... She had you dead to rights..." Lasky responded as he flipped on the lights, as he expected, he looked like he had been in a major fistfight. "Zara... Remind me to never piss you off.."

"No..." Zara rubbed her red eyes before she began to wet a cold rag for her warm face. "I mean... I g-g-gave myself up so she w-w-wouldn't take Phoenix."

"She was going to take someone..." Lasky responded. "I will see to it that Phoenix knows what you did for her..." as he started to clean himself off. "That vile bastard has hated you both for years... Her name was on the paperwork that let Phoenix out of Jail twenty years ago.."

"Should send her to that hole Phoenix came from," Zara noted with absolute hatred in her eyes while she began to dab her face with the cool cloth. "...Just feel stupid. Like... like what I did didn't matter."

"That shitbag will be dealt with.." Lasky responded, as the sink which was half full of water, which was now pinkish red with blood while he cleaned himself off. "As for you.. What you went through was not 'nothing'." he regarded her, blood steaming down his face.

"I feel... weak," Zara confessed as she went to help clean Lasky's face.

"Considering what you went through, you're anything but weak Zara..." Lasky responded. "You are a lot stronger then most people I know.." as he turned to her. "Zara. You did what you felt was the right thing to do... you protected those you cared about... that's never a bad thing.." before he gently hugged her. "It'll be alright... we'll get through this... one day at a time..."

Zara gave a vague nod. She was happy to hear he wanted to be there for her, but there was so much going on in her mind that she could not think beyond the horrid memories she had of that brig hold.

"Besides.. Weakness comes in many forms.." he regarded her as she stood before him. "Getting Torilla pregnant was an accident... I should not have slept with her...She was married to one of my best friends..." he sighed. "Then there was Elizabeth.. Yes, she's known to me too... thanks to Peeves." there was something dark in Lasky's tone.

"You need to stay away from that family," Zara suggested with laugh. It felt good to be happy about something.

"Zara.. " Lasky regarded the woman next to him. "Torilla has disappeared. Even Jake doesn't know where she went... Elizabeth has not heard from her mom in almost a month.... She's worried about it."

"This is the first I've hear," Zara admitted with true worry. "Not like her to go dark all the sudden."

"Jake is worried... so is Elizabeth.." Lasky sighed. "I've not talked to Elizabeth in a couple of weeks... Yes she is carrying my child... but I want to let her sort things out without interfering."

"If you need me to help mediate with you guys, let me know," Zara offered sincerely as she helped clean Tom's face.

Lasky smiled gently. "I appreciate your offer.. and I will keep it in mind... going forward but... No, there is no need to keep harping on at Elizabeth about the subject. She's not going to stand her ground if confronted so...." Lasky paused. "

Subtlety and misdirection will win against her over direct confrontation.. so I'll leave her be for now... She's assigned to the Dreamcrusher and if I need her... then I don't need to go far." Lasky responded. "Her husband will regard me as less of a threat if I leave his wife alone." Lasky regarded her. "But when I get back... I will make an effort to sort it out with her."

Zara nodded and went to pick up her puppy once she heard it crying. Cleo made her easily happy. Forgetting about her problems momentarily.

"So what should I expect from your people?" Zara asked as she went about to putting a sweater on Cleo.

"They are a good people. You should expect some interest but not too much.. Its a fairly decent sized town and we tend to get some drifters who want to be left alone or want to withdraw from modern civilization. We will help those willing to help themselves and others but not criminals." Lasky explained. "The Monastery dominates the landscape however."

"Sounds very peaceful," Zara sighed longingly. "I can't wait to see it."

"I've been away too long... I miss home." Lasky responded quietly.

"Then to home, we go," Zara agreed as she took his hand into hers and squeezed.

Lasky smiled despite his trepidation. "Yeah..." he responded.