Within the Aftermath

Posted on Fri Feb 8th, 2019 @ 10:40pm by Lieutenant JG Siobahn Fallon & Major Hailey Weston

Mission: https://wellington.pegasusfleet.site/index.php/sim/missions/id/5
Location: Personal Quarters

Hailey was sitting on the couch, leaning forward with her head in her hands. The lights were low, but aside from that there was silence in the room.

Shrugging out of her jacket, Siobahn tossed it in the general direction of the table and crossed the room, sinking onto the couch next to her, resting one hand lightly on Hailey's shoulder. "Are you alright?" she asked quietly. "I heard what happened... are you okay?"

Hailey nearly jumped at the touch, still in the uniform she’d changed into after Cally’s rescue of the troops, but nothing else had happened, she hadn’t showered since their return and there was still blood on the uniform itself, one of the casualties she’d worked on that made it back alive. She opened her mouth, but no words came out, so she closed it and shook her head, the tears starting afresh. She’d kept her calm demeanor the entire trip back, her command face, but now that she was back... “I lost half of them.” She managed to get out.

"I know," Siobahn said gently. She moved her hand, resting it on Hailey's back and rubbing gently. "You did what you had to do, what was necessary. Were you hurt?" Siobahn asked, more just to make sure that there was no injury that was not obvious, even in the low light she could see the blood on the uniform.

"No, this is Nyx's." Hailey said absently, "She's fine, just got stung in the shoulder, a bit lethargic, but you know her, she's tough." She took a deep breath , but couldn't look up from her demons here, "I haven't even seen the Captain yet, or my exec, I don't know how to explain myself, my actions. Did we make a difference? Yeah, we did, but the cost... And we didn't even belong to that reality."

"Nyx is fine, I double checked on her before I came back here. I've seem Ami and Andi as well. They are all okay, but they're worried about you." Siobahn's voice was full of concern as she spoke. "The Captain can wait, so can everyone else. Andi and Nyx are taking care of the Marines and making sure everything is in hand and Ami is working on your reports. She'll let the Captain know that you're back and you can see her later. Right now, you need time out." She smiled gently, half hugging Hailey carefully, still not entirely sure if she was being stubborn over the alleged lack of injuries or not. "Don't make me relieve you from duty," she chided gently. "Come on, start with a shower and some clean clothes. I'll get you something to eat and then we can talk, okay?"

"Yes, ma'am..." Hailey said softly, "God, everyone must think I'm wussing out..."

As Hailey started to move, Siobahn stopped her, taking her face and holding it firmly between her hands. "No one thinks you're wussing out," she said softly. "Hailey, I have no real idea what happened, but if the snippets I've caught from Nyx, Ami and Andi are even remotely close to accurate then you were fighting a losing battle from the beginning and the fact that you even came back alive is nothing short of a miracle. You were the one that told me that every time you go on a mission, any of you, you know that you may not come back, you go into every mission knowing that it could be your last... your people died doing what they did best, what they wanted to do. Was it for our reality? No, maybe not... but you know what, after talking to Lieutenant Setine, I mean their Renee, the aortic tear? What you did had a cost... but you've given their reality, their ENTIRE reality a fighting chance at actually winning this war. There is no shame at all in helping to save the lives of hundreds of millions of people. Just remember that, okay?" she said softly.

Without waiting for an answer, Siobahn leaned in, brushing a soft kiss against the corner of Hailey's mouth. "Go shower, get some clean clothes, I'll make you some soup."

It was about fifteen minutes later that Hailey finally emerged, padding out barefoot and dressed in a set of her Marine-branded sweats, comfort wear for her. Her hair was still wet, but it was gathered with a hair tie and Hailey knew it would eventually be hell to brush out, but that was for the future. "That does feel a bit better." She admitted.

Siobahn smiled as she turned, watching Hailey walking toward her. "I'm glad," she said with a smile. "I replicated some thai chicken soup for you, it's good soul food. Andi recommended it." She set a bowl of fragrant soup on the table. "I've got iced water for you, but do you want soda or anything else?" Clearly she was fussing, not entirely sure what else to do at this point.

Hailey slid into the chair, then patted the table next to her, "Just you here with me?" She smiled slightly, "Andi does tend to know me, though... Thai flavors really do act as comfort food for me and..." She sighed but didn't reach for the spoon yet, "I've never taken losing people this hard, babe, Marines... die. There are so many ways it can happen, too many to name and this is one of the better reasons I've seen."

Without a word, Siobahn slid into the chair next to her. "Losing people is hard," she said softly. "It will never get easier, any maybe this time it feels even more senseless because you don't get to see any of the results from what you've done." She scooted her chair closer to Hailey's, picking up her spoon and handing it to her. "You need to eat," she said pointedly, lapsing into silence, her hand moving to rest on Hailey's thigh as she picked up her own glass of water with her free hand. "Those people have a fighting chance because of you and your crew," she finally said softly. "That's more than they've had for the past twelve years. You did that. You made the difference. Their deaths were not in vain."

"It just hurts when I lose people, this time more than others." Hailey stopped twirling the spoon in her fingers and took a bite of the soup, "Nyx wants to go back, to go over there to get into more combat." She said softly. "Cally was making some of the same noises, sees it as a fresh start."

"Nyx won't leave your side," Siobahn said softly with a smile. "She is fiercely loyal to you, almost to the exclusion of all else. It's like keeping anything from you causes her physical pain..."

Breaking off with a soft sigh, Siobahn contemplated Cally for a moment. "I thought Cally was doing okay," she said quietly. "After everything, the inhibitor, the therapy, the communications, everything, I really thought she was doing okay, but I guess I was wrong. I understand why she may want to leave. I don't agree, and I'll miss her, I really will.. but I get it."

"Maybe one of us should sit down with her and talk to her about it?" Hailey suggested, "I know what her demons are, I think she told you as well. I don't know.."

Siobahn nodded, slowly and somberly. "Promise me you won't get mad?" she queried, almost hesitantly.

"I promise, but what would I get mad about?" Wary, Hailey was.

"After Cally was detoxing, we spent time talking... she told me a lot of stuff... but anyway... after it all, I fitted her with a neural inhibitor to block off the voices she was hearing so she could focus on herself. I never recorded it in her medical records. I know I should have, but she made me promise and it felt like it was a promise I needed to keep, for her sake." Siobahn hesitated momentarily before trying to smile. "Remember you promised you wouldn't get mad," she reminded gently.

"And I can see how that would work." Hailey nodded, having had couple more spoonfuls of the soup, "Something I wouldn't have thought of. I could only imagine what she went through when her bird got shot up, especially being Betazoid and all. I'm worried about her, I'm afraid she might be thinking about going over there just to get herself killed."

Siobahn sighed softly. "I think we need to let her make her own decisions," she said softly. "Don't get me wrong, I've seriously considered going straight to Captain Bartlett and asking that she be considered for 'on the fly' fighter pilot training. She has the know how, she has the ability, she just needs someone to believe in her and not just in stupid numbers..." stopping for a moment, She smiled suddenly. "I'm sorry Hailey, I didn't mean to start throwing all this out at you. This is supposed to be your turn to talk," she said softly.

"No, it's helping." Hailey smiled weakly, "Distracting, even. You're right about Nyx, she may talk and giggle and want to go, but she won't unless others do. I've been seeing her and Andi spend more time together and that should actually help her as well. Jeez, that girl is the only one who would laugh about that situation we were in.. She's crazy!"

"Andi or Nyx?" Siobahn posed, again her voice suddenly becoming rather guarded.

"Both?" Hailey asked, noting the wariness, "Nyx was the one I was referring to, but Andi's a lot like her as well, just instead of about any weapon, give her explosives and she's like a kid in the candy store. There's nothing wrong with a bit of crazy, especially not here."

Siobahn hesitated for a moment. “Andi is possibly the only reason you are all still alive now,” she said softly. She is the one that raised the alarm bells that made Cally break orders and go follow you... but, I’m not supposed to know that. She sighed softly, pushing her chair back and moving so she was straddling Hailey’s lap, looking into her eyes. Tenderly she cupped Hailey’s cheek in one hand. “Every single person down there has your back, to the nth degree. They also have each other in what ever way it pans out. Just know that they are loyal to you to a fault, and everything else is gravy....” she said with a soft smile.

"If you say Andi IS the only reason any of us are still alive, you're right. Without Cally coming after us, we were all dead when their shuttle bought it. I'm not angry with her about it anymore, hell, I was only annoyed that she broke protocol in the first place, I just wish we'd known there was a backup rather than start to lead the Shalti on a merry goose-chase in their home." Hailey leaned up and gave Siobahn a very light kiss, "It still hurts to lose people, but you're right. You're right."

"Andi didn't break protocol," Siobahn said softly, smiling at the kiss, putting her arms around Hailey's shoulders, resting her forehead against Hailey's and closing her eyes momentarily. "I'm just glad you're home safe," she said quietly. "I was worried..."

"You and me both." Hailey murmured, "You and me both."

OFF:

Major Hailey Weston
Marine CO
USS Wellington

Ensign Siobahn Fallon
Medical Officer
USS Wellington