Reunion (Part One)
Posted on 08/05/2023 @ 1:55pm by Captain Cara Letsul & Captain Brina Tracy-Hall & Lieutenant T'ra Na'vassa
2,267 words; about a 11 minute read
Mission:
Mission 23:Pages...
Location: Rudia's Bathhouse
Timeline: MD2 1300
So there they were, Brina and Cara waiting outside of Rudia's Bathhouse. waiting for T'ra and P'etra to show up. Brina was giving Cara an assessing look, and the dark haired half-betazed looked right back at her.
"What? Do I have broccoli in my teeth?" Cara trying to lighten up the mood. She was feeling a bit guilty of having not taken the time to talk to her friend.
"Well, no, you don't have broccoli in your teeth." Brina huffed slightly then remembered what Jack had said to her. "Look, I am sorry Cara, for my starting that mess between us." crossing her arms over her chest. She was still feeling a bit uncomfortable, just so much has happened ever since she had come back into the Marines.
"You and I can talk a bit more about the proverbial elephant in the room. For right now though, we've got sort of a reunion happening with me, you, T'ra and.... P'etra." giving a bit of a laugh.
T'ra walked around the corner at that moment and stopped in her tracks. " Wait, Did you say that P'etra is here? I haven't seen or heard of her in the past ten years since we all left the N.E.C. " She said.
" Well my dress size has changed since I've had three kids and I'm the Captain of my own ship. " Said P'etra as she stepped out of the shadows and walked over to give a surprised looking T'ra a hug.
" P'etra!! It's good to see you again!! " T'ra squealed with delight. As she returned the hug.
P'etra turned and walked over to Cara and Brina and hugged them both. " Brina it's great to see you again. I hear you've been doing well for yourself. " Said P'etra with a warm smile. Shall we take this conversation inside? I've only got a few hours before I have to get back to Jonathan and the kids. "
"Aye I have only a few hours before I get back to being a mum. Nicholas is keeping the boys busy." Brina responded.
Cara looked at the two women, "Well marital bliss, happy family. Lets make the most of this small reunion shall we?" leading the way inside.
Rudia came out from behind the desk, the older woman wearing two braids which were done up in a bun. "Oh Cara" she rolled her R's. "It is good to see you, and I see you have your sisters with you, come come come. The room is ready, you shall see, with lovely soft bathrobes, and the soaps you love, Miss Cara."
"Thank you Rudia." Cara replied with a smile.
The women were led to It was a sizable room, to one side almost like a small natural pool, on the far end of the room were live bamboo plants which hid the wall, there were reeds covering along the wall as well. To the left were cubby holes where clothing could be placed, and towels available, along with a shower area.The place looked like a Japanese hot springs with natural stone as well. There were steps to walk down into the pool with areas made just for people to sit upon and the water going up to their chins.
Rudia looked at the ladies. "Welcome and enjoy!"
P'etra smiled like a little girl in a candy shop. " A Real Japanese style bath house. " She said. " The last time I was in one was the last time I was on earth and in Tokyo. So are we just bathing and a quick bite while here or are we going to get a massage as well ? And of course after the bath, a cold pint of milk goes down nicely. "
T'ra spoke up. " Well I wouldn't mind a bit of lunch, since I worked through my lunch today. I have eaten here before and they do serve Sushi, noodle dishes, light meat and veggie meals and a few other offerings. Not as much as a restaurant has for selections mind you, but enough you won't go hungry. " Stated T'ra.
"Well they do order out as well and bring the food in. Rudia is someone who makes certain her guests are comfortable. Also there is a spa as well. Nice place where you can get some marvelous massages and the whole spa treatment. It is called One Massage Away. Very lovely, most definitely." Cara remarked.
Brina looked interested in what Cara had to say. "I take it you have availed yourself of the spa?"
Cara nodded, "Yes I have and it is lovely."
" Perhaps Jonathan and I could slip away for a few hours and put the kids in one of the youth activity rooms while we get a little pampering. '' Said P'etra. " I don't remember the last time we got away, It's all been about work and the family. I wouldn't trade it for anything but sometimes you just need a little break in the routine. "
T'ra laughed as she listened to what P'etra had just said. " I can picture Brina being married and with her always having a strong motherly nature and keeping an eye on everyone even before she married, I knew she would make a wonderful mother. '' She said. " But you P'etra, I always thought you would stay single a lot longer than you did. No disrespect intended. But you were always a social butterfly like Cara and seemed to spend more time visiting with others and scheming more than you slept. "
P'etra's face flushed slightly and then she gave a nervous laugh. " I guess I can understand why you thought that while we were at the N.E.C. " She said quietly. P'etra looked up with a prideful look on her face and her voice stronger and more sure. " And then I met Jonathan, and everything in my life changed. I went from being the social butterfly and party girl, to having found the most wonderful and perfect man that I had ever met in my life and within a few months I knew we would always be together. It's like the fairytale dream of a young girl who is afraid to wake up and find that it has only been a dream all along. But with my family and career I feel truly blessed. "
"Well I will say I have been a bit jealous, though I have ended up becoming a godmother to a few kids so in one aspect I have children. Just not the creation of any of my own." Cara gave a slight shrug. "So any plans while you are here? Anything of news in the personal aspect of romance?"
After Cara's comment T'ra did something that was out of character for her. She lowered her head towards the water and spoke like a shy schoolgirl in a very soft tone. " Well there is someone that I am interested in. But the problem is,if he is interested in me as well , we really do get along together and make a good team. I really do enjoy being with him. " She let her words drift off and fell silent.
" Whoa, whoa, whoa!!! " Said P'etra with surprise. " Are you telling me that little miss I'm to busy for anything but my career has found she has found someone of interest? You must tell us all about him. "
Cara was indeed rather interested in this as well. Brina finally gave T'ra a nudge. "Come on, out with it we want to know."
T'ra blushed like a school girl and spoke as she kept her head lowered. " Well, he is rather cultured and well mannered. He has a rugged attractiveness and is highly intelligent and he'll be my date at the upcoming wedding. "
"Oooh you don't say. I am looking forward to seeing who will be your escort." Cara exclaimed. "I don't know who will be my date as of yet. I plan on being there is an absolute must."
Brina looked at Cara, "You do have a lot of possible choices. I think you've not said much in the way of having a dating life." Brina sort of teasing Cara.
Cara looked at Brina and instead of getting angry, she stuck her tongue out at her friend. "I don't kiss and tell. However, to let you know. I said goodbye to Fernandez. It was difficult but it needed to be done. Also, Just to let you ladies know. I think i told P'etra about this already. I had someone's Katra in my head for quite some time. It was Fernandez's dead wife's katra residing there. She is now gone, having been put inside a Katric Vessel. He and I are now set free from each other. And he is safe, away from anyone trying to find him."
Brina's jaw just hit the proverbial floor. "Say.. what?"
P'etra nodded her head. " Yes you told me awhile ago Cara. We shared a common bond where Fernandez was concerned, that is all I'll say on that matter. I was sworn to secrecy on the matter of Fernandez situation and out of respect for them both I kept silent. " She let her voice fade as she thought. She watched the light reflect off the water and onto a plant in the corner of the room and watched it for a moment. " Keeping this secret for so long has been a burden to me for awhile, but not as much of a burden as it has been for Cara. Carrying the mind and the soul of your lovers deceased wife for as long as she did. " She paused and looked to Cara. " What you did was nothing short of amazing, I don't think I could have done what you did. "
"I had forgotten that I had told you P'etra." Cara gave a slightly saddened smile. "Linked semi emotionally, yet not physical except for the occasional touching of the hands, I got I think an occasional kiss on the cheek. Or a soft glance towards me. I could partially feel his affection, it was starting to show, then he left suddenly. I had decided to move on later, but nothing stuck no one stayed for long. It only got as far as just a kiss on the lips then... poof gone without any explanation. Later on, I gave up, the man whom I thought I would be married to, he after going through courting me, non physically, up and left me at the altar. I had caught the essence that Fernandez had been behind the man leaving abruptly." Cara mused.
Brina's mouth finally closed after hearing all of this news. "Now hold on, you had a ghost in your mind, and you couldn't even tell me? I thought we were like sisters." Brina growled out.
"Brina, just... take a breath. I didn't realize I had her in my head, until that fight we had in the holodeck. Of which I am very very sorry for what happened. I realized I tried to kill you, and if it weren't for Hiro I might have done some bad damage to you. I... I could have killed you Brina." Cara buried her face in her hands, hot tears brimming up and spilling over. "I- I could have killed you."
Brina was shocked to hear this, and what Cara said now made a lot of sense, even in the past confrontations, before she and Nicholas had left. "Oh Cara..." pulling her close while the dark haired woman sobbed bitterly.
T'ra got out of the bath and wrapped a towel around herself and went to the wall panel. " May we get two bottles of red wine and four bowls of mint chocolate ice cream please? " A few minutes later the attendant showed up to deliver the items. " Hard times and heartaches are cured by wine, sisterhood and sweets. '' She said as she passed out the glasses and bowls. " We may not always be near each other physically, But by the bond of our sisterhood we are never apart. "
P'etra lifted her wine glass. " Sisters now, forever and always. " She said as she offered a toast to their friendship that they all shared.
By this time Cara had gotten out of the water, covering herself with a robe as well. "I don't want to spill wine or even chocolate into the water. Don't want Rudia to have a big mess to clean. Especially this is actual water from a hot spring." her eyes swollen from her crying, but now feeling much better.
Brina was glad that Cara finally told her what was happening. Just the fact that Cara kept this burden to herself after P'etra and she left. It was just unfathomable. "So how did you transfer the Katra?" She was curious.
"Transfering the katra into my mind? It's almost like pulling into oneself another person's light. Its difficult to explain, but at the moment I can kind of understand a little bit of what a trill experiences."
Brina thought that over, she wasn't really comprehending a whole lot but kind of got the gist of what Cara was saying. Since she wasn't a telepath, she wouldn't really undertand fully. Just the thought of it she shuddered slightly. She zeroed in to what P'etra said.
"Ice cream and wine it helps out doesn't it?" giving a laugh. Brina exiting the water as well.
TBC
Lieutenant T'ra Va'nassa
Assistant Intelligence Chief
Poseidon Station (Valadorn)
Captain P'etra Hagen-Carter
Captain of the USS Pinnacle
( Valadorn)
Commander Cara Letsul
Chief Counselor
Poseidon Station Operations
Poseidon Station
Captain Brina Tracy-Hall
XO of the Kingsmen
SB50
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