Distraction Part I
Posted on Tue Dec 17th, 2024 @ 2:05pm by Lieutenant Vura & Lieutenant Mira Jayna
Edited on on Tue Dec 17th, 2024 @ 11:31pm
1,716 words; about a 9 minute read
Mission:
Episode 16 - Silent Cries
Location: Arboretum - Central Core Deck 6 - Empok Nor
Timeline: MD001 1600 hrs
Vura was still upset about her fight with Edmund. She decided that she had to center herself. With the crew on shore leave, she decided that the best place to do that would be somewhere quiet, like the Arboretum. With her drawing pencils and a sketch pad in hand, she headed there.
Once she arrived, she wondered whether this was a wise choice. After all, this was where she first had time with Edmund and he sketched her there. No, I have to associate this place with other feelings. I could go to the promenade, but I do not want the stares today.
She set herself up on a bench and started sketching, humming lightly as she did so.
Jayna had a free hour with nothing to do. Well, she had a number of things to do, but nothing she could accomplish in an hour, and nothing she wanted to start and then walk away. So, she decided to go to the arboretum on Empok Nor and draw. She hadn't done much of that recently and she should stay in practice. And the arboretum would give her plenty of things to draw. So, with sketchpad and pencils in hand, she began to walk through the garden areas looking for something to spark her creative interest.
Vura noticed Mira come into the Arboretum. The two had not interacted much on Pioneer, if at all. She spied the pencils and sketchpad in Mira's hands and immediately became more interested. She beckoned her over with a lithe wave of her hand. "Lieutenant Jayna, fancy seeing you here. It seems that we both had similar ideas...."
Having been more interested in the flora around her, Jayna had neglected to notice the counselor. Indeed, she'd let herself be distracted enough to tune out anyone who wasn't behaving oddly. Her training was ingrained enough that something out of the ordinary would still draw her attention.
She considered ignoring her but knew that would be rude. She had nothing against the Deltan except her unreasonable mistrust of Neil. So, she nodded politely and changed direction. "Hello, counselor."
That was a rather short introduction, Vura considered. It did not expand upon her open-ended welcome. Was she in a poor mood, as well? Vura decided to try again. "I was not aware that you enjoyed sketching, as well." She nodded towards Jayna's pencils. "Then again, we have hardly ever had an opportunity to talk."
"No, we haven't." Jayna mentally chided herself for letting her lack of enthusiasm show. "I don't usually draw in public areas, but today it felt like a good idea." She sat down and nodded to Vura's sketchpad. "I didn't know you drew, either. Do you prefer plants?"
"Today, I do," Vura answered simply, preferring not to think about her fight with Edmund. "How about yourself? Do you have a particular thing that you like to sketch?"
"I usually sketch people, but sometimes I like a change." Jayna raised an eyebrow. "So, if you don't draw flowers, what do you generally prefer?"
"People, as well." Vura turned towards Jayna and smiled warmly. "I guess that must not be much of a surprise, me being a counselor.... Often, though, I sketch memories. I do wish that I was better at it, though." She paused again before asking, "Is there anyone that you like to draw, or do you sketch others without their knowing...?" She let the question hang in the air, hoping that Mira would reveal more about herself.
"Both, actually. Sometimes I draw people I've seen--especially when I'm on assignment and need to let my handlers know who was involved. A drawing is much better than just a description. But mostly, I draw people I know." Jayna shrugged. "They're physical reminders of them and of things we did together. At times I'll sit in a public place like this and draw whatever comes to mind." She looked at Vura. "And you?"
"Ah, that's right! You're in intelligence on the Marine side. I suppose sketching would be an important skill for you. I prefer having a subject to sketch, myself. Usually, they do not know I am doing it, though. Then again, most people gawk at me. It can get quite tedious, though I admit it is somewhat fun, too. The urges of non-Deltans can be terribly simplistic." She shrugged in Mira's direction, as if it was the most normal thing in the universe.
Terribly simplistic? The comment amused her. At the same time, Jayna felt a little sorry for the counselor if she couldn't appreciate simple things. "I'm an intelligence officer currently attached to the Marines, but I'm Starfleet--although I do spend more time with The Cure at present." She shrugged. "It does help to be able to draw someone I saw the day before, but I also enjoy drawing for pleasure, capturing a moment in pencil or ink." She looked around before directing her attention at Vura again. "I didn't really appreciate arboretums until I joined the Pioneer." She hesitated before deciding to speak again. "I get the impression this is one of your favorite places to escape to."
"I would not say that," Vura answered. Where would Mira get that impression? Just by the fact that she was here? "However, it tends to be quieter here and sometimes it helps to quiet everything except one's internal monologue. Do you feel the same?"
"I spent much of my childhood in the woods and still find them a place of peace." Jayna waved a hand at the trees around them. "This is an oasis of sorts, but it's not the same. There are too many people here for it to have the same effect for me." She could tell the counselor was upset. There were subtle clues in the way she sat, the way she held her sketchpad, and the look in her eye. But Jayna knew better than to ask her directly about it.
"Of course," Vura answered. "What was your childhood like? It sounds like that you grew up in a somewhat isolated environment. So how did that lead up to you coming to Starfleet? It must be quite the story." Vura directed all of her attention on Mira, eager to hear the story.
It wasn't a secret, but Jayna didn't usually talk about it. Still, she thought the counselor would at least know where she was from. Then again, she usually went to Zhara, so there was no reason for Vura to read her files. Her past wasn't really that interesting. "I grew up on Bajor during the occupation. My family was part of a resistance cell. We lived in the woods to keep away from the Cardassians. My sister and I later joined the Maquis, and from there, Starfleet."
"That must have been difficult," Vura sympathized. "Staying in hiding. In fear of being caught or killed. Being oppressed by others. That could really have an effect on people." She probably trusts nobody and is always worried about what someone might do with her. The poor thing!
"It was at times, but we were kids. We thought it was a great adventure. Because my sister and I are identical twins, one of us would go somewhere public and make sure we were noticed and the other would break in and gather information for the resistance. Usually from someone's house or business. We were fortunate that we never got caught at it and we were too young to be noticed." Their parents kept them from the most dangerous assignments. It wasn't until they were in the Maquis that Jayna realized how protected they'd really been by her parents and their cell. "What about you? How did you come to be in Starfleet?"
"I volunteered," Vura answered simply. "Life on Delta IV was no longer suitable for me and this seemed like a rather grand adventure."
She immediately turned the topic off of herself and back onto Mira. "Twins, eh? What's your sister's name? Where is she, now? What is she doing?"
The intel officer just raised an eyebrow at the vague answer but chose not to pursue it. "Her name is Jayde. She's in Starfleet but works in security." Jayna hadn't realized until that moment how long it had been since she spoke with her sister. "She's on the USS Archimedes."
Vura noticed that Mira noticed her evasion regarding Delta IV. Intelligence officers often were as observant as counselors. They had to be to do their job. Grateful that Mira did not pursue the evasion, Vura pressed forward. "She did not pursue intelligence like you? I wonder why." The Counselor then teased, "If you're identical, how do I know that you're not her?"
The answer was that Starfleet didn't trust them enough to put them together. They were former Maquis and had yet to prove themselves. Even after the war ended. But Jayna chose to give her a less accurate but still truthful answer. "Easier to tell us apart. But to answer your question, she acts far more Vulcan than I do. She and I joined the Pioneer together, but she was transferred not long after."
"It is probably easier for the crew that way, too. Less trouble if you both have a prankster bone in your body. A lot of identical twins seem to enjoy playing games with significant others, bosses, and others. Apparently it is a game that never gets old." She shrugged. "I would not know as I am not a twin."
Suddenly the fact that Mira was part-Vulcan hit Vura. "More Vulcan? which of your parents was Vulcan? And was that parent on Bajor too?" This interested Vura to try and understand why a Vulcan would stay on Bajor when they were normally a peaceful race. Why not flee? Why be part of a rebellion. There was logic somewhere. Maybe it would help her understand Mira more.
A Joint Post By
Lieutenant Mira Jayna
Marine Corps Intelligence Command, The Cure
USS Pioneer
Lieutenant Vura
Chief Counselor, USS Pioneer
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