[Marcus] A memory best forgotten
Who: Marcus Cole
Where: In Dreams
When: Day 36, mid-afternoon
Private, except for telepaths who can sense/read dreams
Status: Complete
Whoever said that the dead didn't dream hadn't been in a cryotube, half alive, half dead. Marcus would have been tossing and turning, were his muscles not held in stasis, but as it was he couldn't help the dreams/memories that assailed him.
"WAHOO!" came the jubilant cry of one of the star fury pilots "This is fury nine to command, all shadows sent to oblivion, commander. The sector is free!"
"Good, bring the boys back to the barn" Susan's voice passed easily over the comm and she turned away to look at the crew on her white star.
Marcus found himself grinning at the sheer pleasure that this new brought. "Finally, maybe we can get some sleep tonight?" he glanced to Ivanova, then hurriedly away, hoping she'd not heard the slip. Rather than dig the hole deeper, he tried to change tack "Shall I stand the ship down, comman..." he looked up at Susan, her body outlined in shadow by the sight beyond the viewscreen... and then his eyes widened as a dark shape formed out of the surrounding light, resolving itself into that of the hated enemy, a shadow.
Suddenly, the world had seemed to slow to moments too long to contemplate, but too short to react. "Su.." He didn't even manage to complete the sentence before the shadow ship crashed through the viewscreen and into the bridge.
It was only because the ship was of Mimbari construction that the shield expanded to stop the decompression. It was only because the ship was Mimbari that people survived. However, Marcus was blown from his feet and landed with a heavy thump on the upper dais.
However, Commander Ivanova wasn't lucky. Standing just in front of the viewscreen, she had taken the full force of the impact, crushed beneath the struts and circuitry of the viewscreen and slowly beating her life out, second by second.
-----
It may have been minutes, or it may have been hours, but Marcus awoke to find the whole bridge in ruins. "Susan?" Frantically he cast around for her, eyes looking for the dark hair he longed so much to stroke, or listening for the voice he loved so well yelling orders and trying to keep pace with the battle.
Except the battle was over and the bridge was deathly silent.
Crawling on his hands and knees, he headed towards the last spot he'd seen her. "Susan?"
One of the Mimbari called out a report, but Marcus ignored it, he'd seen a hand sticking out from under the wreckage and a feeling of deep-seated panic and fear gripped him. Scrambling towards the mess, he started to peel away the pieces, careful not to budge the occupant below. "Please..." he whispered, as he felt for a pulse. The sense of relief he felt was almost palpable. She was alive!
----
Hours later, Marcus looked down on her dying body, tears fighting for dominance over his iron control. Her breath caught and Marcus leapt to her side.
The conversation that followed wasn't a memory that Marcus held, it was simply that his normally photographic memory hadn't processed it, too befuddled by grief...
However, someone had mentioned one thing, something about a torture device designed to transfer the living essence of a criminal to the victim.
The last memory that Marcus had was of looking down on Susan and watching as the colour slowly returned to her cheeks. Life had been returned to her, but Marcus couldn't fight it any longer; life was ebbing away from him and he was glad. Susan would live a life that was far more worthy than his own. He would die, so that she, Susan Ivanova would live.
And what a life she could have. Now bereft of the nuiscance he'd been, she could at last get every good thing she was overdue.
He was glad and a smile found it's way to his lips, now turning blue as life finally left him.
Where: In Dreams
When: Day 36, mid-afternoon
Private, except for telepaths who can sense/read dreams
Status: Complete
Whoever said that the dead didn't dream hadn't been in a cryotube, half alive, half dead. Marcus would have been tossing and turning, were his muscles not held in stasis, but as it was he couldn't help the dreams/memories that assailed him.
"WAHOO!" came the jubilant cry of one of the star fury pilots "This is fury nine to command, all shadows sent to oblivion, commander. The sector is free!"
"Good, bring the boys back to the barn" Susan's voice passed easily over the comm and she turned away to look at the crew on her white star.
Marcus found himself grinning at the sheer pleasure that this new brought. "Finally, maybe we can get some sleep tonight?" he glanced to Ivanova, then hurriedly away, hoping she'd not heard the slip. Rather than dig the hole deeper, he tried to change tack "Shall I stand the ship down, comman..." he looked up at Susan, her body outlined in shadow by the sight beyond the viewscreen... and then his eyes widened as a dark shape formed out of the surrounding light, resolving itself into that of the hated enemy, a shadow.
Suddenly, the world had seemed to slow to moments too long to contemplate, but too short to react. "Su.." He didn't even manage to complete the sentence before the shadow ship crashed through the viewscreen and into the bridge.
It was only because the ship was of Mimbari construction that the shield expanded to stop the decompression. It was only because the ship was Mimbari that people survived. However, Marcus was blown from his feet and landed with a heavy thump on the upper dais.
However, Commander Ivanova wasn't lucky. Standing just in front of the viewscreen, she had taken the full force of the impact, crushed beneath the struts and circuitry of the viewscreen and slowly beating her life out, second by second.
-----
It may have been minutes, or it may have been hours, but Marcus awoke to find the whole bridge in ruins. "Susan?" Frantically he cast around for her, eyes looking for the dark hair he longed so much to stroke, or listening for the voice he loved so well yelling orders and trying to keep pace with the battle.
Except the battle was over and the bridge was deathly silent.
Crawling on his hands and knees, he headed towards the last spot he'd seen her. "Susan?"
One of the Mimbari called out a report, but Marcus ignored it, he'd seen a hand sticking out from under the wreckage and a feeling of deep-seated panic and fear gripped him. Scrambling towards the mess, he started to peel away the pieces, careful not to budge the occupant below. "Please..." he whispered, as he felt for a pulse. The sense of relief he felt was almost palpable. She was alive!
----
Hours later, Marcus looked down on her dying body, tears fighting for dominance over his iron control. Her breath caught and Marcus leapt to her side.
The conversation that followed wasn't a memory that Marcus held, it was simply that his normally photographic memory hadn't processed it, too befuddled by grief...
However, someone had mentioned one thing, something about a torture device designed to transfer the living essence of a criminal to the victim.
The last memory that Marcus had was of looking down on Susan and watching as the colour slowly returned to her cheeks. Life had been returned to her, but Marcus couldn't fight it any longer; life was ebbing away from him and he was glad. Susan would live a life that was far more worthy than his own. He would die, so that she, Susan Ivanova would live.
And what a life she could have. Now bereft of the nuiscance he'd been, she could at last get every good thing she was overdue.
He was glad and a smile found it's way to his lips, now turning blue as life finally left him.