Displaced

Posted on 03 May 2021 @ 4:23am by Commander Indi Hawk & Captain Mallory Thorne

1,226 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Home

There had been many a meeting since the Odin returned, both with persons on the ship and outside the ship. If given the choice, Mallory Thorne tended to prefer the former...and it was one such meeting she was on the way to. She and Petrova had been making sure to get in touch with each member of the Terran Union on the vessel. Thankfully for their sake, that wasn't a big number. The one currently on her list was Commander Indi Hawk, so that's where she headed.

Ever since it had become clear they'd switched universe, Indi had been hiding in her quarters. She didn't feel the joy that filled most of the crew. She didn't want to face it, didn't want to face them, and preferably didn't want to face the switch either. But, the longer they were here, the more obvious it was that she couldn't ignore it. She'd tried a couple times to open the commlink to her wife, but she'd always seen the 'connection currently unavailable' message. As the chime to her quarters rang, she let out another sigh, but figured she couldn't leave whoever was on the other side, just standing there. "Enter!" she called out.

At the sound from the other side, Mallory stepped closer to the door and it swished open to allow her inside. She glanced around until she found the source of her search. "Commander Hawk," she greeted. "I hope I'm not intruding. I was wondering if you had a moment to speak."

Indi had been a member of the Union for very long. She was aware why the other woman was here and what would happen. Or rather, she had an idea of where this would be headed, but she couldn't be sure what Starfleet would end up doing to her. The little angry voice sounded in her head again for a moment, that she was at least as superior in rank as the other woman, and that this had only be temporary. But, her experience managed to stamp it down. She knew Thorne would probably be feeling as uncomfortable being here for this talk as she was having her here. So, instead of saying any of that, she gave a sad smile. "Of course, Captain, please have a seat if you like."

"For what it's worth," Mal began, walking in and taking the seat near the other woman. "I am sorry that you're stuck here now. If given the choice, I would've not brought along any of those who were not part of the ship..." She hesitated. "Starfleet Command has given me leave to determine how best to help those stuck here with us now. Give you the choice as to remaining with us or relocating."

Her eyes never left the CO as the latter sat down. There was a lot of information in the statement that followed, and Indi did her best to hear it all. There was a distinct difference between hearing the words and actually listening to their meaning. "And just exactly where would I relocate to?" she asked, her voice deceptively flat.

Mallory gave Hawk all the time she needed, since Mal knew from experience that this was a lot to take in. "We would help you figure that out. You could move to Earth, although it probably would be very different than the Earth you knew. Or we could help you research other locations that might be suitable and help set you up there."

To Indi, that sounded unreasonably friendly. The Terran Union had never been known to be friendly and open to outsiders. And here she was, the ultimate outsider. Though, to her credit, she didn't feel like she'd treated these people as badly as she could have--or as had probably been expected of her. "What would be the options if I chose to stay?"

"We don't carry civilians, so you would remain a part of the crew if you chose to stay aboard," Mal said simply. "You could maintain your post and rank. You are still something of a stranger to us, but you clearly know your business."

Indi managed to keep from pulling a face. Of course she knew her business. She'd been doing so for years. As a Captain. So, there wasn't much 'maintaining' of rank to her eyes. Not that Thorne was to blame for that. It still didn't taste right though. She didn't feel like relocating outside the fleet, but remaining in it as a department head wasn't exactly what she'd had in mind either. Either option sucked. "When do you need an answer?"

Mallory replied, "Before we set out from Earth again. I don't know yet how soon that will be, precisely, since Starfleet Command probably won't be done with us for a while."

"Is there anything you would like to know that would make me less of a stranger? It doesn't feel right for me to possibly opt on maintaining my position without giving you better insight," Indi asked after a moment of silence. She didn't like opening up to a stranger, but as this universe was filled with nothing but strangers, she felt like she didn't exactly have much of a choice.

"I would like to know you better," Mal said, but then she smiled ruefully. "I also, however, am aware that it's not easy to be forthcoming when your entire universe just changed. If there's anything you want to share now, feel free, otherwise we can get to the rest in time."

Indi nodded slightly. "That works. The hours and days are very long right now while I'm here in my quarters. I might go out and explore this version of Earth, but that feels so final."

Mallory considered what the woman said. "As if seeing a different universe outside makes it too real?"

"Yeah," Indi confirmed with another nod. "I can't put it off indefinitely, and I'm kind of curious to see what Earth looks like in this universe, but eh, I'm not sure I'm ready for it yet."

"Well, you're right that you'll have to eventually," the captain agreed, "but it doesn't have to be now. I think we'll be here for some while, what with Starfleet harassing me and others about what happened. I imagine that they'll soon want to talk more to you and Reyes and the couple of others from the Union that were posted here."

Indi tilted her head as she searched for the words to translate what she was thinking. "Have you ever.... considered.. while you were in my universe, that you might have a parallel version of yourself there?"

Mallory thought for a moment. "At times, but it seemed unlikely. Although it could have happened, it wasn't so much a 'mirror' universe that we could tell but our own timeline changed. I'm not sure the distinction is that important, though. Temporal mechanics was never my strong suit."

The silence stretched on for a few moments. Indi pondered the meaning of 'mirror' for a bit longer, but then decided it was pretty useless. "I'll inform you of my decision shortly, Captain," she finally spoke.

Sensing a dismissal--and as she was and was not captain here, so to speak--she got to her feet and smiled politely. "Take your time, Commander," she said. "If you have any questions, my door is open to you."

 

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