Ghosts from the Past
Posted on Wed Mar 14th, 2018 @ 4:13am by Lieutenant Commander Mira Jayde & Master Chief Petty Officer Liang Shao
683 words; about a 3 minute read
Mission:
Ghost of a Chance
Location: Holodeck
Timeline: Right after "Reflection and Remorse"
ON
Jayde was still sitting in the middle of an empty holodeck when the door opened and Liang walked in. The Master-at-Arms said nothing; she just sat down next to her friend and waited.
After a while, Jayde wiped the tears from her face. "Why are you here?" she asked quietly, not looking at Liang.
"Because you need me," Liang replied. "And so, I am here. You met Commander Smoak?"
Jayde nodded. "I overran my time. He told me..." She paused for several minutes while she thought of all that had been said and unsaid. "We were--together, when I was in the Maquis. But then he left, and we were almost caught by Starfleet. I heard nothing from him for days. Then I received an anonymous message informing me he was with Starfleet Intelligence. That I was only a means to an end." There was so much she couldn't say, so many feelings she'd buried for years. There was another long pause. "Jason told me that he was the one who warned the Marauder and kept us from being caught in Starfleet's net. That he left me an encrypted message." She shook her head. "I never saw the message.
"You believe his words," Liang stated. She didn't need to ask, she could tell by how upset Jayde was.
Jayde nodded. "He spoke the truth. He gave me a reference number to find that message to prove his words."
"Did you ever wonder why the message was sent to you?"
"I looked. There was no trail to follow. It was as if the message came from nowhere. But when I joined Starfleet, I looked him up. It was true."
"What will you do now?" Liang asked.
"Find the message."
"And you will find it." It wasn't a question.
"I will try."
"He speaks the truth, you have the key to prove it. And yet you cry."
"Because if what he tells me is true, then I've hated him for nothing."
"Hate is always for nothing. It is a snake that eats you from the inside and leaves you hollow."
"I thought." Jayde took a moment to calm herself. "I thought I let go of my feelings. That I no longer loved, no longer hated. But when I saw him, it all came back."
"Love and hate are two sides of the same coin. It is only when you truly let go of your feelings can you move on."
Jayde said nothing.
"You never truly let your feelings for him go. You are a stubborn child. You cannot leave things undone, questions unanswered. You already know the answers you seek."
"It was twenty years ago. It's too late."
"It is never too late for second chances. Not when you both want one."
Jayde shook her head.
"Listen to your heart. You were an angry child when I met you, out to prove to the world that you feared nothing. And then, you shut it all inside, pretended it did not matter. But I see the paint, the loneliness. You do not need to live like this."
"It's too late."
"No." Liang stood. "It is only too late if you give up. If you let cowardice and fear keep you from taking what is offered."
"How could he forgive me?"
"He already has. All you have to do is open your heart and let him in." Liang began to walk toward the door. "Or shut yourself away and remain alone. The choice is yours."
She paused at the door. "I taught you better than that. Trust your instincts. And perhaps, take a chance."
The door opened and Liang walked out.
For several moments, Jayde just stared at the arch. Liang made it sound so easy. But she knew it was far too compicated. And she was far too insecure.
"Computer, activate Jayde Cliff Camp."
The holodeck resolved itself into another forest. This one had a cliff overlooking a deep lake. Jayde stripped off her clothes and dove into the water to swim.
____
OFF
Lieutenant Commander Mira Jayde
Executive Officer
Master Chief Petty Officer Liang Shao
Master-at-Arms
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