Updated – December 1, 1998
BEHIND LINES
Chapter 1 - Part C
Samarra stood in his doorway and surveyed his quarters. Setting the room’s lights to dim, he walked to his couch and reclined.
Looking to one corner of his quarters he said, “Activate Light Three.”
In that corner, a light brightened and a white marble bust was illuminated. It was of Athene, an ancient Greek goddess. Katherine gave it to him for his birthday. They had been talking about The Iliad and he had mentioned how he was partial to Athene among the old Greek pantheon. So, knowing he had a birthday coming she contacted her father and told him to send her the old bust. Her mother had brought it with her from Earth and had given it to Katherine when she was ten. So, when she gave him the gift he was stunned and touched. Something that personal let him really see how serious she really was about him. It really meant a lot to him.
Reminiscing over the past reminded him that he hadn’t looked at The Iliad in a long while. So he put his fingers together and told the computer to run The Iliad audio file that Katherine had placed in the ship’s computer. It was a version done with a dactylic hexameter, the speaking style of The Iliad’s time. While he wasn’t an avid lover of war stories, he did love the style and pace of this one; it reminded him of a tribal style he’d come across while a Science Officer on the Achilles. He slowly put his head back. Closing his eyes he imagined the ancient tale unfolding before him and left his worries outside.
With a start, reality snapped back into place around him. Based on how far The Iliad had progressed he realized he must have fallen asleep. The door chime sounded again and he looked at the door saying, “Door open.”
The light from the hallway left him momentarily blinded, so he shielded his eyes.
A strong feminine voice pierced the darkness, “John? I’m sorry, am I disturbing you?”
Quickly, Samarra shot up saying, “Katherine! No, no, come in. I must have fallen asleep. I didn’t realize you’d be free.”
With that, Lieutenant Katherine Moore stepped through the doorway. As the door shut Samarra could see her much clearer. As always, she wore a standard uniform like his. The only differences were her yellow shirt, signifying her Engineering specialty, and team patches on both arms of her coat, signifying her membership in the Endeavor’s Primary Team. These patches displayed a sword resting in a stone with lightning crashing behind it.
As she noticed the epic poem, she unconsciously looked up seeking its source. As her gaze returned to Samarra, she brushed some loose strands of her curly blonde hair from her forehead. God, he thought, she was so beautiful.
She gave him a bemused look, playfully saying, “Oh great. So I share this beautiful version of The Iliad with you and what do you with it? You use it to cure insomnia.”
Trying to rebut, Samarra opened his mouth to explain, but she cut him off saying, “Don’t worry. I’ll let you off…once.”
Looking at each other for a few more moments, Moore broke the silence. “Do you mind if I clean up. I just finished up…some stuff.”
Samarra nodded his head and she walked past the partition that separated his sleeping area and the head from the rest of his quarters. Samarra got up and stretched for a moment. He tossed his coat, which he was still clutching, on to the chair beside the door and walked over to a pot of hot mint tea and poured out a cup. Looking over his back, he called to her and asked if she wanted something, to which she replied no. He returned to the couch and waited.
Deciding to inquire, he said, “I thought Major Lark was going to be on your backs until we reached Starbase 28.”
Moore sighed from the other room and said, “Well, that was the plan. He received some orders and updated mission info and called a halt to our preparations while he reviewed it all. Which means we have some time.”
With that Samarra sat back and drank some tea, trying to decide what he wanted to say next. He wasn’t sure if he should try to glean information from her or if he should let it lie and try to enjoy some free time with her. He heard her stop using the cleaning unit and become silent. She stayed that way for a minute and as he was about to go over to check on her she briskly returned with a slightly distracted look on her face and her shoulder length hair untied. She gave him a renewed smile and unclasped her collar.
“So, is this what you’ve been doing all this time? Just hiding in the dark, taking naps?.”
“No. I hide in my office sometimes.”
She gave his a light smile and continued to stand there. They continued watching each other for a moment and Samarra decided to go and do the stupid thing. “Do you know anything about your mission yet?”
Moore lowered her head, “John, you ought to know I can’t talk about it.”
Samarra stood up, “I know. It is just frustrating to not know what Starfleet has in mind for my ship, my crew…and most important, you.”
Moore looked up into his blue eyes and stepped forward to take his hands, “Thanks for worrying about me. These type of missions are never easy on commanders or…especially loved ones.” With that she leaned forward and kissed him.
They moved to the coach and sat down. Not able to let the issue die, Samarra continued, “I understand that Starfleet has and does need to do things behind my back. I’m just too used to being a scientist, give me problem and I’ll solve it, give me question and I’ll answer it.”
“Don’t worry so much. Their are enough troubles in this galaxy without you creating more for yourself.” She tightened her grip on his hands saying, “Promise me you’ll lighten up, right now. I’m the grim one, remember?” She gave him a quick kiss, before returning to peering into his eyes.
“Okay. I trust you.”
Moore looked down, “You shouldn’t do that too much. It’s not the best time in history for trust.”
Samarra moved closer, “Hey, I thought we were lightening up.”
Moore sat there and stared at him for a moment, then she gave him a faint smile. She placed her head on his shoulder and pulled his arm around her.
Drained, she spoke, “Could we sit here for a while. I’ve been staring at a console for eight hours and before that we were…well let’s just say I wouldn’t mind not moving for a day or two.”
Samarra lightly rested his head upon hers and quietly said, “Hey, if you don’t want to move for a while, I’m all for joining you. Besides, anything that’ll keep me from bothering the crew will likely boost ship morale.”
“Hmm. Well you can be annoying John, but I love you anyway." She paused a moment before saying, "You know, The Iliad really isn’t suitable for the moment.”
“Well if you have something else…”
“Computer. Play Quixote-Full.”
With that, The Iliad halted and a trumpet sounded.
Quickly, she spoke again, ”Computer. Set volume to half.”
The audio file continued and the musical, Man of La Mancha, began.
In curiosity, Samarra asked, “How did that file get in there?”
She innocently responded, “Remember when you lent me the video file of this musical a couple of weeks ago?”
“Yes.”
“I thought it’d be a little more accessible to you if it was on file and awaiting you.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I don’t know. Maybe just to mess with your head now.”
“You do like to sneak around me.” Then, mimicking her earlier words saying, “Well, I’ll let you off…once.”
*****
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