Updated – December 15, 1998
BEHIND LINES
Chapter 1 - Part J
Samarra looked across the candlelit table to Moore. Everything about this dinner, this night seemed surreal. He had no idea how this food could have been onboard the ship. She’d found Patroklian fowl and Alpha Centaurian blue wine. He had decided he didn’t want to know where the food was from or how she got it. He’d let that mystery go.
Samarra enjoyed the food, but found the company far more engaging. The subject matters they bantered about had gone from the pro’s and con’s of the Athenian democracy to some ideas on how to improve the warp drives efficiency to whether Katherine would look better with her hair cut short. Moore looked lovingly at Samarra as the candlelight danced in her eyes. Part of him felt regret for every moment they’d missed being friends or lovers and the other part of him was swearing to spend the rest of his life making up for that. The talking had stopped briefly as they dined a little more on their meals. As they did, they both reached a hand around the table and held them together.
Moore was the first to conclude the silence. Directly speaking, she asked, “John, why do you call me Katherine?”
A little confounded at first, he toyed with her, saying, “What? That is your name, right? I mean, I hope you would have mentioned I was calling you by the wrong name somewhere along the way.”
She gave him a look and then a warm smile. “Don’t be obtuse. I mean, why Katherine. Why not something other then what my dad or team leader use when they talk to me? Something more casual, and personal.”
Caressing her hand, he replied, “Well, Katherine’s a beautiful name and it fits you so well. I guess I’ve gotten used to it and haven't ever stopped to consider an alternative. But, I’m always looking for ways to be of service. What did you have in mind?”
Moore shrugged her shoulders and looked out the quarter’s window to the starscape. “I don’t know, I was just thinking about it and all.”
Goading her a little, he gently pried, “Come on. What is it? Honey? Sweetie? Katie? Cutie? Ma’am?”
She let a small chuckle out before saying, “I’m glad you’ve given me so many good options. Maybe you can use Katie…or maybe, maybe, one of the others.”
“Okay, Katie. Like it?”
Moore nodded in approval. Then she smiled, saying, “Thanks…Sweetie.”
Samarra furled his brow for a second, then loosened up, saying, “All right, just don’t go anywhere near Johnny or Juanito, okay? I'm still trying to break Meg of that habit.”
Moore simply smirked and held back on any remarks. She looked at him for a moment then released his hand and reached behind herself to the satchel. She brought the satchel around and reached into it. Moore pulled out a picture frame. Without a word, she handed it to Samarra.
Then she spoke as he looked closely at the frame. “You’ve mentioned that you wished you had a nice picture of me. So, I thought I’d give this to you.”
As the frame passed into his hands the first thing he noticed was the ornate beauty of the silver frame. It was a work of art. The picture held by it was of a younger Katherine Moore. From the uniform she was wearing, it was taken while she was a cadet at the Academy. Moore was sitting back against a tree, somewhere on campus he imagined, with a large smile on her face. She was bright, vibrant and happy. She sparkled with the same intensity that Samarra saw in her tonight. He was happy to be able to see another time in her life when she was content and cheerful, as so much of it was lost to her in war and pain. He looked from the vibrant brown eyes of the photo up into the loving and passionate brown eyes that were across the table now.
“It’s beautiful. I really don’t know to say. Thank you.”
He looked back at the image and tried to imagine what a younger Katherine…Katie would have been like. As he did this Moore again went into the satchel and brought out a bottle. Samarra looked up and found himself unable to determine what was in the bottle.
Moore answered his unspoken question, “Rigellian Brandy, compliments of Gatrinis. I thought it would be a good way to cap off the evening.”
Samarra frowned a little before saying, “Well, I don’t know if we want to be recovering from a hangover tomorrow morning.”
“I’m not talking about drinking the whole bottle. Of course if we did, I could easily handle it.”
He gave her a knowing smile. “I have no doubt you could. I was more worried about me.”
Giving in on the point she sat back and conceded the point. Samarra then rose from his chair and carefully placed the framed picture on the table. Samarra glanced to Moore and offered her his hand, which she accepted. She stood and stepped closely. Placing his arms around her waist he spoke, “Tell you what. Why don’t we hold onto the bottle, for another time, like when you return? In turn, I’ll make you a counteroffer, which I hope you’ll accept, and prefer.”
She gave him a sly smile and put her arms around his waist. “My, my, I didn’t know you were so devious.”
Trying to be humorous he said, “I learned from the best, hmm?”
Looking away for a moment, her gaze quickly returned. With a seductive look she asked, “So, what do you have to offer?”
Samarra leaned in and the two began to passionately kiss.
*****
Samarra was awakened with a start. He looked over and saw Moore lying against him. He looked at her sleeping face and smiled. He brushed some strands of hair from her face as he watched her sleep. God, she’s a sweet angel.
She then, suddenly, twitched and kicked. Quietly, she seemed to be having a fight in her mind. She started to quietly call out to someone, trying to warn them and keep them from harm. The whole ordeal seemed to go on for a couple of minutes. She never woke through the dream; she just twisted and turned through it. Samarra knew it had to be dream about Madix II.
Madix II was the world she was born on, and the world, Samarra imagined, part of her died on. In some of the worst fighting of the General War, Klingons broke through Starfleet’s lines. They assaulted a number of colonies just beyond those lines. There were a number of massacres where tens of thousands were lost before the Klingons fell back, Madix II was one victim. Before it was over, Katherine’s mother, brother, and sister had been lost. He knew it haunted her and had radically changed the course of her life. He could not imagine what she felt and went through, then and now. He wished he could make the pain disappear. He wished he could make her feel safe. All he could do was wrap the blanket a little more around her, hold her a little closer, and just wish.
*****
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