Bittersweet Reunions

Posted on Wed Apr 20th, 2011 @ 3:54pm by Lieutenant Colonel Anastasia DeVries & 1st Lieutenant Lukas DeVries

Mission: Renegades
Location: Transporter Room - USS Arizona
Timeline: Following 'Pawns and Precursors'

Smart enough to know when to get the hell out of dodge the Petty Officer manning the transporter pad wasted no time in following behind the Commodore as the elder man made his quick exit. Now, alone in the silent room, the two DeVries' stood together for the first time in nearly four years. So much had changed.

From her own position closest to the door Stace eyed the man before her with mixed feelings. The joy she felt from seeing him there was enough to make her cry. Yet the anger was just as strong. Maybe stronger. Taking a deep breath she began to cross the room - shortening the distance between them until they were nearly nose to nose.

"Hi..." Lukas finally greeted - a mere whisper.

Stace froze suddenly as the reality of him came into her senses. Oh how she had longed to hear him speak. The faint sound of his voice all but a lingering memory in her mind. Memories. She frowned as she realized that was all she had had of him for these past few years. Memories and a fading voice. She reached back then and swung her fist forcefully into his face - the sound of crushing bone ending the eerie silence in the room. "You bastard!!"

Reeling backwards from the heavy blow, Lukas' hands immediately went to his crippled nose - the crimson splash running down his forearms. As much as he hated bleeding from any orifice, he made no attempts to stop the woman's barrage of violence. He had expected this type of reaction and perhaps on some deep subconscious level had looked forward to it. He had violated her in the worst way and wanted her retribution.

"All these years..." Stace ignited as she took to pacing the floor heatedly. "All the years that I carried the guilt... the shame of knowing I couldn't save you... and you were alive and well the entire time!"

Confident that the blood loss was controlled for the moment, Lukas took to wiping his hands haphazardly on his uniform shirt before mustering up the courage to actually talk to her. "Let me explain..."

"Explain!? What's there to explain!?" the woman countered - her steps becoming more furious.

Throwing caution to the wind the marine charged on the Major, firmly placing both blood stained hands on her shoulders. "Everything," he answered firmly. "You have to understand. I didn't feel I could risk it. I just couldn't."

"Bullshit!" she nearly screamed. "I could have protected you had you just come to me in the first place! You should have come to me!"

Lukas lowered his head and sighed. She was right of course. No one in their right mind would want to anger this woman that much. Still, what had been done was done. There was nothing that could change that. "I'm sorry... I really am. I just... I just thought staying away would be easier. Safer. At least until I could sort everything out. I was wrong. I know that."

"I know you do," Stace muttered as she ran her fingers through her falling hair. "I suppose all that matters is you're here now."

He smiled a bit at the tone her voice had taken. No longer was it homicidal. For that he was eternally thankful. "The Commodore has given me permission to tag along for a while... at least until our problem has been sorted out."

"And what problem would that be exactly?" she inquired as she halted in her pacing long enough to take a seat upon the transporter pad.

Crossing his arms against his chest, Lukas' brow furrowed a bit. "We were... experimenting... back on Epsilon. At first I thought it was new medicines and weapons in order to help us combat any futuristic threats... but as time went on I began to notice that things weren't going as I thought they should be. After I dug around a little I realized the section was actually plotting against the Federation in hopes of saving it themselves and thus proving to StarFleet that they were needed. I told a friend of mine what I discovered and we both decided to get word of it off the base but by then it was too late. Some of the other agents realized that the project had been compromised and opted to obliterate all evidence."

"I saw the destruction," Stace informed him after a pause. "I arrived only hours after the last fires stopped. I searched through the wreckage... I found... I found this..." She reached deep into her uniform pockets and fished around a bit until at last she pulled out a small object. It shone of blue and green.

The sight nearly brought the man to tears. How had she... "I don't believe it..."

"This... damn rock. It told me all I needed to know. I was so sure of it," she mumbled as she thumbed it over in her palm. "For all these years I've carried it. Not really understanding why I did... but perhaps now I do." She clenched her fingers around it tightly before opening her hand out to him. "Go on. It's yours."

Lukas' smile grew wider as he leaned forth to take the precious stone from her slightly trembling hand. It seemed so silly to be attached to such a ridiculous object... but it was the one true thing he had left of his former life. His true life. It was a memento of strength and perseverance. "It means a lot that you kept it."

"Well... no one else wanted it," Stace retorted. "After all, it is just a rock."

He laughed loudly at the sarcasm. Oh how it felt so good to truly laugh. "You're the best mom. Seriously. Now, maybe I can go fix my face?"

"I'm not sure they can fix that," she pointed out as she climbed back to her feet and approached him. "After all... I tried for years to help your father with the same problem."

The man only laughed harder. "That's not right. Not right at all."

"Probably not," she grinned as she gave him a quick pat on the shoulder. "Afterwards though why don't you stop by my office and pick up the PaDDs I was going over. After what you've just told me and everything that's going on now... something tells me I need to brush up on a couple things."

Lukas nodded as he took the first of a few short steps towards the door exiting into the corridor. "Sure thing. I'll meet up with you in a bit then?"

"Of course," Stace acknowledged as she edged him out the doorway. "And make sure you call your sister. I know she'll be anxious to scream at you too."

It was going to be a long night.