Days Gone By - Part Two

Posted on Mon Nov 18th, 2024 @ 2:39pm by Captain Nycolas Temple

[Lucis - 2384]

Friends, family, and colleagues were gathered at the reception on the day of the big wedding. It was the social event of the season, and the room was packed with people, all dressed up in their fanciest attire. It had been a while since there had been such an affair, and there was excited buzz in the air giving it was the union between a Starfleet officer and a civilian. The wedding was being held in the city’s grand hall, a large round building near the northern end of the garden city and nestled amongst a sea of ferns and palm trees.

Nycolas stood in the corridor which led to the reception hall, pulling at the sleeves of his tuxedo as he paced back and forth. The doors to the hall were wide open and he could see people inside, chatting in their seats as they awaited the big event. He felt uncomfortable and stiff out of uniform, not used to the formal attire he was forced to wear for today’s ceremony. He bargained with himself that it would only be for an hour or two more.

“Well, don’t we look fancy.” Emilie playfully smiled as she walked inside and spied the Lieutenant. She was wearing a silver floor length gown with a headband of silver roses in her hair. She looked the Lieutenant up and down in his tux and gave a soft giggle, not hiding the fact that she was enjoying the view.

Nycolas turned to respond to her, something equally witty he had just thought of. But as soon as his eyes hit Emilie, all words were lost. They evaporated out of his mouth like the rain in a desert. His lips opened and nothing resembling a sentence came out. He finally managed to push out a breathless "Wow" after much effort.

Emilie stopped and she dropped her head, feeling herself blush, “I’ve never gotten a 'wow' before.” She said gently.

“You… ah… should have.” Nycolas stammered, feeling the shirt collar tighten uncomfortably around his neck. “I mean, uh, you look lovely.”

“Thank you, Nyk.” Emilie smiled and the two stared at each other for a long, long moment.

"Ah, there's my daughter." Governor Fleuret announced as he too walked into the corridor. "Sorry darling, I ran into Councilman Ja-Jocoba outside. We had to settle the matter of the Ministerial appointments for the new term." He looked over and saw Nycolas standing by awkwardly, "Well now, if it isn't Lieutenant Temple. I almost didn't recognize you."

Nycolas laughed nervously, "Not my usual attire." He admitted sheepishly.

"Well why not, son, you scrub up well." Fleuret announced, "Doesn't he, Emilie?"

Emilie had returned to a quieter reservation, showing no signs of affection towards Temple, and she gave a half-hearted shrug. "I suppose. Not that we see him that often. It seems like we actually see more of his deputy than the Chief of Security at our meetings now."

Internally, Temple winced. He had now been on Lucis for eight months, and he had spent the majority of that time building up his new security team, training them, establishing security protocols where few had previously existed, and improving the infrastructure that he hoped would keep Lucis safe. In the meantime, he was also completing missions for Starfleet Intelligence as part of Project Angel. He would often disappear for a few days, even a week, while on deployment for S.I. with his mentor, Commodore Thurston.

Thurston had noticed that Temple had been apparently slow to ingratiate himself with the civilian population on Lucis, a planet that he himself loved to visit. He was constantly reminding Nycolas to become part of the city, treat it as his home, and possibly even make friends there. Nycolas did not want to sit in council meetings, discussing colony politics. He wanted to be out in the field working for S.I. or training his team.

That wasn't to say Nycolas hadn't found something else to occupy his time...

"Oh leave off the boy, Emilie." Governor Fleuret decried, breaking Nycolas' thoughts. "He's been busy guarding our city! Isn't that right?"

"Yes sir," Nycolas stammered out.

"Got your speech prepared then, Lieutenant?" Fleuret asked to change the subject. "Best Man has got to do a speech, you know."

Nycolas winced again. "Yes, I do."

Commodore Thurston loved the city so much; he had decided to get married here. He wanted a truly unique location that was not on a holodeck or somewhere like Risa where everyone else had been before. Thurston wanted this private city on this lush, gorgeous tropical jungle planet to marry his fiancée, Sarah. And he chose his protege Nycolas to be his Best Man, thereby forcing him to come to a social event and give a speech in front of the city. It was the perfect exercise for the Lieutenant.

Drill instruction, Nycolas knew.
Repeating protocols, Nycolas could do.
Leading a mission, Nycolas was an expert at.
But giving a Best Man's speech? It gave him nightmares.

"Temple!" Thurston cried out as he entered the Grand Hall. He too was wearing a tailored black tuxedo, and it was an unusual sight for Nycolas. He had only ever seen his boss in uniform or training attire. This felt entirely too fancy for them both. "There he is!"

"Sir," Nycolas gave a swift nod as Thurston approached, feeling comfort in their usual formalities.

"At ease, my friend, it is a day of celebration!" Thurston laughed.

"Congratulations, Commodore." Governor Fleuret greeter the groom with a handshake. "Such a wonderful event. It's a beautiful day."

"Thank you, sir, and thank you both for coming." Thurston beamed, his face broadening with an unbreakable smile. "I should be nervous, right, but I'm not. I'm damn excited to get married today. I can't wait to see Sarah."

"Ah of course." The Governor laughed, "I remember that feeling well." He turned to Lieutenant Temple, "You're next then, son, is that right?"

Nycolas coughed loudly in surprise and Emilie quickly interjected for him, "Is the bride far behind, Commodore?"

"Sarah was leaving the hotel just after me." Thurston replied giddily, as he peered into the reception hall to see all the people who had gathered already. "Not long now."

“Then come, father,” Emilie said patiently, placing her hand upon his arm, “We should take our seats before the wedding party arrives."

“Very well,” Governor Fleuret agreed, “All the best, Commodore, and congratulations again." They started to move away, heading into the reception room. "And I look forward to your speech, Lieutenant.” He commented as Emilie began to gently guide him inside.

Emilie turned back slightly, giving Nycolas a smile. “As do I.” She whispered. Nycolas felt his collar tighten once more as he watched her walk away.

Thurston slapped Nycolas on the back jovially. "Let's get in there, Nycolas. I'm getting married today!"

"Yes, sir." Temple replied, trying to match the enthusiasm.

Soon, the bride and the rest of the wedding party had arrived, and the ceremony began. Nycolas watched as the happy couple exchanged their vows and rings. As part of a regional custom, near the end of the ceremony, their family members stood and adorned the couple with what appeared to be a hand-woven shawl, made from the silk of a tree in the Lucian forest. Nycolas regarded the event with quiet curiosity as he stood by his mentor's side. The shawl was draped around the couple, a symbol of them joining together.

That evening, the wedding reception was in full swing. The guests danced and reveled, drank and ate. The couple were at the head table and occasionally a guest would approach holding a round silver badge and they would take a moment to add their badge onto the couple’s shawl. Each one held a symbol from their own families, showing that the people of the colony were supporting the couple in their marriage.

Then, it was time for Temple's speech. The room quietened as Nycolas stood from his chair. He genuinely thought the PADD he was holding was going to short-circuit from all the sweat on his hands.

"Good evening." He began, his voice cracking on the first 'e'. "Ahem. Evening. I stand before you today feeling like I've just been handed a live photon torpedo and told, "Good luck!" Being the best man for Commodore Thurston is probably - no, definitely - the hardest mission I've had so far in my career, because of the very real possibility that he could court martial me right here, right now."

"I could!" Thurston interjected jokingly, and the crowd laughed.

"In truth, there is no one else I'd rather undertake this mission for." Nycolas continued, "The Commodore and I have shared many adventures, only some of which we can actually talk about without breaching Starfleet protocol. From our late-night strategy sessions that mostly involved arguing over whose turn it was to make coffee, to surviving his legendary boot camp drills—which, I swear, have aged me more than my actual years in service."

The audience gave a polite murmur of approving laughs.

"One thing about the boss is that he's the kind of guy who takes military precision to a whole new level. I once saw him organize his sock drawer in alpha-numeric order. It's true. And I knew Sarah was the one when she didn't just tolerate it, she handed him a label maker. Sarah, you truly are his perfect match and the only person who could keep him in line with a smile and a well-timed eye roll."

"And let’s not forget, the only time I've seen the Commodore more nervous than me right now was when he proposed to Sarah. But, in classic Thurston fashion, he did it with a level of commitment and confidence that made us all wonder if he was proposing or giving a mission briefing. So, here’s to Mister and Misses Thurston," Nycolas raised his glass, and so too did the room, "May your life together be less regimented than his sock drawer and filled with more adventures than our late-night coffee debates. Cheers to a lifetime of love, laughter, and lots of label-making!"

The audience cheered and toasted to the newlyweds. Thurston stood and slapped Nycolas on the back emphatically as he pulled him in for a hug, thanking him for the speech.

"No court martial?" Nycolas asked and Thurston laughed. As he sat down again, he caught Emilie's eyes from a table near the front. She raised her glass to him and gave a demure smile. Nycolas nodded politely and drank his water.

...

Later as the night continued, Nycolas found himself at the back of the room. His speech had been an adequate success, and his duties of Best Man had officially come to a close. Thurston and his new wife had thanked him kindly and were kicking up a storm in the middle of the dance floor. Now Nycolas had retreated back to the shadows, out of the spotlight and away from the guests, to give himself a moment to relax again after that taxing public obligation.

From the dance floor, Emilie spotted the lonely-looking officer and gave him a friendly wave to come over and join her. Nycolas saw it and just returned with a polite nod, unwilling to move just yet. His stoicism caused Emilie to roll her eyes dramatically at him. Looking around the room, she saw her father was engaged with a few of the city councilors in an intense conversation. With confidence, she sashayed through the crowd of dancers and made a direct line to Nycolas.

“You glued to that wall, Lieutenant?” She asked playfully.

“Could be.” Nycolas shrugged a little, “But I'm thinking about heading back to the compound soon. I'm on duty tomorrow.”

“Oh?” Emilie pouted. “So, you’re not visiting me again tonight?”

Nycolas froze, immediately looking around to see if any of the civilians had heard her. His cheeks went bright red. "Ems! What if someone heard." He whispered. "You wanted to be discreet."

“Oh relax.” She giggled, “Everyone’s too busy having fun. In fact - come here!”

Emilie grabbed hold of Nycolas’ arm and pulled him down the corridor. They found an empty office and went inside, avoiding turning on the lights. Emilie placed her hands on his tuxedo lapels and guided his face down to hers. They embraced passionately; the kiss Nycolas had wanted to give Emilie the moment he saw her earlier today. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled him closer to his body, savoring every moment of her touch.

After many, many more kisses, Emilie pulled away a little, "So Nyk, you're staying with me tonight?" She asked coyly.

"Yes." Nycolas breathed out quietly, before leaning down to embrace her again.

[The next morning]

Nights on Lucis were not as long as on Earth. Just around 6 hours of total darkness were observed, owing to the planet's orbit. But, like clockwork, every day at 0600 hours planet-time, Nycolas sprang out of bed and hit the floor. He started his typical morning routine of push-ups, sit-ups, and core stretching.

Awakened by his movements, Emilie rolled over in the bedsheets, and she watched Nycolas with a smile. "Every day, right on time." She commented.

The two had been seeing each other in secret for the past month. When Nycolas was not on assignment or busy with his work, he was actually spending his free time with Emilie. They had chosen not to disclose their relationship to her father or Commodore Thurston just yet, at Emilie's insistence.

"Gets the blood pumping, wakes me up." Nycolas replied in between sit-ups.

"I thought I already did that." Emilie giggled, hiding her face under the sheet after she said it.

Nycolas paused and gave her a sly look, "You did."

"Oh," She pretended to pout, "Not enough?"

"Emilie," Nycolas smirked, "I can't be late today, I have to get to the compound by seven."

"Why?" Emilie sighed as she stretched out in the bed, "Your boss is going to his honeymoon, surely you can get in a little late?"

Nycolas returned to his sit ups, staring at the ceiling. "I've received a training assignment." He replied in a strained manner. His 'training' was code for a Starfleet Intelligence mission, but he couldn't tell her that.

"Another one?" Emilie asked as she shuffled over to the edge of the bed and looked down at him on the floor. "Didn't you just have one?"

"Yes." Nycolas said, "With Thurston on leave, they want me to do more leadership training."

"Oh." Emilie answered softly. "How long for?"

"A week." Nycolas replied, "At least."

"Hm." Was all Emilie said in response. She laid down on her back, facing the ceiling. Nycolas continued counting his sit ups before he moved to core stretching. Emilie opened her mouth to speak and then frowned. Finally, she said, "Is it dangerous?"

"It's just training." Nycolas said in a non-answer. He didn't know what the assignment was yet, so he wasn't technically lying.

Though he had been seeing Emilie and spending these nights with her, their lack of a relationship status meant she could not be privy to his actual missions. Emilie had set the rules that they weren't to tell the Governor or the Commodore yet. Until then, he couldn't include her into his secondary purpose for being on Lucis. It's unlikely that even Thurston's new wife Sarah knew about Project Angel.

"I see." Emilie replied slowly.

Nycolas stopped exercising and leaned onto the bed, reaching out to hold her hand. "I will return to Lucis." He said emphatically, "And to you."

Emilie smiled a little, "I know."

"And maybe when I do, we can... maybe... tell your father about us?" Nycolas suggested hopefully.

This caused Emilie to furrow her brow, "Umm... yeah." She frowned and gave a shrug. "I mean, you know as soon as we do, he's going to be booking the Grand Hall for a wedding. He'd love nothing more than a Starfleet officer son-in-law. He'd be writing the vows before we've even finished our announcement."

At this Nycolas laughed, "Yeah, I guess so." He gave a shrug too, "Maybe we could tell Thurston then? He thinks I'm not ingratiating into my role here. And it's not like us being public would be a bad thing. It would be... nice."

"Nice?!" Emilie baulked, "I am not going to be some Starfleet wife, Nycolas. You know that about me. I want my own career. And I love my home here on Lucis. I don't want to be trapped on some tin-can starship."

Nycolas retreated a little as he stood to his feet and looked for his clothes. He didn't say anything in response to Emilie's comment. He gathered up his tuxedo jacket and pants, both of which had been hastily discarded in the heat of last night. He started to fold them neatly into a rucksack, quietly.

Finally, after minutes of silence, Emilie realized she may have been a little too honest. She rose up from the bed and watched Nycolas as he gathered his things. "I'm sorry. That was harsh."

Nycolas braved a smile. "No, I already knew that's how you felt when we started this. I just..."

"Thought things had changed?" Emilie suggested. Nycolas nodded silently. "It has, definitely. We're not just messing around anymore. But I'm still not ready to have my life chosen for me. I don’t want to be… I don’t know, locked into something. You understand that?"

"I do. We’re keeping it non-committed for now." Nycolas moved over to her and kissed her on the forehead. "I've got to go."

She reached out and held onto his hand, pulling him back in for a proper kiss on the lips. "Be safe, okay? On your quote unquote training session."

Temple smiled and he kissed her again, "I will."

Around 0700 hours in the Starfleet Compound, Nycolas was preparing his supplies when Commodore Thurston arrived. Temple snapped to attention. Whatever informalities had been allowed last night at the wedding reception would not occur here now. Strictly business once again.

“I’ll have to make this quick, my new wife thinks I’m on a morning run.” Thurston said briskly, as he activated the wall screen and accessed the mission file. “Your assignment is to investigate a merchant hub on the planet Gaspar. It has a growing Cardassian presence on one half of the city. Your cover will be a food supplier looking to sell goods for cheap.”

Temple nodded diligently, as images of Gaspar appeared on screen. It was a ramshackle city, filled with dense under-developed buildings, make-shift technology, and a clear lack of law and order. “What’s the target?” He asked.

“Easy, Lieutenant, this is reconnaissance only. Gather data and RTB.” Thurston explained. “You are looking for two Cardassian brothers. Tomar and Sonar Gammit." Their faces appeared on the screen, "Tomar allegedly went AWOL after the Dominion war and according to the Cardassians, had been hiding in the Inconnu Expanse. But we believe Tomar is behind a string of attacking raids on Federation and unaligned planets across former Cardassian space in the new neutral zone. The Cardassians deny his involvement, of course, but the attacks have been well supplied and precise. We have since tracked his brother, Sonar, to making several trips to Gaspar. Our theory is that Sonar is meeting Tomar there to deliver supplies, weapons, and soldiers for the attacks."

“Sounds plausible.” Nycolas added, as he looked at the data. “The Cardassians denied involvement with their attempted base near Lucis Six. But it's possible that Sonar gave Tomar the supplies to help build it, using Gaspar as their meeting spot."

“Correct, but we can’t take anything to Starfleet without proof.” Thurston sighed, “We need proof of them meeting on Gaspar, we need to see the exchange take place.”

“I will find it.” Nycolas nodded firmly. “And if I do, and I have a window of opportunity, sir?”

“Denied, Agent.” Thurston said firmly. “The Cardassians don’t seem concerned about Tomar but Sonar is still a Commander, a decorated one at that. They will not take kindly to a presumptive assassination. For now, we are just building the case to take it to Starfleet Command.”

Temple nodded again. “Understood. I'll read up on Gaspar during transport."

"It's a hell of a place, Nycolas." Thurston frowned, "You'll need to watch your back."

"Always do, sir." Nycolas smiled.

[Two Weeks Later]

Nycolas was in the middle of his new daily routine of tracing the rivets in the USS Wellington's Sickbay ceiling. He had learned to make patterns, draw maps, create nonsense narratives about the people who installed them. Across the left side of his face was a dermal regenerator mask, quietly at work repairing the damage to his burnt face. Breathing still had a sting, even several days after the explosion, though the bio-bed was steadily helping his lungs to recover.

Lying in the private room, as he had done for over a week, the pain might have lessened but the memories had not. Every time he closed his eyes he could hear the roar of the grenade explosion, the lashing burns of the plasma fire, the intense pain across his face and body. He had stumbled, bloodied and blinded to his shuttle, while the people around him screamed in their own agony. He had accessed the shuttle's emergency medical treatment just in time to save his own life, before ordering the craft to evacuate him back to the Wellington.

Every time he tried to forget, the memory was there again.

He had been in the market bazaar on Gaspar, pretending to be looking for a buyer as part of his merchant cover story. Then without warning this old Cardassian transport appeared overhead and started dropping grenades onto the innocent civilians below. No notice or mercy given. Just pure chaos and destruction. People burning, screaming, running for their lives. He could still hear and feel every moment of the horror.

Nycolas was staring up at the ceiling when he began to notice raised voices in the Main Sickbay just outside his private room.

"I want to see him!" Emilie was shouting. "I know he is here!"

"Ma'am, the Lieutenant is receiving medical treatment." An Ensign was protesting, "You can see him when he returns to duty."

With a strained groan, Nycolas leaned over and pressed the comms buttons on the bio bed. "Let her in." He said, his voice hoarse and weak.

After a few moments, the doors to the room opened and Emilie was there. As soon as she saw Nycolas lying in the bio-bed, her eyes filled with tears. She rushed to his side and started to reach for him, then pulled back, unsure of whether it would hurt to touch him.

"I'm okay." Nycolas whispered. He lifted up his arm tenderly, fingers reaching out to her. "Doctor said after a few more days, all I'll probably have is a scar."

Emilie held onto his hand gently, nodding through the tears. "You almost weren't though, weren't you?"

Temple wheezed a little, the memory hitting him once more. He closed his eyes and tried to will it away to no success. This time when he opened his eyes again, it wasn't just the ceiling there. Emilie was looking down upon him and this calmed his mind. "I made a promise to you. I wasn't about to break that." He replied.

Emilie smiled a little, "I'm glad. But how did this happen, Nyk, on a training mission?"

Nycolas frowned, "I don't really know. Something went... wrong. I'll find out when I can debrief with Thurston."

Knowing that's the best answer she would likely get, Emilie silently nodded.

"So how did you get here?" Nycolas asked, "Onto the Wellington?"

"Okay, well, I knew something was wrong when you didn't come back after a week, then two weeks, but no one would say anything." Emilie sighed, "Not even the Commodore. But I could tell, in his eyes, he was sad. He tried denying it too, of course, said it was Starfleet business, but I think I wore him down. Eventually he told me where you were and I..." She grew hesitant, and looking down.

"And?" Nycolas pressed.

"Well as a Federation citizen I have the right to receive transport from a Starfleet vessel if available." Emilie slowly revealed, "I pretended I needed transport for a diplomatic mission and made my way here instead. I don't think the captain is going to be too pleased when he finds out."

Nycolas laughed at her confession, causing him to wheeze and cough again. Emilie saw this and placed a hand upon his chest. "Oh Nyk! Please, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cause you pain."

"You didn't." Nycolas tried to smile, "You're making it better." He looked up and saw Emilie's eyes welling with tears as she tried to fight it back. "Hey now, really, I'm okay."

"I know." Emilie nodded, trying to hold it together, "But I hated not knowing where you were, or what happened. And I..." She sighed, "I regret what I said last time we spoke. I told myself if I get the chance to speak to you again, I'd tell you." Emilie took in a breath and looked into his eyes, "I want to be with you."

Nycolas held her hand tighter, "Me too." He managed a smile. "So the non-committed phase?"

"Over." Emilie declared, "Definitely over. Besides, I'm fairly certain Thurston has figured it out by now anyway. And my father will too when he finds out what I did to get onboard here."

Nycolas pulled her in as close as she could get, and her lips softly touched his. "Good." He whispered.

This time when he closed his eyes, he felt safe.

OFF