[AU] The Rewards of Patience

Posted on Mon Jun 22nd, 2020 @ 11:19pm by Sasha Vieers (Deceased)
Edited on on Fri Jul 10th, 2020 @ 5:08pm

Mission: Divided We Fall
Location: Deck 3 - Crew Quarters
Timeline: After "I Remember You"

A Mission Post by Ensign Sasha Vieers
Mission: Divided We Fall
Location: Deck 3 - Crew Quarters
Timeline: After "I Remember You"
Sat Sep 1st, 2018 @ 4:51am

Sasha was lying in bed with her hands stretched before her face. She began to trace the lines that had formed across her palms over the years, noticing a few more freckles that had appeared without notice, and the rougher patches of skin that used to be soft. She wondered just when exactly her hands started to look so old, though knowing it had happened gradually before her eyes without much thought. It was just one of the things she stopped caring about while in the Bubble, along with the whispers of grey throughout her usually brown hair, or the dark rings around her eyes that had stayed with her as the years ticked by.

Asleep next to her was Dorian Rochester, and Sasha wondered how it was that men seemed to grow more distinguished and handsome over time. He had salt and pepper hair for the past seven years but it never seemed to worry him; plus he had stayed in remarkable shape for a man approaching fifty. Being locked away in his quarters, he had very little else to do now but exercise and wait. His relationship with Sasha had given him a new lease on life; something to look forward to during the day to make survival worth while. Her companionship had given him purpose and he felt a better person for it. Despite their time together, the two had never formalised their relationship. As much as Sasha liked his presence at night, and the companion in her life, there was always the looming shadow of "what he did" that stopped her from truly loving him. Three decades in the bubble had changed them in many ways, but when all you had was the life in the bubble, it became impossible to completely forget what had happened there.

This would have been a normal morning routine for the couple, until there came a sudden pounding on the door to the quarters. Dorian stirred and looked confused for a moment, casting a curious eye to Sasha. She could only look solemnly to her hands again, having been waiting for this message to come since it became clear that Cailus had been growing weaker. So Dorian jumped out of bed, quickly pulled on a pair of sweat pants and headed to the door - just as their guest started pounding on it again.

"Alright!" Dorian moaned as he opened the door.

"It's happened." Came the voice from the other side. "Griffin has passed."

"Are you sure?" Dorian asked, his voice quickly turning severe.

In the bed Sasha buried her head into her hands, lamenting the loss of another commander and a friend she had grown close to while trapped together. She didn't notice at first that Dorian and the messenger had continued their conversation, and it had taken on an ominous and conspiratorial tone.

"Confirmed by our spy on the Bridge. But there's a complication."

"What is it?" Dorian hissed urgently.

"Brennan is back." Came the reply. "She's looking... normal. For her."

"Damn." Dorian growled, rubbing his eyes.

"Do we still proceed?"

Dorian looked to Sasha and furrowed his brow, before turning back. "Yes. Tell everyone we are activating."

The door was slid closed again and Dorian quickly hurried around the quarters, gathering up his clothes. From behind a bookcase he retrieved a Security uniform, which had been fitted with extra kevlar panels across the chest, stomach, back, and arms. Sasha sat upright in bed with a look of confusion.

"What is going on?" She demanded to know.

"Griffin is dead." Rochester replied in a matter of fact tone, as he continued to dress. "Now is our chance to take the ship."

Sasha let out a gasp, pulling the bedsheets closer to her. "You can't be serious, Dorian! Not this again! Not after all this time."

Rochester moved to kneel by the bedside and he took Sasha's hands in his own. "No, it won't be like last time. I'm not going to hurt anybody. But you have to know, Sasha my darling, that we can't stay here like this. We have wasted almost thirty years stuck in this Bubble and I will not sit around while we all just waste away and die!"

Sasha shook her head and pulled away from him, "I can't believe I'm hearing this."

"You saw the calculations on the walls." Dorian pleaded. "You know our homes, our real lives, are just waiting for us to come back! And yet we have given up trying." He stood up again and continued to place on his armour and his weapon, finding them from various places. "I was not going to move against Griffin, I respected him. But now he's gone, this is our only opportunity to take the ship and place it in the hands of someone who is going to do something!"

"You've been planning this!" Sasha said, pointing an accusing finger to him. "For how long?"

Dorian sighed and went to the cupboard. After moving a few items aside he pulled out a second enhanced uniform, but this one was a female's outfit. He held it out to her, "Long enough."

Sasha looked to the uniform and back at him, the conflicted feelings washing over her. On one hand she wanted peace and stability, as they had enjoyed for most of the past twenty seven years, and she didn't want to see anyone get hurt or killed like Captain Temple. On the other hand, her partner was asking her to join him and his words had rung true in her mind. She didn't want to live just to see everyone grow old and die, when they knew the real Pandora was out there somewhere.

Before she knew what she was doing, Sasha was zipping up the uniform and following Rochester out into the corridor. He had taken a commanding tone, giving orders to a few supporters who had clearly just heard the news and were likewise prepared to act. There was a smattering of familiar faces amongst the loyal lieutenants, though all of their eyes conveyed the same resigned sense of duty. "A necessary action." They would mutter in reply to Dorian's commands.

Dorian and Sasha made their way to the turbo lift shaft and Rochester paused. "Griffin's death will cause a momentary period of grieving throughout the ship. While they are gathering upstairs, you will take a group to the armoury and use your clearance to gain us the weapons we need."

Sasha shook her head in protest, "Dorian, I won't shoot anybody!"

"No, no we won't." He replied softly, again clasping her hands within his. "You will ensure each weapon is locked to stun. This is only for precaution now that Brennan is back in the picture. We both know she's dangerous and will need to be subdued."

"She's my friend." Sasha responded in a whisper.

"And you're doing this for her." Dorian whispered back, kissing her on the forehead. "We're going to do the one thing no one else has tried."

"What's that?" She asked, looking into his eyes, hoping to hear something reassuring.

He gave a nonchalant smirk. "We're going to leave."

With that, Dorian and Sasha began their ascent up to the Bridge. Sasha was following despite the deep storm of guilt growing in her stomach. She didn't want to hurt her friends but the possibility of escaping the bubble universe was too enticing. Dorian meanwhile was a man on a mission - he had planned every detail down to the moment, his patience after all those years locked away was finally paying off.

It was now or never.

OFF