by -=/\=- Zanh Liis
80702.16
Immediately following The Drawing Board
-=Holodeck Two, USS Serendipity=-
80702.16
Immediately following The Drawing Board
-=Holodeck Two, USS Serendipity=-
Liis vanished through the arch and waited for it to close.
She initialized the security lock out command, ensuring she would not be unexpectedly joined by anyone- not even that damned persistent LMH.
Wordlessly, she programmed in the exact latitude and longitude of the location Earth she wished to recreate.
She watched as the meadow filled in around her; the ground beneath her boots, rolling hills stretching out for miles. Every detail just as she remembered it, down to the very tree that she and Keiran had been standing under together a short time ago which now seemed years away.
She pulled off her boots and allowed her bare feet to sink into the tall, cool blades of grass.
She dropped down to sit beneath the tree, staring up and into the night sky.
"Computer, replace the current sky scene with the one pictured in Zanh program two-twenty one beta, Perseids meteor shower."
The computer beeped, and her surroundings changed as requested.
“Better.”
She brought her knees up and together, setting her chin upon them as she wrapped her arms around her legs. She stared straight ahead, thinking.
“Now, access the main computer database and search for a reference in the music archives.”
^Specify title and artist.^
“Search by lyrics,” Liis paused, closing her eyes tightly as she tried to remember the words she’d been hearing in her head for days now.
*Ever since the memories began.*
She recited the first line and then stopped, unable to recall the rest.
After a moment, the computer responded.
^Those lyrics are from the song entitled Two Lights, performed by twenty-first century Terran musical act Five for Fighting.^
“Yes, yes,” Liis nodded, opening her eyes again. “That’s it. Does the song file exist anywhere in the Serendipity’s database?”
^Affirmative.^
Liis gulped hard.
“In which directory, and who uploaded it?”
^That selection is located in the personal database of and was uploaded by Lt. Commander Keiran O’Sullivan, Stardate...^
“What other alterations or activity did O’Sullivan log in the musical database?” Liis continued, feeling chilled through even though the climate within this program was set to simulate a warm August night.
^Lt. Commander Keiran O’Sullivan overrode security command protocols and accessed the personal musical database of Captain Zanh Liis. ^
*Oh no. He didn’t. *
“What was the last command he input?”
“Downloading that database to an isolinear rod.”
*My god, he took it all, * Liis thought, * He knew he wasn’t coming back, whether I remembered him or not, and he wanted something of me to take with him. *
Liis thought it only fair that she be allowed to respond in kind, before his personal entertainment files were purged from the computer automatically following his deletion from the active roster.
“Rename and save the entire directory of music files belonging to Keiran O’Sullivan. Combine with the correlating directory of Zanh Liis. Secure access, to my authorization only.”
^Authorization code required.^
Liis complied, robotically rambling off the alphanumeric sequence the computer demanded.
The computer chirped to indicate it had carried out her request.
“Now then,” she sighed and changed position, laying back. She folded her hands behind her head as she stretched out on the grass. “Begin playback of Two Lights. On a continuous loop, volume seventy-five percent of maximum.”
As the music played, streaks of light began to fly across the beckoning black above.
Liis had been fascinated with the Perseids for so long, but only now did she understand why, and where and when she had seen the phenomenon for the very first time.
-=Flashback, alternate version of 2379=-
Almost a year had passed since the day when Zanh Liis had watched, heartbroken, as the man she loved took another as his wife; with the entire population of their home world serving, it seemed, as witness to the blessed event.
Every day since, Keiran O’Sullivan had bided his time.
He knew she was hurt, and he didn’t want to risk their friendship by trying to turn it into more than it was meant to be.
Quietly, he had kept his place steadfast in the background, just over her shoulder as they continued their work day by day.
Each night as they parted until the next sunrise, he told himself that it was enough.
It never truly had been.
------------------------------
-=/\=-Zanh Liis
Commanding Officer
USS Serendipity NCC-2012
-=/\=-Zanh Liis
Commanding Officer
USS Serendipity NCC-2012