A Shock To The System

Posted on Tue Apr 2nd, 2019 @ 12:13am by Specialist Rennen Lokn D.Sc., Ph.D. & Specialist Kenura Lokn
Edited on on Tue Apr 2nd, 2019 @ 1:08am

Mission: Ready For The Weekend!
Location: Starbase Phoenix, formally known as Zulu
Timeline: 2388/08/30 2363 (Sat. Aug. 30 2388 11:63pm)

Kenura Lokn stepped off the transport vessel onto Zulu station. The trip from the Trill homeworld had been long. Or so it had seemed, mainly because of the two Tellarites that had been allocated quarters right next to hers. Boy did those two know how to fight. Having been told that the head of the research station where she was to be posted would meet her here, she was glad that the final leg of her journey to Sapientia would be with someone who at least shared her love of the Ocean.

The offer of a post on the planet that now housed Magellan campus had been too good to pass up. It was a brand new world, its oceans had never before been researched by Federation scientists and Kenura was buzzing with excitement of just what they would find out there.

As one of the transport's crew handed her a huge holdall and a rucksack, the petite woman struggled to lug it over her shoulder and then turned to head out and find her contact. As she did so, her eyes settled on a face that she had not expected to see ever again and her face paled as her bags dropped to the ground. She now understood why the leader of the expedition had not been divulged to her. Because the powers that be would never have gotten her there if she had known and clearly they knew it.

"Rennen..." she breathed, her head starting to swim as her breathing sped up threatening to spill over into a full blown panic attack.

Only able to stare at her at first, Rennen swallowed down his nerves before walking the rest of the way to meet her. She looked great, as if it had only been yesterday, and the expression on her face as she saw him only added to the feeling that for her it hadn't been long enough. What was he expecting her reaction to be all this time, what was he expecting to see? Her beautiful smile? It suddenly struck him how much he missed it, how it had been given so freely before tragedy struck and their marriage crumbled. "Hi Kenura," he managed with an uncertain smile of his own.

"You're working here?" she asked in a squeak of a voice, trying to ignore the familiar physical tug of her body at the sight of him.

"If you mean here at the station," his smile having fallen, Rennen shook his head, "no." He gathered up her two bags, and looked away from her as he informed her, "Our shuttle is this way." He started walking, and stopped after a few steps to see if she was going to come with him.

"Then where?" Kenura asked as she took a step to follow him and realisation dawned on her, "You're working on the planet..." she swallowed hard as she felt her stomach lurch. She was going to have to work with him. See him every day. Could she even contemplate doing that?

"I am," he confirmed, not saying anything more as he lead her back to the bay.

A short time later they boarded a Danube Class runabout, and he immediately left her alone in the passenger cabin as he took her bags to somewhere in the back.

Kenura wrapped her arms around herself, a million and one questions roiling inside of her head as she dealt with the fact that Rennen was suddenly back in her life and that they were going to have to work together. What was more she was confused because considering she hated everything he represented from her past, she found her body reacting to his presence, his familiar smell assaulting her senses and reminding her of the years of love and happiness they had shared before tragedy had struck them both.

Rennen returned and stopped as he saw her standing there, confused and vulnerable. Her feelings shouted out to him. "Kenura" he said, softly, "it wasn't my idea."

"I didn't say it was did I?" she snapped at him before realising it was wrong and sighed as she rubbed at her forehead, "I'm sorry, it's been a long day and I just didn't expect...this."

*I know...* he telepathically thought back to her and immediately realized he had just overstepped the boundaries she had laid out to him a long time ago. Continuing to stare back at her, he sadly whispered, "I'm sorry, I should not have done that."

"Old habits die hard huh?" she looked at him sadly, grieving anew for what they had lost.

"Yeah," he replied, wanting to tell her how much he missed her. "And there's no denying what we are."

"No there isn't." she replied with a sigh, "So...how is this going to work?" she asked softly, knowing that somehow, they were going to have to get past this awkwardness.

"To be honest...I don't know..." he started to answer her as sincerely as he could, and then suddenly unable to gaze on her any longer, walked past her, heading towards the front of the shuttle, "but we'll figure it out. This posting is a great opportunity, Kenura. Don't let me ruin it for you."

"How many are on the team? Do you know?" she asked, fully aware of the facility that they had been assigned to but clueless about whether it would be more than the two of them in the underwater research station.

"There's been five of us at the main facility," he replied turning back to face her, "and I've been working there for almost a year."

"So with me it'll be six." Kenura nodded, holding back a sigh of relief that it wouldn't just be the two of them alone together as it had been at times in the past.

Rennen nodded and then needing to, took in a deep breath before asking, "Kenura...would you like to sit up here...with me in the cockpit, or would you rather stay back here?"

"I'll sit up front." Kenura was quick to reply, "I want to see my new home from the air." she added, relaxing a little as she forced herself to put aside the fact that this man was her ex-husband.

He gave her a wry smile and nodded again, and there was a little admiration in his eyes. Despite the awkwardness between them, she wasn't going to let it stop her from doing what she wanted to do. He entered the cockpit, and sitting down in the pilot seat, opened a comm to request clearance for them to depart.

"Guess it's time to see my new home." Kenura commented as she settled back in the chair, glancing to the side as she tried to deal with the bittersweet emotions that swirled inside of her head. This was the man that she had vowed to spend the rest of her life with before tragedy pulled them so ruthlessly apart. The question was, could she cope with having him back in her life because seeing him again reminded her of one significant fact. She still loved him.

~~~End~~~


Specialist Kenura Lokn
Ocean Researcher/Marine Geologist
Sapientia/Serene Colony

&

Specialist (Dr.) Rennen Lokn
Oceanic Dept. Sr. Researcher
Sapientia/Serene Colony