Star Trek: Starbase 777 - ens-five﹢hsashar

[D]C'Telle entered his quarters. He growled at the thought of sharing with someone, and stomped over to his room, wishing to avoid any interactions if his room mate was home. Room mate? More like murderer. Immediately upon entering his room, he made his first change. "Computer, set room temperature to 1° Celcius." He relaxed as cool air was blasted into the room, making his breath turn foggy, as it should. He wanted it to be especially cold after being in the warm corridors and rooms. He felt more alive as crisp air entered his lungs, and he quickly began to unpack his things. In his bag was a few changes of clothes, a small holoprojector, and a book. That was it. Oh, and a knife. Never can be too careful, he always said. It had a intricately carved black handle, with swirls and clouds engraved in the wood. The blade was long and sharp, and shimmered in the cold white light. He sat down on the soft bed, not used to the luxuries his quarters had to offer. He would stay here a bit, before perhaps exploring the rest of the station.

[D]He had spent a while laying on his bed, gazing at the ceiling. His tail draped over the end of the bed, brushing the frame. His breath curled above him in the form of mist, hypnotically swirling in different shapes and patterns before eventually fading. He didn't trust this place enough to close his eye for a minute. He... missed. He didn't know what he missed, he just... did. Maybe it was Sh'oll. Or Flyr. Or maybe even J'Clora. Was it Cait? No, that would be stupid. Maybe... maybe it was... no. Don't think about him. He sniffed in disbelief, twitching his ears in irritation towards himself. It didn't matter. His eye wandered over to the holoprojector. Stop, stop, stop. Disjointed images and sounds and smells flashed through his head. Warmth, the smell of blood, salt, laughter, golden eyes crinkled with happiness, dark fur. Prickling on his skin. Warm breath brushing his cheek. He snarled out loud. "Shut up. Stop it. Think about something else. Think about butterflies." He'd always liked butterflies, much more than other bugs. Their delicate wings, curling antenna, physiology, colors. He closed his eye and recited all the butterflies he knew in his head. Ridge-Winged, Lakar, Wolf, S'Pota, Pigmy, Giant, Blue, Opal-Winged... his breathing slowed and he swallowed. He was fine.

Abruptly, he sat up, and before leaving his room, changed into off-duty clothes, pants and a dark shirt with the sleeves rolled up, revealing spotty arms. Maybe.. maybe he should go to the #butterfly-house . Lucky for him that there was one on the station. He checked his appearance in the mirror, claws brushing his large scar lightly. His other eye looked at himself coldly, but his guard slipped for a moment, revealing hints of misery at his disfigurement. No matter. It was a trophy, a sign of what he had been through. He stood up straight and left.

A message appeared on C'Telle's console.

From: Starbase Operations To: Ensign C'Telle Hsashar Subject: Scavenger hunt Ensign, Please see attached one final treasure from your adventure on the holodeck. Sincerely, - Starbase Operations [Attachment: scavenger_hunt_photos]

Attached to the message was a collection of holophotos automatically taken from various locations during the scavenger hunt, similar to ride photos on a rollercoaster. There was one from each key moment during their adventure, showing the best moments off. Each photo was angled to capture everyone involved so no one was left out, and they were all perfectly timed to show the happiest moments the group experienced.

C'Telle sat down in front of the console, scrolling through the photos. The scowl on his face slowly disappeared and became a small, lonely expression, as he glimpsed fleeting signs of happiness and enjoyment on his own face in the photos. He stopped on one that displayed him grabbing the key segment from the tile puzzle, triumphant look gleaming in his frozen eye, and he sat back and his chair heavily, sighing. It had been a while since he had trusted himself to enjoy... anything, really. There were too many dangers to worry about... too.many outcomes of every action to keep track off. He was exhausted from being on alert. Suddenly, unwanted images and voices crashed into his head, triggered by the photos. Eyes of all colors, laughing voices floating up into the fading blue sky of Cait, screams of a drill sergeant. He shook his head and clutched at his ears, snarling. "Shut up. Shut up!" "C'mon C'Telle!" "You should sit with us!" "Do you want to walk with me?" Feelings and memories from better times, from when he had fun with his friends as a child as he did on the holdeck. He closed his eye and got up, stumbling. "The sergeant's waiting." "You're such an idiot, C'Telle." Sounds. Smells. Voices. Excitement. Nervousness. Fear. Peace. Tastes. Sights. The smell of blood. Soft brown fur brushing against his own. Too much, too much... "You should've been killed." "Pitiful." "Shut up!" He shouted, slamming his hand against the console. He yelled out as shards of glass dug into his hand, and the monitor cracked. He stood, observing his bleeding hand, eyes wide. His face was... damp. How did that happen? He touched his cheek. Tears. His chest heaved, and he let out a small whimper. C'Telle stumbled to a corner of his room and sat slumped against the wall, whimpering as tears streaked down his face. He hugged his knees and sniffled. Useless.

Eventually, he made himself get up, and he looked down at his ravaged hand as pain shot up his arm. Blood slowly dripped onto the floor. He merely stared for a moment, sniffling, before grabbing a shirt and wrapping it around his hand. He proceeded to the corridor.

Returning from sickbay, he felt lighter, and this time as he observed his scar in the mirror, he didn't feel quite as bad about it. He laid down and turned on the small, clear, 3D octagon that was his holoprojector. It displayed a dark brown Caitian with pointed features and golden eyes, the corners of which were crinkled with laughter. One day I'll find you.

Dear Ensign C’Telle Hsashar, Starfleet Intelligence requests your presence on a classified mission. You are to be allocated to @deleted-role. A full briefing as to the nature of the mission will take place once the ship has departed. Eventide is to depart on stardate 89728.71 – the 23rd of September 2412 at 1700 hours. Please be aboard the vessel for this time. It is predicted that this mission shall last approximately three days including the time taken for travel. A full communications blackout will be in place during this time: there will be no communication with Starbase 777 or any other outside sources. Please do not inform anyone else as to the details of this journey. We hope you understand, and we thank you for your compliance. Yours, Starfleet Intelligence.