Star Trek: Starbase 777 - northern-forest

The ancient forest of conifer trees stood tall and proud, a witness for the thousands of years of Llaiir Prime's history. It was here when the first civilisation was born, and then when it died in the blood and fire of civil wars. It was here when new life came to the green planet, a single Warbird with just a hundred of those fast and lucky enough to be salvaged. And it was here when that, too, burned to ashes. Now it witnessed a single shuttle landing, the green-brown grass and red poppy-like flowers swaying gently under it's belly as it lowered itself down, down, down. It's engines slowed down, going quiet, until that too disappeared, and the only sound they could hear again, was the planet's lively song itself. The doors hissed open.

[D] And for a long moment, Saren, who fell eerily silent as soon as they breached the planet's orbit, just... sat there, wavy hair swaying ever so slightly as the wind invaded the transport shuttle through the now open door. He sat there, catching the glimpse of the familiar earthy and deep green tones that he grew up in, the smells of the grass and warmth and pine, the sounds of the hidden birds, everything was so, so... "Home," he finally uttered, turning to look at Renakir, "I'm... I'm home." Saren blinked, chasing away the daze that threatened to overcome him, before finally getting up, picking up the fresh bouquet he replicated upon reaching Llaiir Prime, and then taking a tentative, slow step out of the shuttle, into the wilderness he was born in. Despite the agony, he promised himself to someday come back. And now, finally... here he was. Staring at the edge of the forest as it stared right back at him. If it could reminisce, would it remember him?..

[D] For most of the ride Renakir gazed out the shuttle window, trying not to think about how nervous he was. Once they entered orbit of the planet Renakir's silver eyes caught sight of the lush green forests. To him, it was just another colony world, terrain unknown, an alien planet. When he heard the other's voice he turned his head to see Saren looking back at him, a pause followed a few blinks and then the other stood up. He gave his dinam a nod and slowly stood up to make his way to the now open door of the shuttle. Seeing Saren with the bouquet in hand, Renakir soon realised he had brought nothing. Awkwardness aside, as soon as his shoes hit the dirt below, his eyes darted left and right. "... It's beautiful," He said, looking up at the trees and then down at the very red flowers. It was hard to believe this was the site of so much distruction a decade ago. Briefly, the first conversation Saren and Renakir had played back in his mind. He recalled when Saren mentioned Llaiir Prime in the lift that fateful day, 'sounds of a decloaking warbird'-- who would have thought he would be standing on the same ground Saren was on that day.

He felt a breeze and breathed it in greedily, feeling and tasting the long forgotten, familiar aroma of petrichor and pine needles and resin - if he could feel it here, he couldn't imagine what it will be like when they eventually welk through the forest itself. And then he took a deeper breath, and another, maybe wishing for his homeworld's air to leave an imprint in his lungs... His brother's voice reached him, and Saren turned around to look at him, a small smile on his lips. "It is. It looks just the same as I remember it, only much more vivid... less gray..." His pale features and dark clothes were a sharp contrast against the deep green of the backdrop - and yet, somehow, Saren looked like he belonged here. Maybe it was the bouquet of petite flowers, blue and purple and white, the corners of their innumerous petals giving off just a hint of bioluminescence. Maybe it was the look in his equally green eyes. Or, maybe, the answer was much, much simpler. "This is where our Warbird first landed, all those years ago," he told Renakir, a sudden spur of inspiration, a need to just... to just talk about this. To make someone know about this, about them.* "We, the kids, often went here to play. But, to reach the village, we will have to go through the forest. I feel that you'll like it there - it's going to be easier on your eyes, for the sunlight doesn't reach the forest grounds as much." *He inclined his head in an invitation: "Are you ready to go, Rennie? Got everything you might need? We're leaving the shuttle here..." (edited)

Ranakir's eyes darted from the flowers to Saren, taking in all the sights and sounds. It looked like a scene from a film, Saren returning home after all these years, standing proudly on the same grounds he stood when he was a vulnerable child. "It seems like it would be a nice place to settle," Renakir took a few steps forward, feeling the soft soil beneath his shoes with each step. For all the pain that lay here, it seemed like a nicer place to grow up than Rator III. Although that wasn't really setting the bar very high. Renakir was looking forward to walking through the forest with low lighting, it was always nice to take his sunglasses off especially considering he didn't get many chances to outside of his own quarters. "Yes, I'm ready, I have everything," He replied, patting the sides of his trousers to feel his small PADD in his pocket. Renakir couldn't help but smile when Saren called him 'Rennie'. It had evolved from a one-off nickname that felt odd and strange to him to a term of endearment he embraced. He was now standing side by side with his dinam, tilting his head to get a better look at Saren's figure against the beautiful backdrop of the Llaiir forest. "Lead the way, dinam."

He nodded then, turning back towards the forest, needing a moment to convince himself into taking those next few steps. Those next few steps were scary, though. Because then he would rediscover the familiar forest paths, leading into the village like arteries and veins into a heart. But was he prepared to see his birthplace again? What if it suddenly became all too much?.. Saren didn't want Renakir to witness that. The half-Reman has seen him crumble, once. He didn't want to force him to be a witness to that again... ... And yet, he took a deep breath, and started walking. Great shadows engulfed them, occasionally broken up by the sunrays that peeked shyly through the rare holes in the tree crowns, speckles of light dancing on green moss and fern and shy little wildflowers, peeking through the thick foliage. Birdsongs engulfed them, bringing a smile to Saren's face - nostalgia and beauty of those warming his heart, as well as reminding him of someone left on the starbase. His new, third home... There was a moment where his steps faltered suddenly, head lifting up sharply, as if Saren heard a sound; but instead of fear or caution, an expression of anxious wonder crossed his face, as Saren looked around more. "I heard water... I think I recognize this place," he told Renakir, offering him a hand. "There's a path nearby, and a tree we used to climb, and-- oh, um... let's just, focus on the path, yeah." If Rennie chose to take his hand, Saren would then lead him straight through the foliage, onto a small, clearly man-made path - now unkept, but still there. Saren's memory didn't fail him, it seemed - and his stride became even more confident, as he practically doubled his speed, travelling the winding path like he so often did all those years ago... x_divider

(edited)

15:21

"... There was this pine. A peculiar one, old, very old, with it's roots all gnarled and growing in a weird arch," Saren told his dinam, once again feeling that urge, that need to talk. "When I was younger... and much smaller, I used to go and hide there, curled up under this massive, centuries old giant, and often I could hear it groan and hiss, disturbed by the wind... I felt so safe there."

Renakir was no telepath but he sensed his dinam's hesitation. Rightfully so, this was quite a big step, literally and figuratively. As he took careful steps beside Saren, Renakir took his sunglasses off and tucked them into his pocket so he could let his eyes take in the colours and lights unfiltered by the black tint of the glasses. The light refracting off of the leaves gave them almost a magic glow. The light breeze tickled Renakir's green-tinted cheeks and warmed the back of his neck. Out of the corner of his eyes he caught a smile on his dinam's face. A smile that seemed to be sayingn, 'home'. Renakir stopped his movements as soon as he noticed his dinam's head was now lifted. At first he thought they were in trouble, but Saren's next words quickly dispelled that theory. Without hesitation, he placed his grey hand in Saren's green tilted on and moved forwards deeper into the foliage. The path that he stepped down on looked like it had seen better days, but it was impressive that nature had yet to fully reclaim it. He was also thankful they weren't going to be climbing any trees. Sure Renakir had the strengh, but he worried such an activity would make the trip even more stressful. "That sounds like a good hiding spot, I used to do the same thing with mining tunnels," What a coincidence they both enjoyed tight and enclosed spaces as children. "Can we see this pine? I want to know why it made you feel safe," Renakir asked tentatively, pausing between his words and gently squeezing Saren's hand.

Renakir's reply prompted Saren to take a glance at him - the half-Reman's face, unobscured by the sunglasses, was a rare sight, that even he, despite being such close friends with this man, didn't witness much. He didn't stare much though, instead inclining his head down in thought. "We can, yes..." he replied eventually, squeezing back. "I remember where we'll have to take a turn..." Because the memory of going there, once dormant, returned to him in full colors. He remembered himself younger, walking here when in need of a quiet hour of two, because living with and helping caring for two hyperactive toddlers was often A Lot. Sometimes he would fall asleep there, and then find himself being carried by either his dad, or mom, or one of the other colony's adults, back home, the whole forest colored in the golden filter of the sunset's last rays... "Do you miss that?" he asked suddenly, when taking a turn behind an unassuming looking rock lying besides their path, now walking through short, ankle-high berry bushes. "It may be an, ah... a rather insensitive question, and I'm sorry if it is so, but... despite everything, despite the horrible circumstances... do you miss that place?.."

Renakir gave Saren an acknowledging nod as they proceeded towards said pine. His eyes kept darting from Saren and down towards the path as he stepped over the unknown terrain. He was thankful he chose to wear long trousers that day as he could feel the bushes rubbing against his clothed ankles. Although their eye contact was brief, it was strange to be looking into Saren's eyes and know Saren could see his. When silence fell between them, Renakir wondered what Saren was thinking, what was he imagining in that moment? This place that seemed but just another colony to him was a forest of memories to his dinam. Oh how he wished he could see what Saren saw. Would it be running through the trees? Ducking under branches? Stepping around rocks? And what of the woods that surrounded them? Did they also remember Saren? When the other broke the silence with a question, Renakir answered without hesitation, "Every day." Renakir's eyes suddenly looked distant for a brief moment before he remembered he wasn't wearing his sunglasses so if Saren was looking he would have seen. "To be honest, it.. I don't miss the circumstances, but... I miss my mother," He said honestly, inhaling a giant breath of fresh air and rubbing his eyes with his free hand, pretending that he just got some dust in the corners. "But it's alright. I know my mother is watching over me, I think she would be proud to see me walking this journey with you," Renakir said with a faint smile and squeezed Saren's hand a little tighter as he took a big step over a bush.

In a sense, the two of them were oh so similar, weren't they? A thought that made Saren frown a bit, especially after catching a glimpse of Renakir's face, of that blank, distant stare - something he himself was prone to do... "She is proud, I am sure of that," he replied quietly, yet confidently, nodding his head just a bit. "No, I am confident, even. And... I am sure that my colony, were it still here... they would be happy to meet you. Maybe a bit too curious, for those who were born here have never seen a Reman with their own two eyes, but ultimately..." Ah, no. He better stop pondering that idea. Because the more Saren talked about them, the more the memories came back - the faces, the smiles... last time he saw the ghosts of his past so vividly, in an illusion he was lulled into by Kerutep, the aftermath was a numb, ugly pain. Perhaps he should stop, before it became too much again. So he trailed off, just in time to take another turn, seemingly in a place without any visual indicators - did Saren just remember?.. - and then... there it was. Growing on a low bump of soil and surrounded by those same berry bushes, the pine was still there, a crooked, old, magnificent thing, it's roots raised up like legs of some giant arachnid. The tree was inclined back, leaving a sizeable hole under itself - and yet it was still, somehow, alive. divider

15:11

"It looks the same as it did before," he chuckled as he released Renakir's palm, taking a few steps further and squatting down, to then put both of his hands on the tree's roots, feeling it's rough, familiar texture. "I am surprised, but also pleased to see that it's... it's... oh... o-oh..." There was a sharp inhale, as the Romulan just stared at something under the tree, in the small cave of earth and soil and the walls of roots, was a blanket. It's color a dark, dark shade of green it was nearing black, dirt and cobwebs and time leaving an imprint on it - but despite that, the ornamental floral print was still visible on it's surface. And Saren stared at it, palms covering his mouth, expression pinched, breathing purposefully slow yet shaky, because... "...That's mine," he uttered, voice barely above an airy whisper, yet heavy as lead. "I... I thought it was lost in the fire, during the raid... But I must've... must've forgotten it here..."

Hearing those words of reassurance from his dinam was enough to form little tears in the corners of Renakir's eyes. He pretended to be swatting some dust from his face but it was clear the other's words had had a profound effect on him. It made Renakir wonder had things turned out different, maybe the two of them would be here with both of their families. Jianux would have loved Saren, she was incredibly open minded and strong willed. And Renakir would have loved to meet Saren's colony, share Reman stories and songs with them. When Saren trailed off, Renakir turned his focus back downwards towards the soil they treaded over, clearly not as confident about his footing as the other. Somewhere in the back of his mind though, he wondered what Saren was going to say. He didn't dwell on it too long because before he knew it they were taking another turn in a direction that looked exactly like where they had just came from. Every inch of this forest seemed indistinguishable from the rest, although Saren would have probably thought the same had they ventured down the caves on Remus. Once they reached their destination, Renakir was met with the sight of an aging pine. The roots had a unique shape, a weathered look, but the structure seemed in tact. "It looks like a nice hideaway here," Renakir said as he let his hand that was holding Saren's drop to his side. He stepped beside Saren and bent down to see what he was staring at and that's when he saw what had given his dinam pause. At first he thought it was a flower or some sort of odd natural structure but that was before he got a good glimpse of the floral print against dark greens. "It's been here for ten years..." Renakir was still shocked the blanket was still in tact. "Do you want to take it back with us? We can," Renakir asked, his voice soft as he squatted down next to Saren.

He gave Renakir a shaky nod, reaching out for the blanket - and then having a pause, fingers mere millimeters away from the old, dirty fabric. "The tree protected it," he murmured, feeling his fingers twitch, restless. "This was... it's... yeah..." It was made to survive everything, it seemed - crafted so thoroughly and lovingly it withstood a literal decade of abandonment, surviving the dirt, the rain, everything, taking damage but still persisting. Finally, his fist clenched around it, feeling how damp and heavy it was, yet the memory of the warmth this blanket brought was stronger. Saren slowly dragged it out of the hole, a soft noise escaping his throat at the sight of something that used to bring him comfort for so many years... "Thought I lost it," he said again, either unaware or not caring that he was repeating himself. The bouquet he was carrying was left at his side, and the now free hand helped him lift the blanket up, closer to his face. It was clearly fit for a child, holes peppering some of it's material, perhaps by insects who made the insides of this blanket their home - yet Saren caressed it gently, before giving in and clutching it close to his chest, lips pressed together so tightly they turned white. "... I need a moment." And that he took, a solid minute of silence, body still there yet his mind somewhere far, far away. He returned soon, though, turning his head towards Renskir and giving him a weak yet sincere smile. "I think I do want to take it with me. I will give it to mom to fix, I think she'll be able to... and, um. Sorry for this." He stood up then, carefully folding the blanket into a manageable shape - this thing was going with them, now. "Think it's best for us to continue on, now. The village... the place where the village was, should be nearby."

Renakir stayed by Saren's side, watching as his dinam reached for the blanket, seemingly lost in his memories as he grabbed the old piece of fabric. The heaviness of the moment paired with the small rays of light that seeped through the trees above them made for a somber scene, making Renakir feel a little misplaced as a mere guest to the area. It wasn't until he heard the gentle rustling of the bouquet that was no longer in Saren's arms that he was pull from his thoughts. Long grey fingers grasped the bouquet to move it so the other could lift the blanket out. He stepped back, giving Saren a nod when he asked for a moment. Although he only looked at Saren for a few seconds, the expression he saw stuck in his mind. Saren looked so thoughtful, it really made Renakir wonder what he could have been thinking. Holes and dirt littered the tattered fabric, hundreds of stories and memories hidden between the fibers, none of which Renakir could even begin to imagine. Saren crouching with the blanket, lips pressed together, he looked so vulnerable, Renakir thought. He let the silence fill the area, eyes turned away so he wasn't staring at Saren. Without his glasses it was easy to see his expressions, he felt almost.. Naked. Even though Saren had seen him without his glasses multiple times, it still made him feel a little awkward. "No need to apologise, I'm happy we found it," Renakir looked back at Saren when the other spoke again, a soft smile on his face. He stood up with Saren, both of his hands clutching the bouquet. A little show of strength and flexibility as Renakir easily lifted himself without the use of his hands. "Did you want to carry this?" He asked, offering up the bouquet once Saren had finished folding the blanket.

Saren thought about the question, and then shrugged his shoulders: "I can, yeah. Or you can carry them, if you want to be a bit busy - I wouldn't mind. And, Renakir... I just want to say that I am eternally grateful that you've came here with me. I... wouldn't be able to do this alone, not in a million years, despite my preparations beforehand-- hell, I would probably still be sitting in the shuttle if I was alone, and-- fuck... Yeah... just-- just thank you, dinam...." Because this was a burden - one that Renakir, someone who had no connection to this land, to these people, still decided to help carry, and fuck if that didn't make Saren's bruised soul Feel Something. Appreciation, for one, for this man he was proud to call his brother, not by blood, but by soul, something equally deep and intimate. And maybe, this selflessness done simply because Renakir just cares that much about him, made some of the hurts go away. Before continuing their trek, Saren placed a gentle hand on the old pine's massive body, and then, after some deliberation, took a piece of it's bark from the ground, putting it into one of his pockets. "Let's go... now's the scariest part of this journey..." [D] And thus, after a couple of minutes of walking, the forest began to thin out, and a large field peeked out from behind the pines...