SIM:Pholin Duyzer & Nelis Duyzer - Change

Part 1 - 239501.02

((Shuttlecraft Verne - open space)) ((Time-index: Two and a half hours before the ceremony.)) :: It was a strange feeling. Sitting alone in a shuttle with a view of a million stars just outside a window. Nelis was sitting in the right pilot seat pressing a few buttons to cure his boredom. He thought to himself of the freedom he had with a shuttle and a pilot's control panel. On a big ship he went where the captain wanted him to go, but with a small shuttle like this, he was really flying. Of course, the computer was doing all the work; Nelis himself hadn't ever flown such a thing. Nelis had been sitting in this shuttle for over twelve hours now and he would be for just about six more. Six more hours before he could see that old fellow. :: :: He hadn't exactly told that old fellow, his husband, that he would be coming to the Columbia. Sure, he had mentioned that he'd been writing a formal letter to request a transfer, but he said that could take months. Then suddenly, he was called to the chief's office that his request had been approved by the XO; only two days after talking to Pholin. He wanted to say it to him so badly, he wanted to deny every regulation there was to share the most exciting news in ten years. But the transfer approval of the XO came with one condition, he was to share it with no-one. :: :: Now, he understood the secrecy of the mission they had been on for the last two years; they were dealing with information and enemies that would cause chaos and destruction throughout the Federation. He had been on those kinds of missions before, and although they were challenging mentally, the whole army of counselors helped to deal with that. What really bugged him is how he couldn't even share with one person that he had been transferred. Like that would cause any harm! :: :: So, that meant: sitting alone in a shuttle for 18 hours. Normally he would just grab a book or two and enjoy life, but he was excited. He was going to see his husband without a stupid screen in between them for the first time in twenty-one months. He was going to a new ship, with new people, in a new region. Not that he'd been seeing much of it, he would be repairing conduits in different jefferies. He had once enlisted in Starfleet just because he wanted to fix things, and he still loved doing that. It was just... :: Nelis D.: oO Ben ik jaloers? Oo (Am I jealous?) :: The Dutchman had encouraged his husband to join Starfleet; it was his dream! But now he actually saw what Pholin was doing, and what Nelis could've been doing for the past twenty-or-so years. It bugged him. Pholin was just in the fleet for a week before he went down to a planet to save his captain. Nelis had never been on an away-mission in his entire career. Now that was exactly the reason he enlisted, so he wouldn't have to throw away four years of his life to become a "Starfleet officer". He would have responsibilities, he would have to be on the bridge, he would have to go down to planets. Twenty years he was satisfied by that, but his officer Pholin had maybe changed that. :: Nelis D.: oO Soon I will see him, only six more hours... Oo ((Pholin's Quarters - Deck 9, USS Columbia)) ((Time-index: Two hours after the ceremony)) :: It was a strange feeling. Sitting alone in fresh new quarters with a view of a million stars just outside the window. Pholin was lying on his bed glancing through the one window in his new room. The Operations department had arranged Lieutenant's quarters within the hour. Pholin had packed his few belongings and left for Deck 9. He was closer to the science labs now... hurray. He sighed, he had been trying not to think about it for the entire hour he had been laying there. Exactly 53 minutes ago he received a call from the Denobulan National Waters Organisation, more simply known in the family as "work". :: :: Both his parents and his single brother were in the Navy, all on the submarine Pak'cha, and had been for way too long. Pholin hated any large bodies of water, which in his childhood quickly determined he was not fit for the Navy. Of course, his parents had been devastated. Family tradition, and all that. Luckily, his smaller brother was happy to join and so the tradition lived on. Three happy Denobulans were under the water 27 hours a day for 6 months at a time. His father was the captain, so he stayed on the entire year. Now, since it was winter all three of them were happily sailing the seas currently. :: :: Emphasis on were, past tense. The DNWO wasn't just here to chat: the Family Spokesperson had informed him that the Pak'cha had gone missing in the line of duty. Assumed lost. No sign of the ship on any sensors. The moment the woman on the screen said that, his head started spinning, he was disoriented, he was confused. Pholin listened to the woman but didn't respond. His brain had turned itself off. Pholin didn't speak, Pholin didn't cry, Pholin was just there. The woman said she would be calling back and ended the call, leaving Pholin alone. :: :: So, that meant: lying alone on a bed for 53 minutes. His night shift had actually already started, but he had called in sick. He was told to report to sickbay but didn't want to. They'd see him being in this state, he would have to talk to a counselor. He would have to think about his family. He would have to realize that they were not there. They were gone. No way to contact them. No sign that they were anywhere near Denobula. They could've been eaten by ka-cheeys. They could have drowned. A tear streamed down his face. Two more followed, then it didn't stop. His entire life had he been with his family, and now it could all be gone. :: Duyzer: oO Ti kalem ra-gundai ah? Oo (Am I alone?) :: The Denobulan had begun to realize what had been told fifty... four minutes ago. He did not like it, he wanted to change it. Pholin looked in every corner through his window hoping that - somehow - Nelis would be there. He didn't want to be alone. He had been missing Nelis for ... about two years. The ship he was posted on was highly-classified, so much so that Pholin didn't even know what ship or class of ship he was posted on. The poor fellow hadn't gotten any shore-leave until last month. He wanted to hug him and cry in his arms. :: Duyzer: oO Soon I will see him, only a couple of months... Oo -- Lt. JG Pholin Duyzer Science Officer USS Columbia C239509P10 and Petty Off. 2nd Nelis Duyzer Repair Technician USS Columbia C239509P10 (PNPC)

Part 2 - 239501.03

((Shuttlecraft Verne - directly outside Columbia)) ((Time-index: During the events of "Be Careful What You Wish For".)) :: He made it, twenty-one hours but he made it. The Nebula-class was in sight flying through the clear skies. He only had to dock and then he could run to Pholin's quarters. Luckily he knew where they were, Deck 5 section 102. His husband actually had to share quarters like Nelis himself, but Nelis had heard good things about Pholin's roommate. In those quarters he could surprise him and hug the man like he had never before. Following standard procedures, he requested permission to dock. :: Nelis D.: =/\= Shuttlecraft Verne to Columbia. Requesting permission to dock. =/\= Shuttle Operations: =/\= Columbia here. You were not expected to arrive. Please state the nature of your request. =/\= :: Seriously, they weren't even told he was transferring? What a welcome to the ship. Luckily he had the PADD with his orders back in the shuttle. Standing up to get them, "Shuttle Operations" repeated his question. He was already at the back of the shuttle and had found his orders. He hoped the XO had bothered to send these orders to Starfleet Command too, so that the Columbia could confirm it. Making an awkward jump to the front seat, he responded to the hurried man. :: Nelis D.: =/\= I have been transferred to the Columbia, I'm sending you the orders now. =/\= :: While the other end of the call was presumably analyzing his request, Nelis stared out of the window, seeing the beautiful ship right in front of him. Only a forcefield was between the vacuum of space and the warmth of a spaceship. The Nebula was one design Nelis really liked looking at, but he knew that repairing it would be more of a hustle. It was an older class, and that sensor pod would most likely need repairing too... Still, he was looking forward to stepping foot on such a big vessel again, with so many rooms to explore. :: Shuttle Operations: =/\= Your orders have been confirmed. Welcome aboard the USS Columbia. =/\= Nelis D.: oO Eindelijk! Oo (Finally!) :: The blue light of the tractor beam was emitted from within the shuttlebay to safely land the Dutchman's shuttle. Very slowly he was pulled in and a hole just big enough for the shuttle was created in the forcefield. Meanwhile, Nelis had found his way to the back of the shuttle so he could depart the second he felt the ground beneath them. The shuttle was now completely inside and only had to be carried to an empty spot to land in. The seconds went by like they were hours, and Nelis couldn't stop cursing with words not to be translated. Finally, somehow, the shuttle fell down to the ground. Nelis pressed the button to open the door and ran. :: :: He gave a small wave to the Shuttle Operations team and sincerely hoped they wouldn't send a Security team after a running rogue crewman. Nelis quickly found his way to the nearest hallway and ordered the computer to give him directions to his quarters. He was quickly led to a turbolift and was strangely taken to Deck 9. Being the thing that he had to fix daily, the computer didn't have Nelis' trust. After asking the same question about Pholin's quarters again, he noticed something in the response. :: Computer: Lieutenant Pholin Duyzer's quarters are on Deck 9. Nelis D.: oO That bastard... three months and a promotion. Oo ((Pholin's Quarters - Deck 9, USS Columbia)) :: He hadn't stopped crying the hours he was awake. He had managed forty minutes of sleep, most likely not enough to survive the next day. For the first time since he joined Starfleet, Pholin didn't care how he would perform terribly that next day. He didn't want to sleep, because he would either dream about his family on the bottom of the ocean or about his husband lightyears away. Either way, he didn't want to think about that. So crying it was. He had a book in his hands, but he hadn't flipped the page since he started. :: :: He was fiddling with the two pips he had on his collar now. He hadn't had the time to process whatever had happened on the bridge. He could've been celebrating his promotion right now, he could've had a drink or two and be with friends. But no. He was just lying on his bed crying, hoping that would change something. The woman of Family Affairs had called again, which was the thing that woke him up. She said that the brightest minds in the Organisation were handling this case and that there was still hope. :: :: Sure there was. No submarine in the Organisation had ever been found after communications were cut off. He had looked it up: eleven vessels had gone missing in the last hundred years, and none were ever found back. No submarine, no crew, not even wreckage. Pholin had no faith in those "brightest minds", who had never had one successful rescue mission. :: :: The door chimed. It was most likely the medical team checking in if he hadn't died. Well, he hadn't. So, they could all leave. The door chimed again. Even if Pholin wanted to open up for those docs, his bed was too warm to leave it. The door chimed for the third time. Why weren't they using the emergency medical override? He wanted to put his cushion over his ears so he could go back to crying went he heard a muffled voice on the other side. :: Nelis D.: Pholin? ::desperate that Pholin was here:: :: That voice was familiar. Too familiar. Pholin didn't know how quickly to get up and open those damn doors. As soon as those doors had made a path wide enough, Pholin stormed through it and hugged him. It was him. He was here. He was here. He did not know how, but he was here. :: Duyzer: ::now crying even more:: I've missed you ::pause:: so much... :: Nelis was still stunned by the sudden amount of hug that fell upon him so suddenly, and started crying with Pholin. Nelis was happy to see him, but it looked like Pholin had been crying for hours. He escorted the taller man back inside his quarters, not wanting to embarrass him in front of crew walking by. Nelis had no idea what had happened to Pholin, but his entire room was a mess, with uneaten food and a sweaty scent. It was certainly bigger than Nelis' own shared quarters, and he even had a window to look out of. Pholin didn't seem to be enjoying his new room, however. He and Pholin sat down on his bed, Nelis still comforting him. They both didn't know what to say, although there as lots to say to either of them. :: Nelis D.: Pholin... ::whispering:: I love you. :: Pholin responded with a kiss on his cheek and a sad smile. Pholin couldn't be happier that he was there but didn't know how to express the pain he was feeling. He wanted to tell Nelis about the Pak'cha, he wanted him to say it was going to be all right, he wanted him to call Family Affairs and yell at them to make sure they were absolutely going to find the Pak'cha. But he didn't, why he did not know. Suddenly, the ship was thrown to port as Pholin grabbed on to his husband who was holding on to the blanket. Pholin looked at Nelis who seemed to be knowing what was going on. The ship was being attacked. The realization that Pholin was the superior officer and had to know what to do struck him as his commbadge echoed a screaming officer. :: Stone: =/\= All crew to battlestations! We have been fired on by an unknown vessel! =/\= :: Pholin didn't want to go, he wanted to stay with his husband in safety. Why did that vessel have to shoot now? Why now? He tried to stop crying as Nelis spoke up. :: Nelis D.: Come on, Pholin. This is your duty now, ::with a smirk:: Lieutenant. :: Nelis didn't stop being cynical, even during times like this. He cleared off the tears running down Pholin's face and gave him a last kiss on the forehead. He helped him stand up and escorted him back to the hallway. They had been together for a total of two minutes and the universe was already driving them apart again. With a pat on the back, he ran off to Engineering to get his tools and begin repairing every last conduit that had to be repaired. Following Nelis' determination, Pholin woke up too and made his way to the Bridge. He was not ready at all. :: -- Lt. JG Pholin Duyzer Science Officer USS Columbia C239509P10 and Petty Off. 2nd Nelis Duyzer Repair Technician USS Columbia C239509P10 (PNPC)