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Holodeck 1- Songs for Old Friends (A Wake)

Posted June 16, 2021, 4:23 p.m. by Lieutenant Faye Calloway (Counter-Intelligence Officer) (Lindsay B)

Posted by Captain Alexander Cochrane (Commanding Officer) in Holodeck 1- Songs for Old Friends (A Wake)

Posted by Lieutenant Faye Calloway (Counter-Intelligence Officer) in Holodeck 1- Songs for Old Friends (A Wake)

Posted by Captain Alexander Cochrane (Commanding Officer) in Holodeck 1- Songs for Old Friends (A Wake)
Posted by… suppressed (3) by the Post Ghost! 👻
The idea at first had seemed ludicrous but as it had settled into their minds, it became strangely poetic. A funeral was too morose. After all, a long time had passed and they weren’t grieving anymore. Or at least it was rather different than that overwhelming grief neither could truly touch in the aftermath. Each woman had a vastly different aftermath of the massacre of Tracken II, but both had put off feeling emotions related to those events until they could breathe again (as in Faye’s case), or until it momentarily broke them (as in Shara’s case). But here they were together, finally, and there was no one else to do the thing that should have been done a long time ago.

And in good ol’ Tracken style, it took the form of a wake. And a wake on Tracken was a big party, a celebration of lives lived, rather than the lives cut short. A small difference but one that made a difference for them.

They debated who should send out the invite and in the end Faye did. It was her ship after all, they knew who Faye was by now.


To: ALL CREW, USS Manhattan
From: Lieutenant Calloway, Faye
Re: A Celebration of Life, 2000 Hours

To my crew, my family… after a lot of thought, my mother and I have decided to hold a celebration for those we lost from Tracken II. If the name isn’t familiar, you can look it up, but suffice to say they deserved better than what the Dominion did to them. And after many, many years, finally we get to gather to honour their lives the way they should have been honoured.

Tracken II was’t just a colony. It was an experiment in building a community in grass roots style. We didn’t shun modern technology but we didn’t have a lot of it by choice and lived as simply as we could. To this day I can’t recall anyone complaining about lacking something. If someone was in need, the community helped out and provided it. Sick in bed and couldn’t get up to make food? Bet you anything someone will already have come by to leave you something comforting. The spirit of Tracken, of the resilience it taught and the community it fostered, is something we’ve taken with us our entire lives since. And we wish to share it with others.

Join myself and my mother (Commander Shara Calloway) for a Tracken II style wake. Bring food (it’s potluck style), and be ready to have a party, they way they would have wanted us to do. We may not have had a lot but we had love, each other and appreciation for the simple things in life. There will be music (feel free to bring an instrument and/or join in) and bring your own stories of community and we’ll gladly share ours.

~Faye


After having finished up making the hasperat, Faye, Daggum and Shara made their way over to the holodeck. It had been rather difficult to decide the setting but in the end Faye suggested the place where everything recently (and painfully) fell into place: her Muir Beach program.

When the program began they found themselves standing on a sandy beach overlooking the Pacific Ocean near San Francisco, whose strong waves pounded onto the shore about 20 metres in front of them. The coast curved to the right into a semi sheltered cove, but the rest was open to the water. Behind them, the land rise up in a large sweeping cliff that had a trail winding down to the beach. Large rocks dotted the base of the beach and sea grasses covered that area too. The air was warm but the wind coming in was slightly cool as the sun sank before them, casting a warm glow.

Faye modified the program to have several picnic tables loosely around (and far enough back), from a large campfire was getting going. Around the campfire were logs people could sit on to stay warm as the night set in. Behind all this was a bank of tables for the food and drinks. That’s where the hasperat had been set, ready to go. There was a fairly large dance floor with wooden pillars at each corner, from which strands of lights were hung, creating a soft and cozy ambience.

But Shara had created an amendment to the program that momentarily stunned Faye: lining the shore (and with the waves programmed never to touch them) were tall and wide frosted glass hurricane shades over a glass base and inside each was a white pillar candle. There were hundreds of them. On each in a handwritten font was the name of each resident of Tracken II. The glow from them alone made Faye feel overwhelmed, but she was okay. On one of the picnic tables, three candles still needed to be lit, the names etched on the glass: Edward Calloway, Kardin Jaris, T’Lora.

“I got his,” Shara said, kissing Faye’s forehead and grabbing the lighter on the table. There was no doubt who his meant.

Lighting the one candle, Shara walked it carefully over to the others and knelt on one knee to place it in line with the others.

Faye picked up the lighter and smiled at Daggum as she handed it to him. “Shall we? You do T’Lora’s?” Her lighting Jaris’ seemed right.

~Faye & Shara Calloway

“I’d be honored.” he said with a soft smile and held her hand as they walked over. “You first, I’ll follow.” and he let her hand go so she could light the candle.

Daggum

Lighting the candle, Faye passed the lighter to Daggum and carefully replaced the shade, and lifted the set-up so she could balance it with one hand and keep hr other free to hold Daggum’s.

Following her mother, Faye set the candle down next to her father’s and then stepped back. The glow from all the candles was breathtaking and she was glad for her mother’s addition even if it was a more visceral embodiment of their collective loss.

Shara was looking over the setting, her usual pensive self.

~Faye & Shara Calloway

“Is there where the celebration of life is? Or am I in the wrong holodeck?” said a distinctive, slightly British voice. Cochrane carried a large covered pot in a carrying warmer and was wheeling a large case… his cello. “As I understand it is potluck and I have been tasked by Chef Harv to bring his seafood chowder and bread. Ms. Calloway… Ms. Calloway.” he said with a nod to each. “Where would like this?”

Cochrane, CO

“Alex!” Faye said, traipsing through the sand as quickly as the stuff would allow her to. For someone at a wake, Faye was ridiculously happy and it showed on her face in a permanent sort of beaming glow. Then again she had a lot of reasons to be, and her ring wasn’t some giant in-you-face-gem, but it was a notable change since aside from the IDIC pendant she wore tucked under her uniform jacket on days where it was safe to do so, Faye didn’t wear jewellery. “Here, let me get the pot. You’re going to want to carry your instrument over to the dance floor. You see that extension, that’s the spot where the music will be. which come to think of it… mom?” she called out. “You want a piano, right?”

“Sure, why not? I’ve got my guitar case leaned against a picnic table over there,” Shara replied, making her way over. “Glad you could join us, Captain,” she said softly.

Faye relieved Alex of the chowder and lifted the lid. “mmm, smells good. Almost as good as what we made,” she said , waggling her eyebrows at Alex. “Bet you’ll never guess,” she deadpanned.

~Faye & Shara Calloway

Alex let her take the pot, but caught her left wrist and looked. He then looked at her, tentative happiness and a bit of concern on his face. “Faye…” he said so softly only she would hear, “… is that what I think it is? And if it is… are you sure about that?”

Cochrane

Her grey-green eyes met his gaze openly and she grinned. “It is. And I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life,” Faye whispered back. And that was saying something. “I know… it’s fast, but… it’s not. Not for me. Not after anything.” She glanced briefly back at Daggum and then met Alex’s gaze again. “With him I feel safe, and he makes everything calm down. I…” She half-shrugged her shoulders, not sure how else to put it.

~Faye


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