"There is a message for you," a guard said to Gina, once she had left the President's office. She had left alone; expected to return to Markeil's quarters.
She regarded him quizzically. She wondered what the message could be. "Yes?" She asked him politely. "What is it?"
"Your ship, the, uh…" he faded out, obviously forgetting the name of the ship. After all, he was a guard, not a messenger.
"Enterprise," Gina finished off for him.
He smiled nervously and composed himself, before finally continuing with what he was saying. "They say that you can leave soon."
She raised an eyebrow at that. She thought she could go back to the Enterprise now. "What do you mean?"
"That is all the information I was given. You will be expected within a few days," the guard added.
"Why can I not go now?" She asked him, confused. Then, she figured it out. There was a war on, more or less. She could not simply leave. Although Jevail did know the truth about the Hypnites' and Thanatosians' common ancestor, he hadn't thought to tell the people; the civilians. All sorts of official channels had to be passed before anything could happen. So, Gina shook her head. "No worries," she informed the guard.
He turned on his heel and walked away.
"Thank you," Gina called to him.
She continued to walk back to Markeil's quarters. She couldn't help turning her nose up at the pathetic sights which she could see out of the windows. Even the windows themselves were so poorly kept, she could barely see anything. She couldn't even bare to think of what it would be like down there at night. All this technology, and they can't even maintain safety and electricity for their people, Gina thought to herself in dismay. It was very similar to Earth in the twenty-first century, plagued by war, poverty, corruption and civil unrest.
She snapped out of that negative thinking mode and reminded herself that she would soon be able to return to the Enterprise.
At last, she reached Markeil's quarters. The lights were on and the red sun was strong, surprisingly, strong. She went into the bathroom and studied herself. She looked different, she thought to herself. Though, she wasn't really sure what it was that made her look different. Even if her appearance didn't change that much, she knew that she felt different. Very different. She combed her hair and frowned heavily.
She hadn't heard it but the door had opened. She left the bathroom and was surprised to find Markeil hovering in the doorway.
"Markeil?" She said, surprised.
He seemed to be just as surprised as she was. "I was not expecting you," he said nonchalantly, avoiding eye-contact with her.
She raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
"I only came here to see why someone was in my quarters," he replied, with the same flat tone of voice.
"Who else could it have been but me?" She wondered aloud.
He shrugged. "I thought you had left."
"I wasn't going to leave without saying goodbye," she said warmly.
That seemed to cheer him up a little. "So, you will be going now, I take it?" He asked her, hoping that the answer would be no.
She shook her head. "One of your guards told me that I couldn't return to the Enterprise yet."
"Whatever for?" He asked her. He was pleased, though confused.
"Just to make things easier for your people and the Thanatosians, I think. Maybe I'm some sort of intermediary," she suggested.
He nodded, considering her thoughts. They seemed logical. "Anyway," he said, pointing to the door. "I'll leave you to it. You probably will need to gather up your things."
She smiled at him. "No, don't go."
He returned the smile, though it was a slightly nervous smile. "What will you be bringing back to your ship?" He said, uncomfortable with the silence.
Gina shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. There isn't much, really."
He remembered and felt a little guilty. Her tricorder, phaser and combadge had all been confiscated. She was allowed to keep her uniform. President Jevail said that it was to remind her that she was an enemy to them. "I will miss you," he blurted out.
"I am not going yet," she comforted him. "I can't leave for at least another few days."
That gave him some sort of consolation, but he knew that the time would quickly be over. He sighed quietly. "That's something, I suppose," he wondered aloud.
She smiled and went over to him. "Do you have anything that you need to do today?"
He was silent for a while, considering. "Paperwork," he said. "It can wait."
"No, you shouldn't," she said firmly. "I've already gotten you into trouble. I am a distraction. I'll soon be out of your hair."
"Distractions are not always bad," he said logically. He tucked a tendril of her hair behind her ear. He looked at her. She knew that he was not happy with her leaving. She could see it in his eyes. They were dim; dimmer than the moon. There was no light behind them and no flecks of sparkles scattered around on them, either. They were dull. A plain blue colour. They now no longer seemed to be special or intriguing.
"I'm sorry I have to go," she muttered, her chin still resting in his hand.
He cocked his head to one side. "It is not your fault. You belong in Starfleet. You're too pretty to have to live in this abominable place."
She smiled. "It won't always be like this," she said comfortingly.
He nodded, hoping that she was right. He kissed her cheek and held her close.