A/N: Thank you to Sierra who loves to write about Romulans. I probably wouldn't be writing this if it weren't for her stories.
Charvanek walked through the snow, grateful for the relative quiet of the woods. The only sounds to be heard were the soft crackling of falling snow, and the light crunching of her boots. She wasn't paying attention to the beauty around her though, she was too immersed in her own thoughts.
It had been nearly a week since the incident that had ruined her career. She had been treated as a guest from the moment she was accidentally beamed on board the Enterprise with... That Vulcan.
An accident for them anyway.
She still wasn't sure why she'd done it, why she'd grabbed Spock knowing that she would end up on his ship.
Perhaps I knew that if I didn't at least have a captive, I was finished, or perhaps I thought I could steal the cloaking device back. Perhaps I grabbed him out of desperation for my position in the Empire. She sighed. Or maybe I was desperate for other reasons...
Captain Kirk had kept his word, dropping her off at the first Starbase they had come upon. That base was Starbase 662 on the planet Shira. The base crew were kind to her. They seemed to sense that whatever the mission of the Enterprise had been, its completion had cost her everything. For the time being she was allowed to come and go as she pleased, as long as she stayed within 2 miles of the base. There was no harm she could do. There was nothing within 5 miles of the base except woods. A few of the base personnel had homes within that area, but that was it. They had disarmed her, had even taken her honor blade. There was nothing for her to do but wait for a trading vessel to come along that was willing to take her to the Neutral Zone.
If she decided to go back.
After all, what point is there in going back to the Empire now? I have no prisoners, no cloaking device. My honor is ruined. If I go back they might execute or banish me.
Charvanek paused. A thought that had been troubling her forced its way back into her thoughts. What about my crew? What will happen to them? Will they be executed?
She pondered this for a moment.
No. She decided. They wouldn't be executed. At least, she didn't think so. Punished yes, but there's nothing I could do about that even if I do go back. Is there?
The wind blew snow off of the trees above her path, and it fell on her in a cold shower. The white flakes caught in her hair and eyelashes causing her vision to blur. When it cleared, she noticed a patch of trampled, muddied snow off to her left. It looked as if some of the children from the base had been playing there earlier.
That snow looks like how I feel right now. Trampled on. Left without hope of the recovery of my life. Or my honor.
***********************
"Commander? What should we do?" It was Tal speaking and he looked worried.
Charvanek looked around. She was on the bridge of the Honor Blade. All the consoles were lit with an ominous red glow, and emergency sirens were screeching.
"Commander?" Tal's voice was more urgent this time. Charvanek looked at him, then turned her head slowly, taking in the faces of her bridge crew. They were watching her intently, waiting for her to answer, trusting her to make the right decision. They all depended on her to lead them. Trusted her to do the right thing...
Charvanek woke up with a start. She sat up in a panic and looked around. She was in her room on the base. It had all been a dream.
Just a dream...
***********************
The next day Charvanek was out walking in the woods again. It was snowing now, had been all night. The tracks she had made yesterday were completely covered, but she knew the path well. She had traveled it several times in the past few days.
Last night's dream had again brought to her mind the question of the fate of her crew.
Maybe I should go back. There must be something I can do. She thought. Maybe since I'm of the Emperor's kin...
She had come back to the patch of trampled snow she had seen yesterday. Last night's snow had covered the area in a fresh blanket of white. All that remained of the muddied snow was a small hollow in the smooth white covering.
It really is amazing, Charvanek thought. How snowflakes, being so small, can cover so much... If they keep falling.
She looked up at the sky, blinking as snowflakes fell into her eyes.
If they keep falling and don't give up...
I'll go back. I may or may not be able to help my crew, but I can try. Maybe, if I survive, I'll be able to help them... and myself... rebuild our lives, and our honor.
One snowflake at a time.