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The Forge
Dr. Ben Thrace
The shuttle was comfortable as Benjamin Thrace and Kathryn Janeway moved about the interior. Ben hummed slightly to himself as he adjusted their course and updated their ETA. Kathryn shuffled around in the rear of the cabin, checking their travel items. The two were on holiday, finally taking a break away from the hustle and bustle of their busy professional lives to spend time together. It was more than just a simple vacation for them: it was their anniversary. Three years together, a long time by any career officer's standards. Somehow they had weathered the long distance, being at odds with one another, and all around lack of inclusion in certain circles (she DID out-rank him after all) to hold onto a lasting relationship. The scheduling had been difficult, but both senior officers had finally gained the clearance to get away and spend nearly two weeks together. Two weeks on Vulcan. How Ben had convinced her even he wasn't sure. Ben loved deserts and was particularly partial to Vulcan's, a latent image from his days on the planet years ago romanticized to mystical proportions. Though he had spent nearly three years on the planet almost fourteen years ago, he had never ventured into the deep desert the way he and Janeway now planned to. To take the ancient path through the Forge and to Mt. Seleya was a path traditionally sought only by Vulcans attempting the Kolhinar. It wasn't expressly forbade to outsiders, but it was something none actively sought. Most took the terrestrial transport to the mountain, and in recent years a transporter platform had even been installed to allow dignitaries immediate access. But for Ben and Kathryn, they would be doing things the hard way, the way Vulcans had done for nearly two millenia before.
"ETA in four minutes." Ben called out. The planet loomed before them, a massive orange ball dwarfed by it's twin suns in the background. Various ships and satellites could already be seen in orbit, and Ben couldn't wait to leave all that behind and strike out with just the ceremonial pack. Ben had read nearly every story he could get his hands on about Vulcan's deep desert. Though majorly anecdotal, all the stories had one thing in common: the intensely personal and intimate and awe-inspiring reverence the desert instilled in those that traversed it. While vague on their experiences, all those that chose to talk about it spoke of a deep revelation about themselves that only the heat and drought and space of the desert could show. Without ever really realizing it it had been what Ben craved, something that cleared the murkiness from his being and allowed him to move on with his life. He didn't believe that he was holding back anything, but lately his darker thoughts roused him late at night and kept him wondering. He hoped the Forge would prove to be a crucible for him as it had been for so many others, and burn away the darkness and let him be.
Swiveling in his chair, he turned to Kathryn and watched her as she tucked the last of their rations into their respective packs. They would be traveling light in order to honor the path, but he had promised to at least bring an emergency kit just in case something went wrong. He watched her pack it carefully, smiling at her all the while. Kathryn was a scientist at heart, just like he was, but he knew she wasn't truly comfortable unless there was a tricorder nearby. At least that kit would carry everything conveniently.
"We are all set. I have distributed or equipment and rations as equally as I could, and our desert fatigues are ready," Kathryn said as she rose from her hunched position and placed her hands on her hips. "Time to suit up." Ben smiled at her again. She looked great, better and better each day. There had been a time for the both of them that neither thought she would ever be healthy again. She had been sick for so long, so close to death, and though their time together had it's moments of fun, there had always been the unspoken promise of better days....once she recovered. Unspoken because at the time neither could be sure she would ever recover. Now it seemed they were both intent of fulfilling that promise, and this trip would be the beginning.
Ben stood and crossed the small space to be nearer to her, and without ceremony began stripping off his uniform.
"Not bashful at all are you," She asked him as she moved to give him space. Now wearing just his green undergarments, it was his turn to place his hands on his hips.
"I see no reason to be. It's not like I am totally naked and it's not like you haven't seen it before," he continued to smile at her, hoping his voice would maintain its even delivery. He knew he probably looked ridiculous, but he didn't care. They were on vacation and it was supposed to be fun. Besides, he was absolutely excited.
Kathryn sighed. "You would think you have never been on shore leave before," she told him softly, but he could see the grin creeping into the corners of her mouth. She was excited too. It had been a long time since she had had a break, and longer still that they had had a break together and could actually enjoy it. This was truly something...for the both of them.
"The shuttle is programmed to land just outside of Shi'kahr, where the journey begins. They have the paths out of the city gates marked for foot travel or for conventional transit. The foot paths out of the city are all the same, but after about a mile they stop. It will be up to us to choose our own path through the Forge and to the mountain after that," Ben explained as he put on his desert fatigues. He turned his back to her to allow her the privacy to change, and headed back to the pilot's chair to bring them in for a landing. As they entered the atmosphere, Ben readied himself for what was to come. This was a long time coming, and he knew that he and Kathryn deserved this time together, to learn about one another and to re-connect. He hoped the desert could restore all they had lost and then some....
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