Communication Part 4, Bonding Ceremony: Jason's Memory

Posted on Wed Jul 31st, 2024 @ 1:34pm by Lieutenant JG T'lenn & Lieutenant JG Jason Williams III

1,424 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: The Menagerie: side stories & mischief making
Location: USS Astrea, Jason's Private Cabin
Timeline: MD 11, Immediately following Communication Part 3

Inside of the mind meld, T'lenn's memory started fade. Images of the grounded ship and the people were still there, but had become a blur.

The adult T'lenn held out a hand for Jason to take, "Your turn."

Jason nodded and stood up, taking T'lenn's hand. Suddenly, the scene around them shifted to a boat, out on an ocean, with a happy family. "This was when my parents took us out diving for the first time." He smiled as he moved around the boat, unseen by anyone. "It had been a beautiful day off Cocoa Beach, and we were going to dive down to see one other ship wreaks from World War III, an old Alriegh Burke cruiser."

"Alright kids," their father was speaking to both Jason and his sister, Elizabeth, as their mother was busy maneuvering their boat into place. "Remember what we taught you. We stay together and in sight of each other. If you have any issues, you tell us immediately, understood?"

"Yes. Sir," the two children replied in unison.

Their father smiled at them both. "Excellent! Then let's get suited up and ready to have some fun!"

The family then started to pull on their wetsuits and gear. A few minutes later, when all was set, their father dropped into the water first, while their mother finished checking their air supplies. "Okay, Elizabeth, Jase, now, sit on the edge like you were taught. Hold your helmets in place with both hands... and when you're ready, one at a time, drop backwards into the water."

Elizabeth went first, then Jason. A few beats later, their mother joined them. Then, after a final radio check, the family of four descended under the waves. As the wreak was in deep water, and the kids weren't yet rated to go all the way down, it had been agreed to descend just far enough to see the ship from about twenty meters away.

"A family vacation activity?" T'lenn inquired. "You and your sister seem like obedient children."

He nodded as they continued to watch, then his smile faltered some. "This dive would be more than just a happy family activity." As they continued to watch, a school of hammerhead sharks started to swim out of the depths, slowly surrounding the family.

T'lenn took in the scene. Jason could have been 8 or 9. But the memory had stopped abruptly. She turned to him, "You are holding back," T'lenn said gently, looking at him with widened eyes - sympathy? Connected like this he realized he could sense her emotions, though he had yet to learn the depth and intensity at which her emotions ran, and why Vulcans cultivated emotional suppression in their children.

"Is their anything else you would like to tell me before you show me more?" She asked, her voice had a tenderness to it that Jason had yet experienced from her.

Jason was silent, as the memory seemed to slow. Finally, he nodded quietly. "This day changed things going forward," his voice was full of pain as the memory resumed playing.

As the family continued to descend, their mother saw the sharks suddenly. "Jason!" She exclaimed to their father.

He turned and saw the danger. Keeping his family behind him as best he could, he pulled out his collapsed spear, and activated the extension mechanism. "Everyone, stay behind me and slowly start swimming away from the sharks and towards the surface." Though there was nervousness in his voice, it was controlled by the strong desire to protect his mate and children.

Slowly, the four started to move away and up. Unfortunately, one of the larger sharks, a twelve foot male, honed in on them and started towards them. When it was within stricking distance, Jason Senior thrust the business end of the spear towards the shark, striking it just above and behind the tip of its head. Blood was instantly in the water, which started to attract more of the sharks.

In seconds, while the family was still a few meters from the surface, a dozen more sharks had descended upon the wounded shark, biting and tearing into it, creating a feeding frenzy. One of the sharks, a ten foot female, turned and, before he could react, bit down onto Jason Senior's right thigh.

Shouting in pain from the powerful bite, Jason Senior screamed to his family to get out of the water now! As he did so, he dropped the spear and pulled out his dive knife. He started stabbing the head of the shark repeatedly, until finally, dead, it released him and floated away lifelessly. Now that there was even more blood in the water, the frenzy of the sharks increased exponentially. As the kids and their mother got back on the boat safely, Jason Senior swam as fast as he could, trailing blood behind him.

As he reached the boat, another hammerhead. This one a four foot juvenile, reached him and tried to claim him for a meal. As he started to pull himself onto the boat, the shark succeeded partially, ripping his right foot and park of his shin free. The sheer level of pain to his system caused Jason's father to collapse and pass-out in shock.

T'lenn stayed back near the adult Jason as the scene played out. She focused her attention on the young Jason's face trying to study what T'lenn was to learn about Jason from this memory.

"Your father survives. You speak well of him," T'lenn said gently.

The adult T'lenn held out a hand for Jason to take, "Your turn."

Adult Jason nodded silently as he watched his mother move quickly to stabilize his father, applying a tourniquet to his mangl3d leg, to stem the bleeding. She then moved to the helm and quickly retracted the anchors and fired up the engines. In seconds, they were speeding back to their boat slip in the harbor.

"He did, thankfully, though it was touch and go for several days. He has lost a tremendous amount of blood, by the time we got him to the hospital. His recovery took nearly a full year, after several surgeries and being given a prosthetic leg."

T'lenn stepped closer to the child and knelt down to look at him, tilting her head as she watched. "And you? What about you?" T'lenn asked, keeping her position in the memory near the child, but turning to look at the Jason she was speaking with.

"I didn't go back into the water for nearly three years, not even onto our boat." He sighed softly, looking at the young him, remembering all the trauma that little boy had worked through to get to where he was now.

T'lenn stood up and took a step back, tracing her steps back to Jason. "This must have been terrifying for everyone," she stated. T'lenn held her hand out in front of Jason, palm up. "This is your memory, are you ready to conclude or is there more here you wish for me to see?" She asked.

Taking her hand, Jason shook his head, "I'm ready to leave this memory."

T'lenn nodded at Jason. "Think of the present, when we were sitting in your quarters. The memory will fade, as we release from our connection."

Jason nodded, then closed his eyes. He started to concentrate on the present, with T'lenn being so close to him. The memory faded, and then, he opened his eyes, taking in her perfect beauty.

T'lenn released her hand from Jason's face, very slowly dropping her hand. "Are you well?" She asked. "The side effects can sometimes be overwhelming," she said softly.

Her hand still hovered in the air between them as she resisted the urge to reach out for him as their minds separated. The air between them felt charged, as if the connection wasn't completely broken, but yet it was. T'lenn wasn't in Jason's thoughts right now, but there was an energy between them she couldn't explain - something she hadn't felt before.

A few tears fell down Jason's cheeks as he replied. "The sensation of our minds joining..." he shook his head. "I don't have the words...beautiful doesn't seem to describe it properly." As he spoke, he reached out and took hold of T'lenn's hand. He e brought it to his lips and gently kissed her palm. He then looked deep into her eyes, and there was a hunger that was unmistakable. However, he would keep his word and go only as fast as she wanted to go.

~tbc~

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