Post by Judith Eastman on Nov 9, 2021 18:58:20 GMT
Congratulations to Kaya Som for winning POTM!
Now that you're an admin, it's your last win for a while.
Now that you're an admin, it's your last win for a while.
{The winning Submission #2, by Kaya Som, is in Mission Through the Looking Glass}Here's what the nominator wrote:
Here's the post itself:
You can read the post in context here.
This post was so beautifully articulated and hit different. It was like a gut punch but wonderful at the same time. It just perfectly captured the feelings of the mission and understanding.
Here's the post itself:
[ SCPO Kaya Som - Sickbay | Old!Kaya et. al. - Engineering ]
In Sickbay Kaya situated herself in the biobed, finding it harder than she'd thought to get a comfortable position for her recently healing innerds. She clipped the commbadge to the hospital gown and balanced the PADD on her lap.
"Som to Engineering, status report."
Down in Engineering, ears perked up at the voice of their absent chief Engineer. The more aged Kaya paused and considered before answering. She smiled. It was always bizarre hearing your own voice, but Kaya's truely did sound to her all too young.
The older Kaya provided the update as the others looked on.
"Everything's fine. Nork is under control. We're prepping to get out of here."
In sickbay, bed-bound Kaya was taken aback. Lack of protocol over comms was a clue, but it was her. Her voice from far in the future! Her face lit up alone there on the bio bed with all the privacy Dr. Harrison had promised, her throat suddenly tight with emotion.
"Okay, great. Um." she responded suddenly struck speechless. Encountering a copy of yourself, Kaya had thought about it before. What would you do if you met your clone, or your past self, or your future self - all the prompts of late-night party discussions had a similar bent and Kaya's answer was always the same. She laughed to herself and tapped in again.
"Do you need any help? I can't come down there. I'm in sickbay."
Down in Engineering, the older Kaya was moved by the emotion in her own voice. She looked to Maddox hoping he understood what she had to do.
"We're alright here. Don't move. Kaya out."
With a last look at Engineering, at everyone who knew what to do, at Nork who was more capable than she ever gave him credit for, and at her spouse, Kaya left to find herself.
[ Exit Old!Kaya ]
[ Sickbay ]
Sickbay was busy but this time there was hope in the air. The older Kaya found her way back to the recovery suites. The door slid open and she saw herself look up from where she was on the bed, PADD in lap.
"Vek'tema..." she breathed. The younger Kaya had the same response, defied doctor's orders and slid from the bed, her bare feet taking the floor. The two Kayas didn't hesitate in their approach. The older took the younger's face in her hands. Younger Kaya's cheeks were smooth and plump, her hair still a thick chestnut brown, her spots clear and not hazy. The younger Kaya had put her hands on top of hers, cold on Trill cold, feeling the other's knobby joints and calloused fingers.
They spoke to each other in Trill.
«You're crying,» said the elder.
«I always said that if I met another version of myself,» younger Kaya began with a shaky laugh, «that we'd make out.»
Elder Kaya was already smiling, her smile big, her heart full. She knew, of course. They'd lived the same twenty-eight years. Elder Kaya leaned forward and gently kissed younger Kaya's forehead. She lingered there for a long moment knowing it was a cosmically sacred moment. She held hope in her hands for the first time in decades in a way even the mothers never had. The younger Kaya relaxed deeply into it, knowing the same thing.
When the Elder Kaya pulled away and released the younger from her hands, the younger had so many questions but she led with a compliment.
«We look good! I love the grey.»
Elder Kaya laughed. «Yeah, thanks. Dignified, really. You, though, enjoy that arse while you can.»
Younger Kaya laughed but immediately winced, holding her tummy. The elder's face fell and she reached to help her back to the bed. The younger Kaya showed off the doctor's handiwork. The elder admired it, the lack of any scar. It was just a bit red.
«Oh, look at that. Much better than mine. He save yours?»
The younger Kaya shook her head no. «It's still in there, but I can't join.»
There wasn't anything to be said. Kaya knew that Kaya knew what Kaya knew. They'd felt the same way on this day. The only difference was that today, Kaya had Kaya there to understand it all exactly.
In Sickbay Kaya situated herself in the biobed, finding it harder than she'd thought to get a comfortable position for her recently healing innerds. She clipped the commbadge to the hospital gown and balanced the PADD on her lap.
"Som to Engineering, status report."
Down in Engineering, ears perked up at the voice of their absent chief Engineer. The more aged Kaya paused and considered before answering. She smiled. It was always bizarre hearing your own voice, but Kaya's truely did sound to her all too young.
The older Kaya provided the update as the others looked on.
"Everything's fine. Nork is under control. We're prepping to get out of here."
In sickbay, bed-bound Kaya was taken aback. Lack of protocol over comms was a clue, but it was her. Her voice from far in the future! Her face lit up alone there on the bio bed with all the privacy Dr. Harrison had promised, her throat suddenly tight with emotion.
"Okay, great. Um." she responded suddenly struck speechless. Encountering a copy of yourself, Kaya had thought about it before. What would you do if you met your clone, or your past self, or your future self - all the prompts of late-night party discussions had a similar bent and Kaya's answer was always the same. She laughed to herself and tapped in again.
"Do you need any help? I can't come down there. I'm in sickbay."
Down in Engineering, the older Kaya was moved by the emotion in her own voice. She looked to Maddox hoping he understood what she had to do.
"We're alright here. Don't move. Kaya out."
With a last look at Engineering, at everyone who knew what to do, at Nork who was more capable than she ever gave him credit for, and at her spouse, Kaya left to find herself.
[ Exit Old!Kaya ]
[ Sickbay ]
Sickbay was busy but this time there was hope in the air. The older Kaya found her way back to the recovery suites. The door slid open and she saw herself look up from where she was on the bed, PADD in lap.
"Vek'tema..." she breathed. The younger Kaya had the same response, defied doctor's orders and slid from the bed, her bare feet taking the floor. The two Kayas didn't hesitate in their approach. The older took the younger's face in her hands. Younger Kaya's cheeks were smooth and plump, her hair still a thick chestnut brown, her spots clear and not hazy. The younger Kaya had put her hands on top of hers, cold on Trill cold, feeling the other's knobby joints and calloused fingers.
They spoke to each other in Trill.
«You're crying,» said the elder.
«I always said that if I met another version of myself,» younger Kaya began with a shaky laugh, «that we'd make out.»
Elder Kaya was already smiling, her smile big, her heart full. She knew, of course. They'd lived the same twenty-eight years. Elder Kaya leaned forward and gently kissed younger Kaya's forehead. She lingered there for a long moment knowing it was a cosmically sacred moment. She held hope in her hands for the first time in decades in a way even the mothers never had. The younger Kaya relaxed deeply into it, knowing the same thing.
When the Elder Kaya pulled away and released the younger from her hands, the younger had so many questions but she led with a compliment.
«We look good! I love the grey.»
Elder Kaya laughed. «Yeah, thanks. Dignified, really. You, though, enjoy that arse while you can.»
Younger Kaya laughed but immediately winced, holding her tummy. The elder's face fell and she reached to help her back to the bed. The younger Kaya showed off the doctor's handiwork. The elder admired it, the lack of any scar. It was just a bit red.
«Oh, look at that. Much better than mine. He save yours?»
The younger Kaya shook her head no. «It's still in there, but I can't join.»
There wasn't anything to be said. Kaya knew that Kaya knew what Kaya knew. They'd felt the same way on this day. The only difference was that today, Kaya had Kaya there to understand it all exactly.
You can read the post in context here.