A Silent Reflection

==A Silent Reflection by Nyoko==
The final moments of that climatic battle she had waged with undine Valoura played out in Nyoko's mind. She recalled the feeling of helplessness she experienced. In hindsight it was that dive before thinking mentality that almost got her killed. It was surely made clear to her that an Undine in its full form was an overpowering creature of strength. She couldn't understand how she missed that critical shot. Then again the phaser she was using was 200 and its accuracy was questionable. She had thought about that over and over since she had been picked up.
Nyoko stepped on to the turbolift though it might as well had been a holodeck door. She waited for the lift to take her to the observation deck. Silently she was alone on the lift and she recalled those growling moments where she felt that three fingered alien palm wrapped around the back of the neck. It’s strong hand squeezing the breath out of her. All she could do was yelp in short breaths at the pressure being applied. When she did struggle her face was pressed even closer to the wall.
Nyoko's hand went to the back of her neck. It was like the memories brought back the pressure she felt and the cold alien hand on her neck. The turbo lifted stopped and two independence crew men stepped into the lift and continued their conversation while Nyoko remained silent. 
She went back to her reflection. She thought about how unsettling it was to be helpless. During those long moments at the clutches of that beastly species she told herself to remain hopeful, she believed in her crew. That at this moment Liz was doing something incredible with that old transporter panel to back her up. Then Valoura's voice filled her mind. Undine where telepathic and spoke as such. The voice it used was watery and horrid meant to scare her.
"Captain Honndaaa, this is where it ends. This is where you stop making a difference." It taunted.
As the invasion into her thoughts begin to register her hopeful resolve deflated like a balloon. Those moments where she barely had enough air to think clearly thoughts the end set in, maybe Liz wasn't coming. Then she heard a shout.
"You let her go!" Liz shouted and acting purely with rage she pounced forward like a tigress going for the Undine's jugular.
Liz went for the eyes. Her finger tips pressed through the creatures oily reflective orbs. Undine bucked left and right trying to swing Liz off like a bull in a rodeo. Liz tried to fire her phaser but the small phaser 200 year old phaser was seriously under powered. Finally the Undine had to take control of the situation. With a jerk and a slam Nyoko blacked out and she crumbled to the ground.
With Nyoko out of the equation he bucked with full strength fling Liz off its back. She went airborne crashing into the old duron console tossing her phaser from her grasps. With a scream she rolled off the edge of the console to ground. She was injured. Nyoko didn't remember any of this. In fact this was something that was filled in during their aftermath conversations.
What Nyoko did remember was suddenly coming too. Lying crumbled up in the lining of one of the bulkhead sections her eastern eyes snapped open. Everything was so disorienting like she had woken up on an operating table and her head hurt a lot. It felt like the pressure blow a part a crack in her skull. The pain throbbed with every heart beat. Though that didn’t matter she knew Liz was about to die and as her vision cleared the situation became clear.
Liz had crawled back in the corner looking up at the towering Undine. She was helpless and even more so the alien had brought its spiked tail to bear. It lapped around its body preparing to impale Liz. One slow step, by another step silently invaded her thoughts although Nyoko couldn’t hear Valoura’s part it was very clear hearing Liz’s responses
. 
“Do it then, get it over with!” She said with venom as she slid herself on butt to met the bulkhead of the shuttle with her back.
Nyoko knew there was no time. She had to do something or her friend, no her best friend would die at the hands of this demon. So absorbed in its hate to ever be reasoned with she knew killing it was the only option. Nyoko pushed off the wall in a wincing ant the wrenching pain in her ribs. Through the pain she saw the phaser with in arms length. Although the pain was so unbearable she willed herself to reach for it. Grasping the phaser’s handle she held her side protectively with her off hand and struggled to a lopsided stand, pointing her phaser at the back of the Undine.
“Valoura!” She shouted to catch the alien’s attention. Undine’s milky eyes went wide realizing Nyoko had come too so fast.
“Game… Over!” Nyoko said with the sharpest tone she had ever known.
Then with the pull of her index finger the phaser shot out its blue beam. The beam struck the back of Valoura at maximum setting vaporizing the undine into gas. Liz was safe and Nyoko dropped the phaser and crumbled to her knees and then slumped over to rest against the bulkhead.
Finally the doors on the turbo lift slid open and the two Independence members had long since left the turbo lift pod. Nyoko stepped off the lift to join her officers on the observation deck of the massive Daedalus Flag ship. They like her were dressed in their formal whites and although they all regarded Nyoko with smiles they all knew what had been planned today would be the hardest part. They would have to see the Ayanami off to a final resting place.
Liz made it a point to stand next to Nyoko shareing the view with her in one of the very large observation windows. Out beyond the hull of the sleek Independence a crippled Ayanami floated out there absent of all power. The damage was severer and the crew in its entirety for the first time saw how badly the hull was scared.
Dolandson approached Nyoko and shot a salute to her. The short Asian woman returned it.
“Captain, if there was anything you’d like to say before we begin?” He asked and she nodded once.
She took a long pause to consider what profound words she could think up. She was always bad at this. She never had the words it wasn’t her style. She couldn’t ever put her feelings into words. All she wanted to do was say good bye to her crew’s old comrade like them she had fought the good fight. Only Ayanami’s sacrifice allowed them all to survive. As if the inability to come up with profound sayings on the spot wasn’t bad enough, her emotions started to get the best of her.
Her eyes glassed up as the sad emotion swelled in her heart. Though that military discipline they all knew Nyoko for remained solid. Her smooth face remained firm and fixed but she couldn’t keep resevar from overflowing. Tears slipped over the edge of her body eye lid and streamed down her smooth cheek. Her shoulders sank slightly and she felt Liz’s hand on her shoulder.
Nyoko nodded twice and then turned to look at the busted ship of hers. Her hand reached to touch the cool transparent aluminum.
“Sayonara, Ayanami-san,” she said softly to it. Then she nodded to Brain to commence with the operation.
Brian pressed his com-badge and gave the order. Quantum Torpedoes now could be seen drifting towards the dead vessel. Nyoko brought her hand up to her temple in sharp salute one that she held for the duration of the operation. The others followed suit. Finally the fast traveling torpedoes arrived and slammed into the hull of the Ayanami blowing the ship into two parts. The Independence continued to fire its main weapons until there was nothing left to salvage of the Ayanami.
When it was all over Nyoko let her hand down and she remained a good long while staring off into the cosmos rethinking about the sacrifice Ayanami made for them all.
Category:Short Story