CANAISIS ∞ Chronicle Two: A Captain's Journey

47 ∞ Dreaming Memories

Day 00008 Mission Nilex

Captain Gareth Levant dreamed, and Ayla floated above the dreams. She was aware of herself, and she knew this was a dream within a memory. This knowledge kept her self from losing itself, and she grew stronger, little by little. She did not remember her own life, but she knew who she was, and she remembered the Captain. For now, that was enough. He dreamed in chaotic images, but one thing remained constant.

His wife.

A blue sky and turquoise lake, a small sailboat, his wife's hair framed in golden sunlight as she looked back from the bow. Happiness swelled his heart so much he thought it would burst.

Her laughter ringing out as he attempted to light a campfire and ended up catching the grass on fire. He threw her a long glance as he tried to look unamused while stamping out the burning grass.

The two of them standing on a platform high in a tree, both in harnesses. He snapped his harness to the zip line and turned back to her.

"Are you sure? We don't have to do this if you don't want to."

She took a deep breath, stepped up to him, and wrapped her arms around him. "I trust you."

He snapped her harness to the zip line as well, then held her tightly and pulled them both over the edge of the platform. Her scream pierced his ears as they slid down the line, then silence as she watched the canopy of trees zip by below them. He smiled smugly as she turned her head every which way, taking in the greenery below. The only sounds he heard were the zip line zinging and her quiet voice saying, "It's beautiful!"

The feeling of home as he entered the apartment, the familiar smell after being gone for half a year. The jolt to his body as she threw herself at him and wrapped her legs and arms around him. Their laughter as he lost his balance and landed on his back, doing his best to protect her from the fall. The vision of her hair falling down, framing her face and his as she leaned down to kiss him, "I've missed you."

Her standing before him, insisting he wear his full captain's uniform if they were going out to eat. He objected until she pointed out that she had a right to show him off. His proud acceptance of defeat as he went to change. His laughter as she told him to hurry after he'd waited an hour for her to get ready. Looking over his shoulder at her and being absolutely stunned at how beautiful she was.

The awkwardness of getting to know each other again after being apart for so long. The joy of reunion, then the pain of telling her he was shipping out once more. Watching the walls go up between them, not knowing how to change things. Finally the acceptance, the stoic goodbye, followed by boarding his ship and being saluted with respect by total strangers...

Then the return, but this time with news of being nominated to train for the new LS ships. Out of a pool of Humanity that numbered over six hundred billion, three thousand were selected as potential candidates. The image of his wife's smile, the recognition of fear in her eyes behind the smile... this image lingered as Gareth moved into deeper sleep.

Ayla moved away from the memory, separating from it. She floated in the blackness, but the voice seemed clearer to her. It still repeated the words over and over again. She was gaining a sense of time and thought as she floated, and her sense of self was returning.

She came to awareness with the sensation of her hand being held. Instantly she knew it was Gareth's, and with that her identity came crashing back with an inexplicable sensation of knowing oneself and remembering.

Memories of the stately Oak tree. The moment of touching the bark and casting herself open. Emotion and images overwhelming her. She had lost who she was, and that frightened her.