It felt like ages that Captain Aldris Ceix had last felt a cool breeze caressing his skin, and he inhaled deeply, filling his lungs with the crisp air. He savoured the salty taste on his tongue, where it intermingled with the flavours blossoming flowers, and a briny slightly earthy aroma. 

“It’s… beautiful.”Brennan, who stood next to him. Those around her expressed similar sentiments in hushed conversations, as if they were afraid raising their voices could disturb the scenery. 

In the background, birds called out in strange melodic voices, some singing in low, haunting whistles while others released quick trilling bursts that echoed across the shoreline – an ancient symphony that was accompanied by a steady, rolling humm as the lapping waves gently kissed the shore line, rose, crest, and broke down on the sand, before retreating over pebbles and seashells with a soft, bubbling rush.  

Aldris shifted his weight, and his feet sunk deeper into the soft, warm sand. 

From where he stood, the ocean waters stretched vast and endless, and shifted in colour with the light and depth. Near the shore, they were translucent shades of sage and turquoise,  revealing the sandy bottom beneath gentle waves, deeping into a rich sapphire-blue further from the shore, mirroring the colors of the sky above. It was home to two suns, one height above and casting a sharp gold light, while the other was lower on the horizon and beginning to set. Where its light touched the water, it bathed it in fiery hues of crimson and burnt amber that melted into the blue above. 

As the others spread along the shoreline, sea critters scuttled and burrowed, leaving delicate trails in the sand.  At the very edge of the water, where foam and sea spray met the land, clusters of small, shrimp-like creatures skittered, and eventually disappeared. 

“Aldris!”

He turned, and his gaze swept over the boats waiting there at the water’s edge. Their wooden hulls were darkened by salt and time, and carried the marks of countless journeys. Some rested gently in the shallow waters, while others rocked softly with the tide. 
It felt surreal, almost like a visit to the holodeck, and Aldris had to remind himself that all of this was truly there. 

“Aldris.”, the voice called out again. His breath caught in his throat as he saw her standing on one of the boats, green skin glowing softly in the strange light. She was here. Alive.

“Shivni.” 

The commanding officer of the USS Givens had ditched her Starfleet uniform, and instead was dressed in a simple wool vest that sat snug against her frame, and linen trousers that ruffled slightly as the wind rushed in from the ocean. 

For a moment, Aldris forgot the waiting boats, the mission and the uncertainty. Instead, he studied Shivni’s face, searching for an explanation in her expression. She, however, watched him quietly, and with the faint flicker of a smile playing on her lips. 

Aldris had tried not to think about her as an individual, but as a part of the Givens, of the lost crew he had vowed to bring home. But the intrusive thoughts had crept into his mind whenever he didn’t keep himself otherwise occupied, and he had imagined the most horrible of scenarios, the crew of the kidnapped or murdered – but always hoped for the best. 

And now that ‘the best’ had come true, he could barely find the words to express how he felt. 

“You are here.”, he said, barely above a whisper and yet she seemed to have heard him.

Shivni disembarked from the boat, and like in a dream, Aldris felt himself moving towards her, unbothered by his boots soaking with water once he reached the shoreline. 

“So are you.”, she said quietly, and embraced him. 

“What is all of this?”, he asked, but only once she had let go off him.

“I’m your welcome committee.”, the woman grinned, and motioned towards the waiting vessels. 

Aldris’ brows knit together in a frown. “How did you know we are here?”

“We just did.”

“And how did you know that we would end up here?”, he inquired further, but his mind felt comfortably hazy. 

“We just did.”

He shook his head to clear his mind. “And you’re taking us on a boating trip?”, he asked incredulously, and the question was met with a laugh. 

“Something like that. There is a place for us, but it’s not here on the mainland.”, she explained patiently. 

“Why not?”, Aldris wanted to know. “And why not just give us the correct coordinates?”

Shivni shook her head. “We do not allow Starfleet technology in our village. If you are ready to come with us, you will have to leave this behind.” She pointed at his communicator badge.

“I don’t… understand what is going on here.”

“You will, in time.” Shivni promised. “We moved to an island because we do not want to be an influence on the species that is developing here  – and we do not wish the development of the species to have an influence on us.”

“How would they influence you?”

“You will understand. In time.”, Shivni smiled, but Aldris shook his head. 

“I would like to understand now – especially since you are asking me to leave behind the means of being beamed back up to the Calisto”

“It is your choice to make, but I promise you that you will not regret coming with us.” 

Shivni turned, taking a few steps towards the boats. Aldris’ eyes never left her, but despite this, he noticed those around him discarding their badges and throwing them into the sand. 

It didn’t feel right to Aldris, but eventually, he did the same.
He tried telling himself that he was simply curious, and curious enough to do something that without a question qualified as risky. 

He hesitated for a brief moment before finally stepping onto the wooden deck of the boat. The plants creaked softly beneath his weight, and did so a few more times as others followed his lead. He could make out Jonathan Keller on one of the other vessels, next to him Lieutenants Sh’shiqil and Velix – all without their badges. Close to him, but keeping a distance, was Brennan – the only person who seemed to acknowledge the beauty of their surroundings, but wasn’t enchanted by it. 

Before long, the sails were cast. The wind carried them forward across the shimmering expanse, and for the first time in what felt like decades, Aldris was able to truly relax, and allow himself to get lost in thought. 

From the moment he had seen Asada on the view screen – a poor representation of its natural beauty – he had felt a longing stir within him. Now that he was here, he felt like he truly belonged. 

“Why?”, he asked, his voice quiet.

“Why what?”, replied Shivni, who stood next to him. 

“Why did you leave the Givens?”

Shivni lowered her gaze. “I know it sounds odd … it has been a home for me for so many years, but this… it just felt right.” She paused. “And I know that you feel it too.”

Aldris didn’t answer right away. Instead he turned his gaze to the horizon, which seemed to stretch endlessly. 

“I do.”, he admitted eventually.

He had always considered himself an adventurer, just like the previous hosts his symbiont. And in many ways, he knew that it was expected of him to gather as much experience as possible, just like the previous hosts had.

But wasn’t settling down also an experience? Perhaps it wasn’t as glamorous, but it was certainly an adventure. Neither he nor his symbiont had ever experienced what it was like to remain at one place and to build a life there.
It wasn’t a desire he knew he had, but it seemed to grow stronger with each passing minute.  

As the boat arrived at its destination, it’s wooden hulls scraped softly against the damp sand. The air here was different. earthy and rich, with the scent of woodsmoke and something faintly sweet.
Not far ahead, lay a village. Its buildings were small, their rooftops shingled, while the walls were made of timber and stone. It seemed so peaceful, and yet, it was brimming with activity.

The distant murmur of voices carried on the cool evening air, and Aldris could make out shadowy figures moving towards them. 

“They’re here!”, someone called out, and the distant murmur seemed to get louder, the figures now moving towards them with renewed urgency.

From the corner of his eye,  Aldris could see Lieutenant Sh’shiqil reach for the weapon she had left behind on the other side of the sea. Upon reflection, he too had to admit to himself that he felt the situation to be vaguely threatening, but Shivni’s calm demeanour put him at ease.

As the approaching figures stepped into the light, he was greeted with vaguely familiar faces. He knew Shivni’s second in command, Lieutenant Commander Ryan Malkovich, and the others seemed almost certainly part of the Given’s crew. Within the crowd, he spotted some, but not many, locals, easily distinguishable by the colorful feathers that crowned their head instead of hair, the beak-like noses and the elongated faces. 

“I thought you do not interact with the locals…”, Aldris frowned and looked at Shivni, who shook her head. “Not with those on the mainland.”

And then, Aldris noticed Him. 

At first He was just another face among the villagers – a man dressed in simple, homespun clothes, the familiar dark spots sports trailing down his temples and disappearing beneath the collar of his tunic. Another Trill, but…  there was something about Him that stirred a distant memory, one that did not belong to Aldris himself but someone before. It was like a whisper at the back of his mind, a memory blurred at the edges but persistent. 

Aldris, who had started to move towards the crowd, slowed his steps as his pulse quickened.

The stranger looked at him, his face weathered, but his eyes sharp and thoughtful. 

“I am glad that you came.”, He said. “My name is Naeric.”