Shine, Shine My Star

Posted on 20 Feb 2016 @ 1:16am by Commodore Harvey Geisler & Master Chief Petty Officer Mila Rasputin

1,416 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Outbreak
Location: Sickbay

Senior Chief Petty Officer Mila Rasputin entered Sickbay in uniform with a PADD in her hands. “I am here to see Captain Geisler,” she told the medic on duty and presented her authorization. “I will not be long and I promise not to disturb him.”

Once she was granted clearance, she went to where the Captain lay and look down at him, noticing how handsome he was for an older gentleman. Well, not older than my father, she thought with a small smile. “I have come to give you a special present, Captain,” she said. “It does not require you to do more than enjoy it, so rest easy.”

Captain Geisler, who had been reviewing the ship's logs via a PADD he'd acquired from a nurse earlier, lowered the device and locked eyes first on the PADD she was holding. Chief Rasputin's presence usually meant affixing his thumbprint to some request or reviewing orders from Command. Neither was particularly appealing right now, especially the thought of the possibility of more orders to which he'd question the validity of. "A present?" he muttered.

"Da," Mila said. "I thought it would lift you spirits as much as it lifts mine when I listen to it. My father sang it to me when I was a child and told me the stars would shine forever. May I present it to you?"

Harvey was momentarily taken aback. In the last few years, no one had ever offered something like this to him. Part of him instantly reflexed, thinking of the sudden shot in the chest he'd received in the Ready Room. The other part held back that reflex. As this was unexpected, he wasn't quite sure what to say. Instead, he simply nodded.

“It is called Shine, Shine, My Star,” she said with a shy smile as she touched the PADD and a haunting instrumental began to play before she lifted her own voice in song, singing in her native Russian.

“Gori, gori, moya zvezda,
Zvezda lyubvi, privetnaya!
Ty u menya odna zavetnaya,
Drugoy ne budet nikogda.

Soydyot li noch na zemlyu yasnaya,
Zvyozd mnogo bleshchet v nebesakh,
No ty odna, moya prekrasnaya,
Gorish v otradnykh mne luchakh.

Zvezda nadezhdy blagodatnaya,
Zvezda lyubvi volshebnykh dney,
Ty budesh vechno nezakatnaya
V dushe toskuyushchey moyey.

Tvoikh luchey nebesnoy siloyu
Vsya zhizn moya ozarena.
Umru li ya, ty nad mogiloyu
Gori, siyay, moya zvezda!”¹

Harvey was speechless, especially since he had the opportunity to listen to it without the aid of a translator. He'd heard a couple Russian performers before, but nothing came close to this serenade. "That... that was beautiful, Chief," he said at last.

Mila smiled, a faint blush coming to her cheeks as she ducked her head. "Thank you, Captain," she said demurely. "I was not certain how it would be received."

A gentle smile formed on his face, thinking of the hobbies and talents he'd abandoned over the years. In many ways, he'd resigned himself to the uniform, allowing it to dictate his life. Only in recent hours had he decided to change that. "Have you thought about performing for the crew?" he asked her.

"No...no," she said as she dared to look at his face again. His smile made her blush once more, but she didn't try to hide it again. "I couldn't...but you, my Captain..after all you have been through...I wanted it to be something special for your ears alone."

He had to admit, this was a pleasant change of pace. Yeoman Carter had done a lot to earn his trust, but in other ways. Whether or not earning his trust was Mila's goal, Harvey decided that it didn't matter. Perhaps this song was just as much for her as it was for him, especially with the crew shaken up by recent events. It was up to him to set the example for the crew to follow. If he couldn't trust his Yeoman, who else could he trust?

"Well then," Harvey said, keeping his smile, "your father taught you well. And, thank you."

"It is I who thank you, Captain," Mila said. "I sense that you had much on your mind and it is good to see you smile."

"I hope to do it more often," he honestly replied.

"It would be my fondest wish," Mila said. "A happy Captain makes for a happy crew. Would you care for something to drink or eat?"

Harvey grunted. He'd take a scotch in a heartbeat if the nurses would allow it. "I actually just ate, but a cup of hot tea sounds good."

Mila graced him with a smile and went to the replicator. "Rasputin tea mix twelve," she told it. When it materialized, she took it back and set the cup and saucer very carefully by the side of his bed and the scents of lemon, clove and cinnamon drifted up from it. "It is an old family recipe for what ails you," she said.

"Does it cure betrayal?" he asked, taking a sip of the tea. Already he feel the spices give his sinuses a kick, even though there was nothing to clear.

She hesitated, then reached out and lightly brushed his cheek; even though it wasn't an affectionate caress, she knew she might be crossing a line. Still, she just wanted him to feel better. "There is not much that can cure betrayal, Captain, but if you manage to redeem even one person, it makes it a little better.

He thought instantly of Commander del Rosario who was now confined to the once-crowded brig. Of course, he was now the only occupant. If Lieutenant Bast was ever cleared by Doctor Kij, he'd certainly find himself alone in a cell as well.

Harvey also thought of Mac, a woman he had been growing closer to every day. At least, until recent events had drastically unfolded aboard the Black Hawk. He'd unintentionally hurt her, allowing himself to be blinded by duty and obligation. If she remained aboard, he would have much to do to repair that relationship.

"Indeed, Chief," Harvey replied, just now registering Mila's touch. He was uncertain how best to handle it, or if he should acknowledge it at all. Harvey finished the tea and set the cup back on the saucer on the table next to him. "Thank you," he said with a gentle smile.

"You are welcome, Captain," Mila said as she removed her hand. "If you need me to do anything, I'm just a comm away."

Harvey nodded. "Enjoy your night," he wished her, knowing full well that there likely was not a soul who would be doing so tonight.

"Oh," she said as he dismissed her and looked a bit sad for a moment before she got up. "You as well, my Captain."

A quizzical look commanded Harvey's face. Did he do something wrong? "Is everything okay, Chief?"

"Da...I mean yes, Captain," Mila said, her accent a bit thicker as she gathered the tea cup and saucer before she took it to the recycler. "I hope to see you out of sickbay soon, Sir." She said with her back to him still.

Harvey glanced down the PADD that lay faceup on his lap, and then back up at Mila. His eyes narrowed as he pondered why her spirits would take a sudden downturn. "Do you want to talk about it, Miss Rasputin?" he asked, purposely not using her rank.

"Nyet," she said as she turned, all business once more. "I just wished to see you happier, Captain."

"That I am, Chief," Harvey said with a nod. "That I am."

Mila gave him a long look, then a slight nod. "If you ever need anything, even if it is just an ear that will listen, you know where I am," she said.



1 - Russian, translation=:

"Shine, shine, my star,
Shine, affable star!
You are my only cherished one,
Another there will never be.

If a clear night comes down upon the earth
Many stars shine in the skies,
But you alone, my gorgeous one,
Shine in pleasant beams to me

O blessed star of hope,
The star of love of magic days,
You will be eternally unwithering
In my longing soul.

By the heavenly strength of your beams
My whole life is illuminated
And if I die, over my grave
Shine, shine on, my star!"

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