Star Trek: Restoration - Onyx
- Thread starter CaptainSarine
- Start date
And me makes three!
I swear, in all my years, I have never spent nearly as much time on any other site as I have on the stories of Captain Sarine, Kes 7, and Rush Limborg AND reading the member/fan comments! Nice to know there are so many others out there for whom Star Trek is so very meaningful. These stories, such fantastic flights of Trek fancy---for free! Really, acts of grace, I think.
Thanks all you Trekkies. Have a terrific New Year!
Thanks all you Trekkies. Have a terrific New Year!
Hi all,
Well finally back on the web. Have hopes of a new chapter being up by tonight.
So cool to see all of the debate going on about Colin and his actions, am really flattered that he made such an impact!
Anyways...
Gibraltar
Glad you don't hate Colin.
I really enjoy writing for him, mainly because he is such a woman's man. And yes, he did find fitting in in Starfleet difficult, although as his actions proved in the last volume, he did believe in the uniform and the good Starfleet do.
He will be a complicating factor, and his role is going to become more and more important as the negotiations go on - whether he wants it to or not!
As to Williams and her loyalties and augment or not augment status... We'll be getting a lot more about her in the next chapter!
Ah deliciously entangled and complicated situations... Got to love 'em!
Diogenes
Hey los! Glad I could brighten your Boxing Day for you! Yes, you can expect a chapter on that dinner Sarine mentioned, which will be interrupted in a most unexpected way. As to Kalara and her husband's presence... Actually, no, they won't be there. That doesn't mean we won't see a Damien/Colin/Dax team-up somewhere down the line though...
Hope you had a terrific New Year too!
As to the whole Colin Groves debate… I like your take on Colin, that his constant flirting and insiduousness is actually down to the fact that if he was upfront about it, he would get his ass handed to him by the women he is attracted to. He is definitely attracted to strong women, and this is his way of dealing with that. I also would love to see the result of Colin hitting on Kalara – she would so kick his ass, and then Damien would thump him!
And Colin as Curzon – I hadn’t really thought about him like that, but I guess why not!
tenmei
Yes, Colin has made quite a stir on this thread, didn't expect him to as much! Glad you also find him likeable. And yes, his storyline with Williams is going to be veeeery important.
Kes
Wow, so totally did not expect Colin to be such a polemising character. I never really saw him as a lech, just a guy who can’t avoid flirting with the pretty women he meets. He doesn’t have any bad motives behind it, at least not that he’s told me about! J
I suppose your knowing people like this has probably had an effect. Still, I’ve taken your POV into account in the way certain other characters see and react to him, so it’s all to the good.
And how can you not like Curzon?!! (just kidding!)
Yes, the web is still very snarled. I’m just wondering whether eveyone has realised who exactly Astrid is and what her role is – all the clues are there, but…
Count Zero
Thanks for the comment. No, Williams was not established as an Augment spy in the previous volume. Of course, that doesn’t mean she isn’t… More on that in the next chapter.
Mistral
Thanks so much! So glad you enjoyed that, as well as the little hook. There is a lot of story to go through before we get back to that scene, I’ll try and make it as entertaining as possible, though!!!
And as for the doctor reference… more on that in two chapters time!
Well, more up tonight hopefully,
Hope you all had great holiday period!
Joel
Well finally back on the web. Have hopes of a new chapter being up by tonight.
So cool to see all of the debate going on about Colin and his actions, am really flattered that he made such an impact!
Anyways...
Gibraltar
Glad you don't hate Colin.
I really enjoy writing for him, mainly because he is such a woman's man. And yes, he did find fitting in in Starfleet difficult, although as his actions proved in the last volume, he did believe in the uniform and the good Starfleet do. He will be a complicating factor, and his role is going to become more and more important as the negotiations go on - whether he wants it to or not!
As to Williams and her loyalties and augment or not augment status... We'll be getting a lot more about her in the next chapter!
Ah deliciously entangled and complicated situations... Got to love 'em!
Diogenes
Hey los! Glad I could brighten your Boxing Day for you! Yes, you can expect a chapter on that dinner Sarine mentioned, which will be interrupted in a most unexpected way. As to Kalara and her husband's presence... Actually, no, they won't be there. That doesn't mean we won't see a Damien/Colin/Dax team-up somewhere down the line though...
Hope you had a terrific New Year too!
As to the whole Colin Groves debate… I like your take on Colin, that his constant flirting and insiduousness is actually down to the fact that if he was upfront about it, he would get his ass handed to him by the women he is attracted to. He is definitely attracted to strong women, and this is his way of dealing with that. I also would love to see the result of Colin hitting on Kalara – she would so kick his ass, and then Damien would thump him!
And Colin as Curzon – I hadn’t really thought about him like that, but I guess why not!
tenmei
Yes, Colin has made quite a stir on this thread, didn't expect him to as much! Glad you also find him likeable. And yes, his storyline with Williams is going to be veeeery important.
Kes
Wow, so totally did not expect Colin to be such a polemising character. I never really saw him as a lech, just a guy who can’t avoid flirting with the pretty women he meets. He doesn’t have any bad motives behind it, at least not that he’s told me about! J
I suppose your knowing people like this has probably had an effect. Still, I’ve taken your POV into account in the way certain other characters see and react to him, so it’s all to the good.
And how can you not like Curzon?!! (just kidding!)
Yes, the web is still very snarled. I’m just wondering whether eveyone has realised who exactly Astrid is and what her role is – all the clues are there, but…
Count Zero
Thanks for the comment. No, Williams was not established as an Augment spy in the previous volume. Of course, that doesn’t mean she isn’t… More on that in the next chapter.
Mistral
Thanks so much! So glad you enjoyed that, as well as the little hook. There is a lot of story to go through before we get back to that scene, I’ll try and make it as entertaining as possible, though!!!
And as for the doctor reference… more on that in two chapters time!
Well, more up tonight hopefully,
Hope you all had great holiday period!
Joel
Chapter 3
Deck 12
USS Redemption
In Orbit of Khitomer
Head down, Astrid stepped past Commander Ly'et, Colin Groves and the Ferengi assistant into the turbolift. Turning back to face them, she waited for the doors to close. Just before they did, she looked up, caught Colin Groves' eye - and winked.
The look of surprise on his face was priceless. She smiled to herself, enjoying the feeling. Not bad, she thought, not bad at all. She’d got the reaction she had hoped for. Besides, Groves wasn’t bad looking, in that ever so slightly sleazy, politician-type way. She could just about see what Lizabeth had seen in him. Surprised, she realised that she was actually looking forward to seducing him.
The turbolift thrummed and hummed around her, carrying her forward and down to her deck. Astrid ignored the Klingon security officer behind her, idly replaying the events of the past few days in her mind. Ever since Lizabeth Carter had activated her primary personality - just after her encounter with Jasto Dax in sickbay - she had been busy. First she had needed to convince Doctor Malok to let her out of sickbay so that she could keep her eye on Sarine and the other senior officers. Then she had had three months worth of recordings and intercepted messages to sort through. And finally there had been her meeting with the Klingon spy, Doctor Keene.
With her ‘official’ position as conn officer and the responsabilities that accompanied it added to the mix, she had found herself carrying out quite a juggling act.
She loved it.
Astrid had been an agent of the organisation known as the Company since her fifteenth birthday. Recruited while in high school, she had been brought into the fold and trained both mentally and physically, taught how to make the most of her genetic heritage. After the loss of her parents, the Company had taken care of her, had given her a home, and a new family, and a way of life. In return, she had given them her loyalty. She had become one of their finest, most capable spies, one of only a handful they had within Starfleet.
That was what made her so useful.
The turbolift came to a full stop on Deck 9 and she stepped out immediately, without even glancing back at the Klingon security officer. Down here in the main habitat decks, there were a lot more people, men and women of every race making their way from or to their assignements. Her ‘Starfleet’ persona knew many of them, so Astrid nodded and smiled, even stopping once or twice to share pleasantries. Slipping back into this persona was easy, not even requiring a conscious effort. All the time she was talking to her 'colleagues', though, the majority of her formidable mental energy remained hard at work, filing away even the most innocuous phrases and gestures for future study.
Finally, she arrived at her quarters. The doors slid open on her approach, her biometric signature unlocking the very special locking mechanism she had installed during one of her active periods when she first arrived on the ship. Her 'Starfleet' persona had had no idea, of course, no more than she had known that she had switched her own bio readings in order to hide her genetic enhancements. The two were totally separate, locked away from one another thanks to months and months of conditioning.
The moment she stepped inside, she knew something was wrong. Years of training combined with her highly tuned senses to set off alarm bells in her head. Side-stepping smoothly, she pressed herself against the wall before peering into the room.
Darkness and shadow. She tried to pierce the black veil, but even her highly attuned eye sight couldn’t make out more than vague shapes. Someone was there, though. She could hear him or her breathing.
She wondered for a moment whether it could be Keene. After her meeting with him in the cargobay, they had agreed not to meet again until her part in their plan had been completed, and even then it was supposed to be at her request. If it was him, what reason could he possibly have for entering her room? More importantly, how could he - or anyone for that matter - have gotten past her defences?
She was about to move into the room when he spoke.
"Hello little one. Have you missed me?"
A cold sweat broke out on her skin and her throat dried up. A shudder followed moments later. The terror of a thousand broken nights seemed to reach up and squeeze closed her throat. She knew that voice. She knew the intonation and the pitch as if she heard it every day. In a way, she did. She heard it every night in her dreams.
Haebron.
Neither a lifetime of experience as a spy nor the years of training and condition she received from the Company could overcome her natural, instinctual reaction. It was like being faced with every fear she had ever had, all wrapped up in one single voice. Her whole body froze, her enhanced strength and reflexes all for nought.
She sensed him moving in the darkness, a murmur of movement that she couldn't quite grasp. Her eyes were the only part of her that still moved, scanning the black in a futile attempt to catch a glimpse of him.
"I missed you, you know. It has been sooo long."
He laughed, a cackling giggle that drove spikes of fear into her mind. The curse of the augment was to have perfect recall, a photographic memory so precise that it could almost be called holographic. She could still see him that night, his hand still dripping with her parents' blood, as he walked across the kitchen towards her.
“Have you been good while I’ve been gone? I don’t think you have, have you?” he taunted her. All she could hear was the dripping of blood on tile.
Drip.
“I’ve seen what you’ve been doing, you know. On your little computer? You’ve been following in mummy and daddy’s footsteps, haven’t you?”
The voice drew closer, louder, and yet seemed to be overwhelmed by the sound of dripping in her mind. She began to shake, clutching at her arms as tightly as she could.
Drip.
“You’ve been spying, like a naughty little girl. Spying and scheming and lying.”
Drip.
“Just. Like. Them.”
A hand dropped on her shoulder. She screamed, the sound a mingling of fury and fear and pure unadulterated hatred. Wrenching away, she scrambled into the room. The contact seemed to have unleashed something within her and she yelled for lights.
The computer did as it was told, flooding the darkened room with artificial lighting. Astrid just had time to view a shape rushing towards her across the room. The light reflected off of a sharp reflective object and she reacted instinctively. Dropping down to her haunches, she kicked out, catching the man on the knee. With a grunt, her attacker stumbled forward and down. Spinning out of reach of the knife, Astrid grabbed at the man's other arm and turned a full circle on herself. Then, with all of her strength, she launched Haebron across the room.
With her augmented strength, she easily lifted him into the air. He flew across the room and struck the wall so hard that she heard a crack. Flexing her knees, Astrid prepared to launch herself at her attacker again if he came for her.
Instead, she heard a groan. Remaining where she was, poised like a jungle cat, Astrid’s eyes remained fixed on her attacker, this man who haunted her nightmares. Another groan.
He's pretending, she told herself. Don't let him fool you, he's pretending.
Her breath coming in shorter and shorter gasps, her heart racing, Astrid took a step towards Haebron. She had to calm down. One of the benefits of having a genetically enhanced body was the control it gave her. Seizing conscious control of her heart beat, she forced the pulse to calm down. Adrenaline still surged, but she tamped it down, flooding her body with erythrocytes to control the concentration in her bloodstream.
Taking another step, she looked around for the knife. If he was pretending, he would have the knife somewhere on him, or nearby. He would be waiting to use it against her as soon as he could. She couldn't see it.
Another step, eyes locked on his broken body. Protection. I need to protect myself against the knife if I...
Another step and this time she felt something beneath her foot. She glanced down quickly, her eyes breaking away from him for a split second. The knife. It was under her foot. Never leaving her appraisal of her attacker, she dropped down to one knee, picking up the blade and holding it firmly in her hand.
Now she was armed, she felt better. She took another step, then another, and finally she was just over an arms length away.
"Get up."
A groan. "Get up," she said again, the words coming through gritted teeth.
The head lifted slightly, just a bobble, then more. Finally, with what seemed like a concerted effort, Haebron lifted his head but Jasto Dax looked up at her.
His eyes were unfocused, confused. He frowned.
"Lieutenant?"
She wanted to scream. Not again. Not like in sickbay. He wasn't going to play this little game with her again.
"Get up," she hissed.
He shook his head, as if trying to clear it of a buzzing. "Lieutenant, I..."
"Don't!" she shrieked. She took the last few steps towards him and before she knew it, she was kicking out at him. "Don't. You. Dare." Every word punctuated with a kick - to his leg, to his hip, to his stomach.
Jasto yelled out, rolling his body into a ball in an attempt to protect himself. She kicked him one last time, catching him in the shoulder, then fell back, almost dropping onto her backside, breath coming out in a great rush.
What am I doing? She would have expected this from the other Astrid, the one who lacked her control, who hadn't had the experience of the Company to back her up and help her make sense of what had happened. She had thought she had this under control. It turned out she had been wrong.
She stumbled back, not quite believing what had just happened. She allowed herself to fall back against the wall, then dropped down until she was sat, her arms wrapped around her legs. She stared at Jasto, at this man who had destroyed her life.
After a few moments, he unravelled, every movement tentative and shaky. She just stared. He coughed as he stretched out his legs, his eyes searching the room. When he saw her, he froze, eyes wide.
"I..."
"Get out."
He opened his mouth to say something else, but she forestalled him. "Get. Out."
He stared at her, and then nodded. Using the wall, he climbed awkwardly to his feet. He stumbled along the far wall, past her table and chairs, his eyes never leaving hers. She watched him go, her eyes following every move he made, searching his face as if to see any sign of Haebron coming back. Part of her wondered what she would do if she saw it. Would she kill him? Could she risk her mission that much?
When he reached the door, he stopped, eyes still fixed on her. "I'm sorry. Truly I am. I thought... I thought I had it under control."
She just stared at him. He opened his mouth again, but nothing came out except a heavy sigh. Nodding once, he walked through the door. Moments later, it closed behind him.
Astrid sat there, her back against the wall, and watched the door, as if hoping or expecting that he would come back. I have to finish this, she realised after a moment. One way or another. I have to finish this.
Lieutenant Dax’s Quarters
Jasto stumbled through the door into his quarters and let the tears come.
He had held them in all the way back to his room, keeping his head down and his eyes averted from everyone he met. Part of that was to avoid anyone seeing the state of his face, the bruises and cuts, but it was also because he was terrified that if he met anyone's eyes, they would see it there. See Haebron.
He could hear him, giggling in the darkness behind his head. Ranting and raving.
Be quiet! he screamed. Be quiet, be quiet, be quiet!
No! Haebron screamed back. No, not anymore. I have to finish it. Once and for all. Dirty, dangerous little spies and their dirty, dangerous little games. Finish it, finish it, finish it, finish it, finish…
Stop it, stop it, stop it! Jasto pleaded. He paced up and down, holding his hands to his head as if he could somehow smother the other man’s voice. Please Haebron you have to stop!
To his surprise, the man’s voice faded away. Jasto stopped dead, his eyes wide. Did I do that? Or did he decide to leave me alone? He wasn’t sure which option scared him more.
Collapsing on the bed, he curled up and closed his eyes. The pain from Astrid’s attacks were a welcome distraction. How did this happen?
All he could remember was falling asleep hours before, then waking up on the floor of Lieutenant William’s quarters, his body screaming out in pain. There hadn’t even been a nightmare this time, a vision to give him an idea of what might have happened. Just darkness. Nothingness. I was gone and he was in my place. I lost control.
He started to cry.
I had it under control! He wanted to scream to the heavens, to curse the Pools of New Trill, to pray to the Great Symbionts themselves. It wasn’t fair. He had had it under control.
He couldn't remember how long he sat there in the dark and wept. It might have been a matter of seconds, or it might have been three days. The only light in his room was the unchanging flickering darkness of the starfield outside. Why? he asked himself, over and over again. Why?
By the time he came to again, he had come to a decision. Haebron had become a danger, a real risk for this ship and for him. He couldn't afford to let such a risk persist. There was only one solution he could see.
Still, he hesitated. It seemed like such a final choice; he wouldn't ever be able to take it back. Could he go so far? Was he willing to end everything this way?
Finally, though, he realised that he had no other choice. With trembling hands, he reached up and pressed his comm badge.
"Dax to Captain Sarine.”
“Sarine here.” The captain did not sound at all pleased, his voice tense as if he were in the middle of an argument. “I’m in the middle of something here, Lieutenant, so- -“
“I'm sorry to disturb you captain,” Jasto pushed on. He had to do this now. If he waited… He might never do it. “I am sorry, but… I need to talk to you. Now.”
Deck 12
USS Redemption
In Orbit of Khitomer
Head down, Astrid stepped past Commander Ly'et, Colin Groves and the Ferengi assistant into the turbolift. Turning back to face them, she waited for the doors to close. Just before they did, she looked up, caught Colin Groves' eye - and winked.
The look of surprise on his face was priceless. She smiled to herself, enjoying the feeling. Not bad, she thought, not bad at all. She’d got the reaction she had hoped for. Besides, Groves wasn’t bad looking, in that ever so slightly sleazy, politician-type way. She could just about see what Lizabeth had seen in him. Surprised, she realised that she was actually looking forward to seducing him.
The turbolift thrummed and hummed around her, carrying her forward and down to her deck. Astrid ignored the Klingon security officer behind her, idly replaying the events of the past few days in her mind. Ever since Lizabeth Carter had activated her primary personality - just after her encounter with Jasto Dax in sickbay - she had been busy. First she had needed to convince Doctor Malok to let her out of sickbay so that she could keep her eye on Sarine and the other senior officers. Then she had had three months worth of recordings and intercepted messages to sort through. And finally there had been her meeting with the Klingon spy, Doctor Keene.
With her ‘official’ position as conn officer and the responsabilities that accompanied it added to the mix, she had found herself carrying out quite a juggling act.
She loved it.
Astrid had been an agent of the organisation known as the Company since her fifteenth birthday. Recruited while in high school, she had been brought into the fold and trained both mentally and physically, taught how to make the most of her genetic heritage. After the loss of her parents, the Company had taken care of her, had given her a home, and a new family, and a way of life. In return, she had given them her loyalty. She had become one of their finest, most capable spies, one of only a handful they had within Starfleet.
That was what made her so useful.
The turbolift came to a full stop on Deck 9 and she stepped out immediately, without even glancing back at the Klingon security officer. Down here in the main habitat decks, there were a lot more people, men and women of every race making their way from or to their assignements. Her ‘Starfleet’ persona knew many of them, so Astrid nodded and smiled, even stopping once or twice to share pleasantries. Slipping back into this persona was easy, not even requiring a conscious effort. All the time she was talking to her 'colleagues', though, the majority of her formidable mental energy remained hard at work, filing away even the most innocuous phrases and gestures for future study.
Finally, she arrived at her quarters. The doors slid open on her approach, her biometric signature unlocking the very special locking mechanism she had installed during one of her active periods when she first arrived on the ship. Her 'Starfleet' persona had had no idea, of course, no more than she had known that she had switched her own bio readings in order to hide her genetic enhancements. The two were totally separate, locked away from one another thanks to months and months of conditioning.
The moment she stepped inside, she knew something was wrong. Years of training combined with her highly tuned senses to set off alarm bells in her head. Side-stepping smoothly, she pressed herself against the wall before peering into the room.
Darkness and shadow. She tried to pierce the black veil, but even her highly attuned eye sight couldn’t make out more than vague shapes. Someone was there, though. She could hear him or her breathing.
She wondered for a moment whether it could be Keene. After her meeting with him in the cargobay, they had agreed not to meet again until her part in their plan had been completed, and even then it was supposed to be at her request. If it was him, what reason could he possibly have for entering her room? More importantly, how could he - or anyone for that matter - have gotten past her defences?
She was about to move into the room when he spoke.
"Hello little one. Have you missed me?"
A cold sweat broke out on her skin and her throat dried up. A shudder followed moments later. The terror of a thousand broken nights seemed to reach up and squeeze closed her throat. She knew that voice. She knew the intonation and the pitch as if she heard it every day. In a way, she did. She heard it every night in her dreams.
Haebron.
Neither a lifetime of experience as a spy nor the years of training and condition she received from the Company could overcome her natural, instinctual reaction. It was like being faced with every fear she had ever had, all wrapped up in one single voice. Her whole body froze, her enhanced strength and reflexes all for nought.
She sensed him moving in the darkness, a murmur of movement that she couldn't quite grasp. Her eyes were the only part of her that still moved, scanning the black in a futile attempt to catch a glimpse of him.
"I missed you, you know. It has been sooo long."
He laughed, a cackling giggle that drove spikes of fear into her mind. The curse of the augment was to have perfect recall, a photographic memory so precise that it could almost be called holographic. She could still see him that night, his hand still dripping with her parents' blood, as he walked across the kitchen towards her.
“Have you been good while I’ve been gone? I don’t think you have, have you?” he taunted her. All she could hear was the dripping of blood on tile.
Drip.
“I’ve seen what you’ve been doing, you know. On your little computer? You’ve been following in mummy and daddy’s footsteps, haven’t you?”
The voice drew closer, louder, and yet seemed to be overwhelmed by the sound of dripping in her mind. She began to shake, clutching at her arms as tightly as she could.
Drip.
“You’ve been spying, like a naughty little girl. Spying and scheming and lying.”
Drip.
“Just. Like. Them.”
A hand dropped on her shoulder. She screamed, the sound a mingling of fury and fear and pure unadulterated hatred. Wrenching away, she scrambled into the room. The contact seemed to have unleashed something within her and she yelled for lights.
The computer did as it was told, flooding the darkened room with artificial lighting. Astrid just had time to view a shape rushing towards her across the room. The light reflected off of a sharp reflective object and she reacted instinctively. Dropping down to her haunches, she kicked out, catching the man on the knee. With a grunt, her attacker stumbled forward and down. Spinning out of reach of the knife, Astrid grabbed at the man's other arm and turned a full circle on herself. Then, with all of her strength, she launched Haebron across the room.
With her augmented strength, she easily lifted him into the air. He flew across the room and struck the wall so hard that she heard a crack. Flexing her knees, Astrid prepared to launch herself at her attacker again if he came for her.
Instead, she heard a groan. Remaining where she was, poised like a jungle cat, Astrid’s eyes remained fixed on her attacker, this man who haunted her nightmares. Another groan.
He's pretending, she told herself. Don't let him fool you, he's pretending.
Her breath coming in shorter and shorter gasps, her heart racing, Astrid took a step towards Haebron. She had to calm down. One of the benefits of having a genetically enhanced body was the control it gave her. Seizing conscious control of her heart beat, she forced the pulse to calm down. Adrenaline still surged, but she tamped it down, flooding her body with erythrocytes to control the concentration in her bloodstream.
Taking another step, she looked around for the knife. If he was pretending, he would have the knife somewhere on him, or nearby. He would be waiting to use it against her as soon as he could. She couldn't see it.
Another step, eyes locked on his broken body. Protection. I need to protect myself against the knife if I...
Another step and this time she felt something beneath her foot. She glanced down quickly, her eyes breaking away from him for a split second. The knife. It was under her foot. Never leaving her appraisal of her attacker, she dropped down to one knee, picking up the blade and holding it firmly in her hand.
Now she was armed, she felt better. She took another step, then another, and finally she was just over an arms length away.
"Get up."
A groan. "Get up," she said again, the words coming through gritted teeth.
The head lifted slightly, just a bobble, then more. Finally, with what seemed like a concerted effort, Haebron lifted his head but Jasto Dax looked up at her.
His eyes were unfocused, confused. He frowned.
"Lieutenant?"
She wanted to scream. Not again. Not like in sickbay. He wasn't going to play this little game with her again.
"Get up," she hissed.
He shook his head, as if trying to clear it of a buzzing. "Lieutenant, I..."
"Don't!" she shrieked. She took the last few steps towards him and before she knew it, she was kicking out at him. "Don't. You. Dare." Every word punctuated with a kick - to his leg, to his hip, to his stomach.
Jasto yelled out, rolling his body into a ball in an attempt to protect himself. She kicked him one last time, catching him in the shoulder, then fell back, almost dropping onto her backside, breath coming out in a great rush.
What am I doing? She would have expected this from the other Astrid, the one who lacked her control, who hadn't had the experience of the Company to back her up and help her make sense of what had happened. She had thought she had this under control. It turned out she had been wrong.
She stumbled back, not quite believing what had just happened. She allowed herself to fall back against the wall, then dropped down until she was sat, her arms wrapped around her legs. She stared at Jasto, at this man who had destroyed her life.
After a few moments, he unravelled, every movement tentative and shaky. She just stared. He coughed as he stretched out his legs, his eyes searching the room. When he saw her, he froze, eyes wide.
"I..."
"Get out."
He opened his mouth to say something else, but she forestalled him. "Get. Out."
He stared at her, and then nodded. Using the wall, he climbed awkwardly to his feet. He stumbled along the far wall, past her table and chairs, his eyes never leaving hers. She watched him go, her eyes following every move he made, searching his face as if to see any sign of Haebron coming back. Part of her wondered what she would do if she saw it. Would she kill him? Could she risk her mission that much?
When he reached the door, he stopped, eyes still fixed on her. "I'm sorry. Truly I am. I thought... I thought I had it under control."
She just stared at him. He opened his mouth again, but nothing came out except a heavy sigh. Nodding once, he walked through the door. Moments later, it closed behind him.
Astrid sat there, her back against the wall, and watched the door, as if hoping or expecting that he would come back. I have to finish this, she realised after a moment. One way or another. I have to finish this.
Lieutenant Dax’s Quarters
Jasto stumbled through the door into his quarters and let the tears come.
He had held them in all the way back to his room, keeping his head down and his eyes averted from everyone he met. Part of that was to avoid anyone seeing the state of his face, the bruises and cuts, but it was also because he was terrified that if he met anyone's eyes, they would see it there. See Haebron.
He could hear him, giggling in the darkness behind his head. Ranting and raving.
Be quiet! he screamed. Be quiet, be quiet, be quiet!
No! Haebron screamed back. No, not anymore. I have to finish it. Once and for all. Dirty, dangerous little spies and their dirty, dangerous little games. Finish it, finish it, finish it, finish it, finish…
Stop it, stop it, stop it! Jasto pleaded. He paced up and down, holding his hands to his head as if he could somehow smother the other man’s voice. Please Haebron you have to stop!
To his surprise, the man’s voice faded away. Jasto stopped dead, his eyes wide. Did I do that? Or did he decide to leave me alone? He wasn’t sure which option scared him more.
Collapsing on the bed, he curled up and closed his eyes. The pain from Astrid’s attacks were a welcome distraction. How did this happen?
All he could remember was falling asleep hours before, then waking up on the floor of Lieutenant William’s quarters, his body screaming out in pain. There hadn’t even been a nightmare this time, a vision to give him an idea of what might have happened. Just darkness. Nothingness. I was gone and he was in my place. I lost control.
He started to cry.
I had it under control! He wanted to scream to the heavens, to curse the Pools of New Trill, to pray to the Great Symbionts themselves. It wasn’t fair. He had had it under control.
He couldn't remember how long he sat there in the dark and wept. It might have been a matter of seconds, or it might have been three days. The only light in his room was the unchanging flickering darkness of the starfield outside. Why? he asked himself, over and over again. Why?
By the time he came to again, he had come to a decision. Haebron had become a danger, a real risk for this ship and for him. He couldn't afford to let such a risk persist. There was only one solution he could see.
Still, he hesitated. It seemed like such a final choice; he wouldn't ever be able to take it back. Could he go so far? Was he willing to end everything this way?
Finally, though, he realised that he had no other choice. With trembling hands, he reached up and pressed his comm badge.
"Dax to Captain Sarine.”
“Sarine here.” The captain did not sound at all pleased, his voice tense as if he were in the middle of an argument. “I’m in the middle of something here, Lieutenant, so- -“
“I'm sorry to disturb you captain,” Jasto pushed on. He had to do this now. If he waited… He might never do it. “I am sorry, but… I need to talk to you. Now.”
Not worthy? Spare me. 
This was awesome. I don't know how you manage to pull off these dream sequences and flashbacks and make them not only not cheesy, but exciting! Astrid is a really fascinating character, and I foresee all kinds of drama coming to us thanks to her. I wonder if Colin the wanna-be player is smart enough to pick up on the fact that he's being played. And then we have Jasto ... poor Jasto Dax. Haebron is a psycho, and Jasto seems like such a nice guy ... I seriously thought he was about to phaser his brains out until he hit his combadge and asked for Sarine. Sigh of relief! I can't believe how much you seem to be about to cram into a retelling of a less-than-two-week-period! Awesome stuff.
This was awesome. I don't know how you manage to pull off these dream sequences and flashbacks and make them not only not cheesy, but exciting! Astrid is a really fascinating character, and I foresee all kinds of drama coming to us thanks to her. I wonder if Colin the wanna-be player is smart enough to pick up on the fact that he's being played. And then we have Jasto ... poor Jasto Dax. Haebron is a psycho, and Jasto seems like such a nice guy ... I seriously thought he was about to phaser his brains out until he hit his combadge and asked for Sarine. Sigh of relief! I can't believe how much you seem to be about to cram into a retelling of a less-than-two-week-period! Awesome stuff.
Holy crap! 
Not only do we discover that Haebron has taken control of Jasto and has, ‘come out to play’ but that Williams herself possesses an equally dangerous alter-ego. There are so many divided loyalties here, so many plots within schemes within machinations as to make one’s head spin… but you’re keeping a tight reign on all of these threads and guiding them towards… well, I don’t know yet, but I’ve no doubt it will be glorious.
Welcome back!
Not only do we discover that Haebron has taken control of Jasto and has, ‘come out to play’ but that Williams herself possesses an equally dangerous alter-ego. There are so many divided loyalties here, so many plots within schemes within machinations as to make one’s head spin… but you’re keeping a tight reign on all of these threads and guiding them towards… well, I don’t know yet, but I’ve no doubt it will be glorious. Welcome back!
kes
Are you doubting my unworthiness?!! Shame on you!
Glad you enjoyed the chapter. I have to admit, I was worried about this chapter, and went through a dozen different versions - some where I showed the various scenes I discuss here and some without. At the end of the day, I decided it was enough to have Astrid think about it.
As for Haebron and Jasto - yeah they're both pretty screwed up. And they're about to get even more screwed up as this story continues.
Gibraltar
I was really worried about your comment where you mention the plots within schemes within machinations making your head spin... until you got to the end and said that I was keeping a tight rein! Phew!
I have to admit I was worried about how complex this story is getting. The only thing I am happy about is that as you've said, by the end of this Volume, a lot of these threads will have been guided towards an end.
Thanks for the welcome back!
Joel
Are you doubting my unworthiness?!! Shame on you!
Glad you enjoyed the chapter. I have to admit, I was worried about this chapter, and went through a dozen different versions - some where I showed the various scenes I discuss here and some without. At the end of the day, I decided it was enough to have Astrid think about it.
As for Haebron and Jasto - yeah they're both pretty screwed up. And they're about to get even more screwed up as this story continues.
Gibraltar
I was really worried about your comment where you mention the plots within schemes within machinations making your head spin... until you got to the end and said that I was keeping a tight rein! Phew!
I have to admit I was worried about how complex this story is getting. The only thing I am happy about is that as you've said, by the end of this Volume, a lot of these threads will have been guided towards an end.
Thanks for the welcome back!
Joel
Things really kicked off good in this second installment of your super-charged, spy/political, action thriller.
Even though I didn't care for how things started out. No, sir. Oh I like seeing Kalara back in charge, but only to have the fleet retreat? And where is Sarine? Looks like the worse really has come to pass. And still will ...
Not that things aren't looking like they are going to hell in a hand basket. Kalara's freakish nightmare is slowly turning into prophecy with Ianto surprising return. (Didn't see that one coming, at all) and the reveal of Williams as another spy (!!!) on the ship. It strikes me as odd that the Company who appears to want a war with the Klingons is actually working with them. But maybe it shouldn't, considering a similar alliance a few hundred years earlier surrounding the Khitomer Conference.
I never thought I would say this but it looks as if Dax's split personality syndrome might come in handy to try and stop Williams (who suffers from an eerily similar problem) and the Company. Haebron clearly has some history with these people. Not sure if it justifies the killing of Williams' parents but that the Company and the augments aren't nice guys is pretty obvious.
Oh and I kinda like Colin. Something tells me he could turn out to be the wild card in this wildly unpredictable ride you've taken us on.
Really terrific stuff. Well done.
Even though I didn't care for how things started out. No, sir. Oh I like seeing Kalara back in charge, but only to have the fleet retreat? And where is Sarine? Looks like the worse really has come to pass. And still will ...
Not that things aren't looking like they are going to hell in a hand basket. Kalara's freakish nightmare is slowly turning into prophecy with Ianto surprising return. (Didn't see that one coming, at all) and the reveal of Williams as another spy (!!!) on the ship. It strikes me as odd that the Company who appears to want a war with the Klingons is actually working with them. But maybe it shouldn't, considering a similar alliance a few hundred years earlier surrounding the Khitomer Conference.
I never thought I would say this but it looks as if Dax's split personality syndrome might come in handy to try and stop Williams (who suffers from an eerily similar problem) and the Company. Haebron clearly has some history with these people. Not sure if it justifies the killing of Williams' parents but that the Company and the augments aren't nice guys is pretty obvious.
Oh and I kinda like Colin. Something tells me he could turn out to be the wild card in this wildly unpredictable ride you've taken us on.
Really terrific stuff. Well done.
An excellent and somewhat creepy (it would take a good actor to really put the menace and creepiness into Haebron) installment of your story, Sarine. I didn't see that twist about Astrid/Lizibet being the same person - but it makes the Astrid/Jasto dynamic even more interesting in that both of them have alternate personalities. That's a dynamic I'm looking forward to seeing more of and I'm just hoping that our Ops Manager doesnt' blow the whistle on our deceptive Company operative just yet.
Cap'n, I just dont even know what to say, really... Maybe I should go with something that I dont think anyone has come right out and said yet: The crew of the Redemption is one fcuked up bunch of people. I mean, they're intrepid and interesting and complicated and compelling and sexy (I'm gay and even I sense right off that Astrid is smokin', especially in the fight scene---I'm picturing Jessical Beal for a look, but I'm not certain she has the acting chops; thoughts?), but let us call a spade a spade here: These people are one dark and twisted, awesome menagerie of nuts. What excellent brain candy!
Best thing: Your antagonists and your joint protagonist-antagonists are all likable people. I'm wondering just where you did it exactly---where you engineered my connection to this or that character---or if the creep of narrative seduction is so diffuse as to defy parsing. Astrid will be up to all sorts of no-good, but I LIKE her. She's smart, devious, devoted, calculating, often ruthless, committed, and she tosses fully grown men across rooms!
I really like the women in this story: Kalara, Turner, Astrid, Le'Yet, even Benjamini. What guy just walks up to women like this and asks then on a date?... Well, Colin Groves, perhaps! A friend of mine (a keenly intelligent, smokin' hot woman) told me that one reason she dated several guys who could be kinda dickie was that the nicer guys all seemed terrified of her.
Oh by the way, for Jasto Dax, for now, I'm thinking James Franco. I've seen him do creepy, nutty, seductive, multiple personality, and he's good. And he's young and good looking, and surprisingly good at pulling off "vulnerable," which is all how I imagine Jasto. (Jasto has, in the words of a "cougar," "the invigling scent of 'wounded boy'.")
I cant WAIT to see Ba'el's reaction to Jasto's confession. Although, thinking on it, I bet Astrid might not want that confession to happen. I mean, how would they explain why Jast chose to harass Astrid, of all the people onboard Redemption? Such a question might prompt an intrepid investigator to do some deep checking into these people's past. dum dum dum DUM!!!!!....
You're cookin' with gas, here, Joel. In the words of Claudia the Girl-Vampire, "I want some more!"
Best thing: Your antagonists and your joint protagonist-antagonists are all likable people. I'm wondering just where you did it exactly---where you engineered my connection to this or that character---or if the creep of narrative seduction is so diffuse as to defy parsing. Astrid will be up to all sorts of no-good, but I LIKE her. She's smart, devious, devoted, calculating, often ruthless, committed, and she tosses fully grown men across rooms!
I really like the women in this story: Kalara, Turner, Astrid, Le'Yet, even Benjamini. What guy just walks up to women like this and asks then on a date?... Well, Colin Groves, perhaps! A friend of mine (a keenly intelligent, smokin' hot woman) told me that one reason she dated several guys who could be kinda dickie was that the nicer guys all seemed terrified of her.
Oh by the way, for Jasto Dax, for now, I'm thinking James Franco. I've seen him do creepy, nutty, seductive, multiple personality, and he's good. And he's young and good looking, and surprisingly good at pulling off "vulnerable," which is all how I imagine Jasto. (Jasto has, in the words of a "cougar," "the invigling scent of 'wounded boy'.")
I cant WAIT to see Ba'el's reaction to Jasto's confession. Although, thinking on it, I bet Astrid might not want that confession to happen. I mean, how would they explain why Jast chose to harass Astrid, of all the people onboard Redemption? Such a question might prompt an intrepid investigator to do some deep checking into these people's past. dum dum dum DUM!!!!!....
You're cookin' with gas, here, Joel. In the words of Claudia the Girl-Vampire, "I want some more!"
CeJay
Thanks - glad you enjoyed the beginning to this volume. Yeah, the introduction does change things around. And I'm looking forward to seeing how you're all going to take the actual reasons behind everything we saw there.
Kalara's nightmare is slowly coming to pass. Whether it will come to pass exactly as she saw it... We will have to see.
Glad I surprised you with the revelations on Ianto and Williams.
As for the Company's true reasons for working with the Klingon Empire, they have a whole plot surrounding the Klingons and the Laurentii that we have yet to see.
I like your ideas as to how Dax's split personality might come in handy, I guess we'll see how things go. And yes, the Augments and the Company are not particularly nice people.
Hope you'll enjoy the next few installments.
tenmei
Glad you enjoyed the creepy - that was what I was going for. I have no idea who could pull off Haebron's menace and creepiness, although Diogenes' idea of James Franco is pretty good.
Uhm... Astrid and Lizabeth are not the same person, though. Lizabeth is Astrid's handler in the Company. However, you are right that Astrid and Jasto share a strange bond in that they both have two personalities. Their relationship is going to play a major part in volume III.
Thanks for the comments!
Diogenes
Yo 'Los!
Thanks so much for such an indepth, interesting and thought-out comment! Glad you're enjoying this crew of messed up officers and their mission. I'm really happy that all of these - whether they be protagonists or antagonists - come across as likeable, I don't want any of them to be out and out bad guys.
I like your idea of Jasto as James Franco. You have any other ideas? I'm rubbish at finding actors to go with the characters I imagine, so if you have any great ideas for casting, don't hesitate.
As for Ba'el's reaction, I hope it will live up to your expectations.
Thanks again,
Joel
Thanks - glad you enjoyed the beginning to this volume. Yeah, the introduction does change things around. And I'm looking forward to seeing how you're all going to take the actual reasons behind everything we saw there.
Kalara's nightmare is slowly coming to pass. Whether it will come to pass exactly as she saw it... We will have to see.
Glad I surprised you with the revelations on Ianto and Williams.
As for the Company's true reasons for working with the Klingon Empire, they have a whole plot surrounding the Klingons and the Laurentii that we have yet to see.
I like your ideas as to how Dax's split personality might come in handy, I guess we'll see how things go. And yes, the Augments and the Company are not particularly nice people.
Hope you'll enjoy the next few installments.
tenmei
Glad you enjoyed the creepy - that was what I was going for. I have no idea who could pull off Haebron's menace and creepiness, although Diogenes' idea of James Franco is pretty good.
Uhm... Astrid and Lizabeth are not the same person, though. Lizabeth is Astrid's handler in the Company. However, you are right that Astrid and Jasto share a strange bond in that they both have two personalities. Their relationship is going to play a major part in volume III.
Thanks for the comments!
Diogenes
Yo 'Los!
Thanks so much for such an indepth, interesting and thought-out comment! Glad you're enjoying this crew of messed up officers and their mission. I'm really happy that all of these - whether they be protagonists or antagonists - come across as likeable, I don't want any of them to be out and out bad guys.
I like your idea of Jasto as James Franco. You have any other ideas? I'm rubbish at finding actors to go with the characters I imagine, so if you have any great ideas for casting, don't hesitate.
As for Ba'el's reaction, I hope it will live up to your expectations.
Thanks again,
Joel
MY HUMBLE CASTING SUGGESTIONS:
Ba'el Sarine: BRUCE WILLIS (I'm not a huge fan of Willis, I admit. He has always seemed a bit opaque to me, perhaps even two dimensional. Oddly, I think, his best roles have been characters who seem to have been bludgeoned into a semblance of opacity or two-dimensionality---emotionally damaged cops, a ghost, action heroes, etc... Sort of casting veritae, after the manner of casting Keanu in Bill and Ted's or as Neo in the Matrix. Also, Willis's default facial expression seems to be brooding, resignedly put-upon, close to the brink, fire-and-ice, able to do just about whatever he has to. And the bald-head is awesome. All that's how I think of Sarine.)
or MEL GIBSON (Dont hate me for suggesting him. He quite bothers me, I admit. But I think he does "implacable and immovable" better than almost anyone. And he looks like he's got an active volcano not too far beneath the surface. This is a dangerous man.)
Kalara: MICHELLE RODRIGUEZ (I'd love if Rodriguez were a little taller. But she is indisputably badass. She embodies barely reigned in truculence. She's seething, like a beautiful, caged panther or something. A little weight training and Rodriguez would make a great klingon woman.)
Ly'et: ANGELINA JOLIE (Even aside from their species' gene pool, I have a very strong sense of the Cardassian personality as seductively reptilian: aggressive-passive-aggressive, simultaneously confrontational and ophidian. I think Jolie would look amazing in the Cardassian make-up, and the starfleet uniform. And the scene where she's walking down the hall ahead of Colin Groves brought her to mind right off. She just radiates mystique.)
The Klingon Doctor: CARL LUMBLY (Lumbly plays the role of the character regretting but heroically bearing up under his unfortunate, outcast state.)
Astrid: MILA JOVOVICH (She is great at submerged and/or multiple personalities---see "The Messenger" and "Resident Evil." I always find her frustration and fury very convincing and compelling. And she can fight!)
or RACHEL NICHOLS (As a blond. She can seem deceptively simpering. But there's steel there, just underneath.)
Lizabeth: MELISSA GEORGE (She plays cold and ruthless soooo well. I could see her playing Colin like a Vulcan lute.)
Benjamini: LENA OLIN (An underrated actress. She's got an "old-world" kind of gravitas that is both slightly threatened and threatening at the same time. She would kill your mother and convince you that it really was for the best, and what else could she have done, really?... And she's an attractive enough mature woman that I could see Colin having thoughts about her when he initially meets her and kisses her hand. After she gets over being flttered for a minute, she's have him for a midday snack.)
Jasto Dax: JAMES FRANCO (Broken boy. Charming, even when depressed. Still waters run deep and drowning. Pretty. Brooding. Self punishing. He does confidently slimy and creepy really well.)
I'm wracking my brain thinking of someone to play Ianto and Damien. (For Keene, I wish actor Will Patton were ten years younger. He's awesome, and so convincingly unlikeable.)
mmm, now I need a snack...
Ba'el Sarine: BRUCE WILLIS (I'm not a huge fan of Willis, I admit. He has always seemed a bit opaque to me, perhaps even two dimensional. Oddly, I think, his best roles have been characters who seem to have been bludgeoned into a semblance of opacity or two-dimensionality---emotionally damaged cops, a ghost, action heroes, etc... Sort of casting veritae, after the manner of casting Keanu in Bill and Ted's or as Neo in the Matrix. Also, Willis's default facial expression seems to be brooding, resignedly put-upon, close to the brink, fire-and-ice, able to do just about whatever he has to. And the bald-head is awesome. All that's how I think of Sarine.)
or MEL GIBSON (Dont hate me for suggesting him. He quite bothers me, I admit. But I think he does "implacable and immovable" better than almost anyone. And he looks like he's got an active volcano not too far beneath the surface. This is a dangerous man.)
Kalara: MICHELLE RODRIGUEZ (I'd love if Rodriguez were a little taller. But she is indisputably badass. She embodies barely reigned in truculence. She's seething, like a beautiful, caged panther or something. A little weight training and Rodriguez would make a great klingon woman.)
Ly'et: ANGELINA JOLIE (Even aside from their species' gene pool, I have a very strong sense of the Cardassian personality as seductively reptilian: aggressive-passive-aggressive, simultaneously confrontational and ophidian. I think Jolie would look amazing in the Cardassian make-up, and the starfleet uniform. And the scene where she's walking down the hall ahead of Colin Groves brought her to mind right off. She just radiates mystique.)
The Klingon Doctor: CARL LUMBLY (Lumbly plays the role of the character regretting but heroically bearing up under his unfortunate, outcast state.)
Astrid: MILA JOVOVICH (She is great at submerged and/or multiple personalities---see "The Messenger" and "Resident Evil." I always find her frustration and fury very convincing and compelling. And she can fight!)
or RACHEL NICHOLS (As a blond. She can seem deceptively simpering. But there's steel there, just underneath.)
Lizabeth: MELISSA GEORGE (She plays cold and ruthless soooo well. I could see her playing Colin like a Vulcan lute.)
Benjamini: LENA OLIN (An underrated actress. She's got an "old-world" kind of gravitas that is both slightly threatened and threatening at the same time. She would kill your mother and convince you that it really was for the best, and what else could she have done, really?... And she's an attractive enough mature woman that I could see Colin having thoughts about her when he initially meets her and kisses her hand. After she gets over being flttered for a minute, she's have him for a midday snack.)
Jasto Dax: JAMES FRANCO (Broken boy. Charming, even when depressed. Still waters run deep and drowning. Pretty. Brooding. Self punishing. He does confidently slimy and creepy really well.)
I'm wracking my brain thinking of someone to play Ianto and Damien. (For Keene, I wish actor Will Patton were ten years younger. He's awesome, and so convincingly unlikeable.)
mmm, now I need a snack...
Those are some pretty inspired picks, Diogenes. Especially Michelle Rodriguez as Kalara; I could totally see that.
For some reason, I also think of Sarine as the Bald of Awesome, but I'm not completely sure about Bruce Willis. It might work. Definitely not Mel Gibson, I think, though. Too old, not dangerous/edgy enough.
I pictured Astrid looking more like Elisha Cuthbert. I'm not sure why.
Franco as Dax is a great idea.
For some reason, I also think of Sarine as the Bald of Awesome, but I'm not completely sure about Bruce Willis. It might work. Definitely not Mel Gibson, I think, though. Too old, not dangerous/edgy enough.
I pictured Astrid looking more like Elisha Cuthbert. I'm not sure why.
Franco as Dax is a great idea.
Hi Los and Kes,
Sorry haven't been around - was off sick thursday and friday, just starting to feel better today.
You've both made some interesting suggestions for the different characters of Restoration - love it!
Taken one by one...
Captain Sarine played by Bruce Willis or Mel Gibson... Not sure about either of those. I don't remember whether I ever actually mentioned skin colour for Sarine, because I have to admit that in my head I seem played more by a Sam L Jackson than a Bruce Willis. The shaven head - definitely. I think he needs that bad-ass, I'll kick you to kingdom come if you cross me kind of fibe, and Sam Jackson has that down to a tee, along with the more settled, wise side to things that he has as Mace Windu.
Someone else I just thought of for Sarine - how about Edward Norton?
Kalara as played by Michelle Rodriquez - Love it! Nothing more to say.
Ly'et as played by Angelina Jolie - had never thought about that before, but I like it!
Astrid as played by Elisha Cuthbert, Mila Jovovich or Rachel Nicholls... Hmm, I think I would go more with Rachel Nicholls, I think she'd better handle the mixture of sexy, dangerous and slightly crazy.
Doctor Malok as played by Carl Lumbly - Hell YES!
Lizabeth as played by Melissa Georges - love it
Benjamini as played by Lena Olin - Ooh, she has suddenly become a hell of a lot sexier than I imagined her, but I really, really like this casting call!
Jasto Dax as played by James Franco - I've already said in an earlier post that I really love this, I can definitely see him playing both sides of this character.
As for Damien and Ianto - I actually had Ianto as being a Data clone, so have Mr. Data himself, Brent Spiner. If anyone else has any other ideas, I'm all ears.
Damien... Hmmm. I was thinking along the lines of James Spader or Michael Shanks for that role, actually. Any thoughts on that?
Anyway, thanks so much for this, so much fun to see your ideas. If anyone knows of a good person to have do fakes of actors, I'd love to be able to show a cast reel of these actors playing the parts!
More Restoration up tomorrow I hope!
Joel
Sorry haven't been around - was off sick thursday and friday, just starting to feel better today.
You've both made some interesting suggestions for the different characters of Restoration - love it!
Taken one by one...
Captain Sarine played by Bruce Willis or Mel Gibson... Not sure about either of those. I don't remember whether I ever actually mentioned skin colour for Sarine, because I have to admit that in my head I seem played more by a Sam L Jackson than a Bruce Willis. The shaven head - definitely. I think he needs that bad-ass, I'll kick you to kingdom come if you cross me kind of fibe, and Sam Jackson has that down to a tee, along with the more settled, wise side to things that he has as Mace Windu.
Someone else I just thought of for Sarine - how about Edward Norton?
Kalara as played by Michelle Rodriquez - Love it! Nothing more to say.
Ly'et as played by Angelina Jolie - had never thought about that before, but I like it!
Astrid as played by Elisha Cuthbert, Mila Jovovich or Rachel Nicholls... Hmm, I think I would go more with Rachel Nicholls, I think she'd better handle the mixture of sexy, dangerous and slightly crazy.
Doctor Malok as played by Carl Lumbly - Hell YES!
Lizabeth as played by Melissa Georges - love it
Benjamini as played by Lena Olin - Ooh, she has suddenly become a hell of a lot sexier than I imagined her, but I really, really like this casting call!
Jasto Dax as played by James Franco - I've already said in an earlier post that I really love this, I can definitely see him playing both sides of this character.
As for Damien and Ianto - I actually had Ianto as being a Data clone, so have Mr. Data himself, Brent Spiner. If anyone else has any other ideas, I'm all ears.
Damien... Hmmm. I was thinking along the lines of James Spader or Michael Shanks for that role, actually. Any thoughts on that?
Anyway, thanks so much for this, so much fun to see your ideas. If anyone knows of a good person to have do fakes of actors, I'd love to be able to show a cast reel of these actors playing the parts!
More Restoration up tomorrow I hope!
Joel
Joel, I can do small-sized photo manipulations fairly adeptly (go look at page 16 of the Tesseract thead on Ad Astra if you want to see). If you want me to try it with some of these, I could do that once I've finished my chapter. What uniform would they wear, though?
ETA: I should add, I can do humans. Putting heads on bodies. I can even do minor alien stuff ... I could make someone a ridgeless Romulan or turn them green for an Orion or add spots for a Trill ... but I probably can't change Michelle into a Klingon, and I definitely can't change Angelina into a Cardassian.
ETA: I should add, I can do humans. Putting heads on bodies. I can even do minor alien stuff ... I could make someone a ridgeless Romulan or turn them green for an Orion or add spots for a Trill ... but I probably can't change Michelle into a Klingon, and I definitely can't change Angelina into a Cardassian.
Chapter 4
Main Engineering
USS Redemption
In orbit of Khitomer
"Please state the nature of the medical emergency."
The tall, balding human who had just appeared out of thin air stared around at the engineering section, then focused on Kalara, Prin and Kane who were gathered in front of him. His eyes widened slightly at the sight of the Borg engineer, but he remained relatively imperturbable.
“Please state the –“
"I found it buried deep in the database," a disembodied voice interrupted from one of the nearby panels. Kalara glanced away from the hologram at the image of Ianto's face floating in front of a white background. She shook her head slightly – this is taking some getting used to.
"What exactly is going on here?" the holographic doctor demanded, looking from one to the other. "Why have you activated me? Where is the medical--"
"Computer, mute hologram," Prin ordered. The holo doctor continued to talk though no sound came out. It took him a moment to realise what had happened and then he started to wave his hands about, pointing at his throat and shouting at the top of his - inexistant - voice.
"He seems to be malfunctioning," Kane said drily.
"Actually, they were all like this," Ianto responded.
"No wonder they were discontinued," Kalara said.
"Computer, standby medical hologram."
The holographic doctor paused in the middle of jumping up and down, his legs and arms spread in a star pattern, mouth wide open. Kalara heard Prin snort in laughter from behind her. Even she had to admit, it looked quite funny.
Kane walked around the floating hologram, studying it. "So this is the basic matrix you want to use?" he asked dubiously.
"Just as a template,” Ianto replied. “I’m more interested in the fact that his entire program was once able to fit within a mobile emitter, a transportal holographic device that allowed him total access to his ship and even to beam down to planets.” Ianto smiled. “I just so happen to have the schematics of that emitter stored in my cortical net."
"Why?"
Ianto looked over at Prin. "The hologram known as the Doctor - an advanced version of this one who grew to sentience around the same time as my father - was transmitted back to Federation space from the lost starship Voyager around the time that the Dominion overran the Federation. He was trapped in the Alpha Quadrant when the communication's array he used to travel back was destroyed. His ship was ordered never to return to the Federation. So the Doctor remained and joined my father in the Resistance. A few years later, they worked together to rebuild the holo emitter using the Doctor’s memories.”
"What happened to him?"
A look of discomfort passed over Ianto’s face, one that she had come to recognise whenever he was reminded of a painful memory. Best not to ask, she thought and took a step forward, taking the attention away from him.
"And do you really think this will work?"
Ianto cast her a grateful glance as he nodded. "Yes. I think it should be possible to create a brand new matrix based on Starfleet Corps of Engineering scans of my former body and replicate it in a--"
"Bridge to Lieutenant-Commander Kalara."
Kalara frowned at the interruption. "Kalara here."
"Sorry to interrupt, Lieutenant-Commander. We have a priority four transmission incoming from the planet."
Kalara bit back a rather coarse Klingon curse. She had been expecting this ever since the ship arrived in Khitomer space. She looked over at Commander Ly’et, who smiled.
"Don't worry, we'll hold down the fort."
Nodding her thanks, though slightly confused by the reference, Kalara began to move towards a nearby panel. Before she could instruct the bridge to put the communique through, Kane spoke up.
"My office is available if you would be more comfortable there."
She stopped, surprised at the offer. She turned to look at the Borg engineer, whose pale skin had taken on a slightly pinker shade. Is he embarassed? A Borg? She nodded. "That would be agreable."
He pointed towards the rear of the engineering space, where a small office had been set up near the Borg alcoves. Kalara nodded her thanks, then walked in the direction he had indicated.
"Bridge, please put the transmission through to Commander Kane's office."
"Will do, Lieutenant-Commander. Bridge out."
As she walked across the engineering room, she tried to distract herself by studying the Borg alcoves. Though they still made her skin crawl, concentrating on them seemed better than the alternative. Still, she tried not to seem as though she were hesitating or afraid. Walking as quickly as she could, she held her head up high. She didn't want anyone to know how nervous she was about this upcoming conversation.
Once inside the small office, she walked around the desk and settled into Kane's chair. The monitor was flashing, indicating the presence of a waiting transmission. Kalara took a moment to gather herself, then pressed her finger to the screen.
Almost immediately, a stately Klingon woman with long white hair appeared on the screen. Her ridges were prominent, but shapely, graceful without seeming weak. Her eyes flashed with the same heat as lightning fires on the Qo'sma plains, while her lips were already turned down in an angry frown.
"Greetings, my daughter."
"Hello, mother."
Elyra, daughter of Qasi, mistress of the House of Maraka, squinted at Kalara, her frown deepening.
"I see the rumors are true," she said after a moment.
"What rumours would those be, mother?" Kalara asked, though she knew all too well what her mother was talking about.
"Those are the pips of a Lieutenant-Commander, aren't they?"
Kalara nodded. "Yes, mother."
"So you were demoted for betraying your superior officer?"
Kalara's cheeks flushed and she opened her mouth with an angry retort, but she forcibly controlled herself. Her mother would no more respect her making excuses for what had happened than she would for being involved in the events in the first place. She probably already knew more about what had actually happened than Kalara could ever explain anyway. If there was one thing Kalara had learned about her mother, it was that she had formidable resources.
"I wear my shame with honor," she said finally.
Elyra seemed to mull over a reply, then settled for a sullen nod. "Your shame lies in your earlier choices, not your current mistakes."
Kalara suppressed a sign. She had never had a conversation with her mother that at one point or another did not return to this sore subject. Elyra had never accepted her daughter's decision to join Starfleet and Kalara doubted she ever would.
"Joining Starfleet was not a shame, mother," she said, her tone short. "It was a decision based in honor."
"Honor?" Elyra spat the word. "Honor would have led you back to those who needed you. Honor would have pushed you to take up your rightful place in your house. Honor..."
"Is what I decide it should be, mother,” Kalara said firmly. “Or have you decided to deny the teachings of Cleric Lyrsa now?"
As she had hoped, the words had the desired effect. Her mother snapped her jaw shut, though she continued to glare at her daughter across the gulf of space. Kalara had known reminding her mother of the teachings of Lyrsa would force her to back down - it always did. The teachings of starv’a’kai were the only things that had held Elyra back from chaining Kalara to a rock in the basement of their family home when she learned that her daughter planned on joining Starfleet.
Her mother wasn't a woman to give up so easily, though. "Your honor is your own, daughter. But your shame is shared by your entire family. A family that would have liked to see you considering you are in system."
"I've been busy." Even she could hear how sullen and defensive she sounded. Dammit, mother, I'm not a child anymore!
"Indeed. Too busy to make time to spend with your elderly mother, who is all alone in her old age."
Kalara held back a bitter bark of laughter. Elderly? Old age? Her mother would probably bury all of them, Kalara included. Besides... "What about Kolos? He's there to keep you company."
Elyra's eyes flared, telling Kalara she had just made a big mistake. "Your brother... has decided to join the Khitomer Defence Force and fly out to the border as part of this foolish war. He believes that to regain his own honor he must become some kind of vengeful warrior and show the renegade imperial Klingons the error of their ways."
Oh Kolos... Her younger brother had always been impulsive, full of fire born from hearing too many old stories from their grandfather when he was a boy. He had dreamed of fighting Jem'hadar, and when he learned at the age of six that there were none left to fight, he had vowed to become a warrior anyway. It looks like you got your wish, little wolf.
"He must seek his honor as he sees fit," she said. She would be the worse person to judge her little brother's choices.
Elyra shook her head violently. "He is a child. And now I have no more children."
Kalara shook her head. "Mother, please- -“
"Why do you persist in this, daughter! You have nothing. You have lost your ship, you have lost your career." She glared at her daughter. "This Federation... It is a useful tool, and these humans, and Romulans, and Ferengi, and all the others, are worthy allies. But they are not us. They are not Klingons. They cannot regain our honor for us - they do not understand why we strive so hard to regain our own. You do not belong amongst them. Not when your family needs you." Not when I need you went unspoken.
Her mother's words struck a cord in Kalara's core. Part of her knew that honor did require her to live up to the requirements of her family. And yet...
Her father had once taken her to see Cleric Qui'dagh, one of Lyrsa's disciples. He had left her there, in the caves beneath Boroth, alone with this old man who seemed as though he were about to turn to stone like the statues she could see wavering in the firelight behind him. She had been terrified, and yet she had knelt there before him, trying not to shiver from fear and cold, because she wanted her father to be proud of her.
After about ten minutes, the cleric had opened his eyes. Kalara had stifled a gasp at the sight of those blind-white globes. And yet she would have sworn that the cleric was staring straight at her.
"Why do you fight the cold, little one?" the cleric had asked, his voice cracked and broken like year-old bone.
She hadn't known what to say, so she had remained silent. The cleric, though, had pressed her, repeating the question three or four more times until finally she had been forced to answer.
"So that my father will be proud of me."
The cleric had nodded. "And will he give you your honor?"
Kalara could remember sitting there for a long moment, thinking about the answer to that question. She had known the clerical answer - according to the teachings of Lyrsa, every Klingon was responsible for their own honor. And yet... "My father is a great man," she had said after a moment.
Finally, the cleric had smiled. "You must find your own path, child. Your father is a great man. And yet when he reaches the gates of Stovokor, will his greatness grant him access to the fabled halls? More importantly, will his greatness grant you access?"
Young Kalara had wanted to tell the old man that her father could do anything. And when later that day he had told her that he was proud of her for not being afraid, she had even believed it was true.
Now, though, she knew better. And that cleric's words had remained with her through all the years since. Find your own path. That path had led her far from her mother's concept of honor. It led her to the Resistance, and to Starfleet, and to Damien. It was her path and she had to walk it.
She shook her head. "No, mother. My place is here. For now."
Elyra's face froze in an angry glower. "You would abandon me, abandon your House?"
"No mother I just..."
"Don't you realise what is happening? Our race is being pulled apart. Ever since the Schism, we have been a people torn asunder. Now we are at one another's throats. What happens when battle is met? What will happen to our race when blood has been spilt? How will we ever go back to the way things used to be?”
Kalara realised suddenly that her mother wasn't talking about the Klingon race anymore. She had something more specific, more personal, in mind. "Have you heard from Molor?"
Elyra closed her eyes tight, her face drawn with pain. For the first time, Kalara truly saw how old her mother was becoming. "He has vanished even from me."
Molor, Kalara's older brother, had left the family estate on Khitomer soon after their father died. He had prepared everything months, even years in advance. All Kalara had ever been able to find out was that he had fled to the Empire and joined the Imperial Defence Force. Elyra, though, had managed to track his progress. Apparently, he had been made Captain of his own cruiser. Kalara had often wondered whether her mother wasn't actually prouder of her rebel son than she was of her daughter.
Now though... "You are afraid that they will meet in battle?"
Her mother's eyes narrowed. "I am not afraid."
Of course not. Elyra would no more admit to fear than she would to being a Ferengi. Kalara sighed.
"Mother, Kolos and Molor have followed their starv’a’kai as best they could. They do right according to their honor. If one of them falls in battle, they will do so with their honor intact."
"And leave the House of Maraka without an heir."
And so we get down to it. Kalara closed her eyes. She had wondered how long it would take her mother to remind her of this shame.
"Neither of us are too old to have heirs, mother."
"Heirs? You speak to me of heirs? You who would pollute the house of Maraka with the blood of aliens?"
"Damien is my husband, mother. Any child I have will be a child of his."
"You would see a half-blood represent us with the Council of Elders?"
"It would not be the first time."
Elyra waved a hand dismissively. "I would rather see our house extinguished."
Kalara growled. "Do not presume upon my patience too much, mother."
Elyra growled back. "I will say what I see fit."
"But I have no need to hear it."
Before her mother could say another word, Kalara reached up and ended the transmission. A Starfleet waiting screen appeared, the twin symbols of the Federation and the Corps of Engineers spinning beside one another in the dark. Kalara stared at them, trying not to rehash the conversation and failing miserably.
Damn her, she thought after a moment. Elyra had always been a difficult woman, but she had become even more so since the death of her husband. A proud scion, she was also a famed warrior in her own right - she had fought with as much honor and bravery as her husband against the Dominion. Now, though, the only fight that remained to her was a fight to keep a hold of her home and her family, a fight she did not have the weapons to win.
Kalara's thoughts turned to her brothers. She could still see them as they had been the last time she had seen them - her elder brother, Molor, the picture of her mother's father, so stern and stormy and full of fire, and dear Koloss, who looked so much like their father, but with the calm, dreaming disposition of their uncle Mogh.
What was going to happen to them? How many other families were about to be torn apart by this war with the Empire? Kalara had not allowed herself to dwell too closely on the war currently raging along the border. She couldn't, because when she did, she began to wonder why she was here on Redemption rather than serving aboard a Klingon warship like her brother. Her ancestors' blood seemed to call out for it, but her heart returned again and again to the words of the priest.
My own path. But where is it leading me?
Shaking her head, Kalara tried to empty herself of all the fears and worries, questions and doubts her mother's words had birthed in her. She walked her own path, and the only way to gain the honor she strived for was by setting one foot in front of the other. Even if her path led her towards what she had seen in her vision.
Now wasn't the time to think about that either, though. Standing, she berated herself for a fool. You have a job to do, Kalara, daughter of Elyra. Now get on with it.
As she returned to Ianto, Kane and Prin, though, she couldn't help saying a little prayer to her father, safe in Stovokor.
Watch over your sons, father. Keep them safe.
Keep all of us safe.
Main Engineering
USS Redemption
In orbit of Khitomer
"Please state the nature of the medical emergency."
The tall, balding human who had just appeared out of thin air stared around at the engineering section, then focused on Kalara, Prin and Kane who were gathered in front of him. His eyes widened slightly at the sight of the Borg engineer, but he remained relatively imperturbable.
“Please state the –“
"I found it buried deep in the database," a disembodied voice interrupted from one of the nearby panels. Kalara glanced away from the hologram at the image of Ianto's face floating in front of a white background. She shook her head slightly – this is taking some getting used to.
"What exactly is going on here?" the holographic doctor demanded, looking from one to the other. "Why have you activated me? Where is the medical--"
"Computer, mute hologram," Prin ordered. The holo doctor continued to talk though no sound came out. It took him a moment to realise what had happened and then he started to wave his hands about, pointing at his throat and shouting at the top of his - inexistant - voice.
"He seems to be malfunctioning," Kane said drily.
"Actually, they were all like this," Ianto responded.
"No wonder they were discontinued," Kalara said.
"Computer, standby medical hologram."
The holographic doctor paused in the middle of jumping up and down, his legs and arms spread in a star pattern, mouth wide open. Kalara heard Prin snort in laughter from behind her. Even she had to admit, it looked quite funny.
Kane walked around the floating hologram, studying it. "So this is the basic matrix you want to use?" he asked dubiously.
"Just as a template,” Ianto replied. “I’m more interested in the fact that his entire program was once able to fit within a mobile emitter, a transportal holographic device that allowed him total access to his ship and even to beam down to planets.” Ianto smiled. “I just so happen to have the schematics of that emitter stored in my cortical net."
"Why?"
Ianto looked over at Prin. "The hologram known as the Doctor - an advanced version of this one who grew to sentience around the same time as my father - was transmitted back to Federation space from the lost starship Voyager around the time that the Dominion overran the Federation. He was trapped in the Alpha Quadrant when the communication's array he used to travel back was destroyed. His ship was ordered never to return to the Federation. So the Doctor remained and joined my father in the Resistance. A few years later, they worked together to rebuild the holo emitter using the Doctor’s memories.”
"What happened to him?"
A look of discomfort passed over Ianto’s face, one that she had come to recognise whenever he was reminded of a painful memory. Best not to ask, she thought and took a step forward, taking the attention away from him.
"And do you really think this will work?"
Ianto cast her a grateful glance as he nodded. "Yes. I think it should be possible to create a brand new matrix based on Starfleet Corps of Engineering scans of my former body and replicate it in a--"
"Bridge to Lieutenant-Commander Kalara."
Kalara frowned at the interruption. "Kalara here."
"Sorry to interrupt, Lieutenant-Commander. We have a priority four transmission incoming from the planet."
Kalara bit back a rather coarse Klingon curse. She had been expecting this ever since the ship arrived in Khitomer space. She looked over at Commander Ly’et, who smiled.
"Don't worry, we'll hold down the fort."
Nodding her thanks, though slightly confused by the reference, Kalara began to move towards a nearby panel. Before she could instruct the bridge to put the communique through, Kane spoke up.
"My office is available if you would be more comfortable there."
She stopped, surprised at the offer. She turned to look at the Borg engineer, whose pale skin had taken on a slightly pinker shade. Is he embarassed? A Borg? She nodded. "That would be agreable."
He pointed towards the rear of the engineering space, where a small office had been set up near the Borg alcoves. Kalara nodded her thanks, then walked in the direction he had indicated.
"Bridge, please put the transmission through to Commander Kane's office."
"Will do, Lieutenant-Commander. Bridge out."
As she walked across the engineering room, she tried to distract herself by studying the Borg alcoves. Though they still made her skin crawl, concentrating on them seemed better than the alternative. Still, she tried not to seem as though she were hesitating or afraid. Walking as quickly as she could, she held her head up high. She didn't want anyone to know how nervous she was about this upcoming conversation.
Once inside the small office, she walked around the desk and settled into Kane's chair. The monitor was flashing, indicating the presence of a waiting transmission. Kalara took a moment to gather herself, then pressed her finger to the screen.
Almost immediately, a stately Klingon woman with long white hair appeared on the screen. Her ridges were prominent, but shapely, graceful without seeming weak. Her eyes flashed with the same heat as lightning fires on the Qo'sma plains, while her lips were already turned down in an angry frown.
"Greetings, my daughter."
"Hello, mother."
Elyra, daughter of Qasi, mistress of the House of Maraka, squinted at Kalara, her frown deepening.
"I see the rumors are true," she said after a moment.
"What rumours would those be, mother?" Kalara asked, though she knew all too well what her mother was talking about.
"Those are the pips of a Lieutenant-Commander, aren't they?"
Kalara nodded. "Yes, mother."
"So you were demoted for betraying your superior officer?"
Kalara's cheeks flushed and she opened her mouth with an angry retort, but she forcibly controlled herself. Her mother would no more respect her making excuses for what had happened than she would for being involved in the events in the first place. She probably already knew more about what had actually happened than Kalara could ever explain anyway. If there was one thing Kalara had learned about her mother, it was that she had formidable resources.
"I wear my shame with honor," she said finally.
Elyra seemed to mull over a reply, then settled for a sullen nod. "Your shame lies in your earlier choices, not your current mistakes."
Kalara suppressed a sign. She had never had a conversation with her mother that at one point or another did not return to this sore subject. Elyra had never accepted her daughter's decision to join Starfleet and Kalara doubted she ever would.
"Joining Starfleet was not a shame, mother," she said, her tone short. "It was a decision based in honor."
"Honor?" Elyra spat the word. "Honor would have led you back to those who needed you. Honor would have pushed you to take up your rightful place in your house. Honor..."
"Is what I decide it should be, mother,” Kalara said firmly. “Or have you decided to deny the teachings of Cleric Lyrsa now?"
As she had hoped, the words had the desired effect. Her mother snapped her jaw shut, though she continued to glare at her daughter across the gulf of space. Kalara had known reminding her mother of the teachings of Lyrsa would force her to back down - it always did. The teachings of starv’a’kai were the only things that had held Elyra back from chaining Kalara to a rock in the basement of their family home when she learned that her daughter planned on joining Starfleet.
Her mother wasn't a woman to give up so easily, though. "Your honor is your own, daughter. But your shame is shared by your entire family. A family that would have liked to see you considering you are in system."
"I've been busy." Even she could hear how sullen and defensive she sounded. Dammit, mother, I'm not a child anymore!
"Indeed. Too busy to make time to spend with your elderly mother, who is all alone in her old age."
Kalara held back a bitter bark of laughter. Elderly? Old age? Her mother would probably bury all of them, Kalara included. Besides... "What about Kolos? He's there to keep you company."
Elyra's eyes flared, telling Kalara she had just made a big mistake. "Your brother... has decided to join the Khitomer Defence Force and fly out to the border as part of this foolish war. He believes that to regain his own honor he must become some kind of vengeful warrior and show the renegade imperial Klingons the error of their ways."
Oh Kolos... Her younger brother had always been impulsive, full of fire born from hearing too many old stories from their grandfather when he was a boy. He had dreamed of fighting Jem'hadar, and when he learned at the age of six that there were none left to fight, he had vowed to become a warrior anyway. It looks like you got your wish, little wolf.
"He must seek his honor as he sees fit," she said. She would be the worse person to judge her little brother's choices.
Elyra shook her head violently. "He is a child. And now I have no more children."
Kalara shook her head. "Mother, please- -“
"Why do you persist in this, daughter! You have nothing. You have lost your ship, you have lost your career." She glared at her daughter. "This Federation... It is a useful tool, and these humans, and Romulans, and Ferengi, and all the others, are worthy allies. But they are not us. They are not Klingons. They cannot regain our honor for us - they do not understand why we strive so hard to regain our own. You do not belong amongst them. Not when your family needs you." Not when I need you went unspoken.
Her mother's words struck a cord in Kalara's core. Part of her knew that honor did require her to live up to the requirements of her family. And yet...
Her father had once taken her to see Cleric Qui'dagh, one of Lyrsa's disciples. He had left her there, in the caves beneath Boroth, alone with this old man who seemed as though he were about to turn to stone like the statues she could see wavering in the firelight behind him. She had been terrified, and yet she had knelt there before him, trying not to shiver from fear and cold, because she wanted her father to be proud of her.
After about ten minutes, the cleric had opened his eyes. Kalara had stifled a gasp at the sight of those blind-white globes. And yet she would have sworn that the cleric was staring straight at her.
"Why do you fight the cold, little one?" the cleric had asked, his voice cracked and broken like year-old bone.
She hadn't known what to say, so she had remained silent. The cleric, though, had pressed her, repeating the question three or four more times until finally she had been forced to answer.
"So that my father will be proud of me."
The cleric had nodded. "And will he give you your honor?"
Kalara could remember sitting there for a long moment, thinking about the answer to that question. She had known the clerical answer - according to the teachings of Lyrsa, every Klingon was responsible for their own honor. And yet... "My father is a great man," she had said after a moment.
Finally, the cleric had smiled. "You must find your own path, child. Your father is a great man. And yet when he reaches the gates of Stovokor, will his greatness grant him access to the fabled halls? More importantly, will his greatness grant you access?"
Young Kalara had wanted to tell the old man that her father could do anything. And when later that day he had told her that he was proud of her for not being afraid, she had even believed it was true.
Now, though, she knew better. And that cleric's words had remained with her through all the years since. Find your own path. That path had led her far from her mother's concept of honor. It led her to the Resistance, and to Starfleet, and to Damien. It was her path and she had to walk it.
She shook her head. "No, mother. My place is here. For now."
Elyra's face froze in an angry glower. "You would abandon me, abandon your House?"
"No mother I just..."
"Don't you realise what is happening? Our race is being pulled apart. Ever since the Schism, we have been a people torn asunder. Now we are at one another's throats. What happens when battle is met? What will happen to our race when blood has been spilt? How will we ever go back to the way things used to be?”
Kalara realised suddenly that her mother wasn't talking about the Klingon race anymore. She had something more specific, more personal, in mind. "Have you heard from Molor?"
Elyra closed her eyes tight, her face drawn with pain. For the first time, Kalara truly saw how old her mother was becoming. "He has vanished even from me."
Molor, Kalara's older brother, had left the family estate on Khitomer soon after their father died. He had prepared everything months, even years in advance. All Kalara had ever been able to find out was that he had fled to the Empire and joined the Imperial Defence Force. Elyra, though, had managed to track his progress. Apparently, he had been made Captain of his own cruiser. Kalara had often wondered whether her mother wasn't actually prouder of her rebel son than she was of her daughter.
Now though... "You are afraid that they will meet in battle?"
Her mother's eyes narrowed. "I am not afraid."
Of course not. Elyra would no more admit to fear than she would to being a Ferengi. Kalara sighed.
"Mother, Kolos and Molor have followed their starv’a’kai as best they could. They do right according to their honor. If one of them falls in battle, they will do so with their honor intact."
"And leave the House of Maraka without an heir."
And so we get down to it. Kalara closed her eyes. She had wondered how long it would take her mother to remind her of this shame.
"Neither of us are too old to have heirs, mother."
"Heirs? You speak to me of heirs? You who would pollute the house of Maraka with the blood of aliens?"
"Damien is my husband, mother. Any child I have will be a child of his."
"You would see a half-blood represent us with the Council of Elders?"
"It would not be the first time."
Elyra waved a hand dismissively. "I would rather see our house extinguished."
Kalara growled. "Do not presume upon my patience too much, mother."
Elyra growled back. "I will say what I see fit."
"But I have no need to hear it."
Before her mother could say another word, Kalara reached up and ended the transmission. A Starfleet waiting screen appeared, the twin symbols of the Federation and the Corps of Engineers spinning beside one another in the dark. Kalara stared at them, trying not to rehash the conversation and failing miserably.
Damn her, she thought after a moment. Elyra had always been a difficult woman, but she had become even more so since the death of her husband. A proud scion, she was also a famed warrior in her own right - she had fought with as much honor and bravery as her husband against the Dominion. Now, though, the only fight that remained to her was a fight to keep a hold of her home and her family, a fight she did not have the weapons to win.
Kalara's thoughts turned to her brothers. She could still see them as they had been the last time she had seen them - her elder brother, Molor, the picture of her mother's father, so stern and stormy and full of fire, and dear Koloss, who looked so much like their father, but with the calm, dreaming disposition of their uncle Mogh.
What was going to happen to them? How many other families were about to be torn apart by this war with the Empire? Kalara had not allowed herself to dwell too closely on the war currently raging along the border. She couldn't, because when she did, she began to wonder why she was here on Redemption rather than serving aboard a Klingon warship like her brother. Her ancestors' blood seemed to call out for it, but her heart returned again and again to the words of the priest.
My own path. But where is it leading me?
Shaking her head, Kalara tried to empty herself of all the fears and worries, questions and doubts her mother's words had birthed in her. She walked her own path, and the only way to gain the honor she strived for was by setting one foot in front of the other. Even if her path led her towards what she had seen in her vision.
Now wasn't the time to think about that either, though. Standing, she berated herself for a fool. You have a job to do, Kalara, daughter of Elyra. Now get on with it.
As she returned to Ianto, Kane and Prin, though, she couldn't help saying a little prayer to her father, safe in Stovokor.
Watch over your sons, father. Keep them safe.
Keep all of us safe.
Oh, how I love Kalara more every time we see her! Great interaction here between her and her mother. I feel like I learned a lot about her, and what's going on with the Klingons. And my mouth dropped open at Elyra's "you who would pollute our house with the blood of aliens" line. Oh, she did not go there! She did go there! I want to see Damien do something sufficiently bad-ass to put Elyra in her place, now! And Kalara growling over the comment was just great. Their whole exchange was great, in fact. Tons of quality drama there, enough for its own book, it sounds like!
And Ianto wants to be a hologram ... this could be cool. I loved this:
I love the EMH, but this is such a classic first impression.
I also liked Kalara's continuing to be unnerved by Kane and the rest of the Borg. Although, Kane said more here than I'm used to seeing him say, which was interesting. I'm glad they separated Kane and Ianto successfully. And aw, look, Kane's blushing. Maybe he's not totally creepy.
Excellent work, Joel! Don't keep us waiting too long for the next, please!
And Ianto wants to be a hologram ... this could be cool. I loved this:
I love the EMH, but this is such a classic first impression.I also liked Kalara's continuing to be unnerved by Kane and the rest of the Borg. Although, Kane said more here than I'm used to seeing him say, which was interesting. I'm glad they separated Kane and Ianto successfully. And aw, look, Kane's blushing. Maybe he's not totally creepy.
Excellent work, Joel! Don't keep us waiting too long for the next, please!
Caught that too. A great part on the Klingons and the HoloDoc-well, now you are forced to tell of his fate. Forced, I tell you! (He's one of my favorite canon characters-I even have a Picardo pic signed by the "ECH" - he's wearing red in the pic and signed correctly) And the banter around him was really cool.
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