Stardate 63382.5
Elayne’s
memorial service was held at Betazed’s Embassy in
Five
years earlier the doctors at the facility where Jonathan resided noted that he
had a talent in art and suggested that he be allowed to take some classes at one
of the universities on Betazed. Those
classes proved quite beneficial in aiding him in gaining independence. Although he had not spoken since the
accident, he had gained control over his telepathic abilities. For the trip, he had asked a female friend
from the school to join him to act as a voice for him when he needed one.
Raiajh
and Xaran chose Earth because they had spent much of their married life
together on the planet of Raiajh’s birth.
They had made their home here, and hoped to return to live out the rest
of their days after their time on Starbase
719.
After
the service at the Embassy, the family took a small chartered boat out to the
middle of
Back
at the apartment that Raiajh and Xaran had kept in
“Does
m’lady be needing any assistance?” she asked.
Raiajh turned to look at her son’s companion. She had not heard speech patterns like that
since she served on the Arcturus. It did pique her curiosity as only a few
natives of the planet had chosen to leave.
“You
may help if you wish. But tell me how
did you get from Avalon to Betazed?”
“I
took fancy to those glorious sky-chariots that came to visit Avalon. One day me asked the lord of one to grant the
fee of passage in return for work. He be
leaving me on Darona when I refused to be performing any work that I not be
comfortable with. He be wanting to take
me to his bed. I told him that I no be
doing that with a man I no love.”
Raiajh
replied, “I’m sorry that happened. How
were you able to get to Betazed from Darona?”
“While
I be at Jarkana spaceport I be singing to earn some meals and keep. There I be meeting a man who be owning a wine
making farm on Betazed. He be telling me
that spaceport no place for girl like me and he would be taking me, if I wished
it, to Betazed to a school to be studying music. It be sounding funny as I not know one could
be studying singing in a school. I be
telling him so. He gets to be showing me
on computer that one can indeed be studying singing in a school. So I go to Betazed. As thank you to m’lord benefactor I be
helping on his farm when he be doing harvest time. It be there I be meeting Jonathan.”
“Mr.
Sarne is a kind man with a good heart.
He is Jonathan’s great-grandfather.”
“That
do not be possible, m’lady! Mr. Sarne
not that old!”
Val’ri
smiled. The girl was right. Sorkan Sarne
did not look that old. “Anya, Mr.
Sarne’s mother is from Betazed, but his father is from a very-long lived
species known as El-Aurians. Mr. Sarne has lived on Betazed for over a century. I want you to continue your tale though. How did you and my son become friends?”
A
confused look came over the Avalonian girl’s face. “Your son, m’lady? Jonathan be saying you be his Aunt. His mother died when he be seven.”
“He
is correct, but so am I. His biological
parents died in an accident when he was seven.
Dr. Xaran and I became guardian to him and his sister Charissa at that
time. Two years later when we formally
adopted Charissa we adopted Jonathan also.
So yes, he is my son.”
“That
do be making you his mother. As for how
we be friends; I be working harvest three winters back. I be noticing Jonathan work alone. So I be joining him. I did be finding it strange that he not talk
to anyone.” She began to blush as she
continued. “I be thinking to meself that
he do be handsome. Then suddenly I be
hearing him saying thank you and that he be thinking I be pretty. I not be realizing at first that he be
talking in me mind. But then I be realizing
that I not say he be handsome aloud. So I be telling him that I no like him
being in me mind. It be then he be
saying he be sorry, but he be having no other way to be communicating as he no
be able to talk. After I got over being
angry, I do be saying I be sorry to him and be telling him I would like to be
friends and that it be agreeable to ‘talk’ in my mind. I be coming with him here as he said he may
be needing someone to be talking for him.
Truthfully I do no understand why he be bringing me. I no be needing to talk for him yet. Most
people be understanding enough.”
“Perhaps
he wanted a friend along. This is one of
the few times he had traveled away from Betazed. He has never traveled alone.”
“I
do not be thinking of that, m’lady.”
The
two continued talking for some time, and Val’ri walked away with some
interesting insights into her now-adult son.
After
a few days in
Space, the Final Frontier…
Star Trek: Personal
Logs
“Requiem” By Nadine
B. Bach
Starbase 719
Stardate 63461.9
Sitting in the
office of Counselor Wyatt, it was evident that Raiajh and Xaran were having
problems. They were both extremely
distraught because of Elayne’s loss and despite these counseling sessions they
were having a hard time reconciling their loss. Instead of being productive,
this particular session seemed to have the opposite effect.
Suddenly Xaran
spoke to his wife, “Why didn’t you do something more to keep the accident from
happening in the first place?”
What he said was
like a slap in the face to Val’ri. They
had tried to keep things amicable in the sessions. It was tougher for them because they not only
heard the words but felt the emotions behind them, one of the benefits, or in
this case, a drawback of being telepathic or empathic. She calmly replied, “The
engineering staff looked over the holodecks.
They have not been able to further ascertain what happened. No one can
figure out why the safeties were disengaged.
If I were able to I would take her place. She’s my daughter too, and I miss her just as
much as you do.” Despite her calm
exterior, under the surface she truly was as devastated by their loss as Xaran
was. Her eyes showed the pain and
anguish she was feeling; both her own and his.
His next statement stung even deeper.
“This isn’t
working. I’m going back to Earth as soon
as I can get a transfer.”
Xaran rose from
the couch and left a rather distraught Raiajh, who at that point buried her
head in her hands and began to cry. Wyatt’s
voice followed him.
“Doctor Xaran,
don’t do anything rash. Please take some
time to think about it.”
After that
session neither spoke to the other, except when it came to the children.
* * *
Starbase 719
Stardate 63468.8
Xaran was talking
in the infirmary with Dr. Simmons and Counselor Wyatt. Simmons asked, “Sylvan, are you sure this is
a good idea? I don’t mind doing your
work for a few weeks, but you should at least tell Val you’re leaving.”
“She’ll find out
soon enough, Jack. I don’t want to talk
to her right now. All we do is fight and
it’s hurting not only us but the kids too. Hopefully these couple of weeks on
the Besiege will help sort everything
out. Despite what I said in Tobias’ office the other day I don’t want to go
back to Earth without my family and that includes Val.”
Wyatt replied,
“Well, that’s a start at least.”
Sylvan stated, “I
love my wife and family dearly, Tobias.
Elayne’s death is tearing us apart.
I don’t want to throw what I have away. I need to figure out how to fix it. I’m hoping these few weeks on the Besiege will help.”
Jack stated, “I
hope so, Sylvan. Val’s a strong person,
but part of that strength comes from you.
I’ve seen what Elayne’s death has done.
She’s surviving, but without your support she’s not the same. Last time I saw her like this was during the
war, when you were on Betazed.”
“I know
Jack. I need to figure out how to move
on after Elayne’s death. Once I do that,
I know I can mend fences with Val. For
now I need to get to the Besiege.”
* * *
Starbase 719
Stardate 63469.1
Raiajh was woken
up in the middle of the night by Corrine, who was crying.
“Mommy, I had a
bad dream and I can’t find Daddy. He’s not here.”
“What kind of
dream?”
“I dreamt that
Daddy went away, and now I can’t find him.”
She handed her mother the communicator which was on the night stand next
to the bed. “Can you find him?”
Taking the
communicator, she pressed it, “Raiajh to Doctor Xaran.” No reply came. Perplexed, Val’ri asked the computer,
“Computer, locate Doctor Sylvan Xaran?”
“Doctor Xaran
departed the starbase aboard the USS
Besiege at 0100.”
Corrine started
crying harder. Between her sobs she
asked, “Daddy went with ‘Rissa and didn’t say goodbye?”
“That appears to
be the case. He should have at least
said goodbye to you, Julian and Katrina.”
Pressing her communicator again, Raiajh spoke. “Raiajh to Lieutenant Pel.”
“Pel here,
ma’am.”
“Ashari, open a
subspace channel to Doctor Xaran on the Besiege. Tell him that Corrine insists on talking to
him.”
“Yes ma’am. I’ll patch it through to your quarters once I
have him,” Pel replied.
Raiajh got up out
of bed and took Corrine over to the computer interface on the desk in the main
living area. She sat the child down by
the computer and began to walk away.
“You aren’t
staying Mommy?” the child asked.
“No, Corrine. Daddy doesn’t want to talk to me right now,”
Raiajh replied, with a touch of sadness in her voice.
Before Corrine
was able to ask her why, the computer interface in front of her activated and
the Federation symbol was replaced by her father sitting in sickbay aboard the Besiege.
“You should be
sleeping, young lady,” was his greeting.
“I had a bad
dream. Why did you go away without
saying goodbye?” she replied, becoming teary-eyed again.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t have time. My request was granted at the last minute.”
“When are you
coming home, Daddy?”
“I’ll be back in
a month.”
“I’ll miss you.”
“I’ll be missing
everyone too.”
“Even Mommy?”
“Yes, even
Mommy.”
“Do you want to
talk to Mommy?”
“Not now,
Corrine. I’ll call her when I’m ready to
talk. Right now I need to get back to
work. I’ll try to call when I can.”
“Ok Daddy. I love
you.”
“I love you too
Corrine. Now go back to bed.”
“Yes Daddy,” she
replied and terminated the link.
* * *
Starbase 719
Stardate 63540.6
Rear Admiral
Val’ri Raiajh sat in her office with the Station’s Counselor, Tobias
Wyatt. For the last few weeks the
Admiral’s husband Dr. Sylvan Xaran had chosen to spend time on the USS Besiege as their doctor to give
himself a chance to think about things.
The last two months
have been extremely hard on both Raiajh and Xaran. After Elayne’s memorial service, Raiajh and
Xaran had spent much of their alone time fighting, while trying to make sense
of their loss. Three weeks ago the Besiege left on its current mission and
was currently en route back to the starbase.
With Xaran on the Besiege, Raiajh has spent much of the
last three weeks alone with just their youngest child, Corrine. Julian and Katrina were staying with their
Aunt Jill and her daughter Ayana elsewhere on the base. The stress of the situation was taking its
toll on Raiajh, who had lost five kilograms in the last two months. It showed in her uniform as it was slightly
larger than it should be. It was weight she definitely did not need to lose,
considering the fact that she normally had a hard time keeping her weight at fifty
kilos. The fact that she was suffering
from bouts of nausea the past few days wasn’t helping the situation.
“Admiral, you
really should be eating more,” Wyatt commented.
“I know. However, I’m worried about losing things that
are more important to me than a few kilos.”
“Perhaps these
few weeks away, have allowed Doctor Xaran the chance to examine what is wrong,
and work through what is troubling him. This time apart may prove beneficial.”
“I hope so. All I
want is for him to come home, to his family.
The last we spoke, was in your office, when he said he wanted to go back
to Earth. That is the last thing I want.
I don’t want him to leave, not like this.”
“Then tell him
how you feel. Use subspace and let him
know that.”
“I’d rather talk
to him in person and tell him,” she replied to the counselor.
“It’s been a
while since you’ve toured one of the Fifth Fleet ships. Perhaps it’s time for an Admiral’s Inspection
of the Besiege while the ship is en
route back to the Starbase. It would
give you a few days to talk. It would
also be a good away mission for one of the Fleet Cadets.”
“I like your idea
Counselor. I’ll have Cathryn make
arrangements to have a runabout prepped and ready to launch in four hours. You and Doctor Simmons have until then to
decide which cadet makes the trip.”
* * *
USS Besiege
Stardate 63549.5
It had been a
rough two months for Dr. Sylvan Xaran. The
loss of Elayne had hit him hard. He
understood it was an accident, but still it was tough on him. Today
was hard on him too, as the stardate of his anniversary was just hours away,
and he was feeling bad about having to miss this important day. The only other time he missed their
anniversary was when he was on Betazed during the Dominion War, where he had no
choice in the matter as Betazed was occupied by the Dominion itself at the
time.
His time on board
the Besiege was not received well by
his eldest daughter, Charissa, who was one of the engineers aboard. She stopped by early on in the mission to
tell him that she thought he was being extremely selfish for being out here at
a time when his wife and family needed him most and avoided him since.
Sitting in the
quarters of the CMO on the Besiege,
Xaran fingered the platinum wedding band on his finger. The ring never left his finger since the day Raiajh
placed it there nineteen years ago. Sitting
there he remembered the first time they had a chance to spend more than five minutes
together. They were eating lunch
together and she had picked up on one of his stray thoughts, wondering if she
would have dinner with him. At the time
he was not even aware that she had similar telepathic abilities.
He probably would
not be here today, if he didn’t pursue the matter further after she said she
would ‘get back to him’ about dinner. It
was just the way she said it that made it sound more like it was possible and
not the brush-off it could have been.
When they met up later that day after receiving a communiqué from her
brother, in an effort to help lift her spirits, he offered again. Her answer changed to a more hopeful ‘perhaps
another night’. The following day, after
stopping by the Quartermaster’s office to try one last time, she finally
agreed. He arranged to bring her back to
the Surak II where they went to the
holodeck for dinner and a walk in the park afterward. Walking into the empty holodeck was
interesting...
Stardate 44526
Earth Year 2367
Although he was
wearing his uniform, she had changed into an off-duty outfit that he thought
she probably replicated recently, as it was a more current style and not
something that was in fashion around eighty years earlier. She also wore her hair loose, instead of
held back at the nape of her neck, with just a headband to hold it off her
face. Her choice of dress had intrigued
him, as it indicated an emotional response to the evening’s activities. He did notice that she did allow him glimpses
of emotional responses. She smiled, she blushed. She also allowed him to see her when she had
lost control of her emotions the day before.
It had given him a sense of hope that she had accepted his invitation
because she actually wanted to have dinner with him and not out of a sense of
guilt because she had picked up on his thoughts. She certainly seemed to be interested in him
as something more than a friend.
She noticed that
he was still wearing his uniform and stated, “I’m sorry. I should have asked how I should have dressed
for this evening.”
“What you have on
is fine, Val. I would have changed
myself, however I didn’t have a chance.
My appointments ran until just a few minutes ago. I hope you don’t mind me saying so, but you
look beautiful. Even more so than that first night I saw you in the main
recreation room here on the Arcturus.”
A shy smile
played across her lips as she replied, “Thank you.” Her cheeks took on that emerald hue as she
began to blush. He found it intriguing
that she showed him these hints of emotional responses. Counselor Jaron had described her as being
stoic and ‘typically Vulcan’ in her sessions with him.
“I have arranged
to bring you back to the Surak this
evening. I hope you don’t mind.”
“That would be
fine.”
The two headed
toward the transporter room and beamed over to the Surak. He then led her down
the hall to the ship’s holodeck; something the Arcturus was not equipped with.
The pair walked into the empty holodeck.
Raiajh had a confused look on her face.
“I thought you
said we were having dinner?” she asked.
“We are.” Pressing a few buttons on a computer
interface, the room transformed into a restaurant.
Her eyes wide
with amazement, she stated, “What kind of room is this? I’ve never seen
anything like it before. It’s as if you transported us directly to
“It’s called a
holodeck. The technology is based on that
used for the transporters and replicators.
It’s actually a pretty new addition on starships. This is the first time I’ve used one myself.”
The maitre‘d
walked over to show them to a table. Val’ri
took Sylvan’s hand and they walked to the table near a window that overlooked the
River Seine.
Dinner progressed
at a slow pace as they actually did more talking than eating. Once done with dinner Xaran asked for the
program to change to a park scene.
Taking her hand they began to walk down the moonlit path before them.
After a few
minutes walking, Raiajh innocently asked, “How are we not walking into the
walls? The room isn’t that big that we could have walked all this time and not
run into the wall.”
“It works like a
treadmill. We walk and it’s the scenery
that’s actually moving.”
“There’s going to
be a lot that I need to learn. I must
sound like a child asking all these questions.
I’m sorry.”
“I understand.
Let’s sit down. Coming here without
telling you about holodeck technology probably wasn’t such a good idea.”
They walked over
and sat down on one of the benches that lined the walk.
“It’s been
interesting. Despite my apparent
technological challenges, I’m actually enjoying this evening.”
“You do know that
is an emotion,” he replied.
“I think by now
you’ve come to realize that I do show emotions, when I wish to.”
“I’ve
noticed. You’ve shown them to me, but
not to any of the other counselors.”
“I have no reason
to. I do not wish to get to know them on
a more personal level.”
“You mean
friends?” he asked, sounding a bit disappointed.
“Of course I want
you as a friend, but at the same time I have no desire to do this with any of
my friends,” she replied as she leaned toward him and gently kissed him on the
lips.
She had tried to
say something more, but before she could he kissed her and kept on kissing
her. Before long he had her straddling
his lap with her arms around his neck. It
was certainly a more comfortable position, however the kissing was becoming
more passionate too.
They found
themselves connecting on a telepathic level; something apparently neither had
considered when they first began. The
experience allowed them to learn much more about each other than they could
have otherwise. After a while they
stopped kissing and sat in the same position just holding each other with Val’ri
leaning her head on Sylvan’s shoulder.
”I don’t know
what has gotten into me tonight. This behavior is quite atypical for me,” she
stated.
“Val, to be
honest, its not typical behavior for me either.”
“I certainly
would not have done what I did if you had told me that you were promised to
another.”
“There’s nothing
to tell. I have already told my parents,
and Anatessa, that I wasn’t going to marry her.
It is something that is no longer an issue.”
“Your parents
seem to think differently.”
“My parents can
think as they wish. They do not make
decisions about how I live my life. What
about you? How were you able to avert
being bound by that Oath of Celibacy?”
“When I was born
there were no other known Deltan hybrids.
If that Oath is still required, then I may still be the only one. My mother always encouraged me to date non-Deltan males. However, I am bound by two restrictions. It is noted in my medical file that any relationship
that I have of a physical nature must be with a member of a telepathic race and I must make my commanding officer
aware of my intent beforehand. As of
this evening I have not made Commodore Johnson aware of any such intent. I only intend to let any commanding officer,
be it Commodore Johnson or another in the future, aware of any such intent just
one time.”
“I can certainly
see not wanting to have that conversation more than once, but sometimes it
doesn’t always work out that way.”
“I know, however,
I have always made a promise to myself that I would only have that kind of
relationship with just one person; the one that I choose to call my husband. Even then, it won’t be until the day he
actually is my husband.”
“What if you
never find that person?”
“Then maybe, I’ll
change my way of thinking. For now, I
want to get to know you better.”
“Where would you
like me to begin?”
It was three days
after the evening on the holodeck that Xaran joined Raiajh in Commodore
Johnson’s office to have that
conversation. To everyone’s surprise,
they married one week to the day after their visit with the Commodore.
* * *
Continuing his
reverie Xaran thought back to a day in early 2374…
Stardate 50166.8
Almost seven
years later, Lt Commander Sylvan Xaran and Commodore Val’ri Raiajh had just
returned to Earth, after a few months at Starbase
234 post separation from the Besiege. Unbeknownst to him, she was feeling ill for
the past two days and made an appointment to see one of the doctors at
Starfleet Medical.
It was a rare day
for her, with the Dominion War heating up, that she was able to leave work
early and spend time with him and Charissa.
When he returned home that evening she greeted him with a small, thin
and nearly flat box after he came in and hugged them both.
“What’s this?” he
asked.
“Open it and find
out,” was her simple reply.
He opened the box
to find a small spoon inside. It was
certainly too small for him, but it was just the perfect size to feed a
baby. After three years, could it be
that Julian’s procedure actually worked?
Smiling, he looked at his wife.
Through the bond that they shared, he felt her joy and happiness. He grabbed her in an embrace that lifted her
off the floor.
The revelation
left him nearly speechless. All he was
able to get out was “Really?” as he made sure her feet were again on the floor.
She nodded. “A
due date cannot be pinpointed with certainty until I’m further along. However it should be after stardate 50649 and
before stardate 50816.”
Charissa looked
at them. “Care to let me in on your
little secret? What’s coming between those
dates?”
“There’s going to
be an addition to our family. You’re
going to be a big sister,” Xaran replied.
“You’re
pregnant?” she asked, looking at Raiajh.
“Yes!”
Charissa looked
at them both with tears forming in her eyes.
“What’s going to happen to me? Are you going to send me away now that
you are having a child of your own?”
“Charissa, why
would you think we would send you away?
You are as much our child as the one that is growing inside me. Just because your father and I became parents
to you and your brother in a different way, doesn’t make you any less our
children. We still love you, and will
continue to love you,” Val’ri told her.
“You sent me away
when you were on the Besiege,” the
child countered.
Val’ri replied, “Charissa,
there are ships in the Federation Starfleet that are not equipped to allow
children and families to live on board.
The Besiege is one of those
ships because of its designation. The Besiege is a ship that is equipped to
fight against our enemies. It wasn’t
safe for you to be there. Toward the end
of the year that we were there, we were not practicing battle drills, but were
actually beginning to engage the Dominion.”
“Am I really
going to be a big sister?” she asked, with more enthusiasm.
“Yes, you are and
never let anyone tell you otherwise,” Sylvan told her.
She came over and
hugged both of them.
* * *
USS Besiege
Stardate 63549.5
He was beginning
to see the truth in what Charissa had said to him at the beginning of this
mission. He was being selfish being here
and away from his family. But at the
same time, he needed to heal. Sitting
here thinking like this was helping him not only heal, but help him make the
right decisions about the future.
Their daughter
Katrina ended up being born while he was on Betazed for his father’s
funeral. While they were in the
The morning their
son Julian was born in 2376 was one of the most memorable days in his life to
that point. With the sun just beginning
to shine through between the buildings in
Being a doctor
aboard the Sarek, at Starbase 234 and at Starfleet Medical, he certainly delivered his share of babies. It was something he did miss on the Besiege. They did not plan on having
Julian at home, it just happened that way.
The setting made it a memorable experience for both of them.
Elayne was born
at Starfleet Medical. After seeing how much more stressed his wife
was at the hospital, they chose to have Corrine at home.
Then in 2385
Starfleet gave his wife the command of Starbase
719 and the Typhon Sector and they were all settled in early September of
that year. He missed having her at home
those few months that he and the children had to stay behind on Earth while the
base was sufficiently completed for them to join her.
Between their arrival
and Elayne’s untimely death there were minor skirmishes, usually with the
nearby Kairn, but nothing directed against the base.
About two weeks
after the memorial, they had become withdrawn from each other trying to deal
with their grief. Despite getting help
from Tobias Wyatt, the station’s counselor, Xaran said what he felt was the
most hurtful thing he could have said to his wife. In Wyatt’s office he blamed
her for Elayne’s death. That if she had
done something more, Elayne may still be alive.
With things
continuing to go downhill from there, he arranged this time away from the
starbase. Being away allowed him to clear his mind and concentrate on what was
truly important to him. Now 48 hours out
from the starbase, he hoped that when the Besiege
returned, he and his wife could do whatever it would take to work things out,
as he truthfully didn’t want to return to Earth without her or the children. He decided that now would hopefully be a good
time to talk to her.
Before he got a
chance to ask for a comm channel to the starbase, Captain McLeod made a
ship-wide announcement. “Attention all
hands. Prepare your spaces for inspection
by the Admiral.”
Unable to make
his call, Xaran left his quarters and went to sickbay to prepare for the
Admiral’s arrival. As McLeod didn’t say
which Admiral, Xaran thought it possible that the Besiege had met up with the Dauntless
and it was probably Vice Admiral Penji Fil who was coming aboard for an inspection
tour.
* * *
Rear Admiral Val’ri
Raiajh toured the Besiege with
Captain McLeod, purposely leaving sickbay
for last. Her daughter, Katrina was
chosen as the Fleet Space Cadet to join her on this mission. After Raiajh had toured the entire ship,
except for the sickbay, she sent Katrina to join up with her sister, Lt(JG)
Charissa Xaran.
Raiajh sat with
McLeod in his ready room, discussing the inspection.
“Captain, as
always, your ship and crew exceed my expectations.”
“I noticed you
have not inspected sickbay, Admiral.”
“I am aware of
that. I will be heading there alone as
soon as we’re done here. I’m sure I’ll
find the same exemplary conditions in sickbay.”
“Admiral, you
wouldn’t be willing to swap CMO’s permanently?” McLeod asked, in a semi-joking
manner.
“That would not
be advisable. Your CMO has done an
excellent job assisting Doctor Simmons these past few weeks, but he’ll be happy
to get back to his position here. Not to
mention Doctor Simmons will be wishing to return to his own duties,” she
replied.
“I’m sure you’re
looking forward to having Doctor Xaran return home.”
“If he’s ready to
return home he will be welcomed.
Elayne’s death hit us both pretty hard.
We both said things to each other that we would like to take back.”
“During the last
week his attitude has changed significantly, so perhaps he is.”
Feeling hopeful,
Raiajh stood. “I hope so. If you will excuse me, Captain, I’ll be
finishing that inspection now.”
“Understood,
Admiral.”
She stood and
left McLeod’s behind in his ready room and headed toward sickbay.
* * *
Upon arriving at sickbay,
she entered quietly though a door that was already opened as another had just
left. As he was turned away, Xaran did not
notice her enter. Because they were
both shielding themselves from the telepathic intrusion of others and he was not
expecting her to be there, she was able to slip in unaware. She sat down on the
diagnostic bed before alerting him of her presence.
“I was wondering
if you had something to help cure a broken heart, Doctor,” she said; sadness
evident in her voice.
Xaran turned to
look at her with a smile before rushing over and giving her a hug, which she
returned. Looking into her eyes he said,
“I’m sorry, Imzadi. I know I’ve said
things to hurt you. If I could I would
take it all back. Can you forgive me?”
“All is
forgiven. I know you said those things
out of anger and grief, and I too apologize for things I’ve said that hurt
you. Please say you are ready to come
home.”
“I am, if you are
willing to have me.”
She pulled him
closer to her and kissed him. As they were
kissing, they didn’t hear one of the Marine medics entering sickbay. In a thick English accent, the Marine
commented, “Doctor Xaran, sir?!?”
All Xaran replied
was, “I suppose I should take the Admiral someplace more private.”
Without another
word, Xaran and Raiajh left sickbay alone with one Marine medic with a rather
confused look on his face.
Corporal Hughes
was considering reporting the CMO’s behavior to Commander Taras, the Besiege’s Executive Officer, when Lt(JG)
Charissa Xaran walked in with a young girl wearing a blue-shouldered dark gray uniform
of similar design to those worn by students at the Academy. However, the girl had to be about 13 or 14
years of age. She was probably the cadet
who came with the Admiral, although the color of the shoulders surprised him,
as the cadet uniforms were usually red-shouldered.
Suddenly the
CMO’s behavior made sense when the Lieutenant introduced the girl as her
sister, Katrina Xaran. Between the younger girl’s vulcanoid
appearance and family name, he came to the quick realization that the Admiral
was probably the doctor’s wife.
* * *
On the bunk in
the CMO’s quarters, Val’ri and Sylvan sat facing each other with their legs intertwined. They had been talking about everything they
had gone through in the past few months.
These few weeks apart made them both realize that going their separate
ways after all this time was not what either wanted.
‘Before Captain McLeod announced the
inspection, I was thinking about our life together. Remember that night I took you back to the Surak and we went to the holodeck?’ Sylvan
asked telepathically.
‘I remember.
It was a most interesting evening. It certainly was an introduction to 24th
century technology for me. I thought about that night too. It was certainly a
unique experience for both of us.’
‘What made you kiss me?’
’I heard the disappointment in your voice
when you thought I wanted to be ‘just friends’.
I wanted to show you that although I wanted you as a friend, I also wanted
more. From that first day we saw each
other when you first came aboard the Arcturus I wanted to get to know you better. More than anything else, I wanted
you to kiss me. I knew if you thought I
wanted to be just friends you wouldn’t.’
‘I wanted to kiss you but I was too afraid to. Afraid you were either going to say that you
weren’t interested in me, except as a friend or that you were bound by that
Oath.’
‘I’ve done nothing for the past month but think about us
and everything we have. I know that what
we have is something that is worth fighting for,’ she told him.
‘Not to mention our six kids. Even though Elayne won’t be a part of our
future, she’ll always be a part of us.’
’I know. However,
it’s seven, not six,’ she countered, hoping he would get the
hint.
’We both haven’t been thinking straight
lately. However, last I checked there
were only six: Jonathan, Charissa, Katrina, Julian, Elayne and Corrine.’
She
took his hand and placed it on her abdomen, ‘And
one more makes seven. I found out just before I left the base to come
here. It was hard not thinking about the
last thing you said to me, especially after Jack gave me the news. I certainly don’t want any of our children to
grow up not knowing their father.’
‘I’m sorry I worried you so, Imzadi. Although this time
apart has been hard on both of us, it was probably what we both needed.’
He
pulled her into an embrace. They just
sat like that for a while. Suddenly her
stomach started grumbling audibly.
“Val, when was
the last time you ate?” he asked aloud.
“This morning, on
the runabout. Katrina had me eat some
fruit.”
In a voice that
sounded like he was scolding one of the children instead of talking to his
wife, he said, “You know you need to eat more than that. Get up.
Let me get something for both of us to eat.”
She unwound from
him and got up off the bunk and sat cross-legged on the deck in front of the
bunk. The small size of the quarters
didn’t allow for a table and chairs.
Even the quarters for the captain were not big enough for such a
luxury. They had become accustomed to
sharing meals sitting on the deck when they were assigned to the Besiege in 2372.
He went over to
the replicator and replicated a dish of tofu and vegetables that was large
enough for both of them with two forks and returned with the dish and joined
her on the deck. They ate the meal quietly,
with Xaran making sure that Raiajh ate a sufficient amount of the food. Over their years together, he had been able to
add a small amount of fish and some dairy to her diet for additional protein,
however she still preferred a vegetarian diet.
While enjoying
the meal Xaran asked, “What were your impressions of the girl Jonathan brought
with him from Betazed?”
“She seems
nice. She was telling me that she ended
up on Darona when the captain of the ship she took passage on began asking her
to pay off her passage in his sleeping chambers and she refused. Sarne found her there and brought her back to
Betazed and sent her to study at the conservatory at the same university
Jonathan takes art classes at. In return
she helps Sarne at his vineyard during harvest.
Why do you ask?”
“The impression I
got from Jonathan was that he liked her as something more than a friend. As much as I don’t want to admit it, those
classes he has been taking at the University have been helping him becoming
more independent. He even mentioned that
he liked to cuddle with her and kiss her sometimes.”
Val’ri thought
about that last fact for a few moments.
Long ago she resigned herself to the fact that they would probably never
have grandchildren from either Jonathan or Charissa. Perhaps it was time to revisit that
assessment. “Jonathan is 28. If he
wishes to behave like an adult, then I’m not going to stop him. She seems to like him as something more than
just a friend too. She said she was a
bit surprised that he brought her with him to meet his family. According to her, on Avalon, if a girl meets
a boy’s family, especially if they live in a different village, it meant their
relationship was getting serious.”
“I hope that
wasn’t why he brought her. He doesn’t
seem to be ready for something like that.”
“Sylvan, neither
of us is sure what he’s ready for. We’re
not with him on Betazed. If you want, when we get back to the starbase we can
call Sorkan Sarne and ask what he thinks of this. He sees Jonathan more than anyone, except
perhaps Anya.”
“I don’t think
that’s necessary. We’ll make
arrangements to contact Jonathan more often.”
Suddenly the
computer piped in with an announcement. “The stardate is now 63551.0”
Raiajh smiled and raised an eyebrow. Xaran stated, “Happy Anniversary, Imzadi.”
The two leaned
over the plate and kissed. Raiajh
replied, “Happy Anniversary.”
Finishing with
dinner, they returned the dish and utensils to the replicator to be recycled. After
returning the empty plate to the replicator, Raiajh inquired as to the
whereabouts of their younger daughter.
“Computer, please locate Cadet Katrina Xaran.”
The computer
replied, “Cadet Xaran is located in sickbay.”
“Shall we see
what she’s up to? She’s probably talking
Corporal Hughes’ ear off,” Xaran stated.
“That would
probably be a good idea considering she’s supposed to be with Charissa,” Raiajh
replied.
The two left the
cabin and walked back over to sickbay, leaving Raiajh’s uniform jacket behind. Upon arriving they found Corporal Hughes
sitting on one of the bio beds while Katrina was inventorying the items in the
sickbay.
When they
arrived, Raiajh spoke, “Corporal, I hope Cadet Xaran hasn’t been too much
trouble.”
“No ma’am. She volunteered to do an inventory. She says she does the medical inventory back
on the starbase also.”
Raiajh replied,
“She does. Doctor Simmons says she does
an excellent job, which isn’t surprising.
She’s been telling both me and her father that she wanted to be a cadet
since she was eight.”
Katrina began to
blush, “Mom, please stop.” She walked
over and handed the padd with the completed inventory to Corporal Hughes.
He looked at it
and replied, “Good work, Cadet. Thank you.
Go spend some time with your parents.”
She went over and
gave Dr. Xaran a hug. “I missed you,
Daddy.”
“I missed you
too. Where’s your sister? You were supposed to be with her.”
“I got bored and
she wanted to play poker with some of the engineers and security personnel so
she brought me here.”
Sylvan
laughed. “At least she didn’t take you
with her. You’re a bit young to be
playing poker.”
“I didn’t want to
learn to play anyway. I have more fun helping
out in sickbay.”
“Enough helping
in sickbay for today; you have homework to do,” Val’ri reminded her. “Just because you got chosen by Counselor
Wyatt and Doctor Simmons to come with me doesn’t mean you get a pass on your school
work.”
“I already have
most of it done, between the shuttle here and with Charissa earlier. I’ll get it all done before we get back. Can’t I spend some time with you and Dad?”
she pleaded.
“As long as you
work on your studies tomorrow,” Val’ri told her. Katrina agreed.
Katrina reached
into the utility pocket of her pants and pulled out a disk and handed it to
Sylvan with a big smile. “Corrine and
Julian asked me to give this to you and Mom.
Happy Anniversary.”
The three left
sickbay and headed back to the CMO’s quarters for some family time.
The End
Return to 2386.
Return to Stories Archive.