Beg, Steal or Borrow – Refuge: Part 3
by Commander Chelsea Dunham & Commander Isha t'Vaurek
Post Details
IC:
OLD: ”Do it now. I’ve waited long enough. Even that klivam wasn’t cruel enough to deny me medical treatment,” Isha said. “I just couldn’t bear the thought of becoming a spectacle for their amusement. I’ll be ok,” she breathed.
NEW:
"Isha?" Chelsea had a thought on her mind that she was going to worry about until she got it off her chest. “I was concerned about your daughter. If Ffeirroll ..." she tried in vain to pronounce his name properly but it might have been a good try for a human for all she could tell.
"If your son escaped and he's capable of harming his own mother, does this mean your daughter is endangered? I'm sure you will have already done all you can to warn her, but I was just .... well, worried, that's all, I mean with a concussion like the one you have suffered, most people would be out cold, let alone thinking of every single detail..... " Chelsea wasn't sure she should even broach this subject, let alone make suggestions that might offend or distress Isha more at such a horrible time for her.
Isha folded her hands in her lap, “Aidoann is well protected. I sent the ship to Rh’vaurek, he’ll understand everything and see that the necessary steps are taken,” she did not add that ‘the necessary steps’ would involve extracting from the crew the details of what had happened before they had taken Isha, and of the intentions of Nniol and Fveirrolh. “I think though that I will have to go myself. On the Vrelnec we found a pre-prepared statement – unsigned of course, purporting to have been written by myself, I left it with Ensign Opaka.” Isha swallowed, as she continued, “There are two stories, both of which make use of the same facts. Fveirrolh has one to tell and I have the other. I cannot allow myself to be tried in my absence … murder and treason, doctor … those are the accusations we are hurling at one another and if Fveirrolh is standing before the Senate I cannot defend myself from here. No, I will leave as soon as I can arrange transport, and!
if I don’t return … well, justice is swift, if somewhat final.”
"He wouldn't... " Chelsea began to protest at Fveirrolh's treatment of his mother yet again, but on looking into Isha's empty eyes she decided that her friend had taken as much of an emotional beating as she had a physical one and that further discussion would only serve to hurt her more.
Helping Isha get her dress back on properly Chelsea changed the subject. "Would you like a drink?" she asked, settling her friend back onto the sofa and plumping the cushions to support her. "When was the last time you ate?"
“Thank you, there’s an open bottle of rhennish over there – it’s the purplish one, the glasses are on the shelf underneath. You’ll forgive me for treating you like a servant,” she said, normally Isha did not ask her guests to fetch and carry. “I had breakfast, I think,” Isha added, no longer sure if it was that morning or another that Rianni had visited her and she had picked at a pastry.
"I'll take that as a *no* then" Chelsea rolled her eyes. "I'm perfectly happy to fetch the drink, after all, I did offer you know!" she smiled collecting the drink and pouring Isha a glass.
Once she had handed over the drink, she went to the replicator and ordered the meal she and Isha had shared the first time they met, large molluscs in their shells.
Placing the dish on a small side table she retrieved from one side of the room and putting the whole thing within arms' reach of her patient, Chelsea went back to regenerating and healing whilst Isha ate.
The warmth that filled Isha's stomach was more welcome than the sting of the wine on her lips, "You should have one too," she suggested placing the glass aside. "You haven't asked me the one question that everyone else has, or else has hinted at," she mentioned. "Why not?"
"What question would *that* be then?" Chelsea smiled at Isha and took a small glass of the purple liquid, perching on the side of the sofa as she stopped to drink.
Isha sighed. "Gabriel thinks I was born guilty, and that I must in particular be responsible for this ... incident. He isn't the only one. I'd forgive you if you suspected me too."
"Suspect you?" Chelsea laughed. "Of what? Attacking your own embassy, just when you have it decorated in the colours of the t'Khellian household? I can't *think* what you could have had to gain by such an attack on this station."
She was of course being ironic but there was a serious undertone in her argument. Of course the *colour* of the embassy was a ridiculous thing to refer to, but the fact that Isha had only recently taken up her position as Ambassador together with the rank of Admiral that she was now entitled to should she choose to invoke it, *was* actually relevant.
"Besides, I've become sufficiently acquainted with Romulan ways to know that at your level something this blatant would either have been a distraction tactic or something totally different to that which it seemed. You would never do anything as clumsily as this was done." She went on, sipping her drink.
"And if that wasn't enough, why in the Universe would you try to attack this station from the outside when you could so easily have disabled it from within and without such public scrutiny. No, I'm sorry, even if you *were* capable of this, which I don't believe, you would *not* have done it this way" She concluded, finishing her glass and putting it to one side as she picked up her regenerator and resumed Isha's treatment.
“Well that’s certainly true,” Isha agreed, “it isn’t how I would have done it. I’m not quite sure why Nniol felt that he needed to make such a scene – he did try and have me removed quietly – those pretend Bajorans you spotted, I’m quite sure they’ll turn out to be involved somehow. It feels to me as though he suddenly ran out of time. I could ask him I suppose but I don’t imagine he will be particularly forthcoming … Chelsea,” Isha said changing the topic, “did Rh’vaurek happen to mention to you that he was leaving the station?”
Chelsea looked at Isha and wondered if the answer to that question was going to be a problem or not. It was something in the way she asked it and something about the way Raedheol had been acting when he left, both of which rang warning bells in Chelsea's head.
There was no other way to answer than with the truth, so it wasn't a matter of a decision, just a thought that crossed her mind causing a split-second hesitation.
"Yes he did" was the simple, honest response. "He stopped by Sickbay very briefly and said he was on his way home for a short trip. I got the impression he wasn't intending to be gone long. Why do you ask?"
Isha looked intently at her fingers catching the torn edge of her thumbnail against her palm, “because I don’t know if he knew,” she said quietly. “He didn’t speak with me before he left and … well … how do I say this? Chelsea, the day the Shinzon coup struck Rh’vaurek broke the perimeter around the Senate district of Ra'tleihfi – when I say ‘broke’ I mean that while everyone else was attempting to contain and crush the rebellion he commandeered an armoured carrier and rode straight through anyone who tried to stop him … he knew that the likelihood of survival for anyone trapped in there was very low – I was there that day, in the Senate buildings just the sort of person those creatures would want to make an example of.
“I don’t know how he knew I was there, we weren’t exactly on speaking terms that year, but he ignored common sense and came in and extracted me – everyone else - a few stray Senators that had escaped the attack, civilians, servants, slaves, they didn’t exist to him … I shouldn’t be telling you this at all. There is no such thing as coincidence, he left for a reason, but if he’d known that DS5 was going to come under attack he would not have left me here,” she finished, not adding the last question that was really bothering her – would he?
To be continued/...
A JP between:
Romulan Diplomat Isha t'Khellian
&
Lieutenant Chelsea Adams
ACMO - DS5
by Commander Chelsea Dunham & Commander Isha t'Vaurek
Post Details
| Title | Refuge: Part 3 | |
| Mission | Beg, Steal or Borrow | |
| Author(s) | Commander Chelsea Dunham & Commander Isha t'Vaurek | |
| Posted | Thu May 28, 2009 @ 10:43pm | |
| Location | Isha's Quarters | |
| Timeline | c. 20:00 |
OLD: ”Do it now. I’ve waited long enough. Even that klivam wasn’t cruel enough to deny me medical treatment,” Isha said. “I just couldn’t bear the thought of becoming a spectacle for their amusement. I’ll be ok,” she breathed.
NEW:
"Isha?" Chelsea had a thought on her mind that she was going to worry about until she got it off her chest. “I was concerned about your daughter. If Ffeirroll ..." she tried in vain to pronounce his name properly but it might have been a good try for a human for all she could tell.
"If your son escaped and he's capable of harming his own mother, does this mean your daughter is endangered? I'm sure you will have already done all you can to warn her, but I was just .... well, worried, that's all, I mean with a concussion like the one you have suffered, most people would be out cold, let alone thinking of every single detail..... " Chelsea wasn't sure she should even broach this subject, let alone make suggestions that might offend or distress Isha more at such a horrible time for her.
Isha folded her hands in her lap, “Aidoann is well protected. I sent the ship to Rh’vaurek, he’ll understand everything and see that the necessary steps are taken,” she did not add that ‘the necessary steps’ would involve extracting from the crew the details of what had happened before they had taken Isha, and of the intentions of Nniol and Fveirrolh. “I think though that I will have to go myself. On the Vrelnec we found a pre-prepared statement – unsigned of course, purporting to have been written by myself, I left it with Ensign Opaka.” Isha swallowed, as she continued, “There are two stories, both of which make use of the same facts. Fveirrolh has one to tell and I have the other. I cannot allow myself to be tried in my absence … murder and treason, doctor … those are the accusations we are hurling at one another and if Fveirrolh is standing before the Senate I cannot defend myself from here. No, I will leave as soon as I can arrange transport, and!
if I don’t return … well, justice is swift, if somewhat final.”
"He wouldn't... " Chelsea began to protest at Fveirrolh's treatment of his mother yet again, but on looking into Isha's empty eyes she decided that her friend had taken as much of an emotional beating as she had a physical one and that further discussion would only serve to hurt her more.
Helping Isha get her dress back on properly Chelsea changed the subject. "Would you like a drink?" she asked, settling her friend back onto the sofa and plumping the cushions to support her. "When was the last time you ate?"
“Thank you, there’s an open bottle of rhennish over there – it’s the purplish one, the glasses are on the shelf underneath. You’ll forgive me for treating you like a servant,” she said, normally Isha did not ask her guests to fetch and carry. “I had breakfast, I think,” Isha added, no longer sure if it was that morning or another that Rianni had visited her and she had picked at a pastry.
"I'll take that as a *no* then" Chelsea rolled her eyes. "I'm perfectly happy to fetch the drink, after all, I did offer you know!" she smiled collecting the drink and pouring Isha a glass.
Once she had handed over the drink, she went to the replicator and ordered the meal she and Isha had shared the first time they met, large molluscs in their shells.
Placing the dish on a small side table she retrieved from one side of the room and putting the whole thing within arms' reach of her patient, Chelsea went back to regenerating and healing whilst Isha ate.
The warmth that filled Isha's stomach was more welcome than the sting of the wine on her lips, "You should have one too," she suggested placing the glass aside. "You haven't asked me the one question that everyone else has, or else has hinted at," she mentioned. "Why not?"
"What question would *that* be then?" Chelsea smiled at Isha and took a small glass of the purple liquid, perching on the side of the sofa as she stopped to drink.
Isha sighed. "Gabriel thinks I was born guilty, and that I must in particular be responsible for this ... incident. He isn't the only one. I'd forgive you if you suspected me too."
"Suspect you?" Chelsea laughed. "Of what? Attacking your own embassy, just when you have it decorated in the colours of the t'Khellian household? I can't *think* what you could have had to gain by such an attack on this station."
She was of course being ironic but there was a serious undertone in her argument. Of course the *colour* of the embassy was a ridiculous thing to refer to, but the fact that Isha had only recently taken up her position as Ambassador together with the rank of Admiral that she was now entitled to should she choose to invoke it, *was* actually relevant.
"Besides, I've become sufficiently acquainted with Romulan ways to know that at your level something this blatant would either have been a distraction tactic or something totally different to that which it seemed. You would never do anything as clumsily as this was done." She went on, sipping her drink.
"And if that wasn't enough, why in the Universe would you try to attack this station from the outside when you could so easily have disabled it from within and without such public scrutiny. No, I'm sorry, even if you *were* capable of this, which I don't believe, you would *not* have done it this way" She concluded, finishing her glass and putting it to one side as she picked up her regenerator and resumed Isha's treatment.
“Well that’s certainly true,” Isha agreed, “it isn’t how I would have done it. I’m not quite sure why Nniol felt that he needed to make such a scene – he did try and have me removed quietly – those pretend Bajorans you spotted, I’m quite sure they’ll turn out to be involved somehow. It feels to me as though he suddenly ran out of time. I could ask him I suppose but I don’t imagine he will be particularly forthcoming … Chelsea,” Isha said changing the topic, “did Rh’vaurek happen to mention to you that he was leaving the station?”
Chelsea looked at Isha and wondered if the answer to that question was going to be a problem or not. It was something in the way she asked it and something about the way Raedheol had been acting when he left, both of which rang warning bells in Chelsea's head.
There was no other way to answer than with the truth, so it wasn't a matter of a decision, just a thought that crossed her mind causing a split-second hesitation.
"Yes he did" was the simple, honest response. "He stopped by Sickbay very briefly and said he was on his way home for a short trip. I got the impression he wasn't intending to be gone long. Why do you ask?"
Isha looked intently at her fingers catching the torn edge of her thumbnail against her palm, “because I don’t know if he knew,” she said quietly. “He didn’t speak with me before he left and … well … how do I say this? Chelsea, the day the Shinzon coup struck Rh’vaurek broke the perimeter around the Senate district of Ra'tleihfi – when I say ‘broke’ I mean that while everyone else was attempting to contain and crush the rebellion he commandeered an armoured carrier and rode straight through anyone who tried to stop him … he knew that the likelihood of survival for anyone trapped in there was very low – I was there that day, in the Senate buildings just the sort of person those creatures would want to make an example of.
“I don’t know how he knew I was there, we weren’t exactly on speaking terms that year, but he ignored common sense and came in and extracted me – everyone else - a few stray Senators that had escaped the attack, civilians, servants, slaves, they didn’t exist to him … I shouldn’t be telling you this at all. There is no such thing as coincidence, he left for a reason, but if he’d known that DS5 was going to come under attack he would not have left me here,” she finished, not adding the last question that was really bothering her – would he?
To be continued/...
A JP between:
Romulan Diplomat Isha t'Khellian
&
Lieutenant Chelsea Adams
ACMO - DS5