Interlude – Darson's Feelings ... and Isha's War - Part 3
by Commander Isha t'Vaurek & Colonel James Darson
Post Details
Isha closed the box and placed it beside her. “Of course that is why I had to give Getal’s plan a great deal of thought. I concluded that it was not in the interests of the empire by which time he had already decided that he no longer wished to conspire with me. I found that out when I bumped into him in a corridor in my embassy – he was on his way to pay a visit to Rh’vaurek,” she said, her tone thoughtful. Perhaps Isha had not given Getal enough credit – if his sudden change of mind was based on the conclusion that she would not go along with his plan then his later actions began to make more sense; he assumed that she would actively oppose him, though that initial assumption was wrong. “He said some extremely insulting things to me.”
Darson waved a hand meant to elicit a further response, “And…….what did you do? Please tell me you followed them and eavesdropped on their conversation.”
“I left it at that. I do not interfere with Rh’vaurek’s work except where necessary, if he wants to have furtive chats with Cardassians in the small hours of the night sobeit,” she said dismissive. “Imagine my surprise when Getal next barged into my embassy. Something happened then, I’m not sure what,” she said as she thought back on that meeting. “At first it was more of his usual blustering – I imagine that is usually enough to allow him to get his own way – but I said something about impotent posturing, then he simply snapped,” she clicked her fingers for emphasis, “as if something had shifted in his brain. It wasn’t the same game anymore,” she said, her gaze focussed on her memory. “He slammed me into a wall, several times, then threw me into that corner,” she indicated the far end of the office with a jerk of her head “telling me not to interfere with his business. Darson, I actually promised him that I would not just to make him go away but he still hurt me more before he left leaving me bruised and humiliated.”
Darson made a sound of sympathy as he looked at the corner, “There was never an official report,” Besides the one in the Romulan Security Head’s terminal, “Why cover that up? You could have used that incident to lay down some protective political flak…buy yourself some breathing room.”
It was a predictable question. “Had I told anyone a group of very angry Romulans would have been hammering on the door of his embassy within minutes, not exactly what my government wants. Again, I chose to let it lie, I had told him I was not going to interfere and I meant it.”
Darson shook his head, “But that didn’t work did it? He doesn’t seem like the kind of person who would have stopped at just that. At that point even if you promised to stay out of the way, he had already decided that you were more than just a petty annoyance…am I right?”
Isha confirmed his question with a nod, “He’s the one who made me into a threat,” she told Darson, “I don’t think I really believed that would be the end of it. People like Getal don’t give up,” she could have said Rh’vaurek, she could have said Nniol, she could have substituted her own name, or Darson’s, it would still have been true, they all shared a disturbing number of characteristics if she thought about it.
“It is inevitable on a station like this that one will cross paths with one’s enemies from time to time,” she said, a simple fact. “Ours next crossed in a turbolift, more threats, more attempts to manipulate and undermine my confidence. My wrist was still bruised from his earlier assault and he hurt it again … the tone of his voice … he speaks to me as though I am lower than a slave. Should I have done what I did then? I don’t know … he’s a very large man, Darson, and I am a comparatively small woman, I was no physical threat to him but words and reason were having no effect. He might have hoped to make me fear him so much that I would remain in my embassy but I could not let that happen. I needed to do something to show very clearly that I was not going to allow him to push me around.”
“Of course,” Darson said calmly. This was one of the things that he had known about soon after it had happened, since it took place in Federation territory and not inside one of the embassies. Originally he had thought it had been a one off affair, and simply let it pass because seeing Getal get stunned was the highlight of his day. But now that it was finally being put in the correct context, it really did make much more sense than it had originally.
“When I leave the embassy alone I make sure I am armed,” Isha admitted. As a civilian it was illegal for her to carry a beam weapon in the empire and she doubted that it was any different here, but on the spectrum of the crimes they were discussing possessing a phaser was hardly major. “I shot him, and he fell,” she said, “and I happen to be a very good shot. He gave me no choice, you see, I had to push back, hard. What a terrible shame it was on a stun setting,” Isha observed in a tone that might be thought callous by someone who did not know her full story.
“That is where it should have ended. I had shown that I was quite willing to back up my words with action, and I expected him to conclude that it would be less trouble to leave me alone,” Isha traced her fingers over her knees till her fingertips met. “If I have made one error of judgment, that was it,” she said, wondering just what it was that Darson saw in her gaze as she related her tale. “He would not report it any more than I would report the assaults he inflicted on me, but Getal did not drop the matter. I don’t think he expected me to fight back, I don’t imagine that many people do, but I have not got where I am by backing down in the face of adversity.”
Darson looked closely at Isha, examined her face, every minute expression and emotion that was displayed on it. And he saw something truly surprising. Shame. Not overt, but subtle. Just underneath the surface, festering. She was ashamed of what had happened. And in Darson’s mind that was easily justified, “Refer to my earlier comments about letting things drag on and the facts regarding Getal’s mindset. You surprised him…but that only had the effect of angering him more. At that point I imagine that he came to the conclusion that you really weren’t going to back down. That you of all people, were actually daring to stand on the same level and go toe to toe with him. He would think of pulling a decisive move…something to get you out of the game completely.”
It was still too fresh for her to talk about this easily, “A few days later he retaliated, brutally, and, I imagine he thinks decisively,” as she tried to Isha imagined that she could feel him again as he rammed inside her, too hard, too deep, too … Isha caught her lower lip between her teeth as she dropped her gaze, and as it came to rest on her hands she realized that she was trembling.
Isha reached for the padd she had brought earlier and held it out to Darson. It contained t’Merek’s report. She said nothing, giving him time to read it.
“I want Getal off this station, Darson, one way or another, but if I strike back openly all those loyal to me, who I have striven to keep out of this little war will become involved and it will escalate. So what am I to do?”
Darson took the PADD and took the time to look like he was perusing it, when in truth he had already had it memorized. So here it was. Isha had come clean, completely so, and was asking for his help. He observed her trembling and flipped the PADD over several times in his hands. In his mind, he had already decided to help her. But there were still a couple of things left that he had to uncover, “That brings to mind the first rule of private warfare. Don’t let things get personal, because when things get personal, things get messy…and when things get messy, the wrong people, people you care about, die. I am sympathetic Isha, for what it’s worth…though I don’t think that’s what you need. But now that I know what you want…how far are you willing to go to make this goal of yours a reality?”
OFF:
Colonel James Darson
Marine Commanding Officer
6th Combined Operations Group
Deep Space 5
Ambassador Isha e-Khellian i-Ramnau t'Illialhlae
by Commander Isha t'Vaurek & Colonel James Darson
Post Details
| Title | Darson's Feelings ... and Isha's War - Part 3 | |
| Mission | Interlude | |
| Author(s) | Commander Isha t'Vaurek & Colonel James Darson | |
| Posted | Tue Aug 31, 2010 @ 3:07pm | |
| Location | Romulan Consulate, Ambassador's Office | |
| Timeline | SD29 unspecified |
Darson waved a hand meant to elicit a further response, “And…….what did you do? Please tell me you followed them and eavesdropped on their conversation.”
“I left it at that. I do not interfere with Rh’vaurek’s work except where necessary, if he wants to have furtive chats with Cardassians in the small hours of the night sobeit,” she said dismissive. “Imagine my surprise when Getal next barged into my embassy. Something happened then, I’m not sure what,” she said as she thought back on that meeting. “At first it was more of his usual blustering – I imagine that is usually enough to allow him to get his own way – but I said something about impotent posturing, then he simply snapped,” she clicked her fingers for emphasis, “as if something had shifted in his brain. It wasn’t the same game anymore,” she said, her gaze focussed on her memory. “He slammed me into a wall, several times, then threw me into that corner,” she indicated the far end of the office with a jerk of her head “telling me not to interfere with his business. Darson, I actually promised him that I would not just to make him go away but he still hurt me more before he left leaving me bruised and humiliated.”
Darson made a sound of sympathy as he looked at the corner, “There was never an official report,” Besides the one in the Romulan Security Head’s terminal, “Why cover that up? You could have used that incident to lay down some protective political flak…buy yourself some breathing room.”
It was a predictable question. “Had I told anyone a group of very angry Romulans would have been hammering on the door of his embassy within minutes, not exactly what my government wants. Again, I chose to let it lie, I had told him I was not going to interfere and I meant it.”
Darson shook his head, “But that didn’t work did it? He doesn’t seem like the kind of person who would have stopped at just that. At that point even if you promised to stay out of the way, he had already decided that you were more than just a petty annoyance…am I right?”
Isha confirmed his question with a nod, “He’s the one who made me into a threat,” she told Darson, “I don’t think I really believed that would be the end of it. People like Getal don’t give up,” she could have said Rh’vaurek, she could have said Nniol, she could have substituted her own name, or Darson’s, it would still have been true, they all shared a disturbing number of characteristics if she thought about it.
“It is inevitable on a station like this that one will cross paths with one’s enemies from time to time,” she said, a simple fact. “Ours next crossed in a turbolift, more threats, more attempts to manipulate and undermine my confidence. My wrist was still bruised from his earlier assault and he hurt it again … the tone of his voice … he speaks to me as though I am lower than a slave. Should I have done what I did then? I don’t know … he’s a very large man, Darson, and I am a comparatively small woman, I was no physical threat to him but words and reason were having no effect. He might have hoped to make me fear him so much that I would remain in my embassy but I could not let that happen. I needed to do something to show very clearly that I was not going to allow him to push me around.”
“Of course,” Darson said calmly. This was one of the things that he had known about soon after it had happened, since it took place in Federation territory and not inside one of the embassies. Originally he had thought it had been a one off affair, and simply let it pass because seeing Getal get stunned was the highlight of his day. But now that it was finally being put in the correct context, it really did make much more sense than it had originally.
“When I leave the embassy alone I make sure I am armed,” Isha admitted. As a civilian it was illegal for her to carry a beam weapon in the empire and she doubted that it was any different here, but on the spectrum of the crimes they were discussing possessing a phaser was hardly major. “I shot him, and he fell,” she said, “and I happen to be a very good shot. He gave me no choice, you see, I had to push back, hard. What a terrible shame it was on a stun setting,” Isha observed in a tone that might be thought callous by someone who did not know her full story.
“That is where it should have ended. I had shown that I was quite willing to back up my words with action, and I expected him to conclude that it would be less trouble to leave me alone,” Isha traced her fingers over her knees till her fingertips met. “If I have made one error of judgment, that was it,” she said, wondering just what it was that Darson saw in her gaze as she related her tale. “He would not report it any more than I would report the assaults he inflicted on me, but Getal did not drop the matter. I don’t think he expected me to fight back, I don’t imagine that many people do, but I have not got where I am by backing down in the face of adversity.”
Darson looked closely at Isha, examined her face, every minute expression and emotion that was displayed on it. And he saw something truly surprising. Shame. Not overt, but subtle. Just underneath the surface, festering. She was ashamed of what had happened. And in Darson’s mind that was easily justified, “Refer to my earlier comments about letting things drag on and the facts regarding Getal’s mindset. You surprised him…but that only had the effect of angering him more. At that point I imagine that he came to the conclusion that you really weren’t going to back down. That you of all people, were actually daring to stand on the same level and go toe to toe with him. He would think of pulling a decisive move…something to get you out of the game completely.”
It was still too fresh for her to talk about this easily, “A few days later he retaliated, brutally, and, I imagine he thinks decisively,” as she tried to Isha imagined that she could feel him again as he rammed inside her, too hard, too deep, too … Isha caught her lower lip between her teeth as she dropped her gaze, and as it came to rest on her hands she realized that she was trembling.
Isha reached for the padd she had brought earlier and held it out to Darson. It contained t’Merek’s report. She said nothing, giving him time to read it.
“I want Getal off this station, Darson, one way or another, but if I strike back openly all those loyal to me, who I have striven to keep out of this little war will become involved and it will escalate. So what am I to do?”
Darson took the PADD and took the time to look like he was perusing it, when in truth he had already had it memorized. So here it was. Isha had come clean, completely so, and was asking for his help. He observed her trembling and flipped the PADD over several times in his hands. In his mind, he had already decided to help her. But there were still a couple of things left that he had to uncover, “That brings to mind the first rule of private warfare. Don’t let things get personal, because when things get personal, things get messy…and when things get messy, the wrong people, people you care about, die. I am sympathetic Isha, for what it’s worth…though I don’t think that’s what you need. But now that I know what you want…how far are you willing to go to make this goal of yours a reality?”
OFF:
Colonel James Darson
Marine Commanding Officer
6th Combined Operations Group
Deep Space 5
Ambassador Isha e-Khellian i-Ramnau t'Illialhlae