Part II: Fallout

Posted on Thursday, 28 December 2023 - 12:58pm by Lieutenant Alex Kingsley & Commander Soral & Commander T'Varis Pren

Mission: Operation: Lobes & Liberties
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: Post Rescue of Away Team

Previously on Fallout...


He said nothing. He stood disentangling his hand from hers to adjust her pillow and bring another blanket. He took a glass. "Try and take some water. It will help."

She didn’t argue, but kept watching him as he tried to help her. Yet she could see the tension in him, betraying the stoic exterior he aimed to project. “Soral… you don’t have to do this. To be here. A lot of what happened is messed up in my head but I know what I did. And you have to be so hurt and angry because that’s how I remember feeling. I always promised I’d never abandon you and I…. I broke our bond. So please don’t pretend you are okay. Be mad, be furious. Just be honest. I can’t hurt anymore than I already am, and I deserve it. It’s worse imagining what is going through your mind right now.”

"At this very moment? Just to ensure you are safe and recover. The rest can be dealt with..."

Before he could finish a sound drew his attention. He turned and a in walked a tall woman with her hair bound in a tight bun. Her ears were Vulcan but Bajoran ridges graced her nose. She looked haggard and tired and a lot like Soral."


And Now, The Conclusion...

ON:

She raised an eyebrow. "Apologies I was on my way out."

Soral straightened. "T'Varis...Is your Captain well."

"Still alive, for the moment." She glanced at Alex. "I see SHE is awake."

Alex felt the chill in the words through the blanket, “she apologies for disappointing you… I will try harder to stay dead next time.”

She was medicated, she was tired and the words just flew out of her mouth without a thought for who this random woman was or why she was on the Standing Bear. What was Soral asking her again? Something about her Captain?

T'Varis' lips twitched. "Perhaps next time you shall finish the job on him, make my life easier."

Soral sighed finally giving into frustration. "Enough Commander T'Varis, you are a guest on the ship and..."

She raised her voice slightly. "And she did almost kill you. That was you that I pulled from death in your ready room, nose bleeding enough to fill the oceans of Bajor barely breathing was it not?"

Alex winced as if the woman had physically struck her with her words. She looked at Soral and from his expression knew it was true. She was no different from Lexi after all…

"T'Varis."

She shrugged. "I suppose I should meet this sister in law that everyone speaks of." She walked over to Alex. "I would have let you succeed but I needed him to save my ship."

“Save your ship?” Alex repeated, frowning. “And back up, sister?”

"Only by the link of the male bastard that sired us. But I should thank you. Because of your." She waved her arm. "Antics I was able to bring this ship to some semblance of order by taking command while the good commander was incapacitated." He looked over at him.

Soral blushed green. "I am grateful for you stepping in."

She shrugged and turned back to Alex "And I did have the pleasure of seeing the mighty Commander Soral, son of Vulcan soil himself through pain. The Vulcan in my is mortified but that is a small part. The Bajoran in me is backflipping with glee." She turned to Soral who said nothing but was flushed green. "Well back to my Captain I go. I trust your rust bucket of a ship will get us back to our crew."

"Yes T'Varis."

She looked at Alex. "It was fascinating to meet you sister in law."

“I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy to be an only child,” Alex whispered as the woman disappeared as suddenly as she appeared. A long silence stretched out. “It seems in trying to save your life Lexi and I did do more harm than good. Although I can’t blame her. That would be cowardly. I’m sorry, for whatever that might be worth.”

He shrugged. "You did what you deemed right. I am...I have many thoughts on the matter but the most important is that you are well. As for T'Varis...she is just being herself. I apologize if she offended you."

That was Soral code for being angry, the shrug, the deflection…. “I’m not offended. But those thoughts? I want to hear them.”

"Perhaps when you are better." He was trying to protect her even now. "You have a long recovery."

“No, now,” she insisted. “I can take it.”

He was silent for a moment.

“If you don’t then I’m leaving sickbay right now,” she threatened, already moving to cast aside the blanket.

"Young lady don't you dare move a muscle." A disembodied voice drifted over her and had Soral smiling a little. "I would listen. The Light Seeker's doctor is quite scary when she wants to be."

A tall beautiful Andorian woman walked up to the bio bed. "Now I don't have official medical capacity here but I know when someone needs to rest."

Soral motioned. "Alexandra Kingsley meet Chief Medical Officer Valaria of the USS Light Seeker. Valaria, my wife Alexandra."

She smiled warmly her antennae twitching. "Happy to meet you young lady. You gave a lot of people quite a scare."

“That wasn’t the plan,” Alex assured the woman, taking Soral’s advice and making no actual attempt to vacate the bed. “Wait… Stillwater… is he okay?”

"He is fine."

Valaria smiled, "Indeed you have an excellent med team here. Now Commander why don't you go spend time with your sister...she may need you."

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Suddenly Valaria looked old. "The surgery.... it only bought the Captain a little time. I didn't have the heart to tell Pren and if ... well she may experience some of what you did."

"Oh?"

Despite the situation Valaria smiled. "Ship's best kept secret. Pren and Ivy had what you and Miss Kingsley did. Hence why I insisted that we were brought here and not with the rest of the crew. Pren is very .... insistent on her privacy. "

Soral's eyes opened wide. "Pren and the Captain were married."

"In secret. Only myself and our Chief Engineer as witnesses. On Vulcan actually very nice small ceremony. Now go and if your young Ms. Kingsley doesn't mind I'll sit in company."

Soral looked torn. Between a sister who disliked him and a wife who rejected him.

“It’s alright,” Alex told him, “you needed to know I’m okay and I am. And no matter what she says, she helped you after … after what I did.”

"I..."

"Now off with you Commander." He sighed and then hurried away troubled on several fronts.

Valaria sat down by Alex's side. "They are more alike than they wish to admit." She smiled at Alex. "How are you feeling? I know I’m not your doctor but maybe I can help."

Alex didn’t answer at first, instead she stared at the doorway with a horrible realisation that maybe he wouldn’t want to come back. And she couldn’t blame him. “I… thank you but I think…” she paused to try and keep her voice calm, “I think I just need some time alone.”

"I understand dear but let me give you advice. My husband was a Vulcan." She grinned. "Yes, a Vulcan and an Andorian, scandalized both our families but we loved one another. He used to look at me like that one looks at you. I have no doubt that he loves you. He is in pain, as are you but what you did was very brave. He told me a little about why you did it and as hurt as he is he understands your reasons. Don't let it get you down." She patted Alex's hand. "Okay?"

Easier said than done, Alex thought to herself. Instead she simply nodded. “If you don’t mind, could you lower the lights a little, they’re giving me a headache,” she asked as she pulled the blanket closer and fighting a losing battle to keep her eyes open. “And can you make sure Stillwater is okay? Soral lies to protect me so much but I need to know he’s okay.”

"I will make sure." She headed to join Soral and T'Varis. It had been a long day for everyone.

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