Aftermath - Part V

Posted on Sunday, 26 July 2020 - 4:48pm by Commander Soral & Lieutenant Alex Kingsley

Mission: Operation: Jabberwocky
Location: Earth, Australia
Timeline: 2393 - MD 07

{ON:}

Laura was in the cafeteria with Severine, Mac, and Haru. Alex was sleeping, or so he thought. He stood off to the side with Hades. "Are you sure?"

Hades sighed. "Yes. No doubt." Soral turned from him supporting himself on the chair. "Will it harm her?"

Hades shook his head, "No. Neither of you will be harmed."

"How long?"

"I don't know. As her mind heals and as the neural pathways regenerate it could be hours or days...but the bond will be broken and you can't try again. Not for a long while if she is to heal 100%"

Pulled from sleep by the nearby voices, it took a long moment for her brain to truly understand what was being said. Their bond... she felt tears sting at her eyes as her eyes fell on Soral. His back was to her, his hand out of reach. She drew in an unsteady breath, replaying Dr Hades words. Their bond... While an accident it become as natural as breathing. An extension of herself and a tangible link to Soral. A part that was missing, a part of her that felt hollow.

“Soral..?” she breathed, wanting him close in the only way open to her.

Soral wiped his eyes with his sleeve and then straightened his uniform. He gave doctor Hades' shoulder a pat and headed to Alex. He took her hand and kissed her palm. "I am here."

She could see his pain so clearly it destroyed her resolve, feeling her tears fall freely. “I love you,” she whispered. “This won’t ever change that, I promise.”

He brushed her tears away with his hand, "I love you. If I had lost you I would not have been able to go on." He kissed her forehead. "I am here. All will be well. You will recover."

“I love your bedside manner,” she told him with a small smile. She took a deep breath, trying to focus. “What do we have to do..? If the bond breaks, won’t it harm you if it isn’t done properly?”

"In most cases, it would harm us both." He was now sure she'd heard them speaking. "In this case, because of the neural damage the drug you were given caused it will fade as if it were never there. It will not harm us but will...not be liked the same way."

His assurance that he would be okay soothed her considerably, even if it did not completely lift her spirits. Perhaps because she could see his sadness. “Not the rest and relaxation you expected huh? We will be okay,” she promised him with a tired smile. Her next question was aimed more at Doctor Hades. “When can we go home?”

"Not until tomorrow." Hades patted her hand reassuringly. "Rest now." He looked up at Soral. "I underestimated you."

Soral raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

"It's not every Vulcan whose wife is kidnapped that merits a visit from the V'Shar." He saw Sorl's mind working to explain. "Don't bother. A lie is beneath a Vulcan." He then looked gently on Alex. "You must sleep." With that he left.

There was a long silence after he left. Despite his advice and her tiredness Alex had no wish to sleep, already feeling like she was losing track of time. Instead she gave a gentle tug on Soral’s hand to get his attention, “who or what is a V’Shar?”

He had decided that there would be no secrets. "Have you heard of the Tal'shiar or the Obsidian Order, section 31?"

“Yes...” she said slowly, unsure where this was going.

"Vulcan has an organization like it."

“Oh.” Maybe sleep would be better. She frowned, a sudden thought occurring to her. “You aren’t going after her, are you?”

"They are, yes." He paused. Then he sighed. "They look out for their own. In addition to being Starfleet I am V'Shar."

Words escaped her. For a few seconds at least. “You’re what?!” She managed finally, eyes wide. Section 31, the Obsidian Order - they were hardly organisations to aspire to. Dangerous. “No... don’t. Don’t involve them please Soral.”

"They will bring her back alive and well. We must find out why she did this. She will fare better with them then she would with me. I would be tempted to revenge." He said honestly. "She will be unharmed. Handed over to the Vulcan Ambassador who will ensure her safety and oversee her interrogation." He paused. "The V'Shar are not like the order or section. They follow Surak we are much more gentle in our methods."

She fell silent, having to trust he was being honest and not just trying to mollify her concerns. “Where is everyone?” She asked finally.

"Your mother has taken quite a shine to Severine and she to her. Mac and Haru are outside, Liviana is in the waiting room." He held her hand. "You need to rest. Close your eyes. All will be well I promise you."

"I don't want to sleep," she protested, holding his hand tighter. "And I don't want to lose our bond, Soral... I'm scared that I'll sleep and it will just disappear and... I can see how sad you are. I saw how you were when Dr Hades was speaking to you. Even if it doesn't cause you physical pain, this will still hurt you, wont it?"

He sighed. "I do not wish to loose our bond either but it is something we cannot stop." He gently stroked her hair. "It will take days to dissipate and when it is gone we will still be married you will still be my wife. It will take some adjusting but when you are healed we will initiate the bond again. I promise you this."

She smiled up at him, reaching up to caress his cheek. "What did I ever do to deserve you?" she wondered.

"Oh no. You were my gift." He took her hand pressed it against his cheek and then lifted it away to kiss her palm. "You must rest love, to heal."

He had perhaps deliberately used a reason she could not argue with, since she wanted nothing more than to heal and get back what had been taken from them. "You win," she conceded, knowing it was a losing battle anyway as she yawned. "Just promise you will break me out of here tomorrow?"

"I promise."

{OFF}