Tides of Emotion

Posted on Monday, 6 September 2021 - 10:20am by Commander Soral & Lieutenant JG Maximus Mackenzie & Lieutenant JG Hayashi Hamura & Lieutenant Alex Kingsley

Mission: Operation: Lazarus
Location: Various | USS Standing Bear
Timeline: MD 10 Late | 2394

ON:

They had just finished the debrief from the away team. Hamura had volunteered to go first and Soral could understand. He stood now in his quarters, freshly showered and staring into the mirror. There was a maelstrom of emotions turning inside him and he knew a lot of them were not his own. Resting his forearm on the wall he leaned his head there trying to silently still the storm of emotions. Unexpected was the word that popped into his mind.

From the next room there was an excited, playful bark from Bones as he decided now was time for games - namely trying to steal Alex’s shoe. Her attempts to take it back were half-hearted at best, distracted by a disquiet that she couldn’t really place.

Soral heard the barking but almost as if at a distance. It took him a moment and then he headed into the bedroom to get his jacket. "Alex, will you go to Sickbay with me?"

She was quickly in the doorway, “what’s wrong?”

"It is not I. Hamura is...not well."

That wasn’t the answer she expected but she nodded anyway, holding out her hand.

He took it. Her calm reassurance was something he needed in this moment. As they walked he said, "You do not like Hamura."

She sighed, “I don’t not like Hamura. I’m… neutral. I know you both have a … unique bond. But honestly they can be too … much.”

She hoped he would appreciate, with a mother like Laura, such a statement did not often cross her lips. She also felt that indistinct feeling in the pit of her stomach when she mentioned his link with Hamura. It wasn’t jealousy it was… what? Anger? Frustration? Perhaps both. It had been the engineer who revealed the connection between them. Another secret. And unlike his children, this had been something he had known but concealed. It was a constant shifting of the ground under their feet with each new revelation.

He could sense her tide of emotions. "Alexandra I think that I need to tell you something. I did not conceal Hamura from you...It was difficult to speak of this. And it is nothing that you must worry about. I am not Hamura's type nor are they mine. Besides I have...matched Hamura with someone that is her type."

“I’m not jealous, Soral,” Alex clarified, “but I’m your wife. I should not be learning big things about your life from other people. It hurts.”

"It was not meant to hurt...I did not keep this from you knowingly. It is something that I did not think much of until Hamura was here and then with all that has happened We have not had time to sit down and talk...not like we used to. Hamura did say they explained to you about what had happened." They stepped into the lift and he called it to a halt. "It is not like our bond. It is not like a friendship that Mac and Haru and I share...it is a bond forged during the dark night of our souls. One that saved us both."

She simply nodded. What could she say? It was the truth. She would just rather have heard it from him.

"I will get better at this...being a husband, you know."

She arched an eyebrow, surprised. “What do you mean?”

"I am not good at being a husband...I keep trying but I keep making mistakes."

“So do I,” she pointed out. “Frequently.”

"You do not. You are a very good wife." He took her hand and the lift ride resumed. They exited on the sickbay deck and Soral could feel Hamura's panic clawing at him. He tried to shake his head, to shield Alex from the rawness of it.

“So what is wrong with Hamura?” Alex asked as they approached the sickbay doors.

"When I matched them...I did not expect their link to her to be so strong. Hamura does not attach to people, too many guards but with Oriana I could almost sense it right away."

“But the ensign is expected to make a full recovery…?”

"I do not know." Just as he spoke the doors opened and Mac stepped out. Soral raised an eyebrow. "Mackenzie?"

"I'm here in case you need to siphon calming emotions."

Soral's eyes widened "Mackenzie, I am a Vulcan not a Vampire!" He entered the sickbay leaving Alex there and a blushing Mac rubbing the back of his head. "Why is he so emotional?" He looked at Alex. "He's not pregnant is he?"

“On this ship? It’s possible,” Alex quipped as she headed into Sickbay. She wasn’t sure Soral wanted her inside or if it was a take him to the door thing since he had proceeded to march off.

Mac jumped in behind her and they stood at the entrance where Oriana was still in her medically induced coma. Hamura stood there looking pale and drawn holding her hand. Soral stood at Hamura's side his hand awkwardly hovering above their shoulder.

Mac offered Alex his arm. As a moral support. He couldn't help but feel a little jealousy at the friendship that Hamura and Soral had.

“How is she doing?” Alex asked quietly, feeling that someone had to say something to end the silence.

Hamura looked up. "She's strong, the doctors fixed the internal injuries and the radiation wasn't so bad...but...they have to keep her in a coma until all the internal stuff heals." Suddenly Hamura squeezed Oriana's hand and seemed to let a sob out. Soral placed his hand on their shoulder and the grief and fear was so over powering that it nearly knocked him back and he could not shield Alex as much as he wanted to.

Alex felt her breath catch in her throat, the wave of emotion that rolled over her was so unexpected and strong that she almost staggered. Instinct brought up a wall against it she had only felt once before, when T’Lanna’s outburst had hurt many on the crew and it brought with it a piercing headache. But a headache she could cope with far better than whatever the hell that was.

Soral was shaken too as Hamura collapsed sobbing Soral too collapsed wrapping his arms around them and he too sobbed from his soul. For a moment it was as if they were the same person.

It was Hamura that spoke. "Why did you have to introduce us! Why must you meddle!"

"Because this is what your soul needed. You were going into the darkness again. I could not let it happen."

Mac put an arm around Alex. "Do you need a moment?" He whispered.

She nodded, letting him guide her away from the scene which had unfolded.

They exited the sickbay and he helped her sit down by the door. "Are you alright?" Mac asked.

“I’m fine,” she assured him as she leaned back against the wall, “it was just… a lot. It overwhelmed Soral and… well, the bond still works so that’s good, right?”

"It is." Mac sighed. "Hamura and him have a unique relationship I have to admit I'm jealous." He laughed.

“The irony,” she said with a small smile, “Soral thought I was jealous.”

Mac laughed. "Hamura is more likely to fall for you then Soral and frankly I think Oriana changed that but yeah I'm jealous, when Hamura is around it's like...they have this total understanding and I feel like an outsider."

“You are not an outsider, believe me. It’s…. Complicated. Everything with Soral is complicated.”

Mac threw his head back and laughed wiping tears from his eyes. "He...he's got you sipping Vulcan Cool aid."

“Cool aid?” Alex repeated, peering up at him curiously, “what are you talking about? In fact, never mind that…”

A realisation came to her at that point and with Mac sitting beside her, an opportunity. So without warning she reached up and smacked him on the back of the head. “That was for the nerve pinch, Mr. And there is another one if you stay on a jealousy pity party.”

Mac pressed his lips together. "Hey!" But he cracked up. "Still jealous."

OFF: