DISCLAIMER: The Star Trek characters
are the property of Paramount Studios, Inc and Viacom. The story contents are
the creation and property of Djinn and are copyright (c) 2005 by Djinn. This
story is Rated PG-13.
Blood Vengeance
by Djinn
Saavik looked out over the
hillside, her movements slow, unhurried.
The dull buff color of her clothes blended into the dirt and rocks. Her dark hair was hidden under a similarly
colored cap. She would not stand out at
all, provided she did nothing to call attention to her position. Or to that of her fellow rebels in the
Tilyrian underground.
"Do you see them?" Carrix
asked.
"Yes," she said, a
smile that would have made Spock frown playing at her mouth. Perrin still lectured her when she smiled
like that. It was too...Romulan for her
taste. Saavik, on the other hand, had
long since grown used to the more Romulan aspects of her nature. Spending time on
Spending time later with Rise
had helped her with other things. She
smiled again. Rise was home now. Waiting for her. Alone, in their beautiful house undoubtedly
worrying about the raid. Even though
she'd planned it.
Rise might have been less
worried if she'd been along. But then
Saavik would have had to worry about her.
It was easier knowing she was safe, made it possible to concentrate on
the job at hand--helping the Federation and its allies win the war against the
Dominion. And if rumors were right, the
war had finally turned. Victory was
within their grasp.
Of course, they'd heard that
rumor before.
Saavik forced her attention
away from the war and back to the mission at hand. The Dominion heavy transport was just nearing
the bridge. According to their source,
it was loaded up with Ketracel-white from a plant in the Rondara province. White
that was destined for the Jem'Hadar forces in the Alpha Quadrant. Tilyria was one of the newest Dominion bases,
taken during the last Dominion retreat back toward Cardassia. Strategically located and with a peace-loving
population that had been easy to put down, the planet now held far too many
Dominion and Cardassian soldiers for Saavik's taste.
Saavik watched as the
transport lumbered across the bridge. It
was filled to the brim with Ketracel-white, the drug that meant victory--and
victory was life. For the Jem'Hadar, a
lack of Ketracel-white meant death. With
the wormhole to the Gamma Quadrant mined, no more was coming in. Local manufacturing was the only answer. But it could barely keep up. Had never been designed to.
And Saavik was going to make sure
that this shipment never got through.
She nodded to Carrix. He passed
the word along the hillside, the message going soundlessly from one dun-garbed
person to the next, through a series of simple hand signals. "Target in sight. Prepare.
On my mark."
She leaned over again,
wondered what kind of sensors the transport used. Would they detect the people lying in wait on
the hot hillside, their body heat hidden by the sunsoaked rock face? Saavik was counting on them not showing up on
any Dominion scans.
The Jem'Hadar would not be
expecting the shower of heavy boulders raining down on them. Boulders that would hit the transport, would
carry it away from the road, over the side of the cliff, and down. A long way down. Even the Jem'Hadar should not walk away from
this accident.
But if they did, Saavik had
more people stationed at the bottom of the ravine to make sure they didn't walk
any farther.
The transport crossed the
last span of bridge, turned onto the road, its long side facing them
finally.
"Now," she said
softly.
Carrix sent the message down
the line. A moment later there was a
loud rumble as the boulders they'd worked loose over the last few days began to
slide, then to roll. Then to tumble,
gathering deadly speed as they roared down the hill.
There was a crash as they
began to hit. On and around the
transport. Pushing it once, then twice
more toward the side of the cliff. A particularly
large boulder hit the top hatch, crushing it in. Saavik smiled--no Jem'Hadar would escape that
way.
Another huge rock crashed
down, bouncing up and into the transport, carrying it too far to recover. The vehicle went over the cliff slowly, the
front falling off the side before the back.
A moment later, there was an explosion.
Saavik smiled again as she
and her people waited. Her sensitive
ears could only detect the sound of smaller explosions, but no weapons fire.
They waited for a long time,
then began to melt away, back toward their homes. Different ways for each of them.
The Dominion did not allow
groups to congregate. Groups spread
dissent. And dissenters were dangerous.
Saavik felt her smile
die. The Dominion had no patience for
dissenters. She'd seen what that meant
when one of their raids had looked too little like an accident, and too much
like it was planned. The Vorta had
ordered everyone in the village nearest the attack killed as punishment.
No one in that village had
been involved. Their deaths were
senseless.
But then this war struck Saavik
as senseless.
Still, she'd fight it. She'd fight it her way. With these people she called friends, on this
world that she now called home.
Ever since the village had
been destroyed, they'd worked damned hard to make things look like an accident. Like today's little exercise. These hillsides were known for being
treacherous. And Saavik's group had made
sure that there had been several close calls recently for both Tilyrian
vehicles and Dominion. The area was
dangerously unstable, but was also the only way through the mountains. It had been an acceptable risk. One the Dominion had to take.
One that had not paid
off. As Saavik slipped over the top of the
hill, she glanced back. The boulders lay
all over the road, blocking any further traffic, mute testament to what had
transpired.
A terrible, terrible tragedy.
For the Dominion.
She allowed herself one last
smile before she began the long trek home to Rise.
-------------------
The walk was dappled with
spots of light, the low-lying branches providing shade against the hot
afternoon sun. Rise walked slowly along
the path, losing herself in the calls of the birds and the gentle brush of the
wind. She could just make out houses
through the trees, could hear the sounds of voices coming from the yards. She checked the path that ran down from the
dwellings. It was empty--no one was
watching.
Relaxing, she moved on.
It had been years since she
had lived this close to others; proximity in the past had always meant
danger. But Saavik had convinced her
that it was time to stop putting distance between herself and the world. To please her lover, she had agreed to stop
hiding behind impenetrable walls. Not
that their home was defenseless. Saavik
might want them to integrate into Tilyrian life, but Rise would not have been
able to sleep at night if she had thought they were vulnerable. She had spent a great deal of latinum on a
state-of-the-art security system, and, given the numbers of objets d'art that
she and Cameron had collected, none of the Tilyrians seemed to consider it odd
that she would want to protect her valuables.
The path opened up onto a
main road, and Rise kept to the side.
Ahead, a silver-roofed enclosure sat empty. Before the war had found them, the place
would have been filled with celebrating Tilyrians. But now it was illegal for Tilyrians to
gather in public. The Dominion had vast
experience with occupations. The Vorta
limited the populace's ability to come together and thereby lowered any risk of
spontaneous uprisings. It was efficient,
and when war and conquest was a way of life, it made sense to value
efficiency. Rise admired the Dominion's
management skills, if little else.
The path forked, the main one
continuing along the road, a narrower one heading off into the woods. She followed the smaller way, breathing more
easily as she disappeared out of sight of the road. The path stretched on ahead of her, eerily
empty. Before the war, she had never been
this alone in the woods. There had always
been someone out for a stroll, or running for exercise. It had been a good place to walk the Tilyrian
canines, similar enough to Earth's own canines that Rise thought of them as
dogs.
An image of a pile of burning
flesh--dogs and cats and the other animals she had rescued and loved--rushed
over her, and Rise swallowed hard against the surge of bile that rose in her
throat. The smell. And the sound. That had been the worst. Agonized whimperings from animals that had
not been dead when the Romulans had thrown them on the pile. Animals that had taken forever to die. If Rise had only been stronger, she'd have
forced herself to her feet and put them out of their misery. But she had been broken too, beaten by Sela
and utterly defeated by the rest of her tangled life. When Shiansu had been killed, when Sela had
so casually tossed him onto the pile of flesh, something inside Rise had
died. As she had lain there, listening
to her animals suffer, the rest of her began to die too. She didn't try to fight it, had wanted to die
and she would have died. If Saavik hadn't
found her and brought her back to life.
A butterfly lighting on a
nearby bush startled her away from rotting carcasses and back to the present. This place was so like Earth: the animals so similar to their Terran
counterparts, the vegetation lush and green as it had been in the places she'd
visited with Shayla and her mother, or that she'd seen later when she'd been on
Academy excursions. In fact, Rise had
picked this place because of its resemblance to Earth. And because the people had seemed so
welcoming. She knew that appearances
were often deceiving, but she had not been wrong about the friendly nature of
the place. The Tilyrians were warm and
outgoing people, and they had been kind to Saavik and her from the start. It was a good place for outworlders, many
others had come before them, and all seemed to have integrated. Rise and Saavik had integrated too, even if
it had been against Rise's better judgment at first.
She slowed slightly, trying to
look like any other Tilyrian on a walk as she neared the bridge where a larger
road crossed over the trail. There were
Jem'Hadar guards stationed on the bridge, their disruptors pointed down at her,
but in the casual way. She was not seen
as a threat, indeed probably blended in better than most aliens did. Her long tawny hair covered her ear points,
and her tan skin and amber eyes were quite common on Tilyria.
She ignored the guards as she
walked under the bridge, welcoming the cool darkness. Water had collected under the road again, and
she saw mosquito-like animals hovering over the surface. Just hatched, she imagined. Possibly bearing disease. Her mother would have known. Rise felt a distant murmur of grief. Even after so many years, she still missed
her mother. She slapped at a bug as it
landed on her arm, then her attention was diverted by the antics of a bird,
diving at her in a frantic attempt to keep her away from a nest built high in
the bridge's cross beams.
"Easy, little one,"
Rise murmured. She would have liked to
have stopped, but the Jem'Hadar would expect her to emerge from under the
bridge quickly. If she didn't, they
would come down to find her, and this time their attitude would be anything but
casual. A land vehicle went across the
bridge, the sound causing the bridge metal to vibrate in an odd way, lending a
high-pitched warble very different from the rumble the vehicles made if you
were not underneath them. Rise walked
faster, chiding herself for the sudden irrational fear that the bridge would
collapse on her. It had stood for a long
time, would no doubt stand even longer unless she and the underground decided
to destroy it.
Stepping back into the
sunlight, she forced herself not to look up to see if the Jem'Hadar were watching
her. She knew they would be; they
watched everyone. The path ahead was in
the open, running straight for about twenty meters, then turning back into the
woods, out of sight of the sentries.
Rise walked the path slowly, letting the sun warm her. Turning to enter the woods, she walked a few
meters then waited. She counted the seconds
to herself, prepared to give up if Enckar did not show within his usual ten
minutes. She heard footsteps coming down
the path from the bridge, recognized the slight limp of her friend. As he came into sight, she fell in line with
him, walking silently by his side as they moved farther away from the
bridge.
A high-pitched cry broke the
stillness of the trail, and Rise looked up, searching the sky for the bird that
would have made it. She finally saw him,
higher up than she expected, soaring lazily as he screamed out his
presence. He was just having fun,
enjoying being free and strong with no need to hide his delight from potential
prey. She stopped, staring at the bird
as he made large circles, only flapping when he occasionally lost the
updraft. On Earth, he'd have been a
buteo, one of the large soaring hawks. On
Romulus, a Shiarawk like her lost Shiansu.
Rise wondered how Shiansu's proud son was doing on his own. She had let the birds fly free when she and
Saavik had left, had not wanted to subject them to spaceflight, or to the
uncertainties of her new life. They had
been Romulan birds, after all; they deserved to fly Romulan skies.
Enckar said softly, "It
is only a hawk, Rise."
"I know." She smiled, pulled her gaze from the sky and
continued to walk.
He fell into step with
her. "The mission went well last
week." It was not a question. Carrix would have made his report to Enckar
long before this meeting.
"Yes. It went well." Rise sighed.
She had not wanted this, had only sought peace. But war had found her, had found
Tilyria.
"Carrix says that Saavik
is wily like a demon." Enckar did
not seem disturbed at characterizing Rise's lover as an evil thing. But there were many types of demons in
Tilyrian folklore. Perhaps he considered
Saavik one of the more benign ones.
"Saavik is dedicated to
the cause." And had Romulan blood
to fire her taste for violence. But Rise
did not say that. Better that Enckar
believed Saavik was wholly Vulcan.
"Yes, she is
dedicated. As are you." Enckar turned to her, seemed to be studying
her. "Why do you fight for us,
Rise? This is not your world."
Why was she fighting? She had come to this world for peace. She did not have to stay here. Despite the Dominion presence, it was still
possible to sneak on and off the planet if you had the right contacts and the
right ships. And a lot of latinum.
"Not that I'm
complaining," Enckar said into the silence.
She smiled again. "I'm tired of running away. It's time to take a stand. Tilyria has been good to me. I need to protect it." Rise thought of how much of her life had been
spent hiding or running. She was tried
of that. She wanted to plant roots, to
find a place where Saavik and she could make a life together. Tilyria was that place. "I think," she said softly, the
idea prompting her words still new and raw.
"I think that my father would approve."
"He was a warrior?"
She shook her head. Despite serving in Starfleet, Spock had been a
peacemaker. Not afraid of force or even
violence, as she'd found out on the bridge of the Enterprise. But not a warrior. "He was fond of doing the right
thing."
She gave a small laugh at how
well that summed him up. And how
miserably it failed to capture the man.
He was fond of doing the right thing as he defined it. Not for the first time since Spock's death,
Rise felt the small tug of grief. What
would their lives have been like, if he'd known he had a daughter? If he'd been allowed into Rise's life?
"Then he would be very
proud of you."
Rise shook her head. "I am not so sure, my friend. But he would certainly have understood my
actions here."
The path curved around, opening
up into a large open field.
Lightning-blasted trees stood at the edge of the grass, their bare bark
filled with holes, victims of opportunistic birds in need of a nesting
place. The real draw of the lightning, a
small metal pumping station stood in the middle of the field. There were no Jem'Hadar guarding it--it was a
secondary system and the maintenance workers who checked it once a month were
the only people who ever went inside. Or
so the Dominion thought.
Enckar nodded toward the
building, moving carefully across the thick grass. Rise followed him, wondering why they were
risking visiting one of their safe places in broad daylight.
He looked back at her and seemed
to read her thoughts from her expression.
"There are some people I'd like you to meet. They're here to help us."
"They? Who?"
"An unexpected
source." His smile told her that he
was being deliberately vague.
Rise heard the hawk again,
looked up and saw that he was much closer this time. *Little brother,* she sent to him. He did not answer back, if he even heard
her. "What kind of help?"
"Help in getting us
organized, outfitted, armed. Help
fighting from the shadows. Everything we
need. From experts."
"Federation?"
He shook his head. "More exotic than that." He laughed, a low hearty rumble that made her
smile back.
"You are teasing me,
Enckar. Just tell me who is here to help
us."
He leaned in and whispered,
"Tal Shiar," as if he were afraid that saying it too loudly would be
risky.
Rise felt her stomach
clench. She had left the Tal Shiar
behind when she'd fled Romulus. But that
didn't mean they weren't looking for her.
Sela might have put a price on her head.
"The Tal Shiar here?
Why?"
"The Romulans are united
with the Federation and the Klingons now.
They fight the Dominion just as we do.
They are excellent warriors, Rise, fierce and cunning. They can teach us much in the way of tactics."
She fought the urge to run;
nothing would be gained. "I don't
need to meet them. You be their
liaison. That will be fitting."
He frowned. "No, it would not. I am the leader but it is you who gives me
inspiration. You and Saavik. You energized me to fight in the first place,
and it is you who keeps me focused. It
is only right that you be with me when I greet our new allies."
Rise took a deep breath. It was dark in the pumping station. If she was lucky, no one would recognize
her. And even if they did, they were all
friends now. Wasn't that what Enckar was
saying? "All right. But only for a moment."
He walked to the door, entering
a bypass code that released the lock without alerting the central
controllers. There would be no record
that he had just opened the door. There
never was. Letting her go in first, he
followed, allowing the door to close behind him. His footsteps on the metal walkway rang
out. It was the only noise in the
building.
Maybe the Romulans had gotten
tired of waiting and left--Rise knew she was grasping at straws. But this was her home, and if the Romulans
knew she was here, she'd have to leave again.
And she was so tired of running.
She'd thought that she had found a home on Romulus, posing as Sureya,
friend to the Tal Shiar. But Sela had
found out she had been Valeris, and even knew her real name. There was little that Sela hadn't seemed to
know at the end, when Rise's world had come crumbling down--when Sela had
brought Rise's world down.
"Commander?" Enckar
whispered into the gloomy murk. Small skylights
in the roof of the building gave what little natural light was available. The regular lights could not be turned on
unless the station was properly opened.
"We are here," a
chillingly familiar voice responded from the far side of the room. "So nice to see you again,
Enckar." Sela's smile was brittle
and mocking. "And you brought an
old friend, too. How
thoughtful." As two Romulans
stepped out of the shadows behind her, Sela moved forward, her footsteps
muffled by some sort of sound-absorbing material on her boots. "What shall I call you, dear? I've gotten a bit behind, I'm afraid."
Enckar was staring at the two
of them with a confused look.
For a moment, Rise could not move, felt
paralyzed by a fear that seemed to come from her very soul. Sela was here. Sela would hurt her. Would hurt Saavik too. She had to run, to flee--
--No! Rise forced herself to steady. "Call me Rise. It's my real name." She was happy that her voice didn't shake.
"Rise it is." Sela pulled her close, as if in a familiar
version of a Romulan hug. She whispered
in Rise's ear, "When this is over..."
Rise fought back a
shudder. Turned her face so that she
could whisper, "Yes, watch your back, Sela. You're on my planet now."
Sela chuckled. A dangerous
sound, low and breathy. She pulled Rise
closer, laid her lips on her neck in the way she had when they were
lovers. Then her kiss turned into a
nip.
Rise did not react, other
than to pull away a bit faster than was polite.
She shot Sela a warning glance.
"Saavik is here too."
"How wonderful. We'll have a reunion." Sela turned to Enckar. "I'll stay with them, of course."
He nodded before Rise could
object. "One of my men will take
you there tonight." He looked at
the other two. "You can stay with
me. If that's agreeable."
They looked at Sela, before
they nodded.
Sela smiled, the expression
was pure predator. "Won't this be
fun?"
----------------------------
"She thinks this will be
fun?" Saavik was pacing. Angry--more than angry. Enraged.
She couldn't believe Rise had agreed to this.
"I had little
choice. She's here to help. Enckar believes--"
"--Enckar does not
understand our history with that aehallh."
"A monster who is just
down the hall, Saavik."
"So I should lower my
voice?" Saavik closed her eyes, but
she did try to make her voice softer when she said, "Rise, this is
madness."
"This war is
madness. And she's here to help us fight
it. When it's over..."
"I'll kill
her." Saavik shook her head. "If she doesn't slit our throats while
we sleep before then." Walking to
the door, she began to play with the lock.
That at least, she could do something about--provided she could figure
out the technology behind their latest security upgrades. Where did Rise get this stuff?
Rise moved behind her,
letting her hand run down Saavik's back, rubbing gently, then harder. "What are you doing?" She nuzzled against Saavik, kissing her neck.
"I'm trying to make sure
she can't jimmy this." Saavik
turned, so that Rise's lips fell on hers.
Soft--Rise could be so soft.
"I love you. I don't want
her sneaking into our bed. To kill
us...or for other reasons."
"That's over."
"You think
so?" Saavik laughed. "Sela doesn't strike me as someone who
gives up gracefully. You left her; you
hurt her. And you survived when you were
supposed to die. She's going to want
payback."
Rise pulled away. "Saavik, please don't make this
harder. You wanted to stay here and
fight, and so did I. This is the price
for that. This is how we're going to
have to fight."
"With her?"
"Yes."
"I don't like this. Just for the record." Saavik sighed, then released the lock and
pulled the door open.
Sela had her hand up, as if
she was about to knock. "There you
two are. I was beginning to
worry." She smiled, her lips
curling up slowly. "Saavik, you're
looking good. We haven't had a chance to
catch up."
Saavik pushed past her. "You should be grateful for that,
Sela."
"Oooh. I love her when she's tough." Sela's mocking laughter followed Saavik down
the stairs.
Jorase looked up as she
walked into the kitchen, then she went back to chopping vegetables for the
evening meal. Her movements were jerky,
the knife hitting hard onto the cutting block.
"Don't know why that one's here."
"That makes two of
us." Saavik debated grabbing a
piece of summer pepper from the pile Jorase was working on, decided she liked
having fingers.
Sela walked into the kitchen,
and Saavik waited for Rise to follow.
When she didn't appear, Saavik reached for one of Jorase's kitchen
knives, the smooth wooden hilt conformed to her hand as if made for it.
"Oh, stand down, warrior
woman. I didn't slit her throat on the
way down; she's in the bathroom."
Sela grinned. "Although now
that you mention it, throat slitting sounds very good."
Saavik's hand tightened on
the knife.
"I haven't seen a single
animal around here," Sela said, as she wandered around the kitchen,
keeping well clear of Saavik. "Hard
to imagine our Rise without her little critters underfoot."
"You killed all her little
critters, remember?" Saavik decided
to not tell her about T'Mal, the kitten who had survived Romulus only to die of
a common feline ailment on Tilyria--an ailment that Tilyrian felines recovered
from routinely, but for which T'Mal had had no natural resistance.
Their house was lonely
without T'Mal, and Saavik had been surprised that Rise hadn't taken in any of
the strays who occasionally bumped around their yard before seeking friendlier
surroundings. But some part of Rise
seemed to have shut down when Sela had killed her animals. Or maybe it was some strange kind of guilt,
as if Rise felt that she had killed them herself, since she could have had them
all packed up and long gone from Romulus by the time Sela showed up. She'd been ready to die, would have died, if
Saavik hadn't shown up to take her away.
Rise liked to say that Saavik had brought her back to life, but Saavik
thought that some integral part of her had stayed dead. It wasn't a large part, but still--
"So like a Vulcan. Lost in thought when there's fighting to be
done." Sela winked at Saavik as if
they were old friends. "Got you
thinking, did I?"
"I'm ignoring you,"
Saavik said, unwilling to let Sela see that she'd scored any hits. "It's easy. You make a lot of noise, but you don't say
much."
"Speaking of making a
lot of noise." Sela turned to Rise,
smiling seductively as she walked into the kitchen. "Do you still make that trilling sound
when you--"
"--How long is she going
to stay?" Jorase asked, slamming her knife down. "Because with rationing and such, I
don't think we can feed her. Perhaps
she'd be happier at Enckar's place?"
"Perhaps you would,
Jorase." Sela moved closer, her
smile fading. "I was always sorry
you weren't there when I went back for Rise."
Jorase picked her knife back
up. "So was I."
"Stop it." Rise pushed between them. "Are you going to be all right with
this?" She looked at Jorase, her
expression grim.
"No. I'll not harbor a murdering bitch like
this."
"It's for the war
effort."
"I don't care if it's
for galactic peace. I won't sleep in the
same house as her."
"Then you can sleep at
Enckar's." Rise's voice held a note
Saavik hadn't heard since Romulus. Firm,
resolved. And cold.
"You see,
Jorase." Sela laughed, the sound
echoing through the kitchen. "She
picks me. Not you."
Saavik glared at her. "She's not picking anyone. Only coming up with acceptable sleeping
arrangements. Aren't you, Rise?"
Rise nodded, but she walked
away from the three of them, staring out the window. "I saw a hawk today. High above us as we walked out to meet you,
Sela. Do the shiarawks prosper?"
Sela moved toward her, her
voice pitched low, strangely intimate--Saavik felt left out. "They do. I see them sometimes. Hear them even more often." She leaned in. "I hate those birds." Her voice was even, the words sharper for the
calm tone.
"I imagine they hate
you," Rise murmured back.
"They have long memories.
Shiansu's son will remember you.
I'd be careful, keep an eye on the sky." Rise turned, her smile crooked and mean.
"Maybe I'm lying. Maybe I hunted them down."
"I wouldn't put it past
you."
"Do you want to
know?" Sela moved closer. "It's not hard to kill a bird. Not hard at all."
"I don't want to
know." Rise turned away, then
looked back at Sela, her eyes blazing.
"But if you didn't kill them, you probably should have. Because he'll get you someday. He'll avenge his old man."
"The way you avenged
Cameron, my sweet little addict?"
Sela laughed, her hand coming up to touch Rise on the cheek.
Before Saavik could move,
Rise struck Sela's hand away.
"Touch me and die. That's
rule one."
"How many rules are
there?" Sela's smile turned to a
sneer.
"Not many. You should be able to remember them. Touch me, or Saavik, or Jorase, or anyone
else that I care about. Even look at
them wrong. And I'll kill you."
"Can you define looking
at someone wrong? Because that's a bit
vague." Sela shot Saavik a look
that definitely would not qualify as right.
"Stop it!" Rise slammed Sela into the wall, her hand at
the other woman's throat.
Sela just laughed. It would have been a more effective laugh if
it hadn't come out so breathy. It was
clear that Rise was cutting off her oxygen supply.
"What are the other
rules?" Sela asked, the words barely coming out since Rise had not let up
her hold.
"We're only working with
you because of the war." Rise let
her go and stomped away, out of the kitchen.
Saavik heard the front door
slam.
"Was that a rule? Or just a general disclaimer?" Sela grinned, reaching in and grabbing one of
the peppers Saavik had been eyeing.
Jorase popped the knife down
but just missed Sela's fingers.
"Mmm. I always did love your meals,
Jorase." With a wink, Sela walked
out the back door, letting it close gently behind her.
"I'm not leaving you two
with her." Jorase went back to her
mad chopping.
"It's all right. If you want to stay at Enckar's, we'll underst--"
"--What I want is to
stab her in her sleep." Jorase
looked out the window. "What's she
doing out there? She's supposed to be
hiding, isn't she?"
Saavik studied Sela. In the native Tilyrian dress, she didn't look
very alien. Her hair had grown since
Saavik had last seen her, and it covered her ears. Blonde was not an unusual hair color on
Tilyria, and Sela's skin was more tan than greenish. She didn't look half as alien as Saavik did,
and she came and went as she pleased. Sela
was fine out there.
"You really want her to
come back in?"
"No." Jorase
sighed.
"She's all
right." Saavik patted her shoulder,
trying to impart a confidence that she didn't feel. "It'll all be all right."
Jorase glanced over at her,
then down at her other hand. "If
that's so, why haven't you put that knife back?"
Saavik had no good answer for
that.
------------------
Rise watched Sela as she sat
curled on one of the couches and read a padd that Enckar had brought by after
dinner. Rise knew what was on the
padd--she'd read it first. And Saavik,
who was sitting next to her, had read it next.
Sela hadn't liked getting it last.
Sela looked over at her. "This is an opportunity we can't pass up."
"It's risky." Rise
looked over at Saavik, who grinned at her.
She always said that, and Saavik always grinned.
"When did you become the
careful one?" Sela got up and walked
to the window. "The Dominion War
won't be won here. But we can help. We can ruin the Ketracel-white coming out of
this plant." She turned to them,
smiling fiercely. "And they'll
never know it was sabotage."
Rise nodded. They probably never would. But probably didn't mean definitely
wouldn't. The Dominion leadership on Tilyria
might figure it out. And this time the Ketracel-white
plant was in Rise's town. If this didn't
come off the way they wanted, then it would be Rise and everyone she cared for
who paid for it.
Saavik stretched in what
looked like a deliberate attempt to appear casual. "What kind of team?"
"No more than five of us,"
Sela said before Rise could answer.
"You, me, my two men, and Rise."
"Rise doesn't go
in." Saavik looked up at her. "Rise stays here."
"Saavik, just because I
haven't gone in, doesn't mean I can't."
"No. You stay here. You plan, I do. It's worked so far."
"Yes, and it's kept me
far away from danger. Which you don't
need to do. I'm as strong as you
are." Rise smiled. "Well, okay, maybe not that strong. But as strong as she is." She nodded toward Sela.
"No, you're not, little
one." Sela's voice held a note of
mockery, turning the endearment into an insult.
"Don't argue, Rise. Just plan and let us do." Saavik turned to her, resolve clear on her
face.
If it was that important to
her that she stay clear of the dirty work, Rise would stay clear--but they were
going to talk about this later.
Saavik got up. "I'm going to bed. Are you coming?"
"In a minute." She smiled up at her lover, knew that Saavik
didn't want to leave her alone with Sela.
"Can you check on Jorase?"
Saavik nodded, then walked to
the back room. Rise heard low murmuring
as Saavik no doubt commiserated with Jorase over Sela and the danger she
presented.
"Wanted to be alone with
me?"
"I don't trust you,
Sela."
"So you said." Sela held her hand out. "Come here."
"No." Rise got up and walked to the other side of
the room, as far as she could get from the other woman.
Sela grinned in some strange
kind of triumph.
"Carrix will go with
you. He'll be your fifth. I'm going to tell him to kill you and your
men if he even thinks you mean to betray us."
Sela's grin grew. "I'm flattered. I scare you that much?"
"You don't scare
me. You make me sick."
Sela's smile died. "That's not what you said once upon a
time. I think you make yourself
sick. Look at the evil you were willing
to do for me. Look at what you did to
Spock. To your precious father. I'm surprised Saavik can stand to touch you
after that. She loved him--was more his
daughter than you ever were."
Rise decided not to give her
the power she thought she had.
"You're right. Saavik was
his child more than I wanted to be or could have been. And she is generous. Very generous, to have forgiven me for what I
did." She smiled, let the love she
felt for Saavik into the expression, so there would be no doubt. "She saved me, Sela. After you destroyed me, she put my life back
together."
Sela rolled her eyes.
"But then, you only
understand destruction. You couldn't
possibly understand love."
"Oh, I don't know about
that. I love to hunt down your damn
birds." Sela moved closer. "I love to fire my disruptor and watch
them fall like leadstone from the sky.
They scream when they fall. Did
you know that?"
"I don't believe you
kill them."
Sela shrugged. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I'm lying. Maybe I follow them and just watch them. Maybe I marvel at their beauty and remember
when you promised me one of my own."
She was close to Rise, too close.
"Or maybe that's the lie.
Which is it, Rise?"
"I don't know. I don't care."
"Rise." Saavik stood at the doorway. Her eyes were hard as she stared at
Sela. "Let's go to bed."
Sela backed off. "Goodnight, then. Don't worry about me."
"We won't. You're going to bed too." Saavik gestured for Sela to precede them.
"With you? Well, ladies, I don't think I'm interested in
that, as lovely as you both are."
Saavik pushed her up the
stairs. "You're going to bed alone. In the guest room." She grinned.
"Jorase reprogrammed your door during dinner. It'll be tough to get out without us
knowing."
Rise had wondered where
Jorase had gone. Rise had thought she'd
left the table because the tension at dinner was thick enough to cut with one
of her beloved knives. She should have
known better.
Sela's did not look pleased. "Remind me to thank her for that." At their looks, she said, "What? I can't be polite?"
Saavik pushed her into the guest
room, closing the door behind her and setting the lock in a way Rise had never
done before. Grinning, she turned to
Rise. "That should hold her--for a
night, anyway."
Rise smiled.
"Let's go to bed,"
Saavik held out her hand.
As they settled into their
bed, Rise said softly, "You don't need to coddle me. I survived a long time on my own. Without you looking after me."
"I'm not interested in
you just surviving. I'd like to see you
thrive, Rise." She nestled in,
kissing Rise's neck.
"You don't think I'm
thriving here?" Rise pushed her
away so she could see her eyes. Saavik
could lie with words, but her eyes always told the truth.
But Saavik wasn't trying to lie tonight.
"Before the war, maybe.
Now? And with Sela here? I have enough to worry about with her on this
mission without wondering what she might do to you."
"I told her Carrix would
kill her if she acted up."
"Were you going to tell
Carrix that?"
Rise smiled. "I'll let you tell him. I know you'll enjoy it more than I
would." She pulled Saavik down to
her, kissing her fiercely.
Saavik kissed her for a
while, but her heart didn't seem to be in it.
"What's wrong?"
"I can't help but
wonder...is this because she's here?"
Looking down, she made a face. "It's stupid, isn't it? To be jealous of her?"
"Yes. It is." Rise kissed her again. "If we never did this any other time,
then I could understand your worry."
She began to pull Saavik's tunic off.
"But Sela wasn't here yesterday.
Or the day before. Or the day
before that."
Pulling her down, Saavik
grinned. "You have a
point."
Rise surrendered to her greater strength, letting Saavik pin her and kiss her
until they were both breathless.
She almost forgot that Sela
was down the hall, probably planning something very bad for them.
Saavik sighed. "We'll be all right. Just stay on our toes."
Rise nodded. "I love you. You know that. I love you more than I've ever loved
anyone."
Saavik nodded. "I know." Cuddling in, she sighed. "Let's go to sleep. It's only going to be more mixed up
tomorrow."
"I know."
"I love you too,
Rise. More than anything." She stroked Rise's hair, the touch soothing.
But it still took Rise
forever to fall asleep. And when she
dreamed, it was of burnt animals, a bird falling out of the sky to the sound of
her screams, and through it all the sound of Sela laughing.
----------------------
Saavik hung back behind
Sela. The other woman ignored her,
moving purposefully down the hall, the lab coat some other faction of the
underground had stolen moving as she walked.
Despite her confidence, she wasn't moving like a Romulan, had somehow
modified her walk to look more like the other Tilyrians in the hallway.
She didn't turn to look at
Saavik or Carrix as she rounded a corner, and Saavik realized Sela had
memorized the map of the complex the same way she had. It surprised her--she was used to thinking of
Sela as vicious and evil. She wasn't
used to thinking of her as smart or capable.
Or strategic. But she should have known better. Romulans were infamous for their
plotting. Saavik had some of that
tendency herself. Could remember how, as
a child in Spock's household, she would plot revenge against the full Vulcans at
school who seemed to delight in tormenting her.
Spock had always lectured her on not showing the others how they had
hurt her. She had only ever been
interested in showing them how it felt.
First hand.
Carrix made a small sound,
almost like a quick intake of air. A man
passing by them made the same sound.
There was no other indication that they'd just passed a member of the
underground, possibly the very person who'd procured their lab coats. Or perhaps he was the one who had created the
identity passes. Or perhaps he was not
involved in this operation at all. It
was not for them to know. They were
only one of many arms of the underground, and they only had knowledge of their
own role. Each cell operated that
way. Only Rise and Enckar knew who had
laid the groundwork for this operation.
It was the other reason they never went on raids--it would put
everything at risk if they were ever captured.
Saavik looked over at Sela, wondering if she suspected how much power
and knowledge Rise really had. She hoped
not. Safer for her to think Rise was a
low-level functionary. Safer for all of
them.
Sela had left her two Romulan
companions back in the alley behind the plant.
Even with the lab coats, they just hadn't blended in the way Saavik and
Sela did. They had not appeared happy to
wait, complained even as Sela handed them her thermos full of what passed for
coffee on Tilyria.
"Commander. We should come with you. It is not safe with just these two."
A sharp look from Sela had been
answer enough. Her men had nodded,
stepping back into the shadows. Sela
had been pure Romulan at that moment.
And a second later, Saavik had watched her become Tilyrian, just by the
set of her shoulders, the cant of her head, the way she'd held her hands. No one had looked twice at her as they'd
joined the crowds heading into the plant for shift change.
No one was looking twice at
them now. Saavik had to admire the
tentative way Sela nodded to one of the Jem'Hadar warriors as she passed
him. As if she was scared, unsure--she
was one hell of an actress, but then she'd probably had to be just to survive
her childhood. Saavik knew what it was
like to be a half-breed around people who didn't forgive weakness. Her own breaks in logic were probably nothing
compared to displaying human weakness in a world full of Romulans.
"It's just up
ahead," Carrix said softly.
"First door on the left."
Fortunately, people were
coming in and going out of the area so they could slip in unnoticed. This part of the plant wasn't heavily
guarded, not like the power source, the comm center, or the armory the
Jem'Hadar had erected in the building.
And, while the Vorta had placed a heavy guard on the water supply and
intake control rooms, there was little worry here, where the pipes ran through
but had no outlets. Pipes that were already
corroded and that could be given just a little boost so that they started
leaking material into the water, material that would taint the Ketracel-white. The
material would be trace amounts, it would set off no alarms. Not until the Dominion began to wonder why
their Jem'Hadar were becoming more and more intractable despite the White being
dispensed.
Saavik smiled. Saw Sela echoing that smile as she turned to
look at her. They found workstations,
called up the programs some other member of the underground had set up for
them. Programs that did nothing more
than make them look busy.
People came and went, mostly
Tilyrians, although a few Jem'Hadar peeked in.
This was not unexpected; they'd been warned that even the lightly
guarded areas were subject to frequent inspections. Finally, the room was empty but for the three
of them.
"Ready?" Sela
whispered.
"Ready," Saavik
replied, motioning for Carrix to watch the door.
The task took no time. They scanned for the unsound areas, where
proximity to residual radiation from the processing equipment the Dominion had
installed in the room next door had caused the metal to weaken. Once they found them, they used the tools
that Rise had given them to accelerate the corrosion, to start the metal leaking
into the water.
"Done?" Saavik looked over at Sela.
The other woman nodded, then
stashed the tool in her pocket.
"Someone's coming,"
Carrix said, hurrying back to his station.
A troop of Jem'Hadar marched
by, their numbers easy to see even if their features were muddled by the
frosted glass on the door. The column
kept going, but two of the fighters stopped, easing open the door and looking
around in another surprise inspection.
Saavik kept her eyes glued to
the monitor, praying that she'd left no evidence on the water pipe. She wanted to scream when Sela strolled over,
handing her something to look at and asking her in a normal tone of voice if
she had plans for the Kivelin holiday.
The Jem'Hadar closed the door,
then Saavik could hear the door to the room next to them opening.
"You almost blew
it," Sela said, glaring at her. "Don't you know the secret to this
sort of thing is to act natural?"
"What the hell is the
Kivelin holiday?"
"I made it up. Do you think a pair of Jem'Hadar soldiers
would know that? A Vorta
maybe..." Sela laughed at her
expression. "Oh, lighten up,
Saavik. This should be fun; you're
making it very dull." Sela looked
over at Carrix, as if hoping he might appreciate her wit.
He was glaring at her too,
but Saavik thought she saw a ghost of a smile playing on his lips.
"Let's get out of
here." Sela walked to the door and
strode out of the room and back down the hallway, pretty much the same way
she'd walked in--as if she had every reason to be there, or to leave. There were a few other workers going out,
and they joined their group, passing by Jem'Hadar guards who did not stop them
even if they stared at each one of the workers.
They turned a corner and Sela
ducked into an alley. "I need to go
get my men." She looked at
Carrix. "You should leave us. You'll be safer alone."
He looked over at Saavik, who
nodded. The less often they were all
seen together, the better.
"Good hunting, my friend,"
she said.
Carrix smiled, his teeth
gleaming, then he walked away.
"How Romulan of
you." At Saavik's look, Sela said,
"That goodbye. It didn't sound very
Vulcan."
Before Saavik could answer,
Sela was gone, heading back up the alley to her men. Saavik waited, then heard the sound of
weapon's fire. A moment later, Sela was back, looking annoyed.
"What happened?"
"I can't get to
them. There's a Jem'Hadar patrol between
us." She looked thoughtful for a
moment, as if trying to figure out a way to get to her men, then she
shrugged. "They'll make their way
back to base. It's standard operating
procedure. They're probably already
heading back to Enckar's."
"I heard shots."
Sela nodded. "Apparently the Jem'Hadar don't like
cats. Or else they're bored enough to
shoot at anything." She reached
toward Saavik, seemed to realize she had stiffened. "I just want the thermos."
"Sela, we can't stay
here."
"Why not? In case you haven't noticed, the street
outside is deserted except for Jem'Hadar patrols. Shift change is in an hour--we should have
waited for that." She grinned--a
self-knowing expression. "You'd
think I'd learn not to be so impatient; we were safer inside."
Saavik refrained from
commenting, but Sela laughed anyway.
"You're so transparent, Saavik.
No matter. We can disappear with
all the rest of the workers when they come out--no one will notice us."
She reached again for the
work thermos, and Saavik pulled it off her shoulder before Sela could touch
her.
Pouring a cup out, Sela set
it in front of Saavik, then sipped at the rest directly from the thermos. "In the meantime, we can catch up."
Saavik didn't want to give her
the satisfaction of drinking, but the coffee smelled good and she was very
thirsty. She picked up the cup and
sipped. "Why don't you tell me how
you know so much about this place. And
these people."
Sela smiled--a look that was not
pleasant. "It's my business to
know."
"I wonder." Saavik tensed as she heard footsteps
approaching, but it was just a Tilyrian merchant making deliveries--he didn't
even glance into the shadows where they were hiding. "Your arrival here was fortuitous. You: on the very planet Rise and I settled
on."
"The gods drop us as
they will."
"Oh, I think the gods
had very little to do with it."
Sela smiled slightly. "You can think whatever you
like." She took a deep pull from
the thermos, then put it down and said, "Why do you think I'm here, if not
to help?"
"Revenge."
"Against
whom?" Sela's eyes held hers
relentlessly. "Against Rise? I hate to break it to you, Saavik, but I've
had my revenge. She nearly died from my
revenge, or so she tells me."
"She did. You should be thankful she did
not." Saavik wanted to throttle
Sela, and Sela seemed to realize it--not that she appeared bothered by it.
"Rise is a child in many
ways, Saavik. She isn't a warrior like
us."
"I'm nothing like
you."
Sela smiled. "You don't think so? Take a good look in the mirror, my
dearest." She ran her hand under
her hair, over her ear points.
"Half-Romulan, both of us. Rise is mostly human, despite how Vulcan
she may have looked at one time."
Sela smiled. "She doesn't
look like any of those things anymore. I
used to think of her as my little panther.
Back when she was Sureya. Back
when she was pretending to love me."
Saavik let one eyebrow go
up--a perfect rendition of Spock's expression.
She knew Sela had seen it. Knew
the woman would recognize it. And wasn't
disappointed. Sela's smile died, her
eyes went cold.
"Rise never loved
you."
"Yes, I know. That's why I said pretending." Sela definitely sounded testy.
"She does love me, on
the other hand. Very much."
"You just keep telling
yourself that. I'm not sure Rise knows
how to love. I mean...look at what she
did to Spock."
Saavik took a deep breath. This was dangerous ground only if she forgot
that Rise had let Spock go. And that she'd
let Saavik--her hostage--go too, to be with him when he died. She hadn't had to, but she'd let Saavik
go. It was what Saavik had held onto
during those moments that Rise's expression became unreadable, or when she'd
installed yet another security upgrade that she'd forgotten to mention to
Saavik.
When Rise had let her go, it had been the beginning for them. Rise had no longer been the enemy, no longer been
just a woman to be played, but someone that Saavik had been finally able to love.
And Spock had never stopped loving Rise.
Even if he'd never known his daughter very well. Even if she'd nearly gotten him and all his
friends killed. She'd still been his
child. Saavik wasn't sure that Rise
understood how much Spock had regretted all that had passed between them.
Not that it mattered now.
Spock was dead. And Rise was with
Saavik. A new woman. A sweet, kind, gentle woman. A sad woman--with a few too many
secrets. But her love.
In large part because of the
woman who sat next to Saavik smiling so innocently.
"Drink your coffee,"
Sela said.
"It's not coffee."
"It's close
enough." Sela leaned back. "My mother taught me to love
coffee. Did you know your mother,
Saavik?" Her smile was sly.
"Don't go there."
"Did you even know which
of the Vulcan whores on Hellguard was your mother?"
Saavik frowned. How had Sela known her mother was Vulcan?
Sela smiled. "I did some research. Found out some interesting things about you,
little cat."
Saavik froze. Only Spock called her that. Spock and T'Mal
so long ago. Not this woman. Not this damned Romulan bitch.
"Did I hit a
nerve?" Sela pushed the thermos
away. "I find this bitter. Don't you?
Not like human coffee. Tell me,
Saavik. Do you like humans?"
Unsure where Sela was going
with the question, Saavik just shrugged.
"I don't like
them."
"Your mother was
one."
Sela chuckled. "Yes, she was. I resemble her greatly. I hate that." She looked down, then back up; her eyes were
hard and cold. "Did Rise ever tell
you about my mother?"
Saavik shook her head. She wasn't sure she wanted to hear about her
now.
Sela wasn't giving her a choice.
"She tried to escape. Tried
to take me away from my father. I
yelled. I was only a child but I knew
enough to yell...in Romulan." She
picked up her cup, stared down into the dark brew as if it was some sort of
black mirror. "He killed her for
that. So...I killed her, really. I killed my own mother." She took a sip, her eyes slowly traveling up
Saavik's body to finally stop when their eyes met. "I may have killed yours too. I spent some time on Hellguard, working
with--that's a euphemism for torturing, by the way, just so we're clear--working
with the prisoners. It's a common
assignment for young Tal Shiar officers."
Saavik did not react.
Leaning forward, Sela
smiled. "You're strong. I admire that."
"You're a raving
psychopath. And I loathe you."
Sela laughed, the sound
louder than Saavik expected, but not loud enough to carry out of their hiding
place. Sela might be dangerous, but she
wasn't reckless. "You're far more
amusing than Rise. Although my Sureya
was fun...while she lasted."
Saavik decided to refrain
from comment, sipping at her coffee and staring blandly out at the alley. Sela seemed about to say something, then let
it go.
They waited in silence until
the work shift ended and they could disappear into the crowds and go home.
-----------------
"Has there been any word
on the latest Ketracel-white batches?"
Saavik was pacing, making Rise antsy and a bit irritated, although she'd
never admit that in front of Sela.
"It'll be a while before
those batches are shipped. We may not
hear anything."
Saavik sighed, turning
away. Sela laughed softly, earning
herself a glare from both of them.
"She's not strategic,
Rise. She's not about the big picture,
or about waiting, are you, Saavik?"
She smiled, got up and began to pace in time with Saavik, until Saavik
got angry and went and sat down.
"Saavik is all about the now.
All about tactics." She
smiled again, the ugly, sly grin Rise was getting very tired of. "Tell me, Saavik. How many times did you take the Kobayashi
Maru test?"
Saavik did not answer.
Sela smiled. "Perhaps the better answer is, how many
times did you fail it? And not just
failed it, but failed it miserably?"
"Everyone fails it, Sela,"
Rise said. "That's the whole point."
"Kirk didn't." Sela laughed.
"Admiral Kirk
reprogrammed the scenario so it was possible to win." Saavik's mouth turned down in some
long-remembered disapproval.
"I know. Isn't that wonderful?" Sela's grin was a real one. "He should have been a Romulan. As one of our less illustrious generals can
attest to--she spent a lot of years on the far reaches of the neutral zone
making up for letting him steal our cloaking technology right out from under us."
"Like you did when you
let Picard steal Spock away right out from under you?"
Sela smiled at Saavik like
she was a very simple child. "I was
Tal Shiar. We don't serve in the far
reaches."
"You do seem to be
indestructible," Saavik said softly.
Rise ignored them, going back
to the resource convoys that were expected in the next week--she had work to
do, and these two were going to sit here bickering all day. Suddenly, she felt hands on her hair in a
brief caress, and smiled. Saavik always
knew when she was annoyed with her. And
she always knew how to make it right.
She looked up at her, smiled again when Saavik laid her hand against her
cheek.
"That's so
touching." Sela sounded anything
but moved. She laughed softly. "I almost envy my men staying in
Enckar's house. Maybe they have something
to do." She got up in one sleek
move and headed toward the kitchen.
"I'll go help Jorase."
There was much yelling from
that room, then Sela came back out, holding a piece of meat still steaming from
the oven. "She doesn't want any
help." Popping the meat into her
mouth, she sat back down and picked up a padd, seemingly losing herself in it.
The door chimed softly, and
Saavik hurried to get it. It was Enckar,
who pushed past them.
"What's wrong?"
Rise said, rising from her chair.
He looked at Sela. "Your men? Are they here?"
She shook her head. "They aren't at your place?"
"They never came back
yesterday." He sat down next to
Sela. "We would have heard
something...if they'd been captured, especially with the news coming in that
the war is over."
"Over?" Sela asked,
her eyebrow going up.
Enckar grinned. "The Dominion has signed a cease
fire. The news is jumbled but it appears
that the Changelings were dying. The
Jem'Hadar are pulling out, but they are in no mood to do it peacefully. You know what they say?"
"Victory is life,"
Sela muttered.
"Yes. So surrender--or anything short of
victory--well, one must assume that's the opposite."
Rise nodded. This was good news. Great news.
They would be free. And maybe,
somehow, they had helped the effort with their little underground?
But it would be bad from here
on out. Dangerous.
"I want to go look for
my men," Sela said rising.
"They may still be in that alley." She looked over at Sela. "They may be dead." She actually sounded sad.
"Maybe it wasn't cats
the Jem'Hadar were shooting at?"
Sela nodded. "Or maybe they were, but maybe cats
weren't what they hit."
She looked almost panicked,
and Rise felt a frisson of sympathy for her.
Sela was alone here--utterly alone if her men were dead.
On the other hand, Sela was a
wicked person who killed without remorse.
Rise would do better to feel sorry for a crocodile.
Enckar patted her hands. "We'll help you look."
"No. This is my problem. A Romulan problem." Again she looked at Saavik.
To Rise's surprise, Saavik
nodded. "I'll help her look. No one will see us."
Rise remembered Saavik's attack on her Romulan stronghold. Her state-of-the-art security measures had
seen her coming, but had she been a Jem'Hadar soldier patrolling the streets of
a planet he no longer owned--whose system might even now be being flushed by
tainted drugs--then she might not notice two half-Romulan shadows moving by.
"Be careful. The Jem'Hadar...we don't know if they're
getting the White we sabotaged or not.
They could be very, very unpredictable."
"We'll be
careful." Sela smiled at her, as if
Rise had been talking to her.
Saavik just rolled her eyes,
leaning down to kiss Rise. It was a
longer kiss than Rise expected.
Passionate and sweet--and probably intended to irritate the hell out of
Sela.
Laughing, Rise pushed her
away. "Take some weapons."
Saavik's smile was
feral. She so rarely got to carry
weapons. For a moment, she looked a bit
like Sela.
"I want some too,"
Sela said.
"No way." Saavik walked away from her.
"I'm not going out into
a possible firefight without a weapon."
Sela followed her; Rise could hear her nagging Saavik all the way down
to their secret storeroom in the basement.
"They're quite the
pair," Enckar said softly.
She nodded, then looked over
at him. "This is what we've been
working for."
"Yes."
Neither of them seemed very
happy.
"You're worried they'll
pull this planet down around us when they leave?" she asked.
He nodded.
"So am I."
"We have to be ready,
Rise. If their leaving is a violent one,
we have to be ready to fight. We'll need
an army, not just a resistance."
She walked over to him,
laying a hand on his shoulder, letting it stay there, warming him. "You've been our leader. I know you say that I'm indispensable to you,
but you've done it. I've just helped
you. The cells will follow you, and the
people will follow them. We won't let
them destroy Tilyria. We've worked too
hard to let it come to that."
She realized, to her shock,
that she sounded very like her father.
Enckar smiled up at him. "I want to be happy, Rise. We'll be free again. But I know it won't be easy."
"Nothing worth having
ever is." She smiled at him. "My aunt used to tell me that. Just before she went out on her next
smuggling run."
They both laughed, but it was an overly-emotional laugh, one fueled by hope and
fear and the knowledge that someday the hated Dominion occupiers would be gone
and Tilyria would be free again.
Rise suddenly blinked back
tears, but some escaped, running down her cheeks.
He touched her face, gently
wiping the tears away. "What is
it?"
"This is
home." She took his hand, squeezed
it tight. "I've never fought for
anything--well, anything good--in my entire life. But I'm fighting here. Because I love it, I love this planet and I
love these people. And it's home."
"Yes, Rise. It's home." He stood up.
"And home is going to need us.
I'm going to call a meeting of the cell commanders." It was something they had never done. It was something it had never been safe to
do.
Until now. Peace.
Freedom. Autonomy again. All within their grasp.
Nodding, Rise said,
"I'll be there."
He smiled at her. "Tomorrow night. After last meal." Then he turned and walked out.
Rise forced her emotion down,
called on the Vulcan inside her--called on Spock too. He'd been a diplomat; he would understand
what was needed here.
"Give me wisdom,
father," she said softly.
He didn't answer. But then, he never did. Neither did her mother or Shayla or
Cameron. Gone, dead, all of them.
She heard a sound, thought it
was the keen of a Shiarawk, but it was just a Dominion transport flying high
over the town. Hopefully the first of
many transports.
She put the padd down and
grabbed a different one. It was time to
make provisions for guarding the planet's treasures. She would not be surprised if the Dominion
planned to take as much wealth as they could with them. It was what the Cardassians had done when
they abandoned their occupation of Bajor.
It was what all conquered
conquerors did. Taking a deep breath,
Rise began an inventory of the most vulnerable locations, already planning how
to protect them.
-------------------------
Saavik kept behind Sela--she'd finally yielded to the woman's demands and given
her a weapon. But she didn't plan on
turning her back to Sela.
They moved through the dark alleys
and back streets of the town. It was
quiet now; work was over, and most people were at the last meal. She and Sela hid in the shadows whenever the Jem'Hadar,
or even too many Tilyrians, walked by.
Saavik heard a sound that
Sela hadn't, yanked her down behind some canisters. She ended up close, her face near Saavik's.
"You like this," Sela
said so softly it was barely breathed.
"You live for this."
"No," Saavik said.
"Yes." Then Sela
pulled her close and kissed her.
It wasn't a lover's
kiss. Not arousing exactly. Certainly not tender. It was more like a kiss of comrades. A kiss of like recognizing like.
As soon as the patrol passed,
Saavik slugged Sela in the face, knocking her away from her as she wiped her
mouth off with the back of her hand.
"You're just like
me," Sela said laughing. "And
ouch." The look she shot Saavik
was impressed.
Saavik couldn't remember the
last time she'd been able to hit out at something full strength.
"Hitting me felt good,
didn't it? You're so strong. And you have to hide that here. You have to hide it wherever you go." Sela moved closer, watching Saavik's fists
carefully. "On our home world, we'd
embrace that strength."
Her eyes shone in the low
light of the alley, and for a moment, Saavik understood Ulysses's dilemma with
the sirens. Sometimes, it took an enemy
to understand deep longings. Fortunately,
this enemy understood nothing about Vulcan discipline.
"I am not a
Romulan."
"You're not a Vulcan
either." Sela stroked Saavik's hair.
"You're something in between.
Just like me."
"And like Rise."
"No. Rise has made her peace with what she
is. She doesn't have Romulan blood
calling to her. She's only human and
Vulcan." Sela's fingers moved more
firmly, away from Saavik's hair, onto her skin.
"She's the weakest part of us."
Sela's fingers on her skin
felt...nice. Saavik forced herself to
pull away. "You're just doing this
to hurt Rise."
Sela laughed. "Not true. I also kind of like you." Her smile grew. "I find your ferocity compelling. And the parallels in our lives, well, I find
those...fascinating." Her emphasis
on the last word was definitely mocking.
Saavik pulled away. "Let's go find your men." She led the way, no longer caring that Sela
might shoot her.
Sela's mouth was far more
dangerous than her weapons--in so many ways.
Saavik wiped her lips again, and she heard Sela laugh.
They traveled the rest of the
way in silence, the quiet between them broken only by Sela's gasp of dismay
when they found her men lying dead in the alley.
"I just left them here,"
Sela said, her voice strangely broken.
"They were loyal to me when no one else was, and I just left them
here. They stuck by me after
Spock...after Rise." She crouched
down, touched one, then the other, gently, almost reverently. "I'll never have men this good
again."
Saavik didn't say anything,
wasn't sure what she could say other than "I'm sorry," which seemed
trite.
Sela checked the setting on
her rifle, adjusting it to vaporize. In
Romulan, she said, "You will be remembered with honors." Standing up, she backed up a pace or
two. "Is the alley clear?"
Saavik peeked out. "It's clear."
Sela's weapon blasted twice, and
the bodies disappeared. Then there was
only quiet again--until one, then two, then five more Jem'Hadar rushed around
the corner.
"Oh, this can't be a
good thing," Sela said, bringing her rifle up. But she didn't step out from the shadows to fire,
and neither did Saavik.
The Jem'Hadar rushed past
them, apparently on their way to some other more urgent task.
Saaavik let out a
breath. "I thought..."
"Me too." Sela grinned at her, and for the first time
it was open and lacking in any poison.
She looked very...human.
Saavik found herself smiling
back.
"Let's go home,"
Sela said, no mockery in the word "home," no glinting sneer in her
voice. Finding her men lying dead in
this back alley had hurt her--more than Saavik had expected.
As they continued on their
way, Saavik heard a low whine.
"Did you hear
that?" Sela asked.
Nodding, Saavik led her to a
small indentation in one of the buildings, where a dog had built a small nest
for four puppies. It looked like she'd been
trying to get to them when she'd been shot.
The puppies, sensing people, began to whine louder.
Sela exhaled sharply, the
sound holding some kind of amusement.
"This is too perfect.
Really. I couldn't have ordered
it up better."
Saavik heard her adjusting
her weapon setting. Turning, she said,
"What are you doing. They're just puppies." Then she realized the weapon was trained on
her, not on the dogs.
"You were smart earlier,
not to turn your back on me." Sela
smiled gently at her. "I've set this
to stun. I'm not sure I'd have done that
if we hadn't had this little adventure.
I find I like the idea of a world with both of us in it."
"Sela. What are you doing?"
"War's over. At least as far as I need to concern myself
with it. And it's time for me to go
home." Sela's smile turned
grim. "And before I go, Rise and I
need to finish something."
Saavik felt her heart
drop. "Sela. No."
She held her hand out. "You
were right. I am like you. We connected.
You don't have to hurt her."
"It won't
hurt...much." Sela almost looked
apologetic. "I am sorry, little
cat."
Saavik leaped at her, but
Sela's fire caught her before she got close enough to grab the other
woman. She landed on the floor of the
alley, next to the dead dog.
"Goodbye, Saavik. It was fun," Sela said, as she fired
again.
Saavik groaned, then the
world went black.
-----------------------
"Rise," Jorase's
voice echoed through the house, then there was a loud thump.
Rising from the desk, Rise
ran out into the kitchen, found Jorase crumpled on the floor near the sink. She looked around, saw that the back door was
open. She ran out, was surprised to see
Sela waiting for her.
"Hello, Rise." There was something eerily familiar in Sela's
smile as she put her disruptor back in its holster. It was the one from Romulus, the one she'd
worn when she'd killed her animals, when she'd hurt Rise.
Had she hurt Saavik? Had she killed her?
Sela moved closer. "The war's over. And we have unfinished business."
"Where's Saavik?"
"She's fine. Provided she's not found by a Jem'Hadar
patrol. I only stunned her...and
Jorase. Although that can be remedied. Shall I walk in there and kill her now? Put her out of any misery quickly?"
"Sela. Why?"
Rise moved enough so she was blocking her path, so she would have to go
through her to get to Jorase.
"This is how I wanted
it, Rise. Just you and me."
"There is no you and
me. Not anymore."
Sela laughed. "Oh not like that. But haven't you always wondered which of us
was really stronger?" She glanced back
at town, a nostalgic smile playing at her lips.
"No question Saavik's the strongest. That's why I had to get her out of the game,
level the playing field."
Rise shook her head. "We're not going to fight."
"That's right. Because you don't fight. When did that happen? When did the little fireball who killed every
single one of Cameron's murderers, stop killing?"
"I plan."
Sela laughed. Then her laugh died, and she tilted her head,
staring at Rise thoughtfully. "It's
you. You and Enckar. You're the leaders." Sela threw her head back. "That is such a relief. Here I thought you'd turned into a
pacifist--or worse: a coward."
"Sela, you helped
us."
"Yes. I did." She smiled; her expression gave no
quarter. "I still want to
fight."
"Fine." Rise moved closer. "This has been coming since you got
here."
"Only you thought that
Saavik would be the one fighting me."
She wasn't wrong; Rise had
thought that. It didn't matter. Rise forced her body to remember what it had
been like to fight, what it had been like to hunt down Cameron's killers. To fight and kill. Without remorse.
They began to circle each
other. Sela's expression was one of predatory
expectation. The thrill of the hunt that
she and Saavik both seemed to feel written in her taut body.
"Wouldn't it be easier
to just kill me?" Rise asked, trying to play for time as she studied Sela
for weaknesses.
"Easier, yes. More fun?
No." Sela seemed to tire of
waiting for Rise to make her move. She
launched herself, one leg coming up in a sharp kick that Rise blocked with a
move she hadn't known she remembered from her Academy training.
Rise followed the block with
a sharp punch to Sela's jaw.
Sela stumbled back a step,
then recovered with a grin. "Nice
moves, Rise. Good to know that a
Starfleet education never goes to waste."
Sela whipped around, turned the movement into a high kick that connected
hard with Rise's shoulder, throwing her across the lawn. "My mother never got the chance to show
me those Academy moves. But I imagine
that a Tal Shiar education is just as handy." She waited for Rise to get up.
Shoulder throbbing, Rise
pushed herself to her feet. "We
don't have to fight, Sela. There's
another way."
"What happened to the
woman I knew? What happened to that
rage? Without it, you're nothing,
Rise."
"That's not true."
"Doing good all the time
isn't going to keep you alive." Sela's
voice was taunting. "What did all
those good deeds on Romulus get you? Did
any of those people you worked so hard for reach out to help you when I
destroyed you? After you left, they went
through your house, Rise. Took
everything that was there. Ripped the
fixtures from the walls. They didn't
love you. They didn't feel anything for
you."
"Well, what can you
expect from Romulans?" Rise said, surprised to hear Saavik in her voice.
Sela's eyes were hard. "You think that these people here love
you? You think they'll be loyal to you,
Rise? You think any of them will
remember what you've done for them?"
Rise let a slow smile
grow. Sela didn't understand. Sela would never understand. She'd given the Romulan Empire her life,
worked every day to be worthy of it and would never, ever feel a part of it. But she didn't understand that Rise had
gotten there. Rise had found home.
"I'm not going to fight
you."
Sela stared at her. "What would Shiansu think of that?"
Rise looked down.
"Or all those dogs and cats? Do you remember them, Rise? Do you remember how they smelled after we
fired on them? Do you remember how they
sounded as they died?"
"Shut up." Rise moved closer. She looked up at Sela,
couldn't see the woman who had once held her in bed, could only see the monster
who had taken everything from her.
"So you finally feel it,
just a little? The anger...the
hate. It's all there is, Rise. There is no good. No mercy.
Nothing except this raw rage. And
vengeance." Sela laughed, the sound
harsh and mocking. "Go on. Make me pay.
For what you did to your father on my behalf. For the animals. For your damned bird." Sela smirked.
"He died bravely. Which is
more than I can say for you."
"Shut up!" Rise ran the three steps it took to close the
distance between them. Anger made her
strong, hate made her savage. Blow after
blow landed, and she barely noticed Sela's counter punches and kicks. But rage faded, and hate couldn't keep her
body from tiring after taking Sela's blows.
Rise kicked out, and Sela blocked her.
She punched, and Sela took the hit, countered with a strong kick of her own
that sent Rise reeling. She recovered,
turned and twisted out of the way of Sela's next punch. Landing a strong hit to Sela's chest, she
tried to follow it up with another, but Sela fell back, her legs coming up in a
hard kick to Rise's gut that took her breath away. She landed on her back, tried to get up, but
Sela was already there. Rise rolled
away, fought to get up again, but a scissor kick from Sela knocked her back to
the ground. She lay panting, watching
the other woman as she crouched, barely breathing hard.
"Get up, Rise."
Rise rolled away again, and
saw Sela launch herself toward her. She
tried to twist, get her legs up to block Sela, to kick her away, but she was
too slow. Sela landed hard on her,
punched her once the face, then again.
Rise tried to kick, and Sela twisted her so she was face down in the
grass. Rise felt the cold metal of the
disruptor against the back of her head.
"Who wins?" Sela's voice was cold as ice.
Rise didn't answer.
"Just say it, and it'll
all be over. Who wins, Rise?"
"You do." Rise let herself relax against the
ground. She wouldn't fight this. There was a logical inevitability about this
moment. It should have happened that day
by the mews, when Sela had killed the animals that Rise loved. Sela should have killed her too; Rise had
just been living on borrowed time since then.
Borrowed time, but happy
time. Rise thought of Saavik, of their
time together. Rise may have lost to
Sela, but she'd never be like her. She'd
never have to ask anyone if she'd won the real contest or not. It had taken her this long, but she'd figured
it out. She'd won.
She loved Saavik. Saavik loved her. And this was their home--a real home, not
just a stopping place on the way to someplace safer. What more was there?
"I'm sorry, Saavik,"
Rise whispered. "I wasn't strong
enough." She felt the disruptor
pressed harder against her head, and she took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
Then the weapon was abruptly
pulled back, and Sela moved off her. Rise
turned over slowly. Sela's disruptor was
pointed at the ground.
Frowning in confusion, Rise
asked, "What are you doing?"
Sela's eyes were calm, no
emotion showed in them. "I just
wanted to hear you say that." She
grinned then, an open expression that was no less threatening than her other
more intimidating smiles.
"What?"
Sela rolled her eyes. "You heard me."
"It's so important to
you to win?"
"It is." Sela turned and walked to the small storage
shed. She came out holding a large
container. "Here, these are for
you."
She thrust the box at Rise,
who grabbed it shakily. Four puppies
looked up at her.
She turned to Sela in
shock. "I don't understand."
"What's not to
understand? They were in the alley I
left Saavik in, whining in that same annoying way they're doing now. There was a large dog lying dead next to them--I
guessed that was the mother. I thought
you'd want to help them."
Rise reached down and stroked
the puppies. Four wet noses pushed
against her hand. "They're hungry." Her tone was more accusatory than she meant
it to be.
"So feed them,
Rise. That's what you do, not what I
do."
"But you saved
them." Rise felt off-balance,
unsure what to do or say to this Sela who she was understanding less and less with
each passing minute.
Sela turned away. "I've done exactly two good deeds my
entire life. This was one of
them."
"What was the
other?"
Sela looked over at
Saavik. "You like to say that
Saavik brought you back to life, but I remember doing that first. When I found you, you were barely
living."
Rise remembered the state
she'd been in when Sela had found her.
Enmeshed in grief for Cameron, not even trying to fight the addiction to
the powerful medicine that kept her from feeling too much. Sela had helped her find her feet again. It was hard to remember through all the lies
and hate, but for a short time, they'd been happy.
"So that's my other good
deed. You." Sela laughed.
"As far as the balance sheet goes, that's probably not much of a counterpoint
to all the bad I've done. And all the
bad I'll no doubt do in the future."
She stuck her disruptor into its holster. "The way I see it, the only chance I
have to balance that out is to let you live.
You can do the good deeds for me."
"You could do them for
yourself." Rise stood up
slowly. "You don't have to go
back. You could become someone else,
live a new life."
Sela's eyebrows rose. "Why would I want to do that? I'm going to go back to the Tal Shiar. Rejuvenated and refreshed after a very lively
leave of absence."
"Leave?"
Sela's normal smirk was back
in place. "Did you really think the
Tal Shiar would be interested in helping this little nothing of a planet? I'm here because I found out you were
here."
"But your men?"
"Sadly killed by the
Jem'Hadar." She shot Rise a sly
look. "Or were they?"
"You killed them?"
Sela ignored her. "They'll be listed as casualties of
war. Their families will receive the
iron sword. They will be
honored." Her face grew sad. "I'm afraid the only one who will be
able to say what happened here...is me."
"Why?"
"We weren't finished,
you and I. And now we are." She turned her back on Rise, waited for
something only she could hear.
Saavik stumbled into the
yard.
Sela waved a jaunty hello. "Sorry about that. Disruptor went off accidentally."
Saavik looked over at Rise,
clearly expecting the worst. Then she
saw the puppies and frowned. "You rescued
them?" she said shakily.
"Someone had to. Doctor Do-Good here needs to find them homes."
Saavik started to move toward
Sela; her weapon did not appear to be set on stun.
Rise stepped in between them,
to her own--and probably everyone else's--surprise. "Saavik, Sela was just leaving."
"Yes. It is definitely time for me to leave." Sela laughed.
Saavik looked over at Rise,
and their eyes locked. Rise could tell
that Saavik was seeing all the places she was hurt from the fight with
Sela. Confusion was warring with anger,
and Saavik looked about ready to blow.
Rise tried to send her
reassurance. "Could you go get her stuff?" When Saavik didn't move, she said,
"Please?"
Saavik finally nodded tightly
and headed into the house.
"I like her. She's got spirit. And she makes me laugh." Sela grinned.
"She seems more Romulan than she did the first time I met her. Obviously you're a good influence on
her."
Rise ignored the jibe as she walked
over to Sela. "So you're just going
to leave?"
"It's worth it to see
how much this bothers you. You'll be
worrying about me coming back for months.
Vengeance is sweet." Sela's
face lost its mocking expression as she stared at Rise.
"Is it? Sweet?"
Sela nodded, but she didn't
seem able to meet Rise's eyes. Then she
reached up and unhooked something at the back of her neck, drawing a gold chain
from under her uniform. "I believe
this belongs to you."
Rise saw Cameron's garnet and
suddenly couldn't breathe. Sela stepped
behind her, her hand brushing along Rise's skin as she fastened the necklace
for her. Blinking back tears, Rise
touched the stone.
Sela's breath was hot on
Rise's neck as she whispered, "In all my life, I've only loved one
person." Then she stepped around
and said in her normal voice, "Not you, of course. Someone else.
Anyway, it's a cheap chain.
Turned my neck black. I don't want
it anymore."
"Thank you." Their eyes locked. Rise was the first to look away. "I'm sorry."
Sela shrugged. "What is that human saying? All's fair in love and war?"
"And vengeance?"
"I suppose." Sela shrugged. "My report won't mention you. In fact, while I was here, I heard that Sureya
was last seen on the Klingon home world."
She grinned again, and this
time Rise grinned back.
"Or maybe it was the
Gamma Quadrant. I don't remember
now. Why would I worry about one measly
woman when there was glorious war to be fought with our enemy?"
"Why indeed?" Rise heard Saavik coming and turned.
Saavik handed Sela her
pack. "You won't be
back." The threat in her voice was
unmistakable.
Sela laughed and looked at
Rise. "Definitely more Romulan." She shook her head as if chastising Saavik. "We're allies, remember?"
"Only by
circumstance."
"All alliances are by
circumstance. Don't you know that
yet?" Sela turned to go, then she looked
back. "Unless of course people are
together because of love. That's
different."
A hawk sounded high in the
sky. Sela looked up and followed its flight. "You should get back into that,
Rise. The birds were special."
Rise thought back to their
earlier conversation. "Did you hunt
them down?"
"I thought you didn't
want to know?"
"I do now," Rise
said.
"They fly
free." Then Sela smiled
grimly. "They will live long and
prosper as that stupid saying goes."
Rise pitied anyone who got in
the way of that prosperity. "Thank
you."
Sela shrugged. "They are Shiarawks. As the symbol of the Tal Shiar, they must fly
free. No one will ever fetter
us." She was suddenly the picture
of Romulan hauteur. "I'd love to
drink a toast to our victory over the Dominion, but I have a shuttle to catch. It will hopefully be more comfortable than the
cargo ship I stowed in on. I hope we
never meet again." She studied them
both for a long moment, then winked.
Turning on her heel, she strode away.
"I missed a lot while I
was unconscious, didn't I?" Saavik asked, not taking her eyes off Sela
until the other woman rounded the corner out of sight. Then Saavik noticed Cameron's necklace. "She gave it back?"
Rise nodded.
"Uhhh." Jorase leaned up against the doorframe. "Rise, she's back."
"She's gone,"
Saavik said.
Jorase studied both of
them. "I think I got the best of
it." Hearing the whines of the
puppies, she walked over to them, weaving a bit. "What's this?"
"Present from
Sela."
Jorase shook her head. "I'll go see what I can find for them to
eat."
"Don't bother. I'll go to the store." Rise smiled.
It had been a long time since she'd bought food for animals.
Jorase nodded. "They still need water." She turned, and made her way back across the
lawn to the kitchen.
Rise could hear her digging
through the pots and pans. Reaching up
for the necklace, she rubbed it gently, the way she'd done for so many years.
"I know how much you
missed that." Saavik pulled Rise to
her, held her tightly. "What the
hell happened here?"
"You don't want to
know." She felt Saavik
stiffen. "Not that." She kissed her tenderly. "Just hold me."
The whining of the puppies
finally made them pull away from each other.
"Help me with them?" Rise asked.
"So you're getting back
into the rescue business?" Saavik's
grin was softly teasing.
"I guess so." Rise looked at where Sela had
disappeared. Odd to think the person who
had taken it all away, could put it all back.
It didn't make a lot of sense.
Saavik followed her
gaze. "I hate to admit this, but I
think I'm going to miss her...a little."
"Romulan blood calling
to you?"
Saavik nodded. "I guess so. Funny when you think about it. We're all half-breeds. And we're all so..."
"Lost," Rise
supplied the word.
Saavik shook her head. "I'm never lost when you're around." She thought about it. "Complicated."
"That's a very nice way
of saying screwed up."
"I thought
so." Saavik chuckled softly, then
looked skyward as the hawk called again.
"You going to try to tame him?"
Rise thought of Shiansu and shook
her head. "Let him fly free. Some things should stay wild." She picked up two of the puppies. "And some of us need to be tamed."
Saavik picked up the other
two. "Which one of us?"
"Both of us," Rise
said with a smile.
As they walked to the house, one
of the pups made a grab for her necklace and she pulled him away. Sela had said she'd only done two good things
in her life, by Rise's count there were four plus one for saving her. Maybe Rise should keep a ledger that she could
send when her life was wearing down, so Sela would know how her balance sheet
was looking. Of course, Sela didn't
really need any additional encouragement to be evil. Rise decided to keep her good deeds to
herself.
"Whatever you're
thinking about, it must be amusing," Saavik said as she tried to keep the
puppies from squirming out of her arms.
"Just thinking about
right and wrong, good and evil."
Saavik laughed softly. "Deep things."
"Deep things." Rise touched her. "I love you. And I love the home we've made."
Saavik smiled tenderly. "You know, if you're going to start up
with the animals again, I think we're going to need a bigger place. I know Jorase will want a bigger
kitchen. If she doesn't leave us for
harboring Sela."
Rise smiled. "She'll stay. We're family."
"So she has no
choice?"
Rise stroked her cheek
softly. "No, we choose to be
family. That's the best kind." She gave Saavik a quick kiss. "I'm going to go get some food for them."
As she started to walk away,
she heard Saavik say, "Sela loves you."
She didn't turn around as she
answered, "I know." She heard
Saavik sigh and hurried back to add, "It's a dangerous love, though. Not like ours. I'd never feel truly safe with her. Not the way I do with you."
Saavik laughed. "I already know that."
Rise turned around. "If I weren't here, would you have been
interested in her?"
Saavik waved her off. "No."
"Not even a
little?" Rise saw a sheepish grin
beginning on Saavik's face. "Maybe
your Romulan side liked her?"
"All my sides like
you. A lot. Now go get these critters some food before
they decide that my leg would make a good meal."
Rise laughed as she ordered
the puppies not to eat Saavik. She
hurried out of the house, making her way quickly down the street to the store
for food for them. As she passed the
spaceport, she hefted the bag to her other side so she could peek in the
window.
She thought she saw a blonde woman
just walking into the boarding area.
"Goodbye, Sela," she whispered. "Good journey."
Then she hurried to add,
"And don't ever come back," before heading home to Saavik and the
rest of her family.
FIN