My Fiction

Zion's Children - pt 46

2011-01-31T11:26:00.001-05:00

Byrin listened with half and ear as Levi and Miri talked about his strategy once he left Zeta Muria to face down the Conglomerate government. She was slowly gaining ground from the illness, but there was something different about her case that was still bothering the good doctor.

He was looking at the original readout of the vial of blood she'd injected herself with. The vial had only sat overnight, and hadn't been as advanced as other samples had been. It never mattered how long he'd kept the blood cold, the blood - no matter whose - would have active virus cells the next time he looked. There was no denying the sterility of the conditions, the blood never even contacted oxygen until they were looking at it in the microscope.

He slid back from his computer and closed his eyes. What was he missing? It was unbelievable enough to think that someone had engineered, but to try to think like them was too much. He leaned forward suddenly and from across the room asked, "Miri, are there still vaccinations in the storeroom?"

There was a moment of silence, as he had interrupted their conversation. Levi rumbled under his breath, but Miri answered, "Of course. For when babies are born or strangers come from outside the..."

"Save your breath Miri, he's up and left," Levi said.

"Well, that's odd."

"Sounds like normal Fleet behavior to me. With a few exceptions."

"Grandfather, Byrin usually lets me finish speaking."

"Does he?"

"Yes. I wonder what he wants....oh."

"Yes?" Levi was amused at his girl.

"He's going to look for the virus in the vaccine. I don't know why we didn't think of it sooner."

Levi growled. "That would be excellent proof of villainy."

Miri stifled her laughter. "I can't believe you just said that. You sounded..."

"Wrathful, perhaps? I'm practicing."

She could no longer stifle her laughter, much to her grandfather's delight.

Zion's Children - pt 45

2011-01-29T15:32:00.000-05:00

More days passed, with more of the same until at last they started sending people home. Although the outgoing patients were told to stay in bed for a few more days, to just take it easy. Miri was still ill, though she wasn't getting any worse. She just was responding slower than the rest.

They decided to keep her right in the lab, instead of moving her to a bed that had been freed in the ward.

"How are you feeling today?" Lily asked as she began to take Miri's vital signs one morning. With the lighter work load, she was looking for something to do and visiting Miri was her first choice. Besides, there was no reason why Byrin needed to be her sole caretaker anymore.

"Well enough to feel frustrated. Byrin just did this a few hours ago...I'm not sick enough to need that closely monitored." Miri frowned. "I mean, it's nice to have everyone's attention..."

"Uh-huh. Byrin takes his own set of vitals for his purposes, mine are the ones logged onto your chart. Are you feeling a little suffocated?" Lily wrote down the temperature reading, which was miraculously normal. It was true enough. Yesterday when she had picked Miri's chart up to read it, she realized that the good doctor had never written any of the vitals down that he'd taken. She'd found them eventually, but not until she had confronted him about it and asked, nicely of course, if he'd written them down somewhere else. He had, so she'd quickly copied them down into the other woman's chart.

"Cabin fever, I believe it is called. You know, how you feel when it's snowing outside and you can't go outside for days on end."

Lily laughed. "We didn't have snow where I lived on Beta Talisman. It never even got cold enough for frost. But I do know how you're feeling."

"I want to be up and about, taking care of my people."

"Not that we don't miss you out there Miri, but we're doing fine. Especially since we've been sending people home. The workload is lightening." Lily sat down on the bed beside her and patted her on the shoulder. "And once we told people you were sick, and why, they understood your absence. They know you didn't desert them or anything like that."

Miri sighed. "Good. I am hungry today. Has the supply ship arrived yet?"

"No, it hasn't." A fact that was more disturbing than Lily wanted to admit.

"Not the first time it's been late," Miri murmured. "Perhaps when Grandfather goes out, things will change."

"I hope so. I certainly wouldn't want to face his wrath!"

Miri laughed.

"Now there's a sound I've missed!" said a gruff voice just entering the lab. Levi smiled down at his granddaughter over the nurse's head.

Miri laughed harder as Lily blushed a bright red.

"What?" Levi asked.

"I'll leave Miri to explain," said Lily, rising swiftly to her feet. "If you'll excuse me, sir, I'm going to go see if there's something for her to eat." She left the lab as quickly as she'd risen.

"Was it something I said?" Levi asked, mildly perturbed.

"Not exactly."

Zion's Children - pt 44

2011-01-18T08:22:00.001-05:00

3 days passed. Little changed.

Except - people started getting better.

Byrin wasn't ready to start discharging anyone, because no one was that well yet. Miri was taking the longest to respond to the anti-virus, for reasons no one understood. She was the first medicated, so she ought to have been the one to start feeling better first. Byrin never once tried to share Levi's spot by Miri's bedside, but he was the one in charge of her care. He didn't even let one of the nurses give her the next dose or check on her vitals. He was wearing himself down, but no one commented this time. And so far, he hadn't found the virus' trigger, so new cases were still coming in. No one was completely safe yet.

"Grandpa," murmured Miri late that evening, while Byrin was working on both manufacturing a toned down version of the anti-virus to serve as an vaccine and compiling medical proof for Levi. At the sound of Miri talking though, he walked quickly to her side and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Miri, it's Byrin. Your grandfather left about an hour ago to go to bed. What do you need?" he asked gently.

"Byrin..." she gave a sigh. "Here I am sick and I haven't barely seen you. I just wanted to talk was all. I'm feeling a little better."

"That's good." Byrin poked the end of the thermometer in her ear and waited for the beep. Her temp was still up, but down from what it had been. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Nothing really."

"Well, I'm here. You can talk to me if you'd like."

"I like you Byrin."

The young man chuckled. "I'd figured that much out already,"

"I know." Not all the flush to her face was from her fever. "What do you believe about God?"

"Honestly, I've never given Him much thought. Not until I came here. I'm not really sure what to think."

"Keep thinking. He'll find you. Would you like to know something I've always wondered?"

"What's that?" Byrin was having a hard time following her track changes in the conversation, but he chalked that up to the illness.

"The Bible says that in the end times, God is going to call all Jews back to Israel, the Promised Land. How can He do that if we're spread out among the stars like we are?"

That was definately a question for Levi, but as he wasn't here, Byrin decided to do his best. What irony! "Well, He's supposed to be all powerful right? Nothing is to big for HIm...that kind of stuf, right?"

"Yes. I do believe that. He's protected us thus far."

Aside from a wee little plague, of course. "Well then, if He said He'd do it, I'm sure He'll find a way."

Miri was quiet. "He did give us an answer to this plague."

Byrin hadn't looked at it quite like that. "You helped."

"I'm talking about you," Miri said. "He sent us you. None of this would have been possible if you hadn't come here."

"Surely...Marcus..."

"Marcus sent for you...He said he had peace about calling in what he called the 'big guns'." Miri sighed. "I'm tired again."

"You'll probably be tired for a while, dearest." Byrin felt his cheeks flame.

"Probably. People are getting better right?"

"Yes, we'll probably start discharging people in a day or two."

"Good. I'm going..." Just like that she was asleep again.

Zion's Children - pt 43

2011-01-17T07:04:00.000-05:00

In the end, it had taken very little time to convince the Elder Council that they should sue the Conglomerate. As Simon had put it, "It's the only logical thing to do. You, Levi, are our leader, it is really your decision. If you feel that this is something we should do, we back you completely. And - Miriam is a wise young woman, from her youth God has spoken through her. We all think highly of her." The others had echoed Simon.

Never before in his life did Levi feel the weight of his office bearing down on him like he did now. Once the plague was broken, he was to leave Zeta Muria with Jonathan Freeman and take their make their charges public. Freeman was the closest thing they had to a 'lawyer', and would be able to help him in a myriad of things. Just traveling off planet would be a harrowing adventure. He hoped that the young Doctor Gold would have the medical backing to prove his claims. Otherwise the trip would be in vain.

Once the meeting had dispersed, Levi took himself to the hospital. He stopped by several of the beds, speaking words of encouragement to the sick ones. Just as he was beginning to wonder where they had hidden his granddaughter, Lily appeared at his shoulder.

"If you're looking for Lily, she's in the lab."

Something about her demeanor stopped him short. Did she mean to imply that none of the patients knew that Miri was sick?

As if in answer to his wondering, the woman in the bed he was at, a friend of Miri's - he thought her name was Elizabeth - raised her weary head and asked, "When you see Miri, please tell her to come see me. I haven't seen her today..."

"I will, dearest. Rest your head." He looked at Lily who didn't so much bat an eyelash. "I'm unfamiliar with the lab, Nurse. Could you show me the way?"

"Of course." She did a flawless about face and began to walk smoothly across the room.

Levi followed in silence and whatever he was going to say, vanished from his mind at the sight of his granddaughter. She was laying on a cot in the corner looking as though she'd been sick for weeks instead of just coming down with it today. Her face was flushed and her hair damp with sweat. Someone had undressed her at some point because she was wearing one of the hospital nightgowns. The sheet covering her was thin, but pulled up to her shoulders, arms laying on top.

Of all the things he could have asked, the first one that popped out when he looked over to the young doctor at his microscope was, "Just who undressed my granddaughter young man?"

Byrin stopped abruptly and blushed at the thought. "Lily did, sir. And neither Doctor Alexander nor myself were in the room at the time."

"Good." Levi wondered at the young man's blush, then remembered the rumors he'd heard concerning the younger man and his granddaughter. If there was any truth to them, let him be afraid of Levi. It was a good thing. "How is she?"

"Well, she's recovering. Since the blood she injected herself with had a very advanced virus in it, she was hit quick and hard and it's taken longer than I thought for the anti-virus to kick in. I've given her another dose. It might take several more doses over the next couple days."

"What about the other patients?" Levi asked, knowing that his concern couldn't be just for his kin alone. "Are they receiving treatment as well?"

The ones that are the sickest have already received their first dose. I didn't make a lot the first time around because I wasn't sure it would work. I have the computer calculating everyones' body weight compared to the anti-virus to get the dosage size they'll need. I also have more in the making. People should start feeling better in a matter of hours, though they won't be completely mended for a few weeks. It's...a hard virus."

"Good." Levi dismissed the doctor from his thoughts and approached his granddaughter.

Miri opened her eyes as he sat down, a ghost of a twinkle in them. "Are you very mad me?"

The question startled him, and he didn't have a chance to answer because she was still speaking.

"Don't blame the doctors. They're only human. Marc has already scolded me for giving myself the virus. Don't be mad at..."

"Miriam, stop. I would have been surprised to hear otherwise. One of the reasons why the people, why I respect you, is your self sacrificing spirit."

"You're not mad?"

"Far from it."

Zion's Children - pt 42

2011-01-16T06:28:00.000-05:00

Levi and Lieutenant Commander Jonathan Freeman were just exiting the small clapboard building that General Hiawithus used as his office building when Marcus found them. They both looked grave, like men on an unpleasant mission.

"Ah, Doctor Alexander!" Freeman said in greeting. "How are things going?"

"Touchy," Marcus answered. Freeman was always such a stickler for protocol. "Levi, have you got a moment?"

"Not really. We're on our way to a meeting with the Elder Council. Walk with us." The old man looked at him suspiciously, but then he had always done that. With all ConFleet persons, it wasn't just him. "Did you find out what Doctor Gold wanted of you?"

"Yes, we were discussing the dosing for the new medicine he's made." He changed directions easily. "And that's actually what I want to discuss with you."

"Well, go on," prompted Levi, not breaking stride.

"Ah, well...are you sure you want to do this on the go?" Marcus asked.

"We've no time to lose," Levi replied. "We're going to talk to the council about suing the Conglomerate for restitution under...what code was that, Jon?"

Freeman didn't bat so much as an eyelash. "Code 154, subsection 27, Part B."

"You can sue the Conglomerate?" Marcus asked in surprise.

"It doesn't happen often," Freeman admitted. "But it can be done."

"Has it ever happened?" the doctor asked in spite of himself.

"Once. Shortly after the end of WW2 in 2021, the remainder of Earth's old Nation of Israel sued for crimes committed during the war. And they won."

"So in a way," Levi commented, "We already have a precedent."

"I'm...speechless," mumbles Marcus. He shook his head and tried again. "Levi, I need to talk to you about Miri."

Levi's step faltered, and stopped. Freeman and Marcus came to a stop as well. "What about Miri?

"She came into the lab when Byrin and I were arguing...and she..."

"Well, spit it out man!" Levi rumbled angrily.

"She injected herself with the virus to give us a test subject."

Silence ruled the moment.

"Yes, she would do that wouldn't she?" Levi said softly. "How sick is she?"

"Very. Byrin has already given her a dose of medicine. I don't know if it's having effect yet."

Levi closed his eyes. "Lord Jesus, protect my foolish, bravehearted girl." He opened his eyes and pierced Marcus with his glare. "Go back and keep an eye on her for me. I've got to meet with the Council, then I'll be right there. Miri will understand my delay, if she's even aware."

"Yes sir." Marcus let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding as the two walked away from him.

Zion's Children - Pt 41

2011-01-14T09:48:00.000-05:00

Byrin waited for Lily to leave, then moved to where she had been sitting on the bed next to Miri. "I feel responsible. I know it was her choice, but I still feel like it's my fault."

Marc sighed. "If only we hadn't been arguing?"

"Something like that," agreed Byrin.

"I know the feeling. But it was her choice and she probably would have done it whether we were arguing or not." Marcus rose to his feet as if he were a much older man. "Since you're here watching over her, I'm going to go find Levi and let him know what his granddaughter has done."

"Ahhh, thank you."

"For what?"

"I can't imagine that Levi is going to be happy and I'm just glad that you volunteered to tell him so I wouldn't have to."

Marcus managed to laugh. "He does have that effect on people! He's a lot softer than he lets on though."

"Just the same, thanks."

Marcus patted the young man on the shoulder and departed.

Byrin looked down at his ill nurse. It hadn't been that long ago that they were sitting on a blanket in the grass, trying to learn about each other. He had almost kissed her...she had almost let him. He wasn't one to take rejection well, becuase he'd been faced with it so little. But if it hadn't been for her refusal, he never would have made the connections he had. Strange how things had been working out recently.

He will wanted to kiss her. Wanted desperately for her to live. Despite his medical genius, he still doubted whether he'd gotten the dosage right. With a gentle had, he reached out and wiped sweat laden wisps of hair off her forehead.

To his surprise, her eyes opened and tried to focus.

"Miri?" he asked hesitantly.

"Byrin..." Her voice was a thin rasp. "Well, that hit hard didn't it?"

"Very fast. And hard. I've given you a dose of the medicine. How are you feeling?"

Her eyes fluttered, as if it were hard for her to keep them open. "Tired...hot...cold...thirsty..."

"Thirsty?" That wasn't one of the normal symptoms. Byrin felt a glimmer of hope. "I'll get you some water." He rose to his feet and rummaged through things on the long counter until he found an empty glass. He filled it halfway with cool water and hurried back to his charge. Putting a hand under Miri's shoulders, he lifted her up a bit and held the glass to her lips. She took a few swallows and turned her head away,

"Better?" he asked.

""A little." She sighed as he laid her back and then she was out again.

Byrin set the glad on a nearby table and sat back down, intent of staying by her side until...forever if he had to.

Zion's Children - Pt 40

2011-01-12T08:30:00.000-05:00

Doctor Alexander sighed. "It's a long story, Lily."

The young nurse looked over her shoulder at Byrin, who was still fussing with the hypo sprays. "We have time."

Marc supressed the urge to tell the other doctor to hurry. "I had been stationed here for a year, when I had a romance with a young woman. There was a lot of flack from her family and friends, because of the difference in our religions. I thought we would survive despite it. I was wrong. She broke our engagement off, three weeks before we were to wed. She didn't tell me why, just said it was over. A month later, she was brough to the clinic, because she was having a miscarriage and was losing a lot of blood."

"I'm so sorry," Lily whispered.

"So was I...despite my heathen ways, we'd never been together that way. The baby wasn't mine." Marcus sighed again, this time laden with sorrow. "But I moured it's death just the same. Her family had waited too long to bring her in, and she'd lost a lot of blood. She didn't make it either. I was...in a deep dark place I never want to go to again. Miri was still in her teens, but she was already helping me at the clinic. She was a mother hen type of nurse even then. She...made sure I didn't do anything stupid, and shared the gospel with me. But it took Levi sharing his own story, that brought me to know Jesus as my savior. I hope you don't mind if I leave the telling of his story to him."

"That's fine," Lily answered.

"Suffice it to say that I was faced with the fact that I was not alone in having been dealt a bad hand. We all go through times like that. We can either come face to face with our Creator and find comfort, salvation. Or we can just survive unti next time. I decided to face my Creator. And I found an everlasting love."

"I'm speachless," whispered Lily. She could hear the peace in his voice, see it on his face. She looked down at the ill Miri. Even unconscious and in the grip of fever, Miri still had a peace about her. "I came to Christ as a child, shortly before the Flu Scare. I almost lost my mother in a shuttle accident, she was badly injured but alive. When things had settled and I was able to tell her how scared I'd been...she told me that while she'd been in pain, she wasn't afraid of dying because she knew where she was going. We talked about her faith for several days, and I eventually prayed the sinner's prayer. It felt wonderful, but reality hit hard when the Flu hit us and so many died. Including my mother. She just wasn't strong enough to deal with the injuries and the flu. At the time, I felt peace because I was certain I was going to die too and then we'd be together again. But I survived."

"Lily, surely you don't feel guilty for surviving?"

"Every single day. It's why I became a nurse...to help as many survive illness and injuries as possible." Lily wiped away a tear that had escaped. "But people still die."

"Of course they do," Marc said softly. "It's the way of life. We're born into a chaotic world. The most we can do is live our life in such a way as to lead other's to Christ."

There was a gentle throat clearing and the two looked up to see Byrin standing with a ready hypo. "I'm ready to give Miri the medicine."

Silently Lily rose to her feet and moved quickly out of his way.

Byrin stepped forward and pressed the end of the hypo to Miri's shoulder.

"How long before we know if it's working?" Lily asked.

"Unsure. Within the hour. If not, I'll draw some blood and go from there." Byrin pulled a stool close.

"I'd best get back to the rest of the ward," Lily said. "There's still people people out there and I don't think Lily would appreciate it if I neglected them."

"I'll join you shortly," Marcus said.

"Very well." Lily turned and left the lab much quieter than she'd entered.

Zion's Children - pt 39

2011-01-06T08:23:00.000-05:00

"You did what?" Lily demanded when she entered the lab area. She gasped slightly at the sight of Miri unconscious on the cot in the corner.

"We didn't even know she was in the room," Marcus said, in what she thought was meant to be a calming tone of voice. "She injected herself before we knew she was even here."

"That doesn't make this alright!" Lily broke free from her spot and quickly crossed the room to sit on the edge of the cot next to Miri. She laid her hand to Miri's forehead. "How long ago? She's already burning up."

"Not even half an hour ago," Marcus answered. He glanced at Byrin, who was over at the wrk area of the lab. He dropped his voice a level and said quietly to her, "He hasn't stopped moving since."

"I can see that," Lily said just as softly. "She's advancing quickly. Does he have anything ready?"

"Close. We were talking about dosage and stages when she came in. She was trying to give us..."

"A volunteer."

"Exactly."

Lily sighed. "She makes me feel like such a fake."

"How so?"

"She freely wears her faith on her sleeve, Marcus. In her work, in her free time. She's even willing to sacrifice herself for her people."

Marcus sighed. "It's hard being a Christian and be in ConFleet at the same time. In their attempt to have relious freedom and equality, they bind all the religions to a strict code. We're not the only ones who have the 'no proselytizing' clause. I know that's little comfort."
You're right, it's not."

"Is your faith real?" Marcus asked her. "Whenever we've talked, just the two of us, I've wonder if you really believe it or if it's just what you grew up with."

Lily's face twisted and she held in the tears. "I do believe Marcus. It's just not easy to show."

"Tell me how it happened for you. Salvation I mean."

"You first."

Zion's Children - pt 38

2011-01-04T01:07:00.002-05:00

The room grew quiet at the sound of a hypo being discarged.

Byrin was the first to look at Miri, saw her pulling the hypo away from her arm. "Miri?"

"What have you done?" Marcus asked, his face paling.

Miri turned and faced the two. Her face was solemn, but there was peace on that face. "I don't know when I'll start to show symptoms, but I'm willing to be one of your test patients. There will be others. As much as many of us are ready and willing to meet our Savior, we also want to live another day. It's how He made us."

"Yet you're willing to sacrifice yourself?" Marcus asked angrily. "You didn't have to do this."

"Yes, I did." She sat in the nearest chair. "I think it's working...I feel weak already."

"Damn," Marcus started to walk to her, but Byrin beat him.

"Miri, I have to make sure you're sick before I can test this on you, you understand that?" Byrin asked.

Miri looked up at him, eyes wide. "Byrin...I trust you..." And with that, she fainted and would have slid from the chair had they not caught her.

Together the doctors carried her to the cot in the corner.

"She might trust you, but I'm not sure I do," Marcus muttered.

"You did. Or you'd never have sent for me."

Marcus looked at him, startlment plain on his face. "How did you..."

"I have my sources," Byin said quietly. "No doubt she's sick, but I still need to do blood work. I need to find out how far advanced the virus is."

"Then let's get started." Marcus said. "I'll find Lily and let her know what's going on. We...should inform Levi as well."

"That's gonna be tough." Byrin was already preparing a hypo to draw Miri's blood.

"Yeah, I think I'll handle that part. He'd eat you alive." Marcus laughed sharply. "Heck, he might do the same to me!"

"Marcus...let's hurry shall we?"

Zion's Children - pt 37

2011-01-02T00:49:00.002-05:00

Miri would have loved to have peppered her grandfather with questions. Why was he calling a meting of the elders? Did he agree with her? She didn't know. But after relaying the message to Seth, a member of the council, she returned to the lab.

The two doctors were in the lab, deep in discussion.

"There has to be some other way to test it that just picking random patients!" marcus said exasperated. "I'm not willing to risk..."

"They're already dieing!" insisted Byrin. "Have you thought about asking them? Let them decide whether the risk is worth it?"

"I won't have you raising their hopes and then seeing them dashed if it doesn't work!"

"It's not yours to decide that!"

"I've been their doctor here since before you had even entered medical school!"

Miri decided to give them another option. They didn't pay any attention to her as they were engrossed in their argument. She crossed the room quietly and gracefully. Among the vials on the table, she found her most recent blood donation. This one had been stored overnight, so the virus cells were active; that was one thing they hadn't figured out yet, why the virus activated itself in blood drawn from the body. They might never figure that out. She prepared a hypo, no longer listening to the doctors. They didn't understand. They were just doctors. These were her people...this was her family...her life. And she was scared to lose it...but she was more afraid of seeing everyone she knew die as well. There were many still living. She wanted to save as many as she could.

Taking a deeo breath, praying that she wasn't relying on what Marcus called false hope...pressed the hypo's end to her skin...and injected herself with her own virus infected blood...

Zion's Children - pt 36

2011-01-01T11:54:00.006-05:00

"We have every right to ask for justice from the Conglomerate," Miri said, after taking a brief moment to compose herself. She'd been in the General's office before, times when she'd been looking for her Grandfather, but never had she had so many eyes on her when speaking. "The Word says that there is a time for everything. A season. Enough people have died. It is time for our people, all of the Exiled, to stand up and be counted as equals. Not out of charity, a need to show how benevolent they are to the other species in the galaxy. Our ancestors were forcibly removed from their home and cast into the stars for no other reason than they were a different race...or they had a different set of beliefs, some religious and others political. Every nation on earth had people cast out. We should longer be denied the rights of full citizens."

The room was quiet for a moment after she'd come to the end.

"She makes sense, Levi," Marcus commented.

"Yes, she does." Levi drew a deep breath. He gave her a comforting smile, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "Miri, did you need something? Surely you weren't just passing by?"

"I was just looking for Marc. Byrin needs him."

"I wonder what for?" Marcus mused aloud. "I'll be on my way then."

Levi straightened as the doctor left the room. "Miri do you have time to run a quick errand?"

"I have a moment, but not long."

"Good, run and find Seth. Tell him to assemble the Elder Council in an hour." He saw the surprise in her eyes as she nodded. He suppressed his urge to chuckle. After she had spun around, her chestnut brown hair trailing behind her loose from it's braid, he turned to his friend. "In the meantime, Archie, you and I are going to talk legalities."

"We'll need Freeman then." The general rose to his feet, still shaky. "That's his area of expertise. I'll get him."

Zion's Children - pt 35

2010-12-11T09:51:00.000-05:00

Of the two, it was General Hiawithus who took the news the hardest. He sat down so quickly and heavily into his chair, that Marcus Alexander feared he had broken something.

"Surely..." Even words failed him.

Levi clasped his friend's shoulder with his hand. It was one thing to speculate about a matter, another to have it turn out to be the truth.

"Byrin is close to finalizing the sequencing on the antibiotics for this. I've looked over his work, and I have to agree with his conclusions. The Conglomerate did this to you...us." Marcus sat across the desk from his commanding officer.

"I authorized those vaccinations...I did this..." Archibald Hiawithus was close to sobbing. Tears pooled in the bags under his eyes and slowly leaked out and down his saggy cheeks. "Levi, I am so sorry..."

"It's not like you knew, Archie...I know you better than that," Levi said in a soothing tone.

"What happens next?" the general asked.

"Like I said, Bryin's almost finished..."

"Can he prove it?"

Marcus hesitated. "Not at this point, it's all speculation really. But give him enough time, and I'm sure he'll be able to prove it."

"Send him to me when he's able. I still have a few friends in the Hierarchy. I can't promise any action will be done, but a case will be made to the Presidential Council to rebuild Zeta Muria and make things right." He might have looked frail, but the desk thundered as the general brought his fist down on it.

"That's not necessary," Levi said. "We just want the Conglomerate to leave this planet."

A feminine throat clearing interrupted them. "Grandfather, if you give me a moment, I can tell you why that would be a bad idea."

Levi straightened and regarded his granddaughter with questioning eyes.

Zion's Children - pt 34

2010-12-09T16:41:00.002-05:00

Byrin spent the time waiting for the computers to analyze Lily's blood and spit out a formula for an antibiotic to battle the nameless disease compiling all his information on it. When he returned to Conglomerate space and the Core worlds, he meant to present his findings to his superiors in order to root out the people who had done this. He just hoped it wasn't people he knew.

Or worse - his superiors.

"How will you know the antibiotics will work once you have a formula?" Miri asked, sitting next to him. She had thought about returning to her home to tell her grandfather of the breakthrough, but hadn't yet. She was afraid that he would order the ConFleet personnel offworld
once he learned of the plot against their people.

"I'll test it on one of the patients. Probably several actually. It'll take some time to get the dosing right." Byrin sighed. "We're not through this yet."

"No, we're not." Miri glanced over to where Doctor Alexander and Lily were working. Well, they were pretending to work. They were having a quiet conversation between the two of them. It was always good when two people could have a meeting of the hearts at times like these. At
least that's what she hoped was going on.

"I'm still not sure how they were able to pull this off," said Byrin. "I mean, how do you infect an entire population? I'm pretty sure that this isn't a normal contagious virus, because we all have it."

Miri shrugged. "I don't know. We've never known anything like this. In fact, in general we were a very healthy people. Grandfather couldn't see the point of everyone being vaccinated when your ConFleet first arrived. We've always been healthy, so what was the point. But of course they insisted. Something about boosting our immune systems since we were getting offworld visitors now, and how we wouldn't want to get sick from any new bug they brought with them."

It was as if lighting struck Byrin again. If there was a God, such as these people worshipped, then surely He was striking Byrin hard with revelations. "Of course!" the doctor declared. "That's why we all have it! Since they can't ever be sure who has Jewish ancestry, this would be a sure fire way to kill everyone that has even a smidgen of the right DNA. The bastards included it in our vaccinating shots!"

"Grandfather's not going to like hearing any of this," sighed Miri.

"No one will."

Zion's Children -pt 33

2010-11-24T08:44:00.002-05:00

Lily thought they were joking. She said as much. "You can't be serious. I've never had this!"

She had been taking a quick break when the three, Byrin, Marcus and Miri, had called her into the lab. They had come together, not sending just one to come get her. Once inside the lab, with the doors shut, Byrin dropped the bomb saying that she was a survivor.

Marcus pulled his chair close to her. "Lily, you told me that the Flu Scare on your world was what inspired you to go into nursing. Did you get the Flu?"

"Of course I did, my entire family had it."

"Was there anyone who didn't have it?" Byrin asked.

"I suppose. Not everyone will get a disease. You know that. Some people have stronger immune systems...some..." Lily paused. "Wait, you think there's a reason why ConFleet personnel aren't sick and you want to know if the same was true during the Flu Scare."

"Something like that," admitted Byrin.

"Nothing sticks out in my memory," Lily sighed. "But I'll keep thinking."

"Good. Had your world seen anything like this before the Conglomerate came to your world?"

That question caused both Marcus and Miri, as well as Lily, to look at Byrin at surprise.

"Nothing of that magnitude," Lily admitted.

"We never saw anything like this either," Miri commented. "Grandfather has grumbled about that more than once."

"Surely you're not suggesting that the Conglomerate is somehow responsible for this?" asked Marcus, incredulity plain on his face.

"You said it yourself," was Byrin's answer. "Left over antisemitism is still present in our government. To the point that it's holding up partnership with this world."

"Well, yes, but...Byrin what you're suggesting is mass genocide."

"It wouldn't be the first time that's happened to this people group, now would it?"

"But not everyone on a Colony World is of Jewish descent," argued Lily. "Mine were American/English."

"Colony worlds were settled generations ago," Byrin stated evenly. "You're trying to tell me that you've never had any Jewish person marry into the family?"

Lily's mouth hung open. "Ah...Great-grandmother Pearl was Jewish."

"I think that it would be hard to find anyone on a Colony world that doesn't have some Jewish ancestry," Byrin said.

"What you're suggesting, is outrageous!" Marcus shook his head. "But I think you're right. I just don't know how they'd mass infect people."

"Or target a specific group," said Lily.

"DNA." Miri looked at Byrin for confirmation.

"Exactly. It's an artificial virus that has been engineered to target specific DNA strands."

Zion's Children - pt 32

2010-11-22T12:31:00.000-05:00

Marcus was more than a little surprised to see Byrin and Miri back so early. He had thought, had hoped that the two would stay out all afternoon. Given enough time, the two could become good friends.

"Byrin, Miri? What?"

But Byrin blew on by without so much as glancing at the older doctor.

Miri however paused long enough to say, "He's had some sort of breakthrough..." then she too had disappeared into the lab.

Marcus looked down at the patient he was tending, the persistent Evvie who refused to die. She was too far gone to be aware of anything. He passed the pad in his hand to the nurse attending him, saying, "Keep on with the usual, Amber."

He didn't even hear her reply of, "Yes, doctor," as he too changed course and went to the lab. Inside he saw the basket and blanket from their picnic set in the corner, out of the way no doubt.

Byrin was multi-tasking, calling up information on a couple different computer screens and telling Miri what he wanted as he went. "I'm going to need genetic splices of the virus cells in your blood, mine, and Lily's. And then I'm going to need DNA mapped of each of us."

"What in the world have you stumbled on?" Marcus asked, trying not to get in the way.

"Genetics," Byrin answered, rolling the chair out of his way. "Miri made a comment about 'her' people and it was like lighting struck me. Marcus...everyone tested has had some form of this virus in their blood...but who is dying from it?"

"These people..."

"Colonists, Marcus! Descendants of Exiles. After so many years, all of these people are genetically linked."

"You're..."

"That's what was bothering me about the test results I was looking a right before the picnic...it just didn't click. Antibodies! The person whose blood I was looking at...had atibodies! I just checked to see who it was. Lily Bennett...another Colony child, has not only had this plague, but she's survived it!"

Zion's Children - pt 31

2010-11-20T08:01:00.000-05:00

At the touch of his hand, Miri's heart began to beat a thousand times faster. He was going to kiss her...and she was going to let him. She'd never been kissed before...and had often wondered what it would be like. Especially since Byrin had arrived. It had been a pleasant diversion from the death and despair surrounding her.

But at the last moment she turned her face away so that the kiss landed on her cheek, which was now flaming red.

"Miri?" he asked gently. "I'm sorry...I thought..."

"No Byrin, don't apologize," she answered softly. "I like you...a lot. And I'd love to kiss you."

"But?" He ran his hand over her hair, as much to comfort her as to feel its softness.

"It's just not how my people do things." She was alarmed to see his face freeze. "What?"

"What...repeat what you just said..."

"I said, it's not how my people do things. You know, court each other and such..."

"Your people. Miri...that's it." Byrin leapt to his feet quickly. "We have to get back to the lab."

"Ok." She was surprised when he knelt down and helped her put things away.

"We have to hurry," he said. Once she had stood and lifted the basket, he whipped up the blankets and gave it a quick shake to knock dirt and debris away. "I'll kiss you later, however you want, I promise. I've figured out why your people are dying."

Miri hurried.

Zion's Children - pt 30

2010-11-18T08:17:00.008-05:00

The walk to Lake Aryn took them about half an hour. The farther they got from the city, which had no name that Byrin had ever heard, the clearer the air became. There came sounds of wildlife that Byrin hadn't ever heard here.

Lake Aryn was set far enough into the woods, that Byrin felt cut off from all reality. In the background, were blue mountains that had snow caps on them.

"This is beautiful," Byrin said. He was taken by the view as Miri quietly spread out a blanket, and then began to set out the food.

"Byrin, I'm sorry I sedated you," Miri said quietly as she sat and watched him. "I was worried about you, the way you were talking. You won't do us any good if you burn yourself out. But I should have handled it much differently, and I apologize."

Byrin looked down at her and smiled. "It's alright, Miri. Honestly." He sat down next to her and got comfortable on the blanket. "I should have been taking better care of myself. Besides, Marcus did warn me about the possibility of you sedating me if I didn't take care."

"Oh." Miri didn't know what to say to that. So she changed the subject and wwaived at the foo. "It's not much, but it's good food."

Byrin glanced at the sandwiches and fruits. They did look good. "What kind of meat is in the sandwiches?" he asked, taking one.

"It's roast beef." She had also saved a couple of her cinnamon buns for dessert, but she hadn't puled them out yet.

He took a bite. "It's good," he said around the mouthful. He swallowed. "Tell me about yourself, Miri.

Miri was struck with sudden shyness. "There's not much to tell. Not really. I like to help people, which is why I've ended up in charge of Marc's nurses. What else would you want to know?"

"Would you ever want to leave this planet? See Earth? Alpha Centauri? Y-Tritan?" He wasn't quite sure why he asked, but it came out before he could stop it.

"Sometimes. I'd like to see the planet we came from, walk the land where Christ walked. But I wouldn't want to stay; this is my home. I would be a stranger in a strange land."

"Aren't we all?" wondered Byrin quietly. "I was born in America, or what used to be America."

"I'm aware of Earth history. Before the plague struck, I spent a lot of time reading whatever literature Marcus could get for me. It used to be a beautiful world."

"So you've seen pictures too. Yes, it was. There are still a few parts that weren't touched by the bombs, though. It's not as bad as some of the propaganda would have you believe."

"Where have you been?" Miri asked.

"On Earth, or off?"

"Both."

"On Earth, I've been across the Atlantic Ocean to most of Europe, such as Italy and Spain. England. I've visited some islands...Hawaii, St. Thomas, Australia." He paused briefly as he remembered. "Germany. I've been to Germany. That was a hard country to visit. They've never recovered."

"Forgiveness can be a hard thing for some people." Miri commented. "I do not think many people who were sent into space as Exiles will ever truly forgive and trust anyone who tolerated the Nazi regime. But I don't think that they should suffer forever because of their sins. I must admit, I've always wanted to see the Fire Rings of Y-Tritan."

"So have I. I've been there, but I've never seen the Fire Rings." Something about the moment caught Byrin by surprise. He was sitting there, looking at her smiling at him. Her hair fell in careless waves framing her tired face, out of which her eyes twinkled with a happy light. The sun was shining down throuh the tree branches, giving the moment an ethereal touch. He leaned foward, touching her face with his hand. He meant to kiss her...

Zion's Children - pt. 29

2010-11-16T00:33:00.000-05:00

"I thought I told your grandfather to keep you home today!" grumbled a somewhat rested Dr. Hamilton as Miri entered the lab. He had done as he'd intended and had gotten a long enough nap to see himself refreshed.

Byrin turned from his computer and saw a hesitant Miri standing just inside the doorway. He wondered what was in the basket she was holding, but she was talking and it would have been rude to interrupt.

"My understanding of Grandfather's report of your words," Miri was saying, sounding nothing like her usual self, "was that you wanted me to take the day off. You said nothing about my staying home. In fact, Marc, Grandpa approves of my afternoon plans and gave me his blessing."

"Did he now?" Marcus scratced behind his right ear and returned to his seat, not realizing he had stood in the first place. "Well, then my dear...do tell me what your plans are and what brings you to the lab?"

"I..." Miri took a deep breath. "I am walking out to Lake Aryn and having a picnic. I was ondering if Byrin might like to come with me?"

"Me?" Byrin was surprised. "I..."

"Oh, go ahead and go with her," Marcus chided. "You haven't gotten that deep into anything that a few hours would hurt."

"I don't know." Byrin considered the info on his computer screen. "I've only just gotten started on the new blood samples."

"The air by Lake Aryn is still fresh," Miri argued. "It will help clear your mind...further..."

Something about the sample information on the screen was bothering him, but he found himself wanting to go with her. He stood, saying, "You're both right. Let's go Miri."

Zion's Children - pt. 28

2010-11-14T08:41:00.001-05:00

Miri was caught in a dream.

Or was it a nightmare?

Nope, she was a wake. All of this was real.

Sighing, she rolled over in her bed, and saw that it was daylight. And had been day for some time. She ought to bolt from bed, throw on some clothes and race out the door. But she was hesitating, parly out of fear of facing Byrin...and partly because she was tired. Deep inside, where her heart was.

She took a deep breathe, and delighted in the scent of warm cinnamon. It made her think of the cinnamon bread that her grandmother used to make years ago. Grandmother had always made it when she knew that Miri was feeling sad about something, or just didn't feel good. Grandmother...had taken that recipe to the grave with her. Miri had always meant to learn how to make it, but she had never found the time. She's always had something more "important" to do.

With a heavy heart, she rose from her bed and readied herself for the day.

Miri stopped in her tracks as she came into the kitchen. There on the table, in the spot that Grandfather always set her plate of food for either breakfast or supper, at a great plate of several rolled cinnamon bread. They were fresh, too, because the white frosting was still dripping from the edged of the buns.

Levi appeared from the pantry, a generous dusting of white powder still on the front of his shirt. "Miri...I was just coming up to check on you."

"Grandpa..."

"What? Didn't know I could cook?" Though Lev looked grim, he was a little amused at the moment,

"No, I just...you know Grandmother's recipe?"

"I know several of her recipes. Sit already, dig in!"

She was hungry...for the first time in days. Miri sat in the wooden chair, only slihtly aware as her grandfather set a full mug of milk at her elbow. She bit into the warm cinnamon bread...and marveled at how close her grandfather had been at replicating the recipe. "Oh Grandpa..."

"I've talked to Dr. Hamilton a couple times today. He said for you to stay home today and ake the day off. He's concerned about how tired you were."

Miri wanted to argue, but didn't have the heart. "How long was I asleep?"

"A long time. It's almost noon."

"Noon?!"

"Yes."

Miri sighed, but said no more. She finished her bun, and started on a second one. She had all afternoon to do...nothing. She didn't want to stay away from the hospital, but she knew she needed a break. What could one aftenoon off hurt? But what would she do?

Zion's Children - pt. 27

2010-11-12T08:12:00.002-05:00

Byrin woke as quickly as he had passed out. As he had been knocked out. He should be angry with Miri, but oddly enough he wasn't. While he felt a little sluggish, a side effect from the meds, he felt rested. He wondered how long he had slept.

"Good morning," Marcus said, somewhere nearby.

"Is it?" He sat up on the cot, vaguely wondering how he had gotten there. Marus sat in the office chair he usually occupied when sitting, at a computer station close to the door so that he could leave quickly at a moments notice.. "How long have I been out?"

"9 hours. Probably not long enough. Miri only gave you a half dose, but you were tired enough to sleep past the normal time."

"I feel better, so it was good enough." He stretched and rose to his feet. "Is Miri in yet?"

"No. I spoke with Levi a few minutes ago and she's still asleep. After we put you on the cot, I gave her a sleeping pill and sent her home so that she could have a rest as well. We've all been running on empty for too long." Marcus shifted in his seat.

"What about you?" Byrin wondered where he could get something to eat, but didn't voice the question yet. "You don't look like you've slept any time recently."

"I'll be laying down shortly." Marcus smiled tiredly. "I was keeping vigil. Evvie pulled through the night, though just barely. I doubt she'll last much longer. I'm surprised, Bryin, that you're not more upset."

"At what? Miri?" Byrin took a deep breath. "I saw the look on her face, Marcus. It hurt her to do that to me. How can I be angry?" He shrugged. "Women are strange creatures."

"That they are."

"I like her Marcus." Byrin shrugged again, managing not to blush like schoolgirl with her first crush.

"So I've gathered."

"Besides, you did warn me that if I wasn't careful, she'd do exactly what she did."

Marcus chuckled. "I did, didn't I?"

Byrin stretched. "Now, if you'll point me towards some food...I'll recharge and get back on track."

Zion's Chidren - pt 26

2010-11-10T18:19:00.000-05:00

Marcus Alexander had been sitting beside the resting form of Evvie. She wasn't long for this world. The disease had ravaged her quickly, and the good doctor was going to see her rest in as little pain as medicines would allow.

Had been.

All of a sudden, Miri walked up to him quickly. "Marcus..."

"Is something wrong?" Marcus looked up, but didn't rise to his feet. He didn't know why he asked that question anymore. Something was always wrong.

"Not yet. Please come with me to the lab."

The young woman didn't wait for him to answer. She had barely even stopped.

Sighing, Marcus rose to his feet. Miri didn't seem upset enough to warrant hurrying, so he didn't. Probably Byrin had found something that she didn't want to say where everyone could hear. He stopped to speak to a patient or two on the way.

He entered the lab, just in time to see Byrin collapse into Miri's waiting arms.

"What in the world?" Marcus hurried now and crossed the room quickly. "Has he..." Then he saw the hypo on the floor and the tears on her face. "Miri?"

"I had to, Marc."

He reached out and took some of the other doctor's weight off of her.

She continued speaking as they drug the unconscious doctor to the cot in the corner. "I had to. He isn't sleeping, he's sneaking back after he's left to run more tests. How will he ever find the asnwers if he kills himself?"

"I understand," Marcus said kindly. He helped the young woman cover Byrin with a blanket.

Briefly, she told the older man what Byrin had done.

White eyebrows ruffled. "That's not good. None of it."

"Do...do you think he'll..."

"Do I think he'll be mad? Probably." Marcus sighed. "But I also think he'll get over it. Most men do. Now Miri, speaking of sleep...I want you to go home and climb right into bed." He pulled a package out of his pocket. "In fact, do the same thing you just did to Byrin." He handed something to her. "Pop this first, and go to bed."

Miri looked at the small white pill in her hand. The very thought rather made her shudder, but she saw the wisdom in what her friend was saying. "All right."

"And don't worry about Byrin. I'll be here when he wakes up and I'll smooth everything over before you get here."

She nodded. "Very well."

Marcus sighed as she left. Young people! He said a quick prayer over Byrin, then he too left the room. He meant to hold Evvie's hand until she passed into the next world. She wouldn't know, but he would. He might follow his own advice and get some sleep after that, but he doubted he do that until the morning.

Zion's Children - pt. 25

2010-11-08T12:53:00.000-05:00

Byrin could not rest...every time he tried to lay down to sleep, anxiety drove him to his feet again. So far, the initial sampling of ConFleet personnel's blood had been the same across the board. Only half had been gathered, but he had no doubt that the remaining samples would test positive for inactive virus DNA.

Almost like antibodies.

The thought circled in Byrin's head.

Truth be known, no one was resting well after this discovery. So far, one had requested transfer out.

Yet.

"I don't understand it Miri," Byrin said to her the next afternoon after she had brought him a tray of supper. It looked like pieces of chicken, or what passed for chicken in this world. The potatoes were recognizable enough, even mashed. He poked at it as he spoke. "We've been working on the assumption that this was a new disease. Something unique to this world. Yet my blood...shows evidence that it's not."

"It's not possible that you've all been exposed since coming here?" Miri sat in the chair next to him. Her other duties had been finished for the night. All she had left was making sure that Byrin had something to eat and left the building at a decent hour.

"No...I...no, it's not." Byrin glanced around the lab cautiously, even though he knew they were alone. "I called a friend in Command, and he sent me some old test results. For myself and a few others. I couldn't ask for all of us."

"Obviously," Miri said quietly.

"The DNA was there before. In every instance." He took a bite of the meat without thinking. Whatever kind of fowl it was, it was very tasty. He took another bite. "It's almost like we've already had the sickness and have antibodies."

"You have antibodies?" Miri's face brightened with hope.

"Almost." Byrin sighed. And that quickly, he'd lost interest in his meal. "The DNA strands don't look like antibodies...not really. It's almost like they're dormant cells."

"Again you say, 'almost'."

"Yes. It's what I don't understand. I feel like I have a ticking time bomb in my veins...but...Miri, one of the tests I did last night was to expose my blood to infected blood. The DNA strands didn't act like antibodies...the virus cells just became inactive."

Miri scowled, for more reasons than just one. She had seen him leave last night, so he must have returned after that. And what he was suggesting wasn't good. "Just like that?"

"Just like that. There was no interaction between the two sets of cells that I could see."

"How many times did you try it?"

"I tried it three seperate times," he admitted. He set his plate of food to the side and rubbed his face tiredly.

"You need sleep," Miri suggested gently.

"I know, I know...but I can't."

He was despairing, Miri realized. Sinking into a deep dark pit where he could see no way out. "I didn't bring you anything to drink," she said suddenly. "Wait here."

"You don't need to..."

But she was gone. Byrin sighed and returned to his computers. For an insane moment, he considered praying. Miri told him from time to time that she was praying for him, that he'd find the answers to save her people. She seems so sure, so confident in the god of her faith. But he...

Something hard and cold pressed to the side of his arm. He turned, startled. Miri stood there, and empty hypo in her hand.

"Forgive me, Byrin," she said, her face white.

Already he felt drowsy. "I'm going to..."

She caught him in her arms as best as she could before he fell to the floor.

Zion's Children - pt. 24

2010-11-06T13:13:00.000-04:00

Miri's surprise at Lily's admission was quite evident. "You?"

"Yes." Lily couldn't stop herself from blushing. "I surprised you haven't noticed, given how you take care of everyone."

"I have been a bit distracted," murmured Miri, her mind racing. "Not...you know, now that you mention it, Doctor Alexander has been a little more chipper since you arrived."

"He's very devoted to your people, Miri," was all Lily could bring herself to say.

"Yes. He's been here for a long time. He's a good man, Lily. And he's a like believer. There's nothing to be ashamed of there."

Lily smiled, though just barely. "This isn't exactly the time to be starting a relationship. Like I said, he's very devoted to your people."

The younger woman didn't have an immediate response. She sat there a moment, looking discretely at the other people. Most were praying on their own, though here and there were a few people praying together. Or praying for each other. She had heard tales of blood fueds ending...of broken friendships being mended...discordant familes reuniting...all because of this plague. "Perhaps this is the best time," she said aloud. "Time is short for many of my people. Many relationships...friendships, families...have been mended because of a close death. No one wants to waste what time we might have left. No one wants regrets. And if Byrin has found the disease in ConFleet people, then you're time could be short as well. Why should we sorrow? I can at least befriend Byrin, witness the love of God to him. He might never believe, but we would be richer for a friendship, and I would have at least tried. At least you don't have that concern."

"No, I guess not. But it would be hard to compete with your people for his attention."

"He might be a compassionate doctor, but he is still a man. If he feels anything for you, the only thing that would hold him back would be a direct 'no' from God. You can at least be his friend. He is a lonely man, Lily, though one wouldn't see it easily. He hides in his work well."

"Don't we all, to some degree?"

"Most likely." Miri took a deep cleansing breath. She was feeling better. God didn't always answer her like she wanted, but He always answered. "Well, shall we return to our duties?"

"Yes. They're probably looking for us by now."

"Then let's not make them look long."

The two women stood up; one graceful, the other unable to take the military out of her manner, but graceful in her own way.

Zion's Children - pt. 23

2010-11-04T13:00:00.000-04:00

Miri, irate and tired, excused herself from the medical facility. She informed Lily quietly of her departure, stating she was stepping out for some fresh air and would be back shortly. Has she not been so upset by the doctors behavior and remarks, she would have noticed the shocked look on Nurse Bennett's face, as well as the concern. Since she did not, she left before the other woman could ask what was the matter.

Outside, the air was really no fresher. It smelled of death just as much as anywhere else. Still, the light was brighter and encouraging. The air was brisk, though no where near a chilly as it should have been for this time of year. The fluffy clouds in the sky weren't blocking the sun at the moment.

The chapel she sought was a quick walk from the hospital, made quicker by her stride. There were more people inside than there used to be. The recent events had brought even the skepitical of their peopl back to their faith...and tested the most faithful. So far, she had heard of no one deserting their faith, but she hadn't been staying in touch as much as she used to.

Not since Byrin had arrived. Much had changed since then.

She found a quiet corner of the chapel, as alone as she could get amongst so many people beseeching the same God for deliverance. She sat on the floor, drawing her knees to her chest. Her first prayer was that no one would disturb her...that her grandfather would not notice her presence at this time of day, that Marcus or Lily wouldn't follow her...she just wanted to be alone with God.

What would You have me do, Lord? she asked Him silently. Daily I fight this disease as I fight sin. And yet, when I am near this new doctor, I find myself thinking of other things. Wishing he was a believer so that my affections for him...do You see my problem Lord? Even now, he distracts me. I need to focus. How can I help him find answers and I can't do that if I'm worrying about whether he likes me, without worrying if he's eaten enough...so much has changed in me since he's arrived. No one has ever affected me like this, always I've been able to focus on You without anyone distracting me. Lord?

There was no answer, no warm presence to assure her that He was there, that He was listening even. She drew a deep breath.

"Miri?" came a soft voice.

She looked up and saw Lily standing not that far from her. She refrained from sighing again. "Yes, is something wrong?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing. Mind if I sit?"

"Go ahead."

Lily sat next to her, her legs crossed Indian style. In her wrinkled ConFleet uniform, she looked uncomfrtable and out of place. "You looked upset when you left, and in such a hurry I didn't get chance to ask you what was wrong."

Miri bit of a sharp response. Her people were dying and she was crushing on a silly mane, what could be wrong? Instead she said, "Nothing out of the ordinary."

"I see." Lily leaned against the wall. "It can be hard working with someone you're attracted to, especially in such dire circumstances as we're in. You feel guilty for being wanting to be happy, for dreaming when people you love are dying."

Miri made a noncommital sound. "You know the requirements for our faith. If your 'crush' doesn't believe likewise, what is the point of allowing such feelings continue to distract you?"

"We're only human, Miri." Now Lily sighed. "We can't help who we like, or don't like. Or evn who likes us. Emotions are troublesome things."

"Tell me about it!"

Lily hesitated but a heartbeat. "I'm having the same problem, Miri."

Zion's Children - pt. 22

2010-11-02T10:00:00.001-04:00

"What is this?" Marcus asked, incredulous.

"It's a sample of my blood," Byrin explained.

"I can see that!" exploded Marcus, his temper short these days. No doubt Miri would threaten to sedate him an day now. "What gave you the idea to test your own blood?"

"What better control sample?" Byrin shrugged. "I'd like to draw samples from all CF personnel. I know it'll take a bit of time, which we don't have, but I think it will be vital. This disease is supposed to be new, with no vaccination available yet. But clearly, it's not as new as we've been lead to believe. Bits of its DNA are floating around inactive in my blood. I haven't spliced enough to tell if it's merely dormant, in which case I'll eventually get sick as well, or if it's dead."

"Bloody hell," the older doctor said, out of character. "Get to splicing then! I'll see that you get your other samples. Miri..."

"I'll get Lily started on it right away." She left the room quickly, a chilliness to her graceful stride.

"You need a nap," Byrin said gently. "Before Miri takes matters into her own hands."

"She'll put you down just as quick." But Doctor Alexander lowered himself into a chair with a deep sigh. "None of us has been sleeping well, Byrin. Not even Miri, though she hides it better than most. Levi..."

Byrin sat in the other chair, and rolled over to his superior officer and friend. "No, this isn't easy on any of us. These people shouldn't be dying. Levi what? Has he been pressuring you?" His own interaction with the old man had been limited and intimidating.

"No, no...nothing like that. Archie was telling me just this morning how Levi tells him how often he finds Miri asleep by the side of her bed. Poor girl prays and cries herself to sleep."

Byrin wondered what she prayed...wondered how she could still pray after seeing so much death.

"And you'd never tell it by looking at her," Marcus continued. "Must be her youth."

"She's not that much younger than myself," Byrin pointed out.

"I know," the other man said in an odd tone.

Byrin opened his mouth to question him on it, but the woman discussed reentered the room at that moment.

"Nurse Bennett recovered from her surprise at the request nicely, and has started the task already." Miri handed over a vial. "This is her blood, as I've noted on the side. She thinks that it will be complete by late tomorrow." She picked up a nearby hypo.

Marcus held up both hands in protest. "Now Miri, jut because I've been irritable doesn't mean you need to sedate me. Not yet."

Her eyebrows shot up. "I wasn't going to. I was going to help Lily by drawing your blood for this, since you're right here. However, if you're tired enough to be wary of me..."

He guffawed. "I promise to lay down for a little after this, I promise."

"Then I shall hold you to that. Now, give me your arm."

When done, she marked the vial and handed it to Byrin. "I do not know what inspired you to check your own blood...and neglect to keep me informed...but I hope it leads us to some answers. And soon."

So that's why she had a bee in her bonnet, mused Byrin as he took the second vial of blood. "You had already left for the night, Miri. I apologize for not calling you from your bed."

"Sarcasm is not an attractive quality," Miri snapped back.

Marcus cleared his throat. "I'm not the only one in need of a nap, now am I?"

"Indeed," remarked Byrin as the young woman turned red and left the room.

Zion's Children - pt. 21

2010-10-31T10:00:00.000-04:00

In a very short time, life became routine to the newcomers.

Lily Bennett did her duty, tended to the sick and the dying, and slept poorly. She found herself growing to like many of the people she ended up covering with a sheet. They fought to the end with such a cheerful attitude that she felt guilty for not wanting to be here in the first place. Just like her ancestors had never asked to be Exiled, neither had their ancestors. They were here against their will as well. And just like her world had never asked for the Flu Scare, neither had these people asked for this disease to ravage theirs.

Byrin Gold worked hard and slept little. He ate even less, though Miri managed to get a bite or two into him each day. He gathered new data, and reviewed the old, finding only new questions and no answers. He didn't interact with the patients as much as Marcus and the nurses did, but each time he questioned one of them about their earliest symptoms his desire to end this disease grew. Each colonist had been given the standard vaccinations when the Conglomerate had first sent ships to this world.

The two new nurses, whose names Byrin had never bothered to learn (Amber Linderman and Rose Montoya) worked different shifts. Amber nursed patients during the day, Rose at night. They saw each other at shift change, and some meals. They both longed to go home, but were compassionate enough to truly care for their patients.

The first two weeks the days passed by with little change for any of them. Somehow though, they all managed to make a few new friends. Miri was loved by all, as she showed love to all without judgment. Marcus spent much time with Byrin, learning as much from the younger man as he was teaching.

Lily, despite her hardline Christianity, grew to like Amber and Rose as nurses and even a little personally. She did not agree with their lifestyle, but they were dedicated nurses. She dealt mainly with Amber, who had a keen sense of humor, but heard good reports about Rose from nightshift. She also enjoyed her time each day with Marcus, wishing circumstances allowed for personal affections to grow.

Somehow, Byrin learned to work around his attraction to Miri. He knew it was there, but would have denied if anyone else suspected and questioned him on it. When he allowed his mind to ponder it, it the quiet hours he pretended to sleep (for her sake)...he knew great frustration because he could see that she believed the same as Lily and knew that a distant admiration was all she'd ever allow. Which is why he didn't ponder her care of him, or allow himself to imagine that she equally admired him. These people were dying, and if he allowed himself to be distracted by fantasies, the very woman he admired would die as well.

But things changed the day Byrin decided to draw a sample of his own blood...

Zion's Children - pt. 20

2010-10-30T12:20:00.000-04:00

It was late when Miriam returned to the small home she shared with her grandfather. It had been a long day of assisting Byrin in the lab. The man seldom took a break and even if he wasn't wearing himself down, he was pushing her to her limits. After all, she was only human.

She paused in the small living room, listening. Above the gentle breeze whistling through the windows, she could hear her grandfather snoring. This little house of theirs was old, had been old when Levi had been young. Miri sometimes thought he had forgotten what it was like to be young, but then he was from a different generation. His parents were children of the Exile. Great-Grandma Bernice had been 16 when she'd been shipped here, she had met her husband here 3 years later. Great-Grandpa Joshua had been 15 when he'd arrived.

Today's development had been far from encouraging in the lab. She doubted she understood the science of it any better than the doctors. How could a virus keep on living and replicating after its host body was dead? There was no new energy to be had, so how did they keep going?

Marcus and Byrin had discussed digging up older bodies, but had decided not to. They didn't think it necessary at this point to risk offending any colonists, and they didn't think they'd have her grandfather's permission anyways. She knew he would deny them, if they ever asked. He was very touchy about the dead. She didn't relish the though herself, but she had to admit that she was as curious as the doctors. What happened when there was nothing left for the virus to consume?

Did it turn on the other raw materials present? The wrappings and the coffin? What if it all turned liquid and managed to seep out the wooden coffins? If it was capable of consuming other organic lifeforms, would it ravage the world? But if it was able to do that, why hadn't it already?

None of it was pleasant thinking for this time of night.

She skipped the meal her grandfather had left warming for her and went straight to her small room. The bed was not large, but it was almost comfortable. Still, she didn't lay down yet. She knelt by its side and lowered her head atop her hands.

"Please God...end this suffering. Have Your people not suffered enough at the hands of their enemy?" Tears leaked from her eyes in a steady streak, running across her folded hands onto her bed coverings. "Your people here are dying. They have died other worlds. It's not the dying...the crossing over into Your kingdom...it's the suffering. Please God...ease our pain...take away this sickness...please..."

Hours later when Levi came to check on her, Miri was fast asleep in the kneeling position. Her body lax against the bed, tear stained still damp. With gentle hands, he lifted his granddaughter and managed to get her under the covers without waking her. He found her such many nights, and doubtless it would continue until the disease had wiped them all out. Still, he added his own petitions to hers as he laid himself back in his own bed.

"Please God...let this end..."

Zion's Children - pt 19

2008-08-12T03:10:00.002-04:00

"It's your own fault, Levi," remarked Admiral Hiawithus as the two sat in the shade of a lone maple-like tree. It was the only tree on this branch of the New Jerusalem River, where the two frequently met outside of politics and religion and were just friends.

Levi cast his fishing line out, and sighed. "I suppose you're right, Archibald. I didn't exactly set a good example letting you befriend me, did I?"

The old admiral chuckled. "Well, you certainly gave me a hard enough time about it!"

"Our life here has never been easy. We were sent away from our homes, exiled from the planet of our birth. Trusting those who came afterwards was not something that we were taught as children. Did I err in going against those lessons? Have I set my granddaughter up for failure?"

"Rubbish," Archibald replied, casting his own line out, farther to the left than his friend had. "First of all, Miriam has a good head on her shoulders, and she is firm in her faith. No one is going to lead her astray." He let the current pull his line, tugging on it only lightly to keep it from tangling with Levi's line. "Are you afraid that someone will someday talk her into leaving the planet? That she'll leave you alone?"

Levi snorted. "Miriam will no sooner leave this planet than you will. She believes in this world, in this people, as much as you do."

"And does she support partnership with the Conglomerate?"

That drew the colony man up short. "You know, I don't think she's ever said."

Archibald laughed heartily, which given his sickly appearance was startling for someone not prepared for it. "Maybe you ought to ask her some time!"

"I think I might." Levi tried not to grumble.

"Seriously, Levi...what are you afraid of?"

"I'm afraid of many things, Archibald. Mainly, I'm afraid that Miriam is going to get this disease. But even if that doesn't happen ... I'm afraid I'll lose her anyway ... that her spirit will be crushed at the sight of so much death. She's held the hand of dying friends, Archibald. No girl her age should have to go through that."

"She's your granddaughter...and your spirit hasn't been crushed one bit," replied Hiawithus.

Levi sighed. "Yet."

Zion's Children - pt 18

2008-08-01T03:35:00.001-04:00

"I worry about you."

They had this conversation every morning. Miri smiled as she sat down next to her grandfather at their wooden table. Her father had made it from trees from the forest long before she had been born, a betrothal gift when he was courting her mother, Levi's daughter. "I know you do, Grandfather. It is how I know that I am loved."

Levi Davidson snorted. "You work too hard amongst people who do not share our faith, Miriam."

"I'm trying to keep our families from dying," she protested lightly as she bit into overcooked eggs. Not only did her grandfather overcook them, he never seasoned them to her liking either. She sprinkled salt and pepper on them even as he continued his arguements.

"Our people have always been dying. Even before Hitler Exiled us to the wasteland of space. God sent plagues in the desert long before we were sent into the desert of the stars." Levi sighed, knowing that he would loose the argument as he did each day, no matter what new twists he put into it. "This is just one more Plague sent by God to try our faith and weed out..."

"This illness does not come from God!" Miri actually slammed her fork to the table. "And you cannot tell me that God would count the children I have seen die as unworthy! I have read the scriptures just like you, maybe not for as many years, but I know that He loves the children! He scolded his own disciples publicly when they tried to send the children away."

Levi was quiet, conceding the point.

Suddenly, her breakfast no longer appealed to her. She ought to be used to his disaproval of her work in the Post hospital, but it was a tiring subject. Why couldn't he just be proud of her? She slid the plate away and stood. He caught her hand, and held her back from leaving.

"Do you go for the people, Miriam? Is it a burden given to you by God? Or do you go because you like the off-worlders? Because they praise you and stroke your ego?"

This was the newest twist to her grandfather's disapproval. And it cut her to the core that he would think such things of her. But, she answered all the questions truthfully with just one word before pulling free from his gentle grip. "Yes."

Levi sighed, unsure how to interpret her willfulness. "It cannot be yes to all Miriam...pride goes before the fall and I do not wish to see you fall."

"Yes, I go for our people...if I can help find the natural reason for this illness, then I will. Yes, it is something I believe God wants me to do. Yes, I like the off-worlders...Many of them are kind good people. I have seen Marcus...Doctor Alexander weep for the patients he has lost. Lily Bennett is a colony girl, Grandfather. She might not be of our world, but she is of our people and our faith! Yes, they praise me...they encourage the giftings in me, and make me believe that I can be something more than a man's property. It is not pride to acknowledge who I am. And it is not my pride that will doom our people." Miri sighed, then planted a light kiss on his wrinkled forehead. "We really need to find something new to argue about, Grandfather. But later. I must go now if I am to be on time."

Levi sighed in the silence. Knowing his granddaughter as he did, he had no doubt that it wouldn't be long before she supplied him with something new to argue about.

Zion's Children - pt 17

2008-07-30T02:00:00.002-04:00

Byrin only had a few hours sleep and he was headed back to the lab. So far, all the blood samples had been as they were supposed to - with one acception. Those who weren't sick yet, had normal healthy blood. Those who were sick, varied from age group to age group. However, he had acquired a blood sample from a deceased fever victim on a whim, and was surprised to see that the virus was still active and consuming cells long after the person was dead. He had half a mind to dig up the early victims to see if there was anything left of them. He wasn't sure how that would go over though.

From his brief exposure to the people here, he had already caught on that they were a deeply religious society. Even more serious about it that Lily Bennett if he was any judge, though they were no where near as uptight about it as she was. At any rate, he didn't think that they'd react well to his request to 'desecrate' the dead.

And to be completely honest, he wasn't sure of what he would find if the virus continued to be active in a dead body. Would there be anything left at all?

Unsure of how long Miri's originial blood sample had been stored in the refrigeration unit, he lowered the temperature to a quicker freeze while he had been gone for the 'night'. Even now, it was still dark out as he walked back to the lab. Byrin paused only briefly to gaze at the starlit sky. The constellations were unfamiliar here, but on any other night, he would have found them captivating.

He slipped into the hospital as quietly as possible. Even at this early hour, there was activity. Night watch was as busy as the day it seemed, though it seemed quieter. Once in the lab, he pulled the blood samples out and prepared to thaw them.

"Here kind of early aren't you?" came a voice behind him.

Byrin turned and found Doctor Alexander entering the room. "Aren't you?"

The older doctor chuckled. "The difference is, I sleep here."

"Did you sleep well?"

"Did you?" Alexander asked in reply.

"No."

"Neither did I."

"I won't tell Miri if you don't," Byrin commented, beginning to prepare his slides.

The other doctor laughed. "Don't tell me you're afraid of her!"

"That's not the word I would choose." Byrin shook his head. "She's very good at taking care of people."

"That she is. And just to warn you - she'll be able to tell we haven't slept. Whether she'll say anything about it, is a fifty-fifty chance we'll have to take. Just, when she threatens to sedate you, go to bed and get some sleep. Trust me, it's not a pleasant experience."

"Speaking from experience?"

"Yes."

When Alexander didn't elaborate further, Byrin wisely let it drop. "Does she get her way often then?"

The white haired doctor sighed. "Most of the time. She's usually right." Then the doctor grinned widely. "I trained her well."

Byrin chuckled. "So you're the one we have to thank."

"I am."

There was a moment of silence as Byrin held up a vial of blood that was clearly beginning to break down. The red of the blood was streaked with darker layers. "What do you make of that?"

"Please tell me that's not Miri's new sample."

"It's not."

"What stage of the disease it that from?"

Byrin shook the vial gently, but the layers of separation didn't disappear. "Post mortem."

Zion's Children pt - 16

2008-07-03T04:33:00.000-04:00

Byrin ate the thin slices of glazed meat on his plate, vaguely wondering what it was. It sort of tasted like beef, but he wasn't quite sure. Not that it mattered, really. It had been so long since he had eaten 'real' food that he could be eating dog meat for all he knew and it would have tasted wonderful. God, he hoped it wasn't dog meat! The bland food served in most ConFleet mess halls and on the starships were so processed that it ceased being 'real' long before it ever hit the plate. There were also long green beans and a mashed squash that he was unfamiliar with. The greens beans were seasoned well with pepper and the squash was sweetened with a sugar of some kind.

He normally didn't focus this much on food, but at the moment it was distracting him from his distraction. Miri did have a point...he couldn't cure this disease in one night, no matter how hard he tried. But each time he looked at her, he felt an urgency he had never felt before. Her original blood sample had been teaming with the cursed virus...even though her new one was clean. It was something they couldn't explain yet, but he knew deep down that it was a only a matter of time before this woman was sick and dying. And he didn't want that to happen.

And somehow he had worked himself back around to his first distraction.

It was more than her physical beauty. He had seen prettier women, though not by far. No, there was something deep about this woman. Something he couldn't put his finger on. All he knew is that he couldn't let her die. Suddenly the meat was sticking in his throat despite the thin sauce that flavored it.

"How's your food?" Miri asked suddenly, breaking into his thoughts.

Byrin looked over to her, though he had never really looked away. It looked as though she was nearly done with the blood samples. He should finish soon. "It's fine," he replied. "What exactly is the meat?"

Miri smiled. "It's beef. I doubt it tastes like anything you've ever called beef before. I've sampled ConFleet supplies before."

He laughed at how her nose wrinkled in disgust. "Our processed food does tend to be bland."

"That's one word for it."

"I have heard other descriptions," Byrin admitted. Very descriptive words actually. The price of progress he supposed.

Miri fell silent again, and Byrin let her. He dug back into his food, intent on finishing quickly so he could return to his task. Reflexively he checked the time. Miri was also right about that. He should at least let her go so that she could get some sleep. She must think him a slave driver keeping her to help him this long. Had she taken any breaks? Somehow he didn't think so.

"Miri, why don't you go ahead and get some sleep. I'll finish up here."

She tilted her head to look at him. "And when I return in the morning, will I find that you fell asleep at your computer screen?"

"Do I come off as that driven?"

"You do." Her smile took any sting out of the words. "I will stay, Doctor Gold."

He heard the unspoken 'someone needs to make sure you don't work yourself to death.' He managed to hold in his disgruntled sigh. He'd look at these blood samples and take what notes he needed and then they'd put things away for the night. After all, there was nothing stopping him from coming back early in the morning. He set his fork down, intent on his goal.

"All right then," he said. "Let's get this done so that we can call it a night."

Miri nodded as he hopped to his feet. "That's a good idea."

Zion's CHildren pt - 15

2008-06-26T03:55:00.000-04:00

The hour was late by the time the new blood samples were collected and labeled. Miri wasn't expecting Byrin to start looking at them until morning, so she started preparing them to be put in the storage unit.

"Stop," Byrin said, seeing what she was doing. "I want to look at them first."

Without a word, she stopped what she was doing and started pulling the vials back out. It had not escaped her notice that the young doctor hadn't eaten yet, even though she had brought him a tray a while ago. On one hand she admired his dedication, but on the other hand...she wasn't sure if it was the 'nurse' in her, or whether it was the 'woman'...but she was beginning to worry that he might be overdoing things. She would have felt the same concern had it been Marcus or even Lily that she was dealing with. But she was beginning to suspect that her concern for Byrin wasn't quite the same.

"Shouldn't you take a moment to eat something?" she asked, as much to distract her thoughts as to make sure he ate.

Byrin gave a small sigh. "Probably."

"Did you see the tray I brought you? The food should still be edible."

"Yeah, I saw it... It's just..."

Miri smiled. "I admire your dedication to save my people, Doctor, but you can't do that unless you eat something once in a while."

Byrin smiled back at her. "You're right." He gave her a quizzical glance. "Is this why Doctor Alexander had you assist me instead of Nurse Bennett?"

She returned his glance, a little confused. "What do you mean?"

"Because you're good at taking care of people even while you're doing the rest of your job."

"Are you saying that Lily isn't good at her job?" she asked, a little sharply. True, she had only met the other woman earlier that day, but if Miri had any faults, one would be her loyalty to her friends.

Byrin actually chuckled. "Not at all. But she's been in this room how many times, and hasn't commented on whether or not I've eaten?"

He did have a point. Miri managed to shrug. "I can't speak for that, or for Marcus. He assigns his people where he will, where he thinks they'll work best."

"So you're saying I might be right?"

"Maybe. Why don't you go over there and eat the food on that tray, and I'll make sure you're all set up to view these samples when you're done?"

He looked like he wanted to chuckle again, but he merely smiled and walked back to the desk where the tray sat. Miri gave a mental sigh of relief when he began to pick at the food there. She busied her hands with the samples and slides, intent of having the first set ready for him when he was done.

Why had Doctor Alexander assigned her to help this new doctor, instead of the nurse that had accompanied him? Miri had never questioned Marcus' decisions before, and she wasn't now. But Byrin's casual remark did set her to wondering about it herself. Perhaps she would ask him about it tomorrow.

Zion's Children pt - 14

2008-06-19T03:23:00.001-04:00

Miri walked into a quiet lab. Her new friend Lily stood next to Doctor Alexander, who was staring blankly at the microscope while Byrin had moved to stand near the lab's one darkly tinted window. She set down her files, the hard copy backups, onto the counter and waited to see if they would acknowledge her. When they didn't, she blurted out, "I'm sick, aren't I? I just don't know it yet."

The three officers jumped at her voice.

"Actually," Byrin said, turning from the window. He crossed the room as he spoke, his green eyes somber. "Your blood tested negative for the virus."

"But..."

"We know," Alexander interrupted. "It doesn't make sense. Did you find the information you were looking for?"

It was a sign that he was shaken that he had to ask. "I have," Miri answered. "C-15D belonged to Benton Davidson. He was in his 15th year and he died one week ago. Records indicate that he became ill not long after his sample was taken. C-16S belongs to Rebekah Smith. She is nearing her third decade and is still well."

"How old are you, Miri?" Byrin asked. He picked up the files she had set down and flipped through them.

"25," she answered simply.

"Could age be a factor?" Lily wondered aloud.

"The older ones have been slower to become ill," Alexander commented. "Although they don't live as long as the younger ones do. It hits them harder and faster."

Byrin nodded. "Random blood samples, control and ill, from each age group. For both groups, I also want their complete medical background. If we have the people to spare, I want each of the Control group monitored. If we don't have the people, have them monitor themselves...what they eat, what they drink, where...what they do in their free time...everything."

Alexander actually laughed. "Don't ask much, do you?"

The younger doctor had the good grace to blush.

"I'll do my best to see that you get what you want," Alexander replied. "Lily, you split your nurses up however you see fit to draw the blood. You and Miri can work on the cataloging together. Although, Miri..."

"Marc, don't ask me to start taking it easy. I've been working right along not knowing anything was wrong with me, why should I start now? Unless we find that it's an airborne contagion, which I believe hasn't been done yet."

The older doctor laughed again. "My God woman, you've worked for me too long if you can read my mind that well. All right, but I want you to monitor yourself even more than usual. The instant you feel the slightest bit ill..."

"You'll be the first one to know about it," Miri promised. "I do believe it is nearing dinner time however, the carts ought to making their rounds soon. Do you want to break for a moment or eat in?"

Alexander checked his wrist watch. "Right on the money, as always. I promise to eat on the run my dear. Lily, Byrin, you can make up your own minds."

"I'll eat soon," Lily likewise promised, feeling somewhat amused that she was attempting to take care of them.

"I'm not hungry," Byrin said. He turned away from the trio and returned to the main computer.

Nothing was said, but Miri caught the senior doctor's eye long enough to let him know that she would watch out for the younger doctor. After all, it would do her people no good if the man they had prayed for were to fall ill himself before he could find the answer to their illness.

Zion's Children pt - 13

2008-06-16T01:30:00.002-04:00

Doctor Alexander didn't believe it until he saw it with his own eyes. Both he and Lily followed Miri to the lab, and both peered through the microscope. Alexander looked a second time, for a long moment that was heavy with silence. When he pulled away, his face was drawn and white. "Miri, are you certain this is your blood sample?"

"Of course," Miri said, her irritation showing. Ever since these new ConFleet officers had arrived, it seemed that her abilities were being questioned. "I cataloged the samples myself."

"Have you drawn a new sample and had it looked at?"

Miri shook her head.

"That was going to be my next step," said Byrin, deciding not to comment that Miri had left too quickly for him to get a sample.

"But I don't feel any of the symptoms," Miri protested.

"Yes, and this blood sample says you should be almost dead. I'd like to find out why." Alexander looked to Lily. "Find a hypo and draw some blood from her."

Lily left without so much as an acknowledging nod.

"We should draw some more samples," Byrin said. "And have the storage unit checked, to see if it's malfunctioned or been tampered with in any way."

"Why would anyone do such a thing?" Miri asked. Such things were unheard of on this world.

"I'll make sure those things are done," Alexander said to Byrin. He turned to Miri. "Miri, darling, in times of crisis, people do the most desperate things, no matter how illogical."

"Why would someone tamper with the control samples?" argued Miri.

Byrin shrugged. "It'd be a great way to lower morale around here."

"Or mislead our research." Alexander scowled as he looked out the lab door, waiting for Lily to return.

"Doctor..."

"No, not another word. Have you found out who the other two control donor's were?" Two white, almost bushy, eyebrow climbed his forehead.

"Not yet," answered Miri.

"As soon as Lily draws a new sample from you, that is your first order of duty."

Lily returned then, hypo in hand. In silence she drew a sample of blood from Miri. Automatically closing the top off, she handed it to Doctor Alexander.

"All right, Miri. Go ahead now. We'll tell you what we know when you return with those other two names."

"And what their present medical status is," added Byrin.

The young woman made a very disgusted sound, and left the room.

Lily smiled and almost chuckled. "Not exactly afraid to voice her thoughts and feelings is she?"

Alexander answered even as he and Byrin prepared to look at her blood. "Colony world children are like that, I believe. They haven't grown up with the Treaty of Conglomerance. Especially those from America, whose ancestors had the Declaration of Independence."

"I never thought of it that way," Lily admitted.

There was silence after that, as the three split a small portion of Miri's blood and viewed the first one. They each viewed it, then viewed it again.

Byrin voiced what they had all seen...and still had trouble processing... "There's no sign of the virus. She's healthy."

Unspoken was the phrase, 'for now.'

Zion's Children - pt 12

2008-06-08T22:00:00.003-04:00

Lily swiped the probe end of the thermometer across the forehead of the elderly women she was tending to. She hated these thermometers because the reading wasn't as accurate. The general rule of thumb was to add a degree to the results. The small device beeped once, and she turned it to see the readout. 103.3 was not a good readout, especially after adding that one degree.

"How long have you felt this way?" she asked as she prepared a hypo-shot combination of two drugs, acetominophen and a strong antiviral.

The woman was barely able to answer her. "About a week."

"Why didn't you come in sooner, Evvie?" asked Doctor Alexander as he entered the exam area.

"Not enough beds..." Evvie winced as Lily administered the drugs.

"I'd have built one for you!" Alexander admonished kindly. "I'd have given you my own!"

"You already don't get enough sleep," Evvie whispered.

"Hush," Alexander replied. "Lily, if there isn't a bed free, seriously, give her mine. It's the one in the back room."

Lily nodded. "There've been a few that have freed up since I've arrived," she said softly so that Evvie wouldn't hear.

The male doctor sighed. "Come see me when you've gotten her settled."

Again, Lily nodded. She saw the elderly Evvie to a bed and had a civilian orderly help get her settled. The old woman was asleep before Lily left her. She went in search of the doctor, and found him resting in his office. His head was down on his desk, and it took a moment for her to realize that he was weeping. She shut the door fully behind her.

"Doctor Alexander?" she asked softly.

He shuddered, then straightened, hurriedly wiping his face. "I'm all right, Lily. It's just, this is very hard on a man who has delivered their babies, set their broken bones. Every doctor sees his people buried, but it's not supposed to be like this."

"You're right," she agreed. "It's not. When I was a girl, there was a similar plague on my planet. No where near as deadly as this one is, hardly anyone died. It's what made me want to be a nurse."

"As I recall, that was the Flu Scare on Beta Talisman."

"You remember rightly, Doctor Alexander."

"Now Lily," even though he was still a little snuffly from his tears, he stressed his familiar use of her name. "I believe I told you to call me Marcus."

"Once again, you're right." Curse it! She felt herself blushing.

There was a soft knock on the door.

"Come in, Miri," Alexander called out, recognizing her profile through the frosted glass of the door.

Miri cracked the door, taking in the scene without a comment. "Marc...we have a problem."

Zion's Children - pt 11

2008-05-16T03:45:00.000-04:00

"The first thing I want to do," Byrin stated after Alexander had left. He turned on his stool to face the woman that remained with him. Even with his mind on his task, he was still able to take note that she was a beautiful woman. "Is to rerun the blood tests. Do you still have the same samples, or do will we need to draw new blood?"

"The original samples remain." Miri could not hide the upset from her face.

"What's bothering you?" he asked, concerned.

She hesitated before asking, "Do you not trust Marcus' judgement?"

"What? Oh no, I do. I just want to run my own tests." Byrin shrugged. "I like to see things with my own eyes."

Miri nodded, accepting his reason. "I will fetch the samples for you."

"Thank you."

************************************************************

"Miri?" Byrin asked, several hours later. Only the first rounds of his tests were complete, but already he had run into a snag. "Do you by any chance know if these are all the blood samples that were taken?"

"Yes," she replied, coming to stand closer to him. "Why do you ask?"

"There aren't any control samples," Byrin replied.

"But, Doctor Alexander has taken three different samples from people who have shown no signs of the illness."

"Really?" Byrin looked up at her, struck by how brilliant her blue eyes were. "Then why aren't they with the rest of the tests results?"

Miri didn't hide her confusion. "They are. The control samples were numbered C-14B, C-15D, and C-16S."

His sandy blond eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You're kidding. Miri, all three of those samples show active virus cells."

"What?"

"Here...look for yourself." He selected two slides. "This one is C-14B...and this one is V-1A." He set them side by side on the powerful microscope. He stepped to the side and motioned for her to look.

Miri took a step and then leaned down to look into the eyepiece. The two blood samples were nearly identical. 1A was clearly more advanced then the previous control sample, but the two samples showed active virus cells. She pulled away and straightened. "That is impossible."

"Yet - it is." Byrin didn't consider his next words very well. "How were these samples stored?"

Miri hesitated only a heartbeat before answering, "I left them out on the counter all these months."

"What?!" He hoped she was joking.

"Commander, I realize that I am not ConFleet personnel, but I still follow your procedures. The samples were quick frozen. The only time they have been at room temperature was the last time they were tested and the time before this testing."

Byrin sighed. "Miri, I didn't mean it that way."

"How did you mean it then?"

He struggled for words. "I just wanted to know how they were stored!"

"By suggesting that this facility was storing them improperly?"

"All right, I apologize."

Miri looked like she didn't believe him. "Perhaps we ought to be finding out why this has happened?"

"Yes, let's." Byrin took a deep breath. "We're going to need new blood samples. And I would like to find out whether the people who gave the controls samples have contracted the illness."

"Agreed. I can tell you that the one who gave C-14B is still quite healthy. I will have to check the paperwork to find out who the other two came from."

Byrin gave her a quizzical look. "How do you know the one off the top of your head?"

"Because it came from me."

Zion's Children - pt 10

2008-05-14T03:13:00.001-04:00

"Miri's one in a million, Gold, "Alexander said with a pleasant smile. "If I were ten years younger, I'd seriously think about marrying her. She's bright and she works circles around others. She came in here one day, about four years ago and demanded to be allowed to help. This was before this sickness started. Her parents had died from illness when she was a little girl, and her grandfather Levi, who's the leader of this colony, raised her. I gather that her parents dying has a lot to do with her interest in medicine. Levi's a cross between a high priest and governor, and he can be as cross as a bear with a toothache, but I've seen him go all soft for Miri. He and Archie have some fine arguments, but they still go fishing with each other on the weekend."

"What do they disagree about?" Byrin asked.

"It would be better to say what they don't disagree about!" Alexander laughed. "The two spend more time arguing than agreeing. From supplies to Partnership. Archie firmly believes that Partnering with the Conglomerate would benefit these people, while Levi..."

"Grandfather doesn't think we ought to Partner with the Conglomerate because he feels that it would interfere with the people's faith," came Miri's voice as she entered the lab. "And here I would have thought that the two of you would have been in deep discussion about medical issues rather than political. Grandfather always thought you were more politician than doctor, Marc."

"It never hurts to know which way the wind blows, Miri," replied Alexander. "Besides, Byrin has all the information he needs on the screen before him."

"And it makes no sense," Byrin muttered. It was a little embarrassing getting caught discussing something other than the disease. He wondered how much the woman had overheard, and if she was angry over being part of the conversation. He couldn't help it if he found her intriguing, even in the midst of trying to figure out how to heal her people. "I can understand a virus weakening an immune system, even immune systems attacking itself. I mean, the Nazi Regime introduced viruses all the time to wipe out towns. But this virus isn't anything I've ever seen or studied before. It's not even a rogue mutation of anything known. And from what is here, you haven't found the trigger yet."

"This is why you were called in, Byrin. We're hoping you can see something we can't."

Byrin didn't answer. He did just scan the information, and from the looks of things, there were more files to go through. "How many people have died so far?"

"It has killed roughly half of the people in this region. I have not heard what the numbers are for the other two regions on the planet," Miri answered quietly.

"The numbers are about the same. The two villages are smaller than this one," Alexander said for Byrin's benefit.

Miri continued to speak. "We boil our water before drinking and cooking. We even boil the water we use for cleaning, and the water we bathe in. We have washed everything that's washable, and a few things that weren't. We disinfect everything with the supplies the Conglomerate sends. We maintain the highest possible sanitary conditions, and still we have people dying of fevers with no notice.

Doctor Alexander rose from his stool. "I shall return to tending the sick, and mollifying Archi and Levi. I'll leave the two of you to your work."

He left the two in a gloomy silence.

Zion's Children - pt 9

2008-05-09T00:45:00.002-04:00

"The first ship landed here in 2039. They used the ship to build the first shelters, as most colonies did back then. Half the first shipment died within the first year due to starvation and exposure to the winter elements. Three more ships were sent here, overcrowded and low on supplies, before they started shipping the Exiles to Beta Talisman. It wasn't long after that the government was overthrown and these people were left on their own while Earth reorganized itself. Through hard work and some spilled blood, these people forged their own society. And you're right, it's mainly a mix of Jewish and American cultures."

"The Americans were a hardy lot in their day," Byrin commented when Alexander paused in his story. "Part of my family descends from late American Rebels."

"I know," remarked Alexander. "Information can be hard to get out here, but I do my best to follow your career. I remember well all the press reports when your heritage came out."

Byrin chuckled, trying to hide his embarrassment. "Yes, well, depending on which news channel you watched, I was either lauded for having heroes for ancestors...or 'rebel outlaws'."

Alexander made a snorting sound. "Those were tabloid scum that thought they could get higher ratings, boy. Everyone knows that if it weren't for the late American and French Rebels that the Hitler’s would never have been overthrown. The Nazi Regime was the bloodiest mess anyone ever saw."

"And if what you tell me is true, there's still traces of it left."

"Mostly attitudes," the white haired doctor said. "Some people feel that there would never have been a Holocaust if it weren't for the Jews, so they'd rather that the people just disappear. They don't seem to get that it's the same attitude of the government that they overthrew."

“But they act on these attitudes?” Byrin asked, betraying his ignorance of the machinations of the government he served.

Alexander reminded himself that the young doctor had probably spent more time in labs and hospitals than in current events. “Shipments to Colony Worlds that haven’t partnered with the Conglomerate are routinely delayed. They’re often incomplete and damaged. Food supplies that are meant to feed the colonists are often spoiled, while the rations for ConFleet aren’t. I’ve even known of shipments that never arrive. As you can see, we are short staffed. Once a Colony World, such as Beta Talisman is partnered, such things generally stop. But not always.”

Conversation lagged for a moment as Byrin was caught up in the old test results. Initial symptoms were hard to spot, as the mimicked the flu. Byrin shook his head; so many deadly viruses mimicked the flu in the early stages. And from what he was seeing from the viral construct...it was something new. It wasn't even a mutation. From the initial achiness and dizziness, the body's temperature began to rise as the virus took over healthy cells and either transformed the cell into a new virus cell, or consumed it for energy. It didn’t seem fair to Byrin that this world had to deal with a deadly disease on top of the injustices that Doctor Alexander had voiced.

"I never answered your question, did I?" Alexander mused, interrupting Byrin's study.

"Which one?"

"About Miriam."

Byrin turned his head from the computer screen before him to look at the other man. "No, not really." He smiled in anticipation and once again, waited for the doctor to share.

Zion's Children - pt 8

2008-03-31T02:30:00.003-04:00

"This is a vicious disease," Doctor Alexander said, sitting down on a stool in the lab he had taken Byrin to. "High fever, with delirium. As far as I can tell, their immune systems are turning against them and attacking the healthy cells."

"Have you found the trigger?" Byrin asked, looking around. The high tech equipment they had brought with them hadn't been set up yet, but he could see that it would contrast almost violently with the quaint room, as did the equipment that was already present. There was a healthy array of equipment set up among wooden tables and chairs as well a as mixture of wooden and metal cabinets. At least the Conglomerate coloring was absent.

"You wouldn't be here if I knew what the trigger was." Alexander sighed tiredly. "I can't find anything in the water. The air is fine, better than anything you'll find on Earth. Pollen and mold counts are the same they've been since I landed here with the Admiral. Their food is better than the highly nutritious ConFleet ration bars. I'm fresh out of ideas."

"All right," Byrin wisely ignored the sarcasm he detected in some of the other doctor's comments. "Do you mind if I go over your data? Just in case you missed something?"

Alexander smiled roguishly. "If that were to come from anyone other than you, Gold, I'd be offended. It's all on the main computer." He waved toward the longest rectangular table and the machine that sat upon it. "Go for it. When Miri gets here, I'll leave the two of you to work on your own. And don't worry, she's well acquainted with our technology."

Byrin centered himself in front of the main computer and began to access its files. "What is it with her? I mean, you've set her above ConFleet officers and seem to prefer her. Doesn't anyone mind?"

"Other than your Lieutenant, no one minds. Because I'm not the only one that prefers her. Everyone here can see her potential, along with the countless others we have working with us. If this planet were a full partner in the Conglomerate, she'd have been sent of to the Academy before she'd finished high school. And she's just one woman. This planet is full of untapped potential. It's a waste."

"I heard the Admiral say the same thing." Byrin scrutinized an early test as he spoke. It didn't escape his attention that the older man hadn't exactly answered his question. Even if this planet was full of untapped potential, that still didn't explain Miri's favored status.

"That doesn't surprise me," replied the other doctor. "Archie's been trying to get this colony turned into a full Conglomerate partner for years. He's their biggest supporter."

"I gather as much. What seems to be the hold up? With the partnership, I mean."

"Left over anti-semitism."

Bryin turned his gaze to look at the other doctor. "Excuse me?"

"You don't know?" Alexander sounded shocked. "Zeta Muria is one of the first colonies ever formed."

The younger doctor cursed. "Which means it was formed primarily of Jews and Americans."

"Ah, so you do know a bit of history."

"Some." Byrin turned his gaze back to the computer screen, but his attention was divided. "Tell me more about the colony."

Zion's Children - pt 7

2008-03-01T03:15:00.001-05:00

Although their backs were turned to her Miri nodded her head at Doctor Alexander's instructions. She watched their departure with interest, then turned back to regard Lily Bennett with curiosity. "You're not really upset, are you? About not working with the handsome doctor?"

Lily smirked. "Miriam, my taste finds Doctor Alexander far more handsome than Gold." Which was true. She preferred the calm authoritative men to the pompous ones. His white hair made him look older than he was, but he was still handsome.

"Then why did you question Marc's decision?"

She shrugged. Why indeed? "Old habits die hard," was all Lily decided to share. It would be embarrassing to admit that it was jealousy of the other woman.

"Yes," Miri agreed. She almost smiled. "Sometimes the old nature doesn't want to admit that it was crucified on the cross."

Lily blinked. "Excuse me?"

"Are you not a Christian?"

Now Lily frowned. "ConFleet regulations prohibit religious witness."

Miri gave a knowing smile. "ConFleet regulations prohibit their officers from sharing their faith, with each other and the people they serve. Yes, I know. I've worked closely with Confleet these past several years and know their regulations rather well. Of course, it helped growing up with them. Nurse Bennett, the regulations state that you cannot start the conversation and that you cannot proselytize. I started the conversation, and I am already a Christian. We are well within the regulations, regardless of whether my assessment of you is correct."

"Indeed, we are." That could explain why the woman had seemed familiar to her earlier. She had heard of the phenomenom before, of Christians being able to recognize one another on sight, but had never experienced it herself. "How is it you're a Christian? I mean..."

Miri chuckled. "Three quarters of this colony held to the Judeo-Christian faith long before the first ConFleet ships set down and announced that there was going to be a military outpost on this world. I've been told they were quite surprised to discover that, along with the fact that we had some semblance of 'civilization'. Come, we'll talk more as we walk and work. Marc doesn't like to be kept waiting."

Lily gave a friendly smile. This was a likable woman, and she knew they were going to be great friends.

Zion's Children - pt 6

2008-02-28T04:45:00.000-05:00

Authors note: sorry this has taken so long, moving was a regular pain in the butt. Literally! Back to our story...

"Good!" Doctor Alexander rubbed his hands together briskly. "Now that all the introductions are out of the way, let's get to work! Gold, you'll come with me to the lab and I'll brief you. Miri, you show Nurse Bennett around. I want her to take your place so that you can assist Doctor Gold."

"Excuse me? I was under the impression that I would be assisting Doctor Gold," Lily spoke up with a firm voice. By no means was she going to allow herself to be displaced by an unschooled colony girl who had gained the favoritism of the head doctor!

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence.

"Marc, if she'd rather work with the doctor, I don't mind," said the younger woman softly.

"But I do." Doctor Alexander replied, his face as firm as Lily's tone had been. "Nurse Bennett..." He paused to look at the rank pips on the woman's uniform collar, even though her rank had already been given. It was a decidedly polite, if stern, silent reminder for the nurse to remember her place. "Lieutenant, I don't know what you were expecting, but I am the senior ranking medical officer assigned to this delightful rock. I am here in the midst of this situation and have been since the start...given that, ConFleet fully recognizes that I might be a little better equipped to make command decisions than some desk jockey in the high rises on Earth. Grand Admiral Kensington herself said that I would be free to reassign as I saw fit."

Lily nodded, recognizing authority and submitting to it. Not that the doctor left any room for argument. "My apologies, Doctor. I misunderstood my orders."

"Feel free to come to me when you have questions, Nurse Bennett, then we can avoid these embarrassing moments." Alexander turned to the taciturn Freeman...who looked as uncomfortable as a cat in a dog kennel. "Jonathan, thank you for your services. Tell Archie we're hard at work."

"I'll do that. Good day." Freeman turned and left. Quickly.

Silence once again descended.

"You were going to show me the lab?" Byrin prompted the other doctor.

"Yes, so I was. Miri, when you're done with Nurse Bennett, come find us. This way Gold." He gave one last quizzical look at Lily, then turned and walked away.

Zion's Children pt 5

2007-12-19T15:22:00.000-05:00

There were no private rooms in this infirmary, instead a series of large rooms that served as wards. There were rows of cots filling the main ward, each filled with a sick colonist. Lily assumed that originally the sick had been separated by gender, and maybe age, but sheer volume had pressed the need to use every cot. Some of the filled cots had covers pulled up over their faces to indicate that they had expired. From what she could see, the cots were filled as soon as they were emptied, the new patients waiting nearby for the sheets to be changed.

Both ConFleet nurses and female colonists were moving among the cots, caring for the sick. The male colonists seemed reserved for the removal of the dead bodies, though that could be a quick assumption. One woman, obviously not ConFleet, paused in her duties to watch the three officers move through. Lily looked at her as long as she could. The other woman was shorter than Lily, with waves of long brown hair cascading down her shoulders. Her eyes were piercing, even at a distance and Lily thought they were blue. The colonist wasn't as thin, but she wasn't fat either, just solid with womanly curves.

Lily didn't know why, but there was something strikingly familiar about this woman. She as certainly attention grabbing. Maybe if she had a chance, the two would meet while caring for the patients and Lily could learn more. Not that it mattered, as she didn't come here to make friends.

"Do you notice that there aren't any ConFleet among the sick?" murmured Byrin to her and Freeman.

"We've noticed," Freeman said as softly, his eyes demanding Byrin's silence.

Lily took a closer look, and was shocked to see that the men were right. How could a deadly illness that was so contagious not be spread even to ConFleet personnel? While they were highly immunized, there was no immunization for this disease.

"Ah, here's Doctor Alexander." Freeman hurried his steps and came to a halt in front of a tall man in white robes. "Doctor Alexander! Here is the doctor ConFleet has sent us to help you."

The man turned and Lily could see the strain about his eyes. He was an older man, with a shock of white hair that made him seem older than he actually was. His hazel eyes were sad and compassionate, even though they were lines with both stress and fatigue. His eyebrows climbed his forehead as he took in the newcomers.

"No one told me they were sending Doctor Gold!" Alexander exclaimed. He held out his right hand and gladly shook Byrin's hand. "Well, well, well. Maybe now we'll get someplace."

Byrin, used to having to introduce himself before he was recognized, let his hand be shook and said solemnly, "Pleased to meet you, Doctor."

"Doctor," interrupted Freeman. "This is Lieutenant Lily Bennett, one of the nurses they sent."

"A pleasure to meet you," Lily said, trying not to be offended at his lack of recognition of her. But then, why should he? Unlike the doctor, she was just another medical officer and Gold was a genius.

"Likewise." Alexander grinned broadly, a new glimmer in his eyes. "Now you, my flower, can call me Marcus. Let's see, where has Miriam gotten off to?" He turned to a nearby nurse. "Eva, quick, find me Miri and bring her here."

The nurse nodded, and went to find the one requested.

Alexander turned back to the new comers and further explained saying, "Miri isn't ConFleet, but there's no one I'd rather have in charge of my nurses."

"That's highly unusual," Lily commented. "Don't the officers complain?"

"No, they don't," the white haired doctor answered. "Put simply, everyone loves Miri and gladly follows here orders. Not that she has to actually order people around."

Lily wasn't sure she liked the idea, as she would now be the ranking nurse, but wasn't presently in an atmosphere to comment. Maybe later, when there wasn't such a audience.

"Ah, here she is!" Alexander beamed as brightly as any proud father could have. "Miri, this is Doctor Byrin Gold and Nurse Lily Bennett. Gold, Lily, this is Miriam Brightfame."

To Lily's delight, it was the very woman that had earlier caught her attention.

"Pleased to meet you," Miri said sincerely. She smiled, her blue eyes crinkling prettily at the corners, and held out her hand to be shaken.

"Likewise," said Lily, unable to stop her own smile as she shook the offered hand.

Byrin shook her hand as well, but he only smiled at her.

Zion's Children Pt 4

2007-12-17T11:18:00.000-05:00

Lily Bennett sighed in relief as she set her bag on the soft-carpeted floor of her assigned rooms. Unlike the commander, she welcomed the sight of the furnished room. Her first fear upon being told of her new assignment was that she would have to live in primitive conditions. She hadn’t told the brash young doctor that she had grown up on a colony world much like Zeta Muria.

There were colony worlds, and then there were colony worlds. Political dissidents established the very first colony worlds, as well as those sent into exile, often against their own will. Zeta Muria was one of them, as was her home world of Beta Talisman. Her ancestors had been herded into a ship along with other religious zealots and sentence to death among the stars. Their ship had drifted for untold years after the hyperdrive had failed them, and they had eventually been forced to land on the first inhabitable planet they found. If it hadn’t been for the earthquakes it would have been ideal, but they’d had no choice. People who had been used to some level of comfort suddenly had to become frontiersmen.

Shaking off her melancholy, Lily set about unpacking her bag and arranging the few mementoes she carried with her. The past was the past and no amount of prayer could change it. She wanted nothing more that to cure these people and return to the civilization of the Core Worlds.

After showering in a real shower and changing into a fresh uniform, the solemn nurse returned to the front desk. Freeman was still waiting there and looked as though he hadn’t moved the entire time she’d been gone.

While they waited for the doctor, Lily decided to make some conversation as it felt too awkward to her to stand there in silence.

“How long have you been here, Lieutenant?” she asked.

“I came out with the General fifteen years ago.”

“You’ve been here fifteen years? Do you ever get home?” Lily couldn’t fathom being in one place that long.

Freeman looked confused. “This is my home.”

“Ok,” she said, drawing the word out in disbelief.

“I was born in space,” Freeman explained. “I never had a home until I was assigned here. My family comes once in a while, but they never stay long. They don’t like being tied down.”

“I see.” Personally, Lily could understand the feeling. She never wanted to be tied down to one place or person. She didn’t have time for sentimental foolishness. She couldn’t.

“Ah, here comes Doctor Gold,” declared Freeman as he spied the approaching doctor.

As the three set off on another trip, Lily looked slyly at the doctor. Truly he was a good-looking man, even if you didn’t like his type. He was tall and his blond hair had natural red highlights in it. His blue eyes were strikingly sharp and open. Gold’s features were fine, as if his face had been chiseled to create the angles and then sanded to soften the edges. And his smile could stop a woman’s heart if he wasn’t careful. She almost regretted that he wasn’t a Christian and therefore considerable for her, but given his love of the frontier, perhaps it wasn’t a bad thing.

The infirmary, three blocks away from the housing, and was as she expected…primitive. It was a whitewashed one-story clapboard and stone building whose only redeeming quality was that it was large. It easily covered twice as much ground as the Housing building. The interior reflected the exterior, but at least it was clean and had good lighting. Even above the smell of disinfectant, there was the overriding smell of death.

Lily wanted to go home.

Zion's Children Pt 3

2007-12-16T05:00:00.001-05:00

The general had been a fat man once, but now he was a skeletal figure. His skin sagged grotesquely under his chin, and his beige uniform was clearly too big for him. There were dark bags under his eyes, and his over all pallor was almost a match for his uniform. To Byrin, the man looked like death warmed over. He wondered if the man had been ill recently, and if he had been...what had he suffered from?

Looking up from his desk, Hiawithus blinked rapidly as he took the two in. "Only two? I thought Command was sending more! We're not a small colony for Pete's sake!"

"There are two more on the ship still," Byrin volunteered. "They were indisposed and told us to go on ahead of them." Which was true enough. "Sir, I am..."

"I know who you are, Gold," interrupted the general, in a tone that was far from friendly. His tone changed only slightly for the better as he looked at the one woman in the room. "And you by your pips would be Bennett. I've always thought that the Conglomerate was against this outpost, indeed against this very colony since it's uncovering. Now...I know it." The general stood and walked sadly away from his desk to the room's small window. "Gold, I don't care that you are the most brilliant doctor this galaxy has seen in a hundred years...you're only here for show. Once this colony is destroyed by this abominable plague, they will be justified to withdraw this outpost and point to you and say 'We gave it our best, but it just wasn't meant to be'. What a waste. These people are a precious lot and no one cares what happens to them."

"I care, sir," Bennett said softly.

"I don't doubt that you do. I've studied your file, Bennett." For a moment, the general's tone soften. But not for long. "Yours too, Gold." His tone suggested that he was far from impressed with the young doctor. "Jonathan, show them to their lodging and then to the Infirmary. I want them tending to these people at once and I want them working on finding a cure."

"Yes sir," Freeman answered, snapping off a tired salute that his commanding officer didn't even see. He turned and left, clearly expecting the doctor and nurse to follow.

They had no choice but to do exactly that. Byrin glanced down at Bennett, but the nurse wasn't even looking at him. She hadn't looked straight at him since he'd suggested four days into the trip that she share his quarters with him. The woman had acted like she'd never been hit upon before. Byrin sighed at the memory and returned to inspecting the scenery as they left the building.

Not only was the sky here bluer than Earth's, almost purple, but the clouds seemed to have a bluish tint as well. Byrin saw birds gliding on high thermals and wondered what kind they were. The few trees he had seen so far were bare and he wondered if this part of the planet was in its autumn or winter. It seemed too warm to be that time of year, but then he wasn't overly familiar with this planet.

The trio walked across the street, or what served as the main street. Far to the left, Byring could make out what he thought was a glimmer of water, and wondered if they were on the edge of a large lake or small sea. This road had been paved once, but it had clearly been some years since it had been maintained. They walked by several potholes, some of them large. The building they were heading for, just a bit up the road from the general's office, was a large three-story red brick building that boldly claimed that it was "Conglomerate Housing".

"Wait, Conglomerate Housing? But the General's office is in a clapboard building." Byrin often had issues with the style and comfort the Conglomerate insisted on, even in frontier territory, but wondered at the discrepancy. Even if the general was eccentric, it made no sense to him.

"Where would you rather live?" Bennett asked acerbically. "I'd much rather live in comfort and work in hell than the other way around."

Byrin picked up on the biting tone of her voice and winced. Yes, he had discovered a lot about his companions on the trip out here. All three of the women with him disagreed with him on many topics, including a frontier assignment.

As they climbed the steps to the building, Freeman spoke. "Yes, this building and our other office building is rather out of place on this quaint world. And the general's preference does seem odd, but now would not be the time or the place to discuss it."

Freeman saw that they were given their room assignments at the front desk and said he would expect them back in half an hour.

Byrin sighed as the lift doors closed behind Bennett as she got off on the second floor. He was eternally grateful that they'd been assigned to different floors. For a brief moment he wondered where the other two nurses had been assigned.

With an indifferent attitude, he stepped out onto the third floor landing. He took in the Conglomerate decor without a second glance. The colors were the same on a thousand worlds; golden yellow and sage green, often with a dash of navy blue for accent.

The young doctor found his room easily and unlocked it with the pass card he'd been given downstairs. He stood in the doorway for a moment, wondering what he had expected. A small living room greeted him, with a fully furnished kitchenette visible to the right. There were two doors off the the left, presumably entryways for the bedroom and bath. The living room sported a long yellow and green couch with two matching armchairs all around a fetching glass coffee table. There were, of course, various accents of flowers and artwork scattered about. The large window on the wall across from the main doorway looked like a Picture Window, one that could be set to show whatever view from whatever planet you desired if you didn't like the natural view out the window. In the right corner near the window was a workstation complete with desk and computer. If he was of a mind to, Byrin could probably dial up his mother on the Earth/Lunar Colony and let her know that he'd arrived safely.

And the people outside the building were dying.

Zion's Children Pt 2

2007-12-14T03:40:00.001-05:00

As the mismatched threesome made their way across the landing field, Byrin was only vaguely aware of Bennett at his side. He liked the nurse and knew that, had certain things been different, they would have been sleeping with each other long before the trip out here had ended. However the blond woman was vehemently opposed to sex outside of marriage as she was a diehard Christian. When on a ship as small as the Solar Winds and on a trip as long as they were, you learned a lot about your shipmates. Not only was Bennett a Christian, the other two women with them were lovers and the captain of the ship had loud flatulence. Given the thin nature of the walls, it had been a long trip indeed.

The doctor sighed, wishing to banish all thoughts of the past trip from his mind. Glancing around, he took a deeper look at the area surrounding him. The landing pad was situated on top of a hill, and the valley below gave evidence of what used to be a prosperous village…city? At the edge of the inhabited area, he had no trouble spotting the ConFleet buildings. They were simply the most modern buildings present.

Also easy to spot were the body bags lining the field outside of a long building only a mile from the modern buildings. Piles of them. As they came down the winding path, Byrin watched as a mixture of ConFleet personnel and native colonists loading the filled bags onto the backs of old gasoline engine trucks. Their destination was as easy to spot as the bags. Off to the west of town, was the graveyard. The bare ground showed the new graves and the falling trees showed how the forest was being cleared to make room for more.

Other than that, there were few people to be seen. Byrin counted perhaps a dozen. He wondered if that meant the others in this area had run away, or if they were already dead. It was a disheartening thought, and he wondered if he had been sent to save only a dozen people.

He didn't have time now to ponder the source of the different spots of thick smoke on the far side of the valley, but he made note to find out what was going on there. He hoped they weren't burning bodies; the very thought was distasteful.

Freeman led the two past the first ConFleet building, and into a small clapboard building across the street. It looked no different than the buildings around it, right down to the faded whitewash. It was a one-story building resembling a box with windows and looked more suited to Earth’s American pioneer era.

“Why are we going in here?” Bennett asked.

“Because this is where the General keeps his office,” Freeman replied as he opened the door. He took the time to sign them in on an electronic notepad at the front desk.

“Are you serious?”

Byrin looked at the nurse with impatience. “So, the General's eccentric. Is it any of your concern?”

Freeman cleared his throat. “Follow me.” He led the way again, this time down a narrow hallway that caused them to walk in single file even though it was unnecessary. The office farthest back, indeed, at the very end of the hallway, had a dim gold plate attached to the door bearing the unlikely name and title of ‘General Archibald Hiawithus, III’. On this door, Freeman knocked firmly and awaited the barked command to enter.

The general’s aide opened the heavy door and announced, “I’ve brought them, sir.”

Zion's Children - Pt 1

2007-12-12T04:18:00.001-05:00

Zion's Children
by - R.A. Slater

This is a piece of originial fiction, from start to finish.

He was born to be a doctor, and he was born to doctor on the frontier. That's why he had jumped, almost literally, at this chance to be posted on the remotest of the Fringe Outposts. The people of Zeta Muria were in the midst of battling a violent plague and needed the galaxy's best medical mind and the Conglomerate's best technology. He was that mind, and Byrin Gold brought with him every scrap of the latest technology HQ had allowed him to bring.

Byrin had worked hard in medical school, and twice as hard at his internship, but none of that had prepared him for what he found when he stepped off of the gangplank of the G.C.S Solar Winds that first afternoon onto the reddish soil of Zeta Muria.

Bennett, the highest ranking nurse sent with him, said it best as she came to an abrupt stop by his side. She looked across the valley below them and sighed deeply. "They've sent us to hell."

The commanding officer in Byrin took over. "Belay that Lieutenant." He might agree, but that didn't mean he was going to freely broadcast his opinions. A ConFleet officer just didn't do that...at least, not in public where opnions could be overheard by superior officers or civilians. The young doctor shouldered his dufflebag and began walking briskly across the gravel of the open landing field. He looked briefly at the outlying scenery and decided that if it weren't for the obvious colorings of death, this would have been a beautiful world with it's red soil and not quite purple sky.

A tall man, flanked by a beefy looking woman, both CF officers, met them mid field. It was the man who spoke, his words fired rapidly as though he were afraid of interruption. "I am Lieutenant Commander Jonathan Freeman, aide to the General." His darker skin hinted at his families background. "Are you the doctor?"

"I am," Byrin asnwered. He waved his hand towards Bennett. "This is Lieutenant Lily Bennet, my ranking nurse. There are two more nurses, but they are still on board."

The good doctor didn't mention that the two women had turned out to be frailer than they looked and were probably still in the head puking their guts out due to the rough atmospheric entry and the ground landing that hadn't been much better.

"Very well," Freeman said, said, his manner relaxing. "I will leave First Ensign Talzman to escort them and will take escort the two of you to the General myself. He is most anxious." The man nodded curtly to the woman with him, and had barely received the 'Aye sir' from her before turning and taking off at a quick pace.

Both Byrin and Bennett were left with no choice but to follow after him.

The Next Undiscovered Country...

2007-12-09T19:22:00.000-05:00

I've got a couple different directions I could go next, story wise.

Zion's Children - What if Hitler wasn't defeated as quickly as he had been in our time? What would have emerged? In this alternate timeline, Hitler's regime wasn't taken down until years after space flight had been developed, allowing him and his regime to ship Jews and other dissidents off planet and into the deep reaches of space. As these castaways struggled to build a working society and just plain survive in the wildernesses where they landed, Hitler's Regime was finally defeated. But was the defeat as thurough as they thought, or did the anti-semitism live on? Dr. Byron Gold begins to question this as he is faced with a dying planet...a plague that targets only those with a certain DNA code. He struggles to find the cure, as the people he has begun to know and love continue to die around him. {This one has the most work done}

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation - Pressed for Murder - CSI fan fiction. Instead of finding the plates for his next job, the pressman finds his co-worker bloody and nearly unconsious. The video surveillance tapes have been altered, leaving a blank window when anyone could have walked in and out of the room unseen...but otherwise show only her and the pressmen leaving and entering. Follow the crime scene crew as they try to find out who tried to kill her. Her attacker will be only one of the surprises revealed. {not as formulated yet, still in theory}

After Sanctuary - Would be a look back on Q as Ian and Virginia's first time after the Sanctuary District. How did she end up there, what happened to her there, and why don't they talk about it that much?

Not sure which story I'm going to start posting next, but look for the next post of...whatever...soon. Any thoughts anyone? :)

Resistance Is Futile - Epilogue

2007-12-08T05:25:00.000-05:00

Captain's Personal Log:

The Borg are gone. I felt their demise...their whisper in my mind is gone. Simply gone. It as though for the first time since my assimilation, I am alone in my head and no longer have to look over a mental shoulder. Oddly enough, I did not feel their complete end until Virginia was in sickbay.

With the Borg gone, the Federation faces as new day. The War Council has largely been disbanded, some members staying on to form a new council. Aside from StarFleet's normal mandate of space exploration, we have added a Reclamation mission. The Enterprise will be but one of several ships heading into what was Borg space to see what remains and what can be reclaimed.

It has been barely 2 hours since the departure of Virginia and Q, and the Empress and Ambassador...though I now have the strange compulsion to refer to Q as Ian.

I am looking forward to dinner with Beverly tonight, with only a small amount of anxiety. I cannot deny the arguements that have been made. But there still resides in my memory a glimpse of what Guinan called a 'future imperfect'. She claims that future that Q shuffled me back and forth through is but one glance of what could be...the future is liquid she says, constanly shifting depending on the choices we make. It brings to mind the experiences we've had with parrallel universes...pictures of how our lives could have been had different choices been made. Perhaps a romance with Beverly need not end badly.

Sometimes I wonder...is there a parrallel universe where Will Riker survived Soran's attacks...or a universe where the Borg prevails? It is sometimes a disturbing thought, wondering such things. Which reality is more real, I wonder? Perhaps it doesn't matter...to just make the most of the reality I am in.

Resistance Is Futile - pt 55

2007-12-05T03:00:00.000-05:00

"Even now, the Oryon Council is being arrested," Empress Rixa said. "I shall serve the rest of my time without a Council, Virginia shall appoint a new one when she assumes the thrown."

"Then she's still going to be Empress?" Picard asked.

"Of course. It is futile to resist prophecy...and destiny," Rixa said, her eyes on Q and Virginia. Her eyes suggested that she sensed something far beyond the physical. Raven-Cloud's eyes suggested the same. "Our people have stagnated for years, Picard...and Virginia is the stick that has stirred the waters and upset the 'status quo' of our lives. And there have been many that have resented that...many have resented her very birth. Some have said that because she was concieved by coersion she should never have been allowed to be a legitimate heir, or even to live. Regardles of how life is concieved, it is still an act of God. He is the lifegiver." Rixa sighed. "I don't expect you to understand, any of you, the politics that have plagued her life...simply because I allowed her to be born. Her mother...her mother understood, even though she hated the child as much as she did the father. Perhaps more. I will never understand why she insisted on raising Virginia, but since it was the only way she would allow the girl to be born, we had little choice. Virginia's upbringing has been a source of much contention."

"So wasn't Ian's," remarked Raven-Cloud softly.

"As it is with all hybrid's," Rixa said. "They are a much..."

The soft sound of Virginia's voice drew there attention to the bed where she lay. Her body bore no marks from being assimilated, both of her cobalt blue eyes were there as her lids fluttered open.

"Ian," she had whispered, and now whispered again.

"Yes, my love?" his voice almost but not quite hoarse.

"Sanc...sanctuary..." Her hand came up to touch his face, to run her fingers through his black hair. "Can you take me to where we went after the Sancuary Discrict? Please?"

"I would love to, but I have no idea what condition it's in, sweetheart...I haven't been there for years..." he answered, his hands caressing her face as well. Brushing hair that wasn't there before away from her face, he delighted in the smile on her face.

Both were oblivious to their audience. Until Rixa interrupted, saying, "I've seen to its care, Ian. It's fine. Go ahead and take her. You have a year before anyone will bother you."

Q/Ian took his eyes off Virginia for a heartbeat to look at Rixa in surprise...and then thanks. "Yes, Your Majesty."

Then the two disappeared in a flash of light.

"Showoff," Rixa said with a smile.

"That was beautiful," commented the long silent Deanna Troi. The other two women with her voiced their quiet agreement.

"There is nothing more beautiful than true love," Rixa said. "The kind that last years of seperation...real or imagined. The kind of love that perseverse through trials. And cannot be resisted." She looked pointedly at Picard, barely glancing at his red-headed flame. Then her eyes waxed reminiscent. "Those two are like opposite poles of a magnet. They were meant from each other from the beginning, I think, even more than Marcus. He was a good man, but Ian understands her far better. At any rate, we must be going." Rixa turned her blue eyes back to Picard and smiled. "I'll try to give you more warning before I visit again, Picard. I know how you don't like surprises like this. And think about what I said."

"I will Your Majesty, but before you go...I thought Q said you were dying?" Picard asked, his curiousity piqued.

The sparkle in her eyes was nothing short of pure mischief, and the captain knew where Virginia got her love of innocent mischief from. "Aren't we all? Part of the charade, my dear captain, to flush out the true feelings of the Council. And what better way than a dying queen to see whether they want the hieress or not? They were the ones being tested, not her. Come Raven-Cloud. Good-bye Captain...and crew." She gave them all a solemn nod, then she and Raven-Cloud disappeared in a much more subdued flash of light.

There was a brief moment of silence.

"I like her," Doctor Crusher decided.

"So do I. She reminds me of Virginia," Deanna said.

"What did she mean, Jean-Luc? About you were to think on what she said?" Crusher asked, not quite as innocently as she seemed.

Picard looked a little uncomfortable, but then relaxed. "Why don't we discuss it over dinner, Beverly?"

"I think that would be lovely." She flashed him a bright smile.

"Now, since this crisis is over...I have to inform the War Council of the proceedings. I do hope that the Empress or the Ambassador remembered to clear Virginia's year with Q...Ian...with StarFleet Headquarters."

"I doubt they would say 'no' to her," remarked Guinan.

"I don't think I'd have it in me either. She strikes me as a formidible woman." Picard looked at Beverly. "I'll talk to you later."

"Yes Captain."

"Deanna, please come with me. I'll need a statement about what happened out there."

"Aye sir."

The two left, leaving Guinan alone with the doctor who returned to her duties after a brief word of parting.

Guinan smiled. Things felt...right. In this she was comforted as she returned to Ten-Forward.

All that's left is an epilogue

Resistance Is Futile - pt 54

2007-12-03T01:16:00.000-05:00

Q/Ian shut out the conversation behind him. He barely registered the fact that the Empress herself had made her presence known. He stilled at the head of Virginia's bed, his heart filled with echos of her pain. She was perilously balanced between life and death, and he knew that her link to him was probably the only thing saving her life.

"I'm here, sweetheart," he said softly, his hands coming to both sides of her head. Closing his eyes, he deepened that link...reaching to her through their Bond.

It was violent, the sensations he had to push through...which he shouldn't have had to do, there should have been no resistance at all...but then he remembered the Borg and how they did things. Not only had they assimilated a drunk Gandraleayian half-breed...but one who was Bonded to another of her kind...one who wasn't drunk. Belatedly he wondered how much of a role he had played in the demise of the Borg. Probably more than he realized, but less than he would have liked. Because he had felt that other Presence as well, and knew He had far more to do with their demise than either he or Virginia. They had both been vessels.

Jars of clay...

Virginia? It had been her thought. There was no doubt in him about that. Q/Ian chased it down like a bloodhound on the scent.

Broken jar...light shines through better...

Her presence met him halfway. Virginia...his thoughts were an intimate whisper.

Help me...

Follow me...Clinging to her presence, feeling her clinging to him with a strength he had forgotten she had, Q/Ian led her back through the miasma of pain left behind by the Borg...

Why is this still here? I don't understand Ian...I felt them die...

I don't know, sweetheart...

*Perhaps we didn't all die quite like you think!* came a third voice, sinister and cruel, its seductiveness long lost.

In this mental netherworld, the Bonded pair had run into the remains of the Borg Queen.

There was stunned silence.

Well...

...isn't this an interesting turn of events?

*Why shouldn't it be? You have a strong body....I think I like it...*

Don't get used to it. The two thought together. Had there been smiles in this world, they would have shared one now. Instead, they shared the feeling that would have went with the smile. The comfort of knowing that they were together, finishing each others thoughts...as 'one' as two people could become and still remain themselves.

Once again minds were pitted against each other. Only this time, the Borg Queen was squaring off against the combined minds of Virginia and Q/Ian...and of course, the God that went with them. It didn't last long. The Queen died quickly and quietly.

I'm confused...Virginia asked in the silence...the painless silence that ensued. Why did she survive our last battle? Why didn't she die with the rest? Why did God...?

Perhaps so that we could win together? Come dear...follow me out...

Resistance Is Futile - pt 53

2007-11-26T22:16:00.000-05:00

Deanna Troi joined Picard and Guinan on the edge of the activity in Sick Bay. "How is she?"

"Doctor Crusher is still working on her," Picard replied. "She hasn't told us anything yet."

The three stood in silence.

"She's in so much pain," Deanna whispered. "But it's deeper than the physical pain. She's lost in a sea of...Borg."

"But they were destroyed," Picard said. "We saw the explosions."

"I don't know how else to describe it, Captain. Whatever is left of them...is in her..."

Crusher approached them then. "That would explain why I can't revive her."

"Can't revive her?" Picard asked sharply.

"No. She's been extracted from their machinery, and it will take some time before we can do the grafts that were begun for her...but her mind is...rebelling. I've never seen anything like it."

Deanna sighed in frustration. "Where is Q? She was trusting him to show up."

Guinan raised a hand, halting further conversation.

"Guinan?" Picard asked.

"They're watching."

"Who?" asked Crusher.

"She is no doubt referring to the Oryon Council," came a measured voice.

The four turned in the direction of the voice and beheld two men. Q they knew, but the man holding him by the shoulder wasn't as familiar. He was taller than Q, with darker hair and a darker complexion.

"Their eyes are riveted to this moment," continued Ambassador Raven-Cloud.

Picard left his crew and walked up to Q. "Please...you have to heal her...I know you can...either one of you."

"It's not that simple," Q replied, his own eyes were riveted to Virginia's prone form.

"But you love her!" argued Picard. "What simpler reason could you have for healing her? And she loves you."

"I know," whispered Q.

"Then what are you waiting for?" Picard turned to the ambassador, a man he'd only ever seen in news releases. "Please, you must let go of him. She's destined to be your ruler...you can't just let her die."

"What do you know of her destiny?" questioned Raven-Cloud, truly curious.

"I know the prophecy that surrounds her. 'Born of Sol and Gandraleay, bloods mixed to form a new Star. She shall rise from the ashes of death, heralding the dawning of a new age for Gandraleay. As a pebble ripples water, so shall she bring change to her people both near and far.' There are more. You can't just let her die because the change she brings frightens you."

Sick bay was silent save for the sounds of the medical equipment.

"Our prophecies are not common knowledge," Raven-Cloud commented, not offended but troubled.

"I shared them with him," said Guinan, coming to the captain's side.

"And how do you know them?" Raven-Cloud asked.

"Virginia told me."

Raven-Cloud sighed. "That is one of the very reasons why the Council distrusts her. If she cannot keep something confidential..."

"They distrust her because she brings change," argued Picard. "She threatens the way you've always done things. And that...is why they want her dead." He looked at Q, made sure he had the others attention. "And that is why they're keeping you from healing her."

Q looked at Raven-Cloud, whose face was as shocked as his own.

Raven-Cloud let go of Q. "Go to her."

Q wasted no time with questions, but moved quickly across the room to the woman his heart beat for.

"How did you know?" Raven-Cloud asked Picard.

The Enterprise captain shrugged. "Do you deny it?"

"Of course he doesn't," answered a strong feminine voice. "He and Ian have been working for centuries to uncover this plot."

Picard, usually ruffled at unexpected and sudden visitors, turned calmly at the new voice. The family resemblance was uncanny, but he asked anyway, "And you are?"

The tall woman smiled, "Why, my dear captain, I am Rixa Champlagne, Empress of the Gandraleayian Empire and more importantly, Virginia's grandmother."

Resistance Is Futile - Pt. 52

2007-11-24T03:22:00.000-05:00

Hours had passed since the shuttle Andromeda had crossed over into Borg space.

Picard was ill at ease, to say the least. Not that he showed it at all. Had Ro turned around from Conn, or Crusher from Helm, they would have seen the picture of calm control. Had Worf given up his faithful glaring into the view screen, he would have thought his captain immovable. Had Deanna sat at his side, she would have felt the unrest and unease inside of him and would have asked him what was wrong. No doubt she would have asked to speak with him in his Ready Room. But she wasn't here.

What had they been thinking? Sending two women into a battle zone with no back up. Boothby would have his hide if he was still alive.

"Captain," announced Data from Tactical. "Sensors are showing a widespread disturbance in Borg space."

"A disturbance?" Picard rose to his feet. "Onscreen."

"At maximum magnification, clarity will be somewhat of an issue," said Data, his fingers flying across the controls. "I will attempt to clean the images."

The view wasn't clear...but it was clear enough to see tiny explosions dotting the star field.

"Where's the Andromeda?" Picard asked.

"The explosions are causing interference," Data answered. "I am unable to ... the Andromeda is hailing us."

"Data..."

"Aye Captain."

Deanna's voice filled the bridge, broken up with static. "...prise, this is ... meda. Mission accom..."

Then nothing but static.

"Captain," interrupted Worf. "At Warp one we can signifigantly reduce..."

"Agreed. Make it so." Picard barely heard his first officer voicing the orders to go to Warp speed as he left the bridge. "Sickbay," he instructed the turbolift. Tapping his commbadge he said, "Transporter room 1...prepare for emergency medical transport as soon as the shuttle is within range."

"Aye Captain," came the feminine reply. "We will be in range in just under two minutes."

"That quickly?"

"Yes sir. Admiral Hamilton and Reg, er...Lt. Barclay did some upgrading before she left."

"I see. Very well. As soon as you can." Picard terminated the conversation and waited as the turbolift carried him closer to sickbay.

He arrived in time to see a half-borged Virginia materializing on a specialized bio-bed. Her body had been butchered, he could see that even from across the room.

Guinan stepped up beside him, her normally tranquil face pained. "I would guess that Doctor Crusher wouldn't wants us to get in the way."

"Probably not," replied Picard. The two stepped closer anyway listening as Crusher calmly issued orders and wielded different instruments. Stopping at a safe distance, the two watched.

"Now...we wait," commented Guinan.

Resistance Is Futile - pt 51

2007-11-22T14:15:00.000-05:00

In that dark dimension where Q had hidden himself and later been joined by Gandraleayian Ambassador Raven-Cloud, Q - that cynical menace - was on his knees with tears streaming from his face.

"Please...let me go to her..." Q begged.

There were tears on Raven-Cloud's face as well. He was an empathic being, and he could feel his old friend's pain he restrained him. Truthfully, the restraint hurt him as well. "Not yet."

"Why?" He had followed her lead and lowered the Muting on their Bond. He wanted to reach out to her, especially when the Borg began to assimilate her, but he had sensed her need to just know that he was there. He had to wait for her to reach out to him. And then...he had never imagine such pain. Fire running across his skin wouldn't have hurt as bad as the Borg asserting their will over Virginia's. He couldn't feel her now. Their Bond hadn't been Broken, he could feel that much and that meant she was still alive in that husk of a body. But all he could feel was numbness...and he couldn't even tell if it was her pain or his own.

"He has to be moved by her sacrifice," Raven-Cloud answered. "He has to make a plea for her life."

"Why isn't my plea good enough?" Anger kindled deep in Q. He was tired of the meddling ways of his people. Always meddling. They couldn't leave well enough alone to Fate and destiny and God.

"Who better to plead the case of a half-breed than a full-blooded human?"

"I am! I've been by her side since the beginning...the only one who's known her longer as a friend is Rachel and Rachel forfeited her position long ago when she made the case against me. No one knows her strengths and weaknesses better..."

"And no one is more impartial than you are." Raven-Cloud wiped the tears from his face. The backlash of emotions coming from the pairbond was near staggering. "Dammit, Ian...Picard isn't stupid..."

"If Picard hasn't learned anything yet, and lets her die..."

"I'm telling you it won't happen. He'll figure out what the Council is waiting for. He was able to figure out that she's being tested."

"Tried by fire, you mean."

"Trust me..."

"Trust you? If it wasn't for you none of us would be in this position in the first place!"

"Ian...you have to believe that I've changed. One can't work with Virginia for any amount of time and not end up changing."

Q had no reply. Deep within, he felt something begin to whither...life. She was leaving, she was dying, and he was being held back. He could only scream in frustration and despair.

Resistance Is Futile - Pt 50

2007-11-20T00:30:00.000-05:00

One hour stretched into two, and then three. Deanna stood a vigilant guard at her station, never once leaving or letting her eyes waver. Although the Borg were a Collective body, there was still a myriad of emotions from the various Cubes that assaulted her senses. She knew that she didn't have to have her mental shields lowered, but she didn't want to miss a single nuance of the events happening around her.

Each time Admiral Hamilton's vital signs spiked at all, her hand would hover over the controls ready to beam her superior officer over at the first sign of trouble. But each time, the readings would stabilize. Until they must have started assimilating her. Then the heart rate and breathing remained high for several long minutes, occasionally spiking higher, until they all of a sudden dropped and evened out into what Deanna knew to be normal readings for a Borg.

Deanna could not stop herself from tensing. It took her a moment to realize that it wasn't her own emotion, but that of the Borg. She glanced at the other screen the Admiral had pointed out and was surprised to see it alive with readings. The Borg were in turmoil. She wondered what the Admiral was doing to cause such a thing. She took a deep breath to steady herself and reached out Empathically ---- but she was too far away to sense anything more than turmoil and fear and anger.

A Borg Cube suddenly exploded, causing Deanna to jump. It was close enough to rock the shuttle gently. She looked at the readings on both screens, and saw that the Admiral's life signs had slipped lower and that Borg Cube after Borg cube were beginning to explode. She of course could see no pattern to it, though she was sure that there must be.

Virginia's life signs were still above the level she had indicated, but Deanna wasted no time in beaming her back. The half-borged woman had barely finished materializing on the platform when that Borg Cube exploded as well. Deanna turned in time to catch the falling woman, barely able to hold onto her. Borg attachments were heavy.

"I am Borg...I am Borg..." issued out of the Admiral's stiff mouth over and over again in a bland monotone. Her one eye had a dead look in it, beyond that of a Drone. Her body was limp and unmoving except for a twitch that coincided with the word Borg as she spoke.

"We have to get out of here Admiral," Deanna said, more for her own comfort. The emotions issuing from her though were nothing close to being dead...the intensity being so strong that Deann threw her mental shields up in defense. She struggled to get Virginia away from the transporter pad, but decided to leave her there. She flew to the pilots chair as the shuttle rocked from the continuous explosions. For a moment, her eyes were riveted to the exploding Cubes. "My God," she muttered by reflex.

Shields were holding strong and steady, no doubt something else the Admiral and Reg had "tweaked". Deanna wasn't the best pilot, but she was more than adequate. It was easy for her to turn the ship around and kick it into Warp.

Opening communications, she contacted the Enterprise. "Enterprise, this is shuttle Andromeda. Mission accomplished..."

Resistance Is Futile - Pt 49

2007-11-13T00:00:00.000-05:00

Perhaps because she was expecting the pain, it didn't hurt as badly as she recalled from Picard's memories...or perhaps because she was more used to pain, it didn't hurt as bad. Or maybe the pain was so bad that she was actually in shock and it just didn't register. Virginia didn't know.

They had strapped her down, something that made sense because one certainly didn't want the subject to suddenly bolt when they saw the wicked looking assortment of instruments brought out. The long needle they were presently wielding her way particularly terrified Virginia and she closed her remaining eye. They had already taken the other one, though they hadn't plugged the new improved version in yet.

Lt. Haskas had tortured her with needle when she had been his prisoner in the Eugenics War. Slowly, methodically tortured her over a matter of several days. She hadn't liked needles before that...but afterwards, she abhorred them.

The needle bore deep into her, delivering a powerful serum designed to weaken her mental facilities and allowed the Collective Consciousness to indwell her.

There was nothing gentle about the intrusion of the Borg consciousness into her mind. One moment she was alone in her thoughts, save for the comforting Presence, and then suddenly they were there. There was no order to the cacophony of voices suddenly in her head. It was worse than her normal telepathy, a thousand times worse. She struggled against them...struggled to retain her identity, her self...it wasn't an easy thing for her to give control of that type over to anyone. Her body might be immobile, but her mind fought and clawed for survival.

And beneath the pain, beneath the voices, beneath the drugged obedience of the Borg consciousness...there lay an undercurrent of despair and anguish. Loved ones that had been left behind, or killed, when they had been assimilated by this madness. Guilt for having done the same to thousands of other people who had their own loved ones. Grief for the worlds they had devastated. Muted, far beneath the layers, but she sensed it. And compassionate woman that she was, Virginia grieved for them....grieved for the broken dreams, for the lives stolen and destroyed...

"Lord," her heart asked. "Is there no way to save them? Free them?"

Most of them have been dead for years, their bodies kept alive and used by this machination evil. For the rest, their only freedom can be found in death.

Then the Queen came into the struggle. "I thought you wanted this?" she mocked. "Oh, they all fight at first..."

Mid sentence, Virginia seized the Queen's mind with her own. "I will not rest until you are destroyed!"

Wordlessly the Queen fought back, trying to assert her will over the other woman.

Virginia dug deep, accessing the despair and the guilt the Borg felt...and she threw it into the face of the Borg. "Do you see what you have done? This is not order, this in not optimum...this is evil...we were not created for this..."

"The Borg were created to conquer and assimilate...we are Optimum," argued the Queen. "We are perfection..."

"You...are...an experiment gone wrong!"

The two fought...minds sparring in the dark void...until at last, The Queen was overcome when a third presence entered into the fray. A Being so powerful, so frightening. It wasn't the Q...those she knew. She wasn't afraid of them, they had never bothered her. But this Being that came with the half-breed was more powerful than the Q. He was someone she knew from a memory of a memory...memories of memories as she was filled not only with her own memories, but those of thousands upon thousands of drones. She had long ago rejected Him, before she had ever been assimilated, as had many of her drones. She rejected Him now, even as the other woman clung to Him.

One by one, the Borg were overwhelmed...and then the order to self-destruct was issued...

Resistance is Futile - pt 48

2007-11-12T01:00:00.000-05:00

Three levels up, Virginia began to trek deeper into the Borg's cube. She could still feel God's leading, His gentle nudges, though there was no conversation. So far, she had seen no Borg drones...but she could hear them. She held her breath as she turned each corner, but each time she found an empty corridor.

The odor remained consistent, as did the oppressive humidity. No wonder the Borg had to assimilate members...no one in their right mind would choose to live here.

A drone!

Virginia froze, watching in silence as he...she?...it?...passed by her without even glancing at her. But it didn't stop her from seeing the deadness in the eyes. Watching the retreating back of the drone for just a moment, she continued on her way. Left here, then a right...and then a chamber.

Darker.

She had the sense that she was in the center of the cube, even though she had lost all sense of direction by now. Usually she could spin around in circles and still tell you which direction was which when she stopped, but ever since she had beamed over here that sense had vanished. Maybe it was the humidity.

The albino-white queen sat on a raised chair in the center of this dark chamber, though it wasn't quite a throne. Her attention was on a wall of monitors that displayed either different corridor of her cube, or what looked like different sections of space...including a close up shot of the small StarFleet shuttle.

Several different drones worked around their queen. Virginia crept further in, holding herself tensely. Something told her that the time for skulking was over.

The Queen rose from her seat and turned to face her, and for her part, Virgina didn't stumble in her pace. With a sensuous grace that was very unBorg-like, the Queen approached her.

"I've been watching you," the Queen said.

While this surprised and unnerved Virginia, she didn't let it show. "I'm here to be assimilated."

"I feel like I ought to know you," the Queen said as the two came to a stand still on front of each other. "You were in Locutus's memories of his old life."

"The life he returned to," the admiral replied.

"For now." The Queen reached out and lifted Virginia's chin with her fingertips. "Your name is Hamilton...a person of rank among those yet to be assimilated."

"I was. Until I realized that there is no point fighting you, that you're going to win anyway...and they drummed me out of the service."

"I almost believe you half-breed. Why would a woman of your power...who could destroy me with a thought...not do so, but instead ask to be assimilated?"

"My powers are useless. I've been drinking and that turns them off. But once you assimilate me, and the alcohol leaves me system...my powers will be at your disposal and you will be able to overcome the Federation at last."

"What makes you think I need your powers to succeed?" the Queen asked haughtily, her fingers tightening on the others chin.

"Well, what you've been doing so far hasn't been working has it?"

"It has been difficult," the Queen admitted, dropping her grip on Virginia. "I've certainly never had anyone ask to be assimilated before, but far be it from me to refuse you. Drone 186, escort this woman to the assimilation chambers."

The nameless drone approached and took hold of Virgina's arm. It was a firm grip, but it didn't hurt. And the drone wasted no time in moving her along.

"You won't regret this," Virginia said to the Queen.

"I know." The Queen turned her back and dismissed the woman from her thoughts. She had a new war strategy to plan.

Resistance Is Futile - pt 47

2007-11-06T03:01:00.000-05:00

The area that Virginia materialized in looked typical of a Borg cube...it was dark and looked more like a hastily assembled junk pile or a pile of scrap metal than the interior of a spacefaring vessel. There was a smell that was far from pleasant, a smell that she remembered only from the memories of those like Picard and Seven of Nine.

Not knowing where she was going, just flying by the seat of her pants like she had done for years, she began to walk off to her right. It led deeper into the ship, so it made sense to her.

Before you go...

Virginia stopped in her tracks at a Voice she had not heard for years. He had probably been there all along, but when Marcus had died, she had really rather ignored God as it didn't seem fair to her the life she had been dealt. But He was making it a little hard to ignore Him now. "What?" she said into the emptiness. It was far from quiet here, with that constant humming of the Borg machinery, so the fact that she could hear Him was something extraordinary. Though to be fair, the Voice was as much inside as it was from outside.

Do you really think you ought to be doing this without Me?

"Do you really care?"

I wouldn't ask if I didn't.

"Good point." Virginia sighed. "Why Lord? Why would You want me after I've been so angry with You and ignored You?"

Because I love you. You are my child, and I would not want you doing this alone.

He still loved her. "What happens if I do this alone?" she asked out of curiosity, knowing that He wouldn't translate her question as further rebellion.

You will be overcome and you will die...such a death that Ian would not be able to save you from.

So, the question really was about how much she really wanted to live. Would it really be so bad to die? Her people would be taken care of...Mariah would be an excellent Empress in her stead.

It is not Mariah's time to rule your people. I have set you in the life I have for a purpose...and for a time such as this. Even now I am working in the hearts of the Council members...appealing for mercy on your behalf...Ian's too.

"Why me? They don't need me or want me! I'll have to fight for everything I see for them."

Not as hard as you think, but you are right...you will have a fight on your hands over some things. But they do need you...more than they want to admit. You bring to them the message of humility and sacrifice. You bring innocence...yes, innocence...with you. And a strength that can only be found by going through the fire of life. I did not give your father race the powers I did to make their lives easier...but that is how they use them...and it grieves Me. Which is why I am giving them a ruler who is half human...because while the mix brings instability...it brings greater power...and the instability creates a deeper reliance in Me.

"And I do know how to function without my powers." Virginia sighed, then asked, "Are you sure? Because I've been accused of being proud and arrogant."

Have you been?

"At times. Even now, I worry that the only reason I'm doing this is out of pride. But Lord...sometimes I really am the best person for a mission..."

If you go in alone, without Me...this mission will be out of pride my daughter...

"And pride comes before the fall." Virginia drew a deep breath. "Would You come with me? Even though I've sinned greatly since I left you...I've slept around...and to be honest, Lord...if Ian rescues me...I...want him Lord..." All those admissions hurt, though that last was harder to admit than that she had sinned.

There was a chuckle...yes, a chuckle in reply... Daughter, I knew of your sins when they occured...and I know of the joy they brought you...and the deep sorrow. I knew all this when I stopped you to talk with you....even when I said that I love you. As for Ian...though you were Bonded in sin, outside of the laws of the land and outside My law...you are Bonded...far deeper than you ever were with Marcus...he is as your husband.

Virginia didn't know how to respond to that. "But they Exiled him...because of me," she said, grief was heavy in her voice. "Won't they ask for the Bond to be Broken when I go to the throne? I don't know if I could do that, Lord. I don't want to lose him."

Because?

She hesitated only a moment before saying the words..."Because I love him."

Do you trust Me?

"Do I have a choice?!" Virginia laughed at herself, pleased when He laughed with her. "Don't answer that. I know I always have a choice."

I know your heart daughter...and I will not fail you. Can you name one time when I did?

"Marcus," she answered without hesistation. "I prayed and You still let him die."

It was his time, child. He had already lived longer than any human should. And while he was an excellent husband for you...it was only for a time. I could have let you prolong his life, I could have prolonged his life...but he is not the one that would be best to rule along side you.

"Damn," she muttered...then started. She had just sworn while talking to God! "Oops, sorry." Then she thought about what He had said. She had to admit, Marcus wouldn't have been very good ruling next to her....not because he didn't have the head for it...but because of his dislike for her people. That and he had so little knowledge about her people...truthfully, she didn't know that much herself. She had yet to even set foot on Gandraleay. She dared to consider Ian...if he wasn't considered an Exile...he'd be great. He had the knowledge...he had his Special Ops background...he knew when to let her have her own way, and when to come in and rescue her when her own way landed her in hot water...he wasn't afraid to challenge her... "I don't know how you're gonna do it, but it'll be interesting to watch."

Oh, I have my ideas. Again, that chuckle. Now, since we are going at this together...How about turning left and shimmying up the outside corridors for a few levels before going in deeper?

"Why not? Makes no sense to me, but ok." Decision to trust made, Virginia did an about face. As she went...slowly...inch by inch...she relaxed the Muting on her Bond with Ian. She didn't reach out to him...she just wanted to know he was there.

Resistance Is Futile - pt 46

2007-11-05T02:19:00.000-05:00

The shuttle hovered far from the Borg cubes. Closer than before certainly.

"Are we in transporter range?" Deanna asked.

"Not quite, but almost." Virginia was busy at the small transporter unit. "Come here."

The Betazoid rose from her seat and stood close to the unit. "Then why have we stopped?"

"So I can tweak this a little more and boost the power and then we'll be in transporter range. Do you see the differences on the screen from what you're already used to?"

Deanna moved around to stand behind the console and studied the mentioned console. It did looked different, with a small screen that looked almost like a medical tricorder display. "I see the differences," Deanna said simply.

"Good. The small screen you see will soon be displaying my life signs." Virginia stood from where she had been kneeling, with her head in the console on the opposite side of Deanna. She tapped a few keys, and came to stand next to Deanna. Her finger tapped the screen that was no alive with lights. "These lines here are my pulse and heart rate. This one is my respiratory rate." She tapped a spot and they suddenly dropped. "Doctor Crusher said that this is what they'll look like once I've been fully assimilated. If they drop below this level...or if this screen over here," Virginia drew Deanna's attention to a smaller screen to the right, "shows any anomaly...beam me out of there as fast as you can and get this ship headed home. Where we are right now, we are out of their reported transporter range. They shouldn't be able to shoot you either, unless they've assimilated some new weapon technology in the past month. So, keep an eye on these monitors and be ready to act in a heartbeat."

Deanna nodded.

"Are you religious at all, Counselor?"

"Not really."

"That's too bad. I'd have liked knowing I had someone praying for me while I was in there. No matter..maybe Ian is." Virginia sighed. She bent low and flipped a panel open. "All right..there we go. We're ready." She straightened and climbed onto the small transporter pad. "At your convenience, Counselor."

Deanna's hand hovered over the controls. "Godspeed, Admiral." Her hands moved effortlessly and the admiral disappeared in the shimmering lights of the transporter beam. Alone, her eyes riveted themselves to the two screens she had been told to watch.

Resistance is Futile - Pt 45

2007-11-04T08:38:00.000-05:00

As Virginia surveyed the Borg ship in the distance, the only word that came to mind was an old earth slang comment she had heard in a movie once. No two ways about it...the Borg ship was gianormous.

It hung in the distance, surrounded by scores of other ships of the same kind. One cube in a rubix cube. Stacked like pieces on a three dimensional chess board.

She hated tri-d chess...it made no sense to her. Spock always claimed that it was because her mind had trouble thinking on only a three dimensional level. The conversation had taken place long after they had become intimate, long after they had mindmelded. She had caught the 'only' in his comment and had asked about it. Spock had raised that eyebrow of his. "Virginia," he said in that 'it's only logical' tone of his, "Your mind, like mine, is a hybrid between that of two races. And the human mind does not meld well with the Gandraleayian mind. They are considered the most unbalanced creatures, and often times dangerous. However, yours is one of the better balanced minds. This means that your mind works at a level far above the norm for humans. You not only see things as they are...but as they could be. And sometimes, you see things as they should be, even though they are not. This your mind does without conscious thought or effort. You also have a tendancy to see far beyond one moment in time, again without your needing to focus on it at all. So for you to focus on something so trivial and simple as tri-dimensional chess...it slows you down."

Deanna thought it odd that at a time when her vision was filled with an endless sea of Borg cubes, she could find herself distracted by the emotions of the person next to her. And with such clarity. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that the Admiral was without her powers. "What are you remembering?" she boldly asked.

"A conversation between Spock and I about the reason why I haved such a hard time with tri-dimensional chess," Virginia answered. Shields were up and at a mid level frequency that was even now shifting to keep the Borg confused. "That's what the Borg ships reminded me of...a tri-d chess board. I hate that game. Spock claimed that it was too simple for me. I also think he said I have a hyper active mind."

The other woman caught the humor in the statement and couldn't stop from lightly laughing. "I'm sure he didn't mean it that way. Although I must admit that you are a highly driven woman."

"Ian always called me focused," Virgina said softly. "Marcus referred to me as high strung. You know...the more I look at these cube ships...the more I see the system to it. I mean, we are talking about the Borg...they don't just stack their cubes without reason. Even we have a certain way we place our ships when traveling in a fleet. What we do...is put the ship carrying the highest ranking official in the middle...better protection that way."

Deanna viewed the ships again. "Do you think they do the same?"

"I don't know. If our intelligence information is correct...each ship carries its own Queen...With a Matrix Queen over several ships. Nothing has ever been said about an "alpha' queen...one over them all."

The counselor dared to ask, "What does 'logic' tell you?"

"Logic? Logic tells me to turn this damn ship around and abort the entire thing." In her minds eye, Virginia saw Spock's eyebrow raise and she winced at his imaginary scrutiny. "Ok, that's not logic...that's fear talking. Logically, since the Borg have been compared to bees...you know, the entire hive mentality...it would make sense for there to be an Alpha Queen."

The two considered the starfield before them.

"If I were a Borg Queen..." mused Virginia. "Where would I put myself?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do I hide myself behind the underlings...or do I put myself out front, where it is least likely to be suspected. Even though it's the most dangerous, but hey...we're the superior race, right?"

Deanna caught on to her thinking. "Right. And we're in our own borders, so what danger is there really?"

"Shouldn't be any...we've assimilated everything worth assimilating and destroyed the rest." Virginia paused and decided to guess. "We're going to that ship...there." The admiral pointed to a dot on her display screen. It was a ship about midlevel and only a few rows in.

Deanna swallowed hard. "Then let's go."

Virginia nodded, though her hand hesitated over the controls. "Deanna?"

"Yes Admiral?"

"I'm scared."

Deanna reach out and patted the other's shoulder. "So am I."

Comforted by their shared fear, Virginia nudged the ship into motion.

Resistance Is Futile - pt 44

2007-11-03T10:45:00.000-04:00

"It almost sounds like she loves you," Raven-Cloud commented into the hidden spot where Q had sequestered himself.

Q looked at his newly arrived visitor in annoyance, but didn't comment.

Raven-Cloud chuckled. "I'd forgotten how passionate she can be when riled. Why didn't that come out at your trial? And did she really seduce you?"

"It didn't come out because her father didn't believe it had happened and because they viewed her as too unstable at the time to be a viable witness."

"You didn't answer the other question."

Q took a deep breath, almost a sigh. "You're right I didn't. Yes, Virginia took advantage of me in a weak moment. I suppose you want to hear the story?"

"Not for my own purposes. The Council will want to know what happened...and why you never said a word about it before. Although I would be grateful if you didn't go into detail for all of it."

"I didn't say anything because I was protecting her. Our people have punished her enough, and I couldn't stand the thought of her being punished for this. And the only thing seduction is, is to convince someone to do something they already want to do. So, I probably could have fought her off if I had really wanted to."

"What happened?" asked the solemn ambassador.

"She had a nightmare. It seemed like every time she regained a piece of her mind back after Marcus' death...something about it triggered a reoccurring nightmare she'd been having. I guess she even had it while in the Sanctuary."

Raven-Cloud nodded. "Many bad things happened to her in there."

"I lost count of the times she woke me up while screaming in her sleep. This particular night...she had woke me up from a rather erotic dream about her. So when I was holding her..." Q made a frustrated sigh. "We were both in our nightclothes and, well, my body wasn't exactly subtle that night. I tried to apologize, and to leave her...I thought for sure she was offended and would never be comfortable around me again. She grabbed ahold of me before I could even get off the bed...and kissed me...rather unchastely. I tried to tell her all the reason why we shouldn't...but she wrapped herself around me. She kept telling me that I wanted to. And I did Raven, it's not like I could call her a liar. And so...I did...I made love with her."

Raven-Cloud cleared his throat. "I think most men would find it hard not to give in to that. She is a beautiful woman...and determined."

"I had...I still have the hardest time telling her no. For anything." Q sighed. "Is that enough?"

"When did you realize the two of you had Bonded?"

"At the time, neither one of us realized it until she went to leave the room. She turned and told me I could get out of her mind. Imagine our surprise when I couldn't. She flipped out...we fought for hours. In retrospect, I think we both knew when it happened."

"Did you offer to have it Broken?"

"Yes. I've asked her that several times over the years. Each time she damn near takes my head off."

"Interesting. Do you suppose it's because she's afraid it will be like when Marcus died...or because she loves you?"

"I've always thought she was afraid. After that outburst...I don't know. I know what I want to believe."

Raven-Cloud paused, unsure of how to ask his next question. "Since that time, have the two of you...?"

"With you as her watchdog? No, Raven, we haven't been physically intimate since then. There have been times when she's needed me...but we rarely ever lift the Muting off our Bond...and touching is something we don't do often, and then it is very guarded."

"Is that by your choice, or hers?"

Q shrugged. "Mostly hers. I won't deny that I wish things had been different, but for so long...she seemed to hate the very sight of me...except when she needed me. And if we don't touch....I won't be tempted to try anything she doesn't want. I'm half afraid, that after this Borg thing is over and she is well...she won't want anything to do with me again. Which is a moot point I guess since I'm an Exile not allowed contact with others."

"The Council will probably want to conduct a review of your trial." Raven-Cloud snorted, a loud sound in the darkness. "It'll give them something to do while..."

"While what?"

"Do you trust me, Ian?"

At first, he was taken aback at the use of his old name. But then Q considered the other man. They had a history together, as did most men of their race and ages. Raven-Cloud was a pure-blood a few centuries older than himself, but the elder had never held the younger's mixed heritage against him as others in Special Ops had. So, almost all their history was good...all except for that one time...but...that was a long time ago. "Yes," Q decided. "I trust you."

"The Council has given their permission for you to rescue Virginia...on one condition. That you wait until my say so before you do."

"No other catch?" Q asked, surprised.

"Actually, yes there was....but after what I've just heard...I will do everything in my power to have it reconsidered and voted against."

"What?" dread filled Q's voice.

Raven-Cloud hesitated. "They wanted you to Break your Bond with her...willingly and sacrificially. To prove that your love for her is real. But, you say you've offered...and I heard her words to the Trio woman. I think that if they were to have you do that...just the notion would cause her to panic."

He considered. "It probably would."

"So. You stay here, mind your watch...and I'll be back shortly."

"Try to hurry," requested Q.

"I'll do my best."

And again Q was alone in the darkness, watching...

Resistance Is Futile - pt 43

2007-11-02T11:10:00.000-04:00

Little was said between the counselor and the admiral for the first several hours beyond the needed working conversation. Close to half an hour had stretched by in total silence.

"So," said Deanna. "Exactly how close are we to Borg Space?"

"We should be in their borders within 6 hours," Virginia answered. "And that's at Warp 3. Reg and I tweaked the warp drive when La Forge wasn't looking."

"And sensor range?"

Virginia shrugged. "It depends on where their patrol ships are. They might be able to pick us up on sensors already."

Deanna turned in her seat. "You sound like you don't know for sure."

"I don't."

"But..." The dark-haired woman recalled the rumor that the admiral had been drinking at her wedding reception. And she well knew what alcohol did to the other woman. "Have you been drinking?"

"Like a fish," the admiral answer honestly. "Up until yesterday."

"Your powers..."

The accusation hung thick in the air, though unspoken.

"My powers are unneeded for this mission, Deanna."

Deanna's voice was cold when she spoke again. "You're not going to rescue me after all."

"No...you're going to rescue me." The admiral spoke without hesitation, giving Deanna no chance to reply. "Reg and I rewired the transporter system so you'll be able to pick me out of the crowd after I've beamed over. You'll have to keep a close eye on my life signs and that of the Borg ship. We can't have you pulling me out too soon...and I'd hate to have you pull me out too late. Even if Ian were to rescue me, I'd still have that memory and that particular one would suck."

"Ian?" asked Deanna.

"You know him as Q." Virginia sighed, regretting her decision not to let the good doctor talk to her friend. "Look, Doctor Crusher is even now preparing sickbay to undo the assimilation process. Ian...Q...might not even need to lift a finger, something I know the Oryon Council would hope for."

"But, why are you doing this?"

"Do you really want to be the one to be assimilated?"

"Well, no. Does the War Council know you've decided to take my place?"

"Not on your life. They'd've court martialed me for just thinking it. Which they might do yet. Yeah, they probably will. But I couldn't let them do this to anyone. If you'd refused, they'd have ordered you. And if you had still refused, they'd have drummed you out of the Fleet. They'd have faked the charges, since we couldn't let it go on record that we were discharging you for refusing orders to march into Borg territory and let yourself be assimilated. Don't look so disbelieving...those contingencies were discussed."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why are you taking my place, and why not tell me sooner?"

"I thought we'd been over that. You said you didn't really want to be assimilated."

"And you do?" Deanna asked.

The admiral was silent before answering. "It's better this way, Deanna. I know that you're not unfamiliar with the pain and terror that comes with war and undercover missions and whatnot. I know that you would be able to withstand the horror of assimilation. So my decision has nothing to do with you personally, and it was made before I ever met you. I've been commanding missions before I was 18. I wasn't always followed at first, but once my team realized that I would ask nothing of them that I wouldn't do myself they followed me to the end. Even when they died. But I learned that I hate sending people to their death. I've come close to death a couple hundred thousand different times, usually before breakfast. And to be honest, I find that it's easier to send myself in to face that possibility than it is to send others."

"It's about guilt then?" the counselor asked.

"No. I have a hero complex. Usually I have my powers...but not this time. It's about..."

"Prooving that you can still win without them?"

"Maybe. I hadn't thought about it quite like that."

"And what happens if you do die this time? Because of your selfish desire to proove yourself better than the rest of your people? Who will rule your people then?" Never in her life would Deanna been able to imagine herself talking so to Admiral Hamilton, but the woman seemed unoffended. "You can't just leave them without a ruler. You have to think beyond yourself. Your first duty is to your people, not to yourself."

"If I die...and Ian doesn't rescue me...then my daughter Mariah will rule in my stead. She is my oldest daughter, and she has had far more training at court than I, and she has the heir gift of the mind access."

"You cannot depend on Q," Deanna said harshly. "He is irresponsible and juvenile. His arrogant cruelness has led my ship into danger too many times and cost the lives of the crew. And to depend on one who has been exiled from your people only further serves to alienate you from the people you would rule. They would not have named him a member of the Rogue Q faction had he not been so deserving."

Virginia rose angrily. "Do not speak so of a man you do not know! He has saved my life more times than I can count...when Michael raped me, he was the one who held me afterwards and Healed me...when my own people would have left me for dead, he came after me, when my husband had died and my mind was lost and I was wandering Earth...they didn't look for me, they didn't even try...Ian searched until he found me and he kept me safe until I was able to remember who I was and function again. His only crime was to sleep with the Daughter-Heir...He was named Q because I seduced him...but they claimed that it was the other way around, that all he wanted was to be Bonded with me because I'm heir to the throne. I know that man, Counselor...He was the first one the heir gift of the mind access manifested itself...and I know there was no deceit in him. I know. He only ever wanted what was best for me. He's never had any designs on the throne. But when I tried to testify on his behalf, I was told to sit down and shut up...my people wouldn't even listen to me. What he is now...the man that you know...comes from a heart of bitterness. His people banished him...for my crime. My crime, counselor."

Counselor Troi was speachless. The emotions coming from the enraged woman were a bit overwhelming. The best she could manage to say was, "I didn't know."

Virginia calmed. Some. "Remember that the next time you go to speak of a person you don't know. Or even if you do know them...because chances are, you don't know them half as well as you think you do."

"I will."

Resistance Is Futile - pt 42

2007-11-01T07:00:00.000-04:00

Guinan watched from Ten-Forward, not knowing if her friend's shuttle would be going by the windows, but unwilling to miss it if it did. Borg Space was dead ahead in this direction, she knew that without needing a navigational console or star map. Home used to be right...there. Her eyes picked out the dim pinprick that used to be her sun. But knowing Virginia, she might well circle the long way around.

Guinan," he replied coolly, gazing out the window next to her. "I had thought about watching from shuttle bay and bothering Picard at the same time, but the view just wouldn't be the same."

"Is she going to come this way?" Guinan asked.

"Yes. No trying to sneak in this time, she's going boldly into the lion's den." Q pointed. "There she is."

The shuttle was barely visible, but Guinan could just make out the silver white form as it pulled away from the ship at impulse speed. The two watched in silence until the warp tale appeared and the small ship disappeared from sight.

"So," said Q.

"She's going to take Deanna's place, isn't she?" Guinan asked, fearing the answer she felt she already knew.

"Of course," the other alien answered. "She could do no less."

"Is it because of what happened with Picard?"

"No. She had already decided to do this before she had even met Deanna. Some things about Virginia will never change. She does her best to bend to the changing times, but in her heart...when it comes to war...there can be no other way. Her own people sent her into battle time and time again during the Eugenics and Third World War, half expecting her to die, most wanting her to. Each time made her stronger and more resistant to pain and defeat. Each time set in her heart a desire to protect others from the pain she felt."

"She's never felt the pain that the Borg inflicts," Guinan pointed out.

"Hasn't she? Virginia has experienced that pain through friendship with you...do you think you are immune to the mind access she inherited? She felt your pain upon meeting you just as she felt Picard's pain the first time he looked in her eyes."

"Virginia was drunk the first time we met."

Q sighed. "It only postponed the Access, Guinan."

Guinan was introspective. "She's never mentioned it."

"Of course not. She well knew your desire not to speak of the Borg."

The hostess nodded. "You will be there to rescue her if things go sour, won't you?"

"Even without the Council's permission if necessary."

Guinan smiled. "That never has stopped you from helping her before."

"Guinan, there is one thing that the Borg are right about in this life. Resistance truly is futile. I can no more deny her than I could deny myself. These three things continue forever: faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these...is love.*"

She turned to asked him what he meant...but he was gone. Guinan sighed. "How typical."

_______________________________________________________________________________

* 1 Corinthians 13:13 New Century Version paraphrased

Resistance Is Futile - pt 41

2007-10-31T05:58:00.000-04:00

The time between Virginia sitting and talking with her friend in Ten-Forward and the time for the shuttlecraft departure flew by quickly. She got a little sleep that night and had spent much time the next day with Reg working on the transporters, stopping long enough in the evening to chat with Doctor Crusher about various medical things. That other woman had been more than cooperative, though concerned over not telling Captain Picard and Deanna about the change in plans.

"Beverly," the admiral had said quietly, earnestly. "As far as I am concerned, too many people know about my plans. If it were not for my insane desire to continue living, you would not even know. I will tell Deanna when she needs to know."

Beverly had tilted her head. "No offense Admiral, but this is my friend we're talking about."

"Understood. And knowing your friend as well as you do, don't you think she'll try talking me out of it?"

The red head had nodded. "And that would be a bad thing?"

Virginia's eyebrows had risen at that, not unlike a former Vulcan lover of hers. "Yes, because of all the people I know, Deanna would be one of the few who could talk me out of this. And my mind will not be changed."

Beverly had seemed to understand her determination. Because she had nodded again and changed the subject.

And now it was almost time. Admiral Hamilton stood in the shuttle bay, going over a last few technical details with Chief La Forge. Her mood dark, she was dressed in black fatigues with her hair pulled tightly back, tied into a little bun at the nape of her neck. Picard, looking from a distance, thought it was a sad beauty he was seeing, but as he was unaware of her plans, he didn't understand it.

Deanna, entering with her husband at her side, was also dressed in black fatigues, though hers were more form fitting that the admiral's. Her hair was pulled back into a long braid that ran down her back. She paused mid-stride, causing her husband to come up short.

"Deanna?" Worf asked, his usual gruff Klingon voice somehow gentled for his beautiful wife.

"Something's different," Deanna said softly, as if not wanting to be heard. "Something's wrong."

"Do you know what?"

Deanna shook her head.

"Is something wrong?" asked Picard, approaching the couple. Having worked with the counselor for as long as he had, the captain had learned to read her expressions to know when something was bothering her about a situation.

"Yes," Deanna answered. "But I'm not sure what. The emotions I'm sensing in the room are quite varied. I'm sensing..." The Empath paused in shock. "I'm sensing the admiral's emotions."

"Is that not normal?" Picard asked.

"No, I mean...since I've met her, of course I've been able to sense her emotions. She's never been able to completely shield herself, so there's always been leakage. But...there's a difference that concerns me."

"How so?" asked Picard with a sharp tone.

Deanna struggled for words. It was always so difficult to put these things into words that non-empaths could understand. "Her emotions are sharper, clearer, more defined. Like she's not even trying to keep them silent. Or can't. And they're the emotions of a woman resigned to death."

Both men looked disturbed and concerned.

Worf bristled. "If she has received orders not to rescue Deanna, would she tell us?"

Picard looked unsure.

"It's not like that," Deanna insisted.

"It's not too late to turn around, Deanna." Picard said. His hand had begun to move toward his comm badge to order such a thing.

"No. I'm still going."

"It is the honorable thing to do," Worf said grimly.

The three stood in silence a moment.

Virginia chose that moment to approach. She had seen their conversation, and thought to interrupt, but decided to wait at a safe distance out of earshot for a lull such as this. "Are you ready?" she asked, addressing Deanna.

The Betazoid woman's chin rose. "I am. I'll just go into the shuttle and wait...unless there is something else you wish me to do?"

"No, you may go. Have you and Worf...?"

"We've said or goodbyes," the other woman answered.

"Very well." Virginia nodded and watched with the men as she walked briskly across the shuttle bay and disappeared into the shuttlecraft. "A brave woman."

"And honorable," growled Worf. "Hear my words as a husband...bring her back to me." He bared his teeth at her and walked away.

Picard looked startled, even as Virginia rolled her eyes.

"Klingons," she muttered.

"Now remember Admiral, it was you who said that we needed them as allies." Picard teased, seeing that she was unoffended at his first officers behavior. Still, Picard would have a word to say to him later.

"Don't remind me." The alien woman sighed and straightened her clothes. "Jean-Luc..."

Picard caught something in her eyes. And wondered if perhaps he was seeing what Deanna had been sensing.

"Jean-Luc, I'll never forget you, you know that don't you? Even though things didn't turn out the way ... well, since we both love others, perhaps things turned out the way they were meant to."

"Perhaps so," he said with a sad smile. She was saying goodbye, he realized. "Do you regret our time together?"

"Some of it," she said honestly. "But it is in the past, and some things can't be taken back."

He couldn't even say that it had been enjoyable, because it certainly hadn't been completely enjoyable for her. Oh, her body might have...but at what cost to her heart? It was a wonder Q let him live. "Virginia, I'm sorry."

"I know. But it wasn't meant to be."

"For our hearts belong to another." He gave her a smile, wondering if she realized what she had said eariler, about loving another. For surely, she had meant Q. Ian as she called him. "Even so, Virginia...try to bring yourself back as well."

Virginia looked at him curiously. "It is my intention."

"Good."

She kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks for being a friend." And then she too turned and walked the same path as Deanna had, with as much determination in her gate.

Picard waited for her to disappear inside, and the door begin to shut before returning to the observation lounge.

The time had come.

Resistance is Futile - pt 40

2007-10-30T04:15:00.000-04:00

Guinan was surprised to see Virginia walk back into Ten-Forward. Surprising Guinan wasn't something easily or often done. But of all the people she knew, Virginia was the most adept at surprising her.

Virginia, her eyes red with her recent tears, walked up to where her friend stood at the bar. "I saw him."

"Q? I mean..."

"Yes."

Guinan didn't know what to say. Which is something else that didn't happen very often. "Virginia..."

The younger woman raised her arm...and set a half empty bottle of Romulan Ale on the bar in front of Guinan. "I could have just flushed this down the head or gotten rid of it in the disposal. But I thought it more important that I give it to you. So that you could know, and know that it was my own choice. I just..."

Guinan pulled the bottle from Virginia's light grasp. "I understand."

"You do?"

"Yes." Guinan then pushed the bottle back to Virginia. "Now...the disposal is right over there."

Virginia followed her friend's guesture. Her expression firmed as she picked the bottle back up and walked the distance to the disposal with a determined gate. She did not hesitate in relieving herself of the bottle. This mission accomplished, her shoulders relaxed as though released from the weight of the universe. She breathed a deep sigh.

Guinan led her friend to a far corner of Ten-Forward and sat with her. "What happened?"

"When?"

"When you saw him?"

Virginia shrugged. "We talked some, he dried my tears."

"Is he why you decided to give your bottle of Ale up?"

Again the alien princess shrugged. "Yes, and no. He was the first one to ever try to get me to stop drinking."

"You've always given Marcus the credit for that."

"And he still deserves it. If Marcus hadn't stayed with me, loved me the way he did, worked with me, then I'd have never survived the China incident. I'd probably have killed myself with alcohol."

Guinan was silent a moment, knowing that the time when she lost her young daughter in China on a movie shoot was still a sensitive subject for Virginia. "But Ian didn't do any of those things?"

"He tried. That first weekend he found me drunk. But I was young and angry and he was only my teacher and my friend. He did the one thing that would have saved me...he told on me."

"I don't understand." Which is something else Guinan didn't say often.

"My drinking was something I was able to keep secret from Marcus. Ian told him. I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't help Marcus too. I could be somewhat ... ah ... stubborn ... when I was younger."

"You don't say," Guinan said deadpan.

Virginia blushed. "Even more than I am now."

"So, what now?"

"Once again I march into the breach between life and death, once more hoping he'll be there to rescue me should things go sour."

Guinan's head cocked as she listened. "Go on."

"Not much I can share, my friend. This is one mission I'm keeping under wraps. I've only told one other person, and she's not telling. Although I have no doubt that Ian knows...it's probably why he's even around."

"I see." Guinan folded her hands on the table top. "Perhaps he's around because he loves you."

"Maybe," Virginia said softly, surprising her friend by blushing.

It wasn't that Guinan had never seen Virginia blush. In fact, it hadn't been that long ago that Virginia had been blushing at Jean-Luc's presence. Guinan had hoped that things between the two would work out, but she hadn't counted on the captain's still loving Crusher. Come to think of it, Guinan had experienced a lot of surprises ever since Virginia had come on board. But there was something different about this blush. Because it was brought on by Q, and that was something Guinan had never seen before.

"What's changed?" Guinan asked.

If anything, Virginia blushed a deeper shade of red. "Nothing."

Guinan, in her wisdom, let it drop at that.

Resistance Is Futile - Pt 39

2007-10-28T16:15:00.000-04:00

Virginia lay for long hours on the couch, watching the start slide effortlessly by the windows. They weren't singing, but then there was no reason for them too. He was gone again, to that place where she knew he was watching but beyond her perception.

She wanted him to come back, wanted him to spirit her away from the madness that was approaching. But she couldn't bring herself to ask for him. She was still too proud, and her heart was still smarting.

Toying with the stopper to her bottle of Ale, Virginia's mind went back over the years. As much as she loved Marcus, and as much as he loved her...he hadn't been the first one to confront her about her drinking problem. She had been young...in her early twenties. And far from home, new to the Hollywood scene and overwhelmed by the glitz. She and Marcus were newlyweds, maybe five years, or was it six...but he hadn't caught on to her drinking problem yet. As complete as the Bonds were, it was still possible to keep secrets from the other. She knew that Marcus had kept things from her from time to time, and he hadn't always shared. And this had been her secret.

Ian had found her one weekend while Marcus had been away on a long business trip. He had been negotiating copywrite rights with a Chinese firm for a movie they were going to be doing there, and for some reason she didn't remember now, she had stayed home. Maybe she'd been in the middle of filming something and couldn't leave? Who knew now, and it didn't matter anyway. But it had been a long time without him...and Justin had been hitting on her...and all the girls couldn't understand why she didn't just sleep with him since her husband was away. So, Virginia had locked herself away and drank...and drank...Finding her in her own vomit, Ian had hustled her into the shower, clothes and all.

It had been the first time the two of them had really fought. She had been less than her usual sweet self. She had a memory of kicking him at least once that weekend. He had begged and pleaded, raising his voice to her only twice during it all. Finding her resisting common sense, he had left her alone. But Marcus knew about her drinking problem when he came home, so it hadn't been a hard guess as to where Ian had left. Although it was possible that her control had slipped at some point and he had found out through their Bond.

Virginia sat up, deciding once again that she had had enough. It wasn't going to take months like it did after Marcus had come home from that trip. He wasn't here to help her like before. Then he had cut back on all his trips, going no where even overnight without her. He hadn't suffocated her, but he had made himself more than available.

She paused at the disposal unit. It would be so easy to just get rid of it. But then...it would be a victory, but victories were always better shared. With a toss of her head, she turned and left her quarters.

Resistance Is Futile - pt 38

2007-10-27T07:25:00.000-04:00

It had been a good day. Virginia had worked most of the afternoon with Reg on the transporters on the shuttlecraft and had even worked on the other shuttlecraft for quite some time. She had also enjoyed a leisurely dinner in Ten Forward with Reg, and a few others who had wandered in. It had been good to get reaquainted with Laren and Arnold and Red-22.

But now she was tired. She had had a long day, and she and Reg had agreed to meet early to get a jump on the ship's transporters. Entering her quarters, Virginia was quick to shed her clothes and slip into more comfortable clothes. She raked her hands through her hair and flopped rather inelegantly on the long couch that faced the windows...where she had left the bottle of Ale.

Taking the half empty bottle in her hands, Virginia sighed. She really shouldn't. She had a long day ahead of her tomorrow...Reg was counting on her to help with the ships transporters. And she had more than enough alcohol in her system to last until after the mission. But her 'tired' wasn't just from physical exhaustion...in fact, very little of it was from that...Her 'tired' came from the weight of her burden. From the weight of this mission. From the weight of her heartbreak...not just with Jean-Luc, although that was a disappointment and even now, an embarrassment. That after so long, she should be so weak to masculine attention. How she missed her beloved Marcus...how deep the shame she felt for betraying him with Ian...the shame she felt for missing that man as well.

At the thought of Ian, Virginia's skin prickled. Her fingers toying with the neck of the bottle, she looked about. She could feel nothing and no one...and she didn't dare skim along the Bond they shared for fear of drawing his attention, even Muted as it was. But still... "You're watching, aren't you?" she said to the thin air. "I can't see you...or feel you...Sometimes I just wish you'd..."

"Wish I'd what?" Ian/Q asked gently, quietly appearing at her feet. Kneeling no less!

"I just wish you'd go away," she said, tears slipping from her eyes. Her heart contradicted her because she was insanely glad that he had decided to show himself to her.

He reached out and, with a gentleness known to only her, he wiped away her tears. "No you don't."

Frustration flitted across her face, tears increasing despite his efforts. "Can't you ever just agree with me? Must you always contradict me?"

Ian/Q's smile was gentle, and amused. "I think that if you remember long enough back, there have been plenty of times I've agreed with you...even though we both know you were wrong."

She didn't answer.

"Please don't drink the rest of this," he said, clearly posing it as a request. His other hand reached out and covered her hand that rested on the bottle. "Please, Virgina."

"I'm a lost cause, Ian," Virginia said, her hand involuntarily tightening around the bottle.

"No, you're not. Have you forgotten everything you once believed?"

"That was a long time ago," she said bitterly. "He has forgotten me."

"No, He hasn't...He's just waiting for you to call on Him again."

"Am I always such a failure in your eyes?" The bitterness in her voice turned to anger.

"Far from it," Ian/Q answered. "I'm sorry if coming to you now was the wrong thing to do..."

"It wasn't..." As quickly as that, she was back to being heartbroken. For the man before her, that she couldn't admit to loving after such a long denial.

They sat in silence. He was still catching her tears. Each lost in their own thoughts.

"I'm going to leave now,"Ian/Q said after a long moment of watching the various emotions skitter across her face. "Please, just...don't finish this bottle." He paused, waiting to see if she would answer him, if she would say anything at all, if she would hand the bottle for him to take. When she didn't, he leaned forward and planted a gentle kiss on her forehead. And then as quietly as he appeared, he was gone.

Tears flowed in earnest now. Never had she felt his absence as keenly as now...and this when their Bond was Muted! Virginia hugged the bottle of blue liquid close to her, wanting it now more than ever.

Commercial Break

2007-09-23T08:01:00.000-04:00

This author is leaving town for a week....and I need to pack...so there will be no new posts here until the first weekend in October. :)

Resistance Is Futile - Pt 37

2007-09-22T08:31:00.000-04:00

Those who knew what to look for, could find Q if they really wanted to. It also helped if you were the one he wasn't hiding from. Raven-Cloud really wanted to find Q, and because Q was more concentrated on Hiding from Virginia than others, Raven-Cloud found him easily. Stepping into the dimension where Q was Hiding while he watched the events on the Enterprise, Raven-Cloud cleared his throat as he came to a rest next to the other man.

"You're getting better at Hiding," Raven-Cloud said. "I almost didn't find you this time."

"I'm not Hiding from you," Q answered, sparing the ambassador a glance. "What brings you to this neighborhood?"

"Same as you, checking up on the princess." The ambassador took in the scene before him. "What is she doing?"

"Tinkering." Q sighed. "She's modifying the transporters."

"She always was happiest when she was fixing something. I'm surprised she didn't take up engineering in the Acadamy."

"Did she have a choice?"

Raven-Cloud ignored the anger in the other man's voice. "Probably not. Does her tinkering mean that she still plans to go through with the switch?"

"It does."

The ambassador sighed. "What does she plan to accomplish by this meaningless self-sacrifice?"

"To save the other half-breed from having to endure the trauma from being assimilated."

"Obviously. But why bother since she was given permission to pull the Troi woman out and restore her memory as though it had never happened?"

Q considered this, sensing that it was asked sincerely. "Because she's a woman of conscience. When she accessed Picard's memories at their first meeting, she was overwhelmed by his memories of assimilation, even though by his standards they are old memories. She can't in good conscience ask anyone to submit to that torture...and then take away their memories of it. Remember the culture in which she grew up in...there is honor in surviving torture."

"She has enough honor to choke a Klingon," Raven-Cloud said disgustedly.

"Don't tell her that," advised Q. "At least she lives up to her beliefs."

The ambassador was quiet a moment before saying, "That was uncalled for."

"I wasn't refering to that," Q said. "It's the truth though...Virginia will live up to her beliefs no matter what."

"Even if it kills her?"

"You know that answer to that as well as I."

Raven-Cloud nodded. "Sometimes it's like she wants to die."

"Not as much as she wants to be loved," Q said softly. "Will I be allowed to rescue her?"

The reason why he was here. "The Council is still out on that."

"Incredible! You came all the way here just to tell me that the Council is still out to lunch?!"

The other man actually chuckled. "Does it really matter? We both know that when the time comes, you'll rescue her no matter what they say."

"That's beside the point." Q sighed and watched as his heart's desire returned to her quarters. His heart quickened at the thought that she might go back to her bottle of alcohol. "It's be nice to be approved by the Council for a change. Now, either be quiet or leave because I want to watch."

"I'll leave. But I'll be back."

"Of that I have no doubt."

But the other was gone, leaving Q to watch in silence.

Resistance Is Futile - Pt 36

2007-09-21T07:30:00.000-04:00

Geordi La Forge looked down at the two pairs of legs sticking out from underneath the console of the new shuttlecraft Andromeda. He grinned widely as he listened to the exchange taking place between the owners of the legs.

"B-b-but Admiral...we can't do that!" stuttered an excited Reginald Barclay.

"Trust me, Reg...now, hold that spanner still while I do this!" replied a calmer Admiral Hamilton.

"If you're sure..." Only Reg would dare question a superior when he was that nervous. La Forge bet it had more to do with the admiral's presence than the actual modifcations she was making. When it had been announced that she was coming to the Enterprise,Reg had chattered for hours about his meeting her once in the Acadamy gardens. Everyone had doubted him, of course ... until Hamilton had shown up in Engineering 4 hours ago and asked for Reg by name. Not his rank, just his name.

"Of course I'm sure...I know you keep read up on this just like I do. That's it...steady now...And really Reg, I wouldn't have asked for your help otherwise..."

"T-thank you ma'am..." There was a soft sound, as flesh striking flesh, albeit lightly. "Ow...ma'am?"

"Don't call me ma'am. Ever. I don't care...hand me that other tool...how old I am...I'd rather be called 'sir' before ma'am...and I don't even like that...if you have to, just call me Admiral. I know you'd never be able to call me Virginia..."

"I c-couldn't do that..."

"Thought so. Can you turn that...the other way...just...yep, hold it..."

La Forge hated to interrupt, he really did. Clearing his throat, loudly, he asked, "How's it going?"

Both sets of legs jolted insurprise, but La Forge was willing to bet that the thud he heard was from Reg hitting his head on the underside of the console and not the admiral.

"It's going fine," replied Virginia. She pulled herself out, and stood, helping Reg to his feet.

Sure enough, it was Reg rubbing his head. "We're actually...almost done, sir."

"Can I look at what you're doing?" La Forge asked.

Virginia nodded. "Go ahead. I'd be interested in knowing what the chief engineer thinks of our work."

La Forge crawled under the concole...and let out a low whistle. "This is some sophisticated work, you guys. You've done all this in just a couple hours?"

"Uh, yes Commander..." Reg said. He beamed at La Forge's praise.

You rerouted...and augmented ... wow..." La Forge was silent a moment, and then pulled himself out from underneath the console and back to his feet. "I wish I had you on my team, Admiral. I'm not sure what you have planned, but with what you two are doing..you'll be able to pull anyone out of an ion storm by their DNA alone."

"Most of it's Reg's work..." Virginia said.

"Now Admiral..." the leiutenant protested.

"Reg, don't bite the hand that compliments you," she scolded. "It was a team effort, Commander. We couldn't have done it alone."

"I'm tempted to ask you to work on the ships transporters when you're done." He smiled at the "twinkle" he saw in her response.

"I'd be tempted to say yes," she replied. "What do you think Reg?"

Reg's mouth fell open. "I...I..."

La Forge grinned. "I think that's a yes."

"Yes, I think so too," remarked the admiral. "We'll finish here and call it a day and pick up with the ship's transporters in the morning?"

"That's fine with me," answered La Forge. "Reg?"

"Fine with me, sir."

"Good. I'll let the two of you get back to work."

"Aye, sir." Reg hurriedly crawled back under the console.

Virginia followed him, after giving La Forge a beaming smile.

Once again looking at two pairs of legs, La Forge grinned as the two picked up chattering where they had left off.

"Ok, Reg..hold it steady..."

"Admiral...do you think we should..."

Chuckling deeply, La Forge walked away and left the two alone.

Resistance Is Futile - Pt 35

2007-09-19T06:30:00.000-04:00

Virginia woke up slowly, her head pounding. She had spoken with Jean-Luc for only a few more minutes before excusing herself and heading for bed. Her dreams had been nightmares...mostly of the Borg, but that was to be expected. And to tell the truth, she was used to nightmares. Probably far too used to them.

She stretched in her bed, and pulled the covers closer. "Computer, what time is it?"

"The time is zero-nine-hundred," the feminine monotone answered.

Virginia groaned, then wished she hadn't as it hurt her head. She should have been up hours ago. She dragged herself out of bed and into the bathroom. She undressed and stepped into the shower. Letting the hot water rain down over her, she turned her face into the water. Today she had to go over the shuttlecraft she planned on using, something she had neglected yesterday in favor of drinking herself silly. Mentally reviewing the crew of the Enterprise, Virginia decided to call upon Reg Barclay for help with the tweaks she wanted to make to the transporter and related systems.

The admiral also had to call her office on Earth, to make sure things were well. If they hadn't tried calling her first, she might let that wait until later in the day. She might do that anyway.

Requesting a work jumpsuit from the clothing replicator, Virginia dressed in it. There was no small amount of muttering over the formfitting suit, until she finally gave up and ordered a slightly larger size. Far from being a prude, Virginia still didn't like clothing that fit so close that it left little to the imaginaton. Finally satisfied with her outfit, she took her brush and sat at her desk as she began to brush out her hair.

There was a message from Picard, stating that everything was proceeding smoothly. Meaning that the Borg hadn't noticed the Federation starship suddenly heading their way. Also a message from Doctor Crusher, gently reminding her that she had mentioned a list to the good doctor. Yeah, that was on her list of things to do. There were two messages from her office, graciously taken by Picard...both were updates and indicated that a reply was not needed. One was about the peace treaty between Lorax and Largoe, sister planets that were constantly fighting over nonsense. Apparently that was proceeding smoothly. The other was a message saying the Ambassador Trinis was requesting a meeting upon her return, which of course couldn't happen until Virginia herself returned to earth.

Silly people.

"Computer, locate Reginald Barclay."

Again the feminine monotone answered her. "Reginald Barclay is in Engineering, Deck..."

"That is sufficient," cut in Virginia. She hated the over information that the computer always felt the need to give. Leaving her brush on the desk, she left her quarters and headed for Engineering. She'd probably regret not tying her hair out of the way, but she'd worry about that later. No need making her head hurt any worse than it already did.

Resistance Is Futile - pt 34

2007-09-18T04:00:00.000-04:00

All was quiet.

"Night" had fallen on the Enterprise...as much as it could fall on a busy ship that was never completely idle. There was always something going on somewhere. It was just usually quieter during the night cycle.

Ten-Forward often saw a small flow of people even in the middle of the night. Tonight was no different.

Ensign Ro Laren had been through earlier, silently looking for the admiral who had been a friend and sponsor during the hard days at the academy. Unlike most of the admirality, Hamilton had a long memory and well remembered the terrors of war. Admiral Hamilton had been the one to talk her out of joining the Maquis...which had turned out to be a pivotal decision for the Enterprise because it had been Ro who had saved the ship from the Duras sisters allied with the evil doctor Soran. Loss of life had been minimal and the ship salvagable. She had yet to be promoted for that miracle, but with the admiral on her side, Ro knew that she could count on it happening.

Lt. Shelby Mansion had been through as well. Unable to sleep she had sought out the calm of the Ten-Forward hostess. She had talked for several minutes, pouring out her worry over her parents deteriorating health and how she was so many lightyears away from being able to help. Guinan listened and sent the girl back to bed with a lighter load.

She had also spoken with Reg Barclay, though briefly. Reg, too, had been looking for the admiral, wanting to bend her ear on transporter technology. While engineering wasn't the admiral speciality, she had a great interest in it and had crossed Barclay's path years ago at the Academy. She had been teaching a course on First Contact methodology and had found him moping in gardens looking for a curiously absent Boothby. What had ensued was a fascinating conversation on technology...the advances she had seen in transporters and replicators...Warp speed had especially fascinated her. Not only had she eased his fears regarding transporters, she had encouraged his desire to switch from the sciences to engineering.

There had been a few others, Hopni and Johannsen to name two, who had wandered through, also looking for the admiral. Guinan herself couldn't help but look for Virginia as well each time the door opened. She knew that the alien admiral was seeing the captain after that man had ended his shift on the bridge. As much as Guinan believed that things would be fixed between the two, there was an underlying worry that things would go badly. Especially since Virginia had been drinking and was more "toasted" than Picard had realized.

Perhaps there was nothing to worry about. Perhaps Virginia had returned to her rooms to sleep it off. She would be sadly disappointed if it were to be any other way. Still, Guinan didn't feel at ease.

She poured herself a drink, and was surprised...very surprised...when Q appeared out of no where and sat at the bar in front of her. Without a word, she poured him a drink and pushed it his way.

"It never ceases to amaze me how many lives Virginia manages to touch," Q said quietly.

"She has a knack for it," Guinan answered. "Why are you here?"

"This is the only time I can talk to you," Q answered. "Virginia's sleeping."

"Good. Has she had any more to drink?"

"No. Hopefully she'll stay away from it. I thought about slipping in and hiding it from her, but that wouldn't do her any good."

"She has to make the decision herself." Guinan waited. Vagually she wondered at the lack of reaction to Q's presence from the few people in Ten-Forward.

Q, seeing her look around the room casually, said, "They only see a non-descript ensign."

"You've never been what one would call non-descript."

"I am today."

"You haven't answered my question yet."

"No, I haven't." The other man took a deep breath, then gave the hostess an earnest look. "Guinan, I've come to say...I'm sorry."

It took her a moment to formulate a response. "You're sorry?"

"I know you don't believe me..."

"Q..." She held up her hand to halt him. She was a listener. And she could hear the sincerity in his voice. His face she could disbelieve...his body language she could distrust...if she were a normal person, she could distrust what she was hearing...but she was far from being a normal person, and when she heard something ... even this shocking and unbelievable... "I believe you."

"You do?" He was quite clearly surprised.

"I'm just surprised."

Q looked embarrassed. "You've never known me any other way."

"No, I haven't. And...I've never really trusted Virginia's judgment concerning you. She doesn't pick the best of men."

"I think she does it to irritate me." Q shrugged.

"I've never considered that."

He shrugged again. "So, you believe me. Do you forgive me?"

Guinan paused, and could not resist the temptation. "I'll have to think about it."

"That's all I ask." With a nod of his head, Q disappeared.

Resistance Is Futile - pt 33

2007-09-15T06:30:00.000-04:00

She was early, but Virginia wanted to have some control over the situation. She had programmed the Holodeck to provide an old fashioned outdoor patio setting on an asteroid in an imaginary asteroid belt. The technology that existed to allow her to dine in outer space without suffocating or floating away never ceased to amaze her.

Settling in on of the low clung chairs, she held a cup of steaming coffee in her hands and took a deep sip. Here in the holodeck it wasn't quite the same as the real thing, but neither was the sludge from the replicator. Guinan had fixed her up with a pot in Ten-Forward before she came here and she had been audacious enough to just take it with her. However it was long since gone and she'd had to ask the holodeck to supply her with some. Virginia let herself get comfortable, propping her feet up on the simulated footstool, knowing that her head was going to kill her later for the Ale she had imbibed. Of course, she wasn't certain she was done drinking yet. Watching the asteroids tumble and spin against a stunning starfield backdrop, she wondered what more Picard could have to say.

All things considered, it was the shortest romance Virginia had ever had. Really, it had been over before it had ever began. Fiery, but short. It was too bad, because she genuinely liked Picard and was attracted to him. Wasn't she? Secretly, she thought that she picked the men she did just to tick Ian off, with the exception of Marcus. She had truly loved, Marcus. But after the time with Ian...every man she'd slept with was the polar opposite of that man. They were either harsh and demanding such as Jayden, seemingly cold and distance like Spock had been, and in the case of Picard...well, his history with Ian as Q was well known and she didn't think anyone on this ship that she could have picked would have ticked him off as greatly. Not that she wanted Ian jealous. Just ticked off. Royally ticked off.

Why she was punishing him for something she had done, Virginia didn't know. But that was her heart's desire. Talk about spiteful. Vindictive. By punishing him, she punished herself, because his misery was her misery. Two souls joined, but kept apart.

She wiped away the tears that threatened to fall. It had been her fault. Marcus had been dead for almost 3 years when Ian had rescued her from Sancuary Distric A...her memory had still been in fragments, but by that time she had remembered her name at least. Day after day, with his gentleness meeting her angry outbursts, her heart had began to soften...she began to want to live again. Each new day saw her memories restored bit by bit. The nightmares never let up though...not once. Only after...

Quickly she diverted her thinking. The last thing she wanted to be remembering was the night she had Bonded with Ian. Thankfully the holodeck doors whooshed open and she was spared having to divert her thoughts further.

"This is quite the setting you've picked," Picard commented, taking a moment to enjoy the view before settling in the chair beside her.

"The stars have been my comfort since I was a teen," Virginia said, by way of explanation. "Only here in the holodeck can I indulge in my fantasies."

"Virginia..."

"Yes, Jean-Luc?"

"I don't want things between us to end on such a discordant note."

"But end they must, correct?" Virginia took a deep draught of her sweetened coffee, amused at his choice of words. "It was my fault for believing you when you said you didn't want Beverly anymore."

"It's hardly all your fault," replied Picard. "As I recall, you were ready to ignore the attraction between the two of us and I had to convince you otherwise."

"I seem to recall that as well. Safe to say that we are both at fault then?"

"I think that's fair." Picard smiled. "Shall we remain friends?"

By habit, Virginia rolled her eyeballs. "I hate it when men say that. Do you all have that line memorized? No, don't answer that. Sorry, but I've heard my share of that line. I know you mean well Jean-Luc, and yes, I'd like to remain friends as I have very few real ones. And I think that you could be one."

"I think so as well," he said gently. "Now, care to tell me what has you drinking Romulan Ale? Especially with a dangerous mission upcoming?"

"I heard the stars sing..." she answered almost inaudibly.

"What could be wrong with that?" Picard asked innocently. "I would think that it would be a great delight to hear the stars sing."

"It is delightful. It's the reason why they sing that bothers me."

Picard was at a loss for words, as it seemed that Virginia wasn't going to elaborate.

"How's Ian? Or rather, Q?" she asked without warning.

His eyebrows shot up in surprise. "I didn't ask, but he seemed his usual arrogant self."

"Then he is miserable. Good." Virginia took another long drink of her coffee.

"He told me not to tell you."

She shrugged. "He forgets that I can tell when he's around, even when I'm binging."

"I see."

"I don't feel him anymore, though, so he's gone."

Picard didn't mention that Q had told him he'd be watching. Nor did he think that he should mention that her voice was filled with disappointment and longing. He didn't think she'd want to hear it anymore than what Guinan had to say about him and Beverly. What a set the four of them were!

Instead, Picard chose a different topic. "Are you sure it's wise to not charge Beverly?"

Virginia looked at him as though he'd lost his mind. "Of course, I am. We can't have one of the Fleet's top medical doctors court marshalled because her friend forgot to tell her about a mission. StarFleet needs Beverly here...the Enterprise needs her here."

Picard was chagrinned. "I was afraid you did it because..."

"Don't be ridiculous. I didn't get to the admirality by being stupid. Had I been swayed by my emotions, the Klingons would never have made it to see even the Organian Peace Treaty. But, I see further down the line. The Federation needs Klingons as allies and members. And you're gonna need Bev."

He didn't argue.

Resistance Is Futile - pt 32

2007-09-14T06:45:00.000-04:00

It was time for the ship to go to Warp speed. Had the bridge crew been aware of the orders about to issue out of the Captain's mouth, they would have been tense and on edge. However, they were unaware and so there was a relaxed feel on the bridge of the Enterprise...for the moment.

Picard sat in his chair, concerned over the absence of Admiral Hamilton. Surely she would have wanted to be present when the ship began its trek towards Borg territory. However, her presence wasn't necessary...though it was greatly desired. He had tried getting ahold of her all afternoon, and had received no answer. He had conferred with Lt. La Forge and they had decided to proceed at Warp 3 for a duration of 24 hours, followed by Warp 6 for another 36. They could have reached their destination quicker by either traveling at Warp 6 for the entire trip, or a faster speed all together. But the entire idea at going slowly was to give Deanna and Worf time together before that bride had to go into a battle zone by shuttle craft.

"Helm," began Picard. "Set a new course. Borg territory." There was no need to give exact coordinates as the Helm officer would plot a course for the nearest edge of their known territory.

There was not even a hesitation as Ensign Ro's hands moved across the controls. "Aye, Captain. Course set and laid in."

"Warp 1...on my mark." Picard paused. For a moment, he thought that he could feel the importance, the destiny of the moment that Q had mentioned. Akin to a sense of an approaching storm. The doors of the turbolift opened and Picard turned to see who was arriving. He smiled as Admiral Hamilton walked down the rampway.

"Status?" she inquired tightly as she took the seat to his right.

"Course is set, and I was about to give the order to go to warp speed."

"Don't let me stop you," Virginia remarked, leaning back in the chair.

Picard looked at her a moment, then addressed Ro. "Helm, engage."

"Aye sir. Warp 3."

The ship gave no sign of the increased speed. One sensitive enough might have felt a slight vibration, but it was something you had to look for. However the stars on the viewscreen began to speed by.

"How long will we be at this speed?" Virginia asked.

"24 hours," replied Picard. "Admiral, let's discuss this in my Ready Room shall we?"

The admiral nodded and rose to her feet, letting him lead the way. Picard sat in his chair and motioned for Virginia to sit. She took a seat and crossed her legs, hoping that he couldn't see how close to being drunk she was. She had spent the afternoon sipping on the Romulan ale, ignoring his hails and waiting for the stars to sing. They hadn't, which meant that Ian wasn't around anymore. "After the 24 hours?" she asked.

"Warp 6 for another 36 hours." Picard watched her closely. "I would have told you this had you answered my hails this afternoon."

She acknowledged the mild rebuke with a terse, "I was busy."

"Virginia..." Picard took a deep breath. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Could he be saying what she thought he was? Surely he didn't remember saying the wrong name.

"For calling you Beverly."

"Oh." He was!

"I'm on the bridge for another hour. I...would like to talk to you further about this."

She considered this. "Ok."

"Holodeck 3?"

"I'll be there." Virginia stood. "In the meantime, I'm going to find some coffee."

Picard smiled at her. "Will that help sober you?"

"No, but in fact it will make me even more giddy...You can tell?"

"Virginia," he said, scolding her mildly. "You hide it well, but yes."

"I only had three glasses."

"Of what?"

Virginia blushed brightly. "Romulan ale."

"If what Guinan says is true, it's a wonder your standing."

"I drank it slowly. It makes a difference."

"I see." Picard stood. "I'll see you in an hour then."

"Holodeck 3." Virginia nodded and turned on her heel.

With a steadiness that had to be manufactured, she left his room and presumably the bridge. Picard waited for the doors to slide shut before hitting his combadge. "Picard to Guinan."

There was a moment's pause before Guinan answered. "Yes, Captain?"

"How concerned would you be if I told you that Virginia spent the afternoon drinking?"

"Very. Is she drunk?"

"She's not sober. When she left, she claimed to be on her way to find some coffee."

"She's still hurting."

"So I gathered. She did agree to meet with me after I leave the bridge."

"Good. Ah, if you'll excuse me Captain, I think I'd best prepare some coffee."

"Understood. Picard out."

Resistance Is Futile - pt 31

2007-09-13T07:30:00.000-04:00

Q could have kicked himself. He had forgotten that alcohol didn't tamper with the Pair Bond, though he hadn't remembered until he had been watching Virginia stargazing and when she ran out of the room once they had started 'singing'...the realization hit him hard. He'd been invisible, and Hidden, but that hadn't stopped her from sensing him.

He'd been a fool to talk with Picard...the initial event that had tipped her off to his presence. She was probably looking for him now, though he could sense that she hadn't lifted her end of the Muting on their Bond. But the conversation with Picard had been a must. Hadn't it? Perhaps it had been an action born of jealousy and anger, like Picard suspected.

It had been all he could do to hold back when Jayden had been in the picture. Q could tolerate Virginia having lovers, because he knew that she wrestled with her love for him, but Jayden had been bad news from the start. That man had maniuplated her until he had gotten what he wanted...Pair Bonded to the Daughter-Heir of the Gandraleayian throne...but she was already Bonded to another. Virginia hadn't been able to see Jayden's true motives even after the shaky Bond was in place. It was a wonder that it hadn't driven all three of them mad. Instead, to Q's surprise and delight, Virginia had drawn strength from him through the Bond, she had actually reached out to him...and he had embraced her likewise, which in turn had strengthened him...which is how they had been able to survive the ordeal...and amazingly, it had strengthened the Bond itself.

He hadn't meant for it to happen. Any of it. Before, when he was allowed to go by his name, Ian had been sent to the Freedom Fighters group that Virginia's parents were leading. Virginia being the only reason why the Gandraleayians had gotten involved in Earth politics in the first place...someone had to keep an eye on her. There had been a rumor circulating that someone in the group of Gandraleayians safeguarding Virginia had been someone about ready to'turn rogue' and it had been his job to find him...there had actually been a small cell.

He'd been in the underground complex for maybe half an hour, talking with a young Gandraleayian lad when Virginia had walked up and invited him to dinner with her family, actually snubbing her boyfriend, the lad he had been speaking to. What Ian/Q had felt then was amusement, but an instant liking. Even at sixteen Virginia had had a commanding presence about her...she'd been cocky and naive, indeed, who wasn't at that age? The night of the dinner with her family, and she'd hit him with the request to be her teacher at God's say so, and he'd found himself agreeing, he had impulsively warned her not to fall in love with him, she had lifted her eyebrows and told him that perhaps it was he who had better not fall in love with her.

Before long, Virginia had somehow talked him into watching the stars with her in the evenings. It had been an escape for her, from her turbulent family, from the politics of the world she was growing up in. And it was on those evenings that she revealed her insatiable curiosity. Once she had found out about her alien heritage, she had been full of questions. For him, the stars were commonplace. He had seen them from countless worlds at countless angles and he had even traveled through them. But with her, seeing them through her eyes, her innocence had brought them alive again. Teaching her, being with her, had brought him back to life again.

The night the stars sang...he'd almost lost all control. They had been teacher and student for almost a year, friends for nearly as long. She'd always been beautiful, even as a clumsy and gangly teenager, but it was her he'd been drawn to, had always been drawn to. She had trusted him so completely in that moment...even though she hadn't understood...especially when he'd abruptly ended the mind-link...but it had been that trust that had stopped him from kissing her, because it wouldn't have stopped with kissing. He had known then, that he felt far more for her than friendship. And that he could do nothing about it.

Q had panicked when she had run away after Michael raped her. She'd given him no warning. But...her foster father Luther had noticed the warning signs and had actually caught her as she was leaving...and he'd let her go. Virginia must have suspected that Luther would catch her, had maybe even planned for it, because she had left a letter for Ian with him. He had long ago lost the actual letter, but he had never forgotten the brief message. "Ian," she'd written. "I'm sorry for leaving like this, but I cannot stay here ... not right now. What Mike did...I trusted him...but he lied to me, even about who he was. I trust you completely, but I don't trust the rest of our kind. I know you lied about not knowing why the stars sing when we're together, but it's the only one you've ever told me so I figure you must have a good reason. Perhaps it means I'm unstable and you're afraid to tell me. Please don't look for me. I will contact you when I can. Your friend, Virginia"

So, he had trusted her and waited. He had daily stilled his panicked heart, endured the correction and discipline of his superiors, endured the doubting questions when they asked if she'd tried contacting him. She'd called him almost a year later. Alive and well...and in love. It had hurt that he wasn't her first love, but even then he had loved her enough to want her happiness above his own. She had asked him to come to their wedding, so long as he didn't tell anyone. He hadn't and he had managed to go without being found out. Marcus had been so right for her that he had never been able to jealous of their relationship.

He had tried fighting his feelings for Virginia, he had even married. Rebecca had been a sweet girl, and he truly had loved her...but not enough. She had been human, a little older than Virginia. But the Pair Bond had never happened between them. It was supposed to take place the first time a couple was physically intimate with each other, but it hadn't with them. And when he hadn't mentioned it to her, and asked if she wanted it, she had said no. He should have known then that their marriage was doomed. And doomed it had been. Rebecca had eventually realized his feelings for Virginia and had allowed jealousy to eat at her. He had offered to Bond with her, to show her that no matter what his feelings for Virginia were, it was Rebecca he had loved enough to marry. For some reason he never understood, she refused again. While she had loved him, Rebecca had never been comfortable with Ian's alien powers. It would have solved so many things, she'd have known that he was telling the truth for starters. But she didn't want it, and had left him less than a year later for another man who had ended up killing her.

Inconsolable, Q had taken a leave of absence from Special Ops and had isolated himself. Virginia wasn't even able to find him...and he knew that she had looked. He had felt numerous Quest Pulses bounce of his shielding, but Virginia's was the only one he recognized. He came out once in a while, but it hadn't been often and it had often been angry. Marcus had been the one to speak some sense into him, a memory he had never consciously shared with Virgina, though how she could have been unaware of her husband's conversation with him, he didn't know.

"Ian," Marcus has said late one night after Virginia had gone oot bed and the two were just sitting and talking. "Virginia is hurting for you right now, because she doesn't understand your anger."

"What's to understand?" he'd replied angrily. "My wife left me for a psychomaniac who killed her. Seems pretty cut and dried to me."

"Perhaps I mispoke. That part of your anger she understands. But she's aware that it goes deeper than that, she just doesn't realize that your anger stems from the fact that you love another man's wife. For all that my wife senses, she misses a lot, and I think you hide it from her rather well."

It had taken Ian a long moment to asnwer. "You know?"

"Ian, I've always known. And I want you to know, when I die...I'd appreciate it if you took care of her. She already adores you, and trusts you, so it shouldn't be that big of a step for her to fall in love with you."

"After your gone," he'd replied woodenly, unbelievingly. "You can't be seriously saying what I think you are."

"I'm very serious." Marcus had seemed amused. "I'm going to die someday. I know this, and I'm ok with you being there with her afterwards."

"If you know, how is it Virginia doesn't? You're Bonded."

Marcus chuckled. "Because Virginia lets me keep secrets from her. Every woman likes to be surprised by her husband at least twice a year, her birthday and their anniversary. When she senses one, she doesn't press. She trusts me to tell her when she's ready to hear it."

The conversation had ended shortly afterwards, and they had never spoken of it again. And apparently Marcus had never shared anything with Virginia, because not only had it been a big step for her to fall in love with him, it was one she still wouldn't admit to have taken.

Q knew that a lot of it had to do with the fact that the Council had exiled him and added his name to the Rogue Q list...but he also knew that she had a deeper issue with it.

He just didn't know what it was.

Resistance Is Futile - Pt 30

2007-09-12T06:01:00.000-04:00

In the privacy of her quarters, Virginia pulled out her carry all satchel. The way technology had advanced, and how materialism had dwindled, there wasn't much a traveler had to carry anymore. But old habits die hard. Especially the longer lived a person is. The more memories they had.

She rifled through her undergarments and the sundry momentos that she couldn't part with even for a short trip: pictures of Marcus and her children when they'd been young, especially the one of Sarah, the daughter who had died while still a child...along with a lock of Sarah's hair from when she'd been a baby; letters Marcus had written her; bits of jewelry that her father had given her, not her real father, but the man who had raised her as his own even though he had known all along that she wasn't; the string of firepearls that Ian had given her when she'd been a teenager. She dug past these items to a carefully wrapped and hidden glass bottle.

Khan had been a wine drinker...specifically red wine. Governor Pretek had drank whiskey. Artimes preferred rum and soda, for all that she had been Klingon. General Zoar - champagne. Kirk had coveted his Saurian Brandy; Doctor McCoy his mint julipes. As for herself, once she had discovered Romulan Ale, Virginia prefered it above all other drinks...except maybe Saurian Brandy, but that was not a drink to be had alone. Saurian Brandy was meant to be savored, Romulan Ale worked quickly and was meant for forgetting. Which was why she always hid it beneath the momentos she carried with her, beneath the memories.

After unwrapping the bottle, Virginia requested a chilled glass of crushed ice from the replicator and settled down on the floor. Seated in front of the windows, she poured herself half a glass and sipped it slowly, watching the stars go by. She didn't want to get drunk...she just needed to keep a constant stream of alcohol in her system so that when they met the Borg, she wouldn't be tempted to use her powers to destroy them. And it was also easier to think about the Borg than why the stars sang.

At first, she had been afraid of the decision she'd reached. Everybody had heard stories of what it was like to be assimilated. How the Borg enforced their will over yours. Stole your identity. Mutilated your body. And then she had felt Picard's memories...which had scared her even more...seeing that all of it was true, and that the reality of it was worse than the stories, but it had only reinforced her determination to keep anyone else from having to experience it.

Maybe she did have a hero complex after all.

The stars slid by the window. Slowly. Quietly. All too soon the ship would have to go to Warp. For now, Virginia was content to just watch their slow slide and somewhat unwillingly remember the first time she'd heard the stars sing to her.

She had just turned seventeen. It was summer and she had been laying on the roof of her home watching the meteor shower of August, her falling stars. Like in the Observation Lounge, sounds had crept into the silence. Like music. Different pitches and tones. A meteor would streak across the sky, and there would be a sudden symphony. She could hear the stars...their hum and vibrations. She could hear them twinkle. It had been beautiful. The most purest and sweetest music she'd ever heard. She had turned to Ian, to ask if he could hear it, and had been momentarily taken aback to see that he hadn't been watching the stars, but herself.

"What are you hearing?" he'd asked.

"How...?" She'd been surprised. She was so used to Ian, that sometimes she forgot that he was like her and could hear and sense things, like her thoughts and emotions.

"I can feel that you're awed, and deeply moved by something. It happened all of a sudden."

"You don't hear the stars?"

He had looked surprised. "No. Link with me?"

She had agreed, as she was used to his mental touch, she even liked it. It had always been a soft and gentle touch, his power restrained because of her inexperience with her own powers. She had loved the depth of his presence mingling with hers, always afraid that he would find her inadequate. But this night, when their minds had joined...the heavens had errupted. From the corners of her eyes, she saw a true meteor 'shower' as the heavens suddenly errupted with a flurry of falling stars...and each brilliant streak was accompanied by notes she'd never heard before. And Ian heard it too...she'd seen it in his eyes even as she'd felt his internal reaction. It had seemed to last forever...that brief eternal moment. But it had ended far too quickly. Ian had pulled his hand and his mind away.

"I don't know," he'd said. "I've never heard anything like it. We should go inside now..."

And even though there had been hours of stargazing left, she had obeyed and they had went back inside the underground military complex that was hidden beneath her parents' mock home. He'd never been able to explain why she had heard the stars sing. Or why she only heard them sing when he was with her. But she knew. It had taken her years to figure it out, and why he'd lied about it.

It hadn't been the stars. She'd been hearing his heart.

Why she had connected the sound to the stars, Virginia didn't know. They had often sat out on the roof and watched the stars, him telling stories of the different planets he'd been to, quietly teaching her history and culture without her realizing it. In between stories, he had let her pelt him with question after question. But sometimes they would just sit in silence and, after that first time, it was in those moments of silence that the stars sometimes sang, and it was something she'd only ever experienced with one other man.

Marcus had taken her out stargazing, shortly before they had married. And it had happened again, the stars had sang. She had turned to Marcus, to find him watching her. Telling him what she heard, she had asked him if he wanted to hear it too. So, she'd linked with him...had let him hear the music...and when their minds had joined, the heavens had errupted just like they had with Ian. Marcus, though, had kissed her. And the music was consuming. More kissing had followed, and then more than kissing, the music fading into the sounds of their whispers and sounds of their lovemaking but never really disappearing. It had only ever happened when they sat out watching the stars, like the times with Ian.

Decades later, Virginia had made the connection. Both men had loved her...completely and deeply...accepting her for all she was and all she was meant to become. The living one still did.

What she denied was that her heart had been singing as well, that it hadn't just been the men's.

Virginia poured herself another glass of Romulan Ale, thinking that perhaps she wanted to get drunk after all.

Resistance Is Futile - Pt 29

2007-09-11T03:37:00.000-04:00

Just as Q had predicted, Guinan called Picard.

"Captain, I'm sorry for not calling sooner," she said. "But...did he show himself to you?"

There was never any mistaking whom she meant when she said it like that. "Yes, he did. If you were speaking with Virginia like he claimed, I quite understand why you didn't call sooner."

"I was."

"Is she...no, wait. Are you able to meet with me in my Ready Room, or would you prefer for me to come down there?"

"I'll be there in a moment, Captain."

Picard paced his Ready Room as he waited for Guinan. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to discuss with her, but from the way Q had mentioned it, that being clearly expected the two of them to talk. It felt like it took Guinan an extraordinarily long amount of time before she arrived, though in reality it was less than five minutes.

The smoothly sliding doors slid open to admit the hostess, and quite unlike her she sat in one of the chairs. She waited for the captain to retake his seat before asking, "What did he say?"

Picard was not offended by her brusk manner, and had in fact been expecting it. She had told him the night before that she didn't want to see Virginia hurt...and yet he had done exactly that. "He felt the need to drop in to let me know that he's watching. That Virginia is going to need him soon, for something that she's planning, and that she knows this, even though she hasn't accepted it yet."

"Did he say what she's planning?"

"No. Though he told me that she's been planning it before I hurt her this morning."

Guinan was silent for a moment. "I wasn't sure you aware of that."

"At the time, no. I had only just realized my error before Q appeared."

"Your error?"

"I know that sounds cold, but how would you like me to describe it?" Picard sighed. "I called her by Beverly's name...at the most unforgivable moments."

"The two of you need to talk."

"I plan on it, shortly. Q also said that Virginia isn't to know that he's been around."

Guinan nodded. "I felt that when I felt his arrival."

"Why? Shortly after Virginia arrived, she made mention that she knew Q before he had been named Q, when he was still known as Ian. And when he spoke of how I had hurt her...the look in his eyes...Guinan, what is their story?"

The dark skinned woman hesitated. "Jean-Luc, it's not my story to tell, but I will because I know that neither one of them will ever tell it." She folded her hands in front of her, taking on the air of a storyteller. "He started out as her Teacher."

"Her teacher?"

Guinan nodded. "Yes. Gandraleayians aren't born knowing how to use the powers they are born with, they need to be taught. Some never learn how to go beyond the basics, simple telepathy - such as shielding their thoughts. There are different Talents and different Skills to be learned; there are also moral and ethical lessons taught. Hybrids, it turns out, such as Virginia, cannot...easily...be taught by full-blooded teachers, but by other hybrids...and they learned this by trial and fire. And most hybrids can learn a great deal without a teacher. Virginia went through seven different teachers before Ian entered her life when she had just turned sixteen."

"Q isn't full-blooded?"

"No. And he wasn't trained to be a teacher. At the time, he was a Special Ops agent for the Orion Council, and he was undercover looking for missing Rogues. The two of them connected right off...she claimed that God had told her he was to be her teacher...and he was amused at her precociousness. He was after all, is, her senior by almost a hundred years. He received permission to try to teach her. The Council honestly didn't know what else to do with her and were willing to try the experiment. I don't know what the ususal method is, but he linked minds with her and showed her what she needed to do. Afterwards, she learned quickly.

"One night, her boyfriend at the time, took advantage of her while she was sleeping. He had been eavesdropping on her dreams, and replaced the man in her dreams with himself. He could do this because he was also Gandraleayian. Ian and another Special Ops agent heard Virginia's mental cry for help and rescued her before the boy could finish. Ian was more strongly gifted in Healing than this other agent, and he was the one who Healed Virginia's physical wounds. But he couldn't fix her emotionally. She ran away in less than a weeks time."

"Ran away? But wasn't she a teenager in the midst of the Eugenics War? It wouldn't have been a good time for a teen to be on her own in any country."

"No, it wasn't, but she knew enough to defend herself. One thing that she learned on her own before Q began to teach her was how to disable an attacker by an electrical discharge. She learned how to Hide herself, and managed to cross the American nation from one coast to the other."

"Is that when she met Marcus?"

"Yes. She was married by the time her people had found her again. They weren't happy that she had married a human, but they were also unwilling to Break the Bond between them. Ian returned to the role of her teacher, though there are some who claimed that Ian had known her whereabouts for far longer than he'd admit. Aside from being her teacher, he was also her friend. Virginia and Marcus were married a long time, and were very happy. If she could have Marcus back, she'd would. But her Bond with him only slowed his aging...it didn't stop it. When Marcus died...she was devestated. It damaged her psyche so badly, that for a time she actually forgot who she was.

"She disappeared again, and somehow managed to land herself in a Sancuary Disctrict. She'd been there a year before Ian found her. I'm not sure where he took her, she's never shared. But he had a secret base somewhere and he kept her hidden from their people until she had had enough time to heal and regain her strength. And she seduced him."

Picard wasn't sure if he was amused or startled by this revelation. "She seduced him?"

Guinan smiled at his disbelief. "Yes, 'Q' is seducable, but to tell you the truth, it wasn't that hard. He's loved her from the beginning, Jean-Luc. They were teacher and student for over a year before she ran away, and that's more than enough time for something like love to grow and make itself known. He fought it, he even tried ignoring it with another relationship. But he couldn't fight it any more than you could have stopped yourself from calling out Beverly's name. When she went missing after Marcus died, Ian was beside himself. When he found her...he vowed that whenever she needed him, he'd be there. He wasn't able to hide from her his feelings for her, and Virginia has a way of picking up on a man's interest. She denies that she has any feelings for him beyond friendship, and that the reason she seduced him was purely physical."

"But?"

"But...I believe she loves him. I know they're Bonded, because they were intimate with each other and they were both sober. And I think it was that Bond that overrode the one with Jayden and drove him mad." Guinan sighed. "I know she was furious with the Council when they exiled Ian and put him on the Rogue Q list...far too upset for her feelings to be platonic. She denies it, as he tried to. But, every single time she's ever needed him, he's kept his word even though it's against the rules...and she's never turned his help away. In fact, I think she even calls out to him when she needs him, whether she realizes it or not."

"Every time?" inquired Picard. "What about after Jayden killed himself? I saw how much that still upsets her."

"He came then, and she accepted his comfort. He didn't stay long, as I was there, and Virginia had told him that she wasn't going to send me away. It made him angry and he left as soon as he was certain she was going to be ok."

"Guinan, what is it between you and Q."

Her brows lowered, and pain crossed her face. "That, my friend, is another story."

Resistance Is Futile - pt 28

2007-09-10T03:40:00.000-04:00

Virginia sighed in satisfaction as she completed her sundae and handed the dish back to Guinan. "That wasn't as good as the real thing, but it hit the spot."

"I'm sure it did," replied Guinan, taking care of the dish and returning to her seat. "So, what do you plan on doing now?"

"Now? I'm going to inspect the shuttlecraft Deanna and I will be using, after which I shall retire to my obnoxiously huge admirals quarters to catch up on dreaded paperwork."

Guinan smiled, knowing that while the size of the suite appalled her, Virginia also loved the spaciousness. "I meant about Jean-Luc."

Virginia shrugged. "What is there to do? He loves Beverly...far deeper than he wants to admit. I have no choice but to back off."

"Are you going to talk to him, tell him why?"

"Do you think he would believe me? He had no idea what he was saying." Virginia stretched, working out kinks in her back. "He'd think I was being hysterical."

"You might be surprised."

Virginia didn't comment.

"Think about it."

"All right. I can't imagine what good it will do, but I will at least think about it."

"Good."

The two exchanged a few more comments, then Virginia said her goodbyes and left.

With a heart still heavy with hurt and loneliness, Virginia walked the hallways of the Enterprise without seeing the crew members that passed her by. Sometimes she missed the old ships, such as the original Enterprise. But now wasn't one of those times. Now she was grateful for the never ending corridors and nooks and lounges. She wandered seemingly aimlessly, but soon found her way to the Main Observation Lounge, empty at this hour. Deck to ceiling windows gave an amazing view of their starlit path. She walked up to those windows, until she was nearly touching the transparent aluminum.

She was still deaf to the thoughts of the individuals on the ship. Indeed, it was a blessed silence. Telepathically shielding herself completely was a skill she had never learned, one thing her Teacher had never been able to show her. Alcohol was the only thing she had found that worked. Of course, it rendered all of her powers usless, so it was a Catch 22. One thing it didn't do, which had always confused her...it didn't shut down any of the Bonds she'd ever had. She remembered times when she had been so drunk that she hadn't been able to stand...but could pinpoint Marcus no matter where in the world he was..across the room, across the street, three levels up and tied to a chair....could feel his thoughts, his emotions, his disappointment that she was drinking. He had told her that it didn't dampen his end of the Bond either.

She had Bonded with only two others in her lifetime. Jayden, and the man who had been her Teacher. She and Jayden had never had a chance to see if their Bond would still be open when she'd been drinking, he had taken his life before the month was out. She had talked about this affect with her Teacher, before they had ever Bonded, and he'd been at as much of a loss for an explanation as she had been. Apparently he had forgotten about it, because she had felt his presence on the ship when she'd been talking with Guinan.

He kept the Bond as Muted as possible, as did she. It was preferable over Breaking it, because Breaking it hurt. When Marcus had died, she'd lost herself. It hadn't been as bad when Jayden died, though it had been bad, mostly because she'd had this other Bond previously and he had been there to comfort her. But it was something she didn't want, so he Muted it.

A musical note sounded, low and sweet....followed by another, this one higher. Soon, there was symphony playing in her ears. There was no specific tune, a seemingly aimless melody. The stars were singing. Only she knew now that it wasn't the stars. The song touched the hurting spot in her, and she wanted to surrender to it, but she couldn't...or wouldn't. Her heart racing...Virginia turned and ran from the room, fleeing the heart song...

Resistance Is Futile - pt 27

2007-09-09T08:30:00.000-04:00

"Q."

"You said that once already, Jean-Luc. I'm not deaf." Q walked around the desk and sat in one of the chairs across from the captain, his one leg draped irreverently over the arm.

Anger boiled low in Picard. "What are you doing here?"

"What? No hello? You don't want to know how I've been doing? Jean-Luc - I'm hurt."

"Q," Picard said with warning in his tone.

"You are such a stick in the mud." Q stood and paced around the room. His tone and manner abruptly switched from irreverent to serious and brooding. "I'm here, because Virginia is going to need me. She knows this on some level, but she's not ready to accept it yet. And I'm here, to let you know that I'm watching."

"You're watching?"

"The Council will have my hide for this," Q muttered. "Watching? Oh yes. I'm watching. Events are beginning to unfold that will effect the destiny of multitudes, Picard. Unfortunately, it all revolves around Virginia. Once again, on some level she knows this, and wants to fight it, but can't. Because it's too big."

"Q, you're talking in riddles."

"Am I? Jean-Luc, the woman you slept with this morning ... is the Daughter-Heir to a throne that rules more worlds than you have in your pathetic Federation. The fate of the Gandraleayian Galaxy hinges upon the fate of this little half-breed....whose heart you have crushed." Q's eyes flashed angrily, so quickly that Picard almost didn't see it. "Her decisions over the next few days will not only determine whether that obnoxious Council will let her have the throne she was born for, but when. You and your Counselor were right ... she is being tested. Because her Grandmother is dying ... which is a closely guarded secret, so don't open your mouth. The Council is concerned because of how Virginia begged to be let off the hook all those years ago and if they don't like how she handles this mission, they're going to let her father rule until they deem her ready."

"You can't be serious."

"I am." Q sat again. "Picard ... Jean-Luc ... about this morning..."

"I know I've hurt her."

"Badly. Even now, she is crying on the shoulder of that despicable woman you have hosting Ten-Forward. But ... you need to know ... what Virginia is planning ... she's been planning all along."

"I don't understand."

"That is abundantly clear. But you will." Q stood again, regaining a measure of his normal irreverance. "Now, I must be making myself scarce. Remember ... mums the word. I suppose Guinan will be calling after Virginia's left her, and you can talk to her I suppose, and you'll have to tell your Klingon watchdog, but no one else. Do you understand that?"

"Clearly."

"I'm serious Picard...Virginia can't know that I've been here."

"She won't learn it from me."

"Good."

The powerful superbeing disappeared sans his usual flash of light. And Picard was left wondering about the true nature of the relationship between Virginia and this renegade alien ... because the look in Q's eyes when he had spoken of how Picard had hurt Virginia ... the look hadn't been "alien" ... it had been that of a jealous and angry lover.

Resistance Is Futile - pt 26

2007-09-08T06:00:00.000-04:00

Guinan looked up sharply. She had felt another shift. And this time...she was sure.

Q.

And not just any Q...but that Q.

Coupled with the sure knowledge that she could not, should not, must not tell Virginia of his presence.

It was almost enough to make her want to swear.

She felt Virginia enter Ten-Forward before she actually saw her. Her friend was surrounded by a sense of calm turmoil...of all contradictions. But then, Virginia herself was a contradiction, so it was no surprise. Gandraleayian powers didn't usually manifest until the child was in their late teens, often not until they had turned twenty, and this held true for hybrids as well ... usually. Virginia claimed her powers had begun manifesting shortly after she'd turned thirteen.

Quietly, Guinan made her way across Ten-Forward and made eye contact with her friend, beckonging for her to follow. It didn't surprise her any when Virginia followed, but the lack of expression on her young friend's face concerned Guinan.

Guinan turned as the door to her living area closed behind them...and before she had completed her turn, Virginia was in her arms, sobbing. As quickly as that, the dam had burst. "Oh honey...what's happened?"

In broken sentences, Virginia told Guinan what had happened...what had been said...who had said it...when it had been said. "Why?" Virginia cried, her voice a mixture of rage and despair. "Why can't I have someone that loves me?"

"I'm sure there is, Virginia..." Guinan could say no more, knowing that empty platitudes would not help.

She held her young friend until the sobs ceased...slowly winding down one shuddering gasp at a time. Somewhere in the midst of the tears Guinan had sat them down on her low couch.

"It's not fair," Virginia stated. "Why do I have to live by a different set of rules than everybody else?

"Because you're not everybody else, Virginia," Guinan said, speaking a hard truth. "You're the girl who will be Queen."

"Empress," Virginia corrected with a choked voice.

"Empress. You're destined to rule a Empire that comprises a whole galaxy, my dear. Your life was never going to be easy, which I think you knew before you knew who you really were."

Virginia nodded wordlessly.

"I know that doesn't make it any easier, does it?"

"No. And it's still not fair." Virginia pulled away, wiping her eyes as she did so.

"Life never is. Now, how about some chocolate?"

Virginia managed a small smile. "Only if it's your triple extreme chocolate lovers sundae."

"Would I offer you anything but?" Guinan rose to her feet and glided effortlessly across her room to the replicator.

Virginia curled her legs beneath her on the couch as her friend programed in the dessert. "Am I a bad person? For not stopping him when he said her name?"

Guinan didn't answer right away, and when she did, it was in the form of a question as she handed Virginia a bowl full of chocolate ice cream and toppings. "What would you say if our situations were reversed? If I had slept with a man, knowing that he loved another, and asked you if I was a bad person?"

The younger woman pushed the ice cream around in the bowl, making designs in the syrup and white chocolate chips. "I'd probably say that you were only human...even though you're actually not...but you know what I mean by that expression, that you're only normal. That you're lonely. And that just because you made a mistake, doesn't mean you're bad."

Guinan sat by her on the couch. "Does that answer your question?"

"I'd have to say yes."

"Good. Now - eat your sundae before it melts."

Resistance Is Futile - Pt 25

2007-09-07T05:30:00.000-04:00

When he took his seat in his Ready Room, Picard was not surprised to find a message awaiting him from Virginia. In fact, he was fully expecting it to be her telling him what is was that was bothering her before they had went their separate ways only an hour ago. Instead, what he found was a message stating that Beverly Crusher was being released from General Arrest and was returning to duty ... with no charges pending.

That was surprising. To say the least. Admiral Hamilton was not one for bending the rules.

Often.

Virginia was one who knew that her life was under constant surveillance and behaved accordingly. And because whenever she did bend the rules, she ended up being punished somehow even if she did save humanity as it was known. Like Kirk, and those in the early days of the Federation and StarFleet...she was of the breed that did what they had to do at whatever cost...but times had long since changed for the admiral, as they had for the Federation and StarFleet. Probably the only rule she had broken within 'recent' years would have been the time with Jayden she had shared earlier.

Certainly there had been times in her early career when she had bent the rules. The instance with Khan, for example. Though, there hadn't been either StarFleet or the Federation then. However, the Romulan Peace Treaty at the end of the Earth-Romulan War had been because Virginia had bent some rules...violated at least three regulations and perhaps the Prime Directive...but peace had been won and the war ended with both sides happy.

He still didn't know what was bothering her from earlier though, and now he had this odd message from her to add to his thoughts.

Absently, Picard scrolled through his other messages, seeing very little of what was on the screen. He had thought that Virginia had enjoyed the morning as much as he had...but now he wasn't sure. Just thinking about their time together was enough to rekindle the desire he had felt with her, indeed, still felt for her. He had never had a partner quite like Virginia before...a woman far from being inexperienced, who yet exhibited the energy and delight of one who was experiencing things for the first time. Her very touch had been electrifying. And her voice, breathy and seductive as she'd 'whispered' in his ear the things she was liking, the things she wanted...asking if he was liking what she was doing. And oh, he had. He had let her know, voicing his pleasure as surely as she had.

It pricked Picard like a needle. Suddenly and sharply. He had called her the wrong name...he had called her Beverly...more than once, if he was recalling correctly.

Oh.

My.

Lord.

No wonder she hadn't answered him when he asked her what was wrong. Women were very sensitive to this sort of thing, and Virginia was far more sensitive than she let on. Not that he would have liked it had the tables been turned. She was hurt and angry and probably thinking all sorts of things that simply weren't true. He was going to have to talk to her...and soon. How was he ever going to make this up to her?

"There is no way, Picard. You've done it this time."

Picard started and turned sharply in his chair. It took only a second to register who had invaded the privacy of both his Ready Room and his thoughts - and who even now stood silhouetted against the star filled window. "Q."

Resistance Is Futile - Pt 24

2007-09-06T09:00:00.000-04:00

What had she been thinking?

Doctor Beverly Crusher sat on her long couch, gazing out at the slowly moving star field. They were still under Impulse power, and would be until the Captain gave the order to go to Warp.

Into Borg space.

Where Deanna would most likely beam into a Borg Cube, allow herself to be assimilated, and pray that the drug they gave her would allow the Borg to feel the pain of the hundreds of thousands of individuals and hopefully destroy themselves. And no matter what happened, the admiral would be there to pull Deanna out and restore her to good health, as if the assimilation had never happened.

And what does the Doctor do? Sucker punch that very admiral. In front of everybody. Well, maybe not everybody...Geordi claimed he was looking elsewhere when it happened.

Beverly barely moved her head when her door chime sounded. She was under General Arrest, so she had no control over her door functions. However, when the door chimed again, she turned her head and said, "Come."

The door slid open with ease and Admiral Hamilton herself entered.

Beverly stumbled to her feet to stand at attention.

"At ease," Virginia said, alighting in a chair. She waved for Beverly to retake her seat. She couldn't help but be amused at how the woman managed to look at attention even while she was sitting 'at ease'. But then, she probably wasn't at ease right now. Virginia studied the other woman for a long moment, wondering how the other would have reacted had their positions been reversed...had Beverly heard another woman's name come from the mouth of her lover...not once, or even twice. She herself hadn't mentioned it to Picard, not even after they'd showered and were preparing to go their separate ways and he'd asked what was bothering her; an event that had happened less than an hour ago. "You were not informed of the mission?" she asked finally.

"No, I wasn't. Deanna..." Beverly trailed off.

"Go on."

"She was planning her wedding and forgot to tell me."

Virginia smiled, surprising the doctor.

"You're amused?" Beverly asked, out of turn.

"You have no idea." Virginia crossed her legs, only a little sore from Jean-Luc's earlier administrations. "Which is why there are no charges against you and you are no longer under arrest."

Beverly was momentarily speechless, but only momentarily. "Thank you, Admiral."

"You're welcome. I have no doubt that it is something you won't soon forget. Tell me, you're the one who brought Picard back from the Borg."

It wasn't a question, but it certainly required a response from her. "I am."

"Could you do it again? Bring someone back from being assimilated, I mean."

"I believe so. Their technology is always advancing, more quickly than ours, so it gets a little harder each time, but I believe I could. If I had to. I was under the impression I wasn't going to have to."

"Let's just say that the mission parameters are being changed. Admiral's prerogative. To which you are under direct orders not to discuss with anyone until after the mission is completed and Deanna and I have returned."

"You're still sending Deanna?" Beverly's tone, though confused, now had an edge of iron in it.

"I am sending no one."

It took a moment, for Beverly to get what the Admiral was hinting at. But when it dawned on her..."Why?"

Virginia was quiet as she contemplated her answer. "Can I trust you Beverly?"

"As long as what you're planning doesn't harm this ship and her crew, yes."

"It has been my plan all along to take Deanna's place in the mission, the events of last night and this morning confirmed my decision. I can no more send someone to this death, even if temporarily, than I could when I was younger. Some have accused me of having a hero complex." Virginia shrugged. "I see something that needs to be done, and I'm simply the best one to pull it off."

"But...you have the power to rescue someone else...and to restore their memory...like it never happened. I won't be able to do that for you."

"No one could. Ian's tried before, to alter some of my memories to make them less painful...he described the sensation...and he said my mind rebels when memories are tampered with." Virginia wondered what she could say to convince the other woman, because she suddenly felt a need to. "Beverly, it's better this way. Deanna will still go with me, because I'll need her to transport me off before the Cube explodes. But she won't have to face assimilation herself. I will have a list of things for you later, requests and orders if anything should go wrong. This is...I have to do this, Beverly."

"Does Jean-Luc know?"

"No. And I have no intention of telling him."

"Have you been leading him on?" Beverly demanded angrily.

"No. My interest in him is genuine...it is his that isn't. He thinks it is, but his heart betrays him. I am not telling the Captain, because he does not need to know."

"He'd try to talk you out of it."

"Wouldn't you? Haven't you?" Virginia sighed deeply. "My heart could not bear to hear the things he would say, because my heart would know them to be lies."

Beverly looked at the woman before her...looked at her through the eyes of a woman...and seeing the woman before her...not the doctor seeing the admiral...but one woman seeing another woman. And the woman before her was hurting. "What happened?"

Virginia didn't want to trust the tenderness and concern she suddenly heard in the other woman's voice. To admit defeat to 'the other woman' was humiliating. But she found she had little choice. "Have you ever been with a man...intimately...and he's called out a name that wasn't yours?"

"Once."

The admiral flicked a piece of imaginary lint off her uniform pants. "Picard loves you, Beverly. His head has him convinced it will end badly...but his heart doesn't buy his reasoning. So don't give up on him."

Again, it took a moment for it to sink into Beverly what the admiral was saying. "I won't. And ... I'm sorry."

Virginia quenched the tears that threatened to fall. "Yes, well...that is life. Now, you must return to duty and I must speak with Guinan." The admiral rose quickly to her feet. "I will speak to you later on the mission's new parameters. And just in case I need to mention it, Deanna is not to know of these changes either."

"Understood," said Beverly, following the admiral to her feet. She watched in silence as the admiral left without another word.

Beverly was glad, very glad, to hear that Jean-Luc still loved her, and she was unable to stop the sense of triumph that came with the other woman's admission...but at the same time, it broke something in her heart to know that the knowledge came at that woman's pain.

What a strange turn of events.

Resistance Is Futile - Pt 23

2007-09-05T05:50:00.000-04:00

"How often does the universe unravel?" Picard asked, coming to stand next to Virginia, who still sat at her desk.

"Two or three times a day, same as with you. And that's on a good day." She sighed and rubbed her temples, studiously avoiding looking at the still unclothed captain.

"You don't think you were too hard on her? She sounded like she's just a girl."

Virginia laughed. "That girl has three children and five grandchildren. Don't let looks, or the sound of a voice deceive you, Jean-Luc. She's a full-blooded Gandraleayian and while she is young by their standards, she is no child."

"I see. Is there anything you need to tell me?" he asked teasingly.

Her eyes twinkled as she replied, "My grandchildren's grandchildren have grandchildren."

Jean-Luc laughed boisteriously, which was a pleasant sound. "And no doubt you remember all their birthdays."

"And anniversaries." Virginia sighed. "Don't you have to be on the bridge?"

"Not for a while yet. I told Data not to expect me this morning and not to call me unless the universe was unraveling or the Borg were attacking."

"I know your track record, Jean-Luc...both those are liable to happen before noon."

"Not today." Picard reached out and caressed her hair. "Come back to the bed."

Virginia hesitated. She really wanted to...he was an excellent lover...and she missed this intimacy...but...he loved Beverly...enough that he spoke her name when being intimate with Virginia. He might have made up his mind not to pursue Beverly, but he had clearly forgotten to inform his heart. Didn't she deserve better?

Picard, unaware of her thoughts, moved to stand behind her. He pulled her hair to the side, lowering his head to kiss her neck. "Come, let me ease your worries."

If only he could. But she did nothing to stop him. She loved to have her neck kissed and nuzzled.

He nibbled her earlobe next. "Let me drive all thoughts of your mission away for a time."

That would be nice too. Already she could feel her body responding to his touch, no matter what her heart and mind was telling her. "Jean-Luc..." she murmured, her voice betraying her want.

"Yes, Virginia?"

Well, he still remembered her name so far. She stood, allowing her arms to wrap around him. "Kiss me..."

He kissed her, passionately. She let his kiss consume her until she was breathless and he was kissing and nibbling her neck again, drawing whimpers of desire from her. His hands untied her robe, and slipped in to ease it from her shoulders....just barely grazing her skin as he did so. He chuckled when she pushed her body into his hands for the touch she craved. She let him lead her back to the bed...allowed him to keep good on his word to drive all thoughts of the Borg from her mind, even if just for the morning...no matter whose name he called out...she needed this touch, this pleasure once more before she marched to her death.

Resistance Is Futile - Pt 22

2007-09-03T07:00:00.000-04:00

The man on the screen in front Virginia looked like a young Vulcan. However, Virginia knew him to be otherwise. James was a Vulcan/Gandraleayian hybrid, who was just past his first century. He was far too "human" for both species that had birthed him. He also served as the admiral's secretary.

"I hear you've been calling?"

"Quite," he answered. His voice was quite dry. "Ambassador Raven-Cloud arrived with a message from the Orion Council. Sovenal and Raven-Cloud both tried to Locate you after you failed to appear for our hails this morning. The Enterprise assured me that you were indisposed and the two began to panic."

"You mean Sovenal began to panic and Raven-Cloud got ticked off." Virginia leaned in closer to the screen. "What does it usually mean when I can't be Located?"

"That you are either dead or drunk." James rolled his eyes comically. "I told them that, but they instisted on multiple calls."

"Is either one of them nearby?"

"Raven-Cloud departed, but Sovenal is in her office."

"Put me through."

A young-looking woman with dark blonde hair replaced James on the screen. "Oh Admiral! You're all right! We were so worried." How a woman pushing fifty could manage to sound like a gushing teenager, Virginia had never quite figured out, and Sovenal had been on her staff for over twenty years now. "Ambassador Raven-Cloud arrived with a message for you and when the Enterprise crew wouldn't let us speak to you, we both tried to Locate you and couldn't!"

"First of all, I was unable to speak to you, so the crew is faultless. Second of all, what does it usually mean I'm unable to be Located, Sovenal?"

"Ma'am?"

"You've been on my staff for how long and you're telling me you don't know what that means?"

"Twenty-one years, ma'am."

"It means I am either dead...or drunk. If I'm dead, there's nothing you can do about it...and if I'm drunk, I'm probably having sex."

Sovenal blushed brightly. "I had heard rumors..."

"They're all true. I couldn't talk to you this morning, because I was getting laid." Virginia conveniently left out the part where she had been unconscious because she'd been punched by the ship's chief medical officer. No one needed to know that, not now, and maybe not ever.

"I am so sorry to have disturbed you..." Sovenal began to fidget.

Virginia let her, for almost a full minute. "Now, what was Raven-Cloud's message?"

"The Council was merely sending it's blessing for your current mission." Sovenal answered quietly, here eyes downcast...no doubt trying to rid herself of the image of her superior being intimate.

"That's it?! I have the Council's blessing? I'll rmember that when Deanna and I are staring down the Borg Queen." It was always so nice when the stuffy Council granted their blessing. "Now, I'm going to say something, and I want you to hear it...we're going into a battle zone...and I don't want this office calling me again unless the universe is unraveling."

"Yes ma'am."

Virginia terminated the call.

Resistance Is Futile - Pt 21

2007-08-27T04:38:00.000-04:00

Guinan paused again, and looked around. Ten-Forward had a moderate crowd, a little large for this early in the morning, but that happened once in while. Everyone seemed calm and happy. She walked to the comm unit again, which sounded even as she reached for it.

"Guinan here," she said.

"You called earlier?" Virginia asked, her tone strained, though it sounded like an attempt to be cheerful.

"I did. I had a feeling ... and you know the feelings I get ... I felt a shift, and I was just wondering if everything was all right with you."

There was a pause, almost too short to be noticed, before the other woman answered saying, "Why wouldn't everything be all right?"

Guinan looked at the comm unit sharply. Virginia only ever said that when something was wrong. And usually when there was someone who could overhear her. It was a code phrase that dated back to the Third Earth War. Virginia had a tendency to get into what Marcus called 'scrapes'...and Marcus had had a tendency to be able to get her out of them. Guinan hadn't known the two then, but she didn't doubt the retellings one bit. Remembering the codes reply that let the other know that she knew it was the code, Guinan replied with, "No reason I can think of."

"All's well that ends well," remarked Virginia, too lightly. "I'll talk with you later. I have to call my office as they've been harassing the lines."

"Right. We don't want them sending someone to check up on you."

"I'm the one admiral in StarFleet with watchdogs that take their 'job' seriously. Keep the chocolate nearby, k?"

"You can count on it." The conversation terminated and Guinan was even more concerned that she had been before. Not only had Virginia given a code phrase...after Guinan had replied with the acknowledging response, Virginia had also given the countersign 'All's well that ends well'. The request for chocolate was part of a code as well, though separate...something Marcus had devised for her to say in a crowd, or when starting to feel stressed, to let him know that she wanted a drink. To hear the three phrases all within the same conversation could not be a good sign.

Could it be...that something had shifted in Virginia?

Guinan didn't know for sure, couldn't know until that woman got her butt down here to talk, but Guinan knew one thing...Virginia's voice had held a tone that she seldom heard...and the three times Guinan had heard it before had been when Marcus had died, when Jayden died, and when Ian had been named Q. Each time, Virginia had emotionally downspiraled and disappeared for a time...usually after doing something drastic...like taking a shuttlecraft and facing down the Romulan fleet during the Romulan war...challenging the Warlord King of Anfasiz to a duel...drastic things...

Guinan, usually the epitome of calm...began to pace Ten-Foward and fidget.

Resistance Is Futile - Pt 20

2007-08-26T12:00:00.000-04:00

Virginia sighed, her emotions tumultuously mixed with the pleasure that was slowly ebbing away. Picard might have called out the wrong name...more than once...but he certainly knew his way around a woman's body.

He still laid next to her, his arm holding her close. His fingers gently caressing her skin. "What are you thinking?"

She wondered if he really wanted to know. She decided not to find out. "That I ought to call Guinan and find out what she wanted. Then call my office and see what they want as well, before they decide to send in the calvary and someone just all of a sudden shows up."

"Virginia, tell me, why can't I make love to you when you're sober?" Picard asked.

It had been something long on the captain's mind, but out of the blue to Virginia. She tensed, and sat up. "Why must the sun rise in the east?" She got out of bed, rather abruptly to his way of thinking, and put her robe on. She ran her hands through her hair, and then stood there, just looking at him as she spoke. "Regulations. Some of them suck...but this one I agree with. Jean-Luc...Every couple bonds to some degree when they have sex...it's the way God made us. Some species, especially telepathic ones, can bond closer. The Vulcans actually start this bond with their betrothal ceremony. They have more control over the Bond that way. Gandraleayians have no control over the Bonding process...and ours is a deep Bond...and virtually unbreakable. It takes seven Gandraleayians to Break or Bind a couple's Bond, outside of death of course. Binding and Breaking this Bond is an extrememly painful experience, and not done lightly. It does cut down on promiscuity, adultery and divorce, though it does exist in our culture. Because alcohol renders my telepathy useless...makes me almost human...I cannot Bond with you, or anyone else, any more than a normal human."

"Does alcohol affect your entire race this way then?"

"No. And it doesn't even effect all hybrids the same way." She turned away and began to walk to her desk.

"Virginia..." He waited for her to pause and look back at him. "There are some planets where the sun rises in the west."

She turned back to him. "Yes, there are. Would you like to know what happened the last time I broke this regulation?"

"Were you punished?" How would they punish a person for something like that? Maybe he didn't want to know.

"Not by the Council. Jayden...couldn't handle the Bond that resulted. He loved me in his own way, but he wasn't prepared to have my presence always with him." Her voice faltered, but she went on, tears not quite leaking out of her eyes. "Even though he was human, and had no telepathic abilities of his own...the Bond does that Jean-Luc...he could hear me, feel me, even while with another woman...It's like a mind meld that never really terminates...there are whispers of each other in the back of our minds...Marcus loved me even more, for who I was...and he loved being Bonded with me that close. It saved our lives more times than I can count, especially during the Third World War. Jayden, after he had slept with other women...made sure I was paying attention...and killed himself. He found a transporter, set it for slow, wide disperal...and activated it."

Picard looked at her in shocked silence.

"That is why I will never violate that Regulation again."

"I don't blame you..." Words failed him.

Virginia turned around, and continued to her desk, the back of her robe gently swishing around her hips.

Resistance Is Futile - pt 19

2007-08-25T05:39:00.000-04:00

Guinan paused in her activity.

She was gently wiping the top of the bar with cleaning rag, touching up after the reception and getting ready for the new day.

Only suddenly something had shifted.

Out of kilter.

A train ready to derail.

Slowly, Guinan looked around Ten-Forward. Nothing out of the ordinary. Yet...

She walked over to the comm unit and called the bridge. Data answered. "Data...is everything all right up there?"

"Yes," the confused sounding android replied. "We are presently maintaining our course at impulse speed."

"Is the captain there?" she asked, knowing that Picard would understand her asking, even if he didn't really understand.

"Negative. He has not reported in yet. Shall I attempt to locate him for you?"

Perhaps the android understood better than she thought. "No," said Guinan. "That won't be necessary. Thank you." She broke the link before he could reply.

That meant that he was either sleeping...or with Virginia. Or even sleeping with Virginia. Still at the console, she called Virginia. No answer.

Guinan walked away. Something was wrong. If she didn't know better, she'd think he was around...but it didn't feel like that.

Yet.

She had no love for the Q...him least of all...though Virginia did have a soft spot for him. But then, she was entitled...before he had been Exiled and named Q, Ian had been Virginia's teacher. This...felt different...but connected.

And it couldn't be the Borg.

Yet.

There was no way that Data would have sounded that calm without the captain on the bridge if there had been a Borg cube anywhere within sensor range. The fact that Data was an android notwithstanding.

She would be patient...and alert...because whatever it was...was big...and it wasn't going away.

Resistance Is Futile - Pt 18

2007-08-19T23:23:00.001-04:00

Warning: sexually explicit scene at the end. Kids, be good and skip this post.

Virginia awoke to a pounding headache, which was probably from the Romulan Ale she had imbibed the night before...shortly before the furious doctor had punched her. Still, it could have been worse...she could have drunk the Klingon Bloodwine.

Vaguely she wondered how long she had been unconscious. Her head felt like it would split in two, reminding her why she usually stayed away from Romulan Ale. Because it never helped. Oh, it had deadened her telepathy, along with her other powers, but it did nothing for the ache just below her breastbone.

Opening one eye, she saw with relief that she was in her own quarters and her own bed. The last time she'd been knocked unconscious, Billy and Zed hadn't noticed and had actually left her in the fields of Alpha Centauri. It had been hours before she had awaken, and another three for her to walk back to Headquarters where they had run. They never did apologize.

"You have the look of one lost in memory," a male voice interrupted her thoughts.

Virginia started and looked around, her other eye popping open.

"Over here," directed Captain Picard.

As she sat up, she came to the realization that she was naked beneath the sheet that covered her. Keeping it pulled close to her chest, she faced the captain with a red face. He sat with one leg crossed over the other, and his chin resting on his hand. "Who undressed me?"

Picard's eyes twinkled with mischief as he answered her. "I wish that I could say it was me, but it was Doctor Selar and her medics."

"What time is it?" Virginia refused to cover herself further. No doubt the captain had already had an eyeful, and to be honest, she was enjoying his admiring gaze.

"Seven in the morning, after the wedding. How do you feel?"

"I am reminded why Romulan Ale is illegal. Why do we let that slide, anyway? I mean, imagine how Kirk and his crew would have fared with Chancellor Gorkon and General Chang if they hadn't served Romulan Ale...they might not have ended up in Rura Penthe."

"Worf has commented that it was probably a good idea that you were absent for the Khitomer Accords."

"On the other hand, had I been present...would the conspiracy have gotten as far as it did? Their dislike of the Klingons stemmed from their fear that without an ever-present enemy, they would be mothballed. Kirk's dislike stemmed from the murder of his son at their hands. Mine is solely based on their religious godlessness. Nothing else...they drive me nuts. But I still wouldn't have let Gorkon die, he was an extraordinary man."

"How long until the alcohol wears off?" Picard asked, deciding not to comment further on the Klingons.

Virginia sighed and took a moment to concentrate. There wasn't so much as a whisper in her mind. "Probably the rest of the day."

"Your office has called three times this morning. They don't seem to take our word for it that you're all right."

"I don't doubt it. They rarely take my word for it. Have you figured out what set Beverly off?”

“She found out about Deanna’s mission.”

“But…I told Deanna to discuss it with her.”

“For reasons unknown to me, Deanna didn’t. Beverly has since been informed of all the details of the mission and is quite mortified that she hit you.”

“Where is she now? I hope you haven’t put her in the brig.”

“No, she is confined to her quarters. Unless you say otherwise.”

“I’ll see to her later. First, I’d better call my office.” Virginia looked to where her robe hung, over the back of the chair next to where the captain was sitting. Her powers were still rendered useless from the ale, so there was no transporting the robe onto her body or floating it through the air. And she was still naked beneath the sheet. Picard’s face showed his amusement over he predicament. Refusing to ask him to hand it to her, Virginia threw the sheet off and climbed out of the bed. Slowly, she walked towards him, watching how his eyes sparkled, as he looked her over before becoming riveted to her own.

For his part, Picard was momentarily speechless. The grace with which she moved across the carpeted deck…the lack of shame in her face over being naked in front of him…the sway of her breasts and her hips…the way her lips quickened in smile…the frank desire in her eyes as she stood before him. "Good God..." he whispered before standing to embrace her and kiss her passionately.

She responded by wrapping her arms around him and pressing herself close. With ease, she walked backwards as he guided her back to the bed. Her hands sought out the fasteners of his uniform as his lips traveled to her neck, his hands running down her back to brush across her buttocks. Nibbling on his ear, she disrobed him, her hands making more than a passing acquaintance with his body.

“You are beautiful,” Picard murmured, taking her breasts in his hands. His mouth dropping down to cover her right nipple.

Virginia couldn’t stop herself from moaning. It had been so long since she had been touched in this manner…held and kissed. She lowered herself to the bed, Jean-Luc following. His hands, his mouth, covering her body with caresses and kisses. And then he said her name.

No, not her name…the name he murmured low in his throat as he entered her…was another’s. But it was too late to go back now. Now, his hands were covering her breasts in the way she liked as he pressed her legs further open with his body as he thrust himself deeper, his lips nuzzling her throat...her hands splayed across the back of his shoulders. She shut her mind to nothing but the physical pleasure, shutting her heart away from the hurt of hearing him murmur Beverly’s name.

Resistance is Futile - pt 17

2007-08-10T03:33:00.000-04:00

On the other side of Ten-Forward, Lwaxana Troi stood near the drink table. Her drink dangled in her hand forgotten as her gaze drifted between two couples, her daughter and new son-in-law and Picard and Hamilton.

Lwaxana was happy, though she was careful not to let on. Her daughter was in love and nestled in the arms of her new husband. The Betazoid woman didn’t doubt for a minute that the two faced a difficult future. Honestly, what marriage didn’t have its difficulties? And as for Picard…while it was true that she’d once been attracted to him, they had since become friends…even if she did irritate the man, which he never seemed to realize she did on purpose! While Lwaxana had never cared for Gandraleayians, finding them to be an uppity and prideful race, she did happen to have a soft spot for this particular half-breed.

The admiral had a habit of coming to Betazed at least once a year, and the two of them had talked on several occasions. Only tonight though, was Lwaxana able to see…or rather ‘hear’…beyond the alien woman’s shields. Virginia Hamilton was everything she appeared to be, and several things that she didn’t. And all that was from things Lwaxana could hear freely broadcast by the other woman. Virginia was very smitten with the man she was dancing with. Whether Picard would move beyond being smitten with her in return, was something yet to be seen.

Beside Ambassador Troi stood Beverly Crusher…a woman whose thoughts were an angry rumble.

“Damn,” the doctor muttered out loud.

“Problem, dear?” Lwaxana asked unnecessarily as she spared the angry redhead a glance.

“She’s…No, Lwaxana, nothing’s wrong.”

“You’re lying, but I’ll let you.”

The Klingon matriarch Sirella approached just then. “I just want you to know,” the woman said to Lwaxana with grated teeth. “That I do not approve of this marriage or your daughter.”

“It matters very little whether we approve, Sirella, because it’s over and done with. They really don’t care.” Lwaxana pulled herself up to her full height and managed to look down her nose at the Klingon woman. “And I’ll have you know that my daughter is a Daughter of the 5th House of Betazed, holder of the Sacred Chalice of Rixx, and heir to the Holy Rings of Betazed…AND she’s recently accepted a highly dangerous mission against the Borg which is why they hurried the wedding.”

There was a moment of silence between the women as the dance music played.

“Are you serious?” Beverly demanded.

“You didn’t know?”

“Excuse me.” Beverly left the two and strode out onto the dance floor toward Deanna.

Considerate mother that she was, Lwaxana telepathically warned her daughter of the approaching situation.

Deanna turned from dancing with her new husband as Beverly reached her.

“Is it true?” the doctor demanded in a harsh hiss. “You’re going on a mission against the Borg?”

“This is not the place to discuss it,” replied Deanna. “But yes.”

“Is this the reason why Admiral Hamilton is here?”

Deanna opened her mouth to reply, but her friend had already rashly turned away and was striding angrily across the dance floor toward the admiral, whom the counselor was pleased to see in Captain Picard’s arms. “Damn.” Deanna turned her gaze to her mother, who was already talking to her telepathically.

I’ve already told Jean-Luc, echoed Lwaxana’s voice in her head.

Deanna turned back to watch, even as her husband tapped his comm badge and began to talk to the security officers around the room. She watched as the captain looked up, startled, and began to inconspicuously move the admiral away.

He wasn’t fast enough.

Beverly literally pulled the other woman out of Picard’s arms and punched her solidly in the jaw…and chaos erupted.

Admiral Hamilton staggered backwards into the captain. The surrounding couples moved away quickly, even as security officers moved in. Beverly had landed another blow before Picard was able to place himself between the two women and security could lay hold of her.

Normally, Virginia could take a beating and keep on standing, largely due to her alien heritage. However, this night she had foolishly downed a tall glass of Romulan Ale and was unconscious after the first blow.

Picard lowered Virginia to the floor and tapped his comm badge. “Medical team to Ten Forward.”

Data, the ever-present security chief, appeared and asked, “Shall I confine Doctor Crusher to her quarters?” She was, after all, a ranking officer.

“Yes, fine. Just get her out of here.” Picard didn’t even look at Beverly. He had never seen the doctor in such a state before and to be honest…it was more than a bit disconcerting.

With unprecedented speed, the medical team had arrived even as security was escorting the CMO out of the room. The medical team didn’t even hesitate at the odd site, although Doctor Selar raised her elegant Vulcan eyebrow at it.

“What happened?” asked Selar as she knelt across the prostrate woman from her captain, already aiming a tricoder at her.

“Doctor Crusher belted her in the jaw, twice.”

As the Vulcan doctor took her readings, Picard was struck be the unconscious woman’s look of helplessness. What an irony…the powerful alien woman, defenseless in the arms of the human captain.

“She is also drunk,” Selar stated. “There is no serious injury. She might have some bruising and tenderness until the alcohol is out of her system and she can heal herself.”

“You can’t…”

“Regulations. Her injury is not life threatening. The most we can do is move her to her quarters and let her sleep it off.”

Regulations again. Picard did well at hiding his disgust at the word. “Very well.”

As the attendants to Selar situated the unconscious admiral on a stretcher, Picard went to speak to the bride and groom.

“Captain,” began Deanna, standing with Worf at the refreshment table, with Guinan nearby. “Is she all right?”

“Yes. She’ll be fine. I’d like to apologize…”

“Nonsense Jean-Luc!” exclaimed Lwaxana, joining them, a glass of wine in her hand. “It was hardly your fault.”

“Still…”

“Captain…it’s all right,” said Deanna.

Picard sighed in relief. He wondered if his absence would be noticed if he were to leave with the admiral. Even as her thought that, he remembered that he was in the same room as a telepath and shot Lwaxana a guarded look.

“Now,” Deanna continued, “Don’t you think you ought to go see to the admiral?”

“Yes, thank you,” replied Picard with a smile. He nodded to the group, “Ladies, Worf, good evening.” With a smooth motion, the captain turned and briskly left Ten Forward.

“That went well,” Guinan said dryly.

“The admiral has always had a habit of livening up parties,” cpmmented Worf. “We should be glad there was no fire.”

Resistance Is Futile - Pt 16

2007-06-28T04:16:00.000-04:00

Already Virginia was beginning to feel the effects of her hastily swallowed drink. As she and the android danced, the voices that constantly hammered at the edge of her awareness slowly faded away to nothing.

Silence. Blessed silence.

Except for the chattering of her dance partner. With some effort, she focused on what he was saying.

"...but the Ferengi has to go."

What?

"Did you not understand the joke?" Data asked, his face crinkling in a fair resemblance of polite concern.

"Oh...No...It's just that I'm feeling the Romulan ale I just drank," she answered honestly.

Before he could reply, the music ended, with a pause to allow changes in dance partners.

"You are an excellent dancer, Mr. Data," the admiral said in compliment.

"Thank you; Doctor Crusher would be pleased to hear that she has been a good teacher. You had an excellent teacher as well."

"Yes, I did..."

"May I have this dance?" interupted Picard as a spirited waltz began.

Virginia hestitated in indecision, allowing Data to nod at them and take his leave. Before she knew it, she and the captain were dancing.

"I never said yes," she protested.

"You didn't say no either."

Her eyes locked with his, but Virginia could still see out of the corner of her vision how the good doctor watched them...along with several other people...but only one of them was angry with her.

"She loves you Picard," the admiral said evenly. The spot between her eyes was beginning to feel fuzzy. Maybe she shouldn't have gulped that ale down like she did. "I can't come between you."

Picard's eyes had a somber twinkle to them. "And what are my feelings towards her?"

"Excuse me?"

"I'm assuming you must have had complete Access to her at some point during the play, or just after; am I right?"

Virginia nodded. "I didn't realize the full extant of her feelings until she spoke with us."

"I see. Admiral...Virginia...You Accessed me earlier than that. Do you by any chance recall my feelings for her?"

"Uhm, no. I was rather distracted." By his attraction to her, if she was honest, coupled with being caught up in his Borg experience.

Picard smiled. "I consider her a friend, though an exceptionally close one. There was a time when I loved her, still do to a degree. But...several years ago...when Q shifted me around in time, I realized that a deeper relationship would not end well...so I decided never to pursue one."

"I see. Does Beverly know this?" She was beginning to feel a little dizzy...but she was beginning to feel a little more hopeful.

"Not precisely everything, but she knows that I've decided not to pursue a romantic relationship."

Silence reigned for the remainder of the waltz, when the two stopped rather abruptly with the music.

"Where do we go from here?" Virginia asked quietly, not moving from his embrace.

"Where ever we want to," Picard asnwered.

The music started again...softer...slower...and decidedly romantic.

"Come closer," whispered Picard.

Virginia hesitated only a heartbeat before stepping closer, deeper into his arms. Her arms wrapped around him, and she rested her head against his shoulder. He responded by tilting his head so that his cheek rested against her forehead. His arms were firm about her, one hand slipping up her back to rest on the bare skin on the back of her neck, and she could hear the soft beating of his heart. Even though she knew it was an artificial heart, the sound still brought comfort to her. She sighed contendedly and nestled closer.

Resistance Is Futile -Pt 15

2007-06-14T21:47:00.000-04:00

The wedding was held in 10-Forward.

The bride wore a sleek white gown, loosely formfitting and low in the neckline. In her long hair amongst the curls, Deanna wore a wreath of pearls, moondrops, and white lilies. Her smile shown brightly.

The groom wore his dress uniform, and of course his traditional Klingon sash.

The bride’s mother, as was her style, wore a voluminous gown that was a pallet of brilliant rainbow hues.

Worf’s foster parents, the Rozhenko’s, had been unable to attend, due to the Enterprise’s distance from Earth. However, the matriarch of his Klingon family, Sirella had indeed made it in time for the ceremony. Dressed in staunch Klingon garb, her sour expression matched Lwaxana’s.

Admiral Hamilton had been asked to officially marry the couple, not only as the highest ranking officer on board, but also to allow Captain Picard to serve as Worf’s Best Man. She was dressed in a conservative lavender outfit; an ankle length pant-skirt, with sheer sleeves that had almost as much fabric as the pant-skirt. She wore her hair up, decorated with pearl and diamond pins to keep it in place.

The captain, of course, was in his dress uniform. His gaze was often focused on the admiral.

The matron of honor, Dr. Crusher, had chosen to wear a daring dress: a close fitting sleeveless dress that was brightly hued with as many colors as Lwaxana’s. Her gaze was on the captain, so she was well aware of the looks he was giving the admiral {who was looking everywhere and nowhere}.

Although the ceremony was short and to the point, there was a sizable crown gathered to witness it, with more showing up afterwards to attend the extravagant reception.

As soon as the formalities were over and the dancing had begun, Virginia made a beeline for the drinks counter.

She looked over the large variety of drinks. Someone, no doubt Sirella, had brought Klingon bloodwine. No matter how badly Virginia wanted to get drunk, she wasn’t about ready to drink a Klingon beverage; something about them made her sicker than regular alcohol did. Just as she had made her choice, and had picked up the glass of Romulan ale, she was joined by Guinan on one side, and Picard’s second officer Lt. Commander Data on the other.

There was a moment of awkward silence, each waiting for the other to speak first.

Guinan, having seen Data’s nod of deference, spoke first. “Virginia, don’t.”

“Why not?” She demanded, her tone with underlying anger in it. “I won’t need my powers until the mission, which is days away. And I’m tired of hearing all these voices!” Still, the glass in her hand trembled.

“You’re hurt and you’re angry, two very good reasons not to.”

“Guinan…I can’t interfere with a current relationship. You know that.” The anger in her voice was now mingled with despair. “The Orion Council would have my hide.”

“There is no current relationship. As I told you earlier, they’re friends. I know I don’t have the same gifts as you, but I have one you don’t.”

“What’s that?” Virginia asked, irritated but curious.

“I listen.”

Virginia made a disgusted sound. She ended the conversation by looking at Data. “Yes, Commander?”

“I was wondering if you would like to dance, Admiral,” the android asked, intrigued by the women’s conversation.

Out of the corner of her eye, Virginia saw Picard leaving Beverly as they had danced the formal bridal party dance and heading in her direction. “Yes Commander, I’d love to.” She downed the tall glass of Romulan ale in one shot, much to the amazement of Data and the dismay of Guinan. She set the empty glass back down on the table and left with the android just as Picard arrived.

Picard’s face was one of frustration, and a little anger. The admiral had ignored his hails for the rest of the afternoon, and had not answered her door either. “Guinan,” he said in greeting.

“Captain.” Guinan’s eyes were watching her friend as she twirled around the dance floor in Data’s arms. She was well aware that the captain was also riveted to the same scene. “Jean-Luc…Virginia’s been my friend for a long time. I was there for her when Marcus died, and later when Jayden left her. I don’t like to see her hurting.”

“I have no intention of hurting her,” Picard assured the 10-Forward hostess.

“But she is. She’s somehow gotten it into her head that you already have a relationship with someone else – and the Rules that choke the life out of her expressly forbid her from interfering with a current relationship.”

Picard picked up the glass that Virginia had discarded and looked at it for a long moment. “Beverly just told me she’s interested in a deeper relationship with me.”

Guinan listened.

“There was a time, I would have already left with her to begin exploring that desire. But that time has long since passed, and I told her so.”

“Don’t you think you should tell Virginia that?”

The captain smiled ironically and set the glass back on the counter. “That was my intention, and as you can see, she ran away. Just as she’s ignored me all afternoon.”

Now Guinan smiled. “She’s hurting and confused. However, she’s also just downed a glass of Romulan ale. Not only will you be able to sneak up on her by now, but she should also be falling down drunk in less than half an hour.”

“Are you serious?”

“Very. I tried warning her. Romulan ale always takes her out quickly.”

“My God,” Picard said softly.

“If you want to talk to her, I’d suggest you hurry.”

Restitance Is Futile - Pt 14

2007-05-20T02:12:00.000-04:00

“It’s quite all right,” Picard said in diplomatic response to Beverly’s question as to whether or not she was interrupting. She was, but there was no way he would let on. “Doctor, may I introduce Admiral Virginia Hamilton. Admiral, this is my Chief Medical Officer, Beverly Crusher.”

“I am familiar with the doctor’s reputation,” Virginia said with a smile as the two women shook hands and exchanged formal greetings.

Picard continued. “Beverly is an old friend of mine, her former husband served with me on the Stargazer.”

“I know,” Virginia said softly. She had ‘read’ the doctor as she had performed on stage, but even if she hadn’t, the admiral would have been able to discern the jealousy in the other woman’s eyes. “I never had a chance to play Queen Gertrude, Doctor, I always played Ophelia. You’re quite an excellent actress.”

“Thank you,” Beverly replied, honestly pleased at the alien woman’s praise despite her present ill feelings. “Shall I see you at Counselor Troi’s wedding tonight?”

“Yes,” the admiral answered. “I have yet to decide whether to wear my dress uniform though, they are so uncomfortable.”

“I know what you mean.” Beverly looked at the captain. “So, Jean-Luc, I’ll be ready around 18:30…will that work for you?”

“Ah…” Picard, the diplomatic captain who had performed numerous first contacts with countless different alien species, floundered as he sat between two distinctly different women. The admiral’s face was smooth and devoid of expression, but Picard could feel her sinking emotions as clearly as if he were Deanna with her empathic abilities. Doctor Crusher sat there looking at him with an innocent expression of expectation, but her facade didn’t fool him. “Doctor,” he began cautiously, “I had thought to escort the admiral”

“Oh, how rude of me. Of course you would. I’d forgotten you wouldn’t know anyone on board, Admiral.”

“I’m sure,” answered Virginia, hating what she was going to say next. “Captain, you should escort your friend. Far be it from me to interrupt a tradition. Don’t worry, I’m quite used to going to parties on my own. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a communication to send to my office.” The admiral rose to her feet as she spoke. “It was nice meeting you, doctor. I’ll see both of you later.” She turned and walked away with a quick militant gate.

The silence that ensued was not comfortable.

“I will see you at the wedding, Doctor. Not before.” Picard stood and walked in the same direction that the other woman had left in, his back stiff.

“Damn,” Beverly muttered to the empty chairs.

45 minutes later, Beverly was recounting the incident to Deanna Troi.

“Beverly,” Deanna began matter-of-factly once her friend was done. “I’m not sure I understand. You’ve never had a problem with the captain previous romances. You’ve even fixed him up a time or two. Why now?”

The redhead crossed her arms beneath her breasts. “None of them have had the potential of permanence like this one does.”

“You can’t know that…it’s only in the beginning stages. You’re acting like he’s asked her to marry him.”

“Admiral Hamilton is not known for casual love affairs. She’s had 2, maybe 3 affairs since her husband died…almost 2 centuries ago! The lives of the men that she’s chosen was changed forever!”

“I’m quite certain that the captain knows what he’s getting into to…if that is what he chooses. Beverly, when you and the captain became aware of your feelings for each other during your captivity on Kesprytt, weren’t you the one to tell him you were comfortable with the relationship and didn’t wish to pursue anything romantic?”

Beverly grudgingly admitted, “Yes.”

“And have you ever given him any indication you were ready for your relationship to change?”

It was several long seconds before Beverly conceded, “No. Deanna, I don’t know that I am ready. I’ve just always expected him to be there when I was.”

“I see.” Deanna was introspectively quiet for a moment. “That was Commander Riker’s attitude as well. And I waited…and waited…and waited…and then he died. Worf and I had already begun dating before his mission, but will never expected it to last. Shortly before Doctor Soran killed Will, I had made the decision to let go of my romantic feelings for him and move on with Worf. Needless to say, Will was hurt by my decision and claimed that he was going to try to change my mind, but he never got the chance.”

“I…didn’t know all of that,” Beverly said softly.

“Beverly, if Captain Picard has decided to move on, then you either try to change his mind…or you let him go and move on.”

The other woman cursed.

“Now, we both need to get ready for tonight. You are still coming, aren’t you?”

“Of course! I’m honored you chose me to be your attendant. And…thanks for taking the time to listen to me.”

Deanna smiled. “What are friends for?”