Okay this is REALLY long... But its probably the last one I'll get posted until next week. I'm going to Girls Camp! So enjoy, and send me your thoughts! Later! (Unless I manage to post tomorrow before I leave for camp ^_^)
Ari walked through the house at a faster pace then normal, her cane clicking with every other step. The sound of her cane and the burning pain of her right leg fueled her anger. She had been angry a lot lately, she wasn't sure at what exactly. She had experienced this kind of anger before, 8 years ago, and she remembered the one thing that truly released her anger.
To her pleasure the gravitational belts were exactly where they been when she last used them. She picked one up and left the house, dimly aware of Snips following close behind her.
The house was built against a cliff, the back of it disappearing into the mountain's face. The original mansion was built the same way and when Ari was 5 years old she realized that if she climbed up the rock face she would get a perfect view of the surrounding desert.
So, being the independent challenge loving she was, Ari began to climb the cliff along the side of her home. She did not reach anywhere remotely near the top that first day or even the first week. She reached half way up when her mother found out about her after school activities and then through a fit. At first she wanted to forbid Ari from rock climbing but Snik managed to come up with an alternative.
The gravitational belt. It allowed Ari to climb without the risk of falling to her death. Her mother could not argue after that since the only reason she forbid the activity was do to that fear, so Ari wore the gravitational belt whenever climbing. After her mother's death she had stopped wearing it, confident in her abilities as a climber.
Her plan was to climb the same side of the house as she had all those years ago. She found climbing relaxing and decided that the gravitational belt was necessary considering the faultiness of her knee.
She looked up at the solid rock wall before her as she attached the gravitational belt around her waist. She set it to 3 cm and felt the gravity shift under her feet as her personal gravity became less then that of the planet.
Resting her cane on the wall, Ari set her left foot on the wall, grabbed hold of hand holds and began to climb. Almost immediately her right knee burned and ached with pain but she ignored it as she continued up.
Below Snips laid down, clearly willing to wait for her return.
Half way up, Ari's knee gave out, and her right hand and left foot slipped off their rocks. Panting slightly, Ari dangled by the grip of her left hand, cursing everything under her breath.
Taking a deep breath, she swung her right hand up and grabbed hold off the wall once more. She began to climb once more.
By the time the sun was high in the sky, Ari's torso cleared the top. Panting from the strain of her climb and the pain in her leg, she pulled herself up onto the flat surface. Lying on her back she focused on her breathing, her legs hanging over the ledge.
"Ari," a familiar voice shouted from bellow drew her out of her meditation.
"Ari, where are you," Bones shouted. "Where is she," he said more quietly to someone else.
Ari sat up and looked down at the ground bellow.
Four people stood on the ground bellow. Two wore blue shirts, one a gold and the final no shirt at all. Snips was laying on the ground before them, regarding them carefully.
"Up here, Bones," Ari called down to them. 4 faces lifted up.
"Ari you better have a Damn good reason for being up there," Bones shouted.
"I thought I'd check out the view," Ari called back, mildly.
"What view," Shuhan said, his voice sounding in her head. "All I see are rocks and sand."
"I like rocks and sand," Ari told him, looking across the landscape. "There is more to see then that when you look long enough."
"Feh," the Ookami said.
"Ari, get down here," Bones shouted.
"As you wish," Ari called back calmly and pushed off the ledge, nothingness replacing it. Her heart accelerated as she fell, even though she knew she would only fall until those 3 cm came and then the gravitational belt would stop the fall.
However the 4 down bellow did not know this and the shouts of Kirk, Bones and Shuhan brought Snik and several other Vulcans out of the house.
The gravitational belt activated 3 meters above the ground, slowing Ari's fall until she stopped at its set height, hand clasped behind her back.
Bones, Kirk and Shuhan stared at her with a mixture of relief and fury, as she took her cane from the wall and turned off the belt.
"Don't do that," Bones shouted her.
"You said to come down, Bones," Ari said, a smile lifting her lips. "You did not say how to do it."
"Jumping down from a God damn mountain is the most dangerous, illogical, childish- Stop grinning at me," he shouted as Ari just smiled at his shouting.
Ari continued to smile, finding she liked listening to Bones shout just as much as she like listening to him cursing her for something she said.
Bones glared at her. When she did not stop smiling he turned away and stomped away, muttering those curses Ari loved hearing.
Snik watched the scene with a raised eyebrow. He had never seen Ari look so pleased with being scolded before. Whenever she was scolded by her father or by other Vulcans she would stand stone faced until the scolding was completed then she would either respond or leave, but this was not so with this human. It was fascinating to watch.
Ari chuckled softly as Bones stomped away.
"That's not funny, Ari," Kirk said, his own voice laced with anger. "You nearly gave me a heart attack doing that!"
Ari raised an eyebrow. "Why would I jump off a cliff if I did not have a safety precaution?"
Kirk opened his mouth, paused, closed it and looked at Spock. "You explain it. I can't argue with her when the Vulcan Mask comes on."
Spock glanced at Kirk. "I see nothing to argue about," he said calmly. "Clearly she knew what she was doing and she chose the fastest to reach the ground."
Kirk glared at him. "Vulcans," he growled and stomped away after Bones.
Spock watched Kirk leave, the servants who had come out when they heard the shouts had returned to the house. Snik stood at the door some distance away, looking out over the desert. He turned to Ari. "Spark is looking for you," he informed her and left, following his captain and the medical officer.
The smile on Ari's lips vanished at the mention of Spark. She knew why he was looking for her and she wanted to avoid the reason.
Snik studied Ari, seeing the change in her after Spock mentioned Spark's search for her. In truth Spark was not truly searching for her. He was sitting in the gathering room, playing chess against Syrik who had greatly improved after his morning tutoring. Spark knew, as Snik knew, that Ari would turn up sooner or later, she always did.
"So," Shuhan said mildly. "Why did you decide to go rock climbing with a busted knee?"
"I find rock climbing relaxing," Ari shrugged.
"You are very strange, Ari," Shuhan said.
"Hm," Ari said, truly looking at him for the first time. What she saw made her laugh.
Shuhan scowled at her. "Stop that!"
"You look ridiculous," Ari laughed, doubling over her cane.
"Shut up," Shuhan snapped. His hair had been cut, and was now a cm in length all the way around.
"How do that look in your other form," Ari said, still laughing.
"Good bye," he said, walking towards the house.
"Wait a second," Ari said, following him. "I want to know. Does it look like a chow but without the wrinkles?"
"Shut up, Ari," Shuhan growled.
"Not until you tell me! Come on, Shuhan, tell! Is it more like a Corgi or a Pomeranian?"
"Quit it," he whined.
"Oh quit being a baby, Shuhan!"
Snik followed silently behind, listening to what he assumed was banter between the Ookami and Ari. He recalled yesterday he had complained loudly about the heat, saying that it was winter on his home planet. He had drank 7 glasses of water in 3 minutes before the humans decided that they should return him to the Enterprise before he passed out from the heat.
Ari had halted, having followed Shuhan into the gathering room.
Spark and Syrik sat opposite each other having just completed a game of 3D chess. Jane sat separate from the two, watching Bones, Spock and Kirk who sat on the other side of the room, a kal-toh between them.
Spark looked around as Snips padded past Ari, rubbing his side against her, and over to Syrik. Jane also looked around.
"Ah, T'Pari," she said. "How nice of you to grace us with your presence."
Ari ignored Jane, limping over to Spark and Syrik to see to game.
"T'Pari," Jane said again, her voice cold.
"Who checkmated," Ari asked her cousins, studying the board.
"Syrik did," Spark said, glancing at Jane. "You seem to be an excellent teacher, Ari."
"I try," Ari said simply.
"T'Pari," Jane said again this time anger slipped free.
Ari's eyes snapped up to Jane's. "Ari," she growled at her. "My name is Ari! Not T'Pari!"
Jane started, her eyes flicked sideways briefly before coming back to Ari's. "Of- of course," she said quietly.
Ari studied her step-mother carefully. She had given up far to easily for a woman who called people she had never met before to yell at.
Jane again glanced sideways and Ari followed her gaze.
Spark had turned slightly, facing the human woman. His fingers were pressed together, his elbows on his knees. His eyes were hard as he looked at Jane.
Ari raised an eyebrow slightly. Suddenly her knee gave out. There was a smack as Ari caught herself on the short table. "That's knew," she said mildly as she pushed herself back to her feet.
"Perhaps you should retire to your room," Snik said, standing at the door.
"Perhaps," Ari agreed, straightening. Her knee burned painfully and quivered at even the slightest weight applied to it. The trip to her room was going to be unpleasant.
"I will go with you," Spark said, also rising.
Ari just nodded, knowing why he wished to come with her. She simply walked away, nodding to Syrik and the members of the Enterprise crew as she did.
Spark walked on her left side, his muscles coiled slightly ready to catch her if her leg gave out again.
They walked in silence for a time, leaving the gathering room behind. It was not until the left the range of Vulcan hearing that Ari spoke.
"What did you do to Jane?"
Spark glanced at her and then forward. "I do not know-"
"Bull," Ari said shortly, cutting off his feeble attempt at a lie.
Spark was silent for a moment. "After I learned that she attempted to contact you while you were still recovering from serious injuries, I told her that she was not to contact ever again. I also told her that if she did contact you she would be polite and not speak harshly to you, even if that required her to bite through her own tongue to do so."
"And she agreed," Ari said eying her cousin carefully. "Just like that?"
"I... may have made my threats more physical."
Ari sighed. "What did you do, Spark?"
"I would rather not discuss this."
"Spark, its me! Its Ari, the same person who nearly killed another child with my bare hands out of anger. I don't think there is a single thing you could have done that can match that."
"I refused to release her forearm until she agreed," Spark said, looking away.
"So," she said, shrugging.
"I held her arm with enough force to snap the bones."
Ari stopped walking, staring at her cousin.
Spark also stopped walking, his hands clasped behind his back and his head bowed. "I had tightened my grip until she agreed," he said, his voice soft. He was ashamed at his actions, as affective as they were. Vulcans did not believe in violence and he had used it on a human to force his will on her, the most un-Vulcan like thing he had ever done.
"Spark," Ari said softly before stopping. She could see his shame at his own actions and yet she had also seen his eyes back in the gathering room. She looked down the hall, her room was three doors down and she crossed the distance, Spark following her automatically. She placed her palm on the pad and the door slid open to admit her.
Once they were inside and the door slid shut, Ari turned to Spark. "Are you near your pon-far," she asked bluntly.
Spark started. Ari had always been blunt but to ask such a thing...
"Well," she pressed, leaning on her cane.
"No, I am still some years from my time," he said still staring at her.
"Then what the Hell is wrong with you?"
Spark shifted uncomfortably. He knew Ari well and she would not be satisfied with anything but the whole truth in this matter. "Your abduction placed a lot of strain on my mind," he said. "When I learned that you were found but badly injuried I was both relieved and worried. I accepted Dr McCoy's will that you would not be disturbed until you were pass the danger and the promise that I would be notified of any changes. When I learned that Jane had attempted to contact you after the Council contacted Sparik, notifying him that you had not responded to their hails, I became... frustrated. From that frustration I acted in the way I did."
"You were angry," Ari said.
"Frustrated," Spark corrected. He disliked admitting emotions he had felt during those weeks and to call them by anything other than what he had named them had it harder.
"Call it whatever you want," Ari said, limping to the diva. She sat down, resting her head on her cane clasped in her two hands. "What happened when my father found out?"
"To my knowledge he does not know," Spark said, standing in the center of the room. "My theory is that Jane has not told him and found a means to hide the bruise from him."
"Why wouldn't she tell him? He is her husband, it is his duty to protect her from any threats."
"I believe she has not because then she would have to tell him that she tried to contact you, despite the strict orders that you were not to be. She may be his wife but you are his offspring."
"Perhaps," Ari said. "We may as well get this over with," she sighed, laying down on the diva.
Spark did not ask her to what she spoke of, he knew. The mind meld. He had never melded with anyone before. He had asked his brother about his experiences with it and felt more confident that he could preform the meld so long as Ari did not resist him. He pulled the chair away from the desk and sat himself at Ari's head.
He hesitated when he looked down at Ari's face, her eyes were closed and she looked as if she were sleeping. "Ari," he said softly, "before we begin I must know something."
Ari opened her eyes. "Why you," she said guessing his question.
Spark nodded, mutely.
"Because you know me the best," she said, calmly, "and I trust you more then anyone."
Spark stared at her. "That is not a logical reason," he said.
"I know," Ari said. "Logic was not in the fore front of my mind when the meld was brought up."
"I do not understand," Spark told her.
"You will," Ari said closing her eyes once more. "I'm ready when you are."
"It would have been more logical for my mother or brother to do this," Spark said as he carefully placed his fingers on her melding points.
"I stand by my reasons," she said calmly.
Spark bowed his head and pressed his mind carefully into hers. He had always suspected that Ari's mind was different from his but to suspect and to experience were two completely different thing.
Ari's mind was a jumble of information. It felt chaotic yet everything had a place, everything was connected by a system beyond Spark's understanding.
Emotions hit him suddenly. Pain. Fear. Trust and anger. The anger confused him, it was not directed at anything. It was simply there. He pushed them aside and pressed gently into her memories.
She was next to his holographic projection, pleased by the simulation. Not only had her equation brought down the cloaking system but the shields as well and as an added bonus the simulated star ship hadn't blown up as it had in past simulations. They would have to run a diagnostic on the engines but it seemed to be a success and her early frustrations long since forgotten.
A red light flashed, ending Ari's pleasure and bringing confusion as she looked up at the light.
"What's wrong," he heard himself ask her.
"There's a Red Alert," she said as she closed out the program. The was no drill today she would have been informed. "I had better go see what's going on."
She turned away and started towards the door. She froze when the doors opened and revealed 4 armed Romulans. She was shocked by their sudden appearance. She watched frozen in place as one of them fired at her, the stun round hitting her square in the chest, knocking her off her feet. Nice shot, everything went black.
She woke slowly and found a Romulan leaning over her, smiling like a cat who just caught its favorite mouse. She scowled at her and was amused by his confusion as short lived as it was.
The Romulan introduced himself, calling her by name and looked smug when she tried to lift her hand and received an electrical shock.
Another voice chastised Nadel, telling him that the bonds were no necessary. Nadel's head vanished as did the bonds holding her.
Ari was calm, remembering briefly a fight she had picked with 10 intoxicated males a year ago, as she turned to look at the Captain of the ship. She asked if he realized what he had done.
The Romulan did not answer her question, instead he offered to continue the conversation during a meal he had ordered.
Ari tilted her head to one side and found him mirroring her. She raised an eyebrow, wondering why he was doing that, and was again mirrored. She agreed to the meal so long as he promised to stop mirroring her.
The captain agreed and introduced himself. They conversed briefly in the time the Romulans learned that she spoke their language. Then they left the room...
They were sitting at the table with a meal set before them. Their plates had already been filled and they were being to eat.
Ari asked for the reason they had taken her. She was not a high ranking member of Starfleet or in the Federation so ransom clearly was not a factor.
Lintus told her she had information the Romulan Empire was interested in.
Ari "played stupid" as the Romulans pressed her, first hinting then asking of The Project.
Lintus asked about the scars on Ari's right hand.
Ari explained the injury vaguely. In her explanation the two Romulans learned of that she was a hybrid.
They began to play on her standing as an outcast as both a Vulcan and Human.
Ari stopped eating and interlock her fingers."You can stop that now, gentlemen," she said in a neutral voice. "I am aware of what you are doing and it will not work." She pushed away her plate"I will not betray the Federation," she said firmly, "or Vulcan." she stood up and clasped her hands behind her back. "We have nothing more to discus."
Lintus and Nadel looked angry at the fact that their ploy did not work.
"Guards," Lintus said angry laced in his voice, "take the Vulcan to her cell."
The two Romulans from before stepped forward to flank Ari, who stood with her chin held high.
"You will regret your choice, Vulcan," Nadel said darkly as the guards led Ari away.
"I highly doubt that, Nadel," Ari said before the door slid shut behind her.
Ari had fallen into a meditative stance in her cell. It was a small dark room of steel, and coldness. She was laying on her back on the steel bunk, there was no blanket or mat on it just hard steel.
She could hear them, two sets of footsteps coming towards her cell, talking about her. Her door opened and they told her to get up. She ignored them completely, making herself seem more comfortable on the steel.
They growled angrily making Ari smile with amusement, she enjoyed doing this to people and the Romulans were very easy. Spark made a mental note of that for later.
One came closer and threw her off the cot causing her to land painfully on the floor.
She swore in Klingon and rose to her feet.
The two guards grabbed her roughly and half dragged her to another room some distance away. She was dragged into a white room that hurt Ari's eyes after a long time in muted light. She was latched to a chair, facing a mirror and the Romulans left.
Ari stretched out her legs and made herself comfortable in the uncomfortable chair. She was calm, willing to play the game.
The door opened and Ari opened one eye to see a Romulan enter. She closed her eye again and ignored him. Neither spoke for some time, in that time Ari sensed the Romulan's anger grow.
"Yes," she said mildly. She changed her position in the chair.
The Romulan stared at her with unfriendly eyes. "My Captain wishes for me to extract information from you, Vulcan," he said in a low hoarse voice. "I do not think you will simply give me what I want from you, will you?"
Ari raised an eyebrow at him. "I highly doubt it. So where does that put us?"
"Right about here," the Romulan said stepping closer and struck her across the face with his fist.
Spark's breath hissed as he felt what Ari felt.
"Tell me about the Project," he demanded.
Ari simply glared at him, her lips tight.
He sneered. "Very good, Vulcan," he said in something like a purr. "I would have been highly disappointed in you if you started talking now." He cracked his knuckles. "Let's begin." He slammed his fist into Ari's stomach, alarmingly close to her heart.
Ari coughed as the breath was knocked out of her. Before she could recover from the blow the Romulan struck her across the face again.
"The Project, Vulcan?"
Ari snarled insults and swears at him, vaguely aware of the fact that it was in Klingon.
"I can do this all day, Vulcan. Can you?" He struck her under the jaw, snapping her head back.
The Romulan work her for 4 hours, demanding information of the Project and striking her when she didn't answer.
Ari was sagging in her chair when the door opened again. She could see who entered do to the fact her right eye had swollen shut.
The Romulan stepped back and Lintus stepped into view, taking her chin in his hand and tilting it back. He turned her head to one side then the other.
"This is unnecessary, Ari," he told her, his voice hard. "All we want is the Project."
Ari stared past him, unresponsive to his words.
"We already know what it is," he told her. "We know what you were told to design and we want to know how you and the other Vulcan did it."
Ari showed no recognition of his words.
Lintus sighed and looked at the other Romulan. "I think you did your job too well, Vintas."
Vintas smiled. "That's what the Empire pays me for, Captain."
Lintus nodded distractedly. "Take her," he said to someone to Ari's right.
The two guards from before, or at least one of them, entered the room. They lifted her out of the chair, forced to support her when she didn't set her feet. Ari allowed herself to be dragged back to her cell.
She heard the door hiss open and the restraints came off before she was thrown inside. She rolled to her back, panting with pain. She squeezed her eyes shut, feeling warm fluids leaking out of them.
Spark almost broke the meld, he almost stopped this. He could feel Ari's distress at reliving the experience, he didn't want to put her through it again. He understood why Ari asked for him to do this and he knew he couldn't stop now. The meld was needed to end the investigation and he was the only Vulcan who she could bear seeing her at her most vulnerable moments. That fixed in his mind he pressed deeper into those painful memories.
Darkness... Pain... Footsteps... They were coming for her, to take her back to that painfully bright room. Then there would be more pain and they would bring her back to the dark. The cycle would repeat itself after that, a never ending Hell...
They brought in a scientist in with Vintas. 2 weeks had past and the wear on Ari's body had began to show. Her body always hurt now and breathing was harder. The scientist had began to write on the mirror, talking animatedly about possibilities of what they thought the Project was.
Ari stared at her knees, not looking at the equations on the two away mirror. They knew nothing and she would not inform them of it nor would she give them any physical signs that could be interpreted as such.
Vintas snarled angrily when she made no sign she could even hear them.
Ari felt a boot being set on her right knee and sudden force was applied, snapping her kneecap. She screamed in pain, the reflex uncontrolled. She panted, her body curled in on itself in a primitive defense.
A fist connected with the side of her face, knocking her sideways.
Ari took a shallow shuddering breath, something close to a sob. A hand grabbed her hair, tipping her head backwards. She stared up at Vintas's face, her eyes dulled with the pain she was in.
Vintas swore and threw her head away. He summoned the guards and they dragged her out of the room, back to her cell. The cycle was restarting once more...
There was someone in her cell. Not a Romulan, he spoke quietly, calmly.
"You're not Romulan," it whispered in confusion.
Ari peeled open her left eye. Her right was glued shut with blood again and it hurt too much to wipe it away. "Who is that," she said. Her voice was hoarse and it hurt when her chapped lips and bruised muscles moved.
"What are you," it whispered. Ari identified the voice as begin male and it had a rough sound to it almost like a canine.
"Vulcan and Human," Ari said, turning her head left and right trying to find the owner to the voice. "Where are you?"
"Over here, in the corner."
Ari tried to turn her head but was unable to see the owner. "I can't see you," she said, her voice thickened and her vision blurred.
There was a soft clicking sound of nails on steel and a fur covered head came into view. The wolf sniffed her carefully. His tongue slid out and gently licked the side of her face. "You are injured," he said still licking the blood away from her face.
Ari realized that he was not speaking out loud but inside her mind. "How are you doing that," she whispered.
The wolf walked around her, gently nudging her. "All Ookami can speak in this way in this form," he replied. "You needn't speak out loud, I can hear your thoughts." He paused at her right leg and sniffed at her knee, whining softly.
How did you get in here, Ari thought to him.
"I escaped from where the Romulans had been holding me and slipped into this room." He laid down next to her, licking her neck lightly. "I had thought it was a closet and got trapped inside. My plan was to rush the Romulans when they opened the door but then I saw you. I could not leave you behind not in your condition."
You're so warm, Ari thought. She felt like she was falling, or floating.
The Ookami shifted his body, pressing himself closer to her. "Sleep, young one," he said licking her cheek. "I will remain at your side."
Ari slipped into the darkness. The soft warmth next comforting her. For the first time, Ari's sleep was not haunted by nightmares or pain.
Ari heard the footsteps, so did Shuhan. It bothered him, he wasn't going to leave her side. She begged him to hide, placing a hand on his chest.
The wolf shook his head as if was wet, feeling a strange alien calmness coming over him. "I will not allow them to take you," he said definitely fighting the calm. "I cannot simply sit by while they hurt you more."
If they see you then they'll only come back with phasers, Ari said, feeling Shuhan's anger rising in her. I can't walk and I can't fight, I'll burden you down. We'll only get captured again and they'll take you away. Tears pricked at her eyes. I need you, Shuhan. I can't do this without help. I'll break and I can't afford to break!
Shuhan looked at her with sad gold eyes. "Very well," he said unwillingly. He stood and walked into the dark corner, his black and gray fur blending in. He curled up tightly and closed his eyes.
Ari sighed softly and listened to the footsteps stop in front of her door. She could do this now, she had Shuhan waiting for her. A light in the darkness.
(A/n I don't really want to type out Susan's death again so if you need a recap of what happened go back to Chapter 17 and reread that... It makes my heart hurt...)
Spark nearly broke the meld again. Ari had once described heart break to him, but he had never understood the idea until now. The death of Susan had caused such emotional pain through her that it caused physical pain in her heart. Spark felt it too and he hated the fact that she had to feel it again but it was nearly over so he pressed on.
Ari could hear Kirk and Spock's voices. For a moment she thought she was hallusinating but then the door opened and she saw them. Shuhan rose, growling for a moment. Then he stopped and backed down, allowing Spock to approach.
"Ari," Spock said quietly, "where's Susan?"
Tears slid from Ari's eyes. "She's dead," she whispered, her voice broken. "They killed her."
Spock stared at her, surprised both by her words and the suddenness of her emotion. He picked her up and carried her out of the cell.
Ari was dimly aware of Spock and Kirk talking and then being beamed away. The clean, sanitary smell met Ari's nose. It was familiar smell, it smelled like Susan and Bones. She felt herself being laid down on a table. She could smell Bones, his aftershave was quit distinctive. She peeled her eyes open to look at the human. "Bones, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry..."
Bones said something to her and then to something to someone else.
Spock answered. A few moments later both Spock and Kirk left and Bones gave her hypos for her pain and dehydration.
Shuhan was speaking, making valid points about the Romulans. They could not be allowed to regroup otherwise they would only return, no doubt with more aid.
Ari saw the logic in Shuhan's statements and rose. She administered a nerve pinch on Bones when he attempted to stop her. Shuhan had changed his form and now stood naked on the other side of the table. He confirmed he knew his task and left for Engineering while Ari went to the Bridge. She felt no pain in her body as she walked.
She stepped off the turbolift and walked towards Chekov, ignoring everyone. She pushed the young human out of his station and took the seat. She set up the console.
Scotty came over the com. He said there was a naked man messing with Engineering. Ari told him to leave him alone and confirmed with Shuhan that they were ready.
"They're cloaking," Sulu said.
"Not for long," she snarled. Now, Shuhan, she said.
It ran just like the simulation and Ari released the ship's torpedos. She stood slowly as the Romulan's ship was destroyed. She felt a deep, primitive satisfaction as the ship exploded.
"Enemy ship destroyed," Chekov reported kneeling on the deck from where he had fallen when Ari pushed him.
"There are no survivors," Spock said softly.
Spark withdrew from the meld. He had seen all he needed to. Ari's use of the Project had been completely logical. Her emotional and mental state had not affected her decision, there was only logic. "Ari," Spark said quietly.
Ari opened her eyes, feeling drained and looked at her cousin.
Spark just looked at her, finding that he couldn't say anything. His heart still hurt and the shadow on the meld left him feeling just as drained as she was. He just sat there staring at her.
Ari met her cousin's eyes. She could see pain in his eyes. He wanted to say something, she could feel that but didn't know what or how to say it. "I know," she said simply.
