Chapter Eight
Plutarch also announced that he had engaged Supernova to play on Surruk that night at dinner on the North Lawn of Audit Ei'krih. His intent was to soften the blow that his departure would have on Enid. His daughter often raved about the band's complex rhythms, wishing she could write something so good someday. That her own music was objectively more complex and aesthetically pleasing seemed to be lost on her, as she discounted her music as doodles. He supposed it was because the ability came naturally to her. Since she never struggled to compose, she didn't recognize her own brilliance. His plan was a success. Both Enid and Fatina shrieked in excitement when he broke the news.
"Sur Zan is so dreamy," Fatina exclaimed.
"You know he likes boys," Ji'aella told her sister.
"How do you know about that?" Lorlani asked crossly. The older girls inhaled sharply in unison. Neither of them wanted to test Lorlani's patience.
"I read, you know," Ji'aella said, unperturbed. Fatina left her tablets out all over their suite. She was of course interested in anything her older sister was and as a result, Ji'aella was a precocious five year old. Enid felt a twinge of jealousy. Even her five year old cousin could read while the skill eluded her. Fatina also was studying microbiology while Enid struggled to count past ten.
"Sur Zan is the name of his true self," Fatina told them, "He uses it because he gives his heart to his fans." Narek smiled although the mention of the Romulan tradition of reserving their true names for the person they gave their hearts to made him a little sad. He had given his true name to two women so far in his life. One was dead. That sad affair had landed him in trouble with the Zaht Vash. In fact, it caused his expulsion from that organization. Soji was the other and he hated to think how that ended. She should be dead. It was embarrassing now to think she was out there with the knowledge of his true self. In his mind, it tainted the tradition and he was not sure he could give his true name to anyone else while the synthetic was still alive. He looked at Enid. She was excited about the possibility of meeting the man she idolized musically but still terrified for her father. Enid was never good at covering her emotions which was fine with him. He loved to see her inner world play out on her visage almost as much as he loved how her physical stirrings played out within his body when they had made love. Their desire was reflected within each other like opposing mirrors. The reflections built upon themselves exponentially towards infinity. Narek could lose himself in Enid but the thought didn't frighten him as it had with the previous two women. It excited him.
"Narek!" Plutarch was trying to get his attention. Narek shook loose his thoughts and wondered how long he had been unresponsive to Plutarch's query.
"I'm sorry, sir," he mumbled absently. What had Plutarch said?
"I'd like a report this evening," Plutarch told him, "I will be leaving tomorrow evening."
"Do you really have to go so soon?" Enid fussed, she really wanted to continue to get to know her father, and while she didn't have a specific premonition she dreaded anything Federation.
"I'll be back before you know it," he told his pale daughter. He was amazed how the girl could love so easily given her life experiences. She was truely unique. "You have plenty to distract you here. You'll barely have time to miss me," he added, knowing that was far from the truth.
"Indeed," Ni'ael said. He outlined his plan to teach Enid Llaekh-ae'rl once Yumuen okayed her physically.
"I want to learn too!" Fatina shouted. Ji'aella had gymnastics to share with her cousin. Fatina wanted some activity too that would allow her to spend time with Enid as well.
"But you plan to be a scientist," Lorlani soothed. Ni'ael and Lorlani had argued about Fatina's training. Enid thought about Virtet. If he had been trained in self defense maybe his end would have been different.
"I would love to train with Fatina!" She volunteered much to her cousin's delight. Ni'ael regarded his wife. She was outnumbered but she was also pregnant. He would never presume to override his wife's wisdom regarding their daughter, especially when she was subject to radical mood swings. Lorlani considered if for a moment, then acquiesced. In the world they now lived, it might be a disservice to exclude the girl from training in the martial arts.
Yumuen observed the residents of Audit Ei'krih. He was used to emotional lability in dealing with Romulans. Fluctuations in behavior and emotional states that would be considered borderline in most species was the baseline in Romulans. Still the complexity of emotions he was witnessing at dinner was extraordinary! It was amazing to see how quickly Enid had bonded with her newly found family. In the space of a few months, she seemed completely integrated into life in her new home. Plutarch was a doting father and her cousins genuinely loved her. He looked forward to getting to know his new subjects. The dinner broke up and Lorlani retired early leaving the girls to entertain themselves while Plutarch met with Narek and Ni'ael. The girls decided on a game of hide and go seek in the hedge maze. Yumuen excused himself. The guest quarters were off the north side of the estate and he could watch the girls as they ran and laughed. Enid was probably exerting herself more than he would have advised, but laughter had a restorative effect and she was certainly doing plenty of that. Ji'aella was skilled at hiding but Yumuen figured that Enid was humoring her young cousin. If the rumors of her telepathic abilities were accurate she should have been able to easily locate the girl but Enid and Fatina made a theatrical show of hunting her. They feigned surprise when Ji'aella jumped out of her hiding spot tackling her cousin growling like a large predatory cat. He wondered how Aylin would react to the mess Enid was making of her fine clothes.
Narek briefed the two men about what he had found in Enid's drawings. One of the traps lay fairly close, and could be reached within a few day's. Plutarch thought that Narek should check it out. "I'm not sure I'd know what to look for without Enid," Narek told Plutarch. He so badly wanted to explore the site but wasn't foolish. Narek understood that he needed more information.
"That's a good point," Plutarch told him. How long had the colony existed on Kiara? Long enough that they should have detected the synthetic trap but they hadn't. Plutarch knew better than to believe the propaganda about the Federation and Starfleet. Starfleet's technical prowess was equal to the Romulans in many areas and surpassed them in some. Romulans still maintained an advantage in key military technologies, but Plutarch understood that the Federation had checked and deemed Kiara safe for habitation. "There is little danger of synthetics activating the trap here."
"Maybe there is an answer in her internal world?" Ni'ael suggested. Lorlani told him that Enid's inner world held secrets. Narek agreed. Enid often pulled him into her world and now the Rynar was gone, she would probably be more willing to explore. Narek had wondered what lay to the north or south of Enid's tree. There were also the mountains to the west that she had never explored, not to mention the castle. She had entered the keep to lure Rynar into the trap laid by the shadows from the ocean. That was how she escaped and made her way to the rectory but she never explored the tunnels below the keep.
"I wonder if Boo could help?" Narek deliberated. He knew that Boo was some aspect of Enid's mind. Enid, save the past few months, never remembered a time that Boo had not been with her. The beast might hold the secrets of what S'ril had been doing with his foster daughter. Narek was still angry when he thought of S'ril. According to Suruz, S'ril would have had to force mind melds on Enid hundreds of times to cause the sort of damage that was evident in her brain. He knew how frustrated Enid was that she couldn't read.
"Now that Boo's back, she could be an asset," Ni'ael agreed but saw Narek's mind was elsewhere, "Narek!"
"Sorry," Narek was embarrassed. That was the second time he'd been caught up in his thoughts.
It was getting dark and Ni'ael called the girls in from the maze. Enid's mood deteriorated on the walk back to her wing but Narek had a new way of distracting her. They were barely inside the sitting room when, by mutual unspoken agreement, they fell into each other's arms. Enid slept soundly that night with no nightmares to desturbed her respite.
Narek woke first staring at the ceiling. Enid had rolled over but was still nestled close to his side. He turned so that his chest was against her back and she burrowed in closer to his body. Her skin was so soft and pearly. Narek hadn't found so much as a mole to interrupt the incandescent peaks and valleys of her body. He buried his face in her hair until their pleasant little world was interrupted when a voice came over his earpiece. Yumen was on his way with Aylin. Ji'aella's meet was today and Aylin needed to make Enid presentable. The use of snakeleaf for the meet was a singular point of contention between Enid and the authorities at Audit Ei'krih. Enid had wanted to forgo the snakeleaf for the meet so that she could capture what Romulans sounded like when they were competing. Competitions or conflicts between people often made up her most interesting compositions. Enid had even taught Ji'aella Federation standard sign, in secret of course, so that she would understand her feedback during the meet. Afterall she was Ji'aella's primary coach. She wasn't certified as a Romulan coach but even the girl's formal coach, Ayoub, admitted that Enid was much more effective than he was with Ji'aella. When Lorlani learned of Enid's plan she had expressly forbidden it. Enid would not use sign language or bounce on her toes in front of the society of Surruk! Narek was glad that Plutarch stepped in to mediate the dispute. He had gently promised that Enid would be afforded the opportunity to hear a meet when Ji'aella was not competing. This meet was Ji'aella's first and Enid, as her coach, should concentrate on mentoring the young athlete. Enid remembered how nervous she had been during her first meet and agreed, although reluctantly.
"Time to get up, love," he whispered in her ear. Like a perturbed sand devil escaping a predator, she pulled the covers protectively over her head and sunk further in the mattress. Narek smiled and persisted to badger the reluctant Enid to open her eyes. Finally she turned to him, her hair wild from the prior evening's activities, and rewarded him with a sleepy smile. She kissed him on his lips, then his neck and moved to his chest. Narek stopped her advance when she reached his abdomen. "No, no, no," he teased as he slid out from the sheets. If Enid didn't cooperate their relationship would be exposed. He wasn't afraid of censure but wanted to preserve their exclusivity. Eventually he knew they'd slip up and their change in status would be common knowledge. Right now they enjoyed their own little world and he wanted to keep it that way as long as he could. She relented but pouted as she dragged her feet to her own room just in time. When Yumuen and Aylin entered she was sitting on her bed trying to tame her locks with a brush. Neither person was fooled. Yumuen was empathic and Aylin knew Enid never made her own bed. On Kiara she would have done so rather than face S'ril's reproach but she adapted quickly to life with servants after arriving at Audit Ei'krih.
Aylin admonished Enid's rough treatment of her hair while she riffled through her kit to find a sonic detangler, "You will completely destroy the ends!" Yumuen hung back in the sitting room allowing Aylin to finish her work with Enid before he attempted to examine her.
"She slept well?" he asked Narek who gave a curt nod. Yumuen had to figure out how to get close to Enid's handler. He sensed that Narek distrusted him but wasn't sure why. Because he's Romulan, Yumuen told himself. He accessed the replicator and requested tea mostly to occupy himself while he waited. He notice Narek's reflection in the surface of the panel and wondered if he'd seen correctly. Narek absently reached for a tablet and it slid into his hand, with no visible means of propulsion. Indeed the man seemed unaware of the occurrence, as he was focused on the contents of a different tablet. Even Yumuen had doubts of what he had seen. The tablet only moved a few centimeters.
"Doctor," Aylin was impatiently trying to gain his attention, "We need to get going!"
"Certainly," he responded. He examined Enid, administered the snakeleaf.
"How is she?" Narek asked from the doorway. He didn't believe their exertions had set her back but wanted to be sure.
"Remarkably well," Yumuen assessed, "Her levels of neurotransmitters have returned to normal much sooner than I would have expected." Anytime someone underwent the type of neurotrauma that Enid had been exposed to, the key to recovery was how fast their neurotransmitter levels returned to normal. Enid's biology favored her Betazed heritage which was fortunate as he was medically trained on her mother's homeworld. He examined the girl's arm. It was functional but her records indicated it still hurt. He was concerned if she began training in Llarkh-aer'rl that she would aggravate the injury. Yumuen suggested a cellular transfer to correct the problem before training began.
"What's the recovery time for that?" Enid asked. She'd rather put up with the discomfort than delay her training. Her sense of urgency was for her cousin Fatina. Enid wanted to make sure Lorlani did not change her mind.
"No more than a day," Yumuen assured her.
"If Enid's arm could be fixed so easily, why hasn't this been suggested before?" Narek asked.
"I assume that is why Enid's father engaged my services," Yumuen took on the arrogant air he knew would fit this situation. In truth, her previous physicians had been afraid of what failure would cost them. They knew they lacked the expertise in hybrid medicine and did not want to take the risk so they settled on treating the pain, not correcting the problem. From what he could ascertain, the arm had to be causing her much more pain that she let on. A high pain tolerance was an atypical response to childhood trauma but Yumuen reminded himself that Enid's internal landscape was a symptom of a dissociative disorder. Dissociation could increase her pain threshold. Enid was a complicated patient for sure, he concluded.
Enid's coach's uniform was white. The sleeves and back of the jacket were embossed with a feathered pattern. Aylin wanted to play up the girl's resemblance to the mythical Gi'halidrl whose seal was a Romulan dove. Lorlani approved and her designer had come up with an entire line of white uniforms for her training in Llarkh-aer'rl. The all white ensemble drew attention to her violet eyes. This was Ji'aella's and Enid's first appearance in Surrukian society and Lorlani wanted to make sure the girls presented themselves well. She was not disappointed. Ji'aella performed brilliantly in her class placing second in her first two events and winning the balance beam competition. It was definitely an auspicious start to Ji'aella's gymnastics career! Ayoub lauded Enid's coaching abilities citing her previous experience coaching Federation children. When asked, Enid merely said that working with Ji'aella had been easy. She had such raw natural talent.
"Of course she has much more to work with in Ji'aella," Ayoub boasted, triggering laughter among the reporters. The Romulan elites soaked up the notion that their children were superior to those of the Federation. When asked what Enid had said about Romulan gymnastics versus the Federation variety, he told them that Enid picked up on Romulan gymnastics despite her height disadvantage, "She is Romulan after all! The only limitation she had was the injury she sustained on her arm caused by the incompetent Federation medical hologram." This was another effective talking point for the Surrukians. They all agreed that the Federation was abominable. Enid didn't think that was entirely fair, she had deactivated the program before it finished treating her then ran off to Vashti. She only smiled and nodded. Some journalists conjectured that her mistreatment in the Federation led to her small stature which validated their belief that Federation parents were neglectful of their children.
Later that evening, after the celebrations were over, Yumuen treated her arm. He needed to keep the arm immobilized for several hours after the surgery and figured it would be easier if she were asleep. Plutarch paced the sitting room of their quarters going over the map that Narek had created from Enid's drawings while Narek stayed by her side keeping her occupied by reading what had been written about her. Enid was difficult to sedate, POP was the only known substance and Enid refused to take that substance again, even in its clinical form.
"So far your introduction into elite society has gone well," Narek commented.
"They pity me," Enid conjectured as he read the reviews.
"Trust me, Enid," Narek told her, "Romulans do not pity. They admire strength in adversity."
"But they make the Federation sound monstrous," she said.
"And what about your experiences indicate otherwise?" Narek asked, confused by her sudden defence of her former home.
"Well, Missy and Rone…" she began. Tears welled in her eyes.
"Enid," Narek took a stern tone, "There were signs that you were being mistreated by S'ril. The O'Dares missed it. Ms. Helene recognized it but the authorities dismissed it because S'ril was Vulcan." Narek had access to her entire school records, "I can show you."
"I can't read," Enid said crossly. Narek studied her face. She was tired and the procedure was hurting more than she was willing to admit. He asked Yumuen if there was something he could do for her pain but he had already administered as much pain killer as he could. The next step was POP but he Enid had flat out refused to take that. Narek put down the tablets and took her free hand into his. If there were a way that he could take the pain he would.
"Enid," Narek had a thought, "You can still love Missy and Rone," he said, "Acknowledging how the Federation failed you does not take away from that."
"They make it sound like Federation parents don't love their children," she argued weekly. The pain was getting bad now, "It's not true. Most children are loved by their parents. Just not me." Tears were rolling down her cheeks now and Narek asked if the doctor could give them a minute. Yumuen agreed but asked that her arm remain immoble.
"You are loved by a parent," Narek told her. He was sure of that, "You are lovable." Narek wanted to tell her that he loved her but this wasn't the time. He didn't want to make the declaration as a way to distract her from pain. No, when he told her, he wanted it to be just about them.
"Just a few more minutes, Enid," Yumuen assured them both. He contemplated Enid's unique perspective. Narek was right, the Federation had failed her. Yumuen had the same access to Enid's records through Section 31 as he did. Ms. Helen had sounded the alarm on more than one occasion only to be shut down by the school's administration. Even Section 31 had not been aware of the Vulcan Order. Yumuen finished his work and Enid was transferred to her suite.
"Many of these traps are set in Federation Territory," Plutarch said after Yumuen left. He gestured towards a section of the holographic map.
"That's right," Narek felt sick at the number of systems within the Federation. The systems in Romulan territory were not as concerning, the traps were triggered by contact with synthetic life forms and none existed in Romulan space. The Zaht Vash had seen to that. They still needed to study how to disable the traps. Hopefully Enid had that information somewhere in her mind.
"I want a copy," Plutarch told Narek. Actually this fit nicely within his plans. Plutarch inquired if Narek would want to see his sister before they left for Vashti but Narek declined. There was nothing left to say to Narissa. "Very well," he said. He went to say his goodbye to Enid. She was dozing but he wouldn't describe her as comfortable.
"It is too bad she did not want sedation," Yumuen said. He didn't like causing this much pain.
"According to Narek, the withdrawal was more painful," Plutarch told him, "Of course she may not agree now that she has experienced both." He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. She opened her eyes briefly and smiled. "I'll be back as soon as I can," he told her, "I promise."
Plutarch wanted to get this trip over with. He had no intention of turning over Narissa, but figured that Oh would have to try and intercept his warbird or make a move on Enid here. She might actually try both. He hoped that the prize of eliminating Plutarch and recovering Narissa would be a strong temptation for her to oversee the operation herself. His daughter had been a pawn her entire life, and Plutarch hated gambleing with her life now. The official public record would show that he was making a philanthropic trip to Vashti, bringing much needed aid to Romulans who were at the mercy of the nefarious Federation. He knew that Enid had been uncomfortable with the coverage of her today, but it had been necessary. Plutarch hoped to offer passage to any Romulans that wanted to leave Vashti and calculated that by generating outrage against the Federation he could more easily find a place to resettle them. Probably not on Surruk, the refugees on Vashti were ruff necks. They certainly wouldn't fit in. Well, most wouldn't. He entertained the thought that maybe one would. Afterall, it had once been her home.
In his quarters, Yumuen contemplated Plutarch's trip. He had not shared with the family why he was leaving, only that he was taking a necessary trip. Lorlani and Ni'ael would know and probably Narek. He wondered if Enid knew what her father was doing? Yumuen decided he didn't want to risk contacting his superiors. He was new on Surruk and was sure that he was being monitored. He had not collected enough information. The Romulan that he had replaced had no family and was long dead. Yumuen had lived that man's life for over ten years. It was unlikely that his cover would unravel but he could be discovered if he took risks too soon.
Plutarch had directed the warbird that brought Narek and Enid to Surruk to avoid Borg conduits since the Zaht Vash typically monitored these routes. He did not want Ni'ael to have to fight his way to Surruk and the longer trip gave Narek time to instruct Enid in Romulan culture. Now he wanted a confrontation and made straight for a conduit. His reward came just outside Federation territory. Oh's Warbird was waiting for him.
"What do you think you're doing, Plutarch?" Oh's face filled the viewscreen.
"I'm bringing material aid to Romulans on Vashti," Plutarch countered evenly.
"How altruistic of you," she observed.
"It's the least I can do," Plutarch told her, "After the help that was given to my daughter."
"Turn over my agent," Oh demanded.
Plutarch smiled, he couldn't turn over Narissa even if he wanted to, having executed her shortly after leaving orbit. "Lower your shields," he drawled, "And I would be glad to beam her aboard."
"You lower your shields and I will transport her from your ship," she ordered. Two warbirds decloaked flanking hers.
"Are you sure you want to play that way?" Plutarch teased.
"The power of the elites ended with the supernova," Oh rose from her seat, "Your time is over." Plutarch watched her eyes widen then narrow as his ships uncloaked. She cut the comm.
"Fire at will," he told his fleet. Oh's first instinct was to withdraw but Plutarch had a trick up his sleeve. His ship generated a warp bubble. It was a new device created by Torcuil. Lorlani had chosen the refugees strategically and now Surruk had the best and brightest of the old Star Empire. Plutarch smiled as Oh's warbird lost attitude control.
"Admiral!" Riker's operations officer called out, "We are picking up some unusual readings just outside Vashti space! It looks like a massive firefight!" Riker was in his ready room meeting with Picard and Soji. The three had been discussing the unusual behavior of the Romulans. Now they entered the bridge.
"On screen!" Riker ordered.
"Something is interfering with the sensors," his operations officer told him, "I've never seen readings like this." It was difficult to tell how many ships were involved, something was distorting the nearby space.
"Maybe Plutarch ran into some resistance?" Picard conjectured, "Turning over a Zaht Vash operative had to ruffle some feathers."
"Yellow alert! Hold our position," Riker ordered, "Maintain surveillance." If they crossed over into Vashti space Riker wanted to be ready. He would not interfere with the battle which, although the readings were garbled, looked entirely one sided. Maybe they would not be meeting with Plutarch after all? Picard had the same thought and wondered how Plutarch's demise would affect Enid. He wished there was a way to communicate with Rios.
Plutarch knew the bubble technology was tricky. If one of his enemy's ships suffered a core breach or a major explosion they would all be destroyed. Their attack had to disable the ship's engines, shields, and weapons without causing catastrophic explosions. Once they had the ships disabled he dropped the bubble allowing his ships go in for the kill. It was a glorious victory! Before he destroyed Oh's ship, he transported Narissa's dead body onto the bridge. His operator actually placed the woman's body on Oh's lap so Narissa would be the last thing she saw before oblivion. He thanked his allies and continued on to Vashti, confident that the upstart, Oh was no more.
"The battle appears to be over sir," Riker's officer informed him, "There is one ship heading towards Vashti." Riker wondered if they would ever really know what had transpired but it appeared that Plutarch had survived a rather vicious battle and was on his way into Federation space.