A/N: Another new episode! These are at last flowing nicely again, and I am once again thankful to my good friends Kretolus and DrZevil for their continued help and advice, as well as their moral support ...not to mention the not-infrequent borrowing of their characters! And...you'll want to stick around after Chapter 13, because what comes after that will be a doozy!
Azhasca watched silently as the Phoenix was tractored into position, hanging under one of the huge docking cradles that she herself oversaw not so long previously. It was the first time she had been the one handing a ship over to a dock crew, and she finally understood the agitation some of the other captains had shown when she took temporary ownership of a vessel - although she hated the way she had been dragged back to frontline service, she couldn't deny that she had formed an attachment to the immense Phoenix, and leaving it in someone else's hands was an almost physical pain.
"Hard seeing it from here, huh?"
Azh spun at the familiar voice, smiling at Bobbi as the taller woman approached her.
"Got a clean bill of health from medical, I see," she said softly, causing Bobbi to frown.
"Hey, you okay?" she asked, resting a hand on Azh's shoulder. "You seem...diminshed, if you get what I mean."
Azhasca sighed. If she couldn't be honest with Bobbi, she couldn't be honest with anyone.
"It's guilt," Azh said eventually. "I see you, and I see the wounds you suffered because I...I couldn't-"
"Stop." Bobbi's firm command surprised Azh, and the Trill looked up at her dearest friend. "No-one is blaming you, sweetie. Not me, not Womers, not anyone. I know damn well that you were screwed over, and I went to help you because you are my friend and captain. Not because I thought you incapable."
"Thanks, Bobbi," Azh told her after a moment, fighting back fresh tears. "It's...good to hear you say that. I won't believe it for a long time, but it's good to hear."
Bobbi grinned and turned around, turning Azh around with her.
"Maybe that will help you feel a little better, then," she said, and pointed across the concourse.
Stood by another window, looking stronger and more confident than ever, was Elliott, his torn uniform giving him an air of danger that looked slightly wrong on him...and yet, also very right. He turned in her direction, caught her looking his way, and he smiled and waved in that ridiculous way of his, and Azhasca couldn't help but smile as she began to walk towards him.
"Go on, go get your man," Bobbi whispered to herself, smiling.
"Hi A-"
Elliott's greeting was cut off as he was almost crushed in an emotional embrace from Azh, holding him tight against her and burying her face against his shoulder.
Despite his confusion, he slowly put his arms around her, reciprocating the embrace if not its ferocity.
"Are...you alright?" he asked quizzically, and Azh let out a heavy, shuddering breath.
"Come to Risa with me," she said, still buried in his shoulder.
"Risa? Are you sure?"
Azh pulled away just far enough that her voice wasn't muffled by Elliott's shoulder or uniform, but maintained her hold on him.
"Risa. I'm taking shore leave there, and I want you to come with me. We...we have a lot to talk about. And I have a lot to explain."
"You don't have to-"
"I do," Azhasca said firmly, cutting Elliott off yet again. "I treated you badly, and you didn't deserve it. I owe you an explanation for why I acted the way I did, and why I...why I found it so hard to let anything happen between us."
Elliott blinked, opened his mouth, blinked again, then finally managed to say "oh." Azh laughed at this, loosening her hold to rest her hand on his shoulder.
"Just come with me," she told him, "we'll have some drinks, take in the sights, we'll talk, and then...we'll just see what happens."
Elliott slowly processed what she was saying to him, giving her a small smile and a gentle nod.
"Okay then," he said, meeting her eyes in a way he never would have dared before, "let me know when you want to go, and I'll be ready."
Eventually Azh let go of him, her hands lingering ever so slightly over his, and sighed heavily.
"Good to know. Before that, though, I have a debrief with Admiral Zevil, and I might be a little late already, so...I'll be in touch."
She paused a moment, seeming to weigh up a choice in her mind, then gave him a soft kiss on the cheek, before finally turning on her heel and marching off towards the admiral's offices.
Azh strode into Admiral Zevil's office as soon as the door opened, coming to attention
just in front of his desk.
"You asked to see me, sir?" she asked flatly, still reeling from the battle she had left.
He looked up at her from a PADD he was reading, staring at her for a long moment before looking back down to the PADD.
"I did. Take a seat, Captain." Recognizing that this wasn't a suggestion, Azh sat reluctantly..
Zevil, eyes still glued to the PADD, said. "You'll have to forgive me, I'm only just now finishing going over the reports from your fellow Captains," he said, sparing her a calculating glance. "Many of whom have rather glowing remarks on your efficiency and your command abilities."
While it was said in a neutral tone, Azh couldn't help but feel like the Admiral was suspicious of her.
"I did my duty, sir, nothing more," Azh said, unsure of how else to react. "Besides that, I had an excellent crew and some competent support, I was fortunate to have them on my side."
"That support is evident, given your ship's armaments." Putting down the PADD and replacing it with another, Zevil read off, "Antiproton weapons, Quantum and Tricobalt torpedoes, multi-phasic shielding, and even your armory and replicators were stocked with anti-Borg weapons.
"Someone clearly wanted you prepared to fight the Borg, Captain, physically if perhaps not mentally," he said, matter-of-factly, not unkindly. "Which is rather odd, as that would be my responsibility, as one of the heads of the Borg Task Force, and this mission of yours never crossed my desk.
"So tell me, Captain Pezhal," Zevil finally said, looking her straight in the eye, and a shudder ran down her spine at the look in his amber colored gaze. "Who gave you this mission and broke several Starfleet protocols and regulations to do so?"
Despite her professional demeanour, Azh's expression soured.
"The pre-arranged armament was not lost on me, sir, nor my First Officer - Commander Lehar, you may remember her? And I highly doubt it was lost on my late Tactical officer." Her lip curled in disgust, as if she had swallowed something unpleasant. "As for who it was, I doubt you need to ask - to my knowledge, she has a reputation for bending or breaking rules to serve her own needs."
It was only for a split second, but Azh could have sworn that she saw the Admiral's eye twitch.
"Lydana," he growled, as he brought a hand up to massage his forehead. "Of course it was her."
"Normally I'd be loathe to drop an admiral in the shit, sir, but she's caused me no end of trouble the last few months," Azh explained bitterly. "Call me petty, but I'm quite content for her to deal with the shit for once."
"You won't get any argument from me, captain," Zevil said, his voice calm, but Azh could see murder in his eyes. "Rest assured that I won't let this stand." His eyes narrowed and his voice took on a hard edge. "Admiral Kassai might be in Intelligence, but that doesn't mean she's untouchable. I think it's time to remind my dear friend of that."
His eyes suddenly softened and his whole demeanor seemed to sag, making him look older than he actually was. "On that note..." he said, and picked up two other PADDs - lamenting the seemingly endless amount of paperwork he had these days - and placed them before her. "Consider these an apology for my part."
Azh frowned as she picked up the PADDs.
"What are these, sir?" she asked, suspicious after the way she had been treated by her superiors of late.
"Something that was taken away from you: a choice," he told her, before pointing at one PADD. "This is all the necessary paperwork needed for you to return to the ESD docks, rank and position restored."
He then pointed to the other PADD. "This one, however, I'll let you read for yourself."
Azh gave Zevil a confused look, then looked down to skim the PADD.
Her eyes went wide as she read three particular words, and looked at the admiral in surprise.
"Task Force Omega?!"
Task Force Omega was a relatively new organisation, comprising units from all the now-allied races. It's sole aim was to intercept Borg activity and halt it before they could do too much damage, in the hopes of slowing their advance through the galaxy.
"I...I'm not sure what to say. You know that I have lasting issues with them, right?"
Zevil nodded. "I do, despite recent events - on the contrary, because of them I think you're ready to face your demons." A look of pure guilt flashed on his face as he looked down at his hands. "The way Admiral Kassai and I handled your reassignment was wrong, and how she gave you your first mission was even worse, but you showed four of the best captains in the fleet that you could pull yourself out of the fire, take command, and reduce your nightmares to ashes.
"But the choice is all yours," he said with finality, "and I will respect whatever you decide and make sure everyone else does as well - especially Admiral Kassai."
Azh stayed silent, tapping her fingers against the first PADD as she read the Task Force Omega proposal, then she set them both back on Zevil's desk and sat quietly for several moments.
"I'll need some shore leave first," she told Zevil, her tone firm. "I have some personal matters to attend to, and I could use the time off, quite frankly. And I'll want to keep my command staff - those that are willing to stay on after what we went through, that is. But if you give me those...I'll be glad to take the fight to the Borg, sir."
"Glad to have you, Captain," Zevil said with a bitter sweet smile, as he stood and extended his hand. "And the shore leave is yours, for you and your crew. You've more than earned it."
Azh stood, and shook the offered hand.
"In that case sir, I look forward to serving with you in future - and apology accepted," she added with a grin. "Oh, and at least with me on board, I can tell you when the dock teams are deliberately dragging their feet over repairs!"
She allowed herself a small chuckle, then finally smiled at Zevil.
"Anyway, thank you sir - for the offer, and for the choice. I'll report to you once my shore leave is over."
With that said she came smartly to attention, turned on her heel and left the admiral's office, to begin making plans for her break on Risa.