Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek or any of its characters, only my OC - Kaitlyn Donovan.
This story is the sequel to All's Fair in Love and War.
Query: What sacrifices must be endured by those that secure our freedom?
A/N: Sorry for the wait, I hope this makes up for it.
Thank you to Just a Crazy-Man, bina W, and IrishBug74, LoyaulteMeLie, Lupinesence, jeangreyten, Belen09, Silver-ShadowSpark, Cap'nFrances, g-love99, guest, badkarma00, and Snowbird for the reviews, and to everyone that is following this story and adding it to their favorites!
Chapter 19 - The Off-Worlder
The Price of Freedom
Chapter 19 - The Off-Worlder
Kaitlyn opened her eyes slowly. The first thing she noticed was Corporal Cole standing beside her hospital bed.
"She's awake." Amanda Cole quickly reported over her communication implant. "How are you feeling Ma'am?"
Kaitlyn found the remote and pushed the button for the head of the bed to raise. "I've got a pretty big headache." she admitted.
"We'll get the doctor to take care of that." Amanda glanced at her Commanding Officer's bandaged up hands. "They did apprehend your attacker, though they haven't given us any further information on him or what they've found out."
Kaitlyn frowned slightly, she was having a hard time remembering what had happened. "Where did they find me?"
Amanda's eyes widened as she wondered just how much damage was done to her CO's memory. "You made it to the end of a street and collapsed. We think you were coming from that restaurant you like to go to for the mid-day meal." She bit her lip slightly, "Ma'am, I took it upon myself to contact Doctor Phlox on the Enterprise and apprise him of the situation - I know he's your preferred physician. I hope you don't mind." she quickly apologized.
Kaitlyn blinked rapidly. As soon as Cole had said Enterprise, a rush of what had happened came back to her. She took a deep breath and looked around the hospital room. "Thank you for informing him. Are we in a Vulcan hospital?" she inquired quickly.
"Yes Ma'am - they brought you straight here." Corporal Amanda Cole stepped back as her CO threw her covers off and slid off the hospital bed. "Ma'am - I don't think you should be getting up, you've had a severe head injury." she reminded Donovan.
"Where is my uniform?" Donovan questioned.
"They were ruined - I brought you another set from your office." Cole indicated the closet.
Donovan quickly took off the monitors that were attached to her, "Call for a shuttle to pick us up immediately." She could see the hesitation in Cole's eyes. "Amanda, I remember what happened and who attacked me - we need to leave now."
Amanda Cole quickly nodded and made the call over her implant as Donovan quickly unwrapped her bandaged hands, then got out of her hospital gown and changed into her uniform.
The door to the room burst open a few moments later and a Vulcan Doctor quickly entered, followed by the Human Doctor from the Embassy.
"Major Donovan, you should not be up out of your bed." the Vulcan stated.
The Human Doctor, Commander Gilford, looked questionably at Donovan as she continued to button up her blouse. "Major Donovan?" he called to get her attention.
Major Donovan stopped and looked at him.
"Is something wrong?" Gilford questioned her.
She nodded, "I need to speak to you privately." she glanced at the Vulcan doctor and indicated for him to leave.
The Vulcan Doctor left and headed to the Communication Console to call the Vulcan High Command.
"What's wrong?" Doctor Gilford asked as Donovan quickly put on her boots and tied them.
Kaitlyn stood up, "What did they do to me before you arrived?"
Gilford looked into her eyes for any lingering indications of a concussion. "They did a full body scan, neural scan, then healed your wounds - that's when I arrived."
"Did they have any Vulcan Healers or Priestesses in here with me?" she questioned quickly.
"Not that I know of - but they were going to bring some in just a little while." Gilford explained. He frowned at her questioning, "Do you remember what happened?"
Kaitlyn nodded, "Yes." she looked at the PADD in his hands. "Is that one of their's - does it have my records on it?"
Doctor Gilford nodded, "Yes, but other than this page for me to type on - it's all in Vulcan." he indicated the PADD to her.
Kaitlyn took the PADD from him and quickly searched for all of her scans on the PADD that linked to the hospital's database and started to erase all of her files. "Doctor, we are in danger. I know who did this to me and they don't want anyone else to find out." She frowned, "It says they took three vials of my blood." She looked at Corporal Cole, "Escort Doctor Gilford to the labs to retrieve those vials of my blood, then get him to the shuttle."
"Ma'am, I supposed to stay with you." Cole re-iterated her orders from Sgt. Jackson - he'd been very explicit that she shouldn't be left alone.
"How far out is the shuttle?" Donovan inquired.
Cole tilted her head slightly, wondering why Donovan wasn't asking for that information over her own implant. Amanda Cole's eyes widened slightly, "They took out your implant?" The security repercussions ran quickly through her mind. She touched her implant and made the inquiry. "They just arrived, Ma'am."
Donovan nodded, "Have Jackson get up here and find me. Get the Doctor to the lab. I'll stall them until you comm Jackson that the two of you are secure in the shuttle."
Cole nodded and quickly ushered the Doctor out the room and down the hall.
Kaitlyn Donovan walked across the hall to the very quiet station where other medical staff were monitoring the vital signs of other patients on this floor.
The Vulcan Doctor came over quickly, "Major Donovan, you should get back to your room and rest. You've had a severe head injury."
Kaitlyn nodded, "I did. I've spoken with my Doctor and he believes that I can heal comfortably at the Earth Embassy. Thank you for the care that you have given me." She gave him a small smile, "What are the injuries to my attacker?" she inquired.
"I can not speak about his injuries to you, Major. I am sure you understand."
Kaitlyn nodded as Sgt. Jackson arrived swiftly from the staircase door. She looked back at the doctor. "Could you at least tell me if he is conscious?"
"That, I can not tell you either. Sub Commander Stel is on his way over to ask you a few questions now that you are awake. If you will, please go back to your room and wait for him to arrive." the Vulcan Doctor stated calmly, though it sounded much more like an order.
Jackson touched his implant, then caught Donovan's attention and gave her a slight nod.
"Unfortunately, Doctor - I am leaving. If Sub Commander Stel has any questions for me, he can comm me. Thank you again for treating my injuries." Kaitlyn quickly stated and she and Jackson headed for the stairs.
"Ma'am, Cole says they have all three vials and are on the shuttle waiting for us. I take it you know who did this to you?" he questioned as they quickly went down the stairs.
"Yes. Thank you for getting here so quickly. Comm Commander Leeds and tell him I need to speak to him as soon as I return." they went out the door and got into the awaiting shuttle that had two armed MACOs at the hatch. As soon as everyone was in, the shuttle took off.
Sgt. Jackson turned to her after he relayed her orders, "They took out your implant?"
Kaitlyn nodded, she had noted it was gone as soon as she awoke. "Everyone will need to have the frequencies reset, in case they decrypted the signal." She touched her forehead and winced slightly as her headache began to pound harder in her head.
Doctor Gilford noticed and quickly ran a scanner over her, "You really should be resting, Major."
"I'll be fine." she waved him off.
Sgt. Jackson frowned, "Major, at least let him give you something for the headache." he suggested.
Kaitlyn nodded and the doctor gave her a hypo to the neck. She could feel the tightness of the headache easing up.
"Do you really think you were in danger at the hospital?" Gilford questioned.
Kaitlyn nodded, "Yes. The Vulcan that attacked me was a member of the Vulcan Security Ministry - I remember seeing him before. Sub Commander Stel was also on that street when I collapsed - it can't be a coincidence."
Sgt. Jackson sat up straighter, "Should we raise the security level at the Embassy?"
Jackson leaned closer to her, "Does this have to do with your investigation?" he asked quietly.
Kaitlyn Donovan gave him a slight nod, then took a deep breath as the shuttle landed on Earth Embassy soil. "I'll speak to the Commander, then I'll be back to debrief you." She stood up and headed out of the shuttle and into the Embassy.
XXXXX
Enterprise, Sick Bay.
Doctor Phlox looked up at the readings above the Lieutenant's bed and smiled at the readings.
Malcolm Reed winced slightly, then opened his eyes. He noted the quietness of Sick Bay and his eyes found the Denobulan Doctor watching him carefully. "Did you find out what was wrong?" he questioned as he had the head of the bed raise.
The Doctor nodded and sat down on the stool by the bed. "Yes."
Malcolm waited for the doctor to continue, but the Denobulan just kept watching him. "Doctor - really . . . what was wrong?" he questioned again.
"This connection you have with Kaitlyn - you didn't tell me just how much of a connection the two of you had." Phlox pointed out.
Malcolm felt a bit embarrassed, but then his mind caught up to what the doctor was telling him. Malcolm sat up, "What happened to Kaitlyn?" he questioned quietly to keep his anger from erupting.
Doctor Phlox stood up as his patient's vitals spiked. "She was attacked on Vulcan - she received a head injury . . . to which you somehow were impacted by as well." He noted the patient was about to jump out of the bed, though heaven knows where the man thought he'd be able to run off to. "She is fine - safely back at the Embassy. She communiquéd me and informed me of the situation - in which I relayed yours to her. . . I hope you don't mind. She was very upset that her injuries had impacted you. She said she was going to take care of the situation. Do you have any idea what she intends to do?"
Malcolm frowned, not sure how much he should tell the Doctor. "What did she tell you about our connection?"
Doctor Phlox saw the Lieutenant's mind quickly calculating the situation. Phlox moved closer to the Lieutenant. "She said she believes that you have a Vulcan bond - though I do not see how that is possible since neither of you are Vulcans." he shook his head slightly. "She sent me some files on this Vulcan bonding . . . and after reading everything - she may be right. I've seen the two of you and how you've helped her, those scans that I have don't lie." He raised an eyebrow at the Lieutenant, "Do you know what she intends to do?" he asked again.
Malcolm sighed softly, "She mentioned before that she thought a Vulcan Priest could break the bond, or that maybe she could learn to suppress the bond. Truthfully, Doctor - I had no idea this could happen. I really thought something was wrong with me."
Doctor Phlox nodded solemnly, "Something was wrong with you and that is a very big problem." He took a deep breath, "I told the Captain that you just had a slight cold and you'd be fine." He looked at the Lieutenant pointedly, "But, as I told Kaitlyn, if this happens again - I'll have to inform the Captain of the situation and I don't know how Starfleet or the MACOs will deal with the situation."
Malcolm clenched his fists, "I know damn well how they'll deal with the situation - they'll boot us both out!" He flinched as he realized another possibility . . . Harris would procure them and experiment on them.
Doctor Phlox watched as the color drained from the Lieutenant's face. He frowned, "Kaitlyn mentioned to me that there was a worse scenario than just being booted out, I take it you just realized that too. I will do all I can to keep this information from your records." he promised the man.
Malcolm nodded slowly. He was glad that Doctor Phlox knew their situation now and he was certainly glad that he was on their side. But he was very worried that they were all in more danger now. He looked up at the Denobulan, "Doctor . . . these people - you know what they did to Kaitlyn and I before. I don't want you to take any unnecessary risks on our behalf."
Doctor Phlox smiled gently, "I will do what I need to in order to keep my patients safe. Do not worry about me, Lieutenant." He glanced down at the PADD in his hand, remembering there was a message on it from Kaitlyn. He handed the Lieutenant the PADD, "She sent you a message - said for you to delete it after you'd read it. When you're finished, I'll take your vitals and send you on your way."
Malcolm watched as Phlox turned and went back to his office. Malcolm clicked on the message and read over it carefully. In her message she apologized for the situation he was in and promised she'd find a solution. She explained to him that she was alright, but the situation on Vulcan had become increasingly more complicated and she had had to ask for help, so he should not contact her. She had apologized again, then the message ended.
Malcolm erased the message and sighed heavily. This wasn't all her fault, but she was certainly acting like it was. And now, the situation on Vulcan had gotten worse and she'd had to ask for Harris' help. It must have been a situation that she saw no other choice - and most likely it wasn't just about her. Something big had happened on Vulcan. He set the PADD down on the bed. "Doctor, I'm ready to go."
Doctor Phlox came over and took his vitals, "You are back to normal, Lieutenant. Do take it easy and if you should have any other symptoms - make sure you tell me."
Malcolm nodded as the doctor handed him his uniform. He went to the bathroom and changed. He looked at himself in the mirror and frowned, he needed a shave and his stomach growled loudly.
He headed to his quarters and took a shower and shaved. He put on some civilian clothes and headed to the Mess Hall since it was time for supper. Malcolm went through the line and got meatloaf and mashed potatoes and a cup of tea and headed to the back of the room where Trip has just sit down.
Trip smiled brightly, "Hey - you're looking a lot better than you did this morning."
Malcolm nodded and sat down, "It was just a cold." he hated to lie to his best friend, but he doubted that Trip would understand the situation.
Trip looked curiously at his friend, "Something else wrong?" he asked quietly.
Malcolm frowned and took a sip of tea to gather his thoughts. He set the cup down, "It seems that the situation on Vulcan has gotten worse - I don't know the details, just that it's not good."
Trip watched his friend, "I'm sorry to hear that - but I'm sure Kaitlyn has the situation under control."
Malcolm sighed resignedly. Sure she did - but at what cost?
XXXXX
Kaitlyn Donovan glanced back at Sgt. Jackson as he stood by the door of the restaurant. She looked back at Koss, "Koss, is there a Vulcan Priest that you trust, that I can meet with?" she questioned him.
Koss stared at her for a few moments. Why would she need a Vulcan Priest? He swallowed his question and nodded. "The Priest that married T'Pol and I. How soon do you need to meet with him?"
"Is he available now?" she inquired.
Koss stood up, "I will make an inquiry to the sanctuary he is at." He walked away and made his communiqué.
Kaitlyn looked back at Sgt. Jackson. If Koss could get her to see a Priest, Jackson was not going to let her go on her own. Her MACOs were being very protective of her since she'd been attacked yesterday. She was going to have to bring him with her. She stood up as Koss returned.
"He is available now. I can take you in my shuttle." he offered.
"Koss, I don't want you to get in any trouble for this. I think it's better if you don't come with me." she stated.
He understood and was thankful that she realized his situation. He quickly sent the directions to the sanctuary to her PADD. "They are expecting you."
"Thank you, Koss." she turned and headed out the door with Jackson at her side.
"Ma'am?" he questioned as she got into the pilot seat and had the shuttle door shut.
"Sergeant, I'm going to see a Vulcan Priest. I must ask that if you come with me, you not tell anyone else where we've been - unless something bad happens." she glanced at him questionably, waiting for his answer.
"Ma'am, I can't let you go alone. As long as nothing goes wrong, I won't betray your confidence." he stated firmly.
Kaitlyn nodded, "Thank you." She flew the shuttle to the sanctuary indicated on her PADD and landed. She turned off the engines and started to take off all of her weapons and indicated for him to do the same. They stored them in the bench seat, then got out of the shuttle and locked the hatch. They started walking up the stairs up to the sanctuary on the hill.
They came to the covered entrance and Kaitlyn gave the rope by the door a tug.
A few minutes later, the huge door was open and they were led inside.
Three Priest stood before them, the one in the middle looked the eldest.
"What assistance can we give you?" the one on the right inquired.
"I was attacked by a Vulcan yesterday and I require assistance." she explained.
The three Priests glanced at each other, then the eldest indicated for her to follow him.
He led her to another room which had meditation pillows and candles lit around the room. The Priest glanced at the man following her.
Kaitlyn saw his questioning look, "Sgt. Jackson is my security, in light of what happened." she explained to the Priest. She turned to Jackson, "Would you please wait out here?"
"Ma'am . . ." Robert Jackson was worried about what could happen to her once that door was closed. If she could be attacked on the streets of Vulcan, who knew what could happen here - when nobody knew where they were.
The Vulcan Priest looked over the guard and understood his apprehension, "It is against our teachings to harm anyone in our care. We will leave the door open."
Sgt. Jackson nodded slowly and glanced at his CO. He didn't understand why she was here, but he wasn't going to interfere unless she was in danger.
Kaitlyn nodded to Jackson, then followed the Priest into the room and sat down on one of the pillows on one side of the table, as the Priest sat down on the other side.
"How can I be of service?" he questioned her. He saw her hesitation, "Was this a physical attack - do you wish to suppress the memory, or do you need to remember who the attacker was?" he prompted.
Kaitlyn took a deep breath and began speaking in Vulcan, "No, I remember the situation clearly and I know who my attacker was. I found out that my pain was felt by my . . . bond mate and I need to know how to suppress my bond so it won't happen again."
The Priest watched her carefully, "You are in a relationship with a Vulcan?" he inquired.
"No, but nonetheless, the pain I felt impacted my bond mate." she stated. She saw that he was not believing the possibility that she had a bond mate. "Are you familiar with Mind melding?"
"That is an old process that is looked upon as perverse by the Vulcan High Council." he pointed out.
"If you are not able to initiate a Mind meld, I am." she explained.
The old Priest steepled his fingers together, "I did not say that I did not know how." He raised an eyebrow, "It is not wise for you to admit you know how to Mind meld, if you truly are able." he pointed out to her.
Kaitlyn nodded, "I know the risks, but I thought you should know the truth before we begin."
He gave her a slight nod, "Very well. Show me this bond."
Kaitlyn indicated for him to rest his hand in hers. He did and she opened her mind to him and showed him her bond and its strength. In her mind, he inquired about the different aspects of the bond and she called up instances in which she could show him an example.
She opened her eyes as she felt the Priest pull back from the Mind meld. She watched him as he contemplated all of the information he had learned from her.
"You have a very strong bond." he acknowledged. "I am still not sure how this happened. You learned Vulcan at a very young age and have been in contact with many Vulcans, but I am at a loss as to how you have this ability - and how you have the ability to Mind meld. It is slightly different, but - that is what you were doing. You know how to control the process? How to get information from others?" he inquired. He stopped her from answering, "Forgive my inquiries - this is just a unique situation." He took a deep breath, "As for suppressing the bond, I can show you how, and how to reactivate it. Do you meditate?" he asked.
She nodded.
"Very well, I need you to begin to meditate and I will explain to you what you need to envision."
XXXXX
Sgt. Jackson looked over Major Donovan as she and the Priest stood up and began walking back to the door. She looked okay.
Major Kaitlyn Donovan stopped and turned to the Priest, "Thank you for your assistance."
The Priest nodded and watched as the two Humans left the sanctuary. He took a few deep, cleansing breaths, then headed for the archives underneath the sanctuary. He opened the old book that dealt with visitors to Vulcan. He turned to the last page and wrote out the encounter with the Off-worlder that had a bond and the ability to Mind meld, he left out her name for her own protection. This was a scientific phenomenon that he did not know how to explain. Perhaps in the future, someone would be able to.
XXXXX
TBC.
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