Rainne was nervous. Talyn repeated his questioning to her as she followed
Crais down the passageway.
"Talyn, please calm down. I need to be alone with Bialar for a while."
"You are agitated."
"Yes, Talyn. But things will work out. We have a long way to go before that happens, and it is not going to be smooth or easy. But you trust me."
The last was a statement, not a question. Talyn considered her words, and the conflicting emotions that accompanied them. He sensed she was soothed by her own words to him. He fought to understand this human he and Crais cared for.
Inside the chamber, Crais was aware of Talyn's concerns and Rainne's response. He knew he was not going to like what she had to say. That knowledge chilled him, deeply. He would not abuse the neural link and probe for the source. She would tell him.
She walked in to the chamber. Several things assailed Crais at once. She lingered near the doorway, made no move to approach him. The shimmering unshed tears in her eyes proved his undoing. He closed the distance between them.
"What have I done, C'thha?"
"No!" Rainne cried, "Nothing! Please." she stepped back from his embrace, " I need to tell you something."
The distance made his jaw flex but he silently waited for her to speak. She claimed he had done nothing but needed to step away from him. Her heart wanted to shatter when she saw him carefully pull on his gloves and stand straight. He had not been so formal with her alone in a long time. She realized he was shielding himself. She closed her eyes, briefly. How could such joyous news be the bearer of such pain? She knew from the moment she discovered this relationship this journey of revelation would be difficult.
"Ashan was raised by strangers." She began. A cloud of confusion skittered over the mask Crais had put in place. He was not sure what to expect, but this was not it.
"His mother was pregnant with him when something terrible happened to her family. Her other two sons were taken by Peacekeepers." Rainne kept her eyes locked on Crais. His chin had come up defiantly; he was slowly shaking his head no. Rainne continued, " She was devastated by their loss, so she hid the new baby to keep him away. The adoptive mother gave him his family name so he may someday know them."
Rainne was crying quietly at the naked pain and rage on Bialar's face. The muscle on his jaw was working with each word she spoke, and his hands were clenched within the black leather.
"Ashan Crais Ferrian is your brother."
Despite the realizations that had dawned within her explanation, the spoken words tore into Crais, shredding the remains of his control.
"NO!" He bellowed the rage, betrayal and denial in a single word. He rushed from the chamber, murderous intent etched into his features.
Rainne was rendered silent by the transformation. She knew he would react that way, yet seeing it hurt her beyond her capacity to imagine. Her own pain was so intense it was physical. She wanted to curl up and hide, but the man she had just wounded needed her more. She followed him out.
In the hangar bay, K'Tahli and Ashan were having a very different version of the same conversation.
"Why did you refuse to come to Moya? What was it that you were hiding?" Ashan asked her.
K'Tahli had no assurances as to how Ashan would react. He knew from childhood he had been abandoned, with a specific reason. She just did not know how he would feel about discovering a brother, or discovering that Marata had hidden Bialar and Tauvo's existence to keep Ashan from seeking them out. He would have sought them out, and would probably been taken in as well. The Crais family would have been killed for their treachery, if they were still alive. So much was uncertain.
"Did anyone on Moya tell you the former Peacekeeper captain's name?" K'Tahli asked him.
Ashan knit his brow a moment. "No, they did not. Of what importance is that to you and I?"
"His name is Crais. Bialar Crais. He is your older brother."
Ashan stood abruptly and began to pace.
"How do you know this? Just by his name?" Ashan retreated into the role of healer-clipped, quick questions-dig for the truth.
K'Tahli was concerned at his calm demeanor, the rapid-fire questions.
"No. He is so much like you." she began, but was cut off by Ashan's vehement denial.
"Like me? No, wife, you are very much mistaken. I am not a killer, I do not hold anyone hostage, especially a man's wife. I have devoted my life to healing. I could no more change to a killer as he could change to a healer."
K'Tahli was stunned.
"I see you have been speaking to the crew on Moya, they have swayed you. I have never known you to be so closed minded to another being before."
"You have been speaking to Talyn and Rainne as well, I see. I have never known you to be so easily swayed by a slick liar before." Ashan's words cut deep. K'Tahli was actually very reluctant to open herself to people, because to a telepath/amplifier, opening up to those with an evil nature can be poisonous. K'Tahli allowed herself a microt to deflect the unusually hurtful words. Ashan was not one to lash out this way.
"Listen to me." K'Tahli spoke so quietly Ashan had to cease pacing to hear her. She stepped up to the man she loved more than her own life. "I sensed the kinship before I knew his name. Beyond the surface similarities, which are undeniable, he is so like you. Watch him with Rainne and you will see yourself with me. Watch him with Talyn, you will see yourself with the village children. He is your blood, your heritage!"
Emotions ebbed and flowed across Ashan's face. He took a deep breath and held it for a moment. He released it slowly, trying to calm the raging storm inside of himself.
"C'thha, you can not know what it is like to grow up with such uncertainty. I could tell from Marata's sketchy explanations as I grew that this was a possibility. What I did not expect was to be so devastated by the news. All of my childhood dreams and insecurities are coming to pass in the disjointed frenzy of a very bad dream." He shook his head as if to clear the images, but continued to speak. "I saw you with him, I saw the bond. I knew that Moya's crew deeply distrusted him. But he supported you, you allowed it, welcomed it. I knew.I did not want to face it. If it had been any other time than following your near death." he trailed off.
K'Tahli allowed herself a small sigh as she watched the acceptance begin to bloom.
It was then Bialar stormed into the room. He flung his coat to the floor, leaving him in a tank shirt and pants. His breathing was ragged from the rage and exertion. He looked every inch the madman that Ashan once accused him of being. His hair had come loose from the strap and stray bits clung to the sheen of perspiration like black slashes across his face. His eyes held all of the renewed pain of Tauvo's death relived. He fiercely believed this was an elaborate ruse to damage his defenses, lure him to trust.
Ashan pushed K'Tahli behind him and strode toward Crais. A life of a healer did not make him meek by any means.
"Who sent you?" Crais barked the order, advancing on Ashan. Rainne came around the corner and surveyed the scene. There would be no stopping them now. She beckoned K'Tahli over to her. They could do nothing but weather the coming storm.
Ashan did not back down despite the fury coming off Crais in murderous waves.
"I was not sent, not for the reason you claim." Ashan replied, his anger growing.
"I have ONE brother," Crais began, "Who was killed during battle. NO others."
Ashan had not been told about Tauvo, and he reeled. Crais noted the shock and the pain, but his rage was too consuming to appreciate the subtleties.
Taking advantage of the momentary shock, Crais lunged at Ashan. He caught him in the midsection with his shoulder and they both fell. They grappled on the floor a moment; Ashan broke the hold and leapt away. The circled each other like carnivores.
Rainne had seen enough violence in her young life to want to halt the tearing at each other she was witnessing now. She stepped forward only to meet a wall of resistance.
"You would be injured. I cannot reach him. You must stand back."
Talyn had encased K'Tahli and Rainne in a holding field.
"Talyn, release me." Rainne insisted.
"I cannot. They are beyond my communications now. I won't lose you too."
Rainne's fear intensified when Talyn's words sunk in. This fight was going to end in death.
The two brothers continued landing vicious blows, both were bleeding and gasping where they stood. There were no heated words exchanged, just the relentless physical anger.
The sounds Talyn had been making throughout the fight had changed.
Suddenly Crais stood straight, whirled on his heel and headed toward command.
"What did Talyn say?" Ashan panted.
Rainne answered, hope showing on her face for the first time in the Arn. "Talyn said to Crais: 'Moya has reported a Peacekeeper squadron heading their way and Moya has requested assistance'."
"Was that all?" K'Tahli sensed something more.
"No," Rainne began carefully, "Talyn told Crais respectfully to stop trying to kill his only remaining brother and come to command at once."
"You are agitated."
"Yes, Talyn. But things will work out. We have a long way to go before that happens, and it is not going to be smooth or easy. But you trust me."
The last was a statement, not a question. Talyn considered her words, and the conflicting emotions that accompanied them. He sensed she was soothed by her own words to him. He fought to understand this human he and Crais cared for.
Inside the chamber, Crais was aware of Talyn's concerns and Rainne's response. He knew he was not going to like what she had to say. That knowledge chilled him, deeply. He would not abuse the neural link and probe for the source. She would tell him.
She walked in to the chamber. Several things assailed Crais at once. She lingered near the doorway, made no move to approach him. The shimmering unshed tears in her eyes proved his undoing. He closed the distance between them.
"What have I done, C'thha?"
"No!" Rainne cried, "Nothing! Please." she stepped back from his embrace, " I need to tell you something."
The distance made his jaw flex but he silently waited for her to speak. She claimed he had done nothing but needed to step away from him. Her heart wanted to shatter when she saw him carefully pull on his gloves and stand straight. He had not been so formal with her alone in a long time. She realized he was shielding himself. She closed her eyes, briefly. How could such joyous news be the bearer of such pain? She knew from the moment she discovered this relationship this journey of revelation would be difficult.
"Ashan was raised by strangers." She began. A cloud of confusion skittered over the mask Crais had put in place. He was not sure what to expect, but this was not it.
"His mother was pregnant with him when something terrible happened to her family. Her other two sons were taken by Peacekeepers." Rainne kept her eyes locked on Crais. His chin had come up defiantly; he was slowly shaking his head no. Rainne continued, " She was devastated by their loss, so she hid the new baby to keep him away. The adoptive mother gave him his family name so he may someday know them."
Rainne was crying quietly at the naked pain and rage on Bialar's face. The muscle on his jaw was working with each word she spoke, and his hands were clenched within the black leather.
"Ashan Crais Ferrian is your brother."
Despite the realizations that had dawned within her explanation, the spoken words tore into Crais, shredding the remains of his control.
"NO!" He bellowed the rage, betrayal and denial in a single word. He rushed from the chamber, murderous intent etched into his features.
Rainne was rendered silent by the transformation. She knew he would react that way, yet seeing it hurt her beyond her capacity to imagine. Her own pain was so intense it was physical. She wanted to curl up and hide, but the man she had just wounded needed her more. She followed him out.
In the hangar bay, K'Tahli and Ashan were having a very different version of the same conversation.
"Why did you refuse to come to Moya? What was it that you were hiding?" Ashan asked her.
K'Tahli had no assurances as to how Ashan would react. He knew from childhood he had been abandoned, with a specific reason. She just did not know how he would feel about discovering a brother, or discovering that Marata had hidden Bialar and Tauvo's existence to keep Ashan from seeking them out. He would have sought them out, and would probably been taken in as well. The Crais family would have been killed for their treachery, if they were still alive. So much was uncertain.
"Did anyone on Moya tell you the former Peacekeeper captain's name?" K'Tahli asked him.
Ashan knit his brow a moment. "No, they did not. Of what importance is that to you and I?"
"His name is Crais. Bialar Crais. He is your older brother."
Ashan stood abruptly and began to pace.
"How do you know this? Just by his name?" Ashan retreated into the role of healer-clipped, quick questions-dig for the truth.
K'Tahli was concerned at his calm demeanor, the rapid-fire questions.
"No. He is so much like you." she began, but was cut off by Ashan's vehement denial.
"Like me? No, wife, you are very much mistaken. I am not a killer, I do not hold anyone hostage, especially a man's wife. I have devoted my life to healing. I could no more change to a killer as he could change to a healer."
K'Tahli was stunned.
"I see you have been speaking to the crew on Moya, they have swayed you. I have never known you to be so closed minded to another being before."
"You have been speaking to Talyn and Rainne as well, I see. I have never known you to be so easily swayed by a slick liar before." Ashan's words cut deep. K'Tahli was actually very reluctant to open herself to people, because to a telepath/amplifier, opening up to those with an evil nature can be poisonous. K'Tahli allowed herself a microt to deflect the unusually hurtful words. Ashan was not one to lash out this way.
"Listen to me." K'Tahli spoke so quietly Ashan had to cease pacing to hear her. She stepped up to the man she loved more than her own life. "I sensed the kinship before I knew his name. Beyond the surface similarities, which are undeniable, he is so like you. Watch him with Rainne and you will see yourself with me. Watch him with Talyn, you will see yourself with the village children. He is your blood, your heritage!"
Emotions ebbed and flowed across Ashan's face. He took a deep breath and held it for a moment. He released it slowly, trying to calm the raging storm inside of himself.
"C'thha, you can not know what it is like to grow up with such uncertainty. I could tell from Marata's sketchy explanations as I grew that this was a possibility. What I did not expect was to be so devastated by the news. All of my childhood dreams and insecurities are coming to pass in the disjointed frenzy of a very bad dream." He shook his head as if to clear the images, but continued to speak. "I saw you with him, I saw the bond. I knew that Moya's crew deeply distrusted him. But he supported you, you allowed it, welcomed it. I knew.I did not want to face it. If it had been any other time than following your near death." he trailed off.
K'Tahli allowed herself a small sigh as she watched the acceptance begin to bloom.
It was then Bialar stormed into the room. He flung his coat to the floor, leaving him in a tank shirt and pants. His breathing was ragged from the rage and exertion. He looked every inch the madman that Ashan once accused him of being. His hair had come loose from the strap and stray bits clung to the sheen of perspiration like black slashes across his face. His eyes held all of the renewed pain of Tauvo's death relived. He fiercely believed this was an elaborate ruse to damage his defenses, lure him to trust.
Ashan pushed K'Tahli behind him and strode toward Crais. A life of a healer did not make him meek by any means.
"Who sent you?" Crais barked the order, advancing on Ashan. Rainne came around the corner and surveyed the scene. There would be no stopping them now. She beckoned K'Tahli over to her. They could do nothing but weather the coming storm.
Ashan did not back down despite the fury coming off Crais in murderous waves.
"I was not sent, not for the reason you claim." Ashan replied, his anger growing.
"I have ONE brother," Crais began, "Who was killed during battle. NO others."
Ashan had not been told about Tauvo, and he reeled. Crais noted the shock and the pain, but his rage was too consuming to appreciate the subtleties.
Taking advantage of the momentary shock, Crais lunged at Ashan. He caught him in the midsection with his shoulder and they both fell. They grappled on the floor a moment; Ashan broke the hold and leapt away. The circled each other like carnivores.
Rainne had seen enough violence in her young life to want to halt the tearing at each other she was witnessing now. She stepped forward only to meet a wall of resistance.
"You would be injured. I cannot reach him. You must stand back."
Talyn had encased K'Tahli and Rainne in a holding field.
"Talyn, release me." Rainne insisted.
"I cannot. They are beyond my communications now. I won't lose you too."
Rainne's fear intensified when Talyn's words sunk in. This fight was going to end in death.
The two brothers continued landing vicious blows, both were bleeding and gasping where they stood. There were no heated words exchanged, just the relentless physical anger.
The sounds Talyn had been making throughout the fight had changed.
Suddenly Crais stood straight, whirled on his heel and headed toward command.
"What did Talyn say?" Ashan panted.
Rainne answered, hope showing on her face for the first time in the Arn. "Talyn said to Crais: 'Moya has reported a Peacekeeper squadron heading their way and Moya has requested assistance'."
"Was that all?" K'Tahli sensed something more.
"No," Rainne began carefully, "Talyn told Crais respectfully to stop trying to kill his only remaining brother and come to command at once."