Phantom Legacy

Chapter 3

Barely a day had passed since Heira had arrived on board the Scimitar, and already she was bored to tears.
Shinzon spent most of his day sitting in his 'Captains chair' giving the occasional order, but mostly thinking.
She had been standing behind his chair, but had opted to sit beside it instead, even if it was on the floor.

When the feeling of boredom became too strong she would probe his mind, hoping to find something interesting. Unfortunately she had done it so many times in the past hours that he could now tell when she was about to make the mental connection and would give her a glare, or whisper "Stop it." When no one was close enough to hear.

Now they were awaiting a transmission from someone called 'Commander Donatra.'
And she could sense Shinzon's dislike of this Commander whoever he was.

A beeping noise was heard, followed by a Reman officer's gruff statement that "The Romulans had arrived."

"On Screen." Shinzon said in a bored tone. He would be glad when these 'negotiations with the Romulans were over and he could get back to dealing with his own people.

Heira raised her eyebrows in surprise. Apparently Commander Donatra was a woman.

"Greetings Praetor." Donatra said with false enthusiasm. She wore a slight smile that anyone with sense could see was full of malice.

"Commander Donatra." Shinzon replied nonchalantly. "What brings you here?"

"Commander Suran requests an audience with you." She replied.

Shinzon raised an eyebrow. "Concerning?" He asked.

Donatra smirked again, this time in an almost condescending manner.

Heira could feel that Shinzon noticed it just as she had. 'Well at least he's not completely blind.'

"Commander Suran wishes to speak to you about the way things are progressing, and how quickly."

Shinzon narrowed his eyes slightly. Heira could see the tension on his face, and feel it through their connection.
She knew she wasn't going to like this Donatra woman, whoever she was!

She could see him fighting the urge to roll his eyes.

"You may tell Suran that I will have an audience with him at the Romulan Senate tomorrow."

Donatra nodded. It was then that she seemed to notice Heira's presence for the first time.

"Oh, you have a guest, Praetor?" She asked, eyeing Heira with interest.

Shinzon's face went from one of mild irritation, to all out anger.
More at the idea of her questioning anything he did, than her knowing of Heira's presence on his ship.

"Good evening, Donatra." He replied angrily before closing the channel.

"I don't like her." Heira said quietly so that only he would hear. Though as she said it, she sent him a mental message, more of an emotional feeling that said. 'You shouldn't trust her.'

Shinzon looked down at where she sat by his chair. This time he gave her a smirk she could actually see. "I don't either.

Later that night Shinzon and Heira once again walked through the halls of the Scimitar.
This time headed towards the shuttle bay where (once again, against his viceroy's wishes) he had allowed Heira's ship to be stored.

"Why are you going to your ship?" Shinzon asked as he led her to the shuttle bay.

Heira shrugged. "To get some things I need. No offense, but sitting around doing nothing for 12 hours isn't exactly appealing to me, especially on an everyday basis, so I'll need something to do!"

Shinzon was curious as to what that something was, but decided to wait and see rather than ask.

Heira pulled out two leather' bags, one much smaller than the other. She smiled, then closed the hatch on her small vessel. "Ok that's it."

When they arrived at Shinzon's quarters he suddenly realized another problem that he had not foreseen the night before.

There were two of them, and one bed.

He was about to say something when Heira beat him to it.

"The connection rejuvenates itself while we sleep. For the time being we will have to share a bed…That's not a problem is it?"

Shinzon blinked a few times, but said nothing.

Heira raised an eyebrow. "Are you alright?" She asked, concerned.
Then she had a thought. 'No, it couldn't be…Not someone who looks the way he does.'

Shinzon shook his head quickly. "I'm fine. It's fine…"

Heira shrugged. "Ok then, I don't know what kind of facilities you have here, but I'd like to take a shower tonight.

Shinzon nodded slowly, once again plagued by how they would manage that.

"Oh," Heira started. "Well, one of us can go in first while the other stands right next to the shower."

Shinzon shrugged, and shook his head. He was really beyond caring at this point, and quite honestly just wanted to go to sleep.

"You go in first." He said quietly as he moved to follow her into the bathroom.

"You're looking at me, I see you!" Heira shouted through the glass of the shower door.
Shinzon stood leaning against the glass, facing the back wall.

"No I'm not!" Shinzon exclaimed, nearly turning around to face his accuser, before he realized that such an action would merely prove her point.
He hadn't been looking…not that time anyway.

Heira glared at him through the glass, even though he couldn't see her.
"Well I'm getting out now, so close your eyes!"

Shinzon sighed, but did as he was told. He really disliked following someone else's orders, but felt that it would do more harm than good to disobey her.

He heard the door open, then felt the steam as it was released. He found that with his eyes closed, he could sense every move she made, every step closer or further she took.
He felt her brush against his arm and a jolt went through him.

He struggled not to open his eyes. "What was that?" He asked, figuring she had felt it too.

"The connection." She replied simply. Just as it weakens when we separate, it strengthens as we move closer.

Shinzon nodded and relaxed.

"Your turn." Heira said after a few more minutes of moving around.

Shinzon opened his eyes to find that she had changed into something much more comfortable for sleeping.

Where once a very complicated looking pair of a black shirt and pants had been was now a simple sleeveless gown of the same color.

After realizing that he was staring, and being stared at, Shinzon looked away to find something else to occupy his eyes, and hopefully his mind.

"Go ahead." Heira said, turning around as she did.

Shinzon sat his bedclothes on a small shelf next to the sink, and began to undress.

"So…" Heira started, once she heard him open and close the shower door. "What exactly have I gotten myself into by coming aboard this ship?"

"What do you mean?" Shinzon asked as he turned on the shower.

"Well, from what I gathered about your work today, it sounds like you're in the middle of a war." Heira replied, leaning against the 'glass' of the shower door.

Shinzon found himself wanting to press against the glass to be nearer to her. "Not quite, but it could turn into one…Is that a problem?"

"No," She replied. "I just wanted to be clear on what I should expect."

Shinzon lay awake staring at the ceiling.
It's not that he wasn't tired, he just feared what sleep would bring.

The night before he'd had dreams of the woman next to him. Only he wasn't sure they were dreams.
He saw her in a place he had never been. With people he had never seen.
He assumed that he was seeing glimpses of her life before they had met, and that idea terrified him.
Not only did he see her in her previous life, but he felt all that she was feeling at the time.
What if she had similar dreams? What if she saw the feeble, weak boy he had been.
What if she could feel the pain of his past, the hurt he felt by the various betrayals the universe had wrought upon him.
What if she though him to be weak?

Suddenly, he felt something warm touch his bare chest, the connection flared.
The feeling spread until it enveloped his entire left side.
He looked over to find Heira curled up beside him, her arm draped across his chest in an involuntary embrace, as she was still asleep.

He shifted slightly, hoping to disengage from her. It wasn't that he minded, quite the contrary. But he knew that the connection would be strengthened by their touching, and that wasn't good if he wanted to keep his thoughts to himself.

Heira woke up when she felt him move. She sighed when she heard the thoughts that tumbled through his mind.
She realized then that she had snuggled up to him in her sleep.

She opened her eyes, and looked up at his face.

Shinzon blinked a few timed when he realized she was awake.

"You know, it's very difficult for me to sleep with you thinking such negative things about yourself." She looked at him seriously.

"You…" Shinzon started unsure of what to say.

"Whatever you don't want me to see…just let it go. I won't think any worse of you. I have a part of your soul remember." She said when he stopped.

She put her head back down, content to go back to sleep.

Shinzon closed his eyes as well, willing to do the same, when he realized something.
She'd woken up, but she was still firmly attached to his side. If anything her embrace had tightened rather than loosened.

He hesitantly placed his hand over hers on his chest. He wasn't sure why, it just seemed natural.

Heira smiled in her half sleep state. 'That wasn't so hard now was it?'

TBC