Hello, folks. This is Anij, please enjoy this. A bit AU for Trek, but it works...
DISCLAIMER: The only characters I own are the people on the Azrael.
This chapter is dedicated to my boyfriend, Jordan, and my twin, Yavie. W00t and yay.
This was actually the second chapter I had ever written for Azrael, it was quite surprising. Again, the original title of this series was 'Song of the Valdore', but hey, enjoy.
REVIEW!
Thus, I have finished my introduction. Make what you wish of it... Please R&R and enjoy.
INSANITY WITHIN
A boy, almost a man, sat in the command chair. His dark purple eyes reflected softly off the glaring viewscreen, but they weren't innocent eyes. Not really. Deep within, one could see the turmoil and turbulence of troubling thoughts. He quickly came out of the moment, sure not to leave a weak impression on the officers under his command; weak leaders never lasted long here, on the Azrael. As he turned back to his hard-working mind, the doors at the turbolift swiftly opened, revealing the tall and slim figure of Commander Jayvin Belar, the designer and leader of the proud spacefaring vessel.
"Sub-Commander," she said, addressing him in an authoritative term, nothing more.
Inclining his head towards her, he addressed her, "Sir."
"Anything new happen?"
"Yes sir. We received word from engineering that the cloaking device requires maintenance and will be at least four hours until repairs and upgrades are completed. Disruptor cannons and phaser banks will have to be partially drained to compensate for the loss in power," he explained, carrying out his duty as delta and alpha-shift commander. He relinquished control of the command chair as Belar briskly walked over to it as if it was a right and not just a privilege. Then again, he mused, she ran the ship, since she had comandeered it with herself and a few dedicated members, taking over three Earth years. And she was only eighteen. Shaking his head inwardly, he moved to the turbolift to head to his quarters.
"Oh, and Enaren..." the active commander called back to him, using his first name this time.
"Yes, Commander?"
"Holosuite Six isn't working, if you have some spare time and a few off-duty engineers interested in a few days off. Just a side note." Grinning almost mischievously, she turned her focus back to the projections on the viewer, brushing her short and uneven red hair out of her face.
Once in his personal quarters a few minutes later, Enaren instructed the computer to lock his doors with a security override option only. Moving to where his bed was, he sat down on the edge, near a bedside table, underneath a windowful of stars. Pressing his thumb against a bioscanner, he opened the bottom drawer. Gently pulling out a small bag bound in white ribbon, he reached his hand in, carefully removing a real picture, a data chip, and a letter written on real paper rather than on a handheld computer system. Carefully he picked up the small picture and held it close to his chest, pressing it against the front of his uniform. After a few moments of sitting there with his eyes closed, he pulled it away and looked it over. A radiant teenager with auburn hair and pale skin stared back at him, her grey eyes adding an almost surreal aspect to her face. Seeing her like this, dressed in a simple off-duty jumpsuit, it was enough to throw Enaren into a better mood, so that he threw himself onto the bed, just looking at her face in the picture, then holing it close once more. A few minutes later, hand draped across his chest, he lapsed into an undisturbed sleep.
"Status report," demanded Jayvin. Glaring at the tactical section, she rose to her feet and strode over all the while asserting a menacing kind of air.
"Co-commander, we have no idea what just happened. All we know is that we lost all contact with deck 11," stammered out a junior officer.
"Indeed, I couldn't see that at all from where I was sitting," she said with more than a hint of sarcasm. Then leaning a bit closer, as if sharing a secret, she whispered, "perhaps next time it would be a good idea to read your board. It generally helps a little, yes...?" It wasn't much of a question, but it was enough to turn the young man's face a bright shade of crimson; it caught the attention of most of the bridge staff and elicited snickers from a few. Though younger than the officer, Belar could put herself in his place. Making purposeful steps back, towards the turbolift doors, she offered a parting word to no one in particular as to where she would be. "If you need me, I'm in Holodeck Twelve. And please, please explain to the beta-shift engineering crew that because we said repair the sensor relays doesn't mean that they have to screw up other things as well. The influx of static in the com lines that was caused was inconvenient, to say the least." Smoothing back her unevenly cut auburn hair, she entered the lift and was sent on her way.
Entering a code, Jayvin stepped through the automatic doors to the holodeck.
"Computer, play program Jayvin Seven-Oh-Three. Authorization Gamma-Tiger-Delta, code one, level hard." As the computer rushed to comply, she absently reached up and twirled a lock of her very short hair, and then, the program was finally finished. Changing into black pants and a tank top, she drew a light rapier blade from a rack. Testing the blade lightly on the palm of her hand, she came forward, out of that room and into a much larger one with a dirt floor and an open roof. Selecting an opponent from a line formed near the outside, she led the way into the circle, and without much said, a fencing match began.
By the time she had drawn blood on the holographic character, she had become rather tired, the boldness and authority that seemed to come so naturally largely leaving her posture altogether. Slumping to the ground, she gathered her remaining strength and will to push aside her exhaustion for a few more moments.
By sheer willpower, Enaren had managed to not say anything when he had seen her, the one person he felt without a doubt was perfect in every aspect in the turbolift next to him. He was her subordinate; a relationship could never be long-lasting or even exist between the two of them. Yet every word she allowed to fall from her lips was music, her every action that of a graceful dancer. To him and him alone she was brilliant and powerful and at the same time someone he wished with all his very soul that he could take her into his arms and never let go of. Subconsciously, Enaren knew he was falling into an abyss from which there could be no probable escape; but he didn't really care. He was immersed in this past the point of return, at least in his mind. He felt the pressure of her lips on his in his mind, and the feel of her smooth skin beneath his hands. He needed release from these daydreams...but how?
When the commander reported back to the bridge nearly five hours later, the Azrael was in orbit of a class-M planet known for it's ancient ruins and mysterious history, Sari VI.
"It makes you wonder what really happened there," the girl inside of her allowed her to admit.
"True enough... Sari VI is even mentioned in my people's history at a point, calling it 'the source of power' for the universe at one point. Legend has it that an energy spring exists there, and that from this central point our galaxy and perhaps universe as well draw off this energy spring to create and destroy life. It makes you at least think," Lieutenant deBoer agreed.
"It's a good enough reason to call an away mission, I think." Tapping her combadge, she gave the order: "Away team to shuttlebay three. I need a pilot, Sub-Commander Enaren, and a few security guards; plus a specialist. Anyone who wants to come and specializes in civilizations come along, please. Belar out," she finished, cutting the transmission. "Well, Lieutenant, I suggest that we go investigate for ourselves."
Ten minutes later, there were five uniformed people in the shuttlebay, ready for launch. As they all loaded in, the chief of operations for the deck warned her:
"Commander, it mightn't be a steady descent on this shuttle; we've done all we can to get 'er fixed up for ye. Apologies in advance." Whistling an Irish tune, apparently what he ALWAYS whistled, on the way out, he retreated into the safety of the corridor and was gone. Now that everyone was ready, deBoer started the engines and got clearance from the control room to proceed onward, past the bay doors. A moment later, they were out in open space, hanging among the many stars and planets, a part of the galaxy but still somehow removed. Rapidly freefalling towards the planet, reverse thrusters were applied. It was then they all knew something had gone wrong.
"Commander! Thrusters are not responding! Engaging descent pattern alpha, please brace yourselves for a bumpy ride down..." the lieutenant's voice trailed off as she began her work, doing what she had studied for so many months, maybe even years. And now it was happening, in front of their eyes. But now wasn't the time, wasn't the place for such knowledge like this; the kind of genius that comes from a textbook but not from what one has seen before one. And today just wasn't the day.
"Lieutenant, if you don't mind, Tapel and I can handle it." Motioning to Enaren, she moved to the primary pilot controls, choosing a joystick over plotted points. As he sat down near her, the tension was nearly tangible, Every breath had to have a purpose, every second a meaning. Taking hold of the cold joystick, Jayvin began to take the shuttle in side-to-side motions to burn off excess heat and slow down, and then slowly nosed the front end up, to create a larger surface area for air to interface with. Nodding towards Sub-Commander Enaren, she told him without words to take secondary control over; to control the flaps to slow them down while still burning off heat. Then formulating a plan, she called out over the increasing wind noises, "Everyone, get in the back. Now. Even you, Sub-Commander. If something happens to me, I want you all to make it safely through this, understand me?"
"Aye, sir. I believe I answer for all of us when I say that," replied Enaren Tapel, his frank and worried violet eyes looking at her, focused on her every move. Finally breaking the spell, he moved back. "You heard her, everybody. Move!"
Thirty seconds until impact.
The computer silently counted down on a screen. People's eyes met nervously, looking forward at their driven and self-appointed leader, sitting in the front, keeping them alive.
Twenty seconds.
A soft cry escaped from the lips of deBoer. The security officers sat with faces cold as stone, trained to be tough in hard situations.
Fifteen seconds.
Jayvin ran a nearly numb hand through her semi-brushed hair, so focused on the task at hand she didn't hear the rushing wind anymore.
Ten seconds.
The distress alarm finally was turned on, letting the Azrael know about the danger they were in, sending a final black-box recording to the ship's logs.
Five seconds.
No time left to worry now; Enaren jumped to his feet as the deck began to rattle and rock. Even now, Jayvin still sat in the front seat.
One second.
The ground became the only visible thing; everyone braced themselves for impact—everyone except for Commander Belar.
Impact.
The shuttle shattered into a thousand pieces around them; hell wound its way forward into the present. The walls imploded with the shock of hitting the ground at such force at the same time a scream wound its way out from everyone cowering in the back of what had once been a space-faring vessel. The earth trembled with the force of impact, and blood—much of it Jayvin's—splashed the entire area around.
Picking his body up off the floor, Enaren forced himself on his feet. At least I can stand, he mused. He saw the body of one of the security officers, his chest caved in by part of the ceiling. Chalmed deBoer lay unconscious on the ground, with what could be a concussion and an obviously broken arm. The two other guards lay injured a little farther away, but... Jayvin. Desperately searching with his eyes, he felt a faint pulse in his brain when he reached out to her mind. He finally spotted her underneath what could have been the hatch, legs nearly crushed, blood pouring from her shoulder, arm, legs, and other various cuts. Her arm was clearly broken from the angle at which it lay, but her eyes... at least they were open. Screaming for release, but open. Stifling a cry, he staggered over to her, deeply worried about her.
"Com-Jayvin! Are you.." he cut himself off, falling to the ground beside her and carefully dragging her bloodied halo of hair and her head into his arms, off the dirt and dust.
"Eventually..." she groaned. "But right now... ask another time." He grinned despite the situation; if she could go out of her way to say something like that in that much pain, then he could get away with showing his feelings and letting them bleed through to the surface. But those thoughts quickly became moot points, because she began to weaken almost immediately. Her eyes began to close, as her breathing begun to be ragged and her body relaxed some. Careful not to disturb the sleeping angel of death, that dangerous beauty, he laid Jayvin back down on the ground and picked through the rubble until he found a mostly intact medkit. Pulling out emergency water rations and a small towel, he gently rinsed the teenager's wounds and then moved on to care for the others. One of the officers that had been thrown clear of the impacted area wasn't all too injured, and with mild painkillers was able to assist Enaren in his attempt to save the remaining members of the crew.
"Easy. Careful, Commander, don't hurt yourself. You're already injured," warned Enaren, his voice modulating weirdly both because of the wind and the distance between them. He rushed over as Belar tried to climb to her feet but failed, and was there to catch her as she did so.
"Thanks, Tapel," she said, gasping out in pain and yet still remaining mostly calm beneath her wild appearance. "What shape are we in?"
"Nearly everyone was seriously injured, yourself included, three casualties due to the impact, two injuries among the away team." Nodding worriedly, he added, "One injury wasn't all too serious, as you can see." He motioned over his shoulder at the same time, to the crewman attending the security staff still down. Finally, as they sat there, at last in a moment together, the whine of shuttle engines alerted them to rescuers from the Azrael. The shuttle eased down, hitting the ground with a thud, and a moment later personnel came out. Enaren was pushed aside as an antigrav stretcher was placed underneath the commander, and several others were placed on them as well. They all squeezed into the shuttle rather quickly, eager to leave before the rapidly approaching night.
About an hour later, everyone had been checked into the infirmary and even Enaren Tapel was getting some rest. A peaceful but somewhat somber mood had settled in after the entire ship has been assured that the captain was alright, though several crew members had requested leave for time to grieve for the many who had died on Sari VI's surface. Many issues were unresolved, but for now the entire ship seemed happy to forget and move on.
Except for Enaren.
He had taken command of the ship, but he really couldn't sit in her chair without thinking about her. Jayvin was...well..a hero to him. She was an angel. Why couldn't he do something? He sat here every day, just thinking about her, yet he could do nothing. Pounding his fist softly against the side of the command chair, he drew attention but he didn't much care. He was first officer, the Sub-Commander on the Azrael! Why... Pushing these worries aside, he tried to keep his calm. He would visit Jayvin after his shift.
Entering the infirmary alone, he cautiously drew near the commander. The Chief Medical Officer (CMO) had already been ordered to leave them alone. He had taken the hint. He saw her prone form on a bed, so slender, so childish, but still deadly... He saw a Klingon dagger on her bedside table. Whatever happened, she was ready. He grinned despite himself. This was the Jayvin he knew. Not the soft-spoken, pained child that he had rescued.
But she was a child, in a way. Such a child... Only fifteen and already more powerful than most people in the Federation. And more deadly, by all means.
"Commander?" he allowed himself to quietly ask.
"E-Enaren? I didn't know you were coming...otherwise I wouldn't have had this," she laughed ruefully, gesturing towards her knife.
"It's quite all right... If I had known that you needed security, I would have sent a team," he said, a bit alarmed. As her eyes closed gently, his gaze traveled from her nearly-perfect face down towards her chest, and other areas of her body., eyes caressing areas that he could never hope to touch or even dream of... Just as quickly as he did, his eyes snapped back upward to her face; he was ashamed of this attraction to his leader and friend.
"Sub-Commander. You had something to tell me, or else you wouldn't have come," she continued, leading onward to the obvious. Tapel Enaren froze immediately. How to tell her that she was already the one he had bonded to? The one he had chosen? Being the experimental species he was, he would bond to an individual for life. If his angel was to reject the bond, if it were a forceful enough rejection, it could kill him. But how to tell her that he loved her? That she was his only one?
He couldn't. His dreams and fantasies were his own. No one else's. And certainly not her's.
"Tapel!" she called, using his last name as a warning. "Tell me...now."
"I—I'm sorry Commander. I can't," he said, cursing himself almost immediately afterward. He had put himself into this labyrinth, and there was no way out of it...none at all. If he had the strength to love, why did he not have the strength to tell? He did the only thing he could. He leaned forward, closer to her than he—or anyone—had ever been to her in her life. At her questioning gaze, he gently placed his lips upon hers. He had never done that to her...No one had. And it showed, but her contentment was that of a child.
Pulling back slowly, she looked up in utter amazement at the man—barely a man at that—that she had entrusted her command to. What had he been thinking? What had she been thinking? But...just that kiss...It told her so much, confirmed what deBoer had tried to tell her earlier. He loved her. Enaren loved her. Reaching up slowly, she let her fingertips grace his cheek before gently returning the kiss, and letting his know that no matter what he thought, or felt, she still trusted him.
Enaren left the infirmary almost overjoyed. He could still smell her scent, still taste her lips, still feel her hands in his. She loved him! Perhaps the nightmares and problems would go away, at least for a while. She knew he had bonded himself to her, it was the equivalent of marriage, more or less. He knew the bond hadn't been accepted yet, but perhaps it would, someday.
It was about a week later, and thanks to dermal regenerators and modern medicinal techniques, Jayvin was out of the infirmary. She didn't let anyone know, and didn't intend to until 0800 hours tomorrow morning. But there was a certain someone...
Leaving for Tapel Enaren's quarters, she stood right inside the door, out of sight though, until he came in. Not seeing her, he pulled his uniform shirt off and then..
"You know, you look kind of cute with your shirt off...I don't know about that...You can't let the other senior officers know..."
Answering her by going to her now-obvious position, he put his arm around her and brought her close, kissing her first and then gently trailing a hand down, eliciting a gasp. With that opportunity, he slipped his tongue into her mouth, and then, kissing her passionately, began to drift towards the nearest bed...though neither of them really realized where they were going with that. Gently tugging off her shirt and then her thin undershirt, he held her close and felt her breath coming in gasps, realizing his was as well. It tickled his face, and while she smiled quietly and shyly at him, she brought a hand behind his head, bringing them together again. Holding her close with one hand, teasing her body with the other, they spent the whole night like that, together.
Finally in the morning, when they awoke, he felt a small weight on his chest, and saw her sleeping peacefully, using him as a pillow. Smiling, he held her close as a response.
If only, he sighed, if only all love stories ended this way.
That's it for now! You'll see this being updated rather frequently from now on, I swear. I have the rest of the story laid out and ready to go... These are all characters that I've had in mind since roughly three years ago, I had just never developed them to have names or anything. But it makes sense. I put names on them that made perfect matches for them...I saw their names as their personalities first, basically.
Well, keep reviewing! I'll keep writing.
-Anij Jinn