Dreams
Everyone was still, watching as R'Kerti laid Mary's Meridian on the berth she had been directed to. With actual flesh and blood medical personnel on hand, the EMH had deactivated, but not before R'Kerti and all the other ladies had thanked him. He clearly hadn't known what to do when the Orion had propositioned him, but he had handled it fairly well all things considered. Just like he had been, the Gorn wasn't sure about this at all, but it felt right.
She looked round at the others. The guards were all outside. Now, Captain R'Rollow and Healer Ssaak (she refused to call him the insulting designation) were the only males in the room and they stood by the door. Jhinis and the android stood by the berth, the other women who had been kidnapped standing just behind them. Everyone else was busy working on the ship, making sure Madren stayed in custody this time and basically waiting to see what happened.
No one else was physically present, but R'Kerti felt something touch her mind. It felt old and powerful beyond belief. But sad. So sad. It didn't feel like Mary. No, this feeling was far more powerful but careful not to touch the Gorn in any way except fleeting. Mary's mother? R'Kerti smiled a bit sadly as she laid the flat of her palm against the Meridian.
"Nap time is over, girl. Time to wake up." The Gorn said to the Meridian and nothing seemed to happen. One of the girls giggled behind her, but she paid no attention. The giggles became a gasp as purple energy flared from the arc of metal.
R'Kerti stepped back as the purple energy seethed and then flared further into silver and blue. A moment and a female form lay on the berth. She had Mary's face, but it wasn't Mary! The woman was hurt and R'Kerti felt her heart break as she saw terrible wounds torn on the woman's flesh, her beautiful golden gown ripped to pieces around her. Her face was just as torn, blood flowing freely from many deep cuts. Her golden hair was cut roughly and burnt in places. Then the woman flashed and she wore an archaic red Starfleet uniform, one that was slashed by energy and physical impacts in the exact same way as the gown had been. Her hair was long and unkempt, as if not washed in a while. Her face was healed, but only a little, still angry red lines where the wounds had been. She flared again and now, the woman lay clad in a white robe that looked vaguely Iconian. Her head was shaved and the terrible wounds that had shown on her face were now pale blue scars that glowed with soft energy. Mary's scars! Was she younger? Yes. She seemed younger then she had been at first. She was flashing again and again, each flashed showed Mary in different attire, but her face was still young and her hair longer, still golden.
"It..." The Orion breathed and when R'kerti looked the green skinned girl was all but swooning. "It is her."
"Who?" R'Kerti asked.
"That is the girl that the Empress was dreaming-" The Orion broke off as everyone looked at her and she swallowed hard. "Oh, snap!"
"What is said in here, stays in here." R'Kerti said with a growl as everyone stared at the Orion. "Orion business is their business. No one else's. We have enough problems!" Everyone nodded to that.
"That we do." The Orion stepped up to R'Kerti and slumped a bit as she stared at the energy form who now wore robes like a Vulcan monk. "For years, the Orion Empress has had odd dreams of a golden haired human in pain. The stranger wore a golden gown and was always in pain, her face marked with many terrible lessons. The Empress commanded all of the females who follow her to seek the girl when we could."
"'Follow' her?" R'Kerti was careful to keep her tone neutral. "Or is that a secret?"
"It is no secret the Orion Empress regrets the alliance with the Klingons and there are many factions within the Syndicate." R'Rollow spoke up and everyone looked at him. "Is she looking to distance herself?"
"Better Klingons than the Breen." The Orion said sourly and everyone nodded. "But with the war over, yes. It is no secret. She has been looking for allies, but everyone is leery. It is hard to blame them. We Orions do have a reputation and it is deserved in many cases." She grinned at the Catian and arced seductively.
"Want a job?" R'Rollow inquired. "The Alliance is always looking for experienced people. That goes for all of you." He said to the group. "But don't let my mate see you do that. She isn't jealous, per say…"
"K'Mir? Oh yes, she is!" Ssaak interrupted, shuddering. "Word of advice, ladies. Don't try to poach him. The Wing Commander won't kill you. She isn't that nice." He shook his head as the Orion looked at him. "And we are protected from your pheromones, so pleases stop."
R'Kerti frowned at that. It was widely know that the green skinned exotic dancers had skills. What wasn't commonly know was that Orion females could secrete pheromones to bend most males of sentient species to their will. But the Orion's reaction was not what she expected.
"Oh. Um… Sorry." The Orion seemed honestly sheepish. "Releasing them is second nature. Especially when I am stressed. I know better." She bowed her head and muttered. "Bad day."
"That is has been." R'Kerti held out a hand that the Orion took. The tiny green hand all but varnished in the huge green one. "I am R'Kerti."
"Mlian." The Orion's hand trembled a bit, but she turned back to Mary who was now clad in gossamer silks. "This… Yes. This is the girl we were supposed to watch out for. The Empress gave us all drawings that she made when she woke from her last dream seven years ago. The one we found that looked the same had black hair, not gold. It is her."
"One more bit of weirdness around the girl." R'Kerti scoffed. "I can't say I am surprised. Mary attracts weird."
You are one to talk, R'Kerti. Mary's voice sounded but it was odd. Everyone stilled as they heard her in their minds. Or is Captain R'Kerti now? Was she teasing the Gorn?
"Mary." The Gorn relaxed a little. "Stop doing that. Stop scaring me!"
It isn't something I plan, you silly lizard. Mary retorted. I had to free T'Ket to fight the other. That golden scum was far too powerful for any of us to win against. He was going to use her to take us all, control us all like M'tara was fond of doing. The purple skinned android jerked in place and Jhinis laid a hand on her shoulder. Let the past remain the past. We need to look to the future.
All eyes were pulled to the berth where Mary flashed again, this time into garb that looked suitable for a miner and her hair was black! The Orion smiled and nodded as Mary flashed again into Starfleet academy uniform and then faded.
"Mary?" R'Kerti asked as the Meridan sat silent on the berth. "Mary?"
Everyone stepped back as two impossibilities suddenly stood by the bed that Mary had laid on. One was the Iconian L'Miren. The other was a middle aged human with dark hair whose bodysuit was oddly ridged. They hadn't been there a moment before. Both were glaring at the other!
"Mary's work is done. The threat is negated." The man said quietly. "She needs to go home."
"She is home!" L'Miren snapped back and everyone backed away from her rage. "You made me forget her. Didn't you, Daniels?"
"It was a kindness, Guardian L'Miren." The man said heavily. "She cannot remain here or she will cause the same problems the other did. She doesn't belong here."
"And when the other comes back?" L'Miren demanded. "What then? You know he will. His kind do not simply give up any more than we did."
"So you will enslave her?" Daniels asked and then flew across the room. More than one person ducked as L'Miren retracted her hand. She had physically slapped him! He had to be tougher than a regular human. None of them would survive such.
"No." L'Miren said into the utter silence as Daniels rose back to his feet a bit unsteady. "Go back to your high and lofty peak, Daniels. Go back to watching. See it all and know nothing as is your wont." She laid a hand on the Meridian and Mary shimmered back into being on the berth, this time clad in Alliance uniform. Her hair was golden now. "Unlike you and M'Tara, I will give her a choice."
"L'Miren!" Daniels all but begged.
"Get lost!" The Iconian snapped, her tone moderating as several people winced at the sheer power that resounded in the room from the furious Iconian's rage. "And if you touch my daughter again, I will fry you down to atoms." Everyone shied away from the odd dark haired man as L'Miren's rage found voice again.
"It is okay, Mother." Mary said as she sat up, taking L'Miren's hand in both of her own. "It is going to be okay."
"I can only hope." L'Miren was calmer now. "I… I hoped to help. But I am too much. Too powerful."
"You did." Mary reassured her. "You helped. But please? We can fix this." She smiled a bit forlornly. "We will need your help and I guess I need to explain to everyone?"
"Wouldn't hurt." R'Kerti said sourly as she released the Orion's hand.
"Actually, it might." Mary said with a sigh as L'Miren and Daniels vanished. "But hopefully, T'Ket will hurt that piece of trash badly enough that he thinks twice about coming back any time soon." She slowly stretched herself as the Orion stared at her. When Mary spoke, it was to the green skinned girl. "Your people never said why they kept 'checking' on me." She smiled at Mlian. "I don't know why your empress would be dreaming about me. Were they bad dreams?"
"She said 'No', just odd. No one was sure who you were." Mlian was clearly uneasy with the undivided attention she was receiving. "Your hair was different and you never spoke of where you were from or where you were going."
"No one would have believed me." Mary swung her feet off the berth and put her feet to the floor. She smiled as she examined herself and found her form as it should be "Even Starfleet thought I was crazy. You Orions don't have the best reputation for dealing with unstable people."
Orions who acted insane tended to die. Sometimes messy, sometimes quietly. Always dead.
"No. We don't." Mlian looked at the floor. "We are trying to find a better way, but there is so much resistance. From inside our Syndicate and out."
"Change is never easy." Mary reassured her. "Fast change may seem that way, but there are always costs, downsides to such things in the long term. Your Empress is far wiser than many." She smiled at the Orion and the girl returned it. She held out a hand to Mlian who took it. "I don't know what the future holds, but you are welcome to stay with me if you wish." The Orion would not meet her eyes and Mary nodded. "If you do, then I will do my best to keep that asshole from taking you again. That goes for all of you." She said to the others.
"What was he trying to do?" R'Kerti asked as Mlian shuddered, but did not release Mary's hand. "It makes no sense to use biological organism to gestate an AI."
"It doesn't." Mary agreed. "As you have all probably guessed, the golden skinned being is not from here. And yes, he is a predator. The absolute worst kind. He hurt you in other ways, didn't he, Mlian?" Mlian nodded and Mary pulled the green skinned girl close as Mlian started to cry. "Never again. I won't let him do it again."
"He bought me and I… I…" Mlian stammered, undone by Mary's kindness. "I was just a slave and he bought me. Then…" She shuddered hard enough that she had to focus before talking again. "I thought I knew what bad was! I was wrong!"
"You will recover from even this horror, Mlian." Mary said with a sigh. "But it will take time. He is very practiced at his evil. And, as I say, he is not from our reality."
"No, we never would have guessed that." R'Kerti mock snarled at Mary who smiled at her when the Gorn did.
"I remember more now." Mary said quietly as Mlian sobbed into her shoulder. "You are staying with me and my family, Mlian. Until we can heal all of what he did to you, you are all welcome to stay with me." That was to everyone. "There is no dishonor in seeking allies to battle an overwhelming foe and in this, I am your ally."
"There are a number of people who want to talk to you, Mary." Captain R'Rollow stated when no one else spoke up. "Starfleet is a bit upset about Captain R'Kerti claiming this ship."
"We will talk, Captain R'Rollow." Mary agreed. "But for now, we have injured to tend and damaged ships to repair." She looked away for a moment and then smiled. "I was just told that I can offer some aid in repairs as well as sanctuary for all these lost souls." Her gaze swept the room and the all of the females jerked as she turned to look at Jhinis and the android. Then her face fell. When she spoke, it was to Ssaak. "Healer? How fares Jhinas? My Herald's brother?"
"His injuries are severe, but we got him to help in time." The Gorn healer said quietly. "The medical bay was right next to my command bunker, it took no damage in the battle. He will not wake soon and he will need more care than I can provide."
"Then I will take him home." Mary said firmly. "His injuries are my responsibility and will see him healed of them. What was done to my Herald will never be done again." She looked at Jhinis who shook her head. "Jhinis… Please?"
"It is not your fault, Mary." The Aenar said firmly. "Responsibility? Maybe. But not your fault. The fault lies with the crazy doctor and that golden skinned scum. No, I am not leaving. That is final."
"We will talk." Mary tone held little hope in changing the stubborn white skinned being's mind though. "Captain R'Rollow? Mother and her healers will be in touch regarding several things. Not the least of which is the criminal who hurt your mate. Killing her may be therapeutic, but my Mother deems such wasteful. We can use her to remedy the mess she made." The Catain and the Gorn male both stilled at her ice cold tone and Mary nodded. "I can guarantee she would not escape their custody."
The Catain opened his mouth, paused and then looked at Ssaak, who frowned.
"What do you have in mind?" Ssaak inquired carefully.
"Mother says that the so called 'cure' that Doctor Nuna…" The sheer hate in Mary's tone mimicked L'Miren's rage for a moment. "...created was nothing of the kind. It hid the symptoms, forced the disease into remission. It is a palliative, not a cure." When R'Rollow recoiled, Mary was quick to speak again. "Her people's healers are working on a true cure now and I bet it won't take them long." When the Catain looked at her, she smirked. "You and the Healer helped me. You had no reason to. You both fought the Iconians during the war. You fought them hard and well. No one could have anticipated what you would find when you counter-boarded the carrier and took the portal where you did." She bowed her head. "War is…"
"Hell." R'Rollow said very softly when Mary broke off. She nodded and he slumped just a little. "War is hell." The Gorn male nodded soberly to the captain's words. "No one expected that. Least of all me after the Berkshire was hit. It just… I was so mad."
"Rage." Mary said very quietly. "Rage has its place. Civilization may curb it, deny it, or whatever, but rage will always have a place." She shook her head. "Even the Vulcans do not deny that. They simply seek to control themselves so as not to destroy themselves. Mother seems to think I will make a good captain. I don't know about that. I am young and not experienced."
"You are well on your way, Mary." R'Rollow said with a small, sad smile. "But right now? Captain R'Kerti?" Mary stilled as the Gorn female nodded slowly.
"The Denali was technically abandoned." R'Kerti was slow, careful in choosing her words. "I took control to get medical aid, but you were the one who I followed. When you fell… When you sacrificed yourself to free T'Ket and saved us… I don't know I felt. Numb." She stepped up to Mary and then slowly embraced her and Mlian. Both of the girls stood very still. "I did not trust you. You did nothing to me or mine and I didn't trust you. I was so rude to you and you never returned my discourtesy."
"I didn't remember all of what happened to me. I still don't remember it all, just a bit more." Mary sad quietly. She did return the hug and did not press when Mlian retreated a little. "For all you knew, I was delusional. Insane. Yes, you were rude, but eventually, you and the others made me welcome. Made me feel at home for the first time in a long long time. I have no idea how long."
"You left the Iconians sixteen centuries ago. It took you a very long time to get back to this galaxy." Came from Ssaak and everyone stared at the Gorn who shrugged. "I did some digging and I called in some favors. Your name was Mary Elizabeth Owlna. You were a Starfleet security officer on the track to Command. You were on the USS Ranger when it was lost with all hands in a Klingon attack and the wreck vanished before the Klingons could take trophies." Mary looked at him and he met her eyes with his sole flesh and blood one. "So, technically, you have more time in rank that everyone else here put together."
"Not if I was dead." Mary snapped, but her ire was fake as R'Kerti released her and stepped back.
"Being dead is not the end for some." Ssaak was eyeing R'Kerti who stilled. Mary looked from one to the other and then stepped to her classmate's side. She didn't say anything, but her support was clear. Far from offended, Ssaak'll smiled. "Captain?" He pressed the other Gorn gently.
"Right." R'Kerti turned to Mary and nodded. "By the power invested in me by Starfleet Command, I hereby transfer command of the USS Denali to Mary Owlna." Mary jerked and then slumped a little. "Captain Owlna?" She inquired gently.
"This is not how I wanted to do this." Mary said weakly, but then nodded soberly. "But it seems to be the best of all possible worlds. The Alliance gets another ship, those of us who need healing will get that as well. I accept command, Captain R'Kerti." She looked from Mlian to R'Rollow and across her Herald and then android who met her gaze calmly. "The Alliance gets me. I have a lot to learn."
"Then is is a good thing you don't really need sleep." R'Kerti quipped and Mary pinked a little. "Or did you think we wouldn't notice your studying habits?"
"R'Kerti." Mary said repressively, but broke off with a snort as the Gorn poked her in the ribs. "You remember that tickling me doesn't work?"
"Oh, I think we can work something out." Jhinis said as the android poked her in the ribs and Mary jerked as if goosed. She clearly felt that.
"Jhinis…" Mary warned as R'Rollow and Ssaak'll gave each other a knowing look and retreated from the room.
"Does anyone want to leave?" R'Kerti asked the other assembled females as the guards filed out. "If not? We have a lot of work ahead of us." All of them looked at one another and shrugged. "Then welcome to the family."
Of course, Jhinis had to have the last word!
"Check your sanity at the door!"