Minds that matter

Everyone was afraid.

Mary had said what she could, soothed everyone, but the jarring blackness that teleported them off the soon to be refurbished Denali was not something that was guaranteed to soothe anyone. The way that Mary's adopted mother had planned to repair and 'upgrade' the ship was fairly extreme, hence why no crew could be aboard for that. The Alliance crew had gone back to their own ship, the two Starfleet personnel going with them to 'talk' to Captain R'Rollow and his people. There would likely be two new recruits for the Alliance shortly, but that wasn't Mary's business. Her job right now was trying to keep everyone calm during a very disturbing method of transport. Iconian transporters were nothing like the matter transporters in use by other races. There was no pain, but no feeling of anything at all in that utter blackness that swept them from familiar to alien.

The room that Mary and her people materialized in was set up as a social hub of sorts. The walls, ceiling and floor were alien metal, but set in light colors, almost cheery. The various couches place against each wall looked inviting and a table was laid out with food and drink, but all of that paled beside the white armored Herald who stood by one wall. Her armor was the same as the regular Heralds, but less menacing. Sort of. She nodded to Mary.

"Good to see you up and about, Mary." The Herald said quietly. Mary just shook her head as R'kerti stared from one to the other. The Gorn turned to eye Mary and the newest captain in the Alliance shrugged.

"I take it you two know each other." The Gorn's tone was dubious. Then again? Who could blame her after all of this weirdness?

"Um… Yes. Sort of." Mary sighed and then nodded to the other. "Hello, Neesha. I don't remember it all. I am sorry."

"What do you possibly have to be sorry for, you silly girl?" The Herald asked, her tone gentle. Her helmet morphed, compacted down into her collar and suddenly a familiar face was smiling at Mary. The smooth browed Augmented Klingon woman who had helped her on the Denali the first time. "Mary, we were both hurt badly enough that no one expected us to survive. You made a mess on occasion, true. So did I." Her tone was wicked now and more than one person smiled at Mary's discomfiture. "But that is part of the definition of kids. When you came to the Iconians, you were an innocent. A child in so many ways. You wanted to go your own way and like any responsible parent, L'Miren made sure you were as prepared as you could be and then let you go when you wished. What you wanted was a bit different, but understandable." Her tone was gentle again as Mary looked at the floor. "Mary, no one blames you for wanting to go home. Least of all me."

"I thought I knew where home was." Mary said sadly. "I had no idea. Then add the time aspect to it and it got really messy. I just…" Was she about to cry?

"Mary." The odd Klingon stepped up to Mary even as Jhinis bristled. It is okay. The white armored female interjected her words into the link between Mary and Jhinis. Her mind felt familiar to the Aenar Herald. Not someone she knew, but familiar. "You made your choice and they accepted it, albeit with massive misgivings. You are not human, Mary."

"I don't know if I ever was." Mary reassured Jhinis silently as well. Not with words, but soothing. "Not Iconian. Not human. Not anything that anyone knew. What does that make me?"

"The captain of the USS Denali." R'kerti said firmly and everyone looked at the Gorn. She was clearly not happy with Mary so distressed, but her support of her friend was clear. "Wherever you came from, whatever happened to you, that is the past. What is it you are fond of saying? Let the past remain in the past. We deal with the 'now' and the future."

"Yeah." Mary nodded the white armored Klingon and who stepped back with a smile. "Do I call you Captain Neesha now?"

"If you want." The other replied, non-committal. "I am on leave at the moment. We need to explain, Mary and you have had more than a few shocks recently. Give yourself time to relax, girl."

"That D7 is yours, isn't it? That one that showed up with the Fencer?" Mary asked. Neesha just looked at her and Mary sighed. "Sorry. I know better than to ask such things. Like you say… More than a few shocks."

"Everyone is stressed." Neesha stepped back to where she had been when the group had arrived and folded her arms, trying for 'non-threatening'. It didn't work very well. Odd as she was, she was a Klingon. "For now? Those who need it can eat, drink and rest." Mary nodded but didn't move as the others slowly moved towards the table, minus R'kerti who hadn't budged. Jhinis and the android, likewise. Neesha frowned at them. "Mary, you need downtime too." She turned to the others who had been watching this oddness. They had been examining the food, but no one had touched it. "The food and drink are all safe for you to consume. L'Miren and company have spent far too much energy and time trying to keep Mary from self immolation to stress her further now."

That was sour.

"Neesha… I need to explain." Mary said softly. "They all deserve to know why they were targeted."

"I will." Neesha promised but her face was stern. "Mary. Sit. Now." Not loud. Not angry. She would be obeyed though!

"Yes, Ma'am." Mary sighed and moved to a couch by one wall where she sank down gratefully, hissing as energy flared, but then eased her somehow. R'kerti moved to stand by the couch and then froze as part of it reconfigured. Mary smiled at the Gorn as the part beside the seated girl shifted to something that looked as if it would be comfortable for a Gorn to sit on. "Iconian tech is useful for far more than blowing things up." Mary quipped as she slumped a bit.

"Unfortunately, some things will always need to be blown up." R'kerti sat and then smiled wide. "This is…" She broke off as Mary chuckled.

"Very comfortable, yes. Variable gravity and the cushions change to suit the person sitting. " Mary agreed. The Orion girl Mlian stepped close as Mary beckoned her to. Mary patted the seat beside her and the green skinned girl sat. The Orion hesitantly smiled as she felt the cushions reconfigure for her comfort. "You are safe, Mlian."

"I don't feel safe." The Orion said weakly. "I feel…" She looked from Mary to the Gorn to the Herald and back to Mary. "Confused."

"The one who hurt you cannot touch you here." Neesha said firmly as Mary held out a hand to the Orion who took it. "This place is protected, hence why you were brought here. You will all need long term care, but you will all make full recoveries in time."

"You are not acting like any Klingon I have ever heard of." R'kerti was still tense. Far from offended, Neesha just nodded. "So…?" The Gorn pressed.

"I am trying to help Mary and by extension, you, stay calm. There are secrets within secrets. None of the secrets here are to hurt people, but to protect them. You." Neesha said as Mlian slowly relaxed. "If you want to know, we will tel you." She paused as R'kerti frowned.

"What is seen cannot be unseen and what is known, cannot be unknown." R'kerti sighed deeply. "The Healer alluded to such. Do I, we, have the need to know?" She inquired as the others moved to the table and started to sample the food and drink there.

"In this case, it is more, 'Do you want to know?', R'kerti." Mary said sadly. "You were targeted because you were my classmate. I am not safe to be around. I don't think that is going to change."

"From what I understand, Starfleet has me on 'indefinite leave, medical'." The Gorn replied a bit dubious and Mary nodded when Neesha did. "So I guess I am not going anywhere."

"Once we are sure there will no complications from the evil, that befell you, we will let you return to Starfleet if that is your wish." Neesha reassured the Gorn. "All of you have lives. Even Mlian will have choices available." She smiled at the Orion who returned it, but snuggled up to Mary who smiled as she smoothed the quivering green skinned girl's hair. "If you wish education or training it can be provided. But for right now? Your focus has to be healing from the violations you suffered."

"Why?" Mlian looked form Neesha to Mary as Mary soothed her. "Why did he do that to us? Me? I am just a slave, but you?" She looked at the Gorn who frowned at her. Then the Orion looked at Mary and the others. "You are-" She broke off with a squeak as Mary pulled her close and hugged her tight.

"If you say we are better than you, I will tickle you until you squeal." The human seeming girl said sternly, but her smile as wide as Mlian stared at her. Said smile fell. "Mlian, are you sure you want to know? There can be no going back if we tell you."

"I want to know." Mlian leaned into Mary, her gratitude heartfelt.

Mary looked at the others, but they all nodded. Finally, she looked at R'kerti who nodded. Jhinis moved to her side, the android likewise. Both remained standing, but their support was clear.

"M'Tara is what you wanted to be called?" Mary asked the android who nodded. In form, the android looked like a purple skinned Andorian, but her sole functional eye glowed with fell silver power. The other was an empty socket that was a void. Darkness.

"I was made from a remnant of the Iconian M'Tara." The purple skinned being said calmly. "I am not her, but I feel things. Know things that I should not. This worries me, but I know I need to exist. I am needed. You need me." She smiled at Mary. "I am with you."

"Okay." Mary turned to Jhinis who shook her head before Mary could speak. "Jhinis…"

"Change." The Aenar said firmly and everyone stared as Mary's Meridian started to glow and her form shifted. Where before, she had worn Alliance uniform, now she wore a vest that looked both archaic and functional. Her arms were covered in metal that was soft as it held Mlian, but hard elsewhere. Her boots and belt changed to Iconian styles as arcs of metal swept over her shoulders and her back. Before Mlian could recoil, Mary gave her a squeeze and the frightened former slave girl relaxed as Mary's kindness worked its magic. The Aenar Herald also changed, her uniform shifting from white cloth to white and dark blue high tech armor in an instant. Everyone but Mary gawked as they saw circuits start to flare across what was clearly Iconian garb under the armor. Jhinis took a deep breath and stretched just a little as the white armored Klingon nodded in approval. "That is better." Jhinis said with a smile. "My twin Jhinas?" She inquired of the Klingon.

"Your brother came through surgery fine." Neesha reassured her fellow Herald. "He will sleep for some time, but the Healers assure me that he will be fully healed by the time he wakes. Physically anyway." She qualified. Jhinis frowned but then nodded.

"He was tortured to hurt me and Mary. That has to sting. Mary and I better be there when he wakes." The Aenar was a bit dubious, but then she took a deep breath and nodded to Mary. "He will be very angry."

"He will not be alone." Neesha replied as Mary thought about that. "He is family now. Just as you are. If he chooses another path, we will accept that. Mary wishes you to rethink your own path." Mary nodded, but the Aenar shook her head. "I will leave you to that discussion, but do not argue here."

She nodded to the others who all looked worried. Mlian buried her face in Mary's shoulder as Jhinis looked at her.

"No." Jhinis promised, bending down to take the terrified Orion's hand in her own for a moment. She gave Mlian's hand a squeeze and then released it. "As long as you are with Mary, Mlian, I will protect you as well."

"I… I am just…" Mlian gasped as Mary tickled her! "Hey!" Mary hugged her gently and Jhinis took hold of he r hand again.

"You are not a slave anymore, Mlian." Mary said firmly. "No one in this room is a slave. I refuse to treat anyone like that." She sighed, her face falling. "I think I was a slave once. I am not sure. I don't really remember that."

"Mary." Neesha shook her head. The Klingon was clearly not happy with all this emotional stuff. "Let the past stay in the past. Whatever happened to you in the past is over. You need to face the future and you know he will return. We will be ready for him this time as we were not before, but in the end? You can only change yourself. No one else."

"No." Mary allowed, relaxing as Mlian snuggled close again. "I am not M'Tara."

"Or your Mother." Neesha snapped, patience fleeing and Mary froze. "Don't even try to sugar coat it, Mary. You know what she did. What she and hers nearly did."

"I…" Mary swallowed hard and then nodded. "I do. She told me. Once I woke from my treatments. She told me what they did. To the Undine. To the Vaadwaur. To the Romulans, To everyone!" She slumped a bit and now, it was Mlian holding her up. "I didn't want to believe it. That she could do such horrors. She was so kind to me. To you. And she… They..."

"Vengeance is a powerful motivator, Mary." Neesha gave a small shrug as Mary fought for control and managed. "It warps everything. I thought I wanted vengeance. To redeem my clan's lost honor. I had no idea what I was doing or why, just that I wanted blood."

"What happened?" Mlian asked when no one else spoke.

"The ship I was on attacked the ship Mary was on." Neesha said quietly. "We were far away from the regular border and the Organians took no notice of us. Not at that time anyway. It was unprovoked, our attack. We took the USS Ranger completely by surprise, disabled it and boarded." She shook her head. "We expected a simple, short fight and instead? We ran into a metal wall of very angry Starfleet personnel. Including one very irritating blonde who shall remain nameless." The smile that she gave Mary was less friendly than feral. Mary just looked at her and Neesha slumped a bit. "They threw us back to our ship and counter boarded us." Everyone was staring at Mary now as the girl shook her head. Neesha paused and looked at Mary. "Mary?"

"I don't remember…" Mary paused and then gasped. "Mlian! Get away from me!"

Energy flared across Mary's feet, shifting them form physical to transparent as Jhinis grabbed the stunned Orion and pulled her away. Neesha moved to stand right beside Mary as the girl shuddered, clearly fighting for control as the energy flared further and further up her legs towards her hips.

"Don't let me hurt anyone!" Mary screamed as she recoiled across the couch. Then she jerked as R'kerti hugged her. "No! Don't!"

"No one can be strong all the time, Mary." R'kerti said in a soft, almost crooning voice. Neesha stared at the Gorn and then, the Klingon smiled. "Teamwork means that we bolster each other when we falter. I was so mean to you and you never reciprocated. You are everything I wish I was, Captain." Mary stared at the Gorn, her energy seething just below her hips. "Experienced. Intelligent and smart. Strong. Disciplined. Professional. Kind. Ruthless when needed, but compassionate when you are allowed to be." Neesha bowed to R'kerti and retreated a step as Mary stared at the snout of her friend. "I do not care where you came from. You are my friend and I stand with my friend. If you will have me."

"I…" Mary was suddenly crying, just a little. "R'kerti… I could have hurt you. I did before."

"Yes, you did and I don't care! You were hurting." R'kerti said simply. "After all the tests and psychological exams, when your nightmares came, you tried to keep them from us. Tried to keep us from knowing how badly you were hurt inside. Tried to keep it all in. So as not to stress us. Instead? You nearly killed yourself."

"Some things never change." Neesha muttered. The Gorn and Klingon shared smile of total understanding.

"The Iconians were the enemy!" Mary protested. "What they did. What they nearly did, it defined awful! They destroyed entire planets! Nearly tore everything apart in the name of vengeance!"

"And… When they were handed their legacy that had been long lost to time, they stopped." Mlian spoke up and everyone looked at her. She slid out of Jhinis' arms and all but sprang to Mary, hugging the girl tight. "T'ket aside, all of the others stopped their evil in mid action! And now…" She gasped and stared from Mary to Neesha as realization dawned. "Wait!"

"Yes, child. And now…" Neesha smiled at the stunned Orion. "...they are trying to fix some of the things they broke. There is much they cannot. Time travel is still fatal to their kind. The lives that were lost on all sides of the Iconian War are gone." She looked at the android who was impassive. "Tricks aside, even energy forms can die."

"Mary needs help." M'Tara said calmly. "Even with the love of good friends, she will need more help."

"I know." Neesha said sadly. Then she keyed her com. "Princess? We are ready for you."

Everyone but Neesha and M'Tara jerked as one wall of the room phased out of existence and three forms strode into the room. One was human looking, mostly. The other two were not! They were humanoid, but made of metal that glistened oddly organic. No, there was another behind them, but he was shrouded in darkness of some kind. What was visible was the same kind of metal, but it was indistinct. Bio-metal of some kind? Not anything anyone here had seen. Then the golden crown on the woman's brow started to glow! Mary stared at the woman with the crown and blanched.

"Michelle?" The half energy woman asked, confused "What? How? I..."

"Mary, be calm. We will help you." The gowned woman said in a voice that was kind, but would be obeyed. The three of what had to be guards fanned out to surround her and everyone tensed as fear roiled off the cloaked one. "Draco… Stop."

The fear cut off.

"That.. gown…" Mlian was shuddering hard. "That is like what he wore." She hugged Mary tight.

"He is a criminal who killed my mother." The woman Mary called Michelle said firmly. "We think so anyway. We sort of hoped you were her, Mary. But you are not. What you are is a victim as much as any of these. Your memory was sequestered for your own safety. This will unblock it. Code: Left Behind." She said formally and Mary stiffened.

Everything stopped as Mary rose to her feet. She held Mlian tight. She just stood, waiting as R'kerti and Jhinis rose to stand by her. The others in the room moved to stand behind Mary and Neesha moved to her side as well. The Android did not move.

"My name… My name was Mary L-65." Mary said very softly. "I was hurt. You helped me." She said to Michelle who nodded. "But… Then I had to go?" She inquired, her voice far younger. Then she shook herself and spoke again. "I remember."

"You couldn't stay with us any more than you could stay with the Iconians." Michelle said sadly. "In hindsight, we should have kept you with us. When you left us, he took you. Hurt you. The same way he hurt these for the exact same reason. To give himself a way out of my family's wrath. That is our responsibility and we will see this fixed." The royal 'we' came through loud and clear.

"You cannot be here with that." Mary nodded to the crown and the woman wearing it made a face.

"It was complicated, but I wasn't going to leave it for him." Michelle said with a snarl that was not directed at anyone present. Then she clearly forced herself to relax. "Everyone, be calm. This is going to be a long explanation and Mary does need more help than you can give."

"I don't trust you." Mary snapped.

"I don't blame you." Michelle replied even as her guards bristled. "But I can prove my intent and I will."

"You better."