It was at zero-four-hundred-hours when Saru was awoken by the sound of the communications channel in his room going off. He knew what that sound meant, it was different from the others, and it made him jump out of bed and go over to his desk, sitting down, dressed in his pyjamas.
"Mister Saru, I'm sorry for the early call but I thought you'd want to know right away. The diplomatic mission with the Alzar didn't go to plan and President T'Rina has been taken hostage. We're trying everything we possibly can."
Hearing those words made Saru's blood run cold.
Saru was ninety percent sure he had woken Michael up when he sat across the table from her in the mess hall.
She was staring into a bowl of porridge, not moving.
"I'm sorry," he softly said, offering her a small smile.
"It's okay. I've heard about President T'Rina too, and don't worry, once we get the coordinates we'll be right there."
"Thank you. I'm just worried about her, we have this connection and if anything were to happen, I wouldn't know what to do. I'm sorry, I don't mean to dump this on you."
'Captain, we have the coordinates.'
T'Rina could hear the mechanical sounds of the door opening. Standing with her back to the wall, she waited for whomever it was to enter her cell.
"Don't move." A weapon was trained on her as a canteen of water was placed on the ground.
"Thank you," T'Rina said, nodding at the man. She knew not to infuriate him; she knew better than to ask for medical attention.
Waiting until he was gone, T'Rina held her side and limped over to the water, picking it up. Sitting on the hard bed, she wished she was with Saru having some tea.
When Saru heard that the Alzar were holding T'Rina captive as a prisoner and wouldn't let anyone see her, he saw red. Saru pulled up everything he could on the Alzar, he ran scans on the surface of the planet and located the only Ni'Vari biosign.
Hearing word that everyone else made it out did little to calm him. There was a meeting in fifteen minutes to discuss what to do, and Saru was going to be there. T'Rina was one of the closest people in his life, and he wanted to make sure she was going to be safe.
Tenderly poking the flesh around the wound on her leg, T'Rina knew that if she didn't get medical assistance soon, it would lead to an infection. She had tried to keep it as clean as she could with the drinking water that was provided.
Trying to keep off it as much as she could, she tried to shift her weight to her good side. Her ribs also ached and it reminded her of the time she broke three ribs in her teenage years.
Hearing the faint sounds of sirens going off, T'Rina felt the familiar feeling of being transported away.
Hearing his quick thinking to beam T'Rina out when the power failed on Alzar was a smart move, it made him smile. Getting the nod from Michael, he knew exactly what it meant.
The walk to sickbay felt like one of the longest walks he had taken. He was worried. Was T'Rina okay? Did they get to her in time?
Entering sickbay, he smiled when his eyes landed on her. T'Rina was sitting on a biobed with Doctor Culber talking to her.
"Mister Saru, I hear I have you to thank for rescuing me." T'Rina's eyes were filled with warmth.
Saru had never been on a Ni'Vari ship before today, and he now realised how beautiful they were.
He was with T'Rina, in her personal room. They were sitting on the couch and watching an old movie. T'Rina had a fondness for them and he wasn't going to say no to her. Gently rubbing small circles against her lower back, Saru smiled when T'Rina leaned into his touch.
Knowing that T'Rina was okay and that he would get to spend the next two weeks with her, it made him feel special. It wasn't often the president of Ni'Var had visitors.