Chapter 14: XIV

Lwaxana Troi looked up from where she was watching her young son playing with some toys on the floor when one of her fellow delegates who had been rescued and assigned to the refugee camp walked into her quarters. Yaxara had been one of Lwaxana's oldest friends from the time that they'd both been very young. The two had been lucky enough to both escape the invasion of Betazed together. It had been Yaxara who had helped Lwaxana through her grief of losing her valet and friend, Lon Holm.

He had given his life to protect Lwaxana's son while she was in the Great Hall meeting with the other leaders of the Houses of Betazed. When the Jem'Hadar arrived on the planet's surface Holm used his own impressive strength and size to fight against the warriors. Lwaxana was one of the few people who knew that he had been a master at Tassa'Akai.

Tassa'Akai is a Betazoid fighting style which uses the akai, or Betazoid collapsible fighting baton. The style relies on rapid movement, precision strikes from unusual angles, and dodging, not on brute strength or direct attack. It also relies on the practitioner's telepathic powers to improve the warrior's fighting skills. The fighter uses his or her telepathic abilities to semi-subconsciously determine what the opponent will do next. The telepath then reacts to that maneuver almost before the foe has consciously conceived of it, which gives him or her a substantial advantage. Watching two skilled Tassa'akailar fight is almost like watching a ballet, albeit one with deadly intent.

The fact that nearly all Masters of Tassa'Akai were female made Holm's own mastery impressive. He had been very protective of Lwaxana for which she would forever be grateful. From what she had been told, he faced off against a whole squadron of Jem'Hadar just before being beamed away from the planet. Once on the Federation Starship Savannah Holm spoke only one word to the medical team while indicating to the small boy for whom he'd given his life, Troi. The medical team had been unable to heal him from his numerous wounds but with his final word they were able to ensure that the child was reunited with his mother once they arrived at the rendezvous with the other ships that had taken on refugees from the planet's surface.

Yaxara's presence in Lwaxana's quarters was a common thing while living on the Klingon planet of Talceus Prime. What wasn't common was the news that she had to share. Upon hearing it, Lwaxana stood from where she'd been watching her son play with his blocks and asked Yaxara to watch him as she left her quarters in search of confirmation of what she had been told.

Lwaxana pulled her wrap around more tightly to block out the bitter cold as she made her way to the outer city. As she reached the building that was her destination she smiled as she sensed the young woman that the whole city was talking about. She then pushed the button to summon the occupant of the new set of quarters and waited for the strange blonde woman whom she'd met for the first time aboard a Klingon ship to answer the door. When she did, it was clear that she hadn't expected anyone, especially Lwaxana, to decide to visit her.

Remembering K'nera's discomfort with communicating through the use of telepathy, Lwaxana forced herself to speak just as she would with any other off-worlder.

"Ah, so the rumors are true. You, my Dear, have become the talk of the town."

"Ambassador Troi," K'nera acknowledged her guest; one whom she wasn't sure just how she felt about finding at her doorstep.

"Lwaxana, please. I came to see how you were adjusting to life around here."

"With so many other telepaths around, you mean?" K'nera reluctantly moved aside from the door to allow the ambassador entrance into her small, single-occupant quarters. She only hoped that Lwaxana wouldn't stay long since her shift rotation was scheduled to begin in only an hour.

"I do recall that you weren't too used to having all of us on that Klingon ship that you were on when I saw you last." Lwaxana stepped into the room and glanced about the room before she spoke again, "You haven't decided to decorate your room yet, I see. Perhaps I should help you touch it up just a bit. After all, there is no sense in surrounding yourself with such a drab room if you don't have to."

"The room suits me just fine, Ambassador. Excuse me for asking, but I am surprised to find you here. I was under the impression that the only people who would be living here are Betazoids with nowhere else to go after the invasion of Betazed. Why are you here? I would have expected that you would be elsewhere; with your daughter perhaps."

"Deanna doesn't need me underfoot. Plus, she is stationed near the frontlines. After the attack on Betazed, I wasn't keen on taking Barim onto a Starfleet ship again anytime soon… Especially after losing my valet…"

K'nera felt the grief that flowed out of the older Betazoid woman despite her flamboyant and lighter than air attitude. She supposed that the ambassador was very close to her valet. "I'm sorry I asked."

"Don't be ridiculous. Now," Lwaxana took a good look around the baron room exasperated as she spoke. She then strolled further into the room to get a better idea of just what she had to work with. "Let's do something about this room, shall we? While we work on the room you can tell me all about just what brought you here. And of course, just when I can expect to see Alexander here to see you."

K'nera rolled her eyes as she figured that by the end of the ambassador's visit, she would have quite a bit of useless knickknacks to put into the reprocessor to dispose of it all. Still, she had the distinct feeling that any attempts to stop the woman from doing precisely what she wanted to do would be absolutely futile so there really didn't seem like much point in trying for now.

"I wouldn't count on seeing him here anytime soon, Ambassador. He is still stationed aboard the Ya'Vang and I don't see it being assigned to this sector while there are more important places for it to be."

"Perhaps places that the Empire would consider to be more important but by the way he felt about you when I saw him, I doubt that he'll agree with their opinions. I trust that the two of you finally got together after I lef-" Lwaxana stopped in mid-sentence as she sensed an emotional shift in K'nera. "Oh dear, don't tell me that the two of you are still dancing around one another? I knew how Alexander felt for you months ago and I know that you had to have known as well. Just what were you two waiting on?"

"It's not as simple as knowing how the other feels, Ambassador." K'nera felt right defensive of her relationship with Alexander and didn't like the fact that the woman had decided to make her feelings for Alexander her business. Especially since she hadn't even really had a chance to speak with him about what had happened before the ship was boarded. K'nera had no reason to want to discuss it with Lwaxana instead.

"It can be as simple or as complicated as you let it, Young One. So, tell me, just what is it that makes things seem so complicated when it can really be as simple as breathing?"

"You know nothing of Klingon relationships or traditions, Ambassador," K'nera turned away and walked over toward the small port-hole sized window that was in her quarters to look out toward the city as she spoke; all the while feeling the probing questions of the other telepath begging to be allowed entrance into her mind.

With her face taking on an appalled look, Lwaxana scowled, "You mean to stand there and tell me that you won't act on your feelings for Alexander because he is a Klingon?! You of all people? A woman who was raised by them?"

"That's not what I'm saying at all!" K'nera turned back away from the window with a touch of anger reflecting in her eyes. "It's not because Alexander is a Klingon, it's because I'm not one!"

"I don't understand. What does that have anything to do with it?"

"As a Klingon living among other Klingons, Alexander would face a lot of ridicule and scorn if he chooses to mate with a non-Klingon. Society as a whole will turn on him. He's already had to overcome the fact that he's a quarter Human as it is." K'nera's jaw jutted out as she felt angry tears threatening to fall. "I won't be responsible for making what progress he's already made be for nothing… I care too much for him to stand in his way of being accepted for who he is in Klingon Society."

"Who he is, Young One, has yet to fully be explored. Yes, he does live in the Klingon Empire now but that isn't all that he is: a warrior serving the Empire. The Alexander that I know has never liked the unfairness of rules." Lwaxana stepped forward and lifted K'nera's chin to look her in the eyes. "He was never meant to be boxed in by traditions or the opinions of others. He was born to be better than that. Don't try to lock him into those shackles simply because that is all that you know."

Lwaxana searched K'nera's thoughts and emotions as much as she could through the wall that the younger woman had erected around her heart and mind. After only a moment of searching Lwaxana turned back toward the lone chair in the tiny room to sit down before she continued.

"I've always imagined that Alexander was a lot like me. In fact, I once found myself in a relationship that wasn't all that popular among my friends and family, too." Lwaxana motioned for K'nera to sit on the bed (it being the only other place to sit in the room at the moment) while she spoke.

"You did?" K'nera asked speculatively.

"Oh yes. You see, when I married Ian, relationships between Betazoids and Humans were still quite unheard of. No one thought that they could work. Not really anyway." Lwaxana paused as she thought about Deanna's father fondly. "In fact, it was thought that a match with a Human could never reach the most intimate level; but they were wrong. Ian was my Imzadi."

"Imzadi? What's that?"

Lwaxana's eyes widened at the question. "My, you really don't know much about your own heritage, do you?" The elder Betazoid shook her head as she began to explain. "Imzadi is often used for a term of endearment for that first individual that a Betazoid is intimate with, not only on a physical level but on a spiritual one as well. Think of it as saying, Beloved or Dear One. For me, it was as if despite the fact that Ian wasn't a fellow telepath, it felt as if he could touch the very center of my soul."

K'nera blinked as she heard the words. After all, she had felt much in the same way about Alexander. As if he could touch a part of her that she hadn't even known existed. "You said that others didn't understand, didn't approve… But you didn't let that stop you."

"I've rarely let anything, or anyone, stop me from doing whatever I have my heart set on," Lwaxana laughed at the truth of what she had just said. "Life is too short to waste time on wondering what could have been without at least trying to see for oneself just what possibilities can be achieved if you were to just reach out and grab a hold of them. Ian and I spent several years together, and I've never regretted a moment that we spent together. In fact, I don't think that I've ever been happier than when I was married to him… I suppose I've been looking for that same happiness ever since I lost him."

Lwaxana got a faraway look as she thought about all of the close calls in her search for love over the years. One call got closer than the others, that's true, but there was nothing that could quite compare with the love that she'd shared with the young Starfleet Officer who had swept her off her feet the first time she'd been sent aboard a Federation Starship on a diplomatic mission to Earth.

"Take it from me. Never pass up an opportunity at real happiness, especially if it is only at the cost of tradition and rules. Traditions cannot keep you company on a lonely night."

After reading through both his orders and listening to his father's letter, Alexander made his way to the communication terminal to finally be able to get in touch with K'nera through subspace. He sat back as he waited for the connection to the new outpost that K'nera was now stationed at to initiate.

He had been able to send a couple of messages to her so far while she had been recuperating since the attack on the Ya'Vang but this would be the first time that he'd actually be able to see her face to face. Well, sort of. Speaking by way of subspace was better than sending holo-letters and certainly better than nothing.

When the view screen flickered and the Klingon Empire's emblem was replaced with K'nera's image, Alexander grinned. He was glad to see her much healthier than she had been the last time he had seen her. He just wished that the two of them could be assigned to the same post once more so that he could actually reach out and touch her.

"Alexander," K'nera acknowledged him through subspace while feeling a bit awkward. This was the first time that she'd ever spoken to him without being able to pick up on his emotions or thoughts. She felt out of her element in the vacuum of space. Though much of what Alexander felt and thought often showed itself in his face. "I've missed you."

Hearing her actually say that made Alexander smile more broadly. "I've missed you, too. I'm glad that you've finally gotten well enough to be released from Medical Leave. I just wish you hadn't been reassigned instead of sent back to the Ya'Vang."

"So do I." And she did.

In the time since she had been on Talceus Prime, K'nera had begun to remember just how harsh life was for a non-Klingon trying to live in Klingon Society. She was well aware of the fact that her duties last night during her shift were nothing more than a series of tasks to keep her busy and away from the main Klingon Complex. She had gone over the planetary defense sub-systems with a fine-tooth comb just as she had been instructed to since there appeared to be a glitch in the system.

An alarm showed that there was a power routing error but for some reason there was nothing listed as to where the power error was occurring. Just before the end of her shift K'nera found that deep down in the very core of the system a simple coupling had been ripped out of the power relay. That had been an intentional act and had been very deliberate in the placement of the error.

"Of course, there would have been no guarantee of us still being able to serve together even if you had been," Alexander reached toward the data pad that he'd set aside before connecting with K'nera. "Orders have been sent out to most of the crew. We're being reassigned to other ships closer to the frontlines. I've been ordered to report to the Y'tem in about a week."

"The Y'tem?" K'nera tried to remember if she'd ever heard of that ship. She couldn't but then, she'd spent nearly her entire stint within the Empire on the Ya'Vang under her uncle's command.

"It's one of the ships being sent to the Bajoran System. From what I understand, things are about to heat up out there very soon."

"You sound as if you know what's about to happen," K'nera gave a wry grin in an effort recapture the easy feeling that she'd often felt while around Alexander. After the night that she had on duty she needed a lightened mood. "One of the benefits of being a member of the Ruling House now?"

"I don't know much more than anyone else does," Alexander shook his head as he spoke. "I did get a message from my father when I got my orders and it just seemed like there was a lot that he didn't actually say but the words were there anyway."

"One of your gifts; being able to read people nearly as well as a telepath," K'nera joked as she eased back in her solitary chair in her quarters. "I think you've missed your calling. Maybe you should be a diplomat instead. You do seem to have a knack for it."

Alexander made a face briefly before chuckling as well. It wasn't like he hadn't thought about what would happen if someone tried to join the various factions of the Empire together through diplomacy but he had the feeling that even trying to pursue such an idealistic dream would be foolish. The Klingon race as a whole just wasn't ready for such attempts; were they?

"I don't think so. Anyway, from the sound of it, the Federation and Romulans are even massing enormous fleets."

"Preparing for an all or nothing approach?"

"Possibly. I can't say I'm not ready to see the end of this war with the Dominion. There are a lot of things that I want to do just as soon as some sort of ceasefire is reached," Alexander confessed to probably the only individual in the Empire that he didn't have to feel shame in regard to his lack of blood lust.

"Like what?"

Alexander smiled as he thought about his father's holo-letter with a whimsical look on his face. "Well, I've promised my grandparents that I'd go see them on Earth as soon as I could. Now my father has suggested a hunting trip, too. We haven't done that since I left the Enterprise." He then straightened his posture a bit as he looked directly into K'nera's eyes as he added, "But first I plan to be on the first transport to Talceus Prime at the earliest chance I get."

"Alexand-"

"I haven't changed my mind, K'nera. I meant what I said before."

"I know you did," K'nera couldn't help the small sad smile as she spoke. By his expression she could tell through subspace that he was prepared to dig his heels in for an argument. His eyes took on a fiery light and she could see his nostrils flare slightly. In effect, he looked adorable. A word that should never be associated with a Klingon but that was the word that came to K'nera's mind anyway. Now she felt as if she was about to have nearly the same conversation with Alexander as she'd had the night before with Ambassador Troi before heading in for her shift. "But we both know that what a relationship with me will mean for any Klingon; especially you."

"What do you mean by especially you?"

"You've already had to overcome the fact that you have Human blood running through your veins. You've been tested every step along the way. You've finally gain some standing of your own. Do you really want to give up all that you've gained? Because that is exactly what will happen the moment anyone finds out about us."

Alexander worked his jaw just a bit as he thought through what K'nera was saying. She was worried about him. Worried about how others would treat not her but him once it was learned of his involvement with a Betazoid. He knew that her argument probably had some merit but right frankly he didn't care all that much.

"K'nera, the only way that I've been able to gain anything was with your help. You were the one who helped me overcome some of the stigma of being a hybrid in the first place. You've helped me become more Klingon. I don't see how the two of us being together could hurt either of us. Even my father has proven that a relationship with Klingon and an alien can work."

"There is one major difference with your father, Alexander. Your father is a Starfleet Officer. The two of us serve in the KDF. What is accepted in the Federation isn't necessarily something that can work here."

"It can if we want it to," Alexander insisted. "Don't we owe it to ourselves to at least try?"

K'nera had a refusal on the tip of her tongue. It would be the right thing to do; to insist that he forget about her and set his attention towards a Klingon woman instead. There were more than enough who would flock in his direction the moment that he returned any interest in them. Not only was Alexander attractive but now he was a member of a very powerful House in the Empire.

She nearly voiced that refusal but was stopped as she heard the echo of Alexander's anguished cry when she was struck down during the attack on the Ya'Vang. Then she remembered how worried she had been for Alexander above anyone else when she first woke up at the Medical Field Hospital when she couldn't sense him. The whole time she had been away from Alexander, K'nera has felt as if a part of herself was missing. A piece of her soul. Instead, K'nera found herself holding back a small laugh. The advice that Lwaxana gave her rang in her mind and the idea that she could have anything in common with the unusual woman seemed absolutely ludicrous.

"You don't ever do things the easy way do you? Your first relationship and it will not only be an interspecies one but an interstellar one, too."

Alexander squinted his eyes before joining in by chuckling. "Well, I have heard that we Klingons aren't known for doing anything the easy way."

"No, I suppose not." K'nera settled more relaxed for the rest of their allotted time to use the communication channel. "Klingons fight for everything they have."

"I don't mind. So long as it's worth fighting for."

Author's Note:

I'd like to ask the readers if this is a story that you are enjoying and would like for it to be continued. Since there has been limited to nearly no reviews, I'm uncertain if people actually enjoy this story or if it would be best to stop writing it.