Leonard McCoy
There's a few things Leonard McCoy is expecting to see when he steps into the transporter room for an away mission. Two security officers aren't out of place. Neither is his captain. But Amelia Fairchild already standing on the transporter pad raises a few red flags.
"Are you ready, Bones?" Ignoring Jim's question, he leans towards the man and asks,
"What's Fairchild doing here?"
"She's part of the away team."
"I gathered that much. My question is why?" Jim offers him a puzzled frown.
"Is there any reason why she shouldn't be?"
"Well, no-"
"She's been here for two months. It's about time for her to get her feet wet, wouldn't you agree?" Not really. He's been keeping an eye on her as ordered, and she only started working regular hours again, allowing for sufficient rest, meals, and leisure a week ago. She's still an unknown entity, and away missions can go haywire in an instant. Still, the look on Jim's face says that he's in no mood to be contradicted and the situation isn't that dire, so he chooses to drop the subject in favor of taking his place on the transporter pad.
"Energize." He hates the feeling of his atoms being scattered throughout space and then crammed back together again, but he can't exactly demand a shuttlecraft every time there's an away mission. None of the others seem to mind, and as he recovers, he recalls all information he knows about this particular locale.
Sogun is a planet that's only been briefly explored. What they know about it is limited. It's a class M planet with humanoid inhabitants. These inhabitants have only one sex but can reproduce and are androgynous in appearance. So far, there's been no hostile encounters of any kind between humans and Soguns, no wildlife or flora trying to kill explorers. Overall, it's fairly safe as far as first away missions go. Amelia couldn't have asked for better. So why does he feel so twitchy?
Three Soguns are waiting in the clearing where they've beamed down. Jim bows at the waist in the appropriate greeting before addressing them.
"I'm Captain James T. Kirk of the Federation Starship Enterprise. These are my crewmen. Dr. McCoy-" Jim indicates him. "Dr. Fairchild, Lieutenant Adams, Ensign Johnson, and Ensign Klinger."
"Greetings, Kirk." The Sogun leader returns the gesture. "I am Ogots Raad. This is Vukith Onux-" They indicate the Sogun standing at their right. "And Vukith Throzir." Throzir is taller than the other two. They smile, and their gaze comes to rest on… Amelia. "Our home is yours. Please, come acquaint yourselves with our world." Now that they effectively have permission to move around, he starts in the direction of a worn path. If he had to venture a guess, that should take him to the village. He already has his medical tricorder out and the device is whirring, but over the sound of it, he makes out,
"You're different from the others, Fairchild. Softer. More rounded instead of angular."
"You mean that I'm a female. The others are male."
"Female?" He chances a glance over his shoulder at the counselor. From the looks of things, she's got a captive audience. Amelia nods.
"On my planet, there are two sexes: male and female."
"Doesn't that make things complicated?" She chuckles.
"Very. But we've been making it work for millions of years." His intention is to leave Amelia to explain about the birds and the bees, but then Throzir reaches out and touches her hair, making Onux frown.
"I've never seen hair this color before."
"It's not very common even where I come from."
"So not all females look like you?"
"It would be boring if they did."
"Your… males, did you call them?"
"Yes, that's the other sex."
"They must become bored very easily if you do not hold their attention." He might not be an expert in this planet's culture, but that's a flirtation if he's ever heard one. He expects Amelia to rebuff it, but instead she says,
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"Please do." This seems like a conversation not meant for other ears, so he starts towards the village once again.
He must've wasted more time than he thought watching Throzir and Amelia interact because by the time that he arrives, Jim is already there. He's chatting with Raad but looks up when Leonard approaches.
"Find anything interesting, Doctor?"
"It certainly is a beautiful planet." The trees are purple instead of green and the grass is blue. It's still early in the afternoon, but if he's remembering what he's read correctly, there will be two moons in the night sky. The temperature is mild, reminiscent of a Spring day on Earth.
"Doctor?" Raad frowns. "Why are only two of your people called this?"
"Because those two people are healers. That what we call them where we come from."
"Ah." The Sogun leader chuckles. "Here when two people share the same first name, it means they are a mated pair." So Raad thought that he and Amelia were… and that means that Onux and Throzir are… and Throzir was moving in on Amelia. This situation just got infinitely more complicated.
"We have a similar custom in our culture." Jim informs them. "Mated pairs often have the same last name. But 'Doctor' isn't a first name. It's a title. Right, Bones?"
"Right." He's about to elaborate further, maybe explain the difference in what he does from what the counselor does, but before he can get a chance, she appears, walking side by side with Throzir. Onux is trailing after them, and if sour grapes had a face, it would be theirs. There's no way that Amelia knows Onux and Throzir are a mated pair, is there? Otherwise, she wouldn't be talking so intently with Throzir. He's vaguely aware of Raad excusing themself, leaving him alone with Jim, but most of his attention is on Amelia.
"She's doing a good job of mingling with the native inhabitants, isn't she?"
"Hm?" Jim indicates the group of three.
"Fairchild. I think she's made a friend in Throzir." And is rapidly making an enemy in Onux from the looks of things.
"She should be more careful." He only realizes that he's said it once it's out of his mouth. Jim is looking at him strangely. "She doesn't know the customs on this planet. Might step on some toes."
"It looks like just a friendly conversation to me." Yes, well, he didn't see Throzir touch her hair, did he? "You know she's a professional. I doubt that she'd do anything untoward."
"Not on purpose." Jim offers him a smirk.
"Why are you so bothered by her having a conversation with another person? Is it because they're attractive?"
"Are they?"
"Come on. You have eyes. Surely it didn't escape your notice." No, it didn't. If Throzir where a man, they'd be very handsome. If they were a woman, they'd be beautiful. As neither one, they're a double danger. But he can't admit to that, so he tells the captain,
"I don't care who she talks to so long as it doesn't interfere with the mission."
"That's very professional of you, Bones. You're to be applauded." He can't tell his commanding officer to buzz off, so instead he walks away.
The next few hours are spent in exploration. The security detail confirms that there appears to be nothing hostile on the planet surface, so Leonard walks around, taking tricorder readings of the different plants and animals first before returning to the village and asking to examine someone. Shockingly, he has volunteers. He finds their physiology to be not all that different from the average human except for the possession of both a uterus and testes. While he'd love to get a blood draw, test hormone levels, he's pressed his luck enough for one day, so when it's time for the evening meal, he packs up shop.
The first thing he notices, even over the food, is that one person from their party is notably missing. Amelia is nowhere to be seen. All throughout the meal, he keeps expecting her to appear, but she never does. That's vaguely concerning, but Throzir is present, so she can't be with them, and it relieves him somewhat.
Apparently, it's the Soguns' custom when they have guests to follow up dinner with a performance of a dance beside the firelight. Again, all throughout the performance, he doesn't see Amelia. The vague relief he was experiencing earlier is gone, replaced with mild concern. That mild concern turns to full-on worry when it's time to return to the ship and she's still not with them.
"Kirk to Fairchild." Jim tries the communicator but gets nothing. "Fairchild, come in." As he continues to try, a sinking feeling settles in the pit of Leonard's stomach. Granted, he's never been on an away mission with the woman before, but she doesn't seem like the type to just wander off. That leaves two options: one, she got lost while studying the planet, or two, someone took her. "Alright." Kirk sighs and closes his communicator. "Gentlemen, I'm calling it. Dr. Fairchild is officially missing in action."
Amelia Fairchild
Amelia wakes up in a darkened room. No, that's not quite right, she amends. She can smell something earthy, hear insects chirping. That indicates that she's outdoors. The back of her head throbs, which answers the question of why she was asleep. Now to figure out what happened.
"You're awake." The voice is familiar. There's the sound of flint being struck, and then a light shines through the space, revealing that she's in a cave. That, and she's with-
"Onux?" It all comes flooding back to her then. The Sogun had informed her that there was a glen she had to see 'Since you're obviously a great appreciator of beauty.', and when they arrived, she couldn't find Onux anywhere. She was about to go in search of them when she heard footsteps, and then… nothing. If she's deducing what happened correctly, then she was knocked out and carried to this location. "Why have you brought me here?"
"I'll ask the questions!" They cross their arms and approach her, torch in hand. "What are your intentions towards my mate?"
"Your mate?"
"Throzir." Oh! She didn't realize… but she really should have. They share a name, and in some cultures the first name is the family name instead of the last.
"My intentions towards Throzir are only those of friendship. The same as my intentions towards you." Onux lets out a sound so primal that it's almost a growl.
"I don't believe you! I've seen the way they look at you. They want you. How could you keep from wanting them in return?" She needs to tread carefully. To say that she doesn't find Onux's mate attractive might be viewed as an insult. To say that she does will only spur on what's obviously a fit of jealousy.
"How has my behavior made you believe that I have impure intentions towards Throzir?"
"You allowed them to touch you! To touch your hair!" That was a mistake, she can see that now, but at the time, she wasn't willing to risk offending these people that they know so little about by batting Throzir's hand away.
"How did seeing that make you feel?" Maybe if she can get Onux to admit it, then they can move forward.
"I felt… I felt…" Onux's forehead wrinkles. "I've never felt like that before. Like flames were consuming me from the inside."
"Would it be accurate to say that you were jealous?"
"You're speaking nonsense words to me to try and confuse me!"
"Which part of what I said is nonsense?"
"You know." She shakes her head. "Jealous. There is no such word." Oh. So, the meaning is lost in translation. Alright, how does she handle this? She really wishes she had her PADD so she could look up the exact definition of jealousy, but she'll just have to work with what she's got.
"On my world, we say that we're jealous when we feel like someone we care deeply for might care for someone else. It's an unpleasant feeling. I can see why you're upset."
"Upset?" Do they not have that word either?
"The opposite of happy."
"Everyone is happy here."
"Is that how you're feeling right now? Happy?"
"No!" Onux begins to pace. "I feel like… I don't want you taking what is mine."
"That's what my people call jealousy. It's a natural emotion."
"Well, I don't want to feel it!" Unfortunately, she can't take the feeling away. But maybe she can alleviate it.
"You're worried that Throzir will no longer be interested in you. Is that right?"
"What is this 'worried'?" Do these people have no understanding of negative emotions? The words, 'Everyone is happy here' play through her mind. No. She doesn't believe they do.
"Worried is when you're preoccupied with a possibly unfavorable occurrence."
"What if I am worried?"
"I'm just trying to understand why this emotion is occurring. Have you ever had a partner be unfaithful to you before?" She knows the answer even before Onux nods. "I see. And is Throzir different from that partner?"
"They are."
"In what ways?" If she can only point out the differences, then maybe that will give her an opportunity to reframe the situation.
"Throzir is taller."
"How else are they different?" Onux hesitates, leaning against the wall of the cave.
"Throzir is… kind. They care for everyone." Which is probably what got them in this situation in the first place.
"That's good. Do they make you feel loved?" The corners of Onux's lips quirk upwards.
"I was very ill many years ago. I thought I would die. I told Throzir to leave me, but they wouldn't. They never left my side while I recovered."
"It sounds like they love you a great deal."
"Do you have someone who loves you like that, Doctor?" She shakes her head.
"No. I don't. But I'm very happy that you do." Her admission seems to please the Sogun, that is if the gleam in their eyes and the puffing out of their chest is anything to go on. "Knowing what you know about Throzir's character and their love for you, is there any other possible explanation for their behavior that you might not have considered yet?" A few seconds pass before Onux gives a hesitant nod.
"What do I do now? I have injured you and stollen you from your people."
"No harm has been done." She might have a mild concussion, but that's fixed easily enough. "I think the wisest thing for now would be for me to return with you to my people and for you to have a discussion with Throzir about how you're feeling. That way, they know to change their behavior so that they won't hurt you again."
"I can't. They'll hate me."
"Because you made a mistake?" She receives a nod. "Has Throzir ever made a mistake?"
"Yes."
"Then doesn't it make sense that they might understand?" Onux still seems to be on the fence. "I can help you to talk with Throzir, if that will make it easier."
"You would do that?"
"I would. But the only way I can help you is if you and I return to the village." For a moment, she thinks that she's pushed too far. Onux isn't going to relent. Then-
"Can you walk? I hit you on the head. Hard."
"I'm sure I can." Slowly, she climbs to her feet. She feels a bit unsteady, but that's not about to keep her here. "Should we go?"
"We should." Onux starts towards the cave entrance and Amelia follows, taking a deep breath to steady her nerves. It isn't over yet, but for the present, she's out of the danger zone. Now, if only she can keep up with Onux.
Leonard McCoy
The procedure when a crewman is missing isn't that complicated. Their party splits up to talk to the villagers, asking if anyone has seen Amelia. Leonard isn't surprised when that line of enquiry yields no results, but it's still disheartening. A part of him was hoping she had lost her communicator and was in such intense conversation with someone that she hadn't realized how late it was getting.
It's well past midnight on Earth time when they gather in the village square to await further instruction. Even in the dark, he can tell that Jim looks grave. Normally he'd say something to encourage the captain, but right now he can't manage it. He's too worried himself.
"We'll split into search parties, if you'll lend us some of your people, Raad. Two to a group. It's been several hours since anyone last saw her, but she was on foot, so she can't have gotten far."
"We will do anything we can to help, Kirk." Raad looks into the crowd. "Drids, you're with Adams. Azud, with Klinger. Graha, go with Johnson. Throzir, with McCoy-" Great. He gets the Sogun who was paying far too much attention to Amelia. "And I'll be with the captain."
"Have your communicators on. If we don't find her before then, we meet back here at sunrise." Jim tells them. "Dismissed."
"This way, McCoy." Throzir starts off towards the south, leaving Leonard with nothing to do but follow.
Time passes, and what felt like a balmy night earlier quickly becomes stifling in the face of exertion. Around the two-hour mark, Throzir asks him,
"Your females. Do they often get lost? Or is it just Fairchild?" It takes considerable effort not to snap at them for that remark.
"It's not an entirely female condition. Our males get lost just as often. And my money's on Fairchild being taken, not simply getting lost." Throzir frowns.
"Who would have taken her?" His prime suspect would've been the Sogun standing next to him if he hadn't seen them around the time Amelia disappeared. It's impossible for him to know all the Soguns by face, but now that he considers it, there was one other person missing at tonight's meal and the dance that followed.
"What about your mate?"
"Onux wouldn't do such a thing." There's no hiding his scoff.
"Yeah, well, jealousy will do strange things to a person. Make them act completely unlike themselves."
"What is jealousy?" He can feel a frown forming on his face.
"You don't know what jealousy is?"
"No. Your words are foreign to me." How does he explain it? He's a doctor, not a dictionary.
"Jealousy is when you start to suspect that maybe your partner is interested in someone who isn't you."
"Why would Onux be jealous?" He doesn't know?
"You were showing a lot of attention to Dr. Fairchild. I don't think Onux appreciated that much, especially when you touched her."
"Surely Onux knows that there was no ill intention behind my actions."
"I wouldn't be so sure if I were you."
"I think you're mistaken, McCoy."
"It's obvious that you found Fairchild attractive. Partners generally don't like that."
"I found her attractive, yes, but too foreign. Your Dr. Fairchild is like a piece of art. A piece of art is not something to love."
"So your relationship wasn't in any danger?"
"Of course not." Huh. Well, he read that one wrong.
"You might want to tell Onux that." It's only after he's said it and received no reply that he realizes Throzir is no longer beside him. Instead, the Sogun is a few paces back, frozen in place. "Throzir?"
"I think I saw something. A light. It's coming through those trees." Leonard looks where Throzir is pointing, and sure enough, there's a barely perceivable light.
"Is it just me or does it look like it's getting closer?" Without replying, Throzir runs towards the light, leaving him to dart after them. As he jogs, he thinks he can hear voices. It's impossible to hear what they're saying, but one of them sounds feminine. There's only one female on this planet-
"Onux!" Throzir cries out, stopping dead in his tracks.
"I'm here, Throzir." Onux emerges from the trees, followed by a worse-for-wear Amelia. She catches sight of him and offers a weary smile.
"My beloved, why-"
"I took her, Throzir." Ignoring the exchange between the couple, he approaches the counselor.
"Did they hurt you?" She shakes her head, then winces.
"I'm fine. It's just a bump on the head."
"How bad of a bump?"
"I don't know. That's not the most important thing right now." He frowns.
"'Not the most important thing right now?' Are you out of your mind? You could be concussed."
"Maybe, but I'll recover. For now, I have a promise to fulfill."
"What promise?"
"I told Onux I'd help them explain their actions to Throzir."
"The hell you will." Is she…? Amelia starts to walk past him, and sure enough, she's headed towards Onux. "Dr. Fairchild, you will sit still and let me take a look at you." He's very nearly hissing the words at her.
"Leonard-"
"Fairchild?" Onux calls for her. "I need you." She meets his eyes.
"I made a promise."
"In case you've forgotten, Onux kidnapped you! I think that negates any promises you might have made."
"It was part of what made them agree to let me go." It's hard to make out her expression in the dark, but there's no way he could miss the pleading in her voice. "I need to do this. Please." With a sigh, he nods.
"You have until I finish examining you to do whatever it is you plan on doing."
"Thank you." This time, he doesn't try to stop her as she approaches the couple, instead taking out his medical scanner and tricorder and setting to work. She stops just a few feet away from the two Soguns and offers them a smile. "Onux, have you told Throzir about our evening?"
"I have, Fairchild." Onux looks up at Throzir. "I told them that I was… jealous."
"Throzir, how does that make you feel?" Throzir frowns and wraps a protective arm around Onux's shoulders.
"I feel like I never want Onux to doubt my love again."
"Onux, did you tell Throzir what made you jealous?"
"I didn't like it when you touched Fairchild."
"I'm sorry, Onux. I didn't mean to upset you." The taller Sogun cups the shorter one's cheek. "She means nothing to me, my love. She's just interesting, like a new species of beetle." If the situation were different, he'd find that comparison funny. "You are the one who holds my heart. Not her."
"Forgive me, Throzir. I behaved badly."
"It is forgiven. Your jealousy only shows that you care for me." Throzir chuckles. "After all, McCoy was jealous of my treatment of his mate as well." Amelia's eyes widen at that.
"He's not my mate-"
"But you share the same first name." He's not sure who looks more puzzled, Amelia or Throzir.
"'Doctor.'" He mutters under his breath.
"Ah."
"I'm confused." Onux frowns. "If you are not mates, then why was McCoy jealous?"
"I wasn't jealous." Those readings are just as he suspected. She's got a concussion. Not a major one, but enough to where it's a wonder that she's still standing. "And I need to get her back to my ship for treatment as soon as possible." Digging in his pocket, he produces a communicator. "McCoy to landing party."
"Kirk here. Have you found anything, Bones?"
"You can call off the search, Jim. She's here."
"Is she hurt?" Amelia shakes her head and he covers the communication device with his hand.
"Will you stop doing that? You're going to make it worse."
"Bones?"
"She'll make it, but she really shouldn't be walking around."
"I said I'm fine." Amelia whispers the words.
"And I say you need medical attention. Which one of us is the expert here?" She must not have a good reply to that because she falls silent.
"Hail the ship. Tell them to lock onto your coordinates and beam you up. I'll tell the others to meet me at the rendezvous point and we'll beam up from there. Kirk out." Giving the woman standing in front of him a final glance, he does as he's told.
"Enterprise, this is McCoy. Two to beam up."
Amelia Fairchild
"I told you, I'm fine." This must be the twelfth time Amelia has said as much since arriving back at the ship, but it's having no effect. Despite the fact that it took all of thirty seconds to repair her concussion, Leonard is still hovering. Currently, they're sitting at a table in the mess hall since he insisted on escorting her up there after her healing.
"You were kidnapped, Amelia. No normal person would be okay after that."
"What do you want me to say?" She tosses down her fork. "That I was frightened? I was, but it turned out to just be a matter of the green-eyed monster attacking." The frown he's worn consistently for the past hour deepens.
"Why you were kidnapped is irrelevant. That still shouldn't have happened to you."
"I know that, and I'm not angling for it to happen again, but it's like the old saying: no harm, no foul."
"But there was harm. You were hurt."
"And now I'm not." She takes a sip of her water before telling him, "Thank you, by the way."
"It's my job. And yours is to help people process their emotions."
"What's your point?"
"My point is that you need to process yours."
"Consider them processed."
"Already?"
"I'm very efficient." A few moments pass in silence as she eats, and then-
"'Green-eyed monsters' huh?"
"They're nasty creatures." He crosses his arms and offers her a smirk.
"Know that from experience, do you?"
"Does that surprise you?"
"Honestly, I thought you might be too well-adjusted for emotions like jealousy."
"I'm only human, Leonard. And jealousy is a very human emotion."
"You're preaching to the choir."
"Really?" He nods. "So, you can relate to Onux?"
"No. I've never been 'kidnap someone' jealous."
"So how far has it gotten?"
"That's a long story, Amelia." She indicates her tray, which is still mostly full.
"I think I've got time."
"Fine, but only because you were hurt." Leaning back in his chair, he tells her, "You know I'm divorced." He told her as much in their first session, and even if he hadn't, she's looked up his personnel file. "Well, it wasn't exactly an amicable parting of ways."
"Not 'irreconcilable differences' then?"
"No. Infidelity." Seconds tick by, but she stays silent. This is his story to tell, and she won't prod. "We'd been growing apart for years, but I still thought we had a chance of working things out. Then she started working longer hours, going out more. Even when she was home, it was like her mind was somewhere else." Classic signs of a cheating spouse. "Eventually she told me she'd met someone and asked for a divorce. I didn't want things to get ugly because Joanna was old enough to understand what was going on, so I signed. She got custody since I was already in the fleet and spent more time away from Earth than on it." He sighs. "When I suspected there was someone else, I was jealous. As soon as I knew there was, it was like all the fight went out of me. It was over."
"It sounds like you did the best that you could in a difficult situation." And it answers the question about why his relationship with his daughter is in the state that it is. He lost both the battle and ultimately the war.
"Yeah, well, all the options were lousy. I tried to pick the least lousy one." He indicates her. "Your turn."
"My turn for what?"
"When were you the most jealous?" She shrugs.
"It's not that interesting of a story."
"I'll be the judge of that."
"It wasn't serious. I didn't have a spouse and child hanging in the balance."
"That sounds to me like the words of someone who's trying to get out of sharing a personal experience after dragging one out of another person."
"I didn't-"
"Turnabout is fair play, Amelia." He's not going to drop it. That much is obvious. She might as well get it over with. She's adjusted to it, after all. It can't hurt her anymore.
"It's a similar story to yours, actually. I was in a long-term relationship with someone on my old Deep Space station."
"How long term?"
"Five years." His eyebrows shoot up at that, but he doesn't say anything. "I knew the signs. We used to talk for hours, and then he couldn't spare me five minutes. All of a sudden, he started taking better care of his appearance. He was in the room but not really there. And he started hiding his PADD from me. I still wasn't prepared to walk into his quarters one day and find him in bed with another woman." He winces.
"You literally caught him-"
"With his pants down. Yes."
"So how did you handle it?"
"After that, I couldn't bring myself to work with him. So I put in for a transfer. Anywhere else was fine with me. I ended up on a starship, and the rest you know."
"Wait-" He holds up a hand. "-so, all of this happened recently?"
"Around three months ago."
"My god, Amelia."
"It's not an issue. I've adjusted." Her self-worth doesn't decrease simply because someone refused to see it. "I don't mind telling you that it stung, though. I thought-" No, she doesn't need to say that.
"What did you think?" He's been honest with her about a difficult part of his past. She can return the favor.
"I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with him. But obviously that wasn't how it worked out."
"Well, he sounds like an ass." She can't help a snort at that.
"Now that I have some distance from it, I can see that he really was." That provokes a laugh from him.
"Guess what they say is true. It takes one to know one."
"One what?"
"A jilted lover."
"Maybe we should start a club."
"That would be pretty pathetic, wouldn't it?" Nodding, she stands and disposes of her now-empty tray. When she returns, he's on his feet, and together, they start towards the door.
The turbolift is empty, and no one summons it on the way down to deck seven. The adrenaline of the day is wearing off, at least for her, so she doesn't say anything, and he doesn't break the silence either. Finally, it's their stop and they disembark, walking side by side down the hall towards their quarters. She's just about to enter hers when he tells her,
"You know, you deserve to be treated better than that."
"So do you."
"Well, you can't undo the past."
"No, but you can make the future better." He seems to be considering it.
"Goodnight, Amelia."
"Goodnight, Leonard. Thanks for the conversation."
As she gets ready for bed, she mulls over the new information this evening has presented. Leonard McCoy is still a puzzle, but now she has one more piece to it. What she's discovered fits with the profile of emotional distrust. Someone has proven to him that a layer of hostility is necessary as a form of defense. The question is, will he ever overcome that? Shaking her head, she climbs onto the mattress and orders the computer to turn off lights. That's a problem for another day.