Tears in Rain

Posted on Mon Feb 15, 2021 @ 10:32pm by Lieutenant T'Lul & Captain Maritza Soran

2,788 words; about a 14 minute read

Mission: Si vis pacem, para bellum
Location: Anatoles, The Promenade
Timeline: MD01 2000

[ON]

Tonza Soran replicated a simple dress, and some jewelry, and hoped it wasn't for naught. "Just remember darling, its a public place. Please don't wind her up. I just want a nice quiet family meal. She doesn't come home anymore and I want to treasure tonight." She gave her husband a glare. "You can manage two hours. For me."

Dagan Rell admired his wife. "Don't wind her up? Dear, if Maritza were wound any tighter, she might explode." He then laughed, settling into a smile. "So what am I supposed to do? Stay quiet the entire dinner? That would certainly be quiet, though I doubt that Maritza would leave it so. Lord knows she goes on and on about her misguided notions of symbiont supremacy and such."

"Look, I don't agree with her, but she only does it to protect Ahjin, who also doesn't come home." Tonza swallowed her disappointment as she pointed out that fact. "So, please, no politics at the table. And no provoking her."

"Tonza, my love, you know that just looking at her can provoke that girl. I swear, she never outgrew her teenage years." Dagan Rell sighed. "But I will do my best to make sure that she feels like she's in control. But I swear, honey, we need to protect her. Hex is a menace and will stop at nothing to make life difficult, including killing her if it gets to me." He paced the room, disturbed. "Couldn't we just have a nice dinner in, instead?"

Tonza fitted an elegant ruby drop earring, and then put her arms around her husband neck. "No. Public. Think of it as practice for Ahjin's wedding. I'm not having my husband and my daughter interrupting my son's big day because you can't have a civil conversation." She kissed his cheek. "And I know you worry. But she's survived plenty. More than anyone her age deserves to have had to endure. She'll be fine."

"Ahjin's wedding...." He sighed heavily. "You had to remind me...." Sighing even heavier he asked, "So, should I keep to the weather? Except there is no weather on a space station." He paced another few steps and said, "You know that I hate it when you're the one that makes valid points, right?"

She smiled. "I won't make a habit of it." She brushed a bit of lint from his shoulder. "Ask about the weather if you must. I'm sure she can talk for hours about the environmental support. Just nothing Trill."

"But that is why we're here. Renegade symbionts or those carrying them." He growled and asked, "Why must she be so damned stubborn?"

"Genetics?" Tonza suggested primly, taking her husband's arm.

Huffing at Tonza's comment, Dagan Rell smirked at his wife and said, "Clearly from your side of the family."

"Oh, you!" she gasped, exasperated, as they left their quarters. "You know exactly who I mean."

"Of course I do," he said taking his wife's arm and escorting her out. "You," he replied again wish a chuckle. "So, what and where is this restaurant that we are going that I'm forbidden from speaking to my daughter?"

"Anatoles on the promenade. I'm assured its the best on the station. Requiring decorum at all times, and frowns on scenes."

"So, this is not dinner and a show, then." He sighed heavily. "Is there anything else that I should know about your arrangements?"

She patted his arm as they stepped into the turbolift. "Its just dinner, at what I'm assured is a nice restaurant. I figured anything more is just asking to be disappointed."

"An informal dinner would lead to disappointment? It might be much quieter."

"On the contrary it would more likely lead to fisticuffs. I know the pair of you."

"I would NEVER strike Maritza. At least I would not do it as an adult, though I should rightly say that I should have done it more when she was young. It might have knocked some sense into her." He laughed jovially. "Either way, it seems that you have picked up on some of the tools of my trade. But, have any of my people checked it out?"

"Yes, Bariss did it. He says its fine. Terran cuisine, but fine." Tonza told him. The doors opened on the second level of the promenade. "So, ready?"

"Fine? Not a ringing endorsement of someplace that you want a nice quiet, family meal. But, perhaps Maritza and I can bond over the questionable quality of the food?" He took his wife's arm in his, showing how much he loved and respected his mate. "Well, it seems that you have dotted each 'i' and crossed each 't,' so I am as ready as I will ever be." He turned and put on his best smile. "I hope that you will enjoy your family dinner. I will attempt to not be the cause of any explosions."

Anatoles was indeed as his assistant had promised. A Terran restaurant, with incredibly tasteful décor, and populated by tasteful patrons, all eating with decorum and discretion. Maritza was already seated, at a table in the window. She was still in her uniform, her hair still held up in its braids. The Maitre D quickly ushered them over, holding out the chair to Tonza.

"Mother," Maritza greeted, trying to keep the ice out of her voice, and not entirely succeeding. "Daddy."

"Ah! There's my daughter!" Rell responded, biting back the sarcastic comment that was waiting in the back of his head regarding her finally knowing who he was. He was somewhat impressed that she called him "Daddy" rather than "Dad" or "Father." It seemed that perhaps his wife got to her before dinner, too. She was a bit of a marvel that way. He considered going to hug her but some of the ice in Maritza's voice held him off. Still, he held out a seat for his wife and pushed her in once she sat before seating himself. "It is decent of you to join us this evening," he tried awkwardly.

"I was made an offer I didn't dare refuse," Maritza acknowledged, giving her mother a pointed look as waiters handed out menus. "I recommend the scallop and lagoustine parfait with the juniper conift."

Tonza accepted her menu and beamed at her husband and youngest child. "I just want to say how nice it is to see you again, darling. Its been too long. I know-" she held up a hand to forestall the inevitable comments "Demands of the service. But you're allowed time off, surely?"

Maritza thought of her accrued leave, probably almost three months worth now. "It's hard to find a good time."

"Work can be all consuming," her father agreed. "Hard to find good help and when you're responsible you want to make sure everything is done right," he replied absent-mindedly, looking at the menu. "Perhaps I will have the wagyu steak with the mushroom sauce...."

"Its certainly not been boring. Though things seem to be settling down now the Cardassians have gone." Martiza thought of the going away present they'd left, the booby trapped intel that had browned out their comms earlier. "Mostly."

"The Cardassians being gone will not calm a thing down in the long term. It is just the calm before the storm. Mark my words," Rell informed his daughter.

She thought of the conversation she'd had with Kivan and Winters earlier. "I hope you're wrong." But she's suspected he wasn't. "They keep losing because they can't play nice with others. Co-operation would get them so much more than an aggressive position."

"It took hundreds of Earth years, perhaps thousands before what their ancestral wolves turned into their pet dogs. It is much the same with the Cardassians."

Tonza smiled to herself. five whole minutes. Only 85 more to go.

Martiza snorted. "Cardassians are more like Thylacines. It's going to take more than a few millenia before they can be taught how to get along."

Always trying to be competitive with me, even when it does not matter. "I don't know about that, Maritza. I seem to recall one of my predecessors, Kathin Rell having quite positive experiences with at least one Cardassian."

Tonza prodded her daughter under the table. She knew what any reference to the symbiotes past lives would do to the conversation without intervention.

Maritza looked at her mother sharply, and then visibly swallowed whatever retort she had in mind. "There's always exceptions to the rule. However, this station hasn't been blessed with any of them."

"But it has been blessed with Pangea. Otherwise, there would be nothing of interest here for the Cardassians," Rell admitted.

"It has changed our value somewhat. We used to be just the last gas before the gamma quadrant. Now... " She sighed "That planet may cause more problems than its worth."

"That is a matter of perspective," Rell told his daughter. "The Ferengi would say that it poses a unique business opportunity."

"The Ferengi think everything is a business opportunity. Items 34 & 35 of the Rules of Aquisition." Maritza told him.

"War is good for business," Tonza nodded. "Peace is good for business."

"Although, that is true, I and my predecessors have often found that there is wisdom in those little devious creatures' heads. Their overwhelming philosophy is that everything is a matter of perspective," Rell told everyone pedantically.

This time Tonza kicked her husband. She knew that the more he mentioned past hosts the more it would wind Maritza up. She gave him a sweet smile as the waiters brought out the first course. "Shall we stay in the present? Ferenginar is a long way from here." She picked up her soup spoon. "You said this place needs a refit, but it looks in remarkably good condition. Your engineers must do a good job."

"They do. And they all work long hours. I just wish I could get a Chief engineer to hang around. But they took one look at this place, and what they have to work with, and vanish."

"I would have though someone would jump at the chance to take on this place." Her mother said.

Maritza picked up her own fork. "It was built as a staging post and first line of defense against a borg invasion. With that danger past, we weren't the priority we once were. I guess there's not enough glory in it. MAybe now with Pangaea... but the wheels of bureaucracy are slow to turn, and we've been under invested for a while now."

"I'm more than a little surprised that you have not raised hell to get people out here," Rell told his daughter. "I've never known you to allow anything to get in the way of your desires before."

"OPM has me over a barrel and I've run out of favours to call in. Only so many times I can push them without getting shoved to the bottom of the queue. Its almost enough to wish for a Borg invasion."

"You're just not being creative enough," Rell told his daughter. "You need to think outside the box, rather than being so single focused."

This time Tonza kicked him, hard.

Martiza put her fork down. "I have promoted internally as far as I dare. I've appealed for civilian specialists to enlist. I have lodged complaints with OPM, the Corp of Engineers and Starfleet Security about the lack of a decent engineer. Every time they tell me they solved the candidate either never turns up, or takes one look at this place and immediately puts in a transfer, and is gone again in a few days. What would you suggest I do? Go to Planetia Utopia and kidnap their staff?"

Rell gave his wife a sharp look. What did she expect him to do? Allow his daughter not to live up to her full potential? The girl clearly still needed lessons. Despite the fact that she publicly embarrassed him, Maritza was still his daughter and he was going to make sure that whether she liked it or not, she was going to use her complete faculties. When he heard Maritza suggest kidnapping staff, he laughed boisterously. "Well, that would definitely be out of the box."

"I'm quite sure than anyone who can fake out the Commission as completely as she did has left no stone unturned, dear." Tonza said, trying to pour oil onto waters that were starting to look troubled. "You've never let things drop before, I doubt you're starting now."

His daughter smirked at him, "I'm not completely out of ideas. But avenues that don't lead to a prison sentence are exhausted. I'm down to pestering. Its not as efficient as I like, but persistence delivers results, eventually."

Rell sharply looked at his wife, wondering why she was pouring salt into his wounds when she supposedly wanted a quiet dinner. “It depends on who you are pestering and who is doing it.” All the while, he let his eyes accusingly sharp on his wife.

"I'm afraid I'm just a lowly captain." Maritza said. "And a young one. I'm just one of several thousand, all clamouring for attention. And going over the heads of OPM is a sure fire way to make sure I never get any decent staff, so I need to read carefully. What would you do?" She left the If you think you know everything unsaid.

"Find out who has spouses or love interests that are off station and encourage them to come. Also, perhaps a PR campaign espousing the virtues of DS5..." Rell suggested.

Tonza frowned. "I don't see how getting the spouses of people already here is going to get her a new Engineer."

Maritza only frowned. "PR? This is a peacekeeping posting, not holiday camp." But there was a question in her voice, she hadn't completely dismissed the idea.

Rell smiled at his daughter and ignored his wife for the moment. "Of course. You have to make this place attractive. Make people want to transfer here. Perhaps advertise the virtues of being close to Pangaea."

"Yes, come to DS5. Doors to evil other dimensions and mirror universes just below your feet and racial tensions to your left and political tensions to your right." Maritza said drily. "Knowing most fleeters," she sighed, "It will work."

Rell smiled at his daughter pleasantly and giving her a nod of Of course it will. I thought of it . But he said nothing more other than, "We are supposed to get service here, aren't we? What does someone have to do to get service? Die?"

Something hit at the back of his neck, and he felt a sharp sting.

Reflexively, Rell's right hand flew to the back of his neck, as he said, "Ow." There was a needle there. He started to grasp and pull at it but he found that his fingers were starting to fail him. "I can't...." His words started to fail. HE knew how to make the sounds but they were starting to come out less clearly. "feeeeeeeel," he wanted to point to the back of his head and say how he was trying to say words but they were starting to come out as a slurred mess. "ssssummm..zmmmmmss..exxxxesssss....eeellll....wwwuvvvv...ooooo...." Involuntarily, his eyes were drying out. He wanted to close them. Strain showed on his face as he tried to force them closed.

Tonza had stood, rushing to his side, She saw the small dart cannister and shrieked, pulling it out and throwing it to the table.

Maritza, also rising to her feet at her father's evident distress, went cold. This wasn't natural causes. She knew who would use chemicals rather phasers or cruder weapons. She felt curiously detached from her mother's increasingly frantic insistence that her husband would be okay. She touched her commbadge, feeling justified for not taking off her uniform. "Emergency Medical beam out. Three to sick bay. And lock down the Promenade, no one in, no-one out."

She grabbed her father's hand. She was sure it was over, She knew what Hex had done to the Commission Agent he'd sent out here. "I'll find Hex," she promised him, as the transporter beam took them all.

With enormous effort, Rell tried to close his hand around Martiza's but failed remaining open. Instead, he was able to utter "ooooo irrrrrrrlllllllllllllll." The last consonants faded away with Rell's last breaths. Rell's face did not relax as paralysis formally set in everywhere on his body. His strained facial expression, getting out his last words, such as they were, remained and would be frozen eternally.

[OFF]

Captain Maritza Soran
CO
DS5

Tonza Soran
[NPC by Soran]

Dagan Rell
[Dead NPC by Amanda Rose]

 

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