Answer Me!

Posted on Fri Jul 24, 2015 @ 9:51am by erie'Riov Rianni Monteros-t'Khellian

1,025 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Eye of the Beholder
Location: Dhelan, Rianni's Quarters
Timeline: Current

After eating Rianni had retrieved her personal link, knowing that there was probably little chance of being able to get in touch with the station, but she had to try. Her first call was, surprisingly, not to her parents, her Grandfather, or even her aunt, she had to check on Amanda. She dialed the number, an ancient reference that she still didn't get, and waited for her girlfriend to reply, "Come on, Amanda...."

Five alerts unanswered activated the automatic response, "Hi, you've reached Amanda Lanos. I'm sorry I'm not available right now, please leave a message so I can return your call. Oh, and if this is Rianni, love you!"

"Amanda, it's me, look, we just barely got away from the station." Rianni began, "Please call me and let me know you're all right. I love you."

The chime on her door rang, snapping Rianni back to the here and now, and she turned to answer it, "In."

Centurion t'Kori walked in when invited, carrying a tray of various Romulan delicacies, "We had to do some scraping, Sub-Commander, but hopefully it will do." She said with a smile.

"It'll be fine." Rianni nodded, "Thanks, t'Kori."

"Something troubles you." t'Kori noted, "Can I help?"

"I doubt it." Rianni shrugged, "Besides, I'm sure it's probably nothing anyway. Just couldn't get through to my girlfriend."

"I'm sure she's fine." t'Kori reassured her, not about to tell her CO that the death toll from DS5 kept rising, "Probably lost her comm somewhere in all the chaos. Once she finds it, she'll call you."

"I'm sure you're right." Rianni smiled, shoveling a fork full of.... something into her mouth, ~Whatever it is, at least it tastes okay.~ "Yeah, I'm sure that's all it is."

"I'll keep an ear out, Sub-Commander." t'Kori promised, "In the mean time I'll let you eat. Call me if you need anything."

"I will." Rianni smiled, watching her new XO walk out of her room and returning to her food.

Thirty minutes later Rianni had managed to eat the entire tray, something about near death experiences having always made her hungry, but the nagging need to talk to Amanda, to know she was alright, wouldn't let her go. She attempted the link again, and after the five missed alerts found herself listening to her girlfriend's away message again, running her hands through her hair in frustration, "Amanda, it's me again. I'm really starting to worry about you, please call me back. I love you."

An hour passed with no contact, and Rianni was nearing panic, but couldn't allow herself to lose it, especially not after what she and all her crew had already been through. ~Maybe she can answer now.~ She thought, attempting the link to Amanda again. Again, no answer, "Amanda, I'm starting to get scared here. As soon as you get these PLEASE call me back!"

After another fifteen minutes passed with no contact Rianni's hands began to tremble as she had started to fear the worst. She rose from her bed, grabbing one of the beautiful, thick towels her Grandfather had given her before her last voyage out, ~A bath will calm me down.~ She surmised, also surmising that if anything would make her start receiving calls like it was Grand Central Station around there it would be her getting into the tub.

She'd spent nearly an hour in the tub getting calmed down until the water got too cold to bear, and now she emerged and dried off, wrapping herself in the Romulan silk robe someone who had wanted to kiss her aunt's butt had given her on the day of her adoption and taking a seat in front of the vanity, brushing her hair and trying to focus on that and not on the non-ringing comm, ~Hair's a mess.~ She sighed internally, realizing how badly she'd let herself go, ~Maybe when I get back Aunt Isha or one of her attendants can cut it for me. I know she was disappointed in my appearance. Maybe time to go short again?~

As Rianni contemplated her potential new look her comm finally rang. Dashing to it she opened the link to find.... J'Tar, "J'Tar, hi, I guess you've heard, huh?"

"Indeed." Her brother replied sternly, a bit uncomfortable seeing his sister in a not fully closed robe. He made a slight motion with his fingers asking, "Could you?"

"Huh?" Rianni asked, then looked down and realized what he'd meant, quickly closing her robe completely, "Okay, yeah, sorry. So, what do you know?"

"Only that Father, Eleni, and Ashara are safe." He replied, "Nothing of Isha or anyone else on DS5."

"So you're having trouble getting through, too?" Rianni sighed in relief, clearly that was the problem! She smiled to her brother and continued, "I guess their comms array is still down. Would explain why I haven't been able to get through to Amanda!"

"Ahh, yes, Amanda." J'Tar nodded. He knew and understood how his sister 'was', but he didn't understand why she was getting emotionally involved with this human woman when her betrothed husband was a mere two days out, ~D'Rek D'Liin isn't much, more vole than man, but at least he's a Romulan.~ "I am sure she's fine, sister. Let me know if you hear anything from Isha."

"Of course." Rianni obeyed, she'd never been intimidated by any man the way she was by her brother.

"Very good, tr'Khellian out." He said flatly, then vanished from her screen.

With her brother gone she decided to try Amanda just once more. This time, with the knowledge that comms were probably still down, she wasn't as worried when Amanda didn't answer, "Hey, baby! I know you're probably going to get these all at once because the comms are fubar there, but I wanted you to know I'm thinking about you and I love you very much!" She began, "We're going to have such a laugh about this when we're together again. Call me when you get these, k? LOVE YOU!"

She took a deep breath and put her comm on her nightstand, laying back down beside Mittens, "Yeah, everything's just fine...."

-Off

 

RSS Feed