Reckoning, Part One
by Zanh Liis
71224.23
-=Location: Bajor: Eight days after To Light the Sky at Night=-
by Zanh Liis
71224.23
-=Location: Bajor: Eight days after To Light the Sky at Night=-
Jariel refused to let go of Liis' hand.
Wherever she went, whatever they were doing; when it was physically possible to be in contact with her, he was.
Finally she'd been allowed to leave the hospital, and they had two days left to spend on Bajor before they were to be transported back to Earth.
Liis still hadn't been debriefed yet regarding her experiences after her abduction. However, the need for Starfleet to get her statement in person was not the only reason she'd been summoned back to Earth.
There had been some indication from Salvek via subspace that they may be reassigned- herself along with the whole lot who had gone on the mission to rescue her.
When it came to her own position, she wasn't surprised by reassignment. She had never intended to sit in the command chair of the Federation's most opulent showpiece. She preferred a position where she felt that she could really make a difference in the long run to the sensation of spinning her wheels in endless political debates and diplomatic nightmares.
As far as the rest of the crew went, though, they were definitely the very best that Starfleet had within its ranks and she had no doubt that they did belong on the flagship. She didn't want them to face any negative repercussions because they had been dedicated to her, and chosen to help her. Their careers should not suffer because they were loyal to the woman they considered 'their' Captain- whether Starfleet called her only 'Acting"- or not.
She planned to make that point clearly and unmistakably as soon as she had the very first opportunity to do so.
Liis was anxious to thank them, too, each of the loyal men and women who had come rushing to her defense. They were the best friends, and crewmates, anyone could ask for.
Her doctors demanded she stay planet-side another fifty two hours before they'd release her for travel, and knowing that she had to wait anyway, she was truly looking forward to sleeping in a real bed, eating real food, and holding close the only man she had ever loved.
Wherever she went, whatever they were doing; when it was physically possible to be in contact with her, he was.
Finally she'd been allowed to leave the hospital, and they had two days left to spend on Bajor before they were to be transported back to Earth.
Liis still hadn't been debriefed yet regarding her experiences after her abduction. However, the need for Starfleet to get her statement in person was not the only reason she'd been summoned back to Earth.
There had been some indication from Salvek via subspace that they may be reassigned- herself along with the whole lot who had gone on the mission to rescue her.
When it came to her own position, she wasn't surprised by reassignment. She had never intended to sit in the command chair of the Federation's most opulent showpiece. She preferred a position where she felt that she could really make a difference in the long run to the sensation of spinning her wheels in endless political debates and diplomatic nightmares.
As far as the rest of the crew went, though, they were definitely the very best that Starfleet had within its ranks and she had no doubt that they did belong on the flagship. She didn't want them to face any negative repercussions because they had been dedicated to her, and chosen to help her. Their careers should not suffer because they were loyal to the woman they considered 'their' Captain- whether Starfleet called her only 'Acting"- or not.
She planned to make that point clearly and unmistakably as soon as she had the very first opportunity to do so.
Liis was anxious to thank them, too, each of the loyal men and women who had come rushing to her defense. They were the best friends, and crewmates, anyone could ask for.
Her doctors demanded she stay planet-side another fifty two hours before they'd release her for travel, and knowing that she had to wait anyway, she was truly looking forward to sleeping in a real bed, eating real food, and holding close the only man she had ever loved.
--=Central Vedek Assembly Sanctuary=--
The change of scenery was definitely welcome as Camen led her through the gates of the extensive Central Assembly gardens. He was being careful to watch her, to see if she was getting tired. She wouldn't be quick to volunteer such information, and he knew it.
She hadn't required a new heart, thankfully. Hers was repaired with a new aorta and some creative surgical techniques. The doctors promised her that with the continued dermal regeneration, in a month you would barely know she had ever had a wound on her chest.
The mental scars of her traumatic experience, they cautioned, would take a lot longer to fade.
Doctors had also taken the time while they had her under anesthesia and on the operating table to bring in a secondary surgical team, to replace the tritanium implants in her spine that had been giving her so much trouble, as well. While they told her that her back would never be what it was before the combat injury all those years ago, they could promise that it would certainly be an improvement over the repairs she had suffered with for so long.
The best guest accommodations at the sanctuary had been reserved for them. Camen enjoyed finally introducing Prylar Chem, his old friend from his own time spent recuperating here, to the woman without whom he was like "a kicked puppy" according to the old man.
When Chem met Liis, his only comment was, “I can see why you would be so lost without her, Camen."
Camen took Liis to their room, wanting her to rest awhile. As he tucked her into the bed piled high with pillows and handmade quilts, she sighed. She sank easily into unfamiliar bliss- knowing that she could fall asleep here in complete safety. She thought that she had no need of a heaven later on, living a moment like this.
She glanced over at Jariel. He looked so much healthier to her, now that she was out of the hospital and they were in a place where he felt so much at home. She knew that this scare had taken a lot out of him, and she hoped that she would be able to convey to him properly, in time, just how grateful she was for all he had done.
He was so handsome, and she admired him now as he continued to fuss over her blankets and pillows. He had taken to wearing his robe again as soon as they reached Bajor, which didn’t surprise her. What would have surprised her, had she known the truth, was that he did so with a dual set of intentions.
The secondary reason was to show respect for the other Vedeks and for the title that he himself carried. His primary motivation, however, was that people seemed to move a lot quicker, and perform their duties a lot more thoroughly knowing that Starfleet Captain Zanh Liis was the beloved of one of Bajor's most respected and well known members of clergy. If wearing the robe helped people remember that his Liis deserved the best of all possible care, then he'd wear the robe.
His eyes were regaining their brightness it seemed, at last. He had managed to get some real sleep the past few nights when she did, as she recovered in the hospital. But only after she'd been disconnected from the last of her support equipment, and allowed to lower the railings on the bed, and he was able to settle into it beside her.
That arrangement suited her fine, too. After all that she had been through trying to hold on so she could get back to him, she wanted to spend as much time in close physical proximity to him as she could. They way she figured it, between their two careers, it could be years before they ever got so many uninterrupted days together again, if ever.
The fact they had so much time alone while she recovered was only surpassed in her mind by one more amazing event that had come out of this whole mess.
The return of his voice.
She didn't pretend to understand why the Prophets had chosen to give him his voice back now, and Jariel was reluctant to give her any specific reasons.
She believed that he was trying to protect her from something by withholding the information, and for once in her life she decided to let it go, at least for now. She trusted him implicitly, and knew he'd never keep anything from her that she absolutely needed to know. She chose to let him protect her this time, just as he saw fit.
Since she'd regained consciousness, they talked, and talked, and talked some more. Every waking moment she had questions for him about the things he'd remembered, and he for her about the things that he still didn't understand.
Conversations lasted until their throats were sore, their voices nearly gone from overuse, and they both fell into exhausted sleep wrapped in the safety of each other's arms.
Liis was absolutely astounded by all the things that he remembered, about time lines in which he had technically never lived. The Orbs had filled his mind with so much information that he still had not processed it all, and she believed that it would take him years, if not the rest of his lifetime to make sense of all the random images that were buried in his mind.
"Is there anything else you require, Soshara?" He asked now, sitting beside her on the bed and leaning in for a long, slow kiss. Her heart sped up, and she was relieved to find that that was all it did. She felt no pain in her chest, which was a very good sign. It seemed her recovery was well on its way. In fact, the doctors said they were astounded how quickly she was healing once she'd been started on the proper course of treatment.
Liis had replied that Vedek Jariel’s presence was the very best medicine of all.
"Only your company," Liis answered. She returned his kiss, holding his face in her hands tenderly. She touched the chain on his earring, and felt sadness for a moment. Hers was gone- the earring he had given her years ago so that she would never feel parted from him, physically. Her eyes grew distant, and Camen noticed immediately.
"What's wrong? Are you in pain?"
"No, it's just." She hesitated. "My earring, and my silver ring. When I woke up, they were both gone. I guess the Ferengi got to them. Probably sold them or put them in a trophy case." She looked away. "It's stupid, I know. I'm lucky to be alive. They're just possessions. But they were both tied to you so tightly. I will miss them."
"I forgot!" Jariel said, and he reached into the inner vest pocket in his robe and pulled out a small pouch. "The Doctor took them off of you, when you were in stasis on the Alchemy. Here they are, my Liis." He smiled. "I took the liberty of having the chain repaired. It looked as if it must have been damaged during your,” he chose his next word carefully, “adventure." He clipped the earring into its proper place, and gently slid the ring onto her finger.
"They must have left them on me as proof of my identity," she whispered, tilting her fingers and looking at the ring. Her hand felt complete again, with it restored. "Romulans are big on proof. They'd surely have scanned and blood typed and DNA sequenced me the moment they got their hands on me, to be sure I really am Zanh Liis."
Jariel shuddered as they shared an expression of dread.
They both knew those were the very least of the things that the Romulans would have done to her.
"Shhh," Jariel kissed her forehead and then held her gaze a long moment. His eyes were so warm, and deep and honest, they could make her forget everything else within an instant of meeting her own. "No nightmares here. Only dreams, Soshara. You need to rest, you've had a busy day."
"Mmmm." Liis closed her eyelids, which were heavy. "I am exhausted."
"I will return in a little while and then I will see to your supper," he kissed her again, determined that he wouldn't waste a single chance to do so during this precious, rare span of uninterrupted time alone. "Rest well, my Liis."
For some reason as he moved toward the door, Liis became nervous. Her words surprised him, catching him off guard as he pulled the door closed.
"Be careful, Camen."
She hadn't required a new heart, thankfully. Hers was repaired with a new aorta and some creative surgical techniques. The doctors promised her that with the continued dermal regeneration, in a month you would barely know she had ever had a wound on her chest.
The mental scars of her traumatic experience, they cautioned, would take a lot longer to fade.
Doctors had also taken the time while they had her under anesthesia and on the operating table to bring in a secondary surgical team, to replace the tritanium implants in her spine that had been giving her so much trouble, as well. While they told her that her back would never be what it was before the combat injury all those years ago, they could promise that it would certainly be an improvement over the repairs she had suffered with for so long.
The best guest accommodations at the sanctuary had been reserved for them. Camen enjoyed finally introducing Prylar Chem, his old friend from his own time spent recuperating here, to the woman without whom he was like "a kicked puppy" according to the old man.
When Chem met Liis, his only comment was, “I can see why you would be so lost without her, Camen."
Camen took Liis to their room, wanting her to rest awhile. As he tucked her into the bed piled high with pillows and handmade quilts, she sighed. She sank easily into unfamiliar bliss- knowing that she could fall asleep here in complete safety. She thought that she had no need of a heaven later on, living a moment like this.
She glanced over at Jariel. He looked so much healthier to her, now that she was out of the hospital and they were in a place where he felt so much at home. She knew that this scare had taken a lot out of him, and she hoped that she would be able to convey to him properly, in time, just how grateful she was for all he had done.
He was so handsome, and she admired him now as he continued to fuss over her blankets and pillows. He had taken to wearing his robe again as soon as they reached Bajor, which didn’t surprise her. What would have surprised her, had she known the truth, was that he did so with a dual set of intentions.
The secondary reason was to show respect for the other Vedeks and for the title that he himself carried. His primary motivation, however, was that people seemed to move a lot quicker, and perform their duties a lot more thoroughly knowing that Starfleet Captain Zanh Liis was the beloved of one of Bajor's most respected and well known members of clergy. If wearing the robe helped people remember that his Liis deserved the best of all possible care, then he'd wear the robe.
His eyes were regaining their brightness it seemed, at last. He had managed to get some real sleep the past few nights when she did, as she recovered in the hospital. But only after she'd been disconnected from the last of her support equipment, and allowed to lower the railings on the bed, and he was able to settle into it beside her.
That arrangement suited her fine, too. After all that she had been through trying to hold on so she could get back to him, she wanted to spend as much time in close physical proximity to him as she could. They way she figured it, between their two careers, it could be years before they ever got so many uninterrupted days together again, if ever.
The fact they had so much time alone while she recovered was only surpassed in her mind by one more amazing event that had come out of this whole mess.
The return of his voice.
She didn't pretend to understand why the Prophets had chosen to give him his voice back now, and Jariel was reluctant to give her any specific reasons.
She believed that he was trying to protect her from something by withholding the information, and for once in her life she decided to let it go, at least for now. She trusted him implicitly, and knew he'd never keep anything from her that she absolutely needed to know. She chose to let him protect her this time, just as he saw fit.
Since she'd regained consciousness, they talked, and talked, and talked some more. Every waking moment she had questions for him about the things he'd remembered, and he for her about the things that he still didn't understand.
Conversations lasted until their throats were sore, their voices nearly gone from overuse, and they both fell into exhausted sleep wrapped in the safety of each other's arms.
Liis was absolutely astounded by all the things that he remembered, about time lines in which he had technically never lived. The Orbs had filled his mind with so much information that he still had not processed it all, and she believed that it would take him years, if not the rest of his lifetime to make sense of all the random images that were buried in his mind.
"Is there anything else you require, Soshara?" He asked now, sitting beside her on the bed and leaning in for a long, slow kiss. Her heart sped up, and she was relieved to find that that was all it did. She felt no pain in her chest, which was a very good sign. It seemed her recovery was well on its way. In fact, the doctors said they were astounded how quickly she was healing once she'd been started on the proper course of treatment.
Liis had replied that Vedek Jariel’s presence was the very best medicine of all.
"Only your company," Liis answered. She returned his kiss, holding his face in her hands tenderly. She touched the chain on his earring, and felt sadness for a moment. Hers was gone- the earring he had given her years ago so that she would never feel parted from him, physically. Her eyes grew distant, and Camen noticed immediately.
"What's wrong? Are you in pain?"
"No, it's just." She hesitated. "My earring, and my silver ring. When I woke up, they were both gone. I guess the Ferengi got to them. Probably sold them or put them in a trophy case." She looked away. "It's stupid, I know. I'm lucky to be alive. They're just possessions. But they were both tied to you so tightly. I will miss them."
"I forgot!" Jariel said, and he reached into the inner vest pocket in his robe and pulled out a small pouch. "The Doctor took them off of you, when you were in stasis on the Alchemy. Here they are, my Liis." He smiled. "I took the liberty of having the chain repaired. It looked as if it must have been damaged during your,” he chose his next word carefully, “adventure." He clipped the earring into its proper place, and gently slid the ring onto her finger.
"They must have left them on me as proof of my identity," she whispered, tilting her fingers and looking at the ring. Her hand felt complete again, with it restored. "Romulans are big on proof. They'd surely have scanned and blood typed and DNA sequenced me the moment they got their hands on me, to be sure I really am Zanh Liis."
Jariel shuddered as they shared an expression of dread.
They both knew those were the very least of the things that the Romulans would have done to her.
"Shhh," Jariel kissed her forehead and then held her gaze a long moment. His eyes were so warm, and deep and honest, they could make her forget everything else within an instant of meeting her own. "No nightmares here. Only dreams, Soshara. You need to rest, you've had a busy day."
"Mmmm." Liis closed her eyelids, which were heavy. "I am exhausted."
"I will return in a little while and then I will see to your supper," he kissed her again, determined that he wouldn't waste a single chance to do so during this precious, rare span of uninterrupted time alone. "Rest well, my Liis."
For some reason as he moved toward the door, Liis became nervous. Her words surprised him, catching him off guard as he pulled the door closed.
"Be careful, Camen."
--=/\=--
Captain Zanh Liis
Recovering on Bajor
USS Alchemy NX-53099
Captain Zanh Liis
Recovering on Bajor
USS Alchemy NX-53099