by Commander Salvek
90102.0100
…continued from part one
-=Engineering, Romulan Ship=-
90102.0100
…continued from part one
-=Engineering, Romulan Ship=-
Taris remained motionless, and Zanh Liis grew increasing nervous that something was going on here she was not aware of.
She caught a whiff of an acrid odor in the air, and dropped her phaser as her hands flew to cover her mouth and nose. The last thing she saw as she lost consciousness was Keiran, Blane and Lindsay falling to the deck.
Salvek looked over at the Captain, taking his eyes off Taris for just two seconds, an eternity, which Taris took full advantage of. She flew across the room, and drove her forearm into the Vulcan’s chest, sending them both tumbling across the room into the unconscious body of Keiran O’Sullivan.
Taris quickly regained her footing, and ripped the phaser from Salvek’s hands. She pointed it at him, and Salvek raised his hands in surrender.
“Duofremalide, I developed it myself. The gas renders any species unconscious except for Romulans. I guess that applies to Vulcans as well.”
Taris kept an eye on Salvek as she rounded up the rest of the weapons in the room.
“In five minutes Salvek, you will die here, surrounded by your friends. How wonderful for you. As for me, I’ll be on my way back to Romulan space, where I will soon find a new ship, and be back soon enough so Lair Arie and I can finish what we started.”
Taris checked on the bomb once more, as Salvek’s hand slid backwards towards the hilt he saw protruding from Keiran O’Sullivan’s boot. He drew the blade out of its sheath, and slid it under his leg to conceal it from her view.
Content with the operation of her explosive, Taris returned to Salvek, and crouched in front of him.
“Such a pity, we would have made a wonderful team you and I. But I’m afraid its time for me to go.”
Taris stretched her legs and stood back up. As she did, Salvek grabbed the muzzle of her phaser, and pushed the weapon into her chest. Taris fell backwards onto the deck, and Salvek was on top of her in an instant, brandishing the knife he had taken from O’Sullivan. He pushed the phaser aside as Taris fired wildly, and roared with fury.
He brought the knife down, and plunged it into Taris’s chest.
The blow was fueled with anger and rage that overcame Salvek, and drove his movements. Taris dropped the phaser, and moved both her hands onto the handle of the weapon. Her expression was not pain, nor was it fear. It was simply, surprise.
Salvek grabbed the weapon off the deck, and diffused the bomb on the warp core.
“Salvek to Serendipity. Please transport a med-kit to my location.”
[Will do.] Dabin Reece answered.
He heard the hum of the transporter a moment later, and pulled a hypo of stimulant out of the kit. He pressed it to Blane, Zanh, O’Sullivan and Lindsay, bringing each of them back around.
Salvek helped Zanh Liis up off the deck, and brought her to Taris’s side. The Romulan was still awake, but it was only a matter of time.
“It’s not too late to have McKay save her,” Zanh Liis said. Like it or not Federation rules were clear about rendering medical aid, even to the enemy.
“I will not be touched by your filth. Let me die with my dignity.” Taris spat.
Liis balled her fists up in rage. “Fine, if you are refusing treatment, then you can lay there and die. The sooner the better. Let’s get out of here.”
“Go ahead, I will stay behind with Taris.” Salvek said.
“Damn it, Salvek! Not this time!” Liis roared.
“She does not deserve to die alone,” Salvek said. “No one does.”
Zanh stood silent, reserving comment on just what it was she believed Taris deserved, after all she’d done.
“Captain,” Keiran reached out and closed his hand around her arm. Instinctively she bristled, then looked at him apologetically.
“Can I have a moment?”
“Fine. Blane, Lindsay, don’t let either of those two out of your sight.” Zanh instructed. “I mean it. And if she so much as tries to get up off the deck, shoot her.”
Keiran took Liis aside, and whispered so only she could hear.
“You have to give this to the man. She’s killed his parents, abducted his child. He wants some answers before she dies and he’s entitled to them. What would you say if you had a chance to confront the Cardassians that took yer family from ya?”
“I’d have nothing to say to them,” Liis replied flatly.
“I don’ think ya mean that. At least Salvek has an enemy to talk to. My father’s illness has no mouth to speak to me, nor body I can kill to save him. Do ya not think if I could demand answers as to why things have to be this way for him, that I would?”
If it were any other man, Liis would have heard none of it, but she trusted Keiran’s opinion more than any other. She headed for the exit without another word.
Keiran looked over his shoulder at the others, “Blane, Lindsay, outside. Commander Salvek will handle Taris from here.”
Salvek waited for the room to clear, and sat on the floor beside Taris.
“You should listen to your Captain,” Taris said, her eyes cold and defiant.
“Why?” Salvek asked. The word was not meant to question why he should listen to Zanh Liis, but rather why Taris had devoted her life to bringing pain to his family.
“You had what I needed.”
“Needed,” Salvek repeated. “I have heard that word often lately. I do not have what you need, I have what you want.”
Taris scoffed. “Call it what you like.”
“Was there ever a point where you simply considered building a life for yourself? On Romulus?”
“This is my life. Since I was a child I have understood that the powerful will always survive over the weak, and the only way to truly gain power is to seize it.”
“The knife in your chest would seem to disprove your argument,” Salvek replied.
Taris began to tremble, as her body started to shut down from the loss of blood. Still she showed no pain on her face, she would not give Salvek the satisfaction.
“I’d rather die like this, and so would my father if he were in my place. Death is the only salvation for those of us who fail.”
“Your father?”
“He was a glorious man, who taught me everything about the nature of the galaxy.”
Salvek saw the pieces of the puzzle falling into place. *Evil is rarely ever born, it is raised and cultivated. Taris was no different. *
“Just because you are taught something does not mean it is the only truth. You are an intelligent woman, and you could have lived a long and productive life. I pity that you cannot see that.”
“I have no regrets,” Taris voice was trembling along with her body now. “I could not obtain your secrets, but at least I got one thing from you.”
“What is that?” Salvek asked.
“I’ve touched you.”
“I do not understand.”
“I saw the look on your face when you plunged the knife into my chest. You were angry, enraged, and satisfied with yourself. I know you, Salvek, and I know only Lair Kellyn has ever made you feel like that. She has brought you love and joy, and now I have brought you hate and malevolence.”
Taris lifted a shaking hand to his tunic, grasping a handful of his clothing. “You will carry that part of me with you forever now.”
“You overestimate your influence on me,” Salvek’s words were honest, but his confidence in them was rattled.
“We’ll see,” Taris said, with ice in her voice. Salvek could tell she was slipping closer and closer towards death. As her vision began to fail, her bravado failed with it. She could not help but wince at the pain, which made her question her decision to refuse Zanh Liis’ offer of help.
Her carefully practiced expression melted away from her face, and she began to mumble incoherently. Salvek could not understand what she said, but was able to make out one last phrase before her voice ceased.
“Thank you for not letting me die alone.”
She was motionless now, and Salvek felt the overwhelming need to tell her one last thing, for the good of his own soul, and hers, before she was completely gone.
One last thing, lest he truly carry the anger she had inspired with him for the rest of his days.
He gathered her lifeless body up into his arms, and pressed his hands to her face, to initiate a mind meld. Her spirit was weak, a dimly light room in her mind, form his perspective. He felt her presence, and spoke just three words to her.
*I forgive you.*
He felt her mind brush against his. The deeply seeded layers of hate that years of pursuing Salvek and training by her father had build up around her melted away, and she had only one thing to say to him.
*Thank you.*
The dimly lit room turned black, and Salvek was alone. He released his hold on her, and lay her down on the deck.
Salvek left engineering, and found the rest of the Away Team right outside the door. Keiran quickly folded up the tricorder he was holding, a little too late for Salvek to not realize that O’Sullivan had been monitoring his life signs the whole time he was alone with Taris.
“It is over.”
“Are ya all right?” Keiran asked. His heart swelled with its overwhelmingly protective spirit, as he saw the turmoil in Salvek’s eyes. He resisted the urge to offer his hand to hold the man up, letting Salvek stand on his own.
“I am going home to my family. I am all right.”
**********************
Commander Salvek
First Officer
USS Serendipity NCC-2012
Commander Salvek
First Officer
USS Serendipity NCC-2012