round 21 LtCmdrs Sundassa Faranster & Jalana Laxyn - You are not fine

[Selene Faranfey]

(( Quarters Laxyn/Lanius ))

:: As good as it was for Jalana to distract herself with work, talking with Dr. Mike and Nyals and exploring the new Sick Bay, at some point she had to return into her quarters and that point had come sooner than she had expected. Upon return she had hoped to find him in their quarters, waiting for her with an explanation why she had not seen him for a few days, but all that greeted her was quiet emptiness and that has it been ever since. ::

:: The night had been short and empty and her morning walk had not helped to calm her down. With a sigh she kicked off her shoes and dropped on the couch, turning slightly to look out of the window, seeing metal bars that held the ship in position and behind it Station 1. Maybe she should get over there and try to keep her mind off things. But instead she wanted to stay here, wait, wishing that the doors opened any moment and he would stand there with his [...]y smile and tell her that he just had a few too much to drink with his buddies and got carried away. Or anything that would make sense really. What was going on? ::

:: Sun wanted to wait until they had enough information regarding what was going on with Viktor before talking to Jalana. While she didn't have all the details, and she wasn't sure if she would ever have all the information, she knew that if Jaxx disappeared like this, she wouldn't be able to handle it. So the longer she waited to tell her friend what she knew, the more pain her friend was going to go through. There was a different kind of pain that came with not knowing, than with knowing. ::

:: Straightening her uniform, she walked towards the quarters that were assigned to her friend, the quarters that she was sure Jalana thought Viktor would be sharing with her. Taking a deep breath, she rung the bell. ::

:: When the ringer of the bell went off she literally jumped off the couch and crossed the living room with running steps. That must be him, he had not been on board yet so maybe the computer did not recognize him as inhabitant yet. She almost banged into the door, if it were not for her slithering over the ground on her bare feet. With a bang of her hand, that was still in motion, on the opener next to the door the wings of it swooshed open and Jalana's heart dropped. ::

Laxyn: Oh.

:: Sun could only imagine who her friend was expecting when the door opened, maybe she was thinking that the computer wasn't programmed to recognize Viktor. But, she didn't take the tone of the word personally, or least she tried not to. ::

Faranster: Hmmm... Not exactly the friendliest greeting I've gotten...

Laxyn: What? No.. sorry. Come in.


:: Sun stepped forward over the threshold as she spoke. ::

Faranster: I probably should have contacted you first, I feel like I disappointed you.

Laxyn: I thought it's Viktor. Do you want something to drink?

:: Sun looked around the room, she knew Jalana was waiting for Viktor, it would have been what Sun had done. But the words, made it harder for her eyes to meet Jalana's. She was delivering almost the worst news possible, and the possible reactions Jalana could have. For the moment she focused on the offer of a drink. :: .oO That's right Sun, take this visit one step at a time. Oo.

Faranster: Sure, a glass of water would be fine.

:: The Trill walked up to the replicator and got their glasses of water, before walking to the seating corner and put both down. ::

Laxyn: Please, sit. How was your shore leave? Did you and Jaxx have a nice time?

:: After carefully picking out her seat, Sun sat, and picked up the glass of water, taking a sip.. She was glad that she had decided to wear the ring Jaxx gave her, on a chain, under her uniform. Not that she wanted to hide the news from her friend, but now wouldn't have been the proper time to discuss it. Right now, she was here for Jalana, so she needed to try to steer the conversation that direction. ::

Faranster: It feels short, but I enjoyed my time. I did have to share my time with him, with his new duties...

:: Jalana had leaned back, just to change her position again placing her arms on her knees, holding her glass, before sitting back again, pulling up her feet and took a sip. She then looked at her friend in surprise. ::

Laxyn: New duties? Don't tell me he is leaving.

Faranster: Rear Admiral... Apparently that's what got us all on this beautiful ship.

Laxyn: Oh! That is great news. I'll need to congratulate him. You mentioned new duties, so I take it that some things change.


Faranster: It requires more work, but I've been spending some time showing Shel Earth and the ship, when Jaxx is busy and I am not.

Laxyn: ::smiling slightly:: It is nice that you got to spend time with your brother. I am sure he appreciated it.

:: Jalana wished she could have spent her time with someone too, but of course that someone just did not show up when he was supposed to, and her family would have not been too happy to see her on their doorstep. Or so she assumed. ::

:: Sun realized she was doing a lousy job of directing the conversation towards Viktor. Perhaps it was not wanting to break her friend's heart. But she needed to get to what she came to do. Why did the jerk have to go and get arrested? Surely he knew that when they headed back to Earth, there was a chance they would catch up to him, given his crime. ::

Faranster: .oO I wish I was direct like my brother sometimes... Oo. :: She put down her glass of water and looked at her friend. :: I am sorry I didn't visit with you sooner.

Laxyn: It's okay, you were busy with Jaxx and Shelter.

Faranster: I can tell by the way you answered the door, that something is wrong. .oO And I am not sure if I am going to make it better. Oo.

Laxyn: :: Jalana sighed and dropped against the backrest of the couch.:: That obvious huh?

Faranster: :: Nodding. :: Just a bit. I don't think that's quite the way you mean to greet a friend, or least I hope not. :: She let out a half hearted laugh. ::

Laxyn: When Viktor and I left the Aegis we arranged to meet in our quarters here just a bit later. That has been days ago. I am going crazy worrying that something might have happened to him. Especially now that we are going to leave again.. ::looking up to Sun:: We cannot just leave without him.

:: Her friend was as worried as Sun had suspected, of course Sun would have been surprised if Jalana wasn't worried. Part of her wanted to reach forward and give her a hug now, the other part told her that she needed to deliver the news, and then do whatever her friend needed of her. ::

Faranster: I'm really sorry...:: She pursed her lips, they weren't leaving without Viktor, because Viktor was no longer with them, but that wasn't the way her friend would see it. ::

Laxyn: ::Looking up to her friend and watching her for a moment. She had the impression that her friend knew something she did not tell her.:: Sun.. if you know something you need to tell me.

Faranster: Jalana, can you put your glass down for a moment?

:: When Sun spoke her request she was confused but then put her glass down on the table, shoving away some padds and other little things she had put there before she would sort them into their rightful places and looked at Sun with an expecting expression in her eyes that were filled with worry. ::

Faranster: :: Sun tried to figure out the words to say. :: There were some attacks on Earth while Viktor was there, before we were on the Aegis. Faelrun Lanius III, and some associates of his were murdered in a titranium mill that was later destroyed, and the doctor that was tending to Mary Anne McCollough Lanius was attacked.

:: Sun looked at Jalana, watching her reaction, this was part of what led up to the news, but it wasn't it. ::

:: Listening to the words her face went pale. She had been there not that long ago and met these people. Well she had only seen his father, but the meeting with him had not been too well, but that he was dead now.. she could not believe it. His mother has not been well and the hospital she had been in was not the best, but why would the doctor be attacked? ::

Laxyn: We have to tell Viktor, he will want to know that.

Faranster: There was one suspect, and the authorities tracked him down. Because of the line of work of the suspect, I had a hard time shaking loose enough details, which is why it took so long to come to you. :: She paused, giving Jalana a moment to process where she was going. ::

:: She pulled her brows together trying to wrap around what Sundassa was saying. If anyone should know, it was Viktor. Maybe she had thought to find him here? ::

Laxyn: Why to me?

Faranster: Jalana, Viktor is their only suspect, he was arrested on Starbase 1. Shel saw the arrest, but didn't know who it was. I suppose I hoped he tried contacting you, or having his lawyer contact you, while I tried figuring out what was going on. But, by what Jaxx has told me, it's not looking good. Viktor has been cut loose from Starfleet...

:: It was like a huge hole opened up beneath her seat and swallowed her whole. Viktor was the only suspect? That was .. no. He could not be. ::

Laxyn: That is impossible.

:: Sun took a deep breath, she knew her friend would have a hard time with this. Denial was to be expected. ::

Faranster: I don't know...

Laxyn: Sun! Viktor would not do something like that!

:: Sun wanted to believe her friend, but what she was able to shake loose on the investigation didn't allow her. For some reason, she felt like the man was off a bit, when he came back. But she didn't spend much time interacting with him since. ::

Faranster: Jalana, are you sure there wasn't anything strange about his behavior, anything that might make you think he was capable of this?

:: Sun spoke quietly, trying to figure out a way to get Jalana to tell her why it was impossible, or least realize that it was possible. ::

:: Jalana stood up from the couch and walked up to the window. She had noticed that Viktor had been different, off from his usual self. He had been more distant and did not talk much with her, he also had a lot of these things to do he did not keep her around for or did not talk about. But could he actually do something like that? Could he really kill his own father and attack a doctor? She thought back to the visit on Earth they had made together and the way he had acted against his father and the people occupying the farm. He had been so angry.... ::


((Flashback - Earth Ireland - About a year ago))

Lanius: Where's Faelrun? He has to be here somewhere...

McCready: Aye :: in a thick irish accent :: But ya can't see em. Not until I say it's okay. Not until...

Voice: Mac... that's enough...

:: He recognized the voice almost instantly. He knew that hard as stone voice from back in the [...]les of his childhood. It was his father. ::

:: This felt strange, not at all as Viktor had described his home to her in the past. He was definitely right when he thought, that something was wrong. She was not sure why this man did not want him to see his own father, when he was apparently around. Carefully Jalana placed her hand on the small of Vik's back, a gesture she did not even think about.::

:: Then the new voice joined, authority swung in it that made her want to stand attention. Supressing that urge she turned her head to the source of that voice and the first thing she noticed was that the man had this ridge on his forehead, just like Viktor had it. Knowing it was an Acamarian trait she had no doubt that this would be his father. And that surprised her, he did not appear like a smooth talker to her as Vik had mentioned earlier. And that was not the only thing that was off to her. ::

Faelrun: Boy... :: cracking a smile :: You're home... :: He held his hands out to the sides, as if expecting a hug. ::

Lanius: Father...

:: There were no words on the tip of his tongue. He was dressed in fine clothing, a suit and tie or sorts. Vik had thought about it on the way down, that his father must've had something to do with all this in some way, but the way things were shaping up, the way he talked to those lackeys, the way he was dressed. This was no farming man, no honest, hard working man at all. He was a thug. A want-to-be mobster from an age that died long ago along with his pride and integrity. Viktor's anger began to turn into rage. He and he released Jal's hand, realizing that he could've hurt her with the tightening of his fist. His worst fears had come true. ::

Lanius: I see you've got yourself a fine little establishment here. Doing well? :: His tone was almost crazy sounding, but soft. He didn't look up to him until the very end of his statement. He looked him square in the eyes. ::

Faelrun: Oh boy... enough. This had to happen. I suppose you're talking about the farm?

Lanius: Right... I'm sure you throwing away your culture, your livelihood... had to happen... Didn't it. :: His voice unchanging. ::

Faelrun: You know me... you know I can't finance my way out of a paper bag boy... Tallke offered me a way out. A couple actually. He said I could pay back my debt by selling the farm. Or I could keep it and work for him. I just figured...

Lanius: :: interrupting him :: Where's mother...

Faelrun: You're Ma... she's...

Lanius: Where... is... Mother? :: He looked up again, his voice squaring up with him. ::

Faelrun: She's... in a home. It's all paid for! Tallke made sure of that... I just.

:: His eyes flashed over for a moment. He couldn't even process what he had just heard. His mother was... in a home? He didn't even know what that meant. He really did know what it meant, but he just couldn't fathom that the shell of a man... of a beast that was standing in front of him, had done that. It took everything in him not to pull that phaser, point it straight at the man's head and press the button. His eyes narrowed... He was inches from losing his mind. ::

Lanius: Where... :: voice still stern and low ::

Faelrun: English quarter. Weatherly Place.

Lanius: :: turning to Jal, :: Let's move. I've seen enough.

:: The Trill was not quite sure what to make of all that. She did not know Faelrun, but she was quite sure that he was not the man that Viktor knew. Instead of the expected farmer's clothing he wore a suit and the way he talked.. somehow it sent chills down her spine. She nodded to Viktor and turned to head back to the shuttle.::

:: And just as he turned away, he heard the withered frail soul behind him speak. ::

Faelrun: Oh, come on boy? No hug for dear ole dad?

Lanius: :: he turned, keeping his hands near his sides. He moved within inches of the man's face, the goon guards coming in a bit closer, he leaned forward over the man's shoulder and whispered into his ear. :: You're dead to me... deader than your pride was when you sold out our name and our integrity. :: in Acamarian tongue :: Tu'lale Viocadre unt vio...

:: He never spoke Acamarian... especially the words he had just spoken unto the man in front of him. ::

:: Turning back to them when she heard the voices she saw Viktor getting right up into his father's face. She knew how angry he was, it was like a dark aura around his whole body, deep and flaring like a forest fire. She did not understand the last words, but she didn't have to. Before Vik could do anything he might regret later, even if he would not think so now, she stepped over to the men and placed her hand into his, reminding him that she was here with him, without looking at his father.::

Laxyn: ::Quietly:: Come. Let's see your mother.

:: He could do little now but turn from him, and as he moved away he could feel a hand land on his forearm, trying to pull him back. He threw the arm away, heading for the shuttle. Jal needed no que to follow. He was dancing an awful ballet of anger, sadness and hatred at that moment as he walked towards the shuttle, the look of pure hate in his eyes... his long coat blew in the wind, with Jal at his side. It was raining now, the rain flowing off of his face. Faelrun stood at the entrance to his world, watching all that he had left of his family leave in an argo. He did little but turn and walk back into the compound. ::

((/Flashback))


:: The memory brought her a nagging thought she did not want to have. But the voice kept whispering .oO Yes, he could have done it. He hated his father. He hated that his mother had to be in such a situation. He he said that his father was dead to him. If you would not have been there who knows what he had done. Oo. A dark knot formed in her stomach, pulling her being together in its iron fist. Why... why did he do that? She could not bear that her conviction of him being innocent suddenly had changed into the doubtless thoughts that he had done the unthinkable.::

:: Moments passed, and Sun had been watching her friend from the seat, before standing and walking across the room. The quiet was disturbing, and she didn't have Jaxx's ability to sense her friend's emotions. Instead she had to rely on how she would feel in a similar situation and what she knew of her friend. ::

Faranster: Jalana... Are you alright?

:: Sun's voice pulled her out of her thoughts, but she kept staring out into the darkness of space, only interrupted by the metal of the claw holding the ship. She had to close her eyes when a wave of anger washed through her. How could he do that to her... to them? They had their whole life planned out, together as a family, even getting kids at some point and now he had gone and done something that stupid. So reckless without thinking about anything but his revenge. He had *killed* his father. Her hand clenched around the hem of her shirt, forcing herself to at least appear calm and whispered. ::

Laxyn: I am fine.

:: There was something about the way her friend was holding herself that told her something wasn't right. Adding the tone of voice when Jalana responded, Sun wasn't convinced. Sun stepped closer to Jalana, watching the fabric on her friend's sleeves move slightly as her fingers tightened on the skirt. ::

Faranster: You don't seem alright, are you sure you are alright?

:: It was not the words or the repeated question, but the whole pressure of the recent months, the worry, the stress and what Viktor had done crashed over her like a Tsunami, crushing her fragile being under it, making her want to fight, not only the wave but everything that had happened. Without really being able to control herself her arm slung itself backwards against Sundassa, hitting her in the attempt to push her away as her other arm got caught in the plant podest at the window which was then thrown through the room with her lashing out. ::


:: Sun had started reaching out to her friend, when suddenly things changed. Whatever was going on in Jalana's mind, caused her to twist hitting Sun in her side, pushing her to the side. Quickly stepped backwards, tripping over her feet and falling on her butt, to avoid any further strikes, which luckily allowed her to not get hit by AFOs (angrily flung objects). ::

Laxyn: ::screaming:: I SAID I AM FINE!

Faranster: .oO You are not fine... Oo. Okay...

:: The sudden jerk around twisted her leg in a way that she dropped down on her knees, shaking as she tried to contain the anger she felt raging in her veins, clenching her hands to fists on the rug that she began to drum on to let out her feelings. ::

:: Standing, Sun watched her friend take out her rage, on the floor, she wished she had thought ahead to bring something to calm her friend. Sun was banking on her friendship, and realized that might not be enough with the way her friend reacted. Right now she was okay beating on the floor, but she wasn't sure how long Jalana would be okay with this, and wanted backup. ::

Faranster: I'm just going to... :: She pressed her commbadge. :: =/\= Sundassa Faranster to Shelther Faranster, :: She lowered her voice as she stepped towards the door. :: I need something calming, at my current location... =/\=

:: She didn't let him respond before closing the comms, and stepping back towards her friend. Hopefully he understood the cryptic message, as she had discussed the situation with him briefly. She might need a tranquilizer, but medkits didn't have them. When she got close, she sat down on the ground next to Jalana, just out of immediate reach. ::

Faranster: Jalana...

:: The Trill's fists hurt as they kept slamming against the rug on the floor, brushing over it with the coarse material, leaving reddish rashes on her skin. Her muscles grew tired but her anger had not subsided, just pushing her to continue as if the ground was the source of the endless pit of pain in her stomach. ::

Jalana: NO... NO... NO...

:: She kept repeating, with hoarse voice, that grew weak the more she said it. Her face reddened and wet of the tears that left her eyes. Tears of pain, of fury and loss. It hurt in a way she could have never described in words. ::

.oO I can only imagine what you are going through... Oo. :: Part of her wanted to say the words, but she didn't know if they would actually provide what she needed. ::

Faranster: Jalana, talk to me... Please?

:: When the doors opened and her brother walked through, she felt relieved and stood to move over to him. He held up the hypospray and she nodded. Least he understood the message, and if he didn't, it was clear the way he looked at Jalana. Sun took the hypospray and held onto it as she watched Jalana. ::

:: The usually sparkling green eyes were not twinkling as she looked around, searching, something to throw, to grab and tear apart.. anything. This hammering hurt her more than it helped her to deal with the pain. Somewhere in the back of her mind she heard the doors open, she had not locked them and a light came in from outside, a shadow casting over the room before the light vanished again with the swooshing sound of the closing door. ::

Faranster: Jalana, don't be alarmed, Shel is here...

:: Shel approached Jalana, from what Sun had said about Viktor the day before, she was going through something similar, but different than what Sun had. Of course when Marseen got arrested, it was a minor thing, and Sun put on a strong and brave face once she found out that Marseen didn't appear to be wanting to come back, but he knew everyone reacted differently and Sun's reaction had ended up with her on the other side of the Universe, or least it felt like it. The thing that needed to be done, was to get the woman to calm down. ::

Shelther: Commander Laxyn, can I get you something?

Laxyn: Get away from me!

:: Shel ducked as he moved closer to the woman, trying to avoid any lashing out. He noticed Sun moving around the other side of Jalana. They both were taller, but he didn't think Sun would be much stronger than the angry red head. ::

:: Sun had moved to the other side of Jalana, worried about her brother's safety, not sure how Jalana's anger would be directed. She realized that she didn't actually know what to have expected, she thought her friend would be upset, but for her, that was crying. Now, if Jalana had Tel-ar's strength, she'd be certain the ship would be destroyed. ::

Faranster: Jalana, I'm not going anywhere. You're my best friend, I am here for you, whether you like it, or not. That's why I brought you the news.

:: As Jalana had not found anything as a substitute and folded her body so her forehead touched the floor, her arms wrapped around her head as her body shook, washed over by the tornado of emotions.::

Laxyn: I want to be alone!

:: With Sun trying to talk to Jalana, Shel moved into a position that he could grab the woman and hold her long enough for Sun to use the hypospray. Hopefully this would happen without getting hurt, but the woman was smaller than him, and he didn't know how flexible or determined she would be. ::

:: The Trill did not see that they shuffled and moved around. Instead she felt that she had trouble keeping all those feelings at bay, they teased and laughed at her, threatened to burst out and take everything with them. Her fists dug into her hair, pulled at it but the pain did not help her to focus on that, too much tumult kept her in the whirlwind. And then the whirlwind packed her to pull her away from everything. ::

:: No, that was not a whirlwind. These were hands, pulling her arms back and her body upwards. Her eyes jumped open, looking around like a hunted deer, seeing the tall man hovering over her, constraining her arms. Shelter! ::

Laxyn: Let me go! LET ME GO!

:: Her voice sounded foreign in its shriek, she did not even know why she was filled with such a panic as he grabbed her so tight, that she could not even wiggle out of it, no matter how much she tried. ::


:: Sun watched Shel grab Jalana and wrap his arms around her from behind as she kicked and thrashed. This wasn't the way she wanted things to go, but least now she could give Jalana something to calm her down. She checked the vial to confirm it was Rexlin and then doubled programmed the proper dose to sedate Jalana. ::

Faranster: Try to keep her from kicking me, Shel.


:: Sun approached toward the side, and tried to dodge her friend's legs as she pressed the hypospray to Jalana's neck and administered the medicine. ::

:: When she felt the cool metal and heard the hissing sound, Jalana's green gaze jumped in the other direction, looking at the bright lilac hair of her best friend before her body grew limb without her control and she had the urge to close her eyes. She tried to fight against it, but lost before her mind drifted into darkness. ::

:: Once Jalana relaxed in his arms, Shel moved her to the sofa, unsure what his sister expected to do with the sleeping CMO. ::

Shelther: Is here alright?

Faranster: Yes. :: Sun said while nodding. :: You can go back to work, I'll stay with her for now, I now need to contact Nyals and Jaxx and tell them what happened.

:: Sun sighed, looking at her friend, sleeping there peacefully, at least more peacefully than she seemed in a while. She heard the doors close and assumed her brother left. ::


-----


Lieutenant Commander Jalana Laxyn
Chief Medical Officer / Second Officer
USS Apollo, NCC-71669-A


&

Commander Sundassa "Bright Hair" Faranster
First Officer
USS Apollo, NCC-71669-A


Also writing
PNPC LtCmdr Shelther Faranster