PNPC Lt Vailani Zoyara - Even Now
Ava Munro
(( First Promenade - Deck 225, DS224 ))
Vailani: Why do you think I'm here? I'm here to sort this out. Clearly there's been an error made. It happens sometimes. Files get miscategorised or corrupted.
Sadar: Y-You’ve already checked the c-computers n-numerous times to check if th-that’s what it was, i-if you’ve come to find me.
That was the truth of it. Zoyara had checked. And then checked again. Hours spent parsing through files, until her eyes ached and her heart had grown heavier with each passing minute. Finally, she hurried from the ship like a frenzied animal retreating from a defeated battle. She didn't want to admit defeat. As she rushed through the station, a simple mantra fuelled her every step.
oO Gila must be true. She can explain it. Oo
Except the gnawing, tearing pull in her gut wouldn't leave but she didn't want to acknowledge it - she wanted to run away from the pain of reality. And now. Gila, stood under the harsh light of the station. And she couldn't run away from the truth anymore.
oO she lied to me Oo
Vailani: :: shakes her head :: No. There has to be more than that :: pleading :: There needs to be Gila.
Lies. Destructive. Persistent. Lies.
((Flashback - Year 2391 - Shuttle Dock - StarBase One))
Her mother turned from her position, looking out at the shuttles. She had heard them approach, a gentle breeze from a departing shuttle blew her hair into her face and her lips curled upwards in a sly knowing smile. The trademark look of Vailani Chella.
Her father stiffened and stopped several metres from her mother. Zoyara had been trailing behind him, as she so often did - a curious fourteen year old. There was a long pause and Zoyara moved closer to her father. His shoulders appeared to sink into themselves as a dawning reality became clear to them both.
Mother was leaving them.
She wanted to lock her arm into his but she was too frightened that he'd push her away. A fear that she still regrets. Her head bowed low, but her eyes fixed on the spectre that was her mother.
And her mother laughed. It was the flippant, sing-song kind she affected when she thought something was beneath her.
They were beneath her.
She stopped and then sighed.
Vailani. C: Tovan… Zoya :: stumbles over her words :: I … I was going to leave a message. I'm taking the next shuttle to Bajor.
She turned to the shuttle in question and looked towards Zoyara, and she pressed her lips together. No smile. No warmth. Slight frustration.
Then she returned her gaze to her father.
Vailani. C: My mother's been ill, Tovan. I want to be on Bajor with my people and pray in the temple on our homeworld. You understand that? Surely you understand?
Her father didn't say anything, except his back straightened and her mother sighed again. This time, she appeared more annoyed than anything else. Her plan had been foiled and they were not willing to become willing accomplices.
Vailani. C: I'll be back in a month. :: to Zoyara :: I promise. I would never lie to you.
She never returned. Not once, even when Zoyara graduated from Starfleet Academy.
((End Flashback - Return to Scene))
Sadar: N-No, I-I’ll tell... B-But, eh, can we ::looks around at the crowds:: Let’s go to a more, uhh... Q-Quiet place? ::wrings her hands:: Please?
She only nodded, words failed her as she followed Gila to a secluded area, away from the main thoroughfare. It appeared to be a disused utility zone, probably used for storing maintenance drones or other similar equipment.
Vailani: Is this where you tell me you're a liar?
Her words nearly faltered. She heard the break in her voice and she hated herself for it. What had she allowed herself to become? It was weak. Pathetic.
oO I'm not going to cry Oo
Sadar: Response
oO crying makes you weak Oo
It was her father's voice that she could hear in her head. Hadn't he told her this would happen? Had he not tried to warn her?
oO friendships make you soft Oo
As the words stuttered their way from Gila, she just stared at her. In her head there was a mental shuttering taking place. Walls were being erected and memories were being overwritten. Everything had been tainted. She thought of the memories…
The first time they met oO I thought she was just like me … Oo
Walking on Ferenginar in the rain oO … honest to a fault, a kindred spirit … Oo
Cooking with Niac oO … finally someone to trust … Oo
A true and pure friend. Someone that she needed. But what did she really know about Gila anyway? Nothing but lies, that were hidden behind an even bigger lie. Everything about her was a deceit. A carefully crafted one, designed to keep her distance. And Zoyara fell for it.
Vailani: I could have handled it. What hurts me the most is you didn't trust me. You were the only person in my life that I trusted completely. And you lied to me. What does that make me, Gila?
A lonely fool.
oO people will betray you Oo
That was the truth of it.
Vailani: You’re a monster, Gila. The worst kind of monster. You stole my trust, you can never give that back.
Sadar: Response
Vailani: I never want to speak to you again.
Zoyara spoke words like poison. A part of her wanted Gila to strike her, to tell her she had it wrong. Even now, she wanted Gila to fix it. Even now, she was just that fourteen year old girl that wasn't brave enough to hold her father's arm when their hearts were being broken.
oO even now Oo
Sadar: Response
TAG/TBC
Lt Vailani Zoyara
First Officer
USS Artemis-A
A240004LL2