Lt Commander Serala: Saying goodbye
Jim Davis
(( Shuttle B’Hala, Rooftop, Kellshir Medical Center, Keibrom, Tibro ))
Raga: I'll secure the shuttle and follow you. I need a word with Serala.
oO He needs a word? Must be about Stevok Oo
Maeli: Response
McKnight: I'll be right outside. :: He turned to Logan :: Let's go Logan.
Logan: Response
Serala: Thank you.
After they left, Serala felt Toryn’s gaze turn to her and he took her hand. Tears threatened to spill over again. But she was grateful for his presence. Had it not been for Stevok, she might well have married him. That feeling was long past, but she still considered him the closest of friends and she was grateful to have him here now.
Raga: I'm sorry, Serala. Your husband died because I was careless. I should've ordered Knight to stay with him at all times. I didn't expect one of the victims to attack him like they did.
oO Fvah? Attacked him? Oo
Serala: Nonsense. This wasn’t your fault? What do you mean one of the victims attacked him? I thought this epidemic killed him?
Raga: While myself and Doctor G'Renn were in the shuttle trying to reach Atlantis for backup, one of the victims of this epidemic attacked Stevok. He stabbed him repeatedly from behind. He thought he was a Romulan and in a fever, thought he was here to harm them like the Romulans used to before they left. I guess.
Serala sat quietly for several moments trying to keep her temper in check. It would do no one any good for her to lose control now. This wasn’t Toryn’s fault. This victim, however. He needed to be made to pay. Dels’an too. They should have never come here.
Serala: Where is this murderer now?
Raga: He's in Valcarian custody. We couldn't risk keeping him prisoner and we have no jurisdiction over Valcarian citizens.
Serala: No, of course not. But I will personally tear him apart with my bare hands. He has no right to live when my husband is dead.
Raga: I know.. :: He gripped her hands firmly :: Serala! I already crossed that line, you don't want to.
That drew her up short. Her fury drained away in a flash. Just another evidence of her mercurial nature.
Serala: What do you mean, Toryn? What did you do?
Raga: I assaulted him…
She was so proud of him at that moment, although the Starfleet officer in her was appalled. Such a dichotomy didn’t go unnoticed and she wasn’t sure to laugh or cry.
Raga: When I returned and found out what he'd done I questioned him. I picked him up by the throat and held him against a wall. I was out of line, but he'd hurt one of us. Someone close to someone I care for. Knight witnessed it and it's something I'll have to deal with the consequences for.
She wrapped him up in a tight hug, grateful for the act and worried for her friend. She had crossed a similar line recently and she was still paying the consequences for that.
Serala: Oh, Toryn. You shouldn’t have done that. I’m grateful, but I hate that you do such crazy things because of me. We’re Starfleet officers, despite our cultural heritage and beliefs. Trust me, I would love nothing better than to kill him. By Romulan tradition, that is exactly what I should do. But I can’t. You can’t.
Raga: I know. I'd have snapped his neck myself. But we're not only Federation citizens, but members of Starfleet, and officers. We have to uphold a higher standard. No matter how much we might not want to.
Serala: You brought him with you?
She knew the answer already, but wanted confirmation.
Raga: :: He gestured with a nod to the shrouded body at the back of the shuttle :: He's over there. Doc G'Renn patched him up as best she could. I wasn't about to leave him behind. He's an Atlantean.
Serala: :: softly :: Thank you, Toryn. I need to see him. Can I spend some time with him? Alone?
Raga: Of course. I'll secure the shuttle. Join us when you're ready. If you need anything, we're a call away.
She didn’t say anything, only nodded as she slowly rose and made her way over to the body. After Toryn had left and closed the ramp, she knelt down and slowly pulled back the shroud to reveal his face. He looked so peaceful. But the color was wrong and she knew it was true. He was gone. She tried to steel herself, but failed and a loud wailing shout erupted from her throat that frightened her, yet she couldn’t stop it. She leaned over and clutched his body, hugging herself to him as if her presence and her will could revive him. She cried so hard and for so long that she was dried out before she stopped. When she rose again, she was numb emotionally; shock. Nothing would ever be right in the world again.
Atlantis Staff Member
A239412S10