[DSX] [JP] Lt. Alora DeVeau & Dr. Gilora: Post-Quarantine Procedures, Part 1

[Tony]

(( CommQuad ))

::She wasn’t difficult to find.  While the Cardassians did have joint ‘custody’ of the space station, Starfleet officers still outnumbered them.  There were even fewer Cardassian doctors, and of course Alora also had the help of the computer to help locate the doctor in question.  She had wanted to check up on the good doctor after the situation on the station.  Fortunately, that situation had been resolved.  Unfortunately, it hadn’t been resolved without the loss of a very important figure - a loss, from Alora’s understanding, that could reshape the relationship between Starfleet and Cardassia.  She hoped that wasn’t the case.  Regardless, time would tell.

Was the doctor on her way somewhere?  It was possible for when Alora found her, it was strolling on the promenade, perhaps with a destination in mind.  Alora increased her speed to catch up and smiled as she approached the Cardassian woman.::

DeVeau: (Hello.)

::While Alora was not as fluent in Cardassian as she was in her other languages, she was versed well enough to hold a conversation to an extent.  She continued to practise, but holograms were holograms and individuals truly made language come alive.::

Gilora: (Hello there.)

:: Gilora offered the response without thinking, and only with a clear stop and a turn back to the woman who’d spoken did she realize that she wasn’t Cardassian, that she was speaking fluently, and that she wasn’t wearing a translator. Well, Gilora thought, there were more surprises every day in this new alliance.

What’s more, she recognized the woman: She was the one who, after the first Maquis attack, Gilora had asked for news. While some part of Gilora was embarrassed by the vulnerability she’d displayed in those moments and didn’t want to speak with the woman now, another part was pleased to see her: Gilora, as a rule, didn’t have many friends; it was part of the territory in her profession, since nearly everyone either read minds or worked with mind-readers and so was quite shut off. But, here, perhaps…. ::

DeVeau: (I just wanted to see how you were doing.  Do you want to get a drink?)

::They might as well get some refreshments while they chatted - that was, if the Cardassian wanted to chat with her.::

Gilora: (I would like that. Did you have a venue in mind?)

DeVeau: (Have you been to Tea in the Sky)?  

Gilora: (No, I haven’t. I arrived shortly before the attacks and had little time to explore. I’m trying to remedy that now. Please, lead on.)

::Alora’s smile returned a little brighter.  Some Cardassians, much like some other species, didn’t really like the alliance.  Others dealt with it begrudgingly.  Alora wanted to embrace it as much as possible.  That didn’t mean without caution, but without hesitation.::

DeVeau: (It’s down this way. - come.::

:: Speaking in one of her native languages underscored the difference between one of the posh telepathic clinics in the Union and this station, which -- while its medbay was certainly adequate -- was as much a figurehead as it was a dilapidated old waystation. Still, Gilora thought, as the other woman led her toward a warm, welcoming shop that smelled of spices, it apparently wasn’t all bad. The warmth especially was welcome, and the beverages they were served after they’d taken seats were fairly warm, too, though Gilora assumed that to the human senses, they’d be far too hot to drink. ::

Gilora: (You sought me out?)

:: The question was rather abrupt, but Gilora had been reviewing what the other had said when they bumped into each other. Alora sipped gingerly at her tea, careful to keep from scorching her more sensitive skin.  She nodded and allowed a second sip before she lowered the cup.::

DeVeau: (You seemed...well, rather distressed when everything was happening.)

::Who wasn’t?  For some reason, however, Alora had latched on to that particular person, the Cardassian woman, during the whole thing.  Why, she couldn’t say, but something had urged her to go back, see how she was doing.::

:: For her part, Gilora wasn’t sure how much to say. This young Starfleet officer seemed kind and helpful, but Gilora wasn’t naturally someone who told everything. Then again, she argued with herself, how happy had that continued to make her? ::

Gilora: (Yes.)

DeVeau: (I’m sorry about Gul Dajhul.)

:: Gilora nodded. It wasn’t DeVeau’s fault, &tc &tc, but the apology wasn’t offered as such. She, as someone who had lived through trauma and violence as well, was acknowledging its place in both their lives recently. Perhaps, Gilora thought, that was reason enough to speak. ::

Gilora: (Thank you. I hear he was a fair man. I wish I had known him better.)

:: She turned away slightly. If she was going to say anything, then it couldn’t be directly to her companion. She wasn’t yet ready for that intimacy. ::

Gilora: (You wondered, perhaps, why I was so upset -- why I needed so badly to know.)

::Alora nodded.  She hadn’t pressed at the time.  While her curiousity had certainly been piqued, it hadn’t been a good time and she wasn’t the sort to try and get information from someone if they didn’t want to give it.::

Gilora: (I will tell you, if you don’t mind.)

DeVeau: (I don’t mind.)

Gilora: (I don’t know if you heard me tell Doctor Skyfire that I have been a physician for twenty years. It has also been just over twenty years since my family was killed in a Maquis attack.)

::Thus far the words used during the conversation had been pretty simple and standard, but if they were going to talk about something so intense, Alora had a feeling she was going to get lost.  Immediately, she switched to Standard, her sympathy for the doctor clear upon her expression.::

DeVeau: I’m so sorry.

:: Gilora noted the abrupt switch and, though she wondered at its reason -- the other woman’s face looked sympathetic, but human faces were notoriously nuanced in their expressive abilities -- did the same. Her voice in the language was much quieter. ::

Gilora: Thank you. It was long ago, of course.

:: But she still remembered. Yes, of course. ::

DeVeau: I can understand your desire - and your anger.

Gilora: Anger? Yes, I suppose. But there’s no desire for revenge -- no, nothing so petty as that. I found, my friend, that I was afraid. More afraid than I ever have been in my life.

:: “Friend,” she’d called the officer, but how could she be anything less when she was hearing what Gilora hadn’t told anyone else? But she had to tell someone; despite her ability to focus on the crisis (and even then, poorly) when it had been ongoing, that time was past and she’d had far too much time to dwell. ::

::Alora did not miss the term the doctor used and she hoped that, perhaps, the Cardassian woman would feel there was truth in that statement.  Honestly, Alora knew every few people who she didn’t look upon with the potential of friendship.  She hated being at odds with anyone, even though it wasn’t always possible to have peace with every single person.  Still, friends were good to have and she didn’t care what culture or species.::

DeVeau: I can understand fear.

::Probably far better than she might even realised.  Alora honestly tried not to think too hard, for if she did, then it would control her and that would be disastrous. It was better to focus on the here and now rather than dwell on the past or even too much on what ‘could be’.:: 

Gilora: I’d thought I’d found a way around that. If I proved the virus was manipulated, created by the Maquis, then no justice system could possibly exonerate them, or so I thought. ::beat:: I also thought they’d be captured. But they’re not, and my evidence means nothing. And now….

:: She didn’t quite know what to say. Or, rather, she’d said it all already. ::

DeVeau: And now...you’re afraid....

TBC!

******

Dr. Gilora

Neurology and Telepathic Medicine

DSX/Creshan'na Riyas

&

Lt. Alora DeVeau

Chief of Science

USS Garuda