Lieutenant Commander Lael Rosek: Don't Let Him Drag You Down
Lael Rosek
(( Auxiliary Cargo Bay / Converted Brig, SS Belfast ))
::She’d lost track of how many of her memories she’d thrown in his direction over the last couple of hours. He’d been relentless. By now, she was mentally exhausted from trying to keep her emotions in check. Her struggle was starting to take its toll on her body. Everything throbbed and her legs were jelly, barely able to support her weight. It was taking everything she had to stay conscious, blood dribbling from her nose and sweat coating her face, neck, and chest. Her clothes felt uncomfortably tight and hot.::
::She tensed as she saw him re-enter the room. She knew what he was here for.::
Rosek: ::glances at him and shakes her head weakly:: You’ll have to kill me.
::His fingers again found the meld points on her face, but by now, she was too weak to physically push him away. She had to save her strength for the mental battle that laid again. With the last point in place, she felt a surge as he plunged into her mind, drawing a pained gasp of shock from her oxygen-starved lungs. A memory came to the surface that she’d buried far back, so far that she’d hoped it would never again see the light of day.::
((Flashback))
((Sto’vo’kor Lounge, USS Gorkon))
((Stardate 239308.31))
::The place was still a mess. But they’d managed to clear out the devastation well enough that it was at least a passable scene for a birthday party. They’d been here nearly a year and the hope of getting home was fading with each passing day. A darkness had settled over her heart that nothing seemed able to diminish. Nothing but the now-one-year-old blonde-haired, blue-eyed little infant toddling around in front of her as Jansen (her Jansen, not his counterpart) held her close, his arm wrapped tightly around her waist.::
::Moisture gathered in her eyes as she observed the unadulterated joy on the little boy’s face as Jansen’s counterpart tossed his son up in the air, an ear-splitting grin on his face. Her gaze flickered to her counterpart, who looked the happiest she’d ever seen her. As Jax’s bright blue eyes met Lael’s and a toothy/gummy grin crossed his angelic face, her breath caught in her throat.::
::Logically she knew that as much as he looked like her and Jansen, he wasn’t theirs. She and Jansen didn’t have children. But another part of her wanted to rush toward that little boy, catch him up in her arms, hold him tightly to her and never let go. Her chest constricted at the thought of her own child to read bedtime stories to every night. Her own little Jax to tickle and hug and kiss and sing lullabies to and to chase around.::
::Until Jansen’s alternate counterpart had come crashing back into Jax’s life, Lael had been the one coddling the little boy whenever she wasn’t on duty. Her counterpart, fighting postpartum depression and the loss of her husband, had needed the support. While she hadn’t needed Lael specifically, Lael had jumped at the chance to experience motherhood. Late night feedings with a bottle while her counterpart slept the few hours she needed, diaper changes...::
::Lael had bonded with Jax and felt almost as much his mother as her counterpart. Her devotion to the little life had only grown, filling the darkest corners of her heart with a near-blinding light. She wanted to be a mother. Until that precise moment, it had only been a passing thought, a future so distant that it didn’t bear thinking about. Her situation just wasn’t stable enough to in good conscience bring a life into the world.::
::Jansen’s counterpart at last sat the boy down on his feet and Lael felt her lungs seize momentarily as Jax turned his gaze to her. There was a look of complete adoration shining in his eyes as he ran to her, throwing his arms around her legs and hugging them tightly.::
::It was a long moment before she could respond, slowly reaching her hand out and laying it on top of the boy’s head. His eyes again found hers and she stooped down to pick him up, one arm supporting his bottom as her other hand laid across his shoulders. Her eyes slid closed and she focused on his warm breath puffing across the base of her neck as he clung tight to her with his little fists.::
Jax: ::murmurs:: Wuv you, Wae Wae.
::The tears that she’d been fighting back spilled over, creating hot twin trails of moisture down her cheeks. In that moment, nothing existed but her and the little boy vulnerable and openly affectionate in her arms.::
L. Rosek: ::breathes:: Mi ankaŭ amas vin, mia amata knabo. Al la rando de la universo kaj reen. (I love you, too, my darling boy. To the edge of the universe and back.)
((End Flashback))
::Her mind still vulnerable from the bittersweet memory, her mental shields dropped momentarily just enough for him to sneak past. When she saw the first digit of the prefix code appear in her mind’s eye, it jolted her from her the painful trip down memory lane. She focused on the her earlier thoughts had brought and pictured it as a gale-force wind licked by flames. A second digit appeared. She stumbled around for the familiar presence of his mind brushing hers and, summoning every bit of anger she felt at Lenik, she imagined it exploding from her body.::
Rosek: oO NO! 0o
::Suddenly, she was in his mind, experiencing his memories...his history...his family...his childhood...his secrets. A surge of emotion reached her through the mindmeld and she could feel his panic like it was her own, so overwhelming that it literally stole the breath from her lungs. Her body rebelled, twitching as though it was going to seize at any moment.::
::The scream threatening to break free became lodged in her throat as he broke the connection, feeling the chair she was sitting in taken down by gravity before his open hand collided hard with her cheek. A cry of pain escaped her lips as a half-gasp, half-yelp. She heard clattering noise, barely registering what was causing them as she saw Lenik stumble from the room. Long after the contact, her cheek throbbed painfully.::
::However, she had no chance to assess her surroundings. The blackness that had threatened at the edges of her vision before the recent meld overtook her and she fell unconscious.::
((Mini Time-Warp))
::She felt as though she was underwater, struggling to come to the surface. Her mind was foggy and she could scarcely string a thought together. It was several moment before she remembered where she was and why. She winced when he frown caused the fire in her cheek from Lenik’s strike to flare up anew. There was a good chance it was, if not broken, at least fractured and severely damaged. It was going to be a b*!%^ to heal. The headache caused by his strike was making it difficult to focus. Instinctively, she wiggled her wrists in the restraints, freezing when she realized the bar restraining her left arm was lose. She almost couldn’t believe her luck. Pulling her left arm the rest of the way free, she tugged hard on the cuffs, hearing the loud clang of metal being broken. With her hands free, she wretched away the bar holding her right arm, then quickly disposed on the handcuffs restricting her legs.::
::She tugged at the metal rings surrounding her wrists and ankles, breaking them with ease. Rubbing her wrists, Lael stood slowly, still dizzy from the blow to her cheek. Now that she was free, she had to find some way to contact the Montreal. If she recalled correctly, there was a room not far from here used for communications.::
::If she could get to the console and hack the system without Lenik catching on, maybe she could send a signal to the Montreal, similar to what she’d done when she was held prisoner at Temlai by Sicarius. This was bound to be a hell of a lot easier as the systems were in Federation Standard rather than Romulan.::
::Cautiously, she slipped from the room, going from her memory of the ship layout. Activating any of the wall consoles would alert Lenik to what she was doing. She had to keep her head down at least until she could seal herself in the communications room. However, just as she was turning the corner to the room, she found herself face to face with two children. Startled, she jumped back.::
L. Braddock: ::confused:: Who are you?
::Lael couldn’t help but stare a the little girl, her breath catching in her throat. The girl’s long blonde hair fell well below her shoulders and piercing blue eyes met Lael’s. She looked so much like Maddy that it took a few moments for Lael to find her tongue. She lowered herself to the girl’s level and offered what she hoped was a reassuring smile.::
Rosek: ::breathes:: I’m here to help you. ::pauses:: Where’s the captain of your ship? I need to speak with him right away.
::The girl turned away looking on the verge of tears. Lael could feel the girl’s anguish, which was strange given that she wasn’t even touching her. Even with her neural suppressants likely having worn off, she shouldn’t be able to. Not with her touch-only empathic gifts. She grimaced as she recalled the meld with Lenik. She couldn’t think about that right now. Her attention turned back to the little girl.::
Rosek: ::murmurs:: My name is Lael. What’s yours?
L. Braddock: ::softly:: Lily.
Rosek: ::smiles:: It’s good to meet you, Lily, though I wish it was under better circumstances. ::pauses and glances around the corridor:: Come with me.
L. Braddock: ::confused:: Where?
Rosek: Somewhere safe. ::offers her hand:: Trust me.
::Though it appeared the little girl was skeptical at first, she eventually took Lael’s hand and allowed her to lead the way to the communications room.::
((Communications Room, SS Belfast))
::Once they were inside the communications room, Lael strode toward the console and used her hacking skills to begin breaking into the ship’s systems. It was a few moments before she’d found what she was looking for and a few more before she’d been able to circumvent the control locks. She opened a secure channel to the Montreal, using another subroutine to prevent Lenik from cutting it right away.::
Rosek: =/\=Rosek to Montreal.=/\=
Mei’konda/Bridge: =/\=Responses=/\=
Rosek: ::rubs her sore cheek and winces:: =/\=A bit beat up, but otherwise no worse for the wear.=/\= ::pauses:: =/\=I don’t have much time before Lenik and his goons track this. But Lieutenants Hamasaki and Shin and Commander Tel-ar need to find a weakness in the Belfast’s systems. If you can take out their shields, you can beam the prisoners to the Montreal and Lenik loses his some of his leverage.=/\=
Mei’konda/Bridge =/\=Responses=/\=
Rosek: ::pauses:: =/\=Okay. What about one of the Klingon ships?=/\=
Mei’konda/Bridge: =/\=Responses=/\=
Rosek: ::nods:: =/\=I’ll locate the prisoners and we can use the transporter to get them out. It’s not ideal, but it’s the best we’ve got.=/\=
Mei’konda/Bridge: =/\=Responses=/\=
Rosek: =/\=Yes, sir. Rosek out.=/\=
::She turned to the little girl who was now studying her curiously. For the second time in the last few minutes, Lael was struck by just how much the little girl looked like Maddy. It caused a tightening in her chest to think of how close she’d been to adopting Maddy before Zeram had come barging back into their lives. A smile turned up the corners of Lael’s lips as she recalled a dinner with Maddy before she’d received the news about Zeram.::
((Flashback))
((Rosek’s Quarters, USS Veritas))
{{Time Index: Stardate 2395}}
::Lael laughed at the funny face Maddy made after a bite of the pad thai the little girl had insisted on trying. Reaching desperately for the glass of milk in front of her, Maddy took too large gulps before fixing her gaze on Lael, a frown crossing her lips. She’d suspected that the little girl wouldn’t be a fan of the spicy dish, especially the way Lael made it. But she’d been so insistent.::
Maddy: Why did you let me eat that?
Rosek: ::smirks and takes a bite of her own pad thai, chewing and swallowing before replying:: I did try to warn you. Al-Leyan tastebuds aren’t as sensitive to spice as most other species.
Maddy: ::pouts:: But you’re supposed to be the grown-up. Grown-ups tell kids what to do all the time.
Rosek: ::chuckles and shakes her head:: Yes, but nothing can persuade you as well as your own experience.
::Maddy rolled her eyes and Lael headed over the replicator to replace the meal with one of Maddy’s favorites. She really did dote on the little girl far too much.::
((End Flashback))
Rilaw: Response
::The moment she heard the woman’s voice, she crossed the room to Lily, pushing the little girl behind her. She didn’t know what the Klingon woman would try, but given what she’d done already, Lael surmised it couldn’t be anything good. Her first priority was to disable Rilaw so she could get to the prisoners. She didn’t know if Rilaw’s presence meant Lenik knew where they were, but she had to assume so.::
Rilaw: Response
Rosek: ::brow furrows:: There’s something I don’t understand. Why do you follow Lenik? It’s pretty clear you are more than capable of handling things yourself.
Rilaw: Response
::As Rilaw spoke, Lael felt a tug of sympathy for the woman. She remembered all too well how much it had hurt leaving Jax behind and then leaving Maddy in Zeram's care. But what Rilaw was suffering was infinitely worse. Lael at least had a chance of seeing Jax and Maddy again, no matter how remote. The Klingon woman couldn't say the same for her children.::
Rosek: ::expression softens and her voice softens:: I’m sorry. I know it’s difficult losing a child. But killing innocent people won’t bring them back.
Rilaw: Response
Rosek: ::gaze flickers to Lily before returning to Rilaw:: Can you really in good conscience take your revenge on innocent civilians and children for the mistake of one Klingon captain?
Rilaw: Response
Rosek: Besides, Lenik doesn’t give a damn about anyone but himself. I don’t see him as the type to keep someone around once they’ve outlived their usefulness to him. At some point, he'll do to you what he has to everyone else.
Rilaw: Response
Rosek: Help me get the prisoners to safety. Don’t let him drag you down with him.
Rilaw: Response