JP: Lt. JG Trovek * Amb. Zorkal - “In Sickness and Health” (Part 2)
Amanda Nordstrom
((Starbase 118 - Ambassador Lukin Zorkal’s Quarters))
Lukin wasn’t sure how to feel about the tender administrations
of the woman who was quite literally a doctor and was
doctoring him, specifically. He hated being sick. The event
was certainly rare enough that it was not a situation that he
needed to deal with normally. But now he was, and as
irritating as he found it, he wasn’t sure if that bothered him
more or the fact that she was babying him.
But he also recognised *why* she was doing it. Even if he
didn’t like the fact, she was acting out of care for him, and
he pondered this over in his mind even as he offered a
begruding -
Zorkal: Thank you.
Once more she vanished, this time for a longer duration, and
into the kitchen. When she returned, she did so with a
not-replicated cup of redleaf tea, which she sat down on the
table.
For a moment, Lukin sat there and stard at it, the thin
tendrils of white steam curling upward and dancing until they
dissipated, spreading themselves so thin they simply ceased to
exist. A moment later, he leaned forward and picked up the
mug to sip at it. Once he swallowed a couple of mouthfuls,
the tartness lightly clinging to his tongue, he turned an eye
toward Arys. Though his illness had certainly put him, as
Terrans were fond of saying, “under the weather”, his eyes
were still clear and quite sharp.
Zorkal: I understand you had something of an adventure.
Trovek: I did? Are you referring to the accident in the lab?
::she frowned and paused:: How do you even know about that?
He snorted, but allowed himself another sip of the tea.
Zorkal: It’s not exactly classified information.
Trovek: ::with a shrug:: It shouldn’t be readily accessible
information either.
Ah, but he had his sources didn’t he? Lukin might have
smiled, but he couldn’t bring himself to exert the energy.
Leaning back, he curled his fingers around the mug, soaking in
the heat from the small object, rested his head upon the back
of the couch and closed his eyes.
Zorkal: Tell me about it.
Arys didn’t want to tell him about it. She didn’t want to talk
about it at all, and she dreaded writing up the necessary
report about the incident. But she also knew that Lukin was
stubborn, and usually got her to talk, whether she wanted it
or not.
She gave another shrug only she could see, and took a seat
next to him on the sofa. She craved physical closeness, but
she didn’t force it upon the ill Cardassian, knowing that he
was less interested in such things. At least that was what she
assumed.
Trovek: There isn’t so terribly much to tell. Some Cadet
accidentally lowered a containment field, which caused a toxin
to be released. We were already in the process of developing
an antidote and I guess it was extra motivation to speed up
the process.
Zorkal: Well that’s unfortunate.
And stupid. If a cadet couldn’t prevent themself from
stupidity like that, , then they should simply leave and go do
something else with their life. Like farming. That mistake
had put an entire starbase at risk. It had put Arys at risk.
Zorkal: I imagine it was frightening for you.
Trovek: I don’t know… For some reason I wasn’t overly
concerned about dying. If anything, I was bothered by the idea
that I would check out before beating whoever made the
compound in the first place. I was too busy to be concerned.
That time, a smile did appear. Well, a smirk ,really. Lukin
opened his eyes and dropped his gaze to look over at Arys.
She had been born to the wrong people, hadn’t she?
Zorkal: Have you worked under similar conditions before?
Trovek: Well, perhaps. I never was in such a situation before.
Maybe once, but I was a good bit younger.
Zorkal: Tell me about that.
Lukin didn’t really want to talk much. His throat was sore,
though the tea helped sooth it a little, which he utilised by
taking another sip. Her voice, however, was also soothing.
He just wanted her to keep talking and let him listen.
Trovek: There… wasn’t any ill intent anywhere. ::she seemed to
feel a need to clarify that:: I was working late, at the
clinic, and at the time I was still part of my father’s team,
not someone to fly solo. I was watching over this couple,
fairly straightforward case - a Human-Betazoid female and a
male partner with Klingon ancestry. Not due for another few
weeks, but at the Clinic because of some overnight testing - I
can’t remember what in specific.
Zorkal: And then?
Trovek: And then she started having cramps. There was blood,
and they had lost children before. So the Klingon panicked. At
some point he was smashing up some.. Vase or mirror, I can’t
remember, and threatened me.
Any hint of a smirk or smile was gone, replaced with a severe
scowl that blackened his already dark expression, turning his
face rather sour.
Zorkal: What did you do?
She shrugged once more and curled up into a ball on the sofa,
leaning her head against his thigh. She was terribly tired,
and the only thing that kept her on her feet was the amount of
caffeine and other stimulants she had taken to keep herself
functioning.
Trovek: It was weird. The part of my brain that was supposed
to be scared just switched off. It wasn’t that the life of
mother and child mattered more than my own, it wasn’t fear of
failure… it was spite. I wanted to prove that I was better
than the other interns. ::pause:: That was my motivation.
Winning. ::another pause:: Is that weird?
Zorkal: No.
The hand that was empty lowered to hover over her hair, to
ever so lightly caress the dark tresses. He withdrew it, then
leaned forward, disturbing her in order to place the cup of
tea upon the table, then snaked an arm about her shoulders to
draw her closer.
Arys tilted her head, looking at him with a puzzled
expression. This was… new. Last time she had actively asked
for an embrace, and this time it just happened.
Zorkal: It’s cold.
She gave him a look and then sighed. She wanted this
closeness, and she didn’t mind sharing her warmth with him.
She cuddled up against him, resting her head against his
chest. Eventually she confessed:
Trovek: I missed you. Had I known you’re not feeling well I
would have-... no. I wouldn’t have been able to leave the lab.
This was far too important. I don’t think I left Sickbay in
the past two weeks or so.
He had missed her as well. The question was, could he say
that? What would that mean if he gave voice to it. His eyes
cracked open again and he glanced down, the ebony of her hair
cast with a dull shine from the dim lights.
Zorkal: You’ve hit the ground running.
That was a very Terran phrase, one he had picked up when he
served on DSX. It had caught on because it was so
appropriate, really, and in Ary’s case, it was extremely
accurate. She’d been transferred and hadn’t even had a chance
to settle before she was carried away to deal with Terra Prime
along with other crew members. Afterward, she’d been tasked
with finding a way to counteract it.
Trovek: I haven’t even unpacked. Still not. I guess, perhaps,
I am not trusting it yet. The idea of staying here. I don’t
want to get too comfortable.
Zorkal: Perhaps that will change.
But she was feeling so very comfortable here with him on the
sofa, and if the decision was left to her, she wouldn’t leave.
Ever. But there was something else, another thought that
crept up in her mind.
Trovek: If I had died… would you miss me?
What a morbid thought. Lukin didn’t like thinking about it.
Not one bit. Everyone had their time, of course. Everyone
died. The hope was that a person would reach an old age
before doing so. Of course, if things got really bad, they
were the first ones to go, but neither he nor she were in any
sort of situation as had been found on Cardassian in the
past. Those who did so were honoured at their passing.
Someone in their family participated in the shri-tal, and then
they were gone. Perek flowers would adorn abodes, a mark of
mourning. A mark of passing.
As a soldier, the idea that he would die young had, indeed,
crossed his mind, crossed the mind of everyone who served just
as he did. They would, of course, die for Cardassian, but in
the back of every single mind was the hope that they would
survive. He had. Many had not.
And now he was in a position where he might be allowed that
freedom. To age and see life in a different way. Arys had so
quickly and distinctly now become a part of that life. How
strange things happened sometimes. And what if she died?
That was *not* a thought that had crossed his mind til she
asked it, and it was not something he wished to contemplate at
all.
Zorkal: I knew you would not die. You are too capable. And
stubborn.
But had he had any fear at all? Deep down inside? He didn’t
ponder it. Didn’t wish to.
Trovek: ::with a soft smile:: You’re not wrong. And… I don’t
know. Terra Prime is on the list of things I would find it
embarrassing to die to. A bunch of humans who somehow think
they are superior to other species. And that despite there
being nothing special about them. They look like empty
canvases. They don’t have a brain of Cardassian capacity, they
don’t have anything like telepathy or empathy. They’re just…
humans.
Zorkal: Quite unextraordinary.
Trovek: It’s the same for Bajorans. Humans with nose ridges.
The most interesting thing that ever happened to them was
being occupied. They still talk about it all the time.
There was a huff from the Cardassian. The Occupation had been
two things. It had been an event that benefited Cardassia - at
least at first - and concurrently a blot in their history. It
was embarrassing. It was an example of how they had grossly
misused their abilities and technology. In the end, it had
become too much to sustain with all the pushback from the
resistance.
And what had they been told on Cardassia? The news had made
it seem a far different story, that they had offered a hand of
friendship to the Bajorans, only to be lashed out against.
The truth was far darker.
Zorkal: It is common to talk of it among Cardassians still.
Not as much as once upon a time. But often enough.
She sighed and closed her eyes as she cuddled up more closely
to him. This was nice, comfortable, and exhaustion was finally
kicking in.
Trovek: I spoke to someone. He said Starfleet regarded Terra
Prime as a joke. Something not to be taken seriously. And now?
Twenty-thousand dead… within an hour. Imagine that. There
you’re living in a colony with your human wife and half-human
children and suddenly… all gone.
Lukin couldn’t fault Starfleet. He had far more information
than she did. His own intelligence had said much the same.
That spoke to something more, that information had been
manipulated, or restricted somehow. Oh he was far too
familiar with that - his own government had done that in
abundance. No, there was something more, something behind it
all. If his own people couldn’t get the proper intelligence,
how could anyone expect the Federation to?
And because of whatever it was, weather it was Terra Prime
presenting themselves in a fashion that made others think they
were laughable, or someone else coering for them, the
statistics were, indeed, staggering. All gone. And the
thought struck them - what if she had been among them? What
if that substance *had* killed her? What if she had been a
victim. Her warmth against him was welcome. Inviting.
Comfortable. If Terra Prime had succeeded, that would have
been gone as well.
The arm that encircled her tightened. Not a lot. Just a
little, but also enough to take a firmer hold, a subconscious
desire, perhaps one that was slowly becoming conscious, one
that had wormed its way into the depths of the Cardassian who
reclined upon the couch, not quite well, but what was the
actual sickness from which he suffered? It didn’t matter.
All that mattered was that she was there. Terra Prime had
tried its best, but in the end, it would be beaten. And if
Lukin had something to say about it, he would assist in
bringing them to their knees.
*****************
Lt. J.G. Trovek Arys
Medical Officer
Starbase 118 Ops
J239809TA4
&
Dalin Lukin Zorkal
Cardassian Ambassador
Starbase 118 Ops
M239008AD0