BACKSIM: JP: Commodore Aron Kells & Lt. Cmdr. Alora DeVeau - “Passing Orbits, Part 2”

[Amanda Nordstrom]

(( CO’s Quarters, USS Thor ))

They were able to make it back without running into anyone -- which, Aron suspected, Alora normally wouldn’t have cared for. That day, though, he’d almost considered ordering the sections of decks 2 and 4 through which they’d walk cleared. He didn’t, but he had considered it.

Kells: Have a seat, have a seat. Can I get you anything? And you can lay it all out for me.

Alora slipped gratefully onto the couch and leaned upon the arm.  Everything was just so strange and she still hadn’t quite gotten her feet back under her.  Taking a moment to breathe, she did manage a small smile for Aron.

DeVeau: It seems like we don’t see each other these days unless something’s gone awry. 

Kells: (with a slight laugh) To be fair, I didn’t intend for something to go wrong last time. And it didn’t, really, in the end.

DeVeau: When did everything get so complicated?

The thing was, Alora knew that answer.  She had chosen that life, so why was she asking that question?  If she had never entered Starfleet, likely she would have remained on Earth.  She would have never traversed the stars, never had the good adventures.  Never met Kalin. Despite what had happened, she couldn’t trade that time with him.

Kells: Yeah, that’s a fair question. I suppose…

He had been about to blame aging, but then thought about rank and Starfleet service -- and then abandoned all those thoughts, since Alora obviously had something else entirely in mind.

Kells: Tell me what’s bothering you?

DeVeau: I am now matriarch of the 15th house of Betazed.

Kells: Um. Come again?

It wasn’t a complicated story.  In truth, the situation surrounding what they were doing and the accident was far more so.  The consequences of it, however, were unexpected.

DeVeau: How much do you know of the Betazed houses and the politics surrounding them?

Kells: Not all that much.

Although, now that Aron thought about it, he was pretty sure that the new ambassador for Amity Outpost was a Betazoid noble.

Kells: Not enough to know any useful context. You-- Alora, you’re not Betazoid. So -- how is that possible?

Alora wasn’t much more versed than he, and honestly, only recently learned some things.

DeVeau: The fifteenth house has been one of the smaller houses throughout the history of Betazed.  Evidently, over the centuries, it shrank rather than grew . Although she had children, they and her husband were killed during the Dominion war.  That left the Teser family to inherit after Enzada.

Of course, Aron already knew about him.

DeVeau: Several generations ago, the Teser family relocated from Rixx to Ohmallera.  Kalin, his parents, and his siblings were all killed in the attack by the USS Constitution.  He was the last of the house. 

There was a long intake of breath before she added.

DeVeau: Until we married.

Kells: Huh. Congratulations? If congratulations are at all appropriate in this moment.

He wasn’t sure. Alora didn’t look upset, exactly. In fact, if anything, she seemed almost resigned.

DeVeau:  Congratulations?  I...don’t really know.  I’m not sure I’ve even quite come to grips with it all yet. 

Maybe it was all a dream.  A strange dream from which she would awaken to find that Enzada was alive and well and she was just a simple First Officer over on Starbase 118 Ops. 

DeVeau: I’m not even sure why I’m telling you all this.  You know all this.  Except this next part.  I’m now the Matriarch of the 15th house. 

Kells: How did that happen?

How did that happen?  It happened because the house had lost so many members, its numbers had dwindled so low that there was just no one else.

DeVeau: Enzada Lumie was the last living member.  As Kalin’s widow, I’m technically next in line.

Kells: So there’s no one else who could inherit the title?

Aron had heard of titles passed through marriage and other, similar ceremonial relationships, but this seemed extreme, even by the examples he could think of.

Oh she had asked.  This wasn’t something to be taken lightly, and Alora would have been more than happy to allow someone else to take the position.  But there wasn’t.  Then there was the other matter.

DeVeau: No.  Evidently they have searched.  There’s a bit of a compilation as well, even if there *were* someone else.  Enzada specifically left everything to me.  Everything that was personally hers - and she named me as heir to the house as well.  Specifically.

Kells: What happens then?

What happens then?  Also a very, very good question.  Alora inhaled deeply then let it out slowly. 

DeVeau:  Right now, I’m trying to figure that all out. 

One hand lifted to rub at her temple and she let out another sigh.  It was all so massively complicated, and to Alora, it still didn’t make much sense.  Yet there it was, written in the annals of Betazoid political documentation.  She was officially heir.  And she wasn’t even Betazoid.

Kells: (gently) I know it’s a big question, but maybe it would help to break things into smaller pieces. What’s the first task you need to accomplish?

DeVeau: I have to go through her files.  She had a steward and there’s no way I’m letting that man go.  He’s been with Enzada for years.  She trusted him.  I think he’s really going to be the one to keep things from descending into chaos.

Aron perked up as Alora spoke, even as she remained quiet and circumspect.

Kells: That’s great news! You’ll have someone who knows everything to help you. (beat, thoughtful) But your commission…

Aron didn’t know any Betazoid House members, but he didn’t know many Betazoids closely, either. Though, as he thought about it for a moment more, he realized he hadn’t even heard of any. Was that because there weren’t any? Did House members prefer not to serve? Or was there a conflict of interest there? Aron was no JAG officer, and he didn’t immediately know how that particular cookie might crumble.

Kells: Do you know if you’ll be able to keep it?

Another deep breath, another slow release.  That grounding exercise had become quite comfortable and was almost automatic at times.

DeVeau: From what I can tell, I can continue to serve in Starfleet as long as I am also able to fulfill my role as Matriarch.

Kells: Oh, good. (beat) Do you want to stay?

DeVeau: And...I’m still trying to figure that out too.

Kells: (with a cautious smile) If conflict of interest was no concern, with your back to the wall right now, what do you do? Leave or stay?

DeVeau: I want to stay in Starfleet.

It was an immediate reply.  She knew what she wanted.  And yet, she couldn’t just leave the legacy that Enzada had left to her.

DeVeau: Some days, I feel like I eat, sleep, and breathe Starfleet.

She manages a half of a laugh.

DeVeau: And honestly, I’m okay with that.

Aron laughed, but lightly, to show her that he was laughing with her, not at her. Not that he expected that Alora would ever think he was laughing at her, but still. She was clearly deep in her feelings, and he didn’t want to torment her, even accidentally.

Kells: If I could offer some advice?

DeVeau: Would you refrain if I said no?

Of course she would say that. He grinned.

Kells: Keep working as hard as you always do, but do it with the assumption that there will be a way out. I don’t know much about Houses or their legalities, and I’m sure they’re extensive. But, if you do want to find a way to get out of being a matriarch, I can imagine that you’ll be able to find help. No offense, but I bet that the other Houses aren’t too happy with the idea of a human as one of their heads.

There was the thing.  Alora didn’t want to find a way out.  Nor did she want to be a matriarch.  She had never looked to sit in that position, and when she had married Kalin, they hadn’t really settled on what to do when Enzada finally passed on.  In fact, there had been every indication she had a good two or more decades left in her.  It was why her death had come as a shock and why everything that happened was so unexpected - because it hadn’t been unexpected.  Not that soon.  And honestly, since Kalin’s death, Alora hadn’t really thought about it.  But now, it wasn’t just on her radar, it had arrived, and she was going to have to deal with it one way or another.

DeVeau: There is no ‘getting out’ of this.  If I gave this up, the house would cease to exist.  And...in a way, it would be almost like Enzada and Kalin ceased to exist.

It wasn’t true, Alora knew that, but they had been the last surviving members after the Dominion.  She couldn’t just let it fade, to get absorbed into another house. 

Kells: If there’s anything I can do for you, you know you just have to name it. It’s a shame I’m not a JAG officer, or I’d probably be more helpful. (beat, pensive) Maybe I could respecialize.

But he grinned again to show that he was kidding.

DeVeau:  You’d be awful at it.

Alora’s lips quirked upward a little more. 

DeVeau: And you’d *hate* that job.

Kells: No, no, I know. But, and seriously, I know that you can handle whatever comes next.

Alora sighed.  Could she? Some days, she wondered about that.

DeVeau: I guess for now I just need to take it a step at a time.  First thing’s first.  I need to deal with the matters at hand.

Kells: Good! Good.

And he gave her another smile.

DeVeau: Could I beg your hospitality for a few more hours?  We could catch up?  I’d love to see Nic.

Kells: Sure! You can stay as long as you want, of course. (beat, deadpan) Especially if you want to come to the Delta Quadrant.

DeVeau: Sal might have something to say about that.

Oh but if that was where they were going, what an adventure it would be.  Alora’s eyes sparkled with interest. It had been over two years since she had last served on a ship, and she had to admit, traveling from one place to another certainly had its advantages.

But as much as she adored Aron, as much as she loved the idea of seeking out the new quarter of space that was opening up thanks to the new outpost, Alora knew her heart lay in Ops. She could never leave, and she would appeal should orders come through that she had to do so.

Kells: (with a laugh) Kidding. Let’s go find him, and we can forget about all this for a while.

DeVeau: Sounds like a plan.

Forget.  If only she could.  But she couldn’t.  Nor would she truly ever wish such a thing.  But at least, for a little while, Alora could enjoy some time with people who were as dear to her as her biological family.  If nothing else, it was a brief respite from the strangeness that waited for her on the world below.

END!

*******

Commodore Aron Kells
Commanding Officer
USS Thor
V238208LV0
he/him/his (character & player)

&

Lt. Cmdr. Alora DeVeau
First Officer
Starbase 118 Ops
al...@blar.net
M239008AD0

-- 
Lt. Cmdr. Alora DeVeau
First Officer
Starbase 118 Ops
al...@blar.net
M239008AD0