DL | CSec/CTac | Arrain tr'Verelan | "Burgeoning Dread" Pt 1 of 2

Posted on 241412.13 @ 3:56am by Arrain Maec tr'Verelan

Mission: Holy Cow
Location: IRW Battlequeen

[IRW Battlequeen]

“Did you have a good day at school?”

Maec nodded his head with a big smile “yes we studied the texts of S’Tasks to-” the creaking sound of footsteps caused him to pause and to turn towards the archway leading into his mother’s room where a stranger stood next to a serving tray. The man smiled awkwardly at them an expression that instantly caused the boy unease. His mother sat up and pulled away from his younger brother whose hair she had just been stroking.

“You are?” She asked.

"I am Pajek tr'Ulhri, a temporary servant for the day, they asked me to bring you this?" he motioned to the steaming glass of tea.

His mother lifted her hand and smiled at her children "Go outside, mother needs to take her medicine."

Maec nodded nodded and ran past Ulhri's leg followed by his brother and down the staircase. "Energetic children you have.” The voice of the strange man echoed after them. At the base of the staircase Maec stopped and turned around while his brother continued through the front door. An unsettling feeling caused him to slowly make his way back up the steps sliding his hand along the balustrade as he went.

"They take after their father." He could hear his mother’s soft frail voice speaking.

"Wonderful. Is there anything you will need with the tea?"

Maec stopped at the archway and carefully peered in from the corner.

"No, I prefer it plain." He quietly watched as his mother wrapped two slim fingers through the small handle before lifting the glass towards her lips and blowing gently causing the steam to flutter away. She then carefully pressed the rim of the glass against her lips and took a light cautious sip. Suddenly her expression change "this is diff…" she paused as her eyes widened. "What have…" she dropped the tea glass and knocked the tray onto the floor with a loud crashing sound.

The sight startled Maec as a cold chill of fear wrapped him in a blanket of paralysis. He wanted to run out and help his mother but he couldn’t move, couldn’t speak, he could do nothing but watch helplessly.

Ulhri stepped back smiling "What have? I can't understand you Madame, is something wrong?"

His mother clawed at her throat as saliva began to drain through the corners of her lips "Why?" she looked at him as her eyes widened further "aehallh…" she choked and reached towards him.

"I admire your strength, and determination, however, you won't last much longer. How does it feel?" He leaned forward just a hair length out of her grasp "to die alone?"

Opening her mouth she tried to speak but suddenly fell limp. Her hand dropped to the floor as her head fell against the pillow where her wide fearful eyes stared lifelessly towards the archway directly at the petrified Maec.

"My, what a mess!" Ulhri bowed and turned to leave but stopped as his eyes noticed the watching child at the edge of the archway. The man smiled sharply at Maec “pitiful child” and simply walked through the archway and down the steps.

For several minutes Maec stood there silently staring into the empty depths of his mother’s lifeless eyes. Finally as the paralysis dissipated he slowly walked towards her motionless frame pressing his hand against her cheek. When she refused to move a steady stream of tears began to pour from his eyes and drain down his cheeks. “Ri’nanov! Nanov! Nanov!” He shook at her violently but she still refused to move.

Suddenly she turned and reached out grabbing his shoulders while staring at him- her eyes becoming black pits “why Maec? Why didn’t you try to save me?”

“Ri’Nanov!” Maec sat up shivering violently as his eyes adjusted to the blackness. His breath eased slightly after realizing he was in his small room aboard the Battlequeen. Standing up he walked over to the sink and turned on the cold water cupping a handful while leaning forward and splashed the freezing liquid into his face. After a few more splashes he leaned back and wiped the liquid out of his eyes while grabbing a towel off the nearby rack to gently dab the remnants off his face. Even though it had been almost a decade since his mother’s death the memory was still fresh in his mind.

Returning to the stiff bed he sat down and simply stared at the adjacent wall. Several minutes later the chirp of his wrist communicator on the nearby nightstand finally broke his daze. He reached over and picked up the device activating it “Arrain tr’Verelan here.”

“Arrain report to the EnRiov’s office immediately.”

“Ie.” He replied simply and stood up walking over to his tiny closet and pulled out his uniform. Sliding on the jacket he pushed the thoughts from his mind.

[EnRiov’s Office]

When he entered her office t’Rehu was leaning back oddly in her large office chair while tossing a strange multicolored cube in the air. “Reporting as ordered Rekkhai.”

She stopped and leaned forward causing the chair to jerk into place. Holding up the strange item she pointed at it “do you know what this is erie’Arrain?”

“No, I have never seen such a thing.” Maec said while studying the object.

“It’s a hevam child’s toy. They call it a rubix cube- strange thing as it is. The goal is to align the sides so that each one is a solid color.” She set it down on the desk and slid it towards him. Instinctively he reached out and stopped it with his hand before it could fly off her desk from the momentum “though that is not the reason why I called you here. At least not entirely. I have received orders from Galae’EnRiov tr’Thrai to give you a bomber so that you can continue to your new assignment while we return to Romulus.”

Maec picked up the device and twirled it around in his hands as he listened to the EnRiov. “New assignment?” He asked half interested as he started to twist the sides of the toy.

“We have reactivated an old exchange program with the Federation. You will be one of the new officers assigned to a Starfleet vessel for a year as part of the program. This request comes directly from the Praetor.”

Maec stopped fooling with the toy and looked up stunned “assigned to a lloann'mhrahel vessel? By request of…my aunt?” He set the toy back on the desk “why was I not asked about this? What if I have no interest in serving on such a vessel?”

“It is only for one year you will-”

He slammed his fists onto the desk knocking the rubix cube off in the process “I refuse! I have no interest on serving on such a vessel! I will not be a traitor!” Maec shouted and then panted as anger surged through him.

Momentarily stunned by the outburst the EnRiov stood up and grabbed his collar pulling him hallway across her desk so that his face was barely an inch away from of hers “you crazy bastard where do you think you are?!” She released her grip and pushed him back causing him to fall to the floor landing next to the multicolored toy. Inhaling deeply t’Rehu rubbed her hands together and then casually sat back down behind her desk “I don’t care if you are the son of senator or the nephew of the Praetor. These are yours orders and you will follow them. I’ve assigned two others to join you- one of the Battlequeen’s junior cooks along with a Farien who is studying Federation culture. You will meet them in the landing bay in three hours where you then proceed to rendezvous with the Enterprise. Now, get out and take that damn thing with you.”

Grabbing the cube Maec stood up feeling his anger be replaced by intense embarrassment. He bowed his head “forgive my outburst I don’t know what came over me EnRiov. I will do as you have ordered.” Turning around he hurried out. As the door closed behind him one of her words suddenly dawned on him… “The Enterprise?”

[To be continued]

Arrain Maec i-Latasalaem tr'Verelan
Chief of Tactical & Security
Officer Exchange Program
USS Enterprise