JDL| Cintel, CSEC|LtCmdr. Rinehart & Arrain tr'Verelan - "So Long As The Stars Find Their Way"

Posted on 241501.05 @ 6:36am by Arrain Maec tr'Verelan & Commander Tierney Rinehart

Mission: Holy Cow

The halls seemed far more intriguing now, richer with sound and scent. It was as if the entire ship had come to life and was begging and beseeching her attention with each passing step the young Starling took. Mark’s ghost lurked in the very hum of the engines he’d once touched and tended to so passionately, but Tierney never paused to listen for him. Such childhood fantasy had long since been slew along with demons under her bed and the boogie man in her closet. Magic wasn’t something she allowed herself to believe in, her mind long since tainted by songs and serenades of Starfleet’s great seriousness and the reality of death and decay entrenched so deeply in the reality that was the constant maudlin reprise an officer, let alone a ‘Spook’, readily gave their lives to. It was the lullaby of a warrior.

Nightmares come when shadows grow, lifting your voice will chase them away – her mother had told her that and had promised no shadows would fall as long as the stars find their way. Had they? Or was the Starling so far astray that the shadows had come to take her by the hand completely unbidden to lead her down some pathway lined instead with thorns?

She saw him then, the dark shadow. He appeared the moment she stashed a PADD away in the pockets of the throw she’d slipped into as cover over a simple tank top – Blue had been right, civilian clothing was a luxury to be embraced by the grey creatures of Intel. All at once Tierney was both mystified and angered by his presence. Walking with his entourage, he seemed so very out of place. A fallen angel sent by the Devil? Or had he risen in request of retribution?

He was beautiful, carrying himself with all of the arrogance and spirit that his species allowed him to and she reached to tug her throw closer around her as if to shield herself from whatever witchery he possessed. As the ship’s Chief of Intelligence, the mere fact he’d shown up without her knowing made him both threat and mystery. The fact he wore a combadge did little to set her at ease. However, the realization that he walked freely without klaxons blaring and red lights flashing forced her to bite her tongue and to simply relax and vow to watch closely and wait. “Jolan’tru.” She greeted him, finding her tongue as he neared closer and the bright vibrant blue of her eyes could pick out the details in the obsidian darkness of his own.

It had been a long day and as they were led down the corridor to their resting quarters Maec could feel his eyelids begin to tug downward as if large drogues had been pinned to them. Part of him longed to simply lie down and welcome the sleep his tired eyes craved but something about being on a Federation vessel made him fretful. Surrounded by aliens. The entire idea of this experiment was so antithetical to Romulan dogma that it caused him to absently ponder his aunt’s reasoning for having him placed here. Was it a political maneuver on her part? According to t’Rehu it was simply to gain knowledge but what sort of knowledge did they expect him to gain here that would be beneficial to him in the future? Or them? Maec knew the answer may bring him more dismay than relief.

“Vaehkh.” He uttered the words quietly under his breath as they passed a group of young human officers. The group seemed put a great deal of effort in attempting to mask their random glances but Maec could see through their shielded gawking. They were like shy hnoiyoka too afraid to look directly at a wandering thrai.

Fveirrolh suddenly stopped causing the entire group to pause in their tracks. A boorish smirk appeared on his face as he approached a woman whom Maec hadn’t noticed earlier. The young cook lifted his hand and aimed a finger at the woman “au dochai rihannsu?” He chuckled casually and then looked at Maec “au vaedn susse?”

That childlike ignorance which seemed to wrap a similarly adolescent sense of invulnerable curiosity around the young servant was beginning to cause Maec some consternation. He looked at the woman immediately noticing her sharp blue eyes and finding them oddly disquieting. Something about them made him think of a predator’s sharp eyes as they focused in on their prey. He nodded his head at the others “hwyej imhai reh ssaed caire au oiuu’n krowert.” They returned his nod and with a little urging from Mhai their escort led the pair away as Maec focused his attention on the woman in front of him. “Greetings.” He said neutrally in standard as his gaze chilled.

The Starling felt her blood begin to boil the moment Fveirrolh broke gait and stuck his knobby finger in her direction. The startled amusement of his voice seemed such bitter discord against her sensitive hearing, but before she could do much more than smirk back at him, the dark one ordered him away and ended whatever 'fun' that could have transpired between them. Tierney's fingers clutched tighter at the bright scarlet navajo pattern of her throw, using it as a border and wall between her and the Romulan she'd engaged. The serpent, coy and calm stirred to bring the slightest of shivers in his wake as she blinked and watched him transform before her.

And there they stood.

The most alien being the Enterprise held in her grasp and the blackest force that she'd ever fought. Together they regarded one another, sizing up, ascertaining motives, debating the merits of the other. The olive skinned lines of his face drew her eyes next and she followed them until they yielded to his throat and the dark hair that framed the sides of his face and back until she found the cold, shark-like depths of his eyes. Looking deeper, she could have sworn there were gold flecks to be found there - signs of life. In front of him she felt just how small and delicate she truly was, nothing more than dandelion fluff and hardly a physical match for him in a fair fight, but given the chance she knew she'd claw those beautiful eyes out if it meant saving the Enterprise and protecting Starfleet. She prayed to the holy stars, however, that she would never need to. "Tell me," She said, the full velvet pink of her lips tugging into a smile most sardonic and a single brow arched high over one of those large vibrant blue eyes, "Just how did you manage to find your way aboard the Enterprise?" She asked. "Nothing ever happens on this ship without me knowing well in advance, especially not you and yet..." Her delicate shoulders shrugged in mock defeat, "here you are."

A sharp silence lingered for a long moment as Maec’s elegantly slanted eyes seemed to rise ever so slightly at her words and their viperous implications. Nothing ever happens without her knowing? At first he wondered if he had mistranslated her words but he knew his standard was not so bad that such simple meaning would be lost. No he had heard her right and it solidified that visceral menacing impression from her frosty gaze. The hairs at the nape of his neck seemed to tinge as he matched glares with the woman. Were they destined to be adversaries during his stint aboard Enterprise? Had she been Romulan he would have translated her entire demeanor as a challenge or a threat. It was much harder to discern what this alien’s purpose was but her presentation still translated as foe. How to react? Perhaps he should wring her neck right here and choke the vividness out of her blue eyes? Such a passionate and coarse response would no doubt cause a great deal of displeasure back on Romulus and the possibility of injuring his aunt’s prestige brought a tinge of thrill. Yet Maec knew such an act was not within him.

Instead he smirked- a sharp toothy look that would have certainly caused even the most venal Romulan politician to preen with envy. It was an unnerving expression he had seen his people use countless times when boasting to an adversary. A calculated threat that was easily read even without the words to express it. “You seem to be quite conceited for someone who appears to know far less then she implies. Instead I will grant you a courtesy you seem to lack. Not that I would have expected anyone aboard Federation ship to have any significant level of refinement.” His hand reached out and gently brushed against the golden emblem attached to his metallic sash “I am Arrain Maec i-Ahafevthe tr’Verelan an exchange officer serving as this ship’s head of security.”

Magnificent. It was a word that could so easily be used to describe the incident between the Romulan and the half-blood. Crew members hastened pace as they came past, allowing the Intel officer on the bulkhead to remain unfettered in whatever strange game of politics she chose to engage in. He countered and seethed, and she felt the shiver grow and her blood turn to mercury. It burned as it coursed through her veins, molten and freezing all at the same time as he spoke and postured. Her own smirk only served to flourish. The maven knew he could hurt her, that much of a thought had already danced across her train of thought, but she also knew that she held the high ground. This was her territory and he was very much a visitor and lost within the Odyssey class's great corridors. All she had to do was scream.

"Conceited? Such a big word." She practically chirped in response, her grasp on her throw loosening as her fear of him steadily abated. Given half the chance, and a kernel of knowledge into what and who she truly was, he'd have likely packaged her up and sent her to Romulus to be dissected, studied, and cloned. Given half the chance... No... She wouldn't do the same to him. Knowing what he was, who he was, was enough for her to harbor some ember of respect for him. "I know who you are. I just never thought I'd be close enough to see the whites of your eyes." Tierney retorted, her eyes only shifting to the shining emblem on his sash long enough to recognize the marks before they returned to his face. Her slender fingers reached to chase an errant strand of hair from her face as she did so. "I am Lieutenant Commander Rinehart, this ship's intelligence officer. Looks like we'll be seeing a lot of one another and you can lecture me on what you consider to be the definition of refinement." A fact she couldn't quite discern whether she loathed or secretly took pleasure in as her weight shifted from one hip to the other, the only show of discomfort she'd allow to slip. "In exchange, I'll teach you a little bit about honesty and trustworthiness." She wanted to watch him, to study him, to learn him and instead she continued to verbally joust with him even though her heart thundered almost violently in her chest. What was becoming more apparent to her with every passing second was that she wanted to know why he'd come to her... To them, and what he'd done to be sent there by his people. The shadow was one she wasn't sure the stars could enlighten, or if he was worth trying to see them shine upon -- but she knew that her path had already been altered by him. Permanently.

Intelligence. Maec had guessed right but that bit of knowledge brought him little comfort. The only thing that made him less hesitant was that Federation Intelligence officers were pale shadows in comparison to their Romulan counterparts. The ubiquitous and nefarious nature of the vaunted Tal’Shiar had caused a great deal of anxiety among his people for decades and this woman was nowhere near as imposing. This person’s mannerisms almost seemed childlike with the excessive and random posturing like a young toddler trying to appear more than they were towards an adult. After pulling lightly against his plated chainmail jacket to loosen the tightness of the collar Maec offered the woman a slight head dip as a bow. It was just enough of a motion to be considered respectful but no so much as to hint at any thought of worthiness. “That would be hopeless.” He said as he lifted his head with a smile “as you know my people prefer not to waste our time with fruitless endeavors.”

"Rha?" She dared to question, not quite quick enough to hold her tongue. The tipping of his head brought about the flash of her throat as she consumed yet another intrepid breath, seemingly allowing him his shining moment and resplendent smile. It was of the variety that left her pondering the next move, though while she did, she found her own head mirroring his practiced show of respect. It was a warrior's salute, the two of them equally and painfully aware that their differences wouldn't, and couldn't, be settled right then and there in the hallway. The ship itself threatened to burst as she tried to hold the two great titans within her bulkheads, each one so very precious and valuable to the causes they represented. Each intended to stand as mythological beings that should never have existed; magical, regal and ethereal all in their own rights. He the Romulan turned Starfleet officer and she the only representative of her mother's kind, however split her blood may have been. "Nnearh uhhaae maehan, Rhianha." Tierney couldn't help but chuckle in his native tongue, her once winter cold eyes suddenly warm with a twinkle of earnest amusement. They danced without moving, countering and balancing -- though never daring to touch one another. To touch would have been to end the dream that had borne them, twisting it and turning it into nothing but smoke and ash by sending one shying for the safety of the light and the other crow hopping back into their sanctuary of darkness. "Jolan'tru, Arrain Maec i-Ahafevthe tr’Verelan." She trilled with a mock courtesy, never daring to take her eyes off of him. She didn't trust him, not now... Likely not ever, but was a Hell of a first meeting between the Starling and the shadow-prince that now left her reeling with the knowledge that her secrets would never be safe. He'd find her. He'd know her, and likely before she did likewise of him and his.

Hearing the Rihannsu leave her lips felt like someone running a cold blade across the ridges of his spine as a deadly tease just before driving the weapon in. This woman smelled of danger. Yet it wasn’t a palpable threat. Physically she was no match for him. Maec could tell that much from her languid movements. Instead the greatest danger that this woman posed was her mind. Those blue eyes flared with the energy of charged mentality. A mind whose focus was to constantly survey and scheme through every situation. When the irony of that mental description hit him he let loose a brief smile as the first genuine expression he had given anyone on the ship since his arrival. Those were traits he could ascribe to his own people’s repugnant ilk. With a deep breath he lifted his arm and then brushed his sleeve as if he was dusting away a speck of dirt. His eyes then looked directly into Tierney’s, “ahem dhat damneri.” A short spin of his heels had his back facing the woman- it was a dangerous and foolish maneuver to turn ones back to the enemy. However Maec suspected that if this woman’s intentions were pernicious any attack would not be overt. Such a thing didn’t seem to be in her nature. A dismissive flick of his wrist, an act he had observed by t’Rehu, served as an adieu as he headed to join the others.

"Right." The Starling tittered in response. Though little, the star-child was more of a snowflake than a speck of dust or dirt. She was delicate and poised, cold and yet so very filled with genuine emotion no matter how hard she tamped it down for the sake of her position in life. Emotions that Tierney doubted, sincerely, that he was capable of... until she saw that smile. She'd seen his smile. However brief, it had been real and it had been there, although it was truly evanescent and quickly replaced by his childish gestures.

Standing there, still in that precarious position between the bulkhead and the fluffed up Romulan, she watched his merry display of dismissal with nothing more than a wry smile and crossed arms. The safety net of her throw had been forgotten until he was several feet away. Then, having to turn her back to him to continue on her way became a very real thing and the bright red, black and white Navajo knit, once again, found its way wrapped tightly around her. Each of them hoped they were right, that the other wasn't the type that would whip around and flay the other open from behind. Tierney shivered at the thought, an earnest deep bodied feeling that tingled down along her spine and fanned out along her nerve endings as she walked with a little more gusto than usual. The sound of her sandals beat a tattoo against the deck and bounced off the bulkheads and her patterned shrug acted like a cape, fluttering out behind her as she made haste to her next destination.

The shadow-prince, she knew, wouldn't just be remanded to the darkness. He wouldn't just be a thing of dreams and nightmares, he was real and so very tangible... So very... real, and though Romulans, she thought, were never meant to be such, he was distinctly beautiful.

---

Lt Commander Tierney Rinehart
Chief Intelligence Officer
USS ENTERPRISE, NCC 1701-F

Arrain Maec i-Ahaefvthe tr'Verelan
Chief of Security
Exchange Officer
USS Enterprise