A Short History of Isha - Part 1

Posted on 13 Jun 2009 @ 1:42am by

2,709 words; about a 14 minute read

Mission: M2: Aggressive Negotiations
Location: Isha's quarters
Timeline: After leaving DS5

ON

And now I am as much a prisoner as Nniol, Isha thought as she looked around her quarters. She might be able to walk more than three paces in either direction, eat what she wanted and speak with whom she wished but the result was the same; she was still subject to the whims and questions of her Starfleet couriers and there was a guard on her door.

Her gaze came to rest on the stack of four packing crates arranged two by two in one corner then slid to the pair of upholstered trunks sent directly from the consulate which contained clothing and more personal items. Isha laid her fingertips on a panel on the side of the smaller one that stood on top; it clicked open beneath her touch.

Isha flipped back the lid and reached inside. It was all for this, she thought lifting out her husband’s ancestral weapon. Part of her wanted to storm down to the brig and wave it in Nniol’s face while screaming that the only part of it that would ever be his was a single sweep of the blade across his jugular, but Isha, even dancing on the edge of an emotional breakdown, had a lot of self control. Instead of yielding to that savage whim and causing the entire crew of the ship to think that she might be one strip of latinum short of a bar she turned and placed it on the coffee table.

Beside it she placed the purple box that Davies had presented her with that morning, a small blue sea shell, the round silvery metal Seal of the Continuing Committee and an opened bottle of kal`iFhou. Finally, Isha pulled out an oversized embroidered shawl which she wrapped around her shoulders as she walked to the replicator and produced a chilled glass filled with ice.

Her shoes kicked under the table, Isha curled up on the sofa and poured herself a glass of the pale blue liquid; it was the bottle she told Rh’vaurek he could have, not that that really mattered now.

Reaching out, her fingers grasped the little shell, whenever she looked at it she could recall the weight of the water in her hair as she broke through the waves, the warmth of the sun on the glistening water; it was the most beautiful, peaceful day.

She sipped, the liquid burning over her lips and down her throat before she leaned her head back against the cushion and closed her eyes. Isha had still not heard from Lieutenant Elek since he had departed to return to his office and consider his options, whatever that meant; he was probably angry with her for not trusting him, for some reason men never seemed to manage to find a mid-way.

Isha had discovered a way, and a use for this little communicator badge they had given her, “Lieutenant Elek,†she said, “Do you have time for me?â€

"Yes, Ambassador, of course," came Elek's voice through the comm badge. He sounded perfectly neutral. "How can I help you?"

“I understand that as well as being an Interrogator and a Diplomat, you are also officially a Counsellor on board this ship. If you have the time, it is in the latter capacity I would like to talk with you,†she smiled to herself, it was hardly the most cunning plan but it provided a means and an extra level of confidentiality that would allow him to hear, but not officially use what she told him without her consent.

Elek was surprised, but didn't let it show. "You're correct, Madam Ambassador, I am the senior counselor on the Freedom. I ... shall be right with you."

In his diplomatic office, Elek sat back in his chair and exhaled. Just when he thought he'd got a handle on the Romulan people, they threw a spanner in the works. He had spent the last fifteen minutes thinking about a way round this mess, and short of taking a chair and beating a confession out of Nniol, he couldn't find an immediate solution.

If the matter was brought to the Continuing Committee, his son could conceivably force a vote on the issue and find against Nniol, but he would be taking a risk, even as Deputy Chairman. He would, though, if asked. Elek just didn't like to ask if he could avoid it.

He could just *feel* that both Nniol and Isha were holding back from him; Nniol because he was a cold, calculating bastard, Isha because ... that was more complicated. Now that Elek had touched her thoughts, he could see how close Isha was to the edge. Her emotional control was phenomenal - weaker people would have crumbled long before this, but Isha had an outward control that a Vulcan would admire. Inside, however, he had seen how screwed up and intense her emotions had been. He so desperately wanted her to release all that, because of the severe damage it could do to her long-term mental health.

Elek had unconsciously picked up a small phial that was on his desk and started playing with it in his hands. It would have seen non-descript to anyone who looked, especially given that it seemed to contain brown earth, but Elek knew the meaning.

He stood, phial still in hand, and briskly left his office, heading directly to the ambassador's guest quarters. Pressing the door chime, he wondered how this conversation would pan out.

In the meantime Isha had refilled her own glass and replicated a second, along with a plate of assorted nibbles that she did not have names for, “Come in, and do make yourself comfortable, Lieutenant … no, let’s keep it clear which hat you are wearing – I’ll call you Counselor,†she said as she placed the plate on the side table.

Isha did not ask if Elek wanted a drink but poured one anyway, “It seems that I did not pack even one tin of kheia,†she said as though remembering the caviar was the first element one should consider when planning for a journey. She looked down at the plate with a puzzled expression, “I don’t know what any of this is,†she admitted.

Elek accepted the glass, but didn't drink from it. "It looks that they're attempts to distract yourself from what you want to talk about," he said quietly. "Don't worry too much about them."

Sitting, Isha tucked her legs beneath her and drew the discarded shawl into her lap winding the long silken tassels that trimmed the edge around her finger. “Now that you’re here, Counselor, I’m not sure what to say,†Isha peeped at him from beneath lowered lashes, “I haven’t done this before … I‘m not really sure where to start.â€

"What's at the forefront of your mind, Ambassador? The most immediate thing that's pressing against you?"

“That I could lose,†she replied. “Elek, I accept that you have some experience of our culture, and our methods, but I think that your own view, and your experience beyond our society is clouding your judgement. From a purely Romulan perspective Nniol’s argument is as strong as my own – there is no foregone conclusion to this matter – even I waver over who is right and who is wrong, and I think that until you hear the full story, you will not understand why.â€

Elek grimaced. "I've been trying to get the full story since I reported for duty, but neither Nniol nor yourself seem willing to tell me." He leaned back in his chair. "Nniol is clearly a devious manipulator, and I find it difficult to mentally read him at all. Now that I have begun reading you, I recognise deep, conflicted emotions within you, so I wonder what you aren't telling me, Madam?"

“I thought that a Starfleet Counselor might be more gentle than that, but you’re angry with me, aren’t you? So, should I apologise now, or later for not being as amenable as your dead wife?â€

That stopped Elek in his tracks. He rolled the phial around in his hand, and it was a full minute before he spoke again. "Perhaps that was harsh of me, madam. For that, I'm sorry. And I'm angry at the half-truths and deceit that is ... standard in intra-species diplomacy. I just wish we could all trust each other. That's all I want. And trust me, Madam Ambassador, I do not compare you to my wife. I could never do that. Please do not think I ever would."

“It was an unnecessarily cruel thing for me to say. I think I want to be sure that you are being as objective as I, Mister Interrogator-Diplomat-Counselor. I asked you here so that I can tell you. I have told this story before, once to my husband, and several times after that while he had it verified – I forget how many ‘recollections’ that took …â€

Elek nodded. "Then let us start again, Madam Ambassador." He took a breath, let it out. "I recognise the trust you are going to place in me. I will be as objective as I am capable of being -" he smiled "- and I will trust you to tell me if I fail."

“As it concerns me, the story began about forty years ago. A successful man who had lost a beloved wife thirty years earlier finally saw something that drew him from his malaise; she was me.

As I saw it Nveid tr’Illialhlae was an established Patriarch three times my age, raised to rule his House …. but the introduction was made by my mother, a Hru’hfirh in her own right, and a cousin of hers, Senator Aehkhifv Latasalaem. I had an older sister guiding me, she would follow after my mother leading the Khellian – my sister had a thirst I never did for authority and our House would be in her hands. My task was different."

"You were the younger sister," Elek repeated. "Leading the House would, of course, never usually fall to you."

“Not usually. Latte-Jhu’s loss was senseless and recent, a skirmish with pirates. It hurt our mother but she turned a tragedy into a reconcillition, she appointed me her heir to try and placate me for events of long ago. ... but that is not the House in question. I lead one and will, because of my sister’s demise inherit another.â€

Isha paused and placed her glass aside though she missed the chill of the ice on her palms, "Did you ever visit the games, Elek, when the cream of the Galae competed and thrashed each other under the sun until one man claimed victory?"

She saw Rh'vaurek as she always did when she thought of the day and the year; stripped, bloodied and victorious. He had made as many enemies as friends on the day he had beaten all comers at the games…

Elek nodded. "Once," he said. "When I living on Romulus, shortly after my marriage. I never went again ... it wasn't something that I felt comfortable watching. My El-Aurian sensibilities differ than yours on that matter."

He remembered it as clearly as if it were yesterday - he had been living on Romulus for two years by that point, in a disguise that he had learnt to live with. He sometimes almost missed the pointed ears, but he never missed the games - he had hated them, hated seeing the bloody fighting. He knew it was an important part of Romulan heritage, but he had never been able to go back.

Isha allowed herself the briefest smile as she dismissed her own memory of Rh’vaurek in his prime; he was still formidable … she sucked in her breath even harder, releasing it in a slow silent stream as she contemplated what to say next.

“It was my year, Elek, 2343 for most of that year my mother was off playing with starships, along with my sister; I was left to govern the House. I was 33 or 34: I indulged my own pleasures and passions – there was no-one there to stop me… Rh’vaurek Raedhol, a man from no-where and with nothing.â€

Elek leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees. He respected that the ambassador was opening up to tell this story, despite her patent wish not to have to.

“For him I imagine I was another gamble – I cannot have been his first … for me he was a suddenly famous and obviously dangerous man. For him I suppose I was a ticket to greater things, at the very least he would get my own connections. I was already betrothed … I think that neither of us knew that we would fall swiftly and dangerously in love.â€

"You fell in love, despite your existing betrothal?" Elek nodded - he understood the passions behind that, and what the consequences could be in Romulan society. He was choosing his words very carefully - a basic tenet of psychiatry was that you did not "lead" your patient, you let them speak in their own words. "To someone of a much lower caste." He smiled, a small smile barely visible. "This must have been some man."

“He was … he still is.†Isha picked up the little blue shell once again, and held it out in her palm, “This came from the bottom of the Apnex sea, we spent a day there on someone’s boat, I happened to dive before lunch. I doubt the relationship would have lasted … I was betrothed and we were very young. The next time my mother returned … well, she was not willing to tolerate it. She and her cousin Aehkhifv Latasalaem had a lot invested in me – he’s a Senator now, among other things – Nveid tr’illialhlae was not objectionable to me, Counselor, I was bred to marry to the benefit of my mother’s House, and I did nothing and would do nothing that went against the interests of my House - it’s just that the timing was as bad as it could be … she demanded that I end the relationship. I acquiesced. It was not a pretty ending to a beautiful summer.â€

Elek was quiet for a moment as he stared silently at the shell for a moment. "It's a lovely shell," he said quietly. "The colour is ... stunning."

He watched Isha as she sat, staring, at this shell - this memory. "What happened, Madam?" he asked gently. "What happened then?"

“The split was rather savage, it happened months after that perfect day. He had no idea it was coming and it took place in the same location we consummated our relationship – in the white summerhouse in the garden of Senator Pardek – Rh’vaurek was in his service at the time. I would have ended it, my mother should not have forced me to do it then. He thought that he had been used, that I had simply grown bored with him. He called me several names and in my anger I told Rh’vaurek that I would ruin him, a particularly unkind threat to a self-made man. He lost his temper rather, as did I. I forget who attacked first, but I lost; he broke my jaw, not that I ever told him so … I was sedated for a number of days afterwards, by the time I recovered someone had done more or less what I threatened – he had been stripped of his rank and expelled from the Galae..â€

"How did you feel after that? Did you have any love left for him after that?"

Isha traced her fingers down her jaw until they met at the tip of her chin, “I did what was required of me. I was rather bitter for a while and I was more of a burden to my new husband than he deserved - Nveid was very tolerant, but then I was not his first wife - he'd had to alter his habits to accommodate a woman before. At that point in my life I never thought that I would see Rh’vaurek again.â€

To be continued ...

 

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