"Someone Named Rianni"

Posted on 27 Apr 2010 @ 12:09pm by

1,759 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: M4: The Cartaris Strain
Location: Bridge
Timeline: Current

Wandella, by the circumstance of being the first officer out of the meeting, found herself as ranking officer on bridge, ~Not usual. Ranking officer in brig, maybe.~ As such after laying in the course and speed prescribed had taken up residence in the Captain's chair, where she sat with her legs lazily draped over the side, day dreaming about something she'd probably not share with many people.

"Captain, we have a message from DS5." Ens. Richards, the relief tactical officer, informed her.

Wandella, not realizing Richards was talking to her, continued to relax and think about things not mission related.

"Ummm, Captain, we have a message from DS5." He repeated.

Wandella, not registering that he was calling her Captain because she was ranking on bridge, continued to stare off into space.

"Damn it, Wandella, wake up!" Richards finally yelled, getting her attention at last, "There's a message from DS5, marked urgent."

"Oh, of course." Wandella replied, pretending she knew what he wanted all along, "Let's hear it."

"Aye, Captain." Richards laughed, ~Total space cadet sometimes.~

The message came through, badly garbled, all Wandella could make out was something about someone named Rianni, and someone named Ayren, ~Ayren? I wonder if she means Ayren Kelan?~

As the message ended, no clearer than it began, Wandella looked to her left to see the other senior officers leaving the briefing room, and made her way to Kelan, "Excuse, please, but do you know someone named Rianni?" She asked, "There's a message from DS5 about someone named Rianni."

The name brought a rush of memories back, as well as her recent talk with Tasha. Something grabbed her attention....*about*, not *from* Rianni, but about. Dread dried her mouth as she felt an ice cold feeling wash over her. She just knew that it wouldn't be good. "Yes, I do..... " she said, a slight frown forming between her eyes.

Wandella could see the other woman was very upset by this news and wanted to comfort her, even though there was little comfort to offer, "Well, message was garbled, it might be nothing."

Ayren attempted a brave smile, but it faltered. "Thank you, for bringing it to me, but I hardly think it would be nothing... I am sure operations would be able to clean it up for me.... where can I access it?" she asked, concern in her black eyes.

"Take it at Captain's console." Wandella offered, "Your friend is probably just calling for bail or something, nothing major I'm sure."

"I am not so sure," Ayren said concerned as she moved to D'anal's console and tapped her own code onto the panel. The message came through, but still too garbled to make any sense. But it was clearly about Rianni. From what she could gather, was that she was in sickbay. "Can we open a channel to DS5?" she asked.

"Of course." Wandella nodded, opening the channel herself, really wanting to comfort Ayren for some reason, "Channel is open, if you want privacy take in conference room."

Ayren swallowed and nodded. "Thank you...." she said.

As the channel opened to DS5 the Starfleet logo was replaced by the face of Crewman Ma'erlit Amalia, Rianni's loyal wing clerk, "Miss Kelan, I am so glad you called! Ma'am, it's the CAG, it's bad."

Ayren braced herself for what was only a confirmation on her instincts that something really bad happened. "The message I had received was very garbled.....just tell me," she said softly.

"Ma'am, from what we saw she tried to kill herself." Ma'erlit replied, "It seems like she cleaned up, got dressed in her dress uniform, and slit her wrist. She was almost dead when her sister Aarain th'Khellian found her and Doctors Adams and Milarno have her in sickbay operating right now."

Shock sent tremors down Ayren's back and she went as white as a sheet, her black eyes in stark contrast to her skin. Her knees gave way and she sank down in the chair behind her. There was a lot of information in the sentence. ~Sister?~ "What..??" she whispered. "Is she going to be ok?" she asked her mouth dry, but she was relieved at the same time that she had been found. Images of Rianni's lovely face passed in her mind's eye, but she gave her attention back to the woman on the screen.

"Dr. Adams and Dr. Milarno are working on her now, but things look pretty good. DS5 is a huge station and with the Romulan Embassy here now we actually have some Romulan blood on tap." Ma'erlit answered, "One of the med techs told me if the CAG had been anywhere else she'd be dead." Ma'erlit cringed and cursed at herself as soon as she realized that had slipped out, ~Frack! I should not have told her that part!~

Ayren was stunned. It had never occurred to her that Rianni was even capable of doing something like that. At the same time if she really wanted to kill herself she would have used a phazer, or any other means that would ensure death. This was a cry for help. "Is there something else I should know?" she asked quietly.

Ma'erlit debated for a second whether or not to tell Ayren the rest, to tell her what she had seen before the CAG was taken to sickbay, "It's not like she can't read it off my thoughts anyway." Ma'erlit muttered to herself, then replied, "There was a picture next to the chair she was found in, covered in blood, it was of the two of you."

The two black orbs glistened with tears that sprung to her eyes. "I did hurt her terribly.... she said more to herself than to the screen, but loud enough for Me'erlit to have heard. "Please keep me up to date.." she asked. "If she wants to, I would like to talk to her when she is better," Ayren said quietly.

"I'll tell her, I'm sure she'd be glad to hear from you, Ma'am." Ma'erlit smiled, she wished there was a way she could make Miss Kelan feel better, but she couldn't think of one, "If anything happens you'll be the first to know. If nothing else I'll get her down to the flight deck and get her on with you."

Ma'erlit paused for a second, not sure of how to tell Ayren this next part, but she felt she had to, "In fact, that would be much easier, since you'll have a real hard time getting through to her without my help if her sister has her way. Ummm, let's just say I know a Romulan noble family you aren't precisely popular with right now."

Ayren nodded in understanding. She was not surprised, but she had made her choice and now she had to live with it. "I would really appreciate it. Please send her my love...." It sounded so empty, but Ayren had meant it. She did love Rianni, just not the way Rianni wanted her to. The tears now spilled over and ran down her cheeks.

"She loves you, too." Ma'erlit replied, not an opinion but a statement of fact, "She told me. Ma'am, I should've seen this coming, the CAG had been going downhill for a while now. She'd show up and you could tell she'd been drinking, I don't think she ever slept through the night, once I found her passed out in the cockpit of her fighter. I've been covering for her, Ma'am, trying to keep her out of trouble. Do you think that led to this? I mean, could this be my fault?"

"No," Ayren said. "I am not sure what else might have precipitated this, but be sure, I played a major role," she said, wiping her eyes. "I left her," she explained. Usually Ayren wouldn't tell this to a stranger, but she needed to free her of responsibility that was not hers.

"She wouldn't want you to be unhappy, Ma'am." Ma'erlit replied, "And she wouldn't want you to stay with her and not be where you felt you needed to be. Ma'am, she was drunk, that's why she did this. Drunks do stupid stuff and this was just one of those things."

"I think she hates me now... " Ayren said regretfully. "It is good that she has someone like you as a friend," Ayren said, still quite unable to stop the tears. "Please look after her... but maybe she needs a kick up her ass," Ayren said with a humorous smile through the tears. "I can't be there to do it," she said in a brave attempt to lighten her mood, but it had the opposite effect. Now she really cried. "I am sorry...." she said and regained her composure.

"I know that's not true." Ma'erlit replied, "I know for a fact she doesn't hate you. I know this from her 151 proof confession the other night before I was able to get her in the shower and herd her to bed. I know she does love you."

"And I wounded her...." Ayren said.

"Ma'am," Ma'erlit began, then changed her tone to a less formal, more supportive tone, "Ayren, you might could blame yourself if you were the first person or the only person to ever wound her, but you aren't. The galaxy has taken turns kicking Rianni her whole life, and it finally just all boiled over. This isn't any one person's fault."

"I know...." Ayren sighed. "I just hate the fact that I added to all that..." she said. "I would really like to help in any way I can..." Ayren said, feeling a bit better.

"Just be there when she's ready, Ayren." Ma'erlit smiled, "And I'll help you get around her sister until I can bring her sister around."

"Thank you, Ma'erlit....in the mean time I will keep her in my prayers... " Ayren said with a brighter face. "Thank you for everything..."

"Any time, Ayren." Ma'erlit smiled, "And I'll keep you up to date on everything. Ma'erlit out."

The screen went blank and Ayren sat back in the chair. She felt a bit like the screen.... numb and blank. There was no way she could get to DS5 right now and that might not be such a good idea anyway. Not with her sister there. She rose slowly and walked towards the bridge, she had to pull herself together. It was going to be a hard day in more ways than one....


OFF

Lt JZG Wandella Kristere
CFCO

Ayren Kelan
CDO/COunselor
PNPC by Sharon

 

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