Covenant with the Devil

[Laehval tTemarr 0]

Covenant with the Devil

A Duty Log From:

Acting Enarrain Daise'Erei'Riov Destorie N'Dak &

Daise'Engineer El'Riov Laehval t'Temarr

 

 

“I must ask something of au...” Destorie paused for a moment, unsure if Laehval was preparing to pounce and kill him now and get it over with, or if she was actually listening to him.

 

“This is na easy for me,” he continued, his voice soft and almost leery. “But au are the only io I can ask this of...”

 

Hands clasped and resting in her lap, Laehval seemed in control of her emotions, though she was still tense. Both brows arched slightly at his tone. She did not have to mention that he was the Enarrain and that she was duty-bound to follow his orders. He would know that. The fact that he was actually asking her to help him with something had her curious. “Ie? Fhaen continue…”

 

He sighed before continuing. “I have na always been the best... leader...”

 

Wisely, she kept her comments to herself, simply tilting her head as she waited.

 

“And,” he took another deep breath, this was obviously hard for him to say. “I have always had a great deal of admiration for au, and the way au carry out aur duties, both as an officer and as a Daise. And as Enarrain... au kept the ship together despite those who were acting against au.”

 

Laehval had the grace to wince, reminded of the previous situation and the consequences with which she was still trying to live. She remembered everything, every sordid detail, and wished she could block it out. “Au honor me, but I was only doing my duty.”

 

Destorie let his gaze linger on the woman sitting across from him. In three years, the two of them had been tested by the Elements many times. They'd survived the jungles of that wretched blob infested planet, they'd survived each other's tempers, and they'd survived the tyranny of t'Rexan.

 

“I have na always treated au with the respect au deserve... but I would appreciate,” his voice lost some of the confidence that always pervaded it. “If au... if au would help me through this period as acting Enarrain of the Talon.”

 

The words escaped his mouth in a rush; the pride normally worn on his face faded to a sort of sad helplessness. Asking for help. He'd never thought he'd be in this position. Certainly not in his moment of glory. He had finally proven himself to be worthy of Command, but at every corner he found himself needing help.

 

Clearly, that wasn't what Laehval was expecting. At the very least, she assumed that he wanted her to help rid him of t'Rexan once and for all. Relaxing slightly, hands resting loosely on the armrests of her chair, she peered at him for a few moments. If she felt anything at his admission, it did not show. Certainly she was dancing with glee on the inside at seeing him so humble. It had never happened before and would probably never happen again. Repressing a wicked grin, Laehval merely pursed her lips and nodded slightly. “And what, exactly, did au have in mind? t'Ksa will be aur first in command. Should au na be appealing to her for her support?”

 

He nodded, “I will speak with her in time. But au carry much weight with the crew, au are well respected, and it would benefit me to gain insight from au as well.”

 

Of course, the reason he'd came to her first, instead of t'Ksa, was simple—he needed to keep his friends close, and his enemies closer. Over the years, he'd developed a working list of those who could and would challenge him should he ever be in this situation, and the woman in front of him was currently at the top.

 

“I think I understand aur request, but I am curious to know why au think I would help au?” She knew without having to ask, but wanted to hear it from his own lips. He needed support in front of the rest of the crew and someone to gauge the “pulse” of the ship. He needed eyes and ears in other departments to spot any problem areas before they developed. He needed someone to watch his back. She wondered why he thought he could trust her.

 

“Given my options,” his voice clear and honest, “I have little choice, do I na?”

 

A slight sigh escaped him. He was right of course. He had little choice but to trust her. His life was in the hands of his crew, of his shipmates. He'd been on the other end of this, and he knew that there would be disgruntled crew planning to toss him out the nearest airlock. He also knew he'd made his fair share of bitter enemies, not only among the junior crew, but the senior command staff as well. t'Aehjae came to mind rather quickly.

 

“True.” Laehval nodded her head slightly, mulling that over. “There are few on this ship that feel anything but animosity toward au. There are fewer still that would step forward to aid au. I am certain that there will be at least io assassination attempt on aur life before the crew grows accustomed to the idea of au in command. Perhaps it may even come from aur own d’heno staff. There are na many that au can trust.”

 

“There are some loyal D'Heno sahen among them,” he said, a cautious note in his voice. “But, and I am to blame for it as much anything else, t'Aehjae and I have always been rivals. I almost fear putting t'Rexan under her guard.”

 

“Au will na need to worry on that account. t'Aehjae is t'Rexan's creature and has been from the very start. She would protect her, if that is what au desired.”

 

She paused for a moment, considering. “If I give au my support and back aur decisions as our acting Enarrain, what would I expect to receive in return?” Ah, now there was the core of the matter. He really didn't think she would simply fall at his feet and do his bidding, did he? Laehval was an opportunist and would push for whatever concessions she could get from him.

 

An eyebrow lift, he had expected this sooner. “What is it au desire?” he said carefully. “I am in a position to offer much of some things... and little of others.”

 

“First and foremost, I require autonomy in my department, as au have already promised. t'Rexan meddled in my affairs far too often and sometimes endangered those on the ship in doing so. Au must realize that I run my department efficiently. I do na respond well to the outside pressures of imposed command. Our environment is hectic enough. We know our duties and will do everything in our power to make certain that the Talon runs smoothly. It shames us to have it be otherwise.” She paused for a few moments to let that sink in.

 

After a few moments, he nodded. “I have na problem with granting this wish. Is there anything else?”

 

“Ie,” she replied without hesitation. “I want Erein J'stal t'Ditsy transferred out of Engineering. She is useless as an engineer. I do na know how she made it through the Galae. I do na care where au put her, just find her a new posting. She has minimal engineering skills, though she might be useful in Operations or Communications. I doubt she could survive in any other department.”

 

He grimaced and shook his head, knowing firsthand of the Erein's reputation. The three of them had waded through the swamps of the blob planet while being hunted by tr'Psichore. He'd discovered then just how useless the younger female had been. When t'Ditsy wasn't daydreaming, she was complaining about her own discomfort. He had wondered how the Erein managed to function as an engineer.

 

“I do na know where I could place her, but it will be done.” Perhaps he could place her near Koga. And keep her attentions on him.

 

“Menkha.” Laehval nodded, obviously pleased. “I also require that the Talon be refitted before disembarking on any long term mission. Though most of our repairs are near to completion, we have several outdated systems that need to be totally replaced. At na time since I have been on board, have we remained around ch'Rihan for any extended period of time. Consequently, the ship is falling apart. If we do na get the Talon to the shipyards for a serious overhaul, I doubt we will live through our next deep space mission. There is only so much patching that we can do to hold this ship together. Perhaps this is na the best time considering the political situation, but that can na be helped.”

 

“I can na guarantee that we will be allowed to remain. Au see that we have already been ordered away from ch'Rihan to keep the populace under control. I will make the request, but it is up to Galae Command. I am subject to orders, just as au.”

 

“Is that all?” He almost hated to ask, fearing she would think up more conditions. He hated being at the mercy of another, and this situation had made him more irritable than usual; but now was not the time for one of his bursts of rage and anger. Control was the name of the game.

 

“Ie. For hna. If anything else comes to my attention, I shall let au know.” He gave in so easily because he had no choice. Little did he realize to what he was agreeing. She'd been held back by t'Rexan so often that she had stopped trying. Now things were about to become drastically different. She would make changes a little a time so as not to draw any negative attention, but eventually her department would be as she willed it. Transfers, supply commendations, repairs: no longer would she be forced to wait for her requests to be approved. And should he balk or try to retract any of his promises, he would find himself with a ship that did not function properly. Engineers made amazing saboteurs. Not only did they have intimate knowledge of the ship's systems, but they knew how to manipulate them in such a way that tampering would be untraceable.

 

Now totally relaxed, Laehval gave him a reassuring smile. “Do na worry. I am sure au will be deserving of aur new post. Au have dealt with responsibility before and have survived it. At least au know the true nature of aur father and realize that arrogance does na accomplish anything. I believe that will make au a better leader.”

 

Rising from her seat, she nodded to him, meeting his gaze. “Au have my support... Rekkhai.” It took quite a bit of effort to call him that, but the strain was lessened by the allowances she had secured. She considered this to be a small victory for her and for engineering.

 

Destorie nodded, “Hann'yyo. Inform me when we have finalized repairs.” As he watched her leave, a sickening feeling of apprehension started growing deep inside him. N'Dak had just made a deal with the devil. Only time would tell if he would escape with his soul.

Edited June 7, 2006 by Laehval tTemarr

[KhreRiovtRex 0]

OMG.....she so owns you dude....