The Commanding Officer's Worst Duty - Informing the Family

[KhreRiovtRex 0]

A Joint Log by El'Riov (sg) Laehval Ullho t'Temarr and Khre'Riov L'haiy ira-Kallen t'Rexan

 

To the north of the capital city on ch'Rihan, the small village of Pril'in was experiencing the first of many torrential downpours of the season. As the cold rain often turned to sleet or hail without warning, the residents wisely remained indoors until the storm passed. The streets were deserted save for a lone flitter passing through. It paused at the gate of a modest dwelling on the outskirts, just before the road snaked toward the mountain and was swallowed by the forest. The rain, slanting almost sideways in sheets, obscured the view until lightning crackled overhead, setting the property ablaze and lighting up the house brilliantly for those brief instants.

 

The cloaked figured emerged from the personal flitter, pausing only to reach for her bag before closing the conveyance door. The heavy, well-oiled cloak covered her uniform completely, the hood barely allowing her to see out into the gloom. The ornamental gates opened before she reached them, allowing entrance to the dreary grounds. The trees that lined the path hung heavily, their branches beaten down by the rain and wind, heavy with the newly formed ice.

 

The cobbles were rain-slick and treacherous, but training and pride kept her from slipping as she trudged to the door. The porch provided some relief from the downpour, though did nothing to stop the water from accumulating around her boots. To one side, the rain fell in a near solid wall, rushing off the roof and pouring down the hill, cleverly diverted toward the pond by the landscape. She might have stopped to admire it had she not been preoccupied with other matters. Her fist thumped heavily upon the solid door.

 

The door opened at the second knock, revealing a woman that looked like a much older version of Laehval. Standing tall and painfully straight, she was dressed in well-made clothing that was neither plain nor ostentatious, but rather somewhere in between. Though she wore a neutral expression, there was something akin to annoyance in her eyes as she gazed at the visitor.

 

"We are na expecting visitors," she stated flatly. "Who are au? Why have au come?"

 

"Au are Au'rial t'Temarr?"

 

"Ie," the woman said suspiciously.

 

"I've come to speak with au of your daughter," she paused, waiting for some sort of response. When none came, she continued, just managing to keep the annoyance out of her voice. "May I fhaen come hrrau khoi of the rain?"

 

A puzzled expression crossed Au'rial's face, but she stood aside and waved a hand to allow entrance. She closed the door behind them both once the dripping visitor entered and gestured to the wall in the foyer. "Cloak there," she said, pointing to a tall case with hooks inside. A frown appeared as she noticed the boots tracking mud across the floor. She gestured to another encasement at floor level that seemed the right size to insert one's foot. "Clean your boots there." Saying nothing further, the woman turned and disappeared into the sitting room just off the hallway.

 

A bit surprised that Au'rial had left without waiting for her guest, L'haiy shrugged out of the wet garment, taking care not to shake the water further than the mat she was standing on. She hung her cloak where indicated, watching as the device dried it in seconds. Wondering if the other would do the same to her boots, she placed her foot inside. A moment later her boot was free of mud and water and polished to a shine. Baffled, she did the same with the other shoe.

 

Lifting her wet bag from the floor where she'd discarded it, she removed two small boxes from the interior and then secured the bag again, hanging it up beside the cloak. Again, the device whirred to life, drying the bag in moments. As she moved out of the foyer, a glance about showed the house was littered with dozens of such devices, each constructed with convenience in mind. Laehval's influence? she wondered.

 

She paused in the doorway as she reached the sitting area, an imposing sight in the full dress uniform of a fleet Khre'Riov. "Jolan'tru?"

 

Au'rial's annoyed expression hardened to stone at the sight of the Galae uniform. "My daughter Nalhven has nothing to do with Galae, so I assume au are here about Laehval. What has she done h'nah? If au come seeking retribution for her mistakes or come to tell me of the dishonor she's brought upon her family, au need na have bothered. She is na daughter of mine. Na any longer."

 

L'haiy stood motionless, not liking the woman's tone or the message she conveyed. "I came to tell au that your daughter is laying hrrau a medical facility, near yy'a. It was only by the luck of the Elements that someone found her in time. I felt au would want to know.."

 

"I care na where she is or what she is doing," Au'rial interrupted curtly. Her voice was full of venom and bitterness. "Better that she yy'a than to bring any further dishonor upon us. Had she the courage, she would have killed herself long ago to spare us the suffering."

 

Slightly shocked, L'haiy's renowned temper flared quickly. "How can au say this of your own daughter? If au only knew of this woman's courage! Au are being a veruul to deny her as your daughter, for whatever reason. May the Elements forever brand au as the veruul au are being. Au mistake my reason for coming here this day. I am na here for retribution. I am na here to tell au that she has dishonored your house. Na, au have done that yourself by disavowing her. Au want to know of courage?" t'Rexan advanced closer, looming over the woman "I'll tell au of courage. Your daughter, Laehval t'Temarr is the very embodiment of courage. I've seen her take on situations that many would run from; risk her own life to save those of her crewmates, and all without regard to her own well being. Her courage is why I am here today besides to inform au of her fate."

 

"I came to present her family with these commendations for her service to the RES Talon and the Empire," she continued angrily without pause, not giving Au'rial a chance to interrupt. "Had she na the courage to do what she did that day, a multitude of yy'a would have ensued. Her bravery in sacrificing io officer, to save the rest of the crew, is beyond reproach. I came today to present these awards to your family so that au may give them to her if she ever recovers."

 

"Do au know what this is?" t'Rexan held up one of the boxes in her hands. "This is the Imperial Commendation Medal - awarded by the commanding officer of a ship to crew members who display outstanding job performance skills in excess above their normal duties. Your daughter has more than earned this," she tossed the box into the woman's lap.

 

Au'rial's jaw clenched as she caught the box. She opened it and then snapped it shut quickly, rising from her chair to fling it back. "Perhaps au did na hear me. I do na care," she stated flatly. "Au have na right to assume au know of our family! Laehval has been a plague upon this house ever since she was in the womb. Her elder brother died because I was pregnant with her. I was in labor with her while my son was dying and I could have saved him!"

 

"She also murdered her younger sister!" Au'rial shouted. "Did she tell au that? Her neglect killed my little Lilet, the light of my life. She entered Galae because we did na want her around here and she had na other skills. She has brought trouble to us all and I have wished many times that she had never been conceived. Au do na tell me what I know of her! I heard what she did most recently on the Talon. I heard how she mutinied with those betrayers and stabbed her own Enarrain. How can au call that courage?! She deserves na honors!"

 

"VERUUL! Be silent! I will na have a small woman such as yourself speak to me such. Au obviously do na recognize me. I AM Khre'Riov L'haiy ira-Kallen t'Rexan, her commanding officer. She did na mutiny! She played the dupe to help save the crew. While, ie, she did have to stab me, she did it for the good of the crew, for the good of the ship. If I can reconcile with that and na hold her in negative regard, then au have na right to. It was MY ship, MY crew and MY life. And I am HONORED, that she would commit so much of herself to save so many, knowing the outcome would be difficult for her. Au know nothing of courage. Au are a small, small veruul of a woman. To blame her for a death of another child while she was in the womb is insanity! I do na know the accounts of the other, but to blame an unborn child, it sounds as if au are trying to place your own blame and guilt upon another."

 

Au'rial's mouth snapped shut and she stared, stricken by the identity of her visitor. Glaring, her nostrils flared as she shook with anger and indignation. She could not stay silent for long. "Au? Au are Khre'Riov t'Rexan? AU? And au forgive her for nearly killing au? How could au!? Au could have had her put to yy'a for her crimes against au! Has she blinded au so completely that au h’nah defend her actions? I can na believe what I am hearing!"

 

"Ta krenn! Be silent au verrul of a woman! Ie, I am t'Rexan, and if au even knew how many I've had to yy'a doing my duty, au would hna running as if from an aehallh hrrau the night.

I AM yy'a! I AM vengeance! I swear to au this day, that while au disavow this brave woman her rightful place hrrau your family, that she is the most skilled engineer hrrau all of Galae. She would have had her own command many times over if I did na selfishly keep her for myself rhae my ship. While we've na always agreed, mark my words, should she survive, she will io day be io of the great powers within the Empire. Do au know why your daughter is near yya'? Na, au do na, because au will na listen! And the fact that I know she came to visit each of her family members before she tried to take her life tells me that she reached out and was met only with the poison I hear spewing from that foul mouth of yours. She lies near yy'a, having performed the Ritual of Cleansing by Fire and Blade to regain her honor in mnhei'sahe."

 

"However it is obvious, the Elements are na done with her here yet. She has been given a second chance, much as I have myself. From what I've seen today, au DO NA DESERVE a child such as she. If au do na wish her to be part of your family, I would gladly grant her a place within my own should she wish it. Do na tell me of blinded! Until au feel the knife hrrau au stomach and suffer the nightmares, au will never know how much my forgiveness has cost me. Au have na frame of reference to condemn her for anything. She is a hero of the Empire. The Imperial Commendation Medal is na given lightly. It has to go through layers of approval and it met all standards."

 

She stooped to snatch up the box that Au'rial had tossed back. "Na only am I awarding Laehval t'Temarr this medal, I also have another. The Legion of Merit, which is awarded by the commanding officer to crew members that exhibit valor in the face of imminent danger. That she has more than done! Au do na deserve to touch these, nor should au have the honor to bestow these upon her!"

 

Au'rial's mouth opened and closed like a gaping fish as she struggled to find the words. "I... au...," she sputtered. "How dare au! I... I..."

 

"How dare I?!" Shaking with rage, t'Rexan clenched her fists, barely able to restrain herself from pounding the stupid woman to the floor. Her angry, heated words boomed almost as loud as the thunder outside. "I dare, because I am yy'a hrrau the night! I have defeated yy'a and I have returned to set things right. Laehval is a gifted and courageous member of my crew. If au refuse to recognize that, then au deserve to sit fahd hrrau your pity and blame, with nothing in your heart but bitterness. May the Elements drag au to Areinnye!"

 

Having heard every word, Laehval's father entered the room. His face and expression were pained as though someone had just ripped his heart from his chest. He strode past t'Rexan and slapped Au'rial with force enough to knock her backwards. Thoroughly cowed, Au'rial fell back into her seat, staring in shock at her husband, one hand pressed to her cheek where he'd struck her. She stared up at them both, her anger and indignation now gone, replaced by fear and surprise.

 

"Get out of my sight," Trilus grated, his eyes burning embers.

 

With a single sob, Au'rial rose from the chair and fled the room, disappearing into the rest of the house. Still shaking with anger, Trilus sat down in a different seat and rested his head in his hands. "Elements, what have I done? I knew that there was no jol between Au'rial and Laehval, but I did na know my wife hated her from her very birth. I.... I should have seen the signs. I should have stopped her... her destructive hatred." Running one hand over his face, he finally looked up to t'Rexan. "When

our daughter Lilet died...," he shook his head, unable to continue. "I should na have blamed her. She was but a child."

 

L'haiy turned, still frowning. "Na, au should na have. I do na know this whole story, nor do I need to. It does na change my opinion of your daughter."

 

She gazed with pity on Laehval's father, more than a little saddened by the twisted dynamics of his family. This explains why she has reacted so poorly when I took a certain tone or course of action, t'Rexan thought. When I undermined her decisions because I thought I knew what was best for her department. Elements, na wonder she fought me so hard. I was coming across just like her mother. Her mother! Elements! Could that be what the snarl and the twist were all about? Laehval was na stabbing me when she sunk the blade! Na, in her mind she was stabbing her mother. Could she have been seeing her mother before her? Reliving all of the years of pent up frustration and anger until they burst forth? Cursing herself, t'Rexan turned again to the man hrrau the chair.

 

"I do na know how much au heard of the beginning of the conversation, but if au wish to visit your daughter, she can be found fahd." She pulled a card from her pocket and handed it to him. "They are na sure they are going to be able to save her, but I am seeing to it that she has the best Galae medical can provide for her."

 

He nodded, rising to take the card, though his expression was still twisted with guilt. "Au... au honor her with your willingness to forgive her after what she did to au. It shames me to think that a stranger would take our daughter into her own house when my wife would rather have her dead. Au must know that I have served as city magistrate and council member here for many years. Laehval was a gifted child and needed little from me, na when she had her machines to work on. I was na here very often as my duties took me elsewhere and it was left to Au'rial to raise her most of the time."

 

"I have spent much of my life attempting to cool my wife's temper. I bonded with Au'rial because she was a very beautiful and intelligent woman. She is flawed, as are we all, but I was willing to overlook her faults. But I can na overlook this. Na this time. Hann'yyo for coming to bring us this news. I only wish my wife could realize what a verrul she has been. I doubt she will change, but au have struck her dumb today and I have never seen her cowed by anyone."

 

L'haiy nodded. "If au truly do feel remorse, au know where to make amends," she stated simply, giving the man a long look. "I will show myself out. Au have much to contemplate."

 

She returned to the foyer to collect her things, slipping the medals into her bag before settling her heavy cloak about her shoulders. She stepped outside into the blowing tempest, though it seemed somehow lessened when compared to the angry storm still raging inside of her. So many things now explained, she thought. So many things that will soon change.

[KhreRiovtRex 0]

Hann'yyo Laehval! I totally enjoyed working on this log with you and can't wait to see what happens next with Laeh's recovery. You are a fantastic writing partner!

[Laehval tTemarr 0]

"I AM yy'a! I AM vengeance!"

 

That was all you. :(

 

Thanks. I enjoyed it as well.

[tAehjae 0]

Wonderful log you two. Flat Awesome.

 

 

That was all you. :(

 

Thanks. I enjoyed it as well.

[Crash Calestorm 0]

Just commenting on this log series; please don't arrest me for intruding on what is clearly Rihannsu territory. ;-)

 

Laehval's mother has waaaay too much dark rage going on there. Very scary character. Nice logging guys!

[KhreRiovtRex 0]

Ennarain Calestrom,

 

Hann'yyo for stopping by and commenting. We appreciate au taking the time to stop by and read through them. We've had a lot of fun with this recent plotline and the log opportunities it's presented. We welcome au to stop by and read our boards and log as we enjoy sharing these with all. That and we lurk and read your stuff too!

 

<And...we're still hoping you'll come back and play sometime, we miss you! And see what' au have been missing!?>

 

t'Rexan

 

Just commenting on this log series; please don't arrest me for intruding on what is clearly Rihannsu territory. ;-)

Laehval's mother has waaaay too much dark rage going on there. Very scary character. Nice logging guys!

 

Na anymore, we put her in her place for a bit....

[Chirakis 1]

Just commenting on this log series; please don't arrest me for intruding on what is clearly Rihannsu territory. ;-)

 

Laehval's mother has waaaay too much dark rage going on there. Very scary character. Nice logging guys!

 

I will echo the captain's comments, on pain of the consequences of intruding.

 

I, too, have enjoyed the drama - and the excellent writing.