For Every Action There is an Opposite, Sometimes Unequal, Reaction

[NDak 0]

The lift deposited Destorie N'Dak near Sar'vek t'Jhiin's quarters. He stopped outside the door and glanced to the D'heno flanking either and gave them a quick nod. He took a deep breath and then tapped the bell.

 

A few moments later, the door opened. She looked a bit worse for the wear, but had a bit of time to recover from her experience in Vkai'l prison -- and the maenak's attention had na hurt, either.

 

"Shaoi kon," she said quietly, crossing her arms. On io hand, after having been 'escorted' by his guard, she was unsurprised to find him here; on the other, she was rather hoping to avoid this particular confrontation to get her explanations.

 

"I am pleased to see au alive," he said flatly. "H'nah we should speak privately."

 

"As au wish." She nodded gravely, stepping back from the door to let him pass. She didn't say more, trying to keep from letting her anger directed at him safely submerged. Until she had arrived back on the ship, her malice had been turned only to the Khre'Riov and her new jol, but h'nah that the other, only slightly less guilty cause of her near-imprisonment was at hand, a near-

 

"I will not make this long," he said. "I have many duties and au are going to need au strength." For Destorie, none of this came easily. He didn't like being the executioner any more than he liked being jury. Yet, he knew his job and he knew what must be done.

 

He steeled himself as he stood watching her, taking her in.

 

"Say what au will," she said quietly, though it had an edge to it. "I have na idea what is going on, but I have na doubt that au have a heavy hand in it."

 

"This is not a discussion, t'Jhiin," he said equally sharp. "Au have commited a most serious breach of protocol and regulation, and did so at the worst possible time."

 

"I know what I have done, Enarrain. I would like to know things I do na already." She paused. "If au would na mind. Rekkhai."

 

Destorie sighed. "Au have really gotten auself in trouble this time. Io of these days au will learn to keep that mouth of aurs shut!"

 

For once, she said nothing, gazing at him with an expression that said more than she possibly could have in words -- with or without the threat of further punishment for what she said.

 

"For the charge of gross insubordination towards to flag officers, au will face severe punishment, but it will be better this way than what awaited au at Vkai'l."

 

"In au's opinion," she spat. "And I still do na know why I was removed from there." She gave him a humorless smirk. "I had na even been assigned my... quarters yet."

 

"I know Vkai'l," he said soberly. "And I know au. You'd be yy'a by tommorow."

 

He sighed and looked out the window before bringing his gaze back upon her. She'd been nothing but trouble --self-made-- since she'd arrived, and he wandered if this was how t'Rexan had once felt about him.

 

"I would have been fine," she fired back, crossing her arms over her -- healing -- ribs without grimacing -- barely. The bruises were already set to healing as well; she would have preferred them gone before this little conversation, but na matter. "They were worthless dregs. I would have had them in line in a week."

 

"Always the proud one," he said with another heavy sigh. "Perhaps we can work that out of au."

 

"Perhaps au ought to say what au came here to say, N'Dak," she retorted, "before I manage to get myself sent back there." She gave him a smile with no sweetness behind it. "Fhaen."

 

Without emotion, but with force, his hand smacked against her mouth. "Ihlla'nh!"

 

Her hand flying to her mouth, she staggered a step back from him. "Au..." she hissed, stopping herself with sheer force from saying more and only glaring up at him.

 

"Ie," he said, his voice planted firmly in his chest. "Au will learn when to keep au mouth shut. I do na wish to make this any more unpleasant than it has to be, but au will learn it."

 

She rubbed at her jaw another moment, finally speaking. "If au had me dragged back here to personally avenge au's newly-earned honor as Enarrain," she drawled, fury blazing, "au can send me right back."

 

His hand again struck her down. "Au, Erein, were not granted permission to speak freely. This is na courtesy call."

 

"Erein?" she spat back at him. "For hell's sakes. Tell me what other surprises au have for me, Rekkhai." The anger burned in her worse than the pain -- either from the prison or N'Dak's blows. "Stop playing with me and tell me."

 

"Au are to be reduced in rank to Erein, and you will forfeit a year's salary, which will be donated to a charity of my choosing.

 

"Additionally au will serve under Issaha as a disheren in science, on the off-shifts au will serve a shift in both the waste reclamation and custodial units. Au will have io shift off, where au will be confined to quarters suiting of au new rank."

 

"Au must be joking," she said in utter disbelief. "Au's brother is na more fit to lead a department than any of the trash back at Vkai'l!" Her jaw tightened. "I'd y'ya before I took an order from that... that..."

 

His glare focused on her. "I am not finished."

 

She actually laughed at that. "Oh, do go on, Enarrain. What else have au thought up for me. Perhaps au would like me to go outside for a few hours every shift and breathe vacuum, hmm?"

 

His hand struck her in the mouth again. "Au will learn to control that mouth, so help me. And perhaps we will have to beat it out of you. The opportunity will certainly arise."

 

Her blood chilled, as did her voice. "What do au mean by that?"

 

Any reservations about what he was doing had started to fade and he remained steeled as he looked into her eyes, meeting her gaze. "That in addition to being stripped of rank and title, being confined to quarters fitting au new rank when au are na on duty in io of three places au now serve, that au will endure fifty lashes of the whip."

 

She had no words. The hate and contempt in her eyes turned to fear, and she straightened slightly. "Na, na, fhaen," she pleaded, biting on her lower lip. "I... I will serve as many shifts as au want, but..." She stopped, holding out no hope of mercy, looking away.

 

Destorie was capable of mercy, and in his deeper recesses, wanted to grant it. He loathed the whip. The very mention of it caused his back to ache, and he wasn't fully certain he could physically perform the act, but he knew what had to be done.

 

"I am sorry, t'Jhiin, but au must learn au lesson, and apparently this is what it has come to. Au should know that I am reluctant to use such punishments, but it seems the only suitable option."

 

"Au are na sorry at all," she hissed. "How can au stand there and throw that in, along with everything else. If au were sorry..." She stopped again, looking directly at him again eyes filled with utter, scorching hate -- and nearly brimming with tears. "Hanny'yo for informing me," she bit out.

 

He headed for the door but stopped short. "One can be sorry, but know that it is the only course of action available. I am sure you will not thank me, and I don't expect you too; but you will live this way.

 

"Also," he said, still at the threshold, "for now you may remain in these quarters until your punishment is carried out. I suggest you spend this time resting and preparing auself. It is a taxing ordeal that au are about to begin. I only hope that au can learn from this and grow as a Rihannsu. Au are marked, and it will take much time for au to recover au honor."

 

"Save au's hopes," she snapped. "And I will never thank au -- if au think that a favor, then think again," she snapped. "I'd rather be y'ya in Vkai'l than half-y'ya and humiliated by au, here."

 

He shook his head and reached for his kaleh; unsheathing it, he placed it on a nearby table. "Here is a kaleh," he said tersely. "if au wish to yy'a."

 

And with that, he shook his head and headed out the door, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

[KhreRiovtRex 0]

Mnek'nra log both of au!