Fallen Idols

[Jylliene 0]

[Joint log: Jylliene and Kallah]

 

Her mother had once said, “Be careful about whom you place on a pedestal. They do not tend to stay there.”

 

The first real memory Jylliene had of Jorahl - other than fleeting moments in passing - was seeing him hit by the disruptor blast. That image from the Aegean viewscreen was vividly burned into her mind as the fight to retake Aegis began. To discover later that he had carefully constructed a way to survive was mind-boggling, and added to her respect for the chief engineer. It was one of Jylliene’s first tasks once back on Aegis to rewrite the shift rosters and duty assignments - to undo numerous things, actually, that Jorahl had done while the renegades were there. In doing so, she became aware of just how carefully the SubCommander had prepared for their retake of the station. She almost felt like she really knew him.

 

It all added up to quite an internal admiration of the Romulan officer.

 

Her vision of him warped upon truly seeing him in his element. Jylliene was well aware, and kept trying to tell herself, that it was his intimate knowledge of the details of the station’s operations that allowed him to do what he did for Aegis those weeks ago. But until now, her view was comfortable. She had admired the results without knowing what it took to produce them.

 

Jylliene stepped out of the lift onto the Control Tower.

 

Any attempts to hide this uncomfortable feeling Jylliene now had were in vain as Kallah Ramson stepped towards the Ops console. "You've been to Engineering."

 

The Trill looked at Kallah, likely still with a somewhat dazed expression. “You can tell..?” The words were no more out of Jylliene’s mouth before she realized what she said. “Of course you can.” She leaned on the console, the slightest smile briefly appearing on her face.

 

Ramson returned the smile. "It's an amazing amount of data coursing through there," she said as she casually stepped over to lean against the station.

 

Jylliene didn’t dispute that at all. Instead, the image of the SubCommander standing at the displays flashed back into her head. She glanced at her console. “I suppose it’s what I get,” she sighed, running her hand through her hair, then wincing as she turned her injured wrist the wrong way.

 

"I suppose I can relate well with an engineer’s insight into the systems they maintain. It's not too unlike Minaran telepathy. Our nervous system extends much farther than most species. It's more than just reading thoughts; that's almost just a byproduct. All those around me, I can hear their heartbeats, sense the same tastes and smells, be swayed by the same emotions, and..." glancing towards Jylliene's hand, "feel their pains."

 

The Trill glanced at her helplessly. “I’m not sure that makes me feel better.”

 

"Sorry." Kallah tried to give a reassuring smile. "But, understanding doesn't always mean feeling better. Sometimes you just have to learn from the pain."

 

Jylliene nodded in reluctant agreement. "It's just going to take time to see this all as a safety net and not as a snare to fall into.”

 

"Isn't it like that with so much in life. You see it in work, in families, in... love." A cheeky grin spread across Kallah's face.

 

The Trill smiled at Ramson. “Remind me after the shift - I owe you a drink.”

 

"Oh, what for?" Kallah asked with a grin.

 

“Counseling fee, if nothing else. But I’d rather just call it a drink among friends.”

 

"The latter sounds better to me. I'll take on the Athra, Breen, or Renegade Romulans. I'm not up to caring for the mental well-being of half the crew of this station."

 

The laughter from the Ops console drew the glances of the others on the Control Tower. For the first time that day, Jylliene didn’t particularly notice - or care about - anyone watching.

Edited March 15, 2013 by Jylliene