A Pair of Frozen Hearts - Part II

[Laehval tTemarr 0]

A Pair of Frozen Hearts – Part II

By Daise’Engineer El’Riov Laehval t’Temarr

 

 

“Bastard. I needed au.”

 

The angry words sounded ridiculous the moment they were uttered, echoing mockingly about the room. Laehval could do little to stop the rising feelings. She was so alone. For a year and a half she’d been alone. Her forehead rested against the cylinder of ice, eyes closed as though she were willing it to melt. She could deactivate the stasis sequence, of course, but Tarryn would most assuredly die. And she wouldn’t condemn him simply to satisfy her selfish desires.

 

Tears froze on her cheeks as soon as they were shed and she brushed them away as she straightened. Staring through the ice at his rugged features, Laehval thought on their last shoreleave together. It has been their first real vacation alone, and the beginning of their relationship. Aboard the ship, both of them had the duties of their departments to carry. Personal relationships weren’t forbidden, but they were frowned upon, especially when the captain held an extreme dislike for the security chief. Not much had changed, it seemed. Perhaps it was the position and not the people that the woman hated so passionately.

 

One hand rested upon the icy surface, growing numb with every passing moment from the cold. Her breath hovered in front of her in clouds of vapor as she fought back the sobs. She could live without him. She had been living without him. But life was so drab without him to color her life. It was as though every spark of excitement and beauty had been drained from her sad little world. She would survive, but was it really worth the effort?

 

“I miss au Tarryn.” Laehval said once she’d gained control of her emotions. “I visited aur faelirh[1] yesterday. Au would na believe how much he has grown. He misses au too, I can tell. I hear aur family has spent numerous credits to get opinions on aur condition and to find a maenak[2] good enough. They say it is only a matter of time.”

 

Voice trembling at that last sentence, she took a moment to catch her breath before continuing. “The Talon is na the same without au. None of aur replacements have lived up to the position. I shudder to think how many of them au would have shoved out of an airlock within their first week of service.”

 

Ignoring the shivers that trailed up her spine, Laehval stood there for what seemed an eternity and stared through the icy murk. Finally a heaving sigh escaped her, leaving a cloud of vapor to hover in the air between the two motionless figures.

 

“Jol-ao au[3] still,” The whisper was lost among the soft hum of the stasis units.

 

 

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The next day, Laehval stood in the Galae Command office, staring down the pudgy officer that currently sat behind the Head Administrator’s desk. The man had obviously been in power for many years for he did not seem to be bothered by her glare. Fat fingers twined and resting his hands on the desk, he leaned forward to leer at her.

 

“What has my family done to warrant such dishonor?”

 

“Absolutely nothing. Aur family has done absolutely nothing. And I mean that literally. Au have na high raking family members save aur di’ranov[4], a city official for a village hardly bigger than aur starship crew. Aur rinam[5], though full of potential, is nothing but a paper-pusher on ch’Havran. Au have na ties to the Senate, na ties to the Tal Shiar, and aur own work record aboard the Talon has been less than exemplary. House Temarr has made na lasting contributions to society.”

 

“Now tell me why, exactly, au think au deserve special treatment?”

 

Dumbfounded by his speech, Laehval continued to stare at the man, her mouth slightly agape. Frantically she searched for words to combat his scathing remarks. Jaw clamped and teeth grinding, she forced herself to uncurl the fists she’d automatically clenched.

 

“I have served over thi[6] years aboard that insufferable ship, sweating blood as I attempted to keep it in io[7] piece. The Enarrain has na regard for the ship itself, nor for the sanity of the crew. She is more a slaver than a leader. I’ve served my time and I want to be reassigned.”

 

After visiting Tarryn and slipping out of the hospital undetected, she had made an appointment with the Head Administrator. It was her hope that she would gain some long overdue credit and be transferred back to the homeworld where she could be close to her family. She loved working in engineering on the Talon, but things had been so much simpler when she first joined. She hadn’t been a chief then, and did not have the weight of such crushing responsibility upon her shoulders. Her first captain had also not been hell bent on destroying both ship and crew. The Administrator did not seem to care, however.

 

“I agreed to an audience only because aur term of service has been completed and aur contract is up for negotiation. Because au let aur contract lapse, au were automatically enrolled for another term. However, considering the circumstances and the lack of available administrative officers aboard the Talon, I will consider aur request for a transfer. If au wish to complete aur term of service elsewhere, there is currently a Type II cargo freight ship in need of a mess officer.” The man grinned smugly, still not moving from behind his desk.

 

“Au know perfectly well that I wish to be reassigned to ch’Rihan!” Outraged, Laehval clenched her fists again, barely keeping herself from physically assaulting the man.

 

“Request denied. We have na use for another under-qualified engineer working with the Port Authorities. Our staffing needs have been met for this year. I could put au on the waiting list, however. Would au care to wait for the position of general maintenance technician? Au could be considered in as little as thi years for the job.”

 

“Hwiiy kllhe.[8]” Darkly, she muttered, her eyes dangerously narrowed.

 

“Perhaps, but io with power, na?” The man continued to grin, then flicked his hand toward the door in a degrading gesture of dismissal.

 

“Au may leave to rejoin aur ship. I suggest au appreciate that to which au have grown accustomed. Of course, this conversation will be noted and filed in aur official record. Aur Enarrain will receive the updated version for her reading pleasure. Good luck … El’Riov, is it? Na for long, I imagine. Enarrains do na tolerate disgruntled crewmen.”

 

Turning sharply on her heel, Laehval stormed from the man’s office before she did something she might regret. Was the entire Galae Administration against her? She might have accused t’Rexan of bribing some of the officials to rule against her, but the interview had not been planned. She was certain that no one could have contacted the captain in such a short period of time.

 

There was nothing that could be done, however. She would not spend a full term aboard a lowly freight ship doing mindless grunt work. She would not bring such dishonor upon her family. Her family was respectable, even without ties to the Senate or Tal Shiar, and for that Laehval was proud. Some may have scoffed at her lineage, but she cared not. Her family was important to her, but not to use as a crutch, and that was more than most Romulans could claim.

 

Though the engineer spent the remainder of her shoreleave with her family, her return to the Talon sent her spiraling into depression. Her mood soured as soon as she stepped foot on the ship. Smothered by her hatred of the situation and choking on her own disappointment, she returned to her office in silence.

 

It didn’t surprise her that her crew kept their distance. She wanted it that way. She liked it that way. Bitterness was contagious. If they were lucky, she’d find a cure before she contaminated the entire ship.

 

 

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[1] son

[2] doctor

[3] I love you

[4] father

[5] sister

[6] three

[7] one

[8] You are a worm.