Commo Ivanova, Cmdr Dahe'el, CO & XO | "Winter Is Coming" pt 1

Posted on Tue Jun 7th, 2016 @ 10:31am by Admiral Rochelle Ivanova & Commander Almar Dahe'el

1,898 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Resurgere
Location: Cold Station Theta

Rumors and news, like wildfire had spread among the crew of the Vindicator as they awaited their new ship to be finished or their new assignments, the Discovery Class had been so huge that it was inevitable that some number of the crew were having to be reassigned, this alongside the construction process was something that Almar was tasked with overseeing as their Executive Officer.

The arrival of a Klingon Battleship had initially put people on edge but the moment the docking doors had opened, the tension lifted and the party started. The Cardassian had made sure to place himself on a balcony overlooking the docking port itself, his view of the arrivals was unobstructed and while one of them surprised him slightly, the Chancellor of the Klingon Empire himself, the other did not; a man he had met before when the true nature of Rochelle's lineage had been revealed. It had only been a matter of time before this man was walking the decks of the station to see his daughter, he carried himself tall and strong among the Klingons who considered him a brother.

For Almar, he had hidden himself away in the design room, his personal feelings on the matter were conflicted and he found himself unable to decide how to proceed. At one point he had made it to the door of her room, his hand outstretched to press the chime but he couldn't press it, no matter how much he tried to force him to.

Again, he was stood at her door, this time his hand found the chime and there was no turning back.

"Enter." Rochelle winced as soon as the word left her mouth, casting her eyes over towards the baby sleeping in his swing. When he failed to budge beyond a sleepy sigh and the flexing of his fingers, she relaxed and found her feet to greet Almar as he came through the door. The familiar sight of him was a comfort when she'd half expected to play hostess to another round of Klingons. "I'd been wondering when you were going to show up." She half whispered, gesturing to her sleeping son and placing a finger over her lips. "Can I get you anything to drink?"

For a brief moment, Almar considered lying to Rochelle but stowed it away as he knew that she would sense it on him the moment it left his lips, "Nothing for me, thank you," he replied softly as he crossed the room with gentle steps towards her, "I've been... conflicted, avoiding coming to see you and the child." the Cardassian continued honestly, "My personal feelings on the matter are... the last thing that needs to be bought forward,"

An eyebrow raised, slender and russet, over one of her cold blue eyes. Rochelle watched him, knowing all too well the why and the how such feelings had rooted themselves within the Cardassian's psyche. "Oh," She responded, the word hollow and hardly filled with surprised, "I see." though she hadn't expected happy rejoicing by all, and had come to expect the apprehension shown by Almar, she'd dared to hope that all would be well and right within her inner sanctum, that her most trusted would set aside their own demons long enough to welcome her son into the fold.

"The child," she began, the words sour on her tongue as her lips worked over them, "has a name and a place. Javaan is my son and while you may not like who fathered him, I'd appreciate that you respect him all the same... You said it yourself, Almar, it takes a village to raise a baby. I don't have a village. I have a select few that I trust and I can only hope that their loyalty to me will extend to him as well."

"I meant no disrespect to Javaan," Almar began as he started pacing gently around the room, his usually heavy footsteps light and careful, "I also bare no ill will towards Landon, I served with Captain Neyes for some time and grew to trust the man," the Cardassian continued, his hands rubbing at his wrists out of a nervous habit, a need for them to be busy doing something, the entire situation made Almar feel quite uncomfortable and he found himself wishing to be in the bowels of the new Vindicator.

"I've not been avoiding coming to see you because of Javaan or Landon, they are as much a part of the Vindicator as we are, their names will forever be tied to ours in the same breath." he continued as he stopped pacing and turned to face Rochelle, "I am truly happy that Javaan is happy and healthy."

"Oh?" The little redhead postured, her arms folding across her chest as she watched the obviously uncomfortable and nervous Cardassian crisscross the carpeted floor in front of her. Even Helsa, perched prettily on an overturned couch cushions, seemed to be growing weary of his antics. "Please. Enlighten me."

Stuck, stuck between a hard place and his own shifting feelings, Almar felt lost, at sea without a frame of reference and nothing to lean on to support himself. All of this was entirely new territory for him. He opened his mouth to try and form a response but closed it again as he thought better of it, turning instead to continue his pacing, his mind racing as much as his feet that worked the carpet below him, "Nothing I can say will change anything between us, Rochelle." the Cardassian replied softly as he began to slow his pacing, "The times we shared before all of this happened... that is what leaves me conflicted," he added as his gaze dropped to the floor.

Her lips pursed in the first line of her defense, closing herself off from what she knew would come. A blind man could have seen what was coming, what would transpire in that living room if tension was allowed to come to a head. Rochelle's ribs heaved with a heavy sigh, but her arms remained crossed and her eyes locked on Almar's hulking frame as he paraded himself across the living area like some sort of caged big cat at a side show attraction. "That's the very definition of the past, Almar, times that happened before." Landon's return. The two words went unsaid but still hung heavily over her head like some sort of neon sign flashing on the Vegas strip. "I told you once I wouldn't apologize for Landon or my feelings for him, and that statement still stands."

There was no room for the Commodore to rise, though the woman left behind wished that part of her could step up to take the lead. Almar, while crew, was more than just another officer she could crack at whip at and send scurrying off down one corridor or another. He knew better. Was too stubborn. Her tongue worked its way over her lower lip as her head began to slowly shake, "We have to live life for what it is and what it will be, not live in the wreckage of days gone by." She said, finally unfolding her arms and taking several small steps towards him, allowing a hand to fall on one of his forearms, gripping it to still him from his pacing, "Sit with me awhile. Meet the baby. You're still family, after all." Even if it wasn't in the capacity that he'd wanted, the statement rang clarion. All Rochelle could do was hope that he'd allow himself to be enveloped in that capacity, allow himself to be love and be loved in a different light - perhaps a more important light.

"I moved worlds to bring you back from the brink and I'd do the same again, for you and Javaan, Rochelle," the Cardassian replied as he lifted his head and met her gaze, his obsidian eyes slick with moisture, the touch of her hand on his arm was enough to stop his large frame in its path, "Before you gave birth, I promised that I would do everything in my power to keep the both of you safe, that I would build a ship capable of protecting you both no matter what Tr'Bak throws at us." he continued as he allowed himself to be moved towards the chair near the bed by her light touch, "I meant every word then and I mean it now, I am the shield-smith that forges your family's protection."

"And I trust that you will honor those commitments or die trying much in the same way I would." The firebrand responded, soothing her fingers along his tense scaled flesh as he took a seat and allowed her to break away towards the slowly swaying swing that contained her son. Blissfully unaware of the emotional battle of wits being waged around him, Javaan continued to sleep soundly no more than an arm's length away from where the Cardassian sat. Rochelle found herself unworried by the proximity, no more concerned about Almar being able to reach out and touch the little spotted boy than she would be if Landon or her father sat in that same position. "He's the future, Almar..." She breathed, circling around to stand behind the swing, her hands coming to rest on either side of the little blue control dials that dotted the top of it, "That's where our energy needs to be spent, protecting him and others of his generation as they blossom and flourish. Set our own stupidity aside, forget the yesterdays and prepare for the tomorrows.

Tr'Bak will come, there's no doubt in mind that that he will and when he does he's going to do his damnedest to separate us from our vital signs. It's not going to be pretty and we can't allow the pettiness of the past to cloud our judgments or rend us from our good faith. You and I will always be close, probably closer than we should be, but bygones must be bygones."

"Whatever there is or is not between us, you will always have my love and support." Almar replied with a slight smile as he turned his gaze to the spotted child lying next to him, "He will always have the strength of the Vindicator behind him."

"Like everything else... I'm holding you to that." Rochelle was softer then, quieter as she chose to watch the first interactions between the Cardassian and her one shot at immortality. Javaan was the continuation of everything she hoped to achieve, and the possibilities for his life were as boundless and endless as the universe he'd been born into. Though skeptical and nervous of her ability to mother him in such a way that he'd reach that full potential and see to it that he took advantage of the tools left in his wee hands. He was lucky, far better off than she had been with both parents doting close by and a network of extended family that would rally to his defense should he need them. Almar was just one piece of that puzzle, albeit a very large and important piece, that Rochelle needed to set into a proper, shining place in that network.

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to be continued...
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Commodore Rochelle Ivanova
Commanding Officer
USS VINDICATOR, NX 78213-F

Commander Almar Dahe'el
Executive Officer
USS VINDICATOR, NX 78213-F

 

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