Love and Honor (Part 3 of 3)

Posted on 27 Feb 2015 @ 4:11am by Rear Admiral Lirha Saalm & Commander Allyndra illm Warraquim & Command Master Chief Markum Quinn & Lieutenant JG Dorian West & Lieutenant Aria Rice & Petty Officer 1st Class Siren Hex Saalm & Nesh Saalm & Aila Saalm

3,185 words; about a 16 minute read

Mission: Episode 07 - Sojourn
Location: Rigel VII - Vajripam outskirts, Kolj Beach
Timeline: MD 22 - 0740 local

[CONTINUED]

For Siren, this was the harder of the two. She couldn't see Lirha or match and pace herself with her. She had to take a few moments to catch her breath and psych herself back up to accept then lose the pain, licking her lips, gripping the bottom of her dress tightly.

With her back now to Hex, Lirha began the quick march back across the coals and to sanctuary on the sand. She moved swiftly this time and could hear the hissing of the smouldering fire whenever a droplet of water dripped from her feet onto them, and fortunately she made it back off the grate while her soles were still moist. After taking a couple painful steps on the grainy sand, Lirha dropped down to her knees in obvious pain, but it was only a few seconds until one of the servants came to her aide and helped her sit down so she could heal the burnt skin on the bottoms of her feet.

Siren grabbed hold of the offered arm reaching for her, her fingers digging in to steady herself as she tried to breathe through the pain, telling herself it was done now, it was just the lasting ebbs, no more damage. She sat back, half slumping with it as she closed her eyes, forcing her breaths to slow and deepen. At least it mattered. At least it had a reason.

Allyndra wondered as she watched the ceremony or rather to her eyes ordeal what it might have been like in the old days before the dermal regenerators. Both of the couple must have been in agony for days or perhaps her mind thought that would call for enough liquid anesthetic to take their minds off. Well probably to many an Akkadian one with the Blood Kiss would look nasty as well. If one's wedding garments and the guests were not blood stained by the end of the thing then it was considered very unlucky.

Wintrow watched with wide eyes, his hand covering his mouth in shock. "That has to hurt," he whispered to the doctor, "hopefully this is the worst of it?"

"Yes indeed. I wonder what they did in the old days before they had dermal regenerators. Either they had to toughen the soles of their feet or the two were laid up for days if not weeks. And here I thought our blood kisses were odd to many, at least they did not hurt. Of course your own culture had something about pelting the newly weds with objects if I remember correctly."

"Blood kisses?" Wintrow looked at her with renewed interest. "You stoned your newlyweds?" He shook his head. "I don't know what you mean with blood kisses but throwing things at a couple seems a little barbaric. Then again... some might see throwing rice at newlyweds as a waste of food, right?"

Allyndra laughed, "Was that it? I knew something got tossed or thrown at couples in human culture. It always sounded nasty to me. As far as blood kisses you already experienced a slight one. It wasn't so bad was it?"

"No, that wasn't so bad, but if that was a slight one, the blood kiss is worse? If that made me feel a little high, what will that do to someone?" He smiled slightly. "It's dry rice which is thrown, not cooked. It's a means of wishing prosperity I think but I'm not quite sure." He looked over at Lirha and Siren, before looking back at the doctor. "Hope I'll have the fortune of getting married someday."

A nearby Orion had been becoming increasingly irritated at the conversation going on between some of the Starfleet crew while the wedding ceremony was taking place. She stepped over to them and put her index finger to her lips, indicating for them to respect the tradition and remain silent while the brides performed their rituals. There would be plenty of time for talking afterwards.

Allyndra made a respectful bow to the Orion and then watched the rest in silence. To each their own she guessed.

Wintrow shrugged and gave her an apologetic look, for once regretting that he wasn't fully telepathic so they could continue the conversation. But only for once.

The Drink of Flame was now the next trial for Lirha and Siren, and with their feet now healed and feeling more comfortable, the High Mistress spoke once again to them and the large crowd. "Your devotion to each other is admirable. Are you ready to drink the souls of each other?" she asked, looking down at them. The metaphor, if spoken in Orion, was difficult to translate, but it became obvious what the task was when a servant appeared with two large, flaming goblets each containing a potent concoction of alcoholic beverage.

Lirha bowed once again with respect at the master of ceremonies. "I am, High Mistress." Her eyes took in the sight of the goblet which was now being handed to her, and she guessed the drink was at least 150 proof if it could ignite.

Siren let out a long breath of relief at the sight. Frankly, after what they had just done, this was the perfect chaser, no matter how potent it might be. Again, she copied Lirha's response as best she could, wanting to show respect to the ceremony.

Taking her chalice and holding it with two hands, she quickly blew out the flames with a hefty puff from her lungs, then brought the edge up to her lips and tilted her head back as she began to drink in large gulps. A heavy burning sensation reminiscent of the most potent of alcohols burned down her throat and esophagus with each gulp, until after about 30 seconds when she had finished the entire drink. She resisted the urge to burp, and could now feel her insides beginning to warm with the influx of booze. Taking a deep breath and licking her lips clean, she smiled over at Siren who was just about finished drinking as well.

Siren smiled brightly to her, catching her breath after the rush of heat, her head already starting to swim a little with it. But she enjoyed it, the feeling relaxing her after the trial they'd already endured. She smiled, unable to help herself as she turned the chalice upside down to set down in the human fashion of showing she'd drained the whole glass.

Aria smiled as she watched, taking a breath as she gripped West's arm. She had never seen an Orion ceremony before. It...made it clear to him she'd never have one of those weddings. It anything because Aria and Fire were not two words well matched unless you wanted the house burned down.

The High Mistress had watched the completion of the Drink of Flame from her throne with satisfaction. The two women -- though both unorthodoxly Orion -- were steadfast in their resolution, and now only the final challenge remained before their marriage was complete. The drum ensemble began to beat on their percussion instruments in tandem with each other, and one of the servants approached the High Mistress and offered her a ceremonial saber.

Removing the curved, golden blade from its sheath, she pointed the tip at Siren and then at Lirha indicating for them to come forward for the Rite of Bond.

Taking Siren by the hand to guide her, Lirha shuffled herself towards the senior Orion then once again knelt down in front of her. The High Mistress delicately put the end of the blade against Lirha's cheek, then gave it a light flick which drew a small cut and produced several small drops of golden blood. She then repeated the process for Siren, after which she used the moistened blade to draw a ceremonial Yrevish symbol on each of their foreheads. "You may now stand and rejoice in your union," commanded the master of ceremonies with nod of her own and a slight bow. "Congratulations, Lirha Saalm and Siren Saalm. Your bond is complete...may your lives be prosperous and joyous!" She held her arms out to the side indicating the ceremony was now finished, and the crowd erupted in cheers and the music began to play.

Allyndra joined in with the rest of the crowd as they cheered. So, she thought to herself, they utilized blood as a form of bonding. The whole thing reminded her that she had only had some sweet tea. Well the stomach would have to wait a bit more. She noticed the guests moving back toward both the table with presents and the food. It seemed that each would present their gifts directly to the new couple and she excused herself from the group and moved to gather the presents she had brought and then got in line. It almost felt like a tribute as guests opened and left their presents at the the new happy couple. Perhaps it was left over from old times in the Orion culture. She made her way slowly with the rest and finally got to Lirha and Siren. Instead of the bow that the others had made she instead did the Akkadian curtsey. That deep dip of the knees with the wings spread to the side.

"May the Twins bring blessings and shine upon you. I hope these," Allyndra presented the gifts. The twin rings with red and yellow stones entwined and the necklace for each one red and one yellow. She showed how the necklaces when brought close enough together would make a spark like the Twins kissing. She continued, "will remind you that though the Twins suffered for their love in the end it shamed the gods and goddesses." She stood again and smiled, "Congratulations."

Siren smiled warmly as she ran her fingertips over them with surprise at the thought, not having expected such gifts. "Allyndra, they're beautiful," she said sincerely as she looked across to her with shining eyes. "And so much thought behind them. You're very generous, sharing your culture with us," she said softly, because that was what it was, not just jewellery.

"Yes, very lovely," concurred Lirha with an appreciative smile. "Thank you...although hopefully we will not suffer endlessly," she winked, not too fond of the idea.

Allyndra laughed lightly, "No of course not. The story just proves that love can even overcome the gods. Anyway there are other guests waiting." She did something that the others did not do but heck with it she thought, she was alien here and so hopefully they would understand. She gave each a quick hug and whispered to each, "K'lappa maha oli'ahu," in full sing song Akkadian. She translated quickly, "Many happy tommorrows." Normally there would be a blood kiss but that part she would refrain from and then moved with the rest of the guests to the serving area.

When it was Wintrow's turn, he presented them with a square box and lifted the lid. "It's a Quaich." He explained. "It's a love cup, but it's also a symbol for everlasting friendship. It's tradtional Scottish." He held the box out towards the two women.

Siren laughed softly, shaking her head as she studied the metal cup, brushing her fingertips over it. "I think you've got us pegged," she teased lightly with a warm smile. "Thanks, Wintrow. We'll get use real scotch to wet the bottom and everything, must be lucky, surely."

Lirha nodded in agreement and gave the young cadet a squeeze on his upper arm. "Real scotch...and brandy," she added with a smile. "It is a very nice goblet...cup...thing. Thank you very much."

Wintrow smiled as he looked up at them. "I've included some information," he said as he prepared to move on, "and you're welcome ma'am." He inclined his head and started to move on, looking around to see if he could spot Nesh anywhere.

Nesh wasn't far off, standing just behind Lirha and Siren, acting as attendant in case the pair received a sizable gift they couldn't set in their lap or to one side or the other. She had a gift of her own to give, but it seemed inappropriate to give the pair a few decorative targ collars when they didn't have a targ yet. Unfortunately, she had forgotten to ask her mother whether she had presented the idea to Lirha and Siren just yet, which would have ruined the surprise, and that wasn't the Saalm way at all.

She wiggled her fingers at Wintrow to get his attention, mouthing an 'I'll be with you soon, promise!'

Aria smiled as she looked at Dorian, taking a deeper breath. "Here comes the crappy present," she whispered and let go of his arm, taking out the present from her purse. It wasn't anything too amazing, not compared to anything else. But she had wrapped it in a box and moved to Siren and Lirha. "Congratulations...both of you," she said and offered the box. As it was being opened, she felt nervous. "It's nothing special. Not really. It's a Olivine basalt...from the Moon. When it was colonised, each family took a piece and sort of kept it as a lucky charm. A symbol of their new home...nowadays, not many have them any more, not that many people are descendent from the original colonists...but I am and my father was. So...this is one of those rocks. For your luck and home and family..." she pulled back, blushing with embarrassed by it.

Siren looked to her with surprise before glancing to Lirha. "Aria, we can't accept something this rare from your home," she said softly, smiling gently at the generosity of the gift. "It means a lot to you."

Aria smiled warmly, shaking her head. "No...I mean, yes, it does, but...so do you," she told them, chuckling. "Please. Accept it. I got another one, if that was what you were worried about."

Siren let out a soft breath, relaxing with the assurance as she looked across to Lirha with a warm smile. "Then thanks, Aria. That's the second time you've brought something rare and precious into my life," she teased gently.

"Thank you, it is a lovely rock, Aria. We are honored," Lirha said with sincereness and an affectionate smile. She understood the sentimental value and felt grateful that the young security officer deemed them worthy of such an important piece of her past.

Aria smiled warmly, looking at her before nodding. "More than welcome..." she said and walked back with West, taking a breath as she looked at him. "Drinks? Let's drink and dance..." she said, touching his arm.

The party got started after the gifts and already many were pairing up. Allyndra made a couple of dances with some of the guests attending since she was party of one. The drinks and conversation flowed with much ease and even she began to feel the effects.

Aria smiled on the dance floor, moving with the music unashamedly. She loved dancing. It was what made her heart race, the music...and the fact she was good on it. The dress had been a good choice and she dragged West closer, smiling as she wrapped her arms around him. "Thank you...for coming all this way with me, Dorian," she said, meaning every word. Without him, she would have been bored and it would have felt like half a waste if it hadn't been for Lirha and Siren.

Dorian chuckled softly, his arms draped easily around her waist as they danced, letting her lead as he shook his head gently. "Well, couldn't have you on your own, could I. You'd only have got lost or something, or kidnapped by pirates and forced to lead their sorry band when you got frustrated with how rubbish they were..." he teased.

"Well...you're my saviour," Aria said as she watched him, her eyes shining. "Even if I'd become a pirate queen and just...rock this place..." she winked as she closed her eyes, briefly pressing her face against his chest. And the moment, this moment? It was perfect.

Quinn approached the happy couple and presented to them an envelope. "Don't you dare tell me you can't accept it, Lirha. It's customary for my family to always pay for the wedding of our daughters. You have been for a long time, the closest thing I've had to a daughter. The card has more than enough to pay for all of this, and a nice honeymoon. I love you, and you are part of my family, as is Siren now. Take it, and enjoy it...and next time we are back on Earth, you're more than welcomed to stay at the ranch for some peace and quiet, and horseback riding."

Lirha was a bit shocked by the generous gesture. The ceremony, trip, accommodations, and luxury they'd all experienced so far were no doubt cheap, and it was such a gracious offer that the Orion wasn't sure if she could accept it. "I...well..." she stuttered, a bit taken aback before clearing her throat and taking a deep breath. "I suppose I cannot say no, can I?" she grinned while taking the envelope and showing it to Siren. "I suppose I will have to buy you an old D-12 class Bird-of-Prey from the scrap yards as a retirement gift one of these days," she teased.

Quinn chuckled at the remark. "Sounds fair to me, but I'm not done harassing the crew yet, give me a few more years, Boss." He went to give a hug to bit women, Lirha's hug lasting a bit longer. Quinn looked at both before turning away, "Oh, and if any Harbormaster comes looking for me, I didn't do it."

Now that the more formal part of ceremony was over the rest of the guests had begun to relax and Allyndra actually found herself being asked to a dance or two.

As the music played and the guests began to relax, Siren looked over to her new wife. They were surrounded by gifts she hadn't expected the generosity of and she was thrumming with the energy of the day and the Orion hospitality. Sliding her arm gently through Lirha's, she leant close, kissing her softly before resting her head warmly against her to watch the festivities, content and happy.

[OFF]

--

CDRE Lirha Saalm
Mission Advisor
USS Galileo

Cadet SO Wintrow Paragon
Support Craft Pilot
USS Galileo
[PNPC T'Vanna]

Cadet FO Nesh Saalm
Scientist's Mate
USS Galileo
[PNPC Kita]

PO1 Siren Hex Saalm
Intelligence
USS Galileo
[PNPC Blake]

LT JG Dorian West
Counsellor
USS Galileo
[PNPC Blake]

LCmdr Allyndra illm Warraquim
Chief Medical Officer
USS Galileo

LT JG Aria Rice
Security
USS Galileo
[PNPC Devin]

Aila Saalm
Mother & Civilian
[PNPC Blake]

CMCPO Markum Quinn
Chief of the Boat
USS Galileo

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