A Home (Part 2)

Posted on 01 Feb 2013 @ 7:30pm by Lieutenant Kiri Cho

1,185 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Episode 03 - Frontier
Location: USS Galileo: Deck 3, Cho's Quarters
Timeline: MD-1 1800

[Continued]

Maenad thanked her for the tea, and took a careful sip as it was still quite hot. She lowered her head, thinking that Kiri's joke was particularly bad. "You're not telepathic, Kiri," she breathed, blowing on the tea.

Kiri paused for a moment and looked at her drink, part of her said not to contradict Maenad but she was wrong. Quietly she spoke up, "Lieutenant Liyar ran a test and said I was a P Three Projective Telepath." Uncomfortably she looked to her boss, not really sure if she believed her.

With a frown and a very matter-of-fact tone, Maenad returned Kiri's glance. Maybe she wasn't trying to be funny. Liyar had said it? "How can that be? Trill are psi-null."

"Symbiont Guardians aren't," Was Kiri's answer. Given what she had been reading she knew that it wasn't common but it was hardly rare for a Trill to be able to telepathically communicate with symbiont. She didn't really like being called a liar.

"Yes, but I didn't think you were host to one," Maenad replied with a curious frown.

"I'm not," Kiri looked confused for a moment, then maybe Maenad knew less than she did about it. Taking a deep breath she went on, "Guardians are the ones that look after the symbiont before they are joined, they can only communicate telepathically or electronically. They also control various rituals and things they need to be present for."

Maenad nodded, taking a sip of tea. "Yes," she said after swallowing, "But if you are not a guardian and you are not host to a symbiont, how can you be telepathic?" This was all very puzzling to her, yet intriguing nonetheless. She was genuinely interested; she had recently taken an inexplicable interest in telepathy and psionics. Were they the same thing? Ever since she had learned that Liyar could read her thoughts on contact, and especially since he had given her the device, the name of which she could not remember, that sent her music without sound, psionics had become most interesting.

Kiri wasn't really sure how to phrase that answer, "I, well, some Trill are telepathic. They make good Guardians because they find it easier to communicate with the symbionts and for the rituals. They develop the skills but they are there before they start, like some people have blonde hair." Kiri was hardly an expert but she was reading a lot.

If Kiri had to be told that she was telepathic, Maenad thought that it must have been so weak that it might as well have been irrelevant. To her, Kiri wasn't telepathic; until she starting hearing her thoughts and sensing the emotions of those around her, something Maenad had already perceived as not being one Kiri's stronger suits, she considered to be just as psionically null as herself. But the Trill idea had caught her attention. "Do you think you'll ever join or host a symbiont?" she asked.

"I don't know," Kiri forced a smile, "I've been thinking about it. It seems really good, having all the memories and skills of several lives and helping people in the future are good," There were some rather big buts though. Would Kiri be the same person, if she even got through the very selective selection process. Taking a sip of the lemon juice she felt much better, warmer too.

"Mm," Maenad didn't know if she would do it if she were a Trill. She finished her tea. "Well, Kiri, I think it's time for me to get going," she said as politely as she could.

"Oh," A deflated look shot across Kiri's face. She had wanted to spend all evening with Maenad, at least as much time as possible. But they had barely been talking for an hour. They hadn't even had sometime to eat, she had wanted. It didn't matter, subdued she added, "Okay."

"I will make you dinner later this week, before the mission begins," Maenad said, realising her abruptness. "I have an engagement with Nesh and the captain shortly," she explained, "I believe it's to get us better acquainted and to decide on what she will do in the department," she shrugged.

"I see," Dinner with the captain would take precedence, as for another dinner, "Thank you for the offer, I look forward to it." Still Kiri felt slightly wounded, she had hoped to spend the evening with someone rather than on her own again.

Maenad stood. "Thank you for the visit."

That seemed the wrong way round, "Thank you for coming," Kiri stood up as well, to show her to the door. The plate of biscuits remained untouched along with half a now cold lime juice. It hadn't gone badly, not really. It wasn't quite what Kiri wanted but maybe that was impossible for her.

With Kiri, Maenad went to the door. She wasn't good at goodbyes of any kind, and this was no different. She smiled with a strange nod and left, walking down the corridor. She hoped that she wasn't late for the dinner with Lirha and Nesh. On her mind, though, was an odd feeling that she couldn't quite identify. She felt an insurmountable pity for the young Trill that she hadn't fully realised until this evening; she didn't feel bad about leaving early, yet at the same time she did. Kiri had invited her for dinner long before Lirha had, but Lirha's invitation was somehow more important. She was the captain, after all. If anything, Maenad felt bad for convention and hierarchy than her probably poor social planning skills; if Lirha weren't the captain, she might have said sorry I've got plans. Social class required that she not say that, though. She frowned, biting her lip. Weird.

Kiri watched her leave, craning her head out the door slightly before returning. It didn't feel like she had done anything wrong this time, yet she did end up on her own again. Feeling the door shut behind her Kiri took a very deep breath. She had most of the evening left but she'd made plans for this. While she didn't want to be on her own she didn't much feel like going to find someone else to be with. Going to the bedroom she pulled the dress over her head and tossed it onto the bed. Then almost at once she felt guilty and picked it back up, folding it into a neat little square. She must be angry, though she wasn't really sure at who. Putting her uniform back on and pulling the ribbons from her hair she took a hard, cold look at herself in the mirror. Another night maybe, she had to find some work to do and suck her time into it. Though she didn't plan for it though, a little bit of that was settled on reading a book, thoughts of princes and knights helped take her attention away.

[OFF]
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Lieutenant (JG) Maenad Panne
Chief Science Officer
USS Galileo

Lieutenant (JG) Kiri Cho
Assistant Chief Science Officer
USS Galileo

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