Questions

Posted on Mon Nov 29th, 2021 @ 11:45pm by Captain Rhenora Kaylen & Remal Kajun

Mission: *CD*
Location: Bajor

The interior of the dwelling was sparsely decorated, a few functional pieces of furniture scattered in the appropriate location. Little by the way of sentimental items from what could be seen in the main living area. Rhenora’s mind still grappled with the concept of a Jem'hadar living on Bajor, let alone spending the night under the roof with one. She recalled the topics to avoid and seemed to struggle with what to say - a concept she was sure Remal would find amusing at a later date.

Ikar stayed out of their way as Remal and Rhenora found their clothes and supplies ready for them in a large bedroom at the back of the residence. Remal commented as he tossed his suit jacket on the bed and began changing into more comfortable attire, “I thought I told you he was a former Jem’hadar soldier?”

“ Ahhh that would be a no, you said he was a former patient and suffered from trauma after the war” She gave him a look that made him laugh. “ But details right?”

He shrugged playfully, “I mean, I wasn’t wrong. In fact, if you asked if he was Bajoran, I would have had to say yes, because he has all the documentation and everything saying he is one of us.”

She swatted him on the arm, knowing him as well as she did she understood his reasons. “I understand why...you know me too well,” She admitted.

“I’m glad you understand. Now, let’s get changed and I will see about making us something to eat.” He hesitated as he slipped on his comfy pants. “And if there is anything about this situation that bothers you, I am sorry. But know I consider Ikar a good and loyal friend.”

“ I wasn’t prepared to come face to face with a Jem'hadar… I guess the scars from the war run deep on both sides'' She admitted “ But knowing he is a friend of yours is enough for me”

“Good. Because whether you know it or not, the two of you have a lot in common. You both have a singular focus and you’re both stubborn gits.” He smiled, tossed on a shirt and headed out of the bedroom leaving her to contemplate the similarities she may have with a Jem’Hadar soldier.

---

Meanwhile Ikar was standing on his back deck looking out over the pond. The last rays of sunlight bounced off the water creating a golden shimmer, much like the Great Link his Gods, the Founders, lived as. He stood as a lone pillar guarding against foreign enemies.

Remal approached from behind, careful to not cause any great disturbance as he spoke. “Thank you again for taking us in. Would you mind if I use your supplies to create something to eat for everyone?”

“I do not mind.” Ikar said without looking back. “While you are here, this shall be your home too, no questions, no worries.” Ikar spoke with a tone that hinted at gratitude, though for a Jem’Hadar it was difficult to discern. “You will make that thing you made before, yes?”

Remal smiled, remembering the food he had made for Ikar when the man was going through withdrawal from the White. “I shall accommodate.” Remal responded in kind, before turning on his heel and retreating to the house where he made himself at home in the kitchen area which looked as pristine as the day it was created.

Rhenora was drawn outside as the sun descended, now dressed warmly enough to ward off the impending chill. She followed the conversation between Ikar and Remal, gleaning snippets of information. He had withdrawn from the white, and liked Remal’s cooking. Then again, who didn’t like Remal’s cooking?

Remal clasped his hands together, then rubbed them, “Alright, you review your findings, and I’ll rustle up the grub.” He began pulling things out to make a meal using dough along with fresh baked herbs and spices. His ultimate goal was a Tuscan style fire grilled pizza with a side of Jumja Stick for Ikar, who had entered the room and now stood stoically in the doorway, just watching.

She pulled the datapad they had used to file the recordings on earlier in the day, she wanted to review the data whilst it was still fairly fresh in her mind. A practical but surprisingly comfortable chair sat to her right and she dropped into it, tucking her feet underneath her for warmth as she poured over the data, scouring it for any clues as the smell of Remal’s cooking wafting from the kitchen made her stomach rumble. A string of sneezes erupted with the cursory grumble at the end followed by one more sneeze for good measure.

Ikar stared at Rhenora quizically for a minute before turning to Remal, “I believe your mate has a sickly affliction. Perhaps I can offer an inoculation?”

Remal stopped and stared at Ikar. There were no words.

“I’m not sick… I’m just…” another round of sneezes cut off any hope of a coherent answer.

“It’s alright Ikar, she is with child and since she is Bajoran, pregnancy comes with a side effect of excess sneezing.”

Ikar nodded thoughtfully, “Is there an inoculation for this preg-nancy?” He asked Remal.

There was a laugh that echoed in from outside “Sometimes I wish there was” the mirth could be heard in her voice.

Remal chuckled and then pointed out to Rhenora, “Remember, his people don’t breed, they are bred. They know very little about raising children and taking a spouse.” He then saw Ikars face, his eyes were large and his hands were gripped tight and rigid as though he were fighting back mixed feelings.

Remal immediately stopped what he was doing. “Ikar, listen to the sound of my voice. You are here now, with friends. What you are seeing is gone, long buried in the past. Here you are whole. Here you are free. Here you are safe.”

There were several tense seconds of silence before Ikar looked at Remal and simply nodded. “You are getting better at coming back from the brink my friend.” Remal commented as he resumed cooking.

“As you taught me. I practice. I meditate.” Ikar responded simply.

Rhenora kept still and silent as she listened to the exchange, understanding the change in Remal’s tone and the clear direction and instruction he was giving. Regrounding Ikar to his current location, not somewhere in the past with darker images. She twigged - Remal had mentioned not to talk about children…

As the food neared completion, Remal began to set the counter space as a makeshift table. He looked at his beautiful bride who in turn was staring at the PADD in depthly. “Have you found anything useful from your scans yet?”

“ Not yet, but I’m glad we spent the time there today, I got a really weird feeling from that place” Rhenora replied, lowering the padd a little to regard her husband “ Did you feel the same?” She shuddered a little at the memory.

“I did, but you found nothing concrete?” He asked quizzically as he pulled the pizza from the oven.

“ Not yet, but the night is still young” She continued to scroll through the data until something caught her attention. “ Now wait just a minute….” She paused and enlarged the scan. “ There’s footprints, but they look….wrong, as though someone were trying to place them in a particular pattern” It looked too perfect. Not the smudged and scuffed prints that most floors carried. These were deliberate and were too clear.

“Amatuers.” Ikar stated simply, obviously having an opinion on the matter.

"You think they were planted after Jurel’s death as well?" She said cautiously, not wanting to make Ikar uncomfortable in any way.

Remal eyed Ikar before realizing what the man was trying to say. When it hit him he commented, “They murdered a man, in cold blood, but they covered their own tracks. The only purpose it would serve to create false tracks would be to set up somebody else… “

He sat the pizza on the counter and then leaned hard on the granite surface, “Can you gauge the size and shape of the prints? I bet you a Jumja stick that they match our prints exactly.” He thought how not only would they match, but then their own walk through the house would be a sign of a criminal returning to the scene of the crime. If he was right, they were being framed.

Rhenora retrieved her face from the floor for the second time in as many hours. "You think someone's trying to set us up?" She didn't know what was worse, that someone had murdered Jurel, or that someone was trying to blame the murder on them.

TBC