20 - Mourning
Posted on Sat Nov 9th, 2024 @ 9:28pm by Captain Rhenora Kaylen & Commander Jenna Ramthorne & Remal Kajun & Patin
Mission:
The Beginning of the End
Location: Bajor
Timeline: Late Evening
***And death is at your doorstep
And it will steal your innocence
But it will not steal your substance
But you are not alone in this
And you are not alone in this
As brothers, we will stand and we'll hold your hand
Hold your hand***
The culmination of the days events were rapidly becoming apparent, and if viewed from an outsider the scene within the bedroom would mirror that of the Prophecy and visions shown to Rhenora and Remal. The battle with the Wraith had depleted much of her life energy, and the delivery of their child had expended what precious little was left. Inwardly she knew it was her time and she had made peace with that. She felt the life leaving her body as it began to shut down, fighting to see her family one last time.
Zio backed away as Remal leaned in and squeezed Rhenora's hand. "Please stay with me, I don't think I can do this without you." Tears were starting to stream down his face. "I'm... I'm not strong enough." He pleaded knowing she was fading and there wasn't much he could do about it. "She needs her Ma."
"She is strong, like her father. Tell her I love her" The words were little more than a strained whisper. She grasped Remal's hand with what strength she had left and squeezed it. "Look after our daughter, don't let those damn Prophets use her"
Words began to fail him, his heart had found it's way into his throat. "I will." He whispered, though he wasn't ready to call it quits on trying. There had to be some medicine, some drug he could use to bring her back. "But... " He touched his nose ridges to hers as tears fell from his face to hers. "I love you." He whispered before kissing her nose as he would often do.
Rhenora's eyes closed for the last time "The Prophets are calling me." Words whispered so softly they were barely audible. Her breathing slowed, and then stopped completely, the tricorder emitting its deathly tone.
From behind Remal, Jenna had been holding her mouth, but now she let out an audible noise that came from within showing she could not hold back her crying any longer. "No!" Her head sank into her hands until she felt unfamiliar arms encircle her. Zio had placed the baby in the crib and wrapped her arms around Jenna. Together Zio guided Jenna out of the room leaving Remal to grieve and Patin still watching on.
In the living room, Kira's eyes were asking 'what happened' but somehow it was as though she already knew.
Outside, the Celestial Temple remained open as if waiting for something.
He wanted to yell. He wanted to scream. He wanted to throw something, but his life force had left him. The force what drove him to rise from bed each morning with a fresh cuppa coffee. She was the force behind his whole life's purpose, the planting, the building and the preparing of the cabin. Without her there was no meaning. Without her there was, nothing.
For Patin everything else had fallen away. She could see only darkness surrounding her, except the familiar visage of the child in the crib, and in the distance Remal and Rhenora. This was the vision the Prophets had bestowed. This was everything that mattered in this moment. If flooded her like a dam breaking.
She stepped forward into the room and peered down at the baby. It was precious, innocent, like little Nozzie when she was young. She reached down and touched the child's hand, soft and smooth. It reacted by shifting and released a slight cooing noise. "You uh, you take care of them, you hear me." Patin spoke with a soft voice. "They're going to be new to this parenting thing, so don't be too hard on them okay." She wiped the snot streams from her face with the cuff of her sleeve. "But also, don't take too much shit from them. You're strong and sometimes right even if they don't see it. Life is not, not really fair and sometimes beyond our control, but the friends you make along the way, they're what matters, understand?"
She lingered for a moment before the pain in her side flared, reminding her the end was near. Standing once more, she moved over and placed a hand on Remal's shoulder, making her presence known. "It will be okay, meatbag. Soon everything will be okay again, I promise. Never stop taking care of them, okay." But no response came, only the darkness as it swallowed her vision.
In the darkness there was only the sound of breathing, slow painful breathing and a heartbeat, tha-thump tha-thump, slowing down clearly, audibly. The timing and pacing grew apart until there was nothing. And then there was light, bright blinding light. Familiar she had seen this once before. Soft around the edges at first, slowing coming more and more into focus as the seconds passed. Seconds, as though time existed here.
Faceless, nameless bodies blurred in the starlight, moved about aimlessly until Patin finally found her voice. "Oy, I need to speak to someone who has the power to fix this mess!" She demanded. "You faceless bastards better show yourselves!" Crass, even in death, Patin wasn't about to take a no for an answer.
"The Prophecy has been fulfilled" one Prophet after another walked behind Patin. "The Emissary is born"
"But the Kosst Amojan was allowed to survive" another spoke indirectly.
"The future is uncertain, this was... unexpected" it was a wonder foreign to them."
"The Patin is angry, she is unhappy with the occurrence of death"
One by one the Prophets walked behind her, obscured from her view yet very much heard.
"The Rhenora was willing to be sacrificed for the child."
"The Child will live, and fulfill its destiny"
"The Patin's anger in inconsequential"
"The Patin has questions"
Until now she had bit her tongue, waiting and hearing them out before she tore them a new one. She had heard stories of their cryptic nature and had some idea of what to expect even as she prepared her own retaliatory words.
"Inconsequential? How about belligerent? Are you familiar with that one? You, who sit in a glorified Temple and watch from afar. Who are of Bajor only when it falls in your best interests. You call me inconsequential. You do not yet know anger, not like mine!"
She pounded her chest, "My anger is personal, controlled, directed, focused, and you, almighty Prophets should understand why I'm angry!" She turned towards the voices only to find them gone, having moved behind her. "Are you so afraid that you refuse to face me and my broken soul?"
Tears were starting to drip from Patin's eyes as her head dropped. "You... you turned yours eyes from Bajor, from me. So I turned mine from you. I was never even given a chance. There was a time I wanted to birth a child or have a mate as wonderful as 'the Remal'. But Rhenora was. She was special and yet you... you used her. What right did you have to use her as an end to your means?!"
Turning angry again she added, "She fought for you! Died for you! For all of us!" Turning somber again she reflected, and continued as she shook her head "I have never, never asked anything of you. Until now I've never wanted or needed to. Always the strong one, huh? Remal recently reminded me, it takes a strong person to ask for help. So I now ask you for one request, one request only?" She was holding her finger up in their invisible faces.
The Prophets stopped their eternal commentary and one stepped forward, the one that had inhabited Rhenora.
"The Rhenora was willing to be our instrument." It said simply before taking on her form. "She gave herself to Bajor, to us. This displeases you?" The direction of the conversation changed slightly.
"Of course, it doesn't displease me. Nozzie was always one to give of herself." Patin argued. "I understand the sacrifice she made. What I don't understand is why. Why her and why allow her to die to suit your needs when she has needs of her own."
"The Rhenora had two roles - to birth the Emissary, and to reside in the Temple in order to offer... a different perspective on matters of Bajor." It was almost as though the Prophets were uneasy about letting it be known. "The Rhenora was unaware of the second task, until now"
"Roles that you gave her, that you created for her. Of course she took your offer. You left her little choice in the matter. Call me selfish, but I have a counteroffer for you." Patin was pleading with them now, begging that they reconsider, in her own way.
There was a moment of silence as they contemplated even hearing the second offer. "We will allow it"
"Take me instead. Let her live. Let her take my remaining lifeforce an go on to live, and love, and raise her child as I would if I had ever been given that chance." She fell to her knees, "I will gladly take her place until such time as she chooses to return, please. I offer my life in exchange for hers."
Patin always did have a way of making the most selfish things unselfish. She wouldn't allow Rhenora to die, not if there was still something she could do about it. Cut from the same cloth, as it were.
" We will consider your request. The Rhenora could be tasked to raise the child and protect it from the Kost Amojen, so that it may fulfill it's destiny in linear time. We had not anticipated this occurrence of having another willing vessel" The Prophets spoke as though to themselves. "You offer yourself willingly?"
"If my death means she gets to live, then I offer myself completely, unconditionally. It's all that I am good for now anyway." Her mind had been made up now for a long time, ever since they had shown her the ending. It was looking ahead at the possible outcome that had her ready to defy the Gods in order to make it right. Now she would have her chance to 'teach' them a thing or two about Bajor. All they had to do was agree to her terms.
"The Patin has offered herself willingly to take The Rhenora's place as advisor"
"The Patin is willing to stay and serve us"
"The Emissary shall be protected until the Evil one returns"
"Protected and safe may have it's own consequences."
"The future is uncertain."
"We find this arrangement acceptable"
"Um, there is one more small thing, if you will allow it. I would like..."
Patin asked yet another favor of the Prophets.
***And you are the mother
The mother of your baby child
The one to whom you gave life
And you have your choices
And these are what make man great
His ladder to the stars
But you are not alone in this
And you are not alone in this
As brothers, we will stand and we'll hold your hand
Hold your hand
But I will tell the night
And whisper, "Lose your sight"
But I can't move the mountains
For you***
Mumford and Sons - Timshel
TBC
Captain Rhenora Kaylen
Commanding Officer, USS Sunfire
Commander Jenna Ramthorne
Chief Flight Control Officer & Mission Advisor, USS Sunfire
Remal Kajun
Counselor Aide, USS Sunfire
Husband of the Captain
Played By Commander Jenna Ramthorne
Patin
Friend of the Captain, USS Sunfire
Played By Commander Jenna Ramthorne
