The Voices Don't Like You (part 4)

Posted on Fri Mar 20th, 2015 @ 4:17pm by Captain T'mpest Michaels & Lieutenant Commander Orin ch’Valri

1,104 words; about a 6 minute read

[CONTINUED]

[OLD]

"I'm half Aenar." He replied with a raised voice as he flipped her back over again. "Unlike you, I am not ashamed to be half of something else." He pinned her down hard and looked her in the eyes. "Computer: Raise lights to previous setting." Orin let go of her and stood up, breathing heavily. "Because, Captain. Two minds are always better than one. My mind and your mind would be a lot stronger together than apart. As a team. As a family, if you want. Trust is all we have and once we lose that trust we are truly alone." He let out a sigh and held out his hand to her. "I don't know if the mind meld would help, but what do know is that the meld will ease your mind by silencing the other voices and allowing you to know whether you can trust me. The moment of silence from those voices will help you refocus your mind, and that silence, will last as long as you allow it to. You need to have faith, because so far I haven't given you any real reason not trust in me."

[NEW]

Orin paused for a moment, tilting his head back and closing his eyes. He was starting to lose his own sense of focus. He knew a mind meld would help her, far more, than it would help him. However, he had to try something. She was far more important to this ship than he was. "I know a mind meld is something private." He said as he opened his eyes and looked back down to her. "But there have been times where it has done far more good then harm and I have neither the strength, or the skill, to turn it against you. You would be in complete control. If it helps, what ever happens, will stay between us. You have my complete word. Your boyfriend or husband or whatever, will never hear of it from me. This is, honestly, the only thing I know that might keep the voices out and maybe, you might find something in this thick headed marines head that might help you keep the voices out for a lot longer. My head seems to work at this far differently than most. I can't explain why."

"My physiology is Vulcan," she said, "It is physically impossible to be half Vulcan and half Human." She took his hand just long enough for him to help her up. The fight, foolish as it may have been, had calmed much of her tension. "If you'd read my files, you would know that I trained on Vulcan but chose not to follow the teachings of Surak but chose to accept my more human emotions as part of who I am." She smoothed her hair back over her shoulders. "I accept the logic of your argument even though I do not like it. Nor do I believe it to be the answer I need at this time. But if you are still insistent, I will comply."

"You came here, first and foremost, to see if you can trust me. As I said, at the very least, you will know that." Orin said, taking a step to her as he placed his hands on his hips. "As far as I am concerned, you have nothing really to lose. You can argue logic, and semantics, till your face is as blue as an Andorian, but all you'll be doing is resisting the obvious truth. Without each other's support, this thing has already one. It's a well known fact that whatever doubts anyone has, human or species alike, is best alleviated or cured by someone who has the support of others. And if we can't trust each other with our deepest fears then we can't do our job to the best of our abilities."

She couldn't fault his logic, even though she found him irritating. "Very well," she conceded. She stepped closer to him and placed her hand on his face, expertly touching the trigger points on his face. "My mind to yours. My thoughts to yours."

Orin closed his eyes and took a deep breath. As he opened his eyes he felt her fingers on the side of his face and slowly did the same, mimicking the position on her face with his own fingers. He slowly began to breath, in and out, focusing his mind on hers and listening to her words. He knew he needed to opened up to her, but also hoped she was ready to see what was in it.

It had been more than two years since she'd opened her mind to another person. Since Vlad left she'd locked herself behind her wall of logic and focused on her work. At first, she gently probed the outer layers of Orin's mind, not wanting to delve too deeply or pry into his privacy. She believed he was telling her the truth and his thoughts confirmed that. She explored a little further and then, slowly, began to open up to him.

Orin just relaxed and allowed his foremost thoughts to flow opened between the two. He could hear her in his mind. Or was it their mind? The experience was all the new to him, yet strangely comforting. He didn't feel like he had to stay within his shell anymore, like most times. Orin felt free to think what he wanted to think. Feel what he wanted to feel.

Then it happened. He heard her voice speak softly and say one word. One name. Vlad. Who was Vlad? He would think. A person from her past. He felt strangely uncomfortable, but he felt it was more her feel than his. Perhaps some she felt closely to. Orin felt it, oddly. Her last mind meld was with Vlad. A relationship? It made him think about his own brief relationship with Thy'las. Being on the training ground with her. Working with her in the gun range. Talking tactics and fighting styles. It was Thy'las that convinced him to go to Starfleet and it was Thy'las who convinced him to be at his best. She was also the one, sadly, that made him realize the best was to be the best was to stay within his own shell. To always be about the mission and to keep everyone at arms length. Orin could remember their last moment with each other. The last night they spent together before she disappeared.

(To be continued...)

Lieutenant Orin ch'Valri
Chief Security/Tactical Officer

Commander T'mpest Michaels
Commanding Officer

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