The Vorta Says Adieu

Posted on Fri Oct 5th, 2018 @ 5:38pm by Captain Enalia Telvan & Commander Rita Paris & Lieutenant Vaemyn & Lieutenant Commander Sonak

Mission: Hera v Hera
Location: Vaemyn's Quarters/Captain's Ready Room
Timeline: 2395

It was a strange thing, all told, for a Vorta to look up ways to kill gods. The irony of the situation wasn't lost on Vaemyn as he relaxed in his quarters, idly reading a story on a PADD. Ancient Klingon epics were highly entertaining, although Vaemyn knew that few of his fellow Vorta would've enjoyed such a tale. Revolting against one's gods was an uncomfortable subject, after all, painfully close to heresy, and most Vorta shied away from such things.

Of course, most Vorta didn't lounge half-naked in their quarters with a bottle of strawberry arsenic. Having worked a long shift, Vaemyn was quite content to simply relax in his chair, his toned violet chest pleasantly cool, his shorts wonderfully comfortable. It was all sinfully hedonistic.

"Oh Vaemyn, are you still reading?" came a seductive male voice from the bedroom. In due course, the other examples of Vaemyn's hedonism sauntered into the main room, both looking distinctly mischievous. Hess, the tall, broad-shouldered dark-skinned human from Security, looked supremely confident in his physicality, a mere white towel preserving his modesty. Nef, the similarly tall and curvaceous Trill girl from Engineering, had the same devliish glint in her eye. Her own towel, while preserving her modesty like her partner in crime, was very pointedly shaped to reveal her ample cleavage.

"Researching how to kill gods is my job, after all," Vaemyn said to them both, chuckling at the unabashed playfulness in his bedfellows. "Are you done already with your shower? Truly Hess, I recall you lasting longer than that."

Hess laughed as he reached Vaemyn, planting a firm kiss on the Vorta's mouth. "Blame Nef. She's talented, my friend. Besides, I have to be on duty in ninety minutes. No time to waste."

Nef snorted, mock-punching Hess in the shoulder. "No time to waste? Oh yeah, very romantic, Hess."

Hess grinned, but before he could retort, a high-pitched beep interrupted their play. Incoming subspace transmission for Lieutenant Vaemyn from Bajor the computer announced smoothly.

Nef and Hess looked at each other in surprise, but seeing the conflicted look in Vaemyn's eyes, they seemed to come to a silent accord. "We'll give you some privacy, Vae," Nef said pleasantly, kissing him in turn, before she took Hess' hand to lead him back to the bedroom. "We'll be waiting in bed."

Vaemyn nodded, smiling faintly, although his smile faltered as the bedroom door closed and he redirected his attention to the large display on the wall. A message from Bajor was, after all, not something to be relished for a Vorta war criminal. It could be anything from a tender message of forgiveness to a demand by the Bajoran government that Vaemyn be sent right back to prison. Hesitantly, Vaemyn stood and accepted the call.

The display resolved to show two very unexpected individuals. One of them, an older human woman of Middle-Eastern descent, wore a work dress of some sort, but the other...

"Founder!" Vaemyn blurted in shock, his eyes wide. Hurriedly he bowed his head, bending in his hands palm-upwards in prayer. "You grace me with your call, Hammi! How do you come to be on Bajor?"

The Founder smiled at his protege. "It is a long story, my friend. Emissary al-Jilani will explain."

And so she did. The following few minutes would change Vaemyn's life forever.





The next morning on the Bridge, as the Hera was at warp en route to wage war against its divine namesake, Vaemyn found himself strangely nervous. He didn't get nervous often, at least not in a socio-professional context, but now, there was undeniable jitters in his stomach. Soon enough, the time came for his scheduled meeting with Captain Telvan, Commander Paris and Sonak, so Vaemyn hesitantly left his station at the back of the Bridge to walk to the captain's ready room and press the chime.

Enalia hadn't been looking forward to this either. She'd come to rely on her Vorta Science Chief rather heavily. She knew it was too good to be true though, and the orders she had received this morning, as well as the meeting request, that she had received this morning were proof of that. Fortunately, her Yeoman had scheduled a meeting time that was hopefully convenient for all four of them and that time was now. She just hoped everyone was on time.

"Come in," Called the spotted woman, smiling sadly as she saw that it was Vaemyn that had arrived first after all. "It's good to see you again. Please, have a seat. Can I get you something to drink? I have some Bidu root tea extract, if you'd like some. It's lethal to most humanoids."

"Very thoughtful, Captain, thank you," Vaemyn said pleasantly as he walked in, even if he had the same sad smile. "Thank you for accepting the meeting. I wanted to explain the reassignment orders that Starfleet Command have surely sent you."

Reaching into her desk, Enalia pulled out a small wooden box with ornate carvings of death symbolism and slid it over to the purple skinned man. "I'll let you handle that. I can't even touch it or I'll get sick. Computer, mug of hot water, please." As the drink replicator built into the desk replicated a mug of hot water, Enalia continued. "I got the transfer orders, but they were vague at best. I hope you don't mind that I asked Commander Paris and Lieutenant Sonak to join us as well."

"Naturally," Vaemyn replied with a nod as he accepted the box. He replicated a mug of hot water for himself, before gently opening the box to reveal the tiny, inocuous roots. Gently he took one of the roots and dipped it into the water, which promptly frothed violently before turning into acidic green. It was a lovely gesture to him as they waited for the newlyweds; few captains would've had the generosity or wits to offer such a potent poison to a Vorta.

The door opened and Lieutenant Commander Paris entered, looking up from the ever-present PaDD in her hands. The anachronistic astronaut smiled broadly when she noticed the chief science officer, nursing what looked to be a mad scientist’s potion in his hands, which somehow seemed par for the course for the Vorta scientist.

“Captain, Lieutenant,” the cheerful commander offered in a light tone, taking a seat on the bench off to the side of the Captain’s desk, habitually smoothing out her short skirt as she did so. Long legs scissored against one another as she crossed her legs and perched, spine erect and eyes alert, waiting to see why the meeting was called. When she was the dumbest person in the room, Rita Paris knew how to listen. And given the company, she wasn’t about to match IQs with anyone in the ready room.

Sonak came in about a minute later, which was the exact appointed time he had been given. When the call came, he was in the science department, working to get acclimated with all the specific equipement and research projects this unique starship had to offer, as well as with his duties as assistant to the chief science officer; not to mention the demanding mission ahead of them. Without batting an eye, he had acknowledged the call and was now entering the captain's ready room hands behind his back, noting with one glance the formal attitude of everyone; more than what he had expected from a call to the commanding officer's office.

There was an emotional tension in the room, especially between his commanding officer and his department chief. Rita for her part was like a blank slate, with obvious curiosity in her eyes despite her very professional mien.

So there was something about the higher command of the ship to which he was involved... or to be involved with. All his superior officers were here and he was the only junior officer in the room. Disciplinary action? Most unlikely. Nothing he had done could ever require and the captain, and the exec, and his department chief; had it been so, he would not have been called; a security guard would have arrested him.

Speculation was useless. Hence why Vulcans did not speculate. Still, the thought had crossed his mind.

Another echo of Rita's mind he understood before standing at attention.

"Lieutenant Sonak reporting as ordered, Captain."

"Excellent. Please have a seat. Rita, Sonak, please help yourself to the replicator if you'd like." Enalia leaned back in her own seat and settled in with her own teacup. "Lieutenant Vaemyn has orders and will be leaving us. Thus, we're all involved in some personnel shifts. As for the orders themselves, If you could start us off by explaining them?"

Vaemyn nodded grimly. "To the crux of it, then. Two weeks ago, while on an exploratory mission in the Gamma Quadrant, the USS Ardent discovered a Borg staging ground near Dominion borders. An armada of cubes, perhaps as many as eight, are preparing to invade the Dominion. I expect that my brethren are mobilising the Jem'Hadar, but even the amassed might of the Dominion may be unable to defeat such overwhelming force. The Founders, great and noble as they are, may not able to protect us."

Then he paused, plainly uncomfortable at the idea of the Borg threatening his home. It was an odd thing given that Vaemyn had never actually been to the Gamma Quadrant, having been created on Cardassia at the height of the war, but it pained him regardless. "The Federation has offered aide to the Dominion, and in their blessed wisdom, the Founders have accepted. A task force of Starfleet vessels is being assembled at Bajor at this very moment. My creator...my father, perhaps, as you would call him, has been freed from prison to aid this task force. Given my unique knowledge of both Federation and Dominion science, I have also been reassigned to the task force to aid however I can."

Then Vaemyn smiled sadly at everyone. "As I understand it, this has no bearing on our...ah, my apologies. I mean to say, it has no bearing on your mission to combat Hera. There are, after all, many starships capable of fighting the Borg, but only one starship in all the galaxy capable of fighting those ancient super-beings who call themselves gods."

"And only one of you." Enalia didn't like losing one of the most skilled scientists under her command, but this was how it was and he was needed elsewhere. "I can honestly say that their odds of success, even with all their other resources, are greatly improved now that you're helping them out. If you need anything from us before you go, please let us know."

Glancing over to the pair on the couch, Enalia's expression turned a bit more dour. "And since this means Lieutenant Sonak is now being promoted to Chief Science Officer... Commander Paris, you're now married to a direct subordinate. It's not technically against regs, but I'll expect the same professionalism as usual, of course. Lieutenant, congratulations on your promotion."

"We've got a lot of practice at it, ma'am," Rita deadpanned. "Plus, he's not exactly prone to emotional outbursts."

Sonak didn't bat an eye.

"If I may be so bold, Captain; it is unfortunate that it comes under such circumstances. I was looking forward to work with Lieutenant Vaemyn and prove my worth to you and to this ship under his guidance. But no one controls every variable of existence. I come to serve. I shall endeavor to do my best for you and your ship with all the skill and professionalism your confidence demands."

He then turned to the Vorta.

"Lieutenant Vaemyn; I will not have the privilege of working with you and of learning from you. The loss is mine. I cannot replace you; but I shall do my best to succede you. May your own new path leads you to success."

He raised his hand in the celebrated Vulcan salute.

"Live long and prosper, Lieutenant Vaemyn."

Vaemyn smiled, raising a hand to try and mimic the salute before realising after some fumbling that it might take some practice. "And the same to you, Sonak. While I regret that we are robbed of the opportunity to collaborate, you are a truly gifted scientist, more so than is generally known by Starfleet. I knew as much within minutes of reading your work. This promotion will, I would hope, enable you to fully realise your nascent potential. I hope that we meet again one day."

Standing, Rita extended her arms for a hug. "C'mere you amazing person. You were the first one who took me seriously on this boat, and you might just have saved my life. I'm going to miss the joy you took in exploration... I hope someday you find your way back to us. You mapped a dark matter storm. Scientists have been trying for centuries, and you did it within hours. You're one a hell of a scientist, and a good shipmate."

Vaemyn found himself taken by surprise by the hug, but he nevertheless stood to receive it, chuckling. The hug was admittedly somewhat odd given the commander's impressive torso, somewhat like hugging a warm bouncy cushion, but he appreciated the gesture. "Thank you, Rita. I do hope to meet you again one day as well. It has been a pleasure to serve with such an eccentric yet brilliant officer."

Upon emerging from the hug, Vaemyn directed his smile at the captain, although now it grew somber. "Captain, I was ordered to rendezvous with the USS Bulwark as soon as possible, so I request the use of a shuttle. If I leave immediately and fly at maximum warp, I can be onboard the Bulwark and therefore en route to Bajor within six hours." He paused, then snapped to firm attention, an altogether ridiculous look for the chirpy and informal Vorta. Nevertheless, for once, there was a look of absolute seriousness to him. For perhaps the first time since he'd come onboard the Hera, Vaemyn looked like a true Starfleet lieutenant, determined to carry out his duty.

"Permission to disembark, ma'am," he asked formally.

Enalia also stood and came to attention - a rare sight indeed. "Permission granted to both disembark and to take a type nine shuttle. They're the fastest we've got. Good luck out there, Lieutenant. I know you'll do us all proud."

"Yes ma'am," Vaemyn replied seriously, although he couldn't stop that amicable smile from returning as he nodded to Sonak and Rita. With that, he turned and left, soon to leave the ship itself as well. The crew of the USS Hera had their war to fight, to battle and defeat the malevolent deity that was threatening the Federation, while Vaemyn was setting off to defend his home against a horrific and evil threat.

Both had their part to play. Time would tell if either survived the coming maelstrom of blood, fire and tears.