Mending Fences

Posted on Fri Aug 12th, 2022 @ 8:51pm by Commodore Phoenix Lalor-Richardson & Commander Arrianna Salannis an Vantar

Mission: Kintsugi - An Arrianna and Josephine Subplot
Location: USS Elysium Ready Room / Sena Alindar Salannis Household
1507 words - 3 OF Standard Post Measure

Arrianna felt conflicted during all the Starfleet Counseling sessions and the Telepathic Therapy. She had to do it sometime, but she was frightened to what Phoenix would say to her. Was she still her friend? Or did the events of the last few days. Including her fears in that nightmare. Destroy it forever. She had to contact her. She walked up to a console and punched in a message. "Computer. Open Channel to USS Elysium. Captain's ready room."

Phoenix was working on reports and checking in on the different departments reports when the call came in from Sena Alindar. She accepted the call and ran a hand over her hair which was in a messy bun that day. She took a breath and exhaled as the screen cleared. "Arrianna" She said, her tone neutral.

"Phoenix," she noted in a solemn tone. "I have failed you so many times. I now come before you so I can rebuild what remains of my life. Has Starfleet found anything on her? And if you choose not to tell me.. I understand."

"Starfleet intelligence is working on it. Clara has feelers out in different areas." Phoenix replied. "but Bishop has gone to ground and there have been orders given,"

"A part of me wants to go out and turn the galaxy upside-down looking for Bishop. Drive him out and..." She clenches her fist.. "Make him pay... Make them all pay... I want it all back.. Phoenix. But in that process.. I'll become something much worse than a Killer. You saw it... I nearly fell to Cragen's madness. And he is mad.. Very much insane.. I nearly fell to Cragen's insanity." Arrianna noted.

"And if you get her back and she is not how you remember?" Phoenix asked curiously. "Things like this, they change people Arrianna."

"I'm not what I used to be, Phoenix." Arrianna noted. "But I can say this. I have enough of myself back from three years of mental trauma to do the right thing again. A very unorthodox acquaintance aided me in recovering... myself.." Arri noted. "Someone known as Quinn."

Phoenix merely nodded. "She does that" She said by way of response. "I just don't want you getting your hopes up that Josephine Carlyle will be the one you get back if we ever find them."

"This is going to take a long time for me to come to terms with, Phoenix. As it will for Josie.. Quinn did tell me that Bishop reversed Josie's mental conditioning.. However..." Arri shed tears.. "Flossie hurt her, made me hurt her.. And I couldn't do anything. If she is now Sephine Cragen for good. Then that is another of my failures. At least, Phoenix.. I would give her a choice. Cragen never gave anyone who worked for him that. And I swear to the ascendants, I will never become as vile as Cragen to obsess over one woman for seven hundred years. What kind of monster tortures the woman he loves?"

"As to that I am not sure, I do not know the man that well" Phoenix replied. "Are you cleared for active duty? I had not heard that you were"

"The Counselors are concerned about personality fragments from Flossie and Kate embedding themselves into my Aea. We call the Aea our mind and soul. I think Alicia might be able to help me deal with these rogue fragments. They are quite malicious.. The end result of.. Trauma that began with the torture my mind has been under for years." Arrianna noted. "I am now familiar with Bishop's kind of mental conditioning. I'm sending details on the chemicals used on myself and Josephine to Dr. Sthilg and Counselor Kelea-Salick. Some of these chemicals are so horrific and blatant to us Alindari, it horrified some of the doctors here that have helped me, and they've petitioned the Federation Courts to add additional charges to Cragen's already long list of offenses." Arrianna noted. "We know the Federation will place him in the most guarded of prisons. But you must understand. The punishment for tampering with a person's Aea on Sena Alindar is permanent stasis." Arrianna noted. "Essentially, when convicted. The convict is placed into a stasis chamber. Locked with tritanium bolts, each with the names of his or her victims, and then the chamber is attached to a satellite with solar collectors that collect a renewable power source around a dying star. Indefinite Stasis is our out most grave punishment. It's neither life, nor death."

"His punishment is not up to us Arrianna. Its up to those of a higher authority" Phoenix said calmly.

"I wanted to kill him Phoenix. It doesn't matter how long it takes, Phoenix. I will become the woman Josie loved again. Even if it requires that I let go of her. That is one thing Cragen never did." Arrianna noted. "I must return to the Elysium now." Arri thought a moment. "Phoenix.. I need you to ask anyone there never to use the name they gave me. Fragments of her still exist in me, and I don't ever want her ever regaining sentience. I'll need a telepath to remove every part of her from my mind."

"No one here knows what really happened Arri. I have kept it to myself for the most part. But who they called you, was never mentioned. And none of the Black watch crew will use it."

"I feel such shame, Phoenix.." Arri noted. "You saw me at my worst.. It's not something I ever wanted you to see. Love is no trifle thing to my people, and when it hurts.." Arrianna noted. "It hurts, so bad." She noted. "Yes, I know sometimes me and my kin seem immaculate.. Being Alindari is not easy... we only make it look easy." Arri shed a tear. "I have to have hope.. That Josie will come back to me. If I don't.. It would be like the time my people almost gave up when the Borg decimated the first empire. We've always endured.. I have to endure.. I have to go back and protect my Josie's friends."

Phoenix nodded. "IF Starfleet Counselling Signs off on your return, I will look into your placement here Arrianna. But counselling will be apart of the conditions to your return."

Arrianna spoke. "I have been working with Starfleet Counseling here on Sena Alindar, along with the Philosophy College's top mental healers. They say I'm almost ready for duty, but they also say there has never been a case of mental trauma like me since the searing of Alindar." Arrianna noted. "I've spoken to Starfleet Security about Josie. Micheal Bishop has just risen to number four on the top ten most wanted list in the Federation, and my cousin has approached every government we have relations with, and have given them details about Bishop's crimes. We have assurances they will remain on alert and turn Bishop over to the Federation if encountered. The only star nations who haven't given us assurances is the Romulans.. or course.. The Breen, The Tholians, and your brother's regime... who still wants verified proof I was actually enslaved. I can't go after her directly Phoenix. I know something terrible will happen if I do.. But I'm making Bishop's life a living hell in my own way right now." She shed another tear. "I love her Phoenix.. If she's gone.. I will carry a great wound and shame in me for the rest of my life. Along with the shame of being made into a whore for sale."

Phoenix considered Arri via the screen. "You do know that we have a new chief of Science here, your old position may not be available."

"I see Carrington spared no expense in placing me on her... what was that name for her list? The 'BUPERS' list." Arrianna noted. "I half expected my position to go out to some sort of career minded fool while I was enslaved. I can see now my opposition at Starfleet Command has been busy devising ways to destroy my career."

"Actually it was Lovejoy who organised the replacement and that is beside the point.." Phoenix said calmly. "Commodore Mountbatten..."

"It's because of people like Mountbatten, Phoenix. They believe they can do no wrong. Look at what they ordered you to do? Form a crew of renegades. Go rogue.. Try to take Matthew Highlaw using Kyle Cragen. Meanwhile, Starfleet Command had corruption in its highest echelons of power. And we had to live with the unthinkable; the very notion of someone being tucked away in a secret prison is against every principle of Starfleet. And we had to forget our principles to remove him and bargain with people like Cragen." Arri noted. "I hope it was worth it, Phoenix.. I honestly do." Arri stared at her. She and Phoenix always had their disagreements at times.

"Very well, a month. And Arrianna? I suggest you get your attitude under wraps, it could cause issues. " Phoenix chose to keep her cool as best she could.

Arri nodded..

 

Comments (1)