What the Actual Fu…
Posted on Sun Jul 14th, 2024 @ 8:07pm by Fleet Captain Maxwell Culver & Lieutenant Rowena "Rena" Campbell
3,661 words; about a 18 minute read
Mission:
Silver Rain
Location: USS Intrepid: Counselor Rena’s Office
Timeline: MD 2: 1300 hours
Max had just finished his lunch and was now due, well, long overdue, for his counseling appointment. Per usual, he skipped past Rena’s secretary and took up his usual residence. The chair that she claimed as her own.
There was too much to talk about since his last session-before Kaitos, before Krios, before two disastrous events within Starfleet space in one week. Max suddenly wondered why he hadn’t thought about that before, suddenly wondering if they weren’t connected somehow.
Diminishing the Federation presence along the Klingon Empire’s borders would put an end to those open corridors nearer the galactic center and essentially lock out colonies like Kaitos and Krios. It would be a massive win for the Klingons by undermining the Federation there.
Fortunately, New El-Auria had stepped into the light and started the application for admittance into the United Federation of Planets. Krios had also gone into a type of political lockdown, strengthening its borders with more of their Royal Navy.
If someone was perpetrating these attacks to destabilize the Federation’s stance, they were failing. Either way, the last thing the Federation needed was another string of terror attacks. They were still reeling from the Mars attacks, the terror attacks by the Changelings and the Borg just two years ago. They also had a Protectorate version of the Borg gate keeping a strange transwarp or transdimensional portal.
There was also this new relationship he had with Rylen, or Ry-Ry, which he had yet to say aloud. He would share that with her. He knew Rena would keep their secret. Though it would be news on the ship soon enough. As lifebonded lovers, they couldn’t sneak around forever, but it was fun in the short term.
Max looked up as the doors to Rena’s office opened. He smiled widely. “I let myself in.”
Rena returned from the restroom. She had, of course, sensed Max's presence. Since his "rebirth" or early puberty or whatever he called it, he was easier for her to read if they were in decently close proximity of each other. She sighed, though.
"One of these days, I am going to replicate a tack or something for that chair," she said. Of course, she wouldn't. She was too "good" for that. She grabbed her PADD and settled in on the couch across from him.
"Who's Ry-ry?" she asked. She had an inkling. Well. MORE than, but she needed to hear it from him. She didn't like making assumptions without something to back it up. "Also, remind Lorut she's overdue," she said. "Go," she said, simply, settling back.
Max smirked. “Why ask a question when you already know the answer,” Max responded smoothly. “Ry-Ry would kill me for broadcasting that loud enough that you’ve just heard it. It is also the name of High Lord Rylen of the House of Lyo.
“Not to overwhelm you, but a lot of complicated things happened while we were on Krios. A trust was built and a lifebond was made. Essentially, I am now Rylen’s Royal Concubine.
“It’s strange, because I always reeled at the thought of my arranged marriage on Kaitos as so limiting, and yet, I know that Rylen will have to produce heirs. Maybe even marry a woman in the process,” Max paused with a puzzled expression on his face which passed quickly like a cloud during a sun shower. “Oddly, I’m okay with that, if any of what I’m saying makes any sense.” He paused again and then shook his head, as if to clear it.
“By the way, if you ever refer to him as Ry-Ry, I’ll have to blow you out an airlock. Patient/Doctor privilege withstanding,” he added with a chuckle that sounded just a bit on the goofy side.
Rena laughed. "Don't worry," she said. "I wouldn't dream of it. You know I am too polite," she said. Even if she'd tease him in her head for eternity. "That is certainly...a lot," she said. "What part do you want to start with first? You know that this is going to be difficult to navigate...you're the Captain...he's the second officer. And if Lorut finds out...well. She's a wild card..." Rena said. Vila didn't strike her as the type to really care about who was sleeping with who, really, but you did never know.
“Let’s start with the idea of being a concubine,” Max mused. “Not that I don’t enjoy sex, especially where we’re both empathic and can’t tell whose enjoyment is whose?
It sort of throws the concept of a normal relationship out the window, don’t you think?”
Max honestly didn’t know. What was his position in their relationship? Was he the initiator or was Rylen. Bonded empaths basically lost a sense of self and enjoyed both gender norms of sex, but how did that work with two men?
Rena nodded. "Truthfully, I don't know much. But...I'll help you to figure it out. Luckily for ME, S'Tera isn't also an empath, so that helps us," she said. "Let's start at the top. Whose idea was it? Do you, at all, feel...coerced?" She asked. They had to establish safety and boundaries. "I don't FEEL like you are, but...I try to not read people when you're off duty." She paused. "Why are you using the term "concubine" instead of, I don't know..."boy toy"? She was curious.
Max adopted a curious smile. “Coerced, no. Courted, definitely, but to be blunt, I’m definitely of my own mind about this,” Max explained.
“As for the term, it’s Royal concubine, officially,” Max chuckled. “Rylen has been denying his finiis’ral for some time. He’s been using drugs to delay its onset, but the he’s also developed a resistance to the blockers. He and I felt the same way when he finally trusted me enough to commit.
“In the aftermath, I’m now life bonded to Rylen and he to me. We are far from a boy-toy or romantic fling situation. I have a responsibility to him as much as he has to me in the House of Lyo, which,” Max paused and sighed heavily. “Which,” he repeated, “is nothing short of a mess right now. As is Rylen.”
Rena let out a sigh herself. "This is going to be a...mess," she said, frankly. "Ok. Now that we've established that, let's move on. What are your duties besides the obvious?" she asked. "Like...as the King or whatever Lyo will be, are you his escort? Are people like us accepted?" She asked. "Gays, I mean, not empaths," she clarified. "Hold on," she said, crossing to the replicator. This was a job for strong black coffee, not weak Uttaberry tea.
Max gave a bit of a nervous chuckle at Rena’s comment “besides the obvious”. “I am his concubine. As his partner in the finiis’ral, Rylen and I are connected unlike anyone in the history of Krios. I am not just empathic, but I’m developing telepathy and telekinesis…and who knows what else?
“As for being the Royal concubine, I serve with the power of a spouse. In fact, I would be considered a cuck in any marriage that might occur in the future, which will happen as Rylen is not only expected, but required to produce an heir in the future.”
Max was happy when Rena handed him a mug of black, hot coffee. “As for gays,” Max finished Rena’s train of thought. “The Kriosians are open minded enough to have long outgrown that prejudice longer ago than humans,” Max paused and looked at Rena. “Apologies. That wasn’t meant to sound as harsh as I think it probably sounded.
“For the moment, Rylen is in possession of a Cardassian data rod - which you know are notoriously difficult to falsify - from his mother. He hasn’t felt well enough to attend to it yet. His artificial delay in completing the finiis’ral has caused him exhaustion of both mind and body.
“I am, of course, lending his strength mentally, but the physicality can only come with time.”
Rena simply nodded, and sat down. "I see," she said, simply. "These new...powers. Are they...they're out of my skillset. Any ideas yet how to learn to harness them?" She asked. Her empathic skills were stronger than her siblings, yes, but still, as a hybrid, she wasn't as good as a fully-fledged Betazoid, nor did she have anything close to telekinesis. "So...what's the timeline on all of this?" She asked. How much time did they have to get him trained before Command found out?! A Captain with that kind of mind powers might not be well received, after all.
"Also...it's Ok. My mother has moved passed it, as has her husband," she said. "S'Tera's people are also more advanced, as are Betazoids," she said. "So really...it's more or less morphed into her worrying about not having enough grandchildren to become Heirs," Rena said, with an eye roll. "Cardassian data rod? Don't let our Bajoran hear," she quipped. "If you'd like...I'll summon Lyo here. Talking to someone else might be helpful," she said. "Not even about all of this, but...just his new duties. How is he going to rule if he's here and not there, though?"
Max moved to Rena’s Nick knacks and picked up the dolphin sculpture from her desk. Studying its crude lines, he used his mind and reformed the piece. With the new lines, despite its fragile appearance, it was much stronger. The stone was no longer as fractured as his mind had felt before. There were no imperfections, no impurities. “Do you remember when I gave you this, back on Triton Seabase? I think you can see the control has improved, the form and function, while more delicate in this iteration is stronger. I think…I’m afraid Rylen has seen what’s growing inside me.
“He knows that I’ll have to move on - eventually. Too many call it ‘Ascending’, but it’s just the next stage of life. It must be how the El-Aurians of old held back the Q, forced them into a treaty and then,” Max paused as he used his mental capacity to hand the newly improved statue to Rena - floating it across the room and delicately delivering it into her palm. “They must have moved on.
“It makes sense, but that history is lost to the El-Aurians of today. Did you know they’ve been trying to recreate this evolution through genetic lineage? Hence the arranged marriages on our planet. Odd to think that a chance encounter with a Romulan assassin and an over performing EMH could produce what they wanted.”
Max returned to Rena’s chair. “I don’t have a timeline, Rena. I’m the first El-Aurian to make this trip in millennia. Without records, for all we know, it could be tomorrow or three thousand years from now. Let’s hope it’s closer to the latter, I’d like a long life and to establish some earthly wisdom, if you’ll excuse the vernacular, before I move on to a place like the continuum
“As for Rylen, we share His Lord’s House, which has been annexed by the King in his absence. The Royal Mother has moved their money off planet - to Valt - where Kriosian laws in regard to money are no concern of theirs. Nor have they ever signed an extradition clause to their decades long treaty, so Our Royal Mother is safe and wealthy there.
“When the time is right, Rylen, our young asylum seeker Haren, and I will return to Krios to restore our House and family honor. But The House of Lyo has powerful enemies. I wouldn’t be surprised if the King himself wasn’t involved.”
Max took a deep breath. “I really do step in the biggest piles of shit and then drag it all over Starfleet’s carpet, don’t I?” Max asked rhetorically.
Rena nodded.
"I see," she said. "I am not well versed in El-Aurian customs, admittedly," she said. "But I'd imagine that it would take at least a few hundred years to reach Valhalla," she said, borrowing a term she liked from the Humans. She was stuck in a strange world, not quite Betazed, and not fully Human-both cultures were at once a blend and lost on her.
"I'd imagine at least a hundred after your second puberty you mentioned last time we met," she said. "It wouldn't make sense to take someone so soon, at least to me," she said. She was no scientist, though, and psychology didn't always follow logic. "I would assume your Captaincy is up sooner; surely, Krios won't want to be without a ruler for too long, right?" she asked. "The King is dead?" She clarified. Her head was swimming, honestly.
Max had dumped a lot in her lap, so he wasn’t surprised she didn’t register all of it quite right. “No,” he answered. “The King is very much alive and more empowered without the House of Lyo to challenge his reign.”
She smiled when the dolphin appeared. "Aye, it's much nicer, but...I liked it before when it was crude. It seemed less...perfect. More Max," she said, cryptically. "So what's next? Lorut is not in any position to lead. She did okay with the events on New El-Auria but...I'd like to see her in a place where her moods aren't swinging like Lwaxana Troi at an old folks' home," Rena said. "So promise me six months," she said. “That would be enough time.
“I’m not planning anything at the moment, not dying certainly, or Ascending since that’s what people like to call it…
“Starfleet is my home and the crew are both technically, and figuratively my family. Don’t concern yourself with either my death or Ascension. It will happen in its own time.”
Max paused. “Valhalla?” he repeated. “That’s a rather dated look into what comes next.” The term caught him a bit off handed, but also imbued him with a new sense.
Something was drawing near. Maybe Rena felt it before he did? He’d certainly been distracted by Rylen’s condition after such a delayed finiis’ral.
Rena shrugged. "I couldnt' think of a better word," she said. "S'tera uses Valhalla, even though I know it's an old Sol term. We don't have a word for it on Betazed," she said, "And Hell sounds like...well..." she trailed off. "Anyway," she continued. "That sounds like a lot." She smiled.
"Your head has been...busy," she said. "I can't always get the details but I can definitely get the turmoil." She didn't often "read" him, but she couldn't help it sometimes. He was loud.
“I have a feeling that we haven’t seen the last of the turmoil, Rena. There’s something I can’t visualize. Something that’s still beyond my reach.
“Whatever it is,” Max paused. “It feels bad. Universe ending. Like Doomsday is upon us.” A shiver ran up his spine as he explained a feeling he hadn’t talked about yet.
“The destruction on Kaitos. The fall of Krios. Heliv. The Borg guarding some dangerous anomaly for the Federation. The opening to the Synthetic Universe,” Max paused and took a breath. “I can keep going all the way back to the Cardassian Occupation and the Dominion War.
“There is something dark and it’s closing in on us. That’s what is keeping my head busy.”
Rena nodded. "I see," she said. "I have felt uneasiness, too, but I can't quite place it. I feel like it's a PERSON, but I am unsure," she said. "Or a group of persons, actually," she clarified. Perhaps an organized group like the Dominion or something. "What do we do about it?" she asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe it’s time to really stop myself for a bit. Meditate and center as an old Vulcan friend taught me while we were still on Triton Seabase. Let’s also hope we’re wrong,” Max added that last bit, but he knew they weren’t.
Rena smiled lightly. "Meditation is always good," she said. "I've been teaching S'tera," she said. "And I plan to work on it with Lorut." She nodded. "Let's hope!!" she added.
"So. What's the plan going forward? How are we going to get ahead of this?" she asked him. She hoped he had a plan.
“The first thing we need to do is figure out what this is? I can’t go filing a report to Starfleet about a bad feeling. I would be in serious counseling after that!”
Max leaned forward and rested his elbows on his thighs, his hands clasped almost worriedly. “Can you contact Betazed? Maybe their counsel can solidify the feeling or give us a direction to look?
“I’ll start a quiet algorithm around Starfleet reports mentioning strange happenings. Anything psychic or temporal, I’m honestly not sure?! Hell! For all I know this is the Q that helped Brix screwing with us now…”
Max concluded his little tirade of desperation on chasing a feeling. Like going crazy over déja vu. “Anyway, Betazed seems as good a place as any to start looking out for feelings.” He chuckled halfheartedly.
Rena nodded. "Yes, I can," she said. "I think that might work," she said. "There's a Deltan aboard," she said. "Perhaps...we approach him." she suggested.
“I’ve got enough sexual confusion without getting a Deltan involved, but if you want to ask him, feel free,” Max answered firmly. His world was a morass of sexuality and hormones from both himself and Rylen. He didn’t need Deltan physiology fogging anything up anymore than it already was.
Rena sighed. "They're more than just sexual beings, Max. They are also empaths," she pointed out. "Most of them are able to control themselves much better than the rest of us, and we're all inoculated anyway," she said, dryly. "Besides, I am into S'Tera..." she shook her head. She was fairly sure that lesbians would be immune. "But maybe we'll hold off for a bit." She sighed. "What else?" She asked. There was more he wanted to say, she could tell.
“This trip to Xavier’s planet,” Max paused. “I’m leaving Commander Lorut in command while I take the fast track on the Lovelace. Rylen will stay on as her XO. It’ll be their command team for three days. I hope you’ll poke them in the right direction, like you do to me.” He smirked as he drunk in her state of disbelief.
"Do you really think she's ready? Yes, she did good on Kaitos, but...really, that was because she had the support of the other ships in the area. Commander Lyo hasn't held a full command, either..." she said. "But yes, of course, I'll babysit," she sighed deeply. He owed her big.
“They both hold the rank of commander, and if they want to get recognized for higher positions, they aren’t getting any younger. It’s time they both stepped up and made some command decisions.
“Besides, it’s three days of daily drudgery. They can’t get into too much trouble dropping subspace towers while following the same route as the Lovelace. Honestly, it’s three boring shifts for both of them.”
Rena considered for a moment. "I know for a fact that Lorut is uninterested in pursuing a Captain-ship; she's told me. Not in a professional setting, either," she said.
She wouldn't ever reveal anything the woman told her in private, unless it was to directly save someone's life or something. Vila was a little tempestuous but as far as Rena could tell, she wasn't in danger of physically harming the crew. HERSELF was another story, but they were discussing that, too, and Doctor Greene was assisting her with the alcohol problems.
"But I guess you're right," she said. "Alright. We're getting close to time. Anything else of importance? We'll meet again after we arrive at...what's the planet called?" She asked. She had paid attention at the briefing but it was in her other PADD and she was tired.
Max stood as he answered her question. “Beats the Hell out of me. I’ve been calling it Xavier’s planet, it’s easier to remember than P25-J or whatever some rando called it on a starchart a hundred years ago.” He tipped his head and offered her the face that implied he didn’t really care about it until they arrived and met someone who would tell them the name.
“Anyway, after tomorrow morning, you will have me out of your hair for a bit. Rylen should recover faster from his finiis’ral instead of devoting his physical efforts…elsewhere,” Max ended with all the inference he could.
In fact, he was doomed to his first punishment tonight and was quite looking forward to it. He, of course, blocked those thoughts heavily from Rena. She neither wanted or needed them.
“I’m back to the bridge if you need anything,” he added as he left her office. Keeping his defenses on high, he wondered what Rylen was planning. The Kriosian could be just as walled off as Max was, maybe better.
He was glad the turbolift ride gave him time to purge his mind, and his excitement, before landing him aft on the bridge, where he took his seat and a mug of coffee from Brix.
“Anything to report?” he asked, knowing nothing of interest had happened in the last hour he had been gone.
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