Finally, Kira stopped and smiled. “Ro was right about you. Keep me apprised of any developments with Thriss.”
“Yes, sir.”
Phillipa waited for Kira to disappear beyond the curve of the Promenade before she heading for the security office. So that’s what a legend looks like,she thought admiringly. Your reputation hardly does you justice, Colonel.
And that’s saying something,she amended mentally.
“Have you ever been in love?”
Positioned within a meter of the force field, Ro blinked her eyes a few times, and mentally replayed Thriss’s question. Thinking that perhaps she hadn’t heard Thriss correctly, Ro asked that she repeat it.
“Have you been in love?” Thriss said, enunciating her words loudly, assuring that Ro couldn’t misunderstand her. As she strolled the length of the holding cell, she never broke eye contact with Ro.
Though the question’s frankness startled Ro, she refused to be the one to lose the staring contest. “That’s not relevant to the issue at hand.”
Thriss tossed her hair. “If you knew exactly how relevant that question was, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. I’ve answered your questions. Humor the crazy Andorian. Answer mine.”
Combing her romantic history for anecdotes that might satisfy Thriss appealed to Ro about as much as eating an oversized bowl of gree worm consommé. She wasn’t so obtuse that she didn’t get the gist of Thriss’ line of questioning. After all, the primary reason Ro was carrying on a pointless discussion with an uncooperative Andorian (instead of hiding out at a dark balcony table in Quark’s, pretending she didn’t have a party to go to) was that Shar had left his lovesick bondmate for a mission into the Gamma Quadrant. Ro Laren was many things, clueless not being one of them.
“I’ve been involved in relationships. I understand how complex they can be.”
She stopped pacing and studied Ro. “You never have been in love. I can see it in your face. No wonder….” Her voice trailed off. “I’m sad for you.”
“Don’t be,” Ro snorted derisively.
“You’ve never connected with another person out of more than primal urge, loneliness or social obligation. That’s sad.”
Ro gritted her teeth. “My choices, my life—have no bearing on whether you get out of here.”
Thriss turned toward Ro, the smooth folds of her pale green tunic rippling as she walked. The cool cell lighting illuminated her white blond hair; the long wisps wreathed her face like a halo. “What you’re missing is the interconnectedness between individuals that transcends biology or emotion. It’s about redefining your life because another exists. You breathe because they do.”
Thriss’s voice, low and musical, had a mesmerizing quality that, when combined with her unabashedly romantic words, simultaneously enchanted and embarrassed Ro. All this ethereal sentimentality made her queasy. Commander Matthias better arrive pretty damn quick to rescue her or she would, she would—Ro didn’t know what she would do, but it wouldn’t make Councillor zh’Thane happy. Still, minus the dramatics, Ro understood Thriss’ passion when framed in the context of what she’d been willing to sacrifice for the Bajorans.
Ro allowed an uncomfortably long silence to elapse before she addressed her prisoner; she wanted to control the tempo of their conversation and silence was an effective tool in accomplishing that. “I understand those emotions. I also know how incredibly dangerous they are.” Her chest tightened at a flash of memory— Picard, seated across a barroom table, his hand on her cheek, his voice in her ear telling her in no uncertain terms that she would not betray Starfleet for the Maquis.
“I’m not a risk, Lieutenant.” Thriss balled her fists and planted them on her hips. “You got caught in something that started between me and my bondmates before we even came to the bar. What happened at Quark’s won’t happen again.”
“Damn straight it won’t.” Promises rarely persuaded Ro. “Because if it does, even Councillor zh’Thane wouldn’t be able to prevent your deportation.”
Thriss and Ro stood, face-to-face, separated by less than a meter. Ro searched for the rage she’d witnessed in the bar, but failed to find it. Yes, Thriss appeared to be penitent—for the moment—but what about later when zh’Thane said the wrong thing or loneliness got the better of her. What then?
“Will anything satisfy you?” she pleaded. “Can’t you believe that the knowledge that I hurt Anichent has almost destroyed me? I won’t hurt anyone again. I promise to control my temper—to behave myself in public. And if I break my promises, I’ll surrender willingly to your custody and allow myself to be returned to Andor. Would that be enough?”
“If I thought that you kept your promises.”
“Might I state, for the record, that I believe you’re safe in releasing her, Lieutenant.”
Two heads swiveled toward the new presence. How long Commander Matthias had been standing in the rear of the room listening to their conversation, neither could guess. I must have been pretty focused to miss the door opening.Ro, for her purposes, hoped the counselor had heard the unsettling conversation Thriss had initiated believing it was proof plenty that Thriss was a bit unbalanced. But Matthias’s perfectly neutral face failed to yield even the smallest clue of what she might or might not have learned. Matthias’s opacity contrasted sharply with Thriss’s transparency: when the counselor spoke, Thriss’s shoulders relaxed and she inhaled like a swimmer rising to the surface to take a swallow of air. For the first time during this latest conversation, her antennae stopped twitching nervously.
“Go ahead. Disable the force field,” Matthias said.
What?Ro failed to understand what it was Matthias was trying to accomplish by releasing Thriss. She looked questioningly at the counselor who nodded, as if to say all was well.
When the barrier fizzled off, the counselor stepped into the cell. Thriss remained fixed in the spot she’d been in when Matthias appeared. So far, so good,thought Ro.
Moving to Thriss’s side, Matthias talked in hushed tones; Ro couldn’t make out much that was said until the counselor informed Thriss that she could leave the holding cell. The Andorian left first, compliantly, following Ro to the main office with Matthias picking up the rear.
Matthias waited for all to be seated and comfortable, before addressing Ro. “Thriss understands that if there is any hint of a problem, if her bondmates or Councillor zh’Thane have concerns about her behavior or if situations arise that require security’s attention, she will be returned to your custody. From tomorrow forward, she will have daily appointments with me until such time that I feel we’ve resolved the issues that prompted the outburst at Quark’s. Are these terms agreeable to both of you?”
Thriss and Ro exchanged wary looks before Ro answered affirmatively; Thriss’eyes dropped to her lap and her antennae curled slightly down. But she, too, nodded in agreement.
“I took the liberty of contacting Dizhei, Lieutenant Ro. She should be here soon.”
“How, how—” Thriss began haltingly “—is Anichent?”
Matthias touched Thriss’s knee, saying gently, “Dr. Tarses released him to his quarters early this morning. He’ll be fine. He’d be coming along with Dizhei, but he’s still physically drained.”
Silent tears dripped down Thriss’ face. “I have to fix it—make it up to him somehow. I am horrible to have become that carried away…” Hunching over, she buried her face in her hands.
Ro looked out through the clear door and saw Dizhei entering the Promenade from the Habitat Ring bridge. Thriss twisted her dress fabric between her fingers and tapped her foot. “Can I have some juice?” She hiccupped.
While Ro went to the replicator, Matthias leaned forward, resting a hand on Thriss’ chair. “I talked with them. They’re fine and they love you,” she said softly. “Thriss?”
“And I love them, but…”
Before she could finish, Dizehi entered, greeting them in polite tones but her excellent manners failed to hide her tensed antennae and tight-lipped smile. Since the previous evening, her skin had paled markedly.