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Star Trek: Lineage Ch. 01

By: MagicMouse



Let me begin by saying that I am a dedicated fan of Star Trek. Unlike most Science Fiction, it is utopian, not dystopian, showing not only that science and technology can make our lives better, but that we can build a better, fairer, more tolerant world.

This is the first in what I hope will be a long, emotional story of life and love aboard a starship, written with that message in mind.

I plan for most of the sex in this series to be lesbian in nature, but I may make some exceptions. As always, I would love any (constructive) feedback you have.

Chapter 1

Shakedown

Shadows crept slowly across the wall of the observation deck, ghostly figures cast against the bulkhead of an empty ship. The room was lit by the first light of the morning sun, rising over the Atlantic Ocean. The room was empty, totally devoid of life, like the rest of the ship high above San Francisco. Her corridors no longer echoed with the footsteps of her crew. Main Engineering was silent, the constant hum of her engines gone. The beating heart of the ship was at last still. The weapons stores were empty, as no battles remained in her future. The shuttle bay was stripped, the few remaining fighters forever without pilots. The transporter room was dark, with no new worlds to explore. The Bridge was still. There was no one on watch, no tasks to be performed, and no missions to complete. On the entire ship, only one living thing still remained. In the captain's ready room, a lone figure sat in the dark, quiet and dignified. A single Vulcan woman, a veteran officer, sat saying goodbye to longest serving ship in Starfleet history. She was the last captain of the Athena.

*******

Earth, 2293

Sahar shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She vastly preferred transporters to taking a shuttle into orbit. Something about the switch from real to artificial gravity always turned her stomach, and this was no exception. At least there's no turbulence, she thought as she closed her eyes, trying to settle her gut. Eventually, the shuttle cleared the atmosphere and began the short trip to Mars. The pull of Earth's gravity faded, but Sahar's stomach refused to relax. She leaned forward and looked out the cockpit window. Among the brilliant stars, she could pick out a bright red spot directly ahead of the craft, slowly growing brighter. She leaned back and shut her eyes again. Her nerves took over the job of making her sick. Her thoughts were interrupted by a calm, even voice across the aisle from her.

"Are you ill, Ensign?" Sahar looked up into a dark emotionless face. Sahar had hardly noticed the other passenger when she boarded the shuttle at the Academy. The person had been sitting motionless in their seat, and Sahar had assumed they were asleep. The woman in front of her was slightly built, with short, black hair, darkly tanned skin, and dark brown eyes. The sharp, angular face, unusually high cheek bones, and near total lack of facial expression identified her as a Vulcan.

"I'm fine. Just nervous. This is my first posting," Sahar said.

"You have been adequately trained. There is no reason to expect below average performance."

"Uhh. Thanks," Sahar said. "How about you?"

"This is my first posting as well," the Vulcan responded. Sahar examined her uniform. It was in pristine condition. Figures, she thought. The gold trim on her uniform identified her as an Engineer. Her own uniform bore the dark olive green worn by Security Officers.

"Sahar Tehrani," she said, extending her hand.

"Suvak," the woman answered as she shook it. The two young officers sat talking for the next half hour. They shared Academy experiences, discussing their instructors, squads, and courses. Suvak's calm demeanor helped ease Sahar's nerves, and she found the rest of the flight enjoyable, or at least less unpleasant. The conversation was eventually interrupted by the pilot.

"Athena, Academy Shuttle delta 59 requesting permission to land."

"Delta 59, permission granted. You are clear to land in the Main Shuttlebay."

"Affirmative, Athena."

Sahar again leaned forward to look out the cockpit window. The stars had been replaced by the brilliant red of the Martian surface, but her eyes fixated on the structure directly in front of the shuttle. Hanging in space above the planet was a massive starship construction platform. The platform, itself less than 2 years old, was nearly a kilometer long, and more the 600 meters wide, dwarfing the shuttle. A long spine-like structure ran the length of the platform. A network of support structures extended down from either side of the spine. Attached to the bottom of the spine, between the support structures, lay the shuttles destination. She was one of first of the new Excelsior class ships. The design was sleek, at least compared to other starships. Sahar stared in awe. It's glorious, she thought. As the shuttle neared the ship, she could make out the designation written on the saucer section: NCC-2017 USS Athena.

Within moments, the shuttle set down in the main shuttle bay. Sahar stood, reaching for her bag. "Guess we're here," she said.

******

USS Athena, Deck 32, Main Shuttlebay

Sahar parted ways with Suvak and entered the nearest turbolift. "Deck 7," she said, and the computer acknowledged her with a beep. She had memorized the layout of the ship as soon as she was given the assignment. Most new Academy graduates are assigned to an old frigate or transport ship, not a state-of-the-art multirole battlecruiser. She had at first thought there had been a mistake, but decided not to question her orders. This was a mistake she thankful for. The turbolift stopped and the doors opened. Sahar lifted her bags and exited.

Walking down the corridor, she was overcome by a sense of disbelief. I can't believe I am actually here, she thought. Sahar came from a family filled with Starfleet officers. Her parents had met while serving together, and her older brother was a Lieutenant serving on the Miranda. She had entered Starfleet Academy at age 18, and graduated with honors three years later. Still, she felt intimidated by the task in front of her. Sahar knew that expectations on a frontline ship would be high, and there would be little room for error.

At last, she reached her destination: the Security Chief's quarters. Sahar reached out to the control panel and pressed the button to request entry. "Enter," said a deep, masculine voice with a think English accent. The door slid open and Sahar stepped inside. Sitting at a desk in front of her was a large, dark skinned man, staring down at the reports piled on his desk. She walked up to the desk and dropped her bag.

"Ensign Sahar Tehrani, reporting for duty, sir," she said, standing at attention.

"At ease, Ensign," the man said, not looking up from his desk. "I am Lieutenant Commander James Fuller, Chief of Security. Welcome aboard,"

"Thank you, sir," she said, relaxing her shoulders. Her stomach, on the other hand, chose to remain tense.

"I understand this is your first assignment, Ensign,"

"Yes, sir. I just arrived from the Academy,"

"I read your file. Parents are both retired officers. Entered the Academy at 18. Graduated with honors. Qualified as an expert marksman and excelled in hand to hand combat. Promoted to squad leader. You seem to be well qualified. I am sure you will not disappoint," Fuller said, at last looking up. "Good god, woman, breathe! You're turning blue. I don't want you passing out in my bloody quarters," he said when he saw Sahar's race.

"Sorry, sir," Sahar said, at last exhaling.

"Don't apologize, just stay conscious," he said. "Here is your duty assignment. Leave your things in your quarters and report to Lieutenant Tokada in half an hour. Dismissed."

"Aye, sir," Sahar said lifting her bag. She left the room and headed back to the turbo lift. "Deck 5, Junior Officer Quarters," she said. The journey was over in a few moments, and the doors opened again. Sahar stepped out of the turbolift a headed for her quarters, but she quickly became lost. From her bag, she retrieved the data pad given to her when she boarded and tried to find herself on the ship map.

"Lost?" said an amused voice behind her. Sahar spun around in surprise, nearly striking the woman with her bag.

"You shouldn't sneak up on people like that. Especially not Security Officers."

"Sorry," the woman smiled. She was slightly shorter than Sahar, with light gray eyes. Her dirty-blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail that extended just below her shoulders. A trail of small brown spots ran down the sides of her head and neck. Sahar immediately recognized her as a Trill. "Need help?"

"Yeah. I am looking for my quarters."

"You forgot where your quarters are? Did you have a late night?" the woman raised an eyebrow suggestively, making Sahar chuckle.

"No, this is my first assignment. Ensign Sahar Tehrani," she said, extending her hand.

"Yeah, mine too. But I like my idea better," she snickered as she shook Sahar's hand. "Ensign Casana Olan. Now, where are you heading?"

"Room 18."

"Really? I'm quartered in 18, too. It's just down the hall here." Casana led Sahar down the hallway and into their quarters. "Allow me to give you the tour," she said as they entered the room. "This is the living area," she said, pointing to a small table in one corner of the room. Padded benches built into the wall surrounded it on two sides and a pair of chairs was pushed in under the other two. "The chairs are so comfortable that don't always think you're sitting in the brig." Sahar found Casana's humor comforting, if somewhat odd. "The beds are there," Casana motioned to the two sets of bunk beds against the far wall. "This one's mine," she said, patting one of the top bunks. "Danny sleeps on the other top one, so I guess you're on the bottom. There are footlockers next to the bunks, and we each have a locker over there. They-"

"Whoa, slow down," Sahar was having trouble keeping up with Casana. "Who's Danny?"

"Danny? Oh, he's an engineer. I think he's a transporter officer."

"And he's quartered here?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. Now, what were you saying about the lockers," Sahar said as slowly and calmly as possible, hoping it would encourage Casana to do the same. It did not.

"The wall lockers, right. They can be locked, so put anything you don't want me nosing through in there," Casana smiled mischievously, nodding to a row of four large storage lockers. She then crossed to the other side of the room. "If you would step this way," she said, gesturing extravagantly to a door across the room from the lockers. Sahar walked through the doorway, finding herself in the head. "This is our luxurious spa. It is complete with all the amenities of a Klingon prison, with marginally less slave labor!" Casana said with mock enthusiasm. "Well," she said, returning to the main room, "This concludes our tour. Do you have any questions?"

"I didn't know that the Excelsior's had tour guides."

Casana smiled broadly. "Just this room."

"I see."

"Anyway, you go ahead and get settled in. I'm going to take a shower before I report for duty."

Sahar sat on the bunk below Casana's. Reaching into her bag, she retrieved her most valued possession. She passed her thumb over the letters embossed on the book's cover: The Holy Qur'an. Her mother had given it to her when she left for the Academy. They were both devout, although Sahar was not. She sat there for several minutes, staring at the book. As she felt the old leather in her hands, her tension and nervousness melted away. Her thoughts were interrupted when Casana came bouncing into the room. 

"Wait till you try the sonic shower out!" she squeaked. As she reached behind her head to tie her hair back again, the door opened, and Suvak entered.

"Greetings, Ensign Tehrani. I did not realize that you were quartered here as well," she said when she saw Sahar.

"I guess they want us together for now," Sahar said. Then she remembered Casana. Oh, this is gonna be interesting, she thought as she stood. "Ensign Suvak, this is Ensign Casana Olan."

"Greetings," Suvak said.

"Hi! You want the tour?" Casana said enthusiastically. Sahar stepped back, trying to observe the interaction without becoming involved.

"Tour?" Suvak sounded confused.

"Yeah. Of the quarters," Casana answered.

"No. I am familiar with the configuration of quarters on Excelsior-class vessels."

"Come on, it'll be fun. I promise you-"

Casana stopped mid-sentence as the door again opened. A tall, muscular man with short, graying brown hair walked in. He stared silently at the three women for a moment. His uniform had the gold trim of an engineer, and the bars on his cuff indicated at least 25 years of service.

"Hey, Danny, have you-"

"Attention on deck!" he yelled commandingly. Instinctually, all three snapped to attention. "Just kidding," he laughed. This ship is full of crazy people, Sahar thought. "I see the rest of our bunk-mates have arrived."

"Danny, this is Sahar and Suvak."

"Lieutenant Daniel Ben-David," he smiled, shaking hands with each of them. "What's your last name, Sahar?"

"Tehrani, sir." Sahar was still half at attention.

"Call me Danny. Sahar Tehrani, huh? Where are you from?"

"Isfahan."

"Really? My brother runs a little restaurant in Isfahan."

"What's the name? I might know it."

"Oh, I've never been there. He's a horrible cook," Danny smiled. "Anyway, I wanted to stop by and introduce myself before you report for duty."

"Why have you been quartered with us, sir?" Suvak asked.

"You three are the only first-timers on-board, so the Captain wanted someone experienced to help you get used to life on a starship."

"But, as Academy graduates, we are fully prepared for service on a starship. We are well trained, and are proficient at our assigned duties. It is thus logical to assume that we are prepared for this assignment."

"Yeah. Hold on to that thought," Danny grinned.

******

Deck 5, Crew Quarters, 0730 hours

"Deck 19, Armory," Sahar said as she entered the turbolift. Her previous nervousness was mostly gone. She was certain she could perform her duties well, but she was still concerned about who she was quartered with. Individually, they were likable, and Sahar could see herself getting along with all of them. The problem was with each other. Sahar was reasonably confident that Suvak would be tempted to strangle Casana within a few days. Her duties could be stressful, and Sahar would have preferred a quiet place to rest after duty. The last thing she wanted was to get back from a long shift, only to be caught between feuding roommates.

The turbolift door opened, interrupting her thoughts. Directly across the hall was the Main Armory, which served as the briefing area for the security personnel that were stationed in the midsection of the ship. Inside, Sahar examined the room.

The right side of the room was a locker area. It consisted of rows of storage cabinets, each one with a security lock. Several crewmen were sitting on the benches between the lockers, talking and examining their equipment. On the opposite side was an equipment maintenance area. Several workbenches, scanners, and tool lockers lined the walls. In the center of the wall was a large door marked with the words "FIRING RANGE". Directly in front of her was the quartermaster's desk. The quartermaster, an Andorian, was sitting behind the desk, talking to a lean, athletic Asian man.

"Lieutenant Tokada?" she asked.

"Yes?" the man said, turning to face her.

Sahar stood at attention. "Ensign Sahar Tehrani, reporting for duty, sir."

"At ease, Ensign," he said. "This is your first assignment, if I remember correctly."

"Yes, sir."

"I am placing you with Senior Chief Petty Officer Zula. I served with her on the Rommel. She's experienced and level headed. You'll learn a lot from her. Also in your detachment will be Chief Petty Officer Sedaris and Crewman Black. You are responsible for decks 14 and 15," he said.

"What are the priority areas on that deck, sir?"

Tokada walked around the desk to a large screen on the wall behind it, which showed a cut-away of the ship. He switched the display setting, and a schematic of deck 15 appeared. "The only high security area is the Forward Torpedo Bay, which holds the majority of the ships photon torpedoes. It's located here, between the two upper forward launchers," he said, pointing to the display. "The bay extends up into deck 14, but the controls and the only access points are on deck 15. The torpedoes aren't armed with antimatter until they are actually in the tube, so the torpedoes themselves aren't dangerous. A saboteur can't arm and fire a torpedo without the bridge and main engineering noticing, but they can fuck with the any of the loading, arming, and firing mechanisms, thus disabling the launcher."

"Anything else, sir?" Sahar asked, paying careful attention.

"A secondary target would be the Aft Phaser Banks, also on that deck. Without any moving parts, disabling them would be difficult, but it's still possible. Deck 14 is mostly storage, but also has one of the Exobiology Labs. Go it?"

"Yes, sir"

"Good." As they had been talking, other security personnel had been filing into the room. Numerous conversations filled the room, making it difficult for Sahar to hear. "Okay, time to get started." Tokada said to Sahar. "Attention on deck!" he yelled. The conversations immediately stopped as the crewman organized into ranks. In a matter of seconds the room was silent. Each man stood at attention, facing Tokada.

"Excellent. My name is Lieutenant Tokada. I am the ranking security officer responsible for everything from Main Engineering forward on decks 12 through 26. It is our job to ensure the safety of the heart of this ship. We are responsible for most of the ships torpedo launchers, Main Engineering, the Battle Bridge, the Main Armory, the Exobiology Labs, and the Astrophysics Labs. The other two security areas are the saucer section and the aft decks. Lieutenant Goph is responsible for the head. Lieutenant McCloud is responsible for the ass." A chuckle went through the room.

"We are based out of this room, the Main Armory. It contains a firing range, equipment maintenance area, the quartermaster's post, and your equipment lockers. All of your security equipment is stored in those lockers," he said, pointing to the lockers. "Your locker will have your name on it. The access code will be the last six digits of your service number. Change the code as soon as possible. When on duty, you are required to wear your body armor and carry your sidearm."

"There are 30 of you to cover 15 decks for 8 hours. To do this, I am splitting you into teams of four. Each team is led by an officer, and is responsible for two decks. The only exception is my team, team 4, which will consist of six men and cover three decks, 17, 18, and 19. Here are the team assignments." Sahar's thoughts drifted as he read off the assignments. She had already received hers, and was thinking about how she would organize her team. "Suit up, and report to you team leaders. Dismissed."

Sahar searched for a few minutes before finding her locker. She entered the access code and opened the locker. Inside was a suit of body armor. She stripped off her jacket, boots, and pants, leaving only her dark green undershirt and panties. She hung them in the locker and pulled on the body armor. First was a specialized jacket similar to the standard uniform jacket, except it was made from thicker, denser material resistant to penetration by shrapnel or blades. The pants were nearly identical to her normal uniform pants, but were made from the same material as the jacket. She strapped on a black armored vest and put her boots back on. The armor itself was heavy, but flexible, and covered her chest, stomach, back, shoulders, and groin, and was secured to her waist by a belt.


Star Trek: Lineage Ch. 01



She pressed a button on the access panel, and a drawer slid out from beneath the locker. It contained a phaser pistol, holster, and spare batteries. Sahar attached the holster to her belt and picked up the pistol, examining it. She pulled the battery from the grip of the weapon, ensuring it was undamaged and charged. Sahar slid it back into it the base of the pistol, clicking it in to place. Next, she flipped a switch at the back, and the weapon came to life. Sahar checked the display on the side, ensuring it was functioning properly. She turned a dial, cycling the phaser through all of its settings, leaving it on the weakest. She flipped the safety switch, disarming the weapon, and slid it into the holster. From her other uniform, she retrieved her communicator. Sahar grabbed her helmet and closed the locker.

It's a little tight, Sahar thought, adjusting her jacket. She placed on boot on the bench and tucked the cuffs of her pants into the boots. As she was looking down, another pair of boots silently entered her field of view. Sahar looked up to see a tall woman in full armor, her helmet resting under her right arm. Sahar was immediately struck by the woman's near total lack of hair. With the exception of small eyebrows, she seemed to be to completely hairless. A Deltan, Sahar realized.

"Senior Chief Petty Officer Zula reporting, sir," she said, standing at attention.

"At ease. Ensign Sahar Tehrani. Good to meet you, Chief Zula" Sahar extended her hand.

"Thank you, sir." Over Zula's shoulder, she saw two men approaching.

"Crewman Black and CPO Sedaris, reporting."

"At ease. Since that's all of us, let's get going," Sahar said. They exited the Armory and entered the turbolift. "Deck 15," she said. The turbolift began to move, and she turned to face the others. "We have one of the most important areas on the ship: the Main Torpedo Bay and Upper Launchers. Black, Sedaris, I'm putting you two there. I want one each at the entrance to the launchers. We will patrol the rest of the area, and will relieve you after two hours. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," Black and Sedaris said as the door opened.

"Go to it," Sahar said. The men nodded and left the turbolift, putting their helmets on. Sahar and Zula followed, stopping just outside the turbolift while Black and Sedaris continued to their posts. "Shall we?" she asked, pulling her helmet on.

"Aye, sir," Zula said, already having put her helmet on, "Although..."

"What?" Sahar asked.

"Well, we aren't actually on duty until after we launch. We could go down to the Aft Crew Lounge to watch." Sahar thought for a moment.

"Alright. Let's go."

******

Deck 15, Aft Crew Lounge, 0755 hours

The lounge, located on the aft-most section of the ship, consisted of a bar, a handful of tables, and a large window taking up one wall. It looked aft, providing an unobstructed view of Mars. Around a dozen crewmen had gathered to watch the ship depart.

"All hands, this is Captain Lowe," said a voice over the intercom. "Stand by to decouple from space dock. Control, Athena requesting permission to depart."

"Granted. Decoupling docking arm. Good luck, Athena."

"Here we go," Zula whispered to herself. The ship shuddered, and then was still.

"Helm, take us out. Thrusters only." There was a gentle rumble, and the ship began to slip out of the dock. A hush fell over the lounge as the ship slid out of the dock.

"Captain, we are clear of space dock." A cheer came from the men and women in the lounge.

"Helm, one half impulse. Take us clear of the yard."

"Aye, sir." The rumble faded, and was replaced by a low hum. The lounge was again silent, and Sahar jumped as she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned, finding herself face to face with tall, thin woman, and Sahar's hand started to go to her phaser.

"Sorry," said the woman. "I didn't mean to startle you," she smiled warmly. While her expression was reassuring, her hand remained on Sahar's shoulder. But instead of unnerving her, Sahar found it comforting. Her body relaxed and she looked at the woman. She was a bit taller than Sahar, with tanned skin and platinum blonde, almost silver, hair. Her face was round and her brown eyes soft. She looked human except for a small mark in the middle of her forehead.

"It's okay. I'm just a little nervous," Sahar said.

"Oh, why is that?"

"This is my first assignment. I've never left the system."

"Well, don't be nervous. This is a new experience. You should be open to it," the woman said. Her voice was warm and sincere, and it comforted Sahar.

"I am. I just don't know what to expect, and I want to do my job well," Sahar said. "Most of my family was in Starfleet at one time or another. I want to live up to their expectations." Sahar was not entirely sure why she was saying this to a stranger, but those eyes were so full of compassion, and she felt totally at ease.

"Performance anxiety, huh?" the woman laughed softly. "Don't worry. These people, everyone around you, are your friends. You can trust them. They won't hurt you," she smiled at Sahar. She began to feel warm under her armor. Then Sahar noticed that the woman was wearing a civilian jacket and skirt instead of a uniform.

"Why aren't you in uniform?" she asked.

"Oh, I'm not with Starfleet. I'm a passenger. I'm on my way to Betazed for a conference."

"What kind of conference?"

"It's a Psychology symposium. It's on new therapy methods for individuals suffering from emotional or psychological trauma."

"Why are you traveling with us? Isn't there another, more comfortable way to get to Betazed?"

"I'm in a hurry. I had to delay my departure because of a technical problem at our clinic." 

"Captain, we are clear of the yard," said a voice on the intercom.

"Very well. Take us out of the system, warp 2."

"Warp 2, aye." From all around them, a loud hum built and faded quickly. Mars fell away and stars seemed to streak by. "Warp 2 achieved, sir."

"Very well. Crew of the Athena, we are under way." The room filled with the sound of clapping and cheering. Everyone was caught up in the excitement, except for Sahar and the woman in front of her.

"Welcome to Starfleet," she said as she hugged Sahar. Sahar was surprised, but quickly relaxed and embraced the woman. After a moment, the blonde pulled away. "Well, you should get back to your duty, Ensign... uh, what was your name?"

"Sahar. Sahar Tehrani."

"I'm Leena. Pleased to meet you."

"Me too, Leena." Sahar started to leave, but Leena gently grasped her arm.

"Hey, when you get off duty, you should come by and have a drink with me," she said.

"Sure. See you then."

"Bye." As Sahar stepped out of the room, she noticed a smile on Zula's face. "What?"

"I'll tell you later," she said, still smiling.

******

Deck 14, 0900 hours

Sahar stepped out of a storage room on deck 14. "What's in that one, sir?"

"All of the socks in the Alpha quadrant," Sahar said. Zula smiled. "We'll check out the Exobiology Lab next," Sahar pointed down the corridor.

"Aye, sir." They walked down the corridor and Sahar reached for the door, but Zula stopped her. "Sir, before you go in there, you should know something."

"What's that, Chief?"

"Well, sir, these people, Exobiologists, they tend to be a little... off."

"How so?" Sahar asked.

"They can be a bit... enthusiastic. And they have a kind of dark sense of humor. Just be ready for anything when you step through that door."

"Understood. Thanks, Chief," Sahar said. She pressed the control panel and the door opened. Sahar was completely unprepared for what was on the other side. In front of her was Casana who was staring with rapt attention at a specimen container she was holding. The jar appeared to contain an unusually large shrimp. "Casana?" Sahar said in surprise.

Casana looked up in surprise. A look of excitement spread across her face. "Sahar!" she cried. Casana put the container on the table she was standing next to and threw her arms around Sahar. "I am so glad you're here! Take a look at this! It's a new species of crustacean from a system outside of Federation space. I call him Tom. Dr. Collins received it from a friend on the Copernicus. He got it from a Cardassian trader. According to the trader, it's a common food in its home system. They're supposed to be delicious," Casana said excitedly. "Wait, why are you here, Sahar?"

"I'm on duty. I was assigned to decks 14 and 15." Casana's eyes lit up as she heard this.

"Really? That's great! I'm kinda busy right now, but I can show you the lab later. Who's your friend?"

"This is Senior Chief Petty Officer Zula. She's on my security team. Chief, this is Ensign Casana Olan. We're quartered together." The shook hands, and Sahar turned to Casana. "What are you doing?" she asked before she realized what would happen when she did.

"I'm so glad you asked! Dr. Collins wanted me to take a tissue sample and run some tests. Genetic sequence, blood chemistry, neurotransmitter profile, that sort of thing. Well, I went to take the sample, but when I opened the incision in the carapace, I saw eggs. She's pregnant!" Casana grinned.

"Wait, it's a she?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Then why did you name it Tom?"

"It's my mother's name. It's short for Tomizia," Casana said with a confused expression on her face. "Anyway, I told Dr. Collins, and he asked me to set up a tank for Tom to lay her eggs in. So I was just doing an electrolytic analysis of the water in its tank to get an idea of the kind of chemical environment it would do best in."

"Casana, isn't this your first day?" Sahar asked.

"Yeah, so?"

"And Dr. Collins is having you set up a breeding tank for the only known specimen in Federation space of a new species?"

"Yeah."

"Why? I mean, why you? Isn't there someone more... qualified?"

"Oh, I have Premier Distinctions in Exobiology, Organic Chemistry, and Military Sciences from the Trill Science Ministry," Casana said casually.

"Wait, you have three doctorates? How old are you?" Zula asked.

"24." Casana said. Zula smiled knowingly.

"When did you join?"

"What?" Casana was clearly taken by surprise. Sahar saw that she was clearly nervous, and Casana began to blush heavily. Casana's embarrassed?

"When did you apply to the Academy?" Zula smiled.

"Oh, umm, I, three years ago," Casana stuttered.

"Hmm," Zula said, still smiling. Then, turning to Sahar, "We should get back to our patrol, sir."

"Right. Okay, Chief, let's go. See you later, Casana," Sahar said, looking back and forth between Zula and Casana.

"Yeah, see ya," Casana did not take her eyes of Zula. "Good to meet you, Chief Zula," Casana said, speaking much more formally than Sahar expected.

"You too, sir," Zula said as her smile continued to grow. They turned to leave, but on her way out, Zula looked back at Casana. "Hey, Casana."

"Yes?"

"I'm sure you will impress your... supervisor," Zula said, emphasizing the last word. She was still smiling, but it had become more reassuring and less devious. Casana smiled back warmly.

"Thanks," she said. Sahar and Zula left and returned to their patrol. As soon as the door closed, Sahar turned to Zula.

"What was that all about?"

"What do you mean, sir?" Zula asked innocently.

"Oh, no. Something just happened between you two, and I want to know what it is."

"I don't know what you are talking about, sir."

"Casana's my bunkmate. Until a moment ago, I was pretty sure she was physically incapable of not sharing every thought she has with everyone she comes across. But back there, I saw her flustered and embarrassed. And about what? The date she applied for Starfleet Academy? No. Something else got to her, and you know damn well what it was. So spill, Chief." Zula stared at her for several minutes. Finally, she spoke.

"In my 30 years in Starfleet, I have met hundreds of intelligent species. But the Trill are, by far, the most interesting to me. They are very open, confident, and outgoing. But they also keep a big secret."

"What is it?"

"Oh, I couldn't tell you. I only found out by accident. I can, however, tell you this: Keep that girl close. She is special, and if I'm right about her, she is going to become VERY special. When she does, you are going to see a whole new person, and that person will be one of the most valuable friends you could possibly have." 

"How do you know so much about the Trill?"

"Because Curzon sometimes talks in his sleep," Zula snickered.

******

Deck 14, 1200 hours

Three hours later, the excitement of leaving space dock had been replaced by the mind-crushing boredom of guarding a door for two hours. Sahar was still thinking about Leena. Out of everyone she had met, Leena seemed to be the only one who was relaxed. The experienced crew members were anxious to get under way, and the greener ones were nervous. Well, not Suvak. But Vulcans don't count, Sahar thought to herself. She wondered what her friend was doing. Sahar had never actually asked Suvak what her job was, and it made her curious.

"Sir, I am ready to relieve you," Sedaris said as he came around a corner.

"Very well, Chief Petty Officer. Report."

Sedaris chuckled. "We took a look around. Got to know the layout of the area. We noticed some small equipment issues in one of the storage rooms and reported it to Engineering. Also took a peek inside the Exobiology Lab."

"And?"

"Well, sir, I think one of the techs, Ensign Olan, I think she likes Crewman Black. They are going to meet later in Forward Observation after their shifts end," he said.

"Lovely," Sahar sighed. At least Casana has someone to focus her energy on. Poor bastard. "Carry on, Sedaris," Sahar said as she saw Zula approaching.

"Aye, sir." 

"Ready, Chief?" Sahar asked Zula.

"Yes, sir."

"Let's go then." As soon as Sedaris was out of earshot, Sahar looked at Zula and asked "You hear about Black's date?"

"Yes. He was very excited. Poor kid is in over his head," she smiled.

"Casana is going to talk him into the ground," Sahar said.

"Wasn't the verb I would have used, sir."

Sahar stopped. "What does that mean, Chief?"

"Trill tend to be sexually... confident." Zula was clearly choosing her words carefully.

"Aggressive?" Sahar asked.

"Not really. Just... in control. If he is expecting a simple conquest, he is in for a surprise," she said. "They can be slow to enter a relationship, but when they do, it's intense and passionate."

"You speaking from personal experience?" Sahar asked as they continued their patrol.

"Yes."

"That was easy," Sahar marveled. "Usually, humans are kind of evasive when asked that question."

"Sexuality is a very important part of Deltan society. Every social interaction has at least a minor sexual component."

"Really?"

"Yes. And we aren't the only such culture. You'll see," Zula smiled.

"Huh?" Sahar was confused again.

"Leena. She's Risian."

"I don't think that's what she has in mind," Sahar said.

"Oh, it most definitely is. My advice is to go along with it."

"Why?"

"Risians are not just sexually open, they are very skilled. Just make sure you ask about jamaharon."

"What's-" Sahar was interrupted by the intercom.

"Security to deck 14 Exobiology Lab!" It was Casana's voice, and she sounded desperate.

"Security team responding to deck 14 Exobiology Lab," she said into her communicator. They ran to the turbolift, slipping through the door as it was still opening. "Deck 14, Exobiology Lab." The trip took a few seconds, and when the door opened they ran towards the lab. They stopped just outside the door and Sahar looked over her shoulder at Zula. "Ready, Chief?"

"Yes, sir." Her hand on her phaser, Sahar stepped in front of the door. As it opened, something shot out of it directly at her face, just missing her.

"What the hell?" she yelled, swatting at the object. It avoided her arm, went past her head, and down the corridor. Before Sahar could turn to follow it, someone ran into her and she was knocked to the ground. She looked up to see Casana lying next to her. "Casana, what the hell is going on?"

"It got loose! I thought I had it sedated and dropped the containment field, but it flew away," she cried, getting to her feet.

"What is it?" Sahar asked as she stood.

"A fruit bat," Casana said as she ran off down the corridor after the bat.

"Great," Sahar said, looking at Zula.

******

Deck 19, Armory, 1600 hours

Sahar sat down on the bench in the armory. She was totally exhausted, but at least she was in her normal uniform. Catching Casana's bat had taken more than an hour. Sahar, Casana, and Zula chased it through deck 14 and into one of the storage rooms. Eventually, the bat was too tired to fly and collapsed on the deck. It was now back in the Exobiology Lab. Zula sat down next to her, having changed into her standard uniform.

"I kinda enjoyed that," she said happily.

"What, the bat thing? That was a nightmare," Sahar sighed.

"I thought humans loved animals."

"Some animals. Dogs, cats, the occasional bird. Bats, not so much."

"So, you like animals with fur, or animals that fly, but not both?" Zula laughed.

Sahar just laughed along with her. As they continued talking, Lt. Tokada approached. When they noticed him, both Sahar and Zula stood at attention. "At ease," the lieutenant said. "Ensign Tehrani, report."

"I deployed my team in two pairs, sir. One remained at the torpedo launchers while the other patrolled our area of responsibility. The pairs exchanged duties every two hours, with Chief Zula and me taking the first patrol."

"Any incidents?" he asked. Zula snickered.

"On their first patrol, CPO Sedaris and Crewman Black noticed some technical issues in one of the storage rooms on deck 14, sir."

"Anything else?" Tokada asked.

"Well, sir, at approximately 1200 hours, we responded to a request for Security from the Exobiology Lab on deck 14."

"Why did you not report this, Ensign?"

"It was a... well, sir, it was a bat."

"A bat?" Tokada said, raising his eyebrows.

"Yes, sir. It had escaped from containment in the Exobiology Lab. As we entered, it flew past us into the hallway."

"And?"

"We assisted Ensign Olan in capturing the animal, and returned to patrol. There were no further incidents, sir." Sahar finished. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Zula trying to suppress a smile.

"And how long did that take?"

"About an hour, sir."

"You spent an hour chasing a bat?" Tokada said, somewhat annoyed. Zula started to chuckle, struggling to maintain her composure.

"Yes, sir."

"What took so long?"

"It was extremely agile, sir. Much too fast to catch by hand."

"Then how did you catch it, Ensign?" Tokada asked her.

"We... pursued it into a storage room, sir. It was small enough that we were able to keep the bat from landing to rest. Eventually, it was too exhausted to fly, sir. When it collapsed, Ensign Olan recovered it and returned it to the Exobiology Lab."

"We ran that bastard into the ground, sir," Zula said, barely managing to get the words out.

"You just chased it until it gave up?"

"Yes, sir," Sahar said, looking at her feet.

"Why didn't you just shoot it?" Tokada said, clearly upset now. Zula was unable to contain herself any longer and began laughing hysterically. 

"Sir, phasers are too powerful to stun the animal without killing it. A blast that weak would have almost no effect on a human-size target, so it was not designed to deliver one," Sahar said.

"Set phasers to 'Tickle'!" Zula said as she collapsed on the bench, holding her side.

"So?" Tokada said.

"Sir, I felt it was important to ensure the safety of the specimen."

"And you spent an hour trying to secure it, instead?" Tokada nearly yelled, ignoring Zula.




Star Trek: Lineage Ch. 01



"Yes, sir." Sahar said.

"Outstanding, Ensign," Tokada said, his face suddenly reassuring.

"Sir?" Sahar was confused.

"Starfleet's primary role is scientific. Exploration is our mission. Part of that is ensuring that specimen's be preserved whenever possible. You chose to expend a great deal of effort in order to do so, despite having a much easier method to solve the immediate problem. You made the right call, Ensign."

"I want that bat alive!" Zula said, trying to breathe.

"So, you aren't angry that we spent an hour chasing a bat?" Sahar said, still slightly wary.

"Ensign, as an officer, it will sometimes be beneficial for you to conceal your true feelings, even from your subordinates," Tokada smiled. "Unlike Senior Chief Petty Officers," he said, looking at Zula.

"Thank you, sir."

"Get some rest. You've had a long day, Ensign. Dismissed."

"Aye, sir," Sahar said before heading for the turbolift.

"Remember what I said about tonight!" Zula called, trying to catch her breath.

******

Deck 15, Aft Crew Lounge, 1730 hours

After a quick shower, Sahar went to the Aft Crew Lounge. She felt much more relaxed than the first time she had been here. The lounge was somewhat less crowded than it had been that morning. Must have been the launch thought Sahar. She scanned the room, looking for Leena. She was sitting with her back to Sahar, watching the stars go by. Leena's hair was tied up into a bun behind her head, and she still wearing the same jacket and skirt. Sahar walked up next to her.

"Is this seat taken?" she asked.

"Sahar! I am so glad you came. No, this seat is free, but we aren't staying here," Leena smiled up a Sahar.

"Oh? Where are we going?" Sahar asked as Leena stood.

"You'll see. Follow me," Leena smiled. Taking Sahar's hand, Leena led her out of the room and headed to the turbolift. When they entered, Leena didn't speak. Instead, she entered their destination manually on the control panel.

"You're being very secretive about this," Sahar observed.

"Patience."

"Can I at least get a hint?"

Leena leaned over, whispering seductively in Sahar's ear. "It will make you sweat," she said, her lips grazing Sahar's earlobe. A shiver went down Sahar's spine, and she couldn't think straight. She was still trying to compose herself when Leena moved behind her. The Risian brought her hands up, covering Sahar's eyes.

"What are you doing?" She managed to squeak out.

"I don't want you to know where we are going," she said. "Okay, go straight ahead," Leena commanded when the doors opened. She guided Sahar through the corridors. "Turn left. Okay, now right. Keep going. More. Stop. Face left. Now go forward." As Sahar stepped forward, she heard a door open in front of her. "Okay, open your eyes," Leena said as she removed her hands. What the hell? Sahar thought.

They were in the ship's gymnasium.

"Why are we in the gym?" she asked.

"Well, I thought we might play a game," Leena answered, walking across the empty room.

"Leena, this place should be full of people. Why is it empty?"

"It's closed for... maintenance," she said.

"Leena, we shouldn't be in here."

"Relax. Captain Lowe is a friend of my father. I asked him to let us have the room for a few hours. Now, are you going to play or not?"

"What kind of game?" Sahar asked, staying still.

"One you're good at. I was hoping you might teach me some things." She stopped next to a large, square mat on the floor, and Sahar realized where Leena was going.

"You want to spar?" she smiled, approaching the mat.

"No, I want to play a game."

"Okay. What are we playing for?"

"The winner gets to choose what we do next," Leena smiled. As Sahar neared her, Leena lift her shirt, revealing a white sleeveless top cut just below the navel. She removed her long skirt and shoes. All she was wearing was the top and long, loose white pants. She had a very thin, almost delicate physique and smooth, milky skin. Sahar thought she was gorgeous.

"I see," Sahar said. As she passed Leena, she pulled off her uniform jacket and undershirt, leaving only her sports bra. She left her uniform pants on and bent over to remove her shoes. Sahar was more muscular, though she was still lean and athletic, her muscles visible under her deeply tanned skin as they flexed. "So, what are the rules?"

"Simple. Grappling. No strikes, submission only. First to three wins," she said.

"Alright then," Sahar smiled confidently as she tossed her shoes aside. "Let me know when you're ready."

"Okay, let's begin," Leena nodded. They both raised their hands defensively and approached. As soon as she was in range, Sahar latched on to Leena's left shoulder with her right hand. She started to move her right leg forward, intending to move it behind Leena and sweep her to the ground, but before her foot left the mat, Leena reacted.

Using her right hand, she grasped the outside of Sahar's right palm and brought her left up to Sahar's elbow. Leena shifted her weight back and put pressure on the elbow, forcing Sahar's arm to straighten and lock. She continued to push with her left hand, using her right to twist the arm. Sahar's shoulder rotated and locked. Leena stepped back with her right foot, forcing Sahar down to her hand and knees.

Before Sahar could respond, Leena threw her left leg over Sahar's shoulder. Her foot came down in front of Sahar, leaving her twisted arm between Leena's legs. As soon as Leena's foot hit the mat, it came back up. This time, it caught Sahar in the chest and forced her backwards, slamming her back onto the mat.

Leena followed her down, holding Sahar's arm tightly. When they landed, Leena moved her right leg over Sahar's torso and slid forward. She began to lean back, trapping Sahar's twisted arm between her legs, palm up. Leena pulled down on the arm, using her groin for leverage as she bent Sahar's elbow backwards. As soon as she did so, Sahar reached up with her left hand and tapped Leena's leg.

Leena immediately released Sahar's arm and jumped to her feet. She stood over Sahar, offering her a hand up. "That's one for me! Are you okay?" she smiled innocently.

"You're what's known as a 'ringer'," Sahar said as she took the hand. It was soft and delicate, and Sahar felt a charge whenever they touched.

"When I said my father knows the Captain, what I meant was my father killed two Klingons in hand-to-hand combat to save him," Leena smiled.

"And he taught his little girl how to take care of herself," Sahar said, rubbing her shoulder. Leena just nodded. "Well, two can play that game."

They closed again. This time, Leena moved first. Her right hand went for Sahar's left shoulder, but Sahar intercepted it with her left hand. Stepping behind Leena, Sahar brought her right arm under Leena's and grasped her right hand with both hands. She twisted and pulled down, using Leena's locked arm as leverage to force her onto her toes. With Leena off balance, Sahar dropped her weight slightly and pushed her hips backwards. She rolled Leena over her hip, hurling her to the mat.

Sahar dropped to the mat, pressing her shin against Leena's head and forcing it to the side. Leena immediately tapped her hand on Sahar's knee. Sahar stood, helping Leena up. "We're even," she said proudly.

"We're just starting," she said. She came at Sahar, and again Sahar intercepted Leena's right with her left. This time, Sahar slid her hand down to Leena's. She pressed into Leena's right elbow with her right hand and pushed forward with her left against Leena's right palm, forcing the forearm back against the upper arm, palm up. She made a fist with her right hand and forced it into Leena's elbow joint. As she pushed against Leena's palm, her right arm acted as a fulcrum, pulling the elbow apart.

Leena tapped Sahar's side before any damage was done, and Sahar released her. "A standing submission. Very nice," Leena said.

Instead of responding, Sahar came at her, reaching for Leena's shoulders. She grasped them, but Leena grabbed hers. Leena dropped herself backwards, pulling Sahar forward. She planted her foot in Sahar's abdomen, hurling Sahar over her and onto the mat. Sahar landed hard on her back. Leena was on her feet immediately and grabbed Sahar's right arm. She twisted it against her leg, pressing against the elbow with her knee.

Sahar tapped on her foot, and Leena released her. "Last point," Leena said.

"Let's finish this," she smiled. Sahar lunged forward with her right hand. Leena pushed it aside with her right. Grabbing on, she pulled Sahar off balance and pushed her left knee into the back of Sahar's, forcing her to her knees. Leena snaked her right arm in front of Sahar's neck and pushed against the back of her head with the left, cutting off circulation. Sahar knew she had only seconds before losing consciousness and reacted instinctively. 

She reached back with her right arm and grasped Leena's knee. Pulling it forward, used her powerful legs the force them up and back. Sahar lifted herself up with Leena on her back, and used all her strength to force them back down. They slammed down against the mat, crushing Leena's body beneath Sahar. But she held on, and Sahar's vision began to narrow and darken. As her consciousness began to fade, she tapped on Leena's elbow.

Leena relaxed her right arm and released the pressure with her left. But instead of letting go, she crossed her left arm over her right, resting them on Sahar's chest. She breathed out a deep sigh of relief and rested her head against the mat. Sahar brought her arms up placing her hands on Leena's, pressing her fingers between the blonde's.

"I guess you win," she said, trying to catch her breath. Leena lifted her head up, her mouth against Sahar's ear.

"Your mine tonight," she whispered, nibbling on Sahar's earlobe.

"I can't wait," Sahar smiled happily. They lay on the mat resting for several minutes before gathering their clothes and leaving.

******

Deck 9, 1830 hours

"Wow," Sahar gasped as she entered Leena's room.

"Do you like it?" she said.

"It's huge! This is four times the size of my quarters!"

"This is the Ambassadorial Quarters. It's reserved for high-profile passengers like ambassadors and diplomats," Leena said proudly.

"And the daughters of the Captain's friends?" Sahar said as she wandered around the room.

"Exactly."

"Where's the bedroom? And the head?"

"Oh, they're in different rooms. Here, let me show you," Leena said. She led Sahar across the room and passed through a doorway. Sahar found herself in the bedroom. One wall was a floor to ceiling window with retracted shutters. The suite was on the top of the bow, giving an unobstructed view forward from the ship. The bed was against the far wall. Above it, a massive, elaborate, brilliantly colored painting hung on the wall. Dressers and a mirror were of the wall opposite the doorway, and a pair of chairs sat at the foot of the bed, facing the window. The bed itself was huge, with numerous large pillows. Sahar stared at the painting.

"This is amazing," she said.

"Do you like it?" Leena asked.

"Very much."

"It's by an Andorian artist named Veelar. His work is heavily influenced by Human Impressionism and Vulcan Fractalism."

"That's an interesting mix," Sahar commented.

"I like contradictions," Leena smiled. "Like you," she added, placing a hand on Sahar's shoulder. Sahar turned to face her, and Leena pressed her lips against Sahar's, her arms around the taller woman's neck. The Ensign wrapped an arm around Leena's waist and pulled her closer. Her other hand went to the back of Leena's head. 

The kiss was long and slow, with each woman exploring the other's mouth, lips, and tongue. Sahar loved the softness of Leena's mouth She let her hands drift down, squeezing Leena's ass before moving back up, under her shirt. Leena pushed against her slightly, and Sahar stepped backwards. When she felt something soft on the back of her knees, she sat. Leena barely broke their embrace, following her down and straddling Sahar's thighs.

Sahar broke the kiss, and nibbled her way down Leena's face and neck to the collar bone. As she kissed and licked along it, Sahar's hands began to lift Leena's shirt. The Risian lifted her arms and Sahar stopped her exploration of Leena's collar to lift the shirt up and off, tossing it to the floor. The shirt had not hit the ground when Sahar lowered her head to Leena's breast. As she nipped at the soft flesh her hand moved to the other breast, gently squeezing it.

Sahar massaged the large, firm mounds for several minutes, being careful to avoid the small nipples. When she finally did take one between her teeth, Leena nearly screamed. She brought her hands up to the back of Sahar's head, pulling her closer. Then, to Sahar's surprise, Leena pushed her down onto her back. Sahar looked up at her in confusion.

"Take your clothes off, and lie on the bed. Face down," Leena said in a husky voice as she climbed off the bed. Sahar opened her mouth to speak, but Leena silenced her by placing a single finger on her mouth. "I won. I get to choose what we do," she smiled. Sahar responded by licking and sucking on Leena's finger, drawing a moan from the blonde.

Leena pulled away, and went over to one of the dressers. While Sahar removed her shirt and pants, she watched Leena take a small metal box out of one of the drawers. Leena walked back to the bed and placed the box on the nightstand. Wearing only her black panties, Sahar lay down in the middle of the massive bed. Resting her head on the pillows, she watched as Leena opened the box and removed two white gloves. She carefully put them on and pressed a button on the inside of the box. When she did, the palms and fingertips of the gloves turned pink and began to glow.

Leena crawled across the bed towards Sahar. "Close your eyes and relax," she said soothingly. Leena positioned herself on top of Sahar, straddling her upper legs. As gently as possible, she ran her fingertips down the back of Sahar's neck.

The moment she made contact, Sahar's neck muscles contracted violently, wrenching her neck and causing her to cry out in surprise and pain. "Gah! What the fuck was that?" she cried.

"Sorry," Leena said sheepishly. "I had it on the wrong setting." She reached over to the box and removed a control pad. She typed a few commands into it and set it back on the nightstand. "Okay, let's try this again, shall we?"

"I don't know. I'm not sure I trus- oh god!" Sahar was cut off when Leena ran her fingers back over her neck. Sahar felt her neck muscles relax immediately. As Leena's fingers moved over Sahar's skin, they left behind a tingling sensation. The tingling quickly became warmth, and from that warmth spread a relaxed, heavenly pleasure. The sensation spread from the point where Leena's fingers had been, quickly fading. As Leena's fingers moved across Sahar's skin, it left brief trail of pleasure, like the wake of a boat on a calm lake.

"You like it?" Leena asked.

"Oh, fuck..." Sahar moaned loudly.

"I assume that means 'yes'," she said. Leena ran her hands lightly over the top of Sahar's outstretched arms. She slid her hands back down the underside of the arms, causing Sahar to moan softly. Leena's fingers moved down Sahar's sides and on to the small of her back, causing her to twitch in pleasure. She trailed her hands over Sahar's ass and down her legs. 

As the sensations moved over her cheeks, the farthest edges of its wake reached Sahar's anus. She felt a warm tickle in the small ring of muscle, causing her to gasp and raise her hips. But when she pressed harder into Leena's hands, the sensation abruptly stopped. Sahar groaned in frustration desperate to feel get more of that magnificent touch.

"Oh, no you don't," Leena cooed. She lay down on Sahar's back, pressing her breasts into the tan skin of her back. "These little gloves send out electrical signals to your nerves, causing a wonderfully pleasant feeling, as you already know," she whispered into Sahar's ear. "But, if there is too much pressure, if you push into me," she paused, darting her tongue into Sahar's ear, "it stops." Leena nibbled on the earlobe briefly. "So, you have to stay still if you want to feel it."

"I can't," Sahar pleaded.

"Yes you can. Trust me. I know you can, sweetie," Leena reassured her. "Now, roll onto your back." Leena lifted herself off Sahar, allowing her to roll over before settling on top of her again. "Stay still." Her hands returned to Sahar's skin, this time on her cheeks. She slid her hands down over Sahar's jaw, down her neck, and along her shoulders.

She moved down Sahar's sides again, carefully avoiding her breasts. Leena continued down over her hips and onto the top of her thighs, moving inward. But before the sensation reached Sahar's pussy it was gone, only reappear on her stomach.

Now Leena moved her hands up and out, back to Sahar's ribs over her shoulders and back to her neck. The pressure inside her was becoming unbearable as Sahar's body screamed for release.

"Oh, god please..." Sahar begged, desperately trying to keep still.

"Please what?" Leena asked.

"Please... please make me- ahh!" she screamed as Leena's hands passed over her breasts. The sensations from the gloves seemed to be drawn to Sahar's nipples, sending powerful jolts of pleasure through her body. Leena moved her hands over Sahar's modest breasts, avoiding the hard nipples. "Oh, god, please!" she cried.

"What do you want me to do? You just have to say it," Leena whispered.

"Please, I want you to touch my nipples!" Sahar gasped.

"Okay," Leena said. Her hands moved from the outside of Sahar's breasts straight to the nipples. As soon as they touched them, Sahar screamed in pleasure and came. The muscles in her pussy tightened and the air was sucked from her lungs. Her stomach tightened and she grasped desperately at the sheets.

As a second orgasm hit her, Sahar threw her head from side to side, crying in ecstasy. When the third washed over her, she lost control of her own body and raised her torso up. The sensations stopped, and Leena slid her hands under Sahar's shoulders. She lifted the woman, still gasping and moaning in pleasure, into her arms and lay Sahar's head on her chest, gently kissing the top of her head.

"Shh," she whispered. "Breath. Just relax and breathe." Sahar twitched and writhed in Leena's arms, slowly coming down from her high. She was covered in sweat and breathing was ragged. Leena gently caressed the back of her head, slowly rocking back and forth.

"That... that was... fucking incredible," Sahar whispered.

"Oh, we aren't done. You haven't even taken your panties off yet," Leena smiled. Slowly, Sahar regained her strength. Leena set her down reached for the control pad. She removed the gloves and entered some commands into the pad before returning. "You wanna try?" she asked, handing the gloves to Sahar.

"On you?" Leena nodded. "I'd love to."

"Okay, but first, we need to take care of something," Leena smiled. She reached down and hooked Sahar's panties with her fingers. Sahar lifted her hips, and Leena pulled the soggy black material over her legs. "Now, put the gloves on while I take my pants off," she ordered.

As Leena raised her hips and pulled her pants off, Sahar slid the gloves onto her hands. "They feel soft and warm," she observed.

"Now, come here," Leena said as she lay back on the bed. Sahar swung her hips over Leena's head, resting on her knees. "Good. Now, as gently as you can trace your fingers over my skin," she said. Sahar obeyed, leaning forward and trailing her hands up Leena's legs. "Oh, yes. That's perfect," she moaned. Sahar felt Leena's hands pulling her hips down, and she slowly lowered herself onto the blonde's waiting mouth. 

Leena lapped at the juices covering Sahar's pussy, nipping at her clit and rubbing her nose in the small, well-trimmed patch of black hair on Sahar's mound. Leena latched on to the small nub for a moment, burying her nose in Sahar's folds and savoring the smell, before pulling on Sahar's outer lips with her teeth. Sahar rocked her hips back and forth, and Leena grabbed her cheeks, gently massaging them and pulling her pussy closer.




Star Trek: Lineage Ch. 02



This story contains scenes of (fairly) graphic violence. If that is not for you, then you should skip this story. As always, feedback is welcome.

Blood and Shadow

Deck 19, Armory, 0800 hours, 2294, Klingon Border

"Crewman Black reporting, sir."

Sahar looked up from the maintenance bench she had been hunched over. "At ease, Jeff," she said. Black was the last of her team to report today, and she had already sent Zula and Sedaris to the torpedo bay. While she waited for him, she had been toying with her phaser. He was clearly exhausted and probably sleep deprived. Casana, she thought. "Have a late night, crewman?"

"Yes, sir," he said nervously.

"Casana's energetic, huh?" she teased.

"Yes, sir. She's very umm... demanding, too."

"I'll bet she is," Sahar laughed as she reassembled her phaser. "Your with me today, Jeff," she said as she stood, placing the phaser back in its holster. Black's eyes widened. They had never been on patrol together. "Relax, I don't bite. Casana probably does, but I don't," she snickered. They left the Armory and headed for deck 14 to start their shift.

Almost eight months had passed since the Athena had left Earth. As part of the uneasy truce with the Klingons that had been established in the Khitomer Accords, Starfleet was in the process of dismantling several Starbases near the Neutral Zone. Unfortunately, the Accords had not been heeded by all Klingons. Factions from several of the Great Houses had defied the High Council and were now conducting a guerilla campaign against the weakened Federation border colonies, and the Athena had been dispatched as part of a task force sent to combat the renegade Klingons. Ten weeks into their assignment, the Athena had yet to encounter anything of note as it patrolled its sector of the border.

******

Jefferies Tube Between Decks 17 and 18, 0800 hours

At the same time that Sahar and Black entered the turbolift, in a Jefferies tube one and a half decks, above them, Suvak opened an access panel, exposing a series of power conduits. "The tricorder, Mr. Walsh," she ordered.

"Here, sir," said the man behind her in the tube. He pulled the strap over his head and handed the device to Suvak. She slid it open and began to scan the conduits. She raised an eyebrow.

"Interesting," she said, flipping open her communicator. "Ensign Suvak to Main Engineering."

"Go ahead, Ensign."

"Commander Kolarov, I have detected unusual energy fluctuations in the deck 17 power conduits. I believe it may be the cause of the deck 18 power surges," she said.

"See what you can do, Ensign. Engineering out."

Suvak closed the communicator and turned around in the small tube. "Mr. Walsh, I will need your assistance."

******

Deck 14, Exobiology Lab, 0800 hours

Casana checked her private messages. There was a new message for her from the Commission, and she read it eagerly. Damn, she thought. Maybe next year. Casana shut the terminal down and stood. She walked over to the specimen storage area and examined the specimen monitoring terminal. As she looked over the readout, Dr. Collins entered the room. She was a short, white haired woman in her early 60's. "Good morning, Casana," she said cheerfully.

"Good morning, Doctor," Casana smiled back.

"How are our babies?"

"Fine so far," Casana said.

"Good. Once you finish, I would like you to go over the data from the Bajor specimens," Dr. Collins said.

"Looking for anything specific?"

"See if you can find any signs of special adaptations to radiation."

"From the wormhole?" Casana asked.

"Very good. Yes, or at least it seems to be the source. How is it you read my mind?"

At this moment, the ship shook violently, throwing Casana and Dr. Collins to the ground. In the Jefferies tube, the access panel for the conduits Suvak was repairing was thrown through the air, striking her in the head. Sahar gipped the handle in the turbolift to keep her balance. Then, they all were thrown into total darkness.

******

Deck 18, Turbolift, 0805 hours

"You okay, Black?" Sahar asked as she fumbled with the equipment on her belt.

"I'm alright, sir," he said, his voice shaking. "Can't see a goddamn thing, though." There was a soft crack, and the turbolift was filled with a dull green light, emanating from the small glow-stick in Sahar's hand. Black was lying against the wall, Sahar standing over him.

"No emergency lights," she noted. "Something is jamming the communicators, too."

"Turbolift malfunction?"

"I don't think so. Listen." They both held their breath.

"I don't hear a damn thing, sir."

"Neither do I. No engines, no thrusters, not even the hum of the power conduits," she said. Sahar began to pry the control panel off of the door controls.

"But we still have artificial gravity, so we didn't lose everything," Black said.

"True."

"So, what do we do?"

"Well, I'm leaning towards getting the fuck out of this turbolift. Get the kit," she ordered.

"Aye, sir." Black knelt down and removed a panel from the turbolift wall. Setting it aside, he retrieved a small box from the storage space. The letters EMERGENCY were stamped on the lid in red letters. He opened it and began going through its contents. First, he removed the eight space phaser power packs and clipped four of them to his belt. "Sir, phaser packs," Black said, holding the rest out for Sahar.

"Good." Sahar took them without looking down and clipped the packs onto her belt as well. Next, Black removed a small bag with a single strap. He opened the bag and set it on the floor next to the emergency kit. From the kit, Black removed a medical tricorder, an autosuture, and several hyposprays, placing them all in the bag. "Decoupler," Sahar said. Black took the device from the kit and handed it to her.

"Here, sir." Sahar took the tool and used it to remove the control panel.

"I need a light." Black handed her a small flashlight. Taking it, she examined the inside of the control panel. "It's totally dead. No power at all. Get the actuators." Black pulled two small devices from the kit and stood. Sahar took one and they attached one to each of the door panels. "Ready?"

"Yes, sir," he said. Sahar and Black each gripped one of the actuators tightly. Using all their strength, they pulled the door open. On the other side was the wall of the turbolift shaft. "Oh, crap," Black sighed.

"You afraid of heights, Crewman?" Sahar asked.

"No, sir."

"Good. Let's get the floor hatch open. We'll take the emergency ladder down to the next deck."

******

Deck 14, Exobiology Lab, 0810 hours

Casana rubbed her eyes. Ouch. When she opened them, she saw strange figures silhouetted against the ceiling. She stared up at them for a few moments as her senses came back to her. The specimens. Cage lighting is on its own power. She blinked, trying to think. No lights. Main power is offline. "Dr. Collins?" she called out.

There was no response.

"Dr. Collins?" Casana called again as she sat up. She looked around the room, trying to find Dr. Collins. Aside from the shadows on the ceiling, the room was almost totally dark. Find a reference point. Casana felt around her. Her hand hit the leg of a table. Using the table for support, she stood up and felt over the surface of the table. Her hands found a few instruments and containers before grasping onto a heavy device. Casana ran her hands over the objects surface, feeling out the features of the device. Portable electron microscope, she realized. Must be at the field study equipment table. Using the table for reference, she plotted her position in her head. 6 meters back, 2 to the left.

Casana turned around and took 6 big steps forward before turning to her left. She took a few steps forward, and then knelt on the floor. She reached her hands out to feel the wall. Feeling the edges of the panel, her hands went to the release lever and removed the panel. Casana reached in and removed the emergency kit. She opened it a found the light inside. Turing it on, she stood and examined the dark room with the light.

The room was a mess. Tools and instruments were scattered across the floor, including a number of now broken containers, whose contents were now in a thick puddle on the floor. Gross, she thought, wrinkling her nose, bio-goo. Then she noticed an arm sticking out from behind the doorway to the next room. "Dr. Collins!" she cried, rushing over to her. Casana rolled the doctor onto her back and examined her. She was unconscious, but still breathing, and she was bleeding from her forehead. Casana ran back to the emergency kit and retrieved the medical tricorder.

Returning to Dr. Collins, Casana scanned the doctor, moving the sensor over her while she analyzed the readings. No fractures in the legs. No abdominal bleeding. Ribcage and spine are intact. Broken collarbone. Oh, no. "Subdural hematoma," she said to herself, flipping open her communicator. "Sickbay, medical emergency on deck 14, Exobiology Lab," she said. Casana waited for a response, but none came. "Hold on, Laura, I'll get help."

Casana went back to the emergency kit and retrieved the actuators. She forced the door open and shined the light down the corridor in both directions. Seeing nothing, she ran off down the corridor.

******

Deck 18, Jefferies Tube Junction Room, 0810 hours

"Ensign Suvak! Sir, wake up!" Suvak felt herself being shaken.

"Shaking is inadvisable, Petty Officer Walsh," Suvak said, her eyes still closed.

"Sorry, sir, I just sorta panicked," he said nervously.

"Remain calm Mr. Walsh. Have you found an emergency kit?"

"Yes, sir."

"Retrieve the medical tricorder and check for neurological damage."

"I already did, sir. You're fine," he said, becoming increasingly agitated. Suvak opened her eyes and sat up.

"Then why were you shaking me?"

"Because, sir, I heard something above us!" he cried.

"Mr. Walsh, we are beneath the main Astrophysics Lab."

"But, sir!"

"Calm yourself, Petty Officer," she ordered him as she assessed the situation. Walsh had pulled her out of the Jeffries tube and into a Jefferies Tube Junction Room. He had activated several light sticks, lighting the room well, and retrieved a pair of emergency kits, packing their contents into two small bags. Aside from the sticks, there were absolutely no lights in room. Main power is offline, and emergency power is at minimal. The warp core must be offline. Possibly ejected. "Mr. Walsh, what is the ship's status?"

"I don't know, sir. After you were struck, the lights all went off. I expected emergency lights to activate, but they never came on. Even the communicators aren't working." The last statement caught Suvak's attention.

"I require the tricorder," she said, opening her communicator. Suvak adjusted the tricorder and turned the communicator on. Only static came through, and Suvak studied the tricorder readings. "There is heavy interference, blocking communications."

"Natural?"

"Possibly. With main power offline, the shields will be down, allowing ionizing radiation to cause communications interference. Regardless, we should return to Main Engineering. This way, Mr. Walsh," she said as she began to climb down the vertical Jeffries tube.

******

Deck 19, Turbolift Shaft, 0820 hours

Sahar pumped the manual release lever on the deck 19 turbolift shaft doors and it slowly slid open. Once it was fully open, she slid her weight off the ladder, placing one foot inside the doorway. Pushing off from the ladder, she stepped fully onto the deck, the emergency bag slung over her shoulder. Raising her light, she peered into the darkness. "What do you see, sir?" Black said as he stepped into the corridor behind her.

"Nothing. It looks deserted," Sahar said, squinting into the darkness. "Come on, let's get to the Armory."

"Right behind you, sir." Sahar walked slowly down the corridor towards the Armory. As she neared the Armory, she saw that the doors were open. They crept up to the door, and Sahar stopped beside it.

"Quartermaster Anlor? This is Ensign Tehrani, are you in there?"

"Yeah. I'm trying to find a goddamn light," said a strong voice from inside the room. Sahar relaxed and entered the Armory. She scanned the room with the light until she found the Quartermaster. "Get that out of my eyes, Ensign!" yelled the Andorian.

"Sorry, Master Chief," she said. "What's going on?"

"How should I know?" he growled.

"We were stuck in a turbolift. Thought maybe you knew something," she grinned to herself. Anlor reminded her or her father: gruff and sometimes abrasive, but dedicated and kind when it mattered.

"Well, I don't. Ah, here we are," he said lifting a light. "What a mess..." Anlor went about cleaning up the Armory. Sahar went to a utility closet and grabbed a tricorder. She adjusted the tricorder for a few moments before finding what she was looking for. I was afraid of that, she thought.

"Black! Stock up on packs. Chief, break out the stores and arm anyone you see. Have you seen anyone else?"

"What? No, just you two. What's going on?"

"Do we have any heavy weapons?" she asked, ignoring his question.

"Just some energy grenades. You gonna answer my question?" he said.

"Black, load up on grenades," she ordered as she took some night vision equipment from her locker.

"Yes, sir," he said. Sahar walked over to Anlor's desk and tried to activate a control panel, forgetting that the power was down.

"Dammit. Chief, help me with the stores." Anlor removed a panel from the wall next to his desk while Sahar did the same to an identical panel on the other side. They grabbed the handles inside the compartments and pulled out two long racks. They racks were lined with phasers, power packs, energy grenades, body armor, and communicators. Sahar took two phasers and slid them into her bag. Then, she picked up several grenades and clipped them to her belt. Crewman Black did the same, and Sahar motioned to the door. Anlor blocked her path.

"Ensign, what's going on," he asked.

"We've been boarded," she said.

******

Deck 14, 0835 hours

"Figures," Casana sighed, standing at the doors to the turbolift on deck 14. Guess it's the Jeffries tubes for me, she thought, making her way back down the corridor to an access hatch. Forcing it open, Casana climbed inside and crawled a few meters down the tube to a small, square junction room. Several Jefferies tubes met in the room, including one going up. She entered vertical access shaft, and began to climb. She climbed past deck 13, but stopped just below an access hatch on deck 12.

She heard voices through the hatch, and though she could not make out the words she knew the language: Klingon. "Crap, crap, crappity shit-fuck," she swore under her breath, trying the think. Casana climb up a few steps until she could just see out the hatch, but ducked down when she saw a pair of Klingon warriors standing on the other side.

Why here? she thought. What's on this deck? There were no control rooms, and no crew quarters on the deck. Weapons? Klingons like weapons. No, no weapons. Then what? She closed her eyes, trying to think. Engines! The deuterium injectors are on this deck. She now had a choice.

She could continue towards Main Sickbay, but there were still five decks and a long walk to get there. There was no way to know how many Klingons were aboard, and she was unarmed. On the other hand, Casana could go the other direction, down to deck 19, and try to get help from the personnel stationed at the numerous critical systems on that deck. It was faster to go down, and the shaft she was in came out next to the Armory. I always wanted to do this, she smiled to herself. Gripping the ladder with her hands, she moved her feet off the rungs, and slid down the ladder, stopping at deck 14. There was one thing she had to do before going to deck 19.

She retraced her path, returning to the Exobiology Lab. From around the room, Casana gathered the equipment she would need. She set several lights near Dr. Collins, providing sufficient light for what she was about to do. Opening the tricorder, she placed the sensor next to the doctor's head and set the tricorder down so she could see it easily. Kneeling next to Dr. Collins, Casana moved her finger over the older woman's head, using the disturbance it caused on the tricorder to find the injury. Using an energy razor, she removed the hair from a small area of her head.

Taking a deep breath, Casana picked up the laser drill. In short bursts, she drilled through the skull, cauterizing blood vessels as she went. After each burst, she examined the hole carefully with a light. At last, she cut through the last of the bone. Looking inside, she could see the inflammation in the tissue beneath. Picking up a scalpel, she cut a small slit in the tissue, and dark blood poured from the slit. Casana quickly pressed a bandage to the injury, replacing it when the blood began to seep through.

After a few minutes, she pulled the bandage back and examined the hole. The blood coming out was now bright red, and only barely seeping out of the incision. Satisfied with her work, she secured a clean bandage to Dr. Collins' head and gave her an antibiotic. "Hang on, Laura," she said softly. Casana turned the lights off, and went back to the Jefferies tube.

******

Deck 19, Jefferies Tube, 0840 hours

As Suvak neared an access hatch on deck 19, followed by Walsh, she paused. "What's wrong, sir?" asked Walsh.

"I hear voices ahead," she said.

"What are they saying?"

"I do not know. They are speaking Klingon," she said casually.

"What?" he cried, trying to remain quiet. Suvak could hear panic again begin to creep into his voice.

"Crewman, they are unaware of our presence, and moving away from us. They will soon be safely away from us, and we can proceed to the Armory before going to Main Engineering."

"Wait, we're going to fight them?" he said, continuing to panic.

"Mr. Walsh, we are Starfleet personnel aboard a Starfleet vessel that has been boarded by hostile forces. It is our duty to repel them in any way possible."

"There fucking Klingons! They're gonna kill us!"

"Crewman Walsh, you will perform your duties as required by regulation. We will retake the ship from the Klingons," she snapped commandingly at him, looking back, staring into his eyes.

"Aye, sir," he said quietly.

"They are gone. Let's continue to the Armory," she said. Suvak opened the manual release box and pumped the lever, opening the hatch. She stuck her head out the hatch to look around, first with only her eyes, then with the light. Seeing nothing, they climbed out of the Jeffries tube and headed for the Armory. As they neared, Suvak heard a familiar voice.

"Chief, I am going to send everyone I find on this deck back here. Arm them, and deploy them to defend the Armory." Suvak recognized the voice. Ensign Tehrani. Motioning to Walsh, she continued towards the voice. "We're going to Main Engineering to assess the situation. We'll figure out where to go from there."

"Ensign Tehrani, may we approach?" Suvak called as she approached the Armory.

"Suvak? Is that you?" Sahar responded.

"That is correct."

"Yeah, you're clear." Suvak and Walsh entered the Armory. Sahar was speaking with Anlor while Black stood at the door. "Do you know what happened?"

"No. We were in the Jeffries tubes between decks 17 and 18 when the power failed," Suvak answered.

"What's the ship's status?" Sahar asked.

"Unknown. Main power is offline. Emergency power is at a minimum. Main computer is either offline, or the hardlines have been cut. Klingon's have boarded the ship. We were-" Sahar cut her off.




Star Trek: Lineage Ch. 02



"Klingons? Are you sure?"

"No. They were speaking Klingon, but I could not make visual confirmation."

"They spoke Klingon, and we are on the Klingon border. I think it's safe to assume their Klingons, sir," Black said.

"Agreed," said Sahar. "Suvak, we are going to Main Engineering. You should come with us. We may need help making sense of what we find there."

"Very well." Suvak said. As Suvak retrieved armor, night vision equipment, and a phaser from the rack, Sahar turned to Walsh.

"Am... am I coming with you, sir?" he said in a breaking voice. Sahar raised her eyebrows.

"I think not." She said.

A few minutes later, Sahar, Black, and Suvak left the Armory for Main Engineering. They moved quietly down the corridor with Sahar leading, followed by Suvak and Black. Main Engineering was on the far side of the deck, forcing them to move quickly. Almost immediately after leaving the Armory, however, Black stopped. "Sir, I hear something."

Suvak and Sahar stopped. "What is it, Crewman?" Sahar asked as she moved up next to him.

"It's a squeaking sound, coming from the Jeffries tube," he said, pointing to the hatch. Sahar forced it open and peered inside. She could see into the junction room, and heard the squealing sound. It was getting closer. Then, a figure dropped from vertical tube, landing on the floor of the room. Sahar heard giggling. There is only one person who could giggle at a time like this.

"Casana!" she called into the tube as she turned on a light.

"Huh? Harry! Oh, am I glad to see you," Casana smiled, crawling through the Jeffries tube towards them.

"Stop calling me that, Casana. What are you doing?"

"I was in the lab when we lost power. Dr. Collins is still there. She needs medical attention," she said as she crawled out of the hatch. "Hey, Jeffy! I'm so glad you're okay," she cried, throwing her arms around Black.

"I was worried about you, too, Cassie," he hugged her back.

"Oh, I can take care of myself," she said. "So, where are you guys going?"

"Main Engineering," Suvak answered.

"Hey, Sue, I didn't see you there! Main Engineering, huh? Well, I'm coming, too." Casana ran into the Armory, emerging a few minutes later with security armor, night vision, a phaser, and two straps of grenades across her chest, one over each shoulder.

"Holy shit, Casana, you look like a fucking pirate," Sahar laughed. Casana looked at her in confusion. "Never mind. Let's get going."

******

Deck 19, 0910 hours

They moved quickly through the ship, trying to reach Main Engineering as quickly as possible. Sahar led the group, followed by Suvak and Casana, with Black behind them. Having the night vision visors greatly improved their ability to move quickly, but Sahar was still concerned about ambushes.

As they closed in on Main Engineering, Sahar could hear voices down the corridor. Motioning for the group to stop, she called for Casana. "Do you know any Klingon?" Sahar whispered.

"A little."

"Okay, come with me." Sahar crept forward on her hands and knees and Casana followed. They came to a corner, and Sahar peaked around the corner. She could see the door to Main Engineering, and almost a dozen Klingons. She ducked back behind the corner and turned to Casana. Sahar brought one hand to her ear, pointing around the corner with the other. Casana nodded and removed her helmet. She slid up to the corner as Sahar moved back.

"They're arguing," she said. "They can't get through the door. The leader has called for a cutting laser. More arguing. Very foul language. They're threatening each other. They're coming this way."

"Let's go," Sahar whispered as she pulled Casana back. They hurried back down the corridor to Black and Suvak. Sahar moved them around a corner just as a pair of lights lit the corridor. The four of them waited silently, holding their breath as the lights drew closer. A pair of grumbling Klingons passed by, not noticing them. Once they disappeared down the corridor, Sahar turned to the others.

"What's the deal, sir?" Black asked.

"Just under a dozen Klingons are trying to get into Main Engineering. We're going to take them down," she said, looking at Black.

"I will assist you," Suvak said.

"I'm coming, too!" Casana added.

"No, this is not your job. You two-"

"Actually, Ensign," Suvak interrupted, "according to Starfleet regulation-"

"Please don't quote regulations again. Fine you can come along, just do as I say," Sahar relented.

"Plan of attack?" Black asked.

"Hit them with grenades, then finish them off, two man sweep," Sahar said. "You two watch our backs," she told Casana and Suvak.

"Got it," Black said.

"Alright, let's go." Sahar led them down the corridor. At the corner, the four of them lined up, backs to the wall. First was Sahar, then Black, Suvak, and lastly Casana. Sahar glanced around the corner, getting one more look at the Klingons. She turned to Black and he nodded, pulling a grenade from his belt. She did the same, and held her hand up. Sahar silently counted down with her hand from five. On three, they both clicked a button on their grenade, and when Sahar reached zero, they tossed the grenades around the corner.

There was a deafening blast, and a blue light lit the corridor for an instant. Sahar turned the corner, raising her phaser. Black followed immediately behind her, placing his left hand on her right shoulder. As she came around the corner, Sahar found herself face to face with a Klingon warrior. She fired at point blank range, sending him down. Black fired over her shoulder, hitting another Klingon a few meters away. He staggered, but raised his disruptor. Sahar fired first, striking him in the forehead, and the Klingon slumped to the ground as well. The rest of the corridor was filled with smoke, obscuring Sahar's vision.

"Sweep!" she yelled, and Black moved out from behind her. Sahar moved slowly down the corridor, her left shoulder against the wall. Black did the same on the far wall, and they advanced down the corridor. Sahar's heart raced, and her breathing was rapid. Smoke filled her eyes, and the corridor was silent. She carefully stepped over the bodies of several Klingons, not looking down.

Without warning, a metal object swooped out of the haze and Sahar ducked instinctively. There was a loud "thunk" as the blade of a bat'leth buried itself in the wall. Her instincts took over, and Sahar rushed forward, catching the Klingon in the stomach with her shoulder. She pushed forward with all her strength, driving the Klingon back and into the door to Main Engineering. They hit the door with a crunch, and Sahar felt a sharp pain in her shoulder.

She reached to the Klingon's hip and felt a handle. Sahar pulled the dagger from its sheath and drew it back before burying it in his side. She pulled the blade back, and sunk into the Klingon's flank again. Feeling his body go limp, she fell back, letting the body of the Klingon to slide down the door and slump to one side. Sahar stared at him for a moment, her mind totally blank. Finally, her body relaxed. "Holy crap," she muttered to herself.

"Sir! Sir, are you alright?" asked Black.

"I'm fine. Let's get this door open," she answered, her body shaking. Suvak walked past her, but she took no notice. As Sahar sat, staring at the Klingon, Suvak pounded on the door.

"Who goes?" said a voice on the other side.

"Ensigns Suvak, Olan, and Tehrani, and Crewman Black."

"Hang on, it's going to take a minute to get the door open."

Sahar heard none of this. She simply sat, staring at the body in front of her. He's dead, she thought. He's dead, and I killed him. I killed. The thought continued to repeat in her head. Sahar had trained for this, practicing combat endlessly at the Academy. She had killed simulated targets thousands of times. But now, it was real. He was real. And she had killed him. Sahar looked down at her bloody hands. Sahar started to panic at the sight of it and tried to wipe her hands on the floor. Her pulse raced and her breathing became ragged again as she franticly tried to remove the warm, wet liquid from her hands.

She felt a hand on her shoulder, but Sahar ignored it, continuing to try and clean her hands on the floor. "Sahar, are you okay? Sahar?" The voice echoed meaninglessly in her mind. Sahar only stopped when hands grabbed her wrists, holding them tightly. Sahar's breathing slowed, and her hands were released. The visor was pulled from her head, and she looked up into beautiful, bright gray eyes. "Hey, you in there, Harry?" Casana's voice snapped Sahar back to reality.

"Don't call me Harry," she smiled. Casana looked at her suspiciously, then shrugged her shoulders and stood.

"Come on, door's open," Casana said, handing Sahar her phaser.

"Right. Let's take a look." Sahar followed Casana into Main Engineering. Debris was scattered around the entrance, as well as a few bodies, both Klingon and Federation. The anteroom was small and rectangular, the walls lined with consoles. In the middle of the room was a large table displaying a schematic of the ship. Many of the consoles still had power, and the room was well lit.

On the far side, the room opened up into a large, semicircular room with two floors. Sahar could see consoles around the walls of the bottom floor. Both areas were crowded, with more than twenty people in all, and Sahar didn't recognize any of them. At the center was the core, a tall, ribbed pillar, towering above her, now totally dark. The reaction chamber itself was on the bottom floor, encased in a large metal box through which the dark cylinder ran. An access panel was visible on the chamber housing, and two large tubes ran back at 45 degree angles from aft. They were dark now, but normally carried warp plasma to the nacelles. Sahar stepped next to the core and looked down. The core sat in an enclosed, hollow tube, extending several decks up and down, open only on these two decks.

"Ensign Tehrani," said someone behind her. She turned, and found herself facing Lt. Tokada. "Ensign, what are you doing here?"

"Sir, Black and I were in the turbolift when we lost power. We climbed down the shaft to this deck, ensured the Armory was secure, then came here."

"Well, it's a good thing you did. We're going to need everyone we can get for this."

"For what, sir?" Sahar asked.

"Speak to Commander Kolarov. I still need to prepare my team," Tokada said and walked away.

"Aye, sir." Sahar said, mostly to herself. It occurred to her that she didn't know who Kolarov was. "Which one's Kolarov?" she asked Suvak.

"This way," she answered. Suvak led them over to a tall, thin man with scraggly grey hair and a short beard. He was hunched over the ship display table in the anteroom, one hand behind his head, while the other moved over the display. He saw them approaching and stood to face them, greeting Suvak.

"Ensign Suvak, glad to see you're alright," Kolarov said. "Report."

"Sir, Klingon boarding parties appear to be scattered around the ship. The Armory is secure, but the status of the rest of the ship is unknown."

"Who's with you?"

"Ensign Olan, Exobiology, and Ensign Tehrani and Crewman Black, both Security" Suvak said gesturing to each in turn.

"Good, we're going to need Security personnel for what we are planning."

"What ARE you planning, sir?" Sahar asked. Kolarov gestured to the schematic of the ship.

"We have figured out how the Klingons shut down the warp core. They have taken up positions here and here," he said, pointing to sections several decks above and below Main Engineering. "These sections contain the Matter and Antimatter Fuel Injectors, which feed matter and antimatter into holding compartments before injection into the reaction chamber. The Klingons have sealed both ports. We are going to open them."

"You are going to retake those sections?" Suvak asked.

"Yes."

"What do we know about their forces and disposition?" Sahar spoke up.

"Basically nothing." Sahar just nodded, looking at the schematic.

"Wait, how many trained security personnel do you have?" Black asked.

"Including the two of you and Lt Tokada's team, six," Kolarov answered.

"Six? You are going to attack a Klingon position of unknown strength with six men?"

"No, Crewman. We are going to hit them with three security officers each, leading more, non-security personnel in two simultaneous attacks on the Klingon positions."

"I think we can make it four," Sahar said evenly.

"Really? How?" Kolarov asked.

"Wait," Black said before Sahar could answer. "We are going to divide our force for this? We can't take three security officers and a handful of engineers and attack a fortified position held by experienced Klingon warriors!"

"Crewman!" Kolarov yelled, but was cut off by Sahar.

"Sir, please," she said softly as she raised her hand. "Jeff, we are going to do this for one reason: we don't have a choice. If we do nothing, they can secure the key areas of the ship, then hunt us all down at their leisure. If we attack only one at a time, they warn the other, and allowing them to destroy the fuel ports, or the ship."

"So, we attack both at the same time. But we have a couple of advantages. First, they will not expect us to attack. They think they have us confused and disorganized. Starfleet's standard reaction to a situation like this is to retreat and gather more information for a full counter-attack. So, we are going to do no such thing. Second, they are in a fixed position that they cannot abandon, so we can attack how and when we choose."

Black was quiet for a few moments. "Okay," he said softly. "Let's do it."

"Commander," Sahar said, turning to Kolarov. "The rest of my team is stationed at the Main Torpedo Bay on deck 15. If we can link up with them, we can send four security officers to each port."

"Have you had any contact with them?"

"Not since the attack."

Kolarov looked at her for a moment, weighing his options. "Alright, Ensign. You and Crewman Black will take a small team up to deck 15 and meet up with the rest of your team. Then, proceed to deck 12 and retake the Matter Injector Port."

"When?"

"Leave as soon as you are ready. Begin your attack at exactly 1200 hours."

"And who is coming with us?" Black asked.

"Take Ensigns Suvak and Olan, as well as Crewman Hall, Crewman Falk, and Crewman Taylor."

"Aye, sir," Sahar said.

******

Deck 16, Jefferies Tube, 1045 hours

Sahar paused looked down at the chronometer on her wrist. 1045. Got to pick up the pace, she thought. "Double time it," she called down the tube before she started climbing again. Sahar and her team were climbing up a Jefferies tube, passing deck 16. They hurried up the tube, reaching deck 15 quickly. They reached a junction room, and crawled down another tube to an access hatch. Sahar opened the hatch and poked her head out. Looking around, she didn't see any movement and crawled out the hatch. Sahar was quickly joined by the others.

"All right, we need this position held," she said. "Casana, you, Black, Hall, Falk, and Taylor will stay here. Suvak and I will find Zula and Sedaris. Go back into the junction room and seal the hatch. When we're back, I'll knock twice on the hatch."

"Got it, Harry," Casana said.

"Goddammit, Casana, stop calling me 'Harry'!" she snarled. Casana snickered at her.

"Okay, fine. But only 'cause Klingons are trying to kill us," she smiled. Sahar smiled despite herself.

"Thank you," she said. Sahar then turned to Black. "Keep them safe, Crewman," she said pointedly.

"Aye, sir," he said, glancing at Casana.

"Good," Sahar responded, glad that he understood what she meant. "Suvak, let's go." Suvak and Sahar headed for the Main Torpedo Bay. They moved as quickly as possible without making much noise, and reached their destination in a few minutes.

"Slow down, we need to be careful here," Sahar ordered as they closed in on the torpedo bay. She stopped at a corner, peeking around it. Seeing no one, she signaled Suvak and continued on down the corridor. Just one more corner. She came up to it slowly, stopping next to the corner. Sahar looked back at Suvak, and then peeked around the corner.

Sahar found herself looking directly into the emitter of a Federation phaser. Looking past it, she saw Zula. "Chief, please lower your weapon," she said calmly.

When Zula realized who it was she lowered her phaser. "Good to see you alive, sir," she said.

"You, too, Chief. Report. Where's Sedaris?"

"He's down the hall, sir. We were waiting for you to show up with Black when we lost power. We heard weapon's fire, but stayed at our posts," Zula said. "What the hell is going on?"

"Klingons have boarded the ship. They took the Matter and Antimatter Injector Ports and shit down the warp core. I am taking a small team to retake the matter injectors. I came to get you two before the attack."

"How many men do we have?"

"Counting you two, nine."

"Alright, I'll get Sedaris."

******

Deck 12, 1140 hours

Lying on her stomach, Sahar poked her head around a corner. A few meters away, two Klingons stood in front of the door to the Matter Injection Room. She quickly pulled back, slowly crawling backwards down the corridor. After about 10 meters, she stood and backed the rest of the way down the corridor to the rest of her team.

"The door is closed with two guards," she said as soon as Suvak and Zula returned. "What did you find?"

"The Jeffries tubes that connect to the Matter Injection Room have been welded shut. I cannot find any alternative access point," Suvak said.

"I didn't see any other Klingons in the area," Zula reported.

Sahar thought for a few minutes as the others sat, waiting for her to decide on a plan of attack. "Okay, here's the plan," she said. "Team Alpha, consisting of Zula, Black, Sedaris, and myself, will take the Klingons at the door. As soon as we fire, Team Beta, Suvak, Hall, and Falk, move up and place the actuators on the door while Alpha stacks up to clear the room. When we are ready, Beta will crack the door about 10 centimeters. Casana and Taylor will roll two grenades at minimum power into the room. The moment the grenades go off, yank to door open and Alpha will enter and clear the room, with Beta following in for support. When the room is clear, Alpha will secure the entrance, Beta will assess the status of the injectors, and Casana and Taylor will search the Klingons," she paused, looking at each person in turn. "Any questions?"

"How many do we expect inside the room?" Sedaris asked.

"No idea," Sahar answered.

"Given the size of the room, no more than a dozen," Suvak added.

"Will they hear the attack on the guards?" asked Black.

"There's a good chance, which is why we need to be fast."

"Hey, Har... Sahar, I have an idea," Casana spoke up. "We plant grenades on the sealed access hatches, and detonate them after we take the guards down."

" Communications are jammed. We have no way to detonate the charges remotely," Suvak pointed out.

"We set them on a timer to detonate exactly at 1200 hours. Then, we can bring down the guards without the Klingons inside realizing were the attack is coming from."

"Suvak?" Sahar asked.

"Assuming the grenades detonate on time, I see no flaws in the plan."

"Very well. Chief, I wa-" Casana cut her off.

"I'll set the grenades!" she chirped.

"Okay, you got way too excited about that," Sedaris said.

"Give your night vision to Sedaris and set the charges," Sahar ordered, checking the time. "Suvak, give yours to Zula. We have 10 minutes."

Casana left, and the rest of the team moved into position. Sahar, Zula, Black, and Sedaris waited around the corner from the Klingons, phasers in hand. The others waited father back down the corridor. Finally, Casana returned, nodding to Sahar, who checked the time again. 1158. "Get ready," she whispered to Zula.




Star Trek: Lineage Ch. 02



Seconds crept by in total silence. Sahar check her chronometer again. 15 seconds... 10 seconds. She raised her hand, counting down silently with her fingers. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1. As Sahar reached zero, she turned the corner, raising her weapon. As she fired, the deck was rocked by an explosion. Zula, Black, and Sedaris fired at the same moment she did, and the sound was drowned out by the blast of the grenades.

Suvak rushed by, followed by her team. She ran up to the door, placing an actuator on it. Hall and Falk each placed one on the other side as Sahar and Alpha moved next to the door. Sahar could hear the Klingons barking at each other on the other side of the door. Casana came up next to her, and Sahar felt a hand on her right shoulder. "Ready, sir," Zula whispered.

"Go," Sahar said, and Suvak's team cracked the door open, allowing Casana and Taylor to toss their grenades into the room. A bright, blue flash lit the corridor through the crack in the door, followed by darkness. Suvak, Hall, and Falk pulled, and the door crashed open. Before it had a chance to completely open, Sahar pushed her way through, into the room.

When she came through the door, she saw two Klingons a few feet in front of her and fired. The first fell to the ground, and the other raised her weapon, but was hit by Zula before he could fire. Sahar turned and followed the wall left from the door to a corner, taking down another Klingon as she went. She heard phaser fire behind her, but kept her eyes forward. At the corner, she turned towards the center of the room and continued to follow the wall. Another Klingon entered her field of view, and she fired again.

Sahar reached another corner and stopped, scanning the room. Zula, Black, and Sedaris were each in one corner of the room, facing inward. Seven Klingons lay on the floor, motionless. "Clear!" she shouted as Suvak's team came through the door. Casana and Taylor followed, and Sahar returned to the door. She and Zula removed the actuators from the door and placed them on the inside of the door. They pushed it partly closed and moved back, positioning themselves so that they could each see one of the corners in the corridor through the small opening.

"The Matter Injector is undamaged. I am reinitializing the injection sequence," Suvak called from the back of the room. "Done. Deuterium is now flowing into the core. It will take some time for the reaction to be restarted and power to be restored."

"How long?" Sahar called back.

"Unknown. Several minutes, assuming the Antimatter Injector is also online."

"Contact!" yelled Zula, firing her phaser through the door. Sahar pulled one of the grenades from her waist and armed it before throwing it through the door and down the corridor. As she moved back to her position, a Klingon came around the corner, his disruptor raised. A phaser blast passed over her shoulder, and the Klingon was thrown to the ground. Sahar looked back to see Casana holding her phaser up, aiming past Sahar. As she turned back around, a disruptor appeared around the corner and fired, impacting the door.

"How long, Suvak?" Sahar yelled over the noise of more phaser and disruptor fire.

"The core is coming online."

As Suvak said this, Sahar felt the ship begin to vibrate, and she was blinded by the night vision overloading as the main lights came on. "Red Alert!" said the First Officer over the intercom.

"Yeah, no shit," Sedaris yelled. Sahar heard series of high-pitched hums as the aft torpedo launchers fired. The ship lurched, nearly throwing Sahar to the ground, and the forward launchers fired. Sahar looked up through the doorway to see a disruptor pointed directly at her. An instant before it fired, a force field crackled to life in to doorway, blocking the blast and sealing them safely inside the room.

******

Deck 5, Officer's Quarters, 1800 hours

Sahar rang the door to Lt. Cmdr. Fuller quarters. "Enter." She walked through the door, still wearing her armor, and stood at attention in front of his desk.

"Ensign Tehrani, reporting, sir," she said.

"At ease, Ensign." Sahar relaxed slightly. "Quite an eventful day," Fuller said, leaning back in his chair.

"Yes, sir."

"Do you know what my first assignment was out of the Academy?"

"No, Sir."

"I was stationed on the Enterprise. In 2285."

"Kahn?" Fuller nodded.

"That was my first tour of duty in Starfleet. I remember entering the Mutara Nebula. Scariest bloody experience of my life. We were basically crippled, in an obsolete ship, up against one of the most advanced warships in the quadrant. But, we came out alive, and they didn't. Those are the times when you discover what you are really made of. Today was one of those days, Ensign."

"Yes, sir."

Fuller stood and walked around the desk until he was face to face with Sahar. "Ensign, your performance today was exemplary. You demonstrated exceptional leadership, and maintained your composure in an extremely difficult situation. As such, I have recommended to the Captain that be promoted Lieutenant, Junior Grade."

Sahar was taken aback briefly. "Thank you, sir."

"I understand that Commander Kolarov and Dr. Collins have made similar recommendations for Ensigns Suvak and Olan. You should celebrate. After you get some rest, of course. Dismissed."

"Aye, sir," Sahar said, turning to leave.

"Oh, and Ensign."

"Yes sir?"

"Academy graduates are like fine wines. Some years are better than others."

"I don't understand, sir."

"I think 2293 will prove to be a very good year."

******

Deck 7, Crew Quarters, 2340 hours

Sahar sat back on her hands, looking at the Klingon slumped against the door. Blood flowed from his side, pooling on the floor. His eyes were open, a look of shock on his face. Everything else was dark. There was just her and the Klingon. Sahar looked down at her hands, covered in blood. She stared at them, growing uneasy.

Her anxiety built higher and higher. At last, it exploded into panic. Sahar franticly wide her hands on the floor, trying to clean her hands of blood. But no matter how hard she pressed, how long she wiped, her hands didn't become clean. Rather, the blood drained into the floor, staining it crimson.

From a small streak, the stain built. It crawled along the floor, covering everything in its path. It climbed the walls and covered her body armor. Sahar tried to scream in horror, but her voice was gone. She couldn't breathe. Terror gripped her, and she felt a pain in her side. She looked down, and saw blood begin to flow from a deep wound in her flank.

Her vision faded, and her awareness shrank. The Klingon was enveloped by darkness, then the walls and the floor, until Sahar was enveloped by it. She was cold, alone, and terrified. She started to fall.

And then there was a voice. She could not understand what it said, but Sahar was comforted nonetheless. "Who's there?" she whispered. The voice whispered again, but Sahar still couldn't understand it. "Who's there?" she said again, louder than before. Again, the voice spoke. It was clearer, but not clear enough. "WHO'S THERE!?" Sahar screamed.

The darkness was replaced by a blinding light, and Sahar closed her eyes instinctively. "You in there, Harry?" said the voice, crystal clear.

"Don't call me Harry," Sahar said automatically. She opened her eyes. Casana, in her full uniform, was kneeling in front of her, but Sahar couldn't see what she was kneeling on. They were alone, surrounded by a bright, featureless white.

"Okay," Casana said softly. Sahar opened her mouth to speak, but she had nothing to say. Casana placed her hands on Sahar's shoulders, and Sahar was overcome by a passionate desire. She lunged forward, pressing her lips to Casana's. She felt the lips part, and Sahar pushed her tongue into Casana's mouth hungrily, wrapping her arms around her. She felt Casana drape her arms around her shoulders, and Sahar pulled Casana in tighter.

The kiss broke, and they rested their foreheads against each other, looking into each other's eyes. Casana's light grey eyes shined intensely, almost unnaturally. "Cass..." Sahar whispered as she gently pushed Casana onto... nothing. There was nothing supporting her, she was just on her back, surrounded by endless light. Straddling her knees, Sahar bent down and kissed Casana's neck, pushing the Trill's arms from her shoulders. Taking them by the wrist, Sahar held Casana's hands wide above her head as she nibbled on the soft, spotted flesh of her neck. Their fingers intertwined, and Casana moaned softly into Sahar's ear.

Sahar sat up, freeing Casana's hands, and looked down at the woman beneath her. Casana was now completely naked. The trail of spots ran over the front of Casana's shoulders and onto her flanks. It ran down her sides, just wide enough to have a few spots on the outside edges of her breasts. The trail continued down, past her hips and along her thighs before being covered by Sahar's legs.

Sahar ran her fingers softly over the spots, starting at the legs and moving up until she buried her hands in the blonde locks of Casana's hair. She felt the body beneath her shiver, igniting Sahar's desire. She pounced on Casana, taking one of the firm, modest breasts into her mouth, drawing a gasp from Casana's lips. Sahar drew as much of the flesh into her mouth as she could, flicking her tongue over the small nipple. Casana pressed her hands to the back of Sahar's head, arching her back and crying out in pleasure.

Sahar pinched the other nipple with one hand, letting her other hand trail down Casana's side to her ass, taking one of the soft globes in her hand and squeezing. She took the sensitive nub between her teeth, lashing at it with her tongue. She moved her right knee between Casana's legs, pushing them apart as her left hand came back up her side.

Sahar released the nipple and lifted her head, staring into Casana's eyes. "Cass..." she whispered again, stroking her cheek with her left hand. Her right slid down Casana's stomach, tickling as it went. Casana giggled, pushing Sahar's hand lower. The dark-haired woman pressed her palm into her lover's mound, still staring into those bright gray gems. Casana stared back, her eyes filling with lust.

Pressing down with her palm, Sahar massaged the soft lips of Casana's damp, nearly hairless pussy. As she pulled and rubbed on Casana's large outer lips, Sahar began to move her palm in a small circle. She could feel tension building in Casana's muscles. Her left hand moved down Casana's face, drawing a disappointed sigh from her, and softly slid down her neck and shoulder before squeezing her breast. Casana's own hand came up, covering Sahar's, lacing their fingers together and guiding the hand over her chest. Through it all, they stared at each other.

Casana's juices dripped down onto the white nothingness, and a thick, musty scent filled the air, fanning the flames of Sahar's passions. She leaned forward, her nose a hair's breadth from Casana's, and plunged two fingers into the depths of her pussy. Casana gasped and arched her hips up into Sahar's hands as their lips brushed against each other. They stared into each other's eyes still, even as Casana approached the peak of her passions.

The Trill's breathing was fast and shallow, her eyes glassy, and her skin covered in a thin sheen of sweat. Sahar curled her fingers, gently rubbing them against Casana's walls, slowly pumping her fingers in and out, and rubbing her thumb over the clit. She sat up to give her more leverage, increasing her pace, her eyes locked to Casana's.

"I love you, Cass," she said.

Casana's breathing continued to quicken, her pulse racing, her free hand pinching one nipple while Sahar's rolled the other. Sahar felt Casana's body twitching, and felt her essence flowing past her fingers. She quickened her pace, pumping in and out as quickly as she could. At last, Casana's eyes broke from her own, rolling back as the eyelids slammed shut and her breathing stopped, mouth hanging open silently as the pleasure of her release washed over her.

Sahar was jolted back to reality. She looked around in confusion, not realizing she was in her bunk. "Hey," came a sweet voice beside her. Sahar looked over to see Casana's head poking over the side of the top bunk upside down, her short ponytail hanging beneath her head.

"That dream sounded fun!" she smiled.

Sahar's heart sank.



Star Trek: Lineage Ch. 03



This installment of Lineage contains much less sex than the first two (there is still some), but rest assured, it is important to the story.

Breaking Point

2294, Outpost K7, Klingon Border, 1700 hours

Sahar sat quietly at a table next to the window in the restaurant, gazing out the window. Hanging in space a few dozen kilometers away from her was the Athena. They were at Starbase 24 for a retrofit, one of a number planned for the Excelsior-class in the next few years. Sahar had just officially received her promotion to Lieutenant, Junior Grade, more than 6 months after the Klingon attack on the Athena. Despite her new rank and letter of commendation, Sahar was troubled. She picked at her biryani, having eaten almost none of it.

Sahar looked up and stared at the Athena. The dream she had after the attack had become a regular occurrence. Every week or so, Sahar would make love to Casana in her sleep, and every time she would wake up to find Casana involved with someone else. It was becoming a real problem for Sahar.

"You seem troubled, Lieutenant." Sahar was so startled that she nearly fell out of her chair. "I apologize. I did not mean to startle you." Sahar looked over to see Suvak sitting next to her at the table.

"Goddammit, Suvak! Whistle or something!"

"Vulcan's do not whistle," Suvak said, raising an eyebrow.

"How long have you been sitting there?" Sahar asked.

"53 seconds, sir."

"Don't call me 'sir', Suvak."

"Regulations state that-"

"I don't care. Call me Sahar. You're my friend," Sahar said.

"Very well, Sahar," Suvak said. They had become closer in the last few months. Sahar had been desperate to put distance between Casana and herself, and Suvak had provided a very calming alternative.

Sahar looked back out the window at the Athena. "Do we have orders yet?" she asked, trying to make conversation. She had asked the same question every day for the last month, all of which was spent at this station while the Athena underwent her retrofit. The answer was always the same: no.

"Yes," Suvak said. Sahar stared at her for a moment.

"...And?"

"'And' what?" asked Suvak in confusion.

"Are you going to tell me what they are?"

"You did not ask."

"I'm asking now," Sahar said, shaking her head. Suvak's tendency to take things literally still caused the occasional problem.

"We have been ordered to the rim-ward border on an exploration assignment beyond the Talos Star Cluster."

"Really?" This excited Sahar. Her parent's stories of exploring the unknown depths of space captivated her as a child. She was very disappointed when she heard that their original orders were to patrol the Klingon Neutral Zone, one of the most thoroughly scanned, mapped, and monitored areas in the galaxy.

Suvak simply nodded, showing absolutely no enthusiasm whatsoever.

"When do we leave?" Sahar asked excitedly.

"We should be ready in another week to ten days, depending on the results of the next set of diagnostics."

"More diagnostics?"

"Indeed. I am concerned that the Excelsior may be a faulty design. It has been found to have several times as many design flaws as most new classes. There was some discussion of abandoning the entire design, until the Enterprise was announced. Still, I doubt the spaceframe will have a long service life."

"I kinda like it," Sahar said.

"Oh? Why is that?" Suvak asked curiously.

"I don't know. She just feels good."

"That is not a logical reason," Suvak pointed out.

"Yeah, I know that," Sahar said. "Still, it's a beautiful design. Fast and agile, but armed to the teeth. Tough, too. The shields can take a hell of a beating."

"The impulse engines are aligned inefficiently, the EPS conduits are poorly organized, and frame is unnecessarily heavy, hurting efficiency."

"Typical engineer complaints," Sahar teased.

Suvak raised an eyebrow, but did not respond. They sat silently for a few minutes, and Suvak noticed a pained expression gradually creep over Sahar. "Is something bothering you, Sahar?"

"Hmm?" Sahar said, looking up from her drink. "Oh, it's nothing."

"Does it concern Ensign Olan?"

"What? No, I... No. Why would you think that?" Sahar asked nervously. She had not shared her feelings for Casana with Suvak.

"I have noticed that you rarely make direct eye contact with her, and when you are in proximity, your heart rate increases, as does you breathing. Additionally, you perspire heavily in her presence."

"Well, it's nothing," Sahar said, trying to end the conversation quickly. She was unsuccessful.

"These observations force me to conclude that you are sexually attracted to Ensign Olan."

"Do they now?" Sahar said, somewhat annoyed.

"Yes. Is my evaluation correct?" Suvak asked. Sahar stared at her for a moment.

"Yes," she sighed in defeat. "God, yes."

"Is this the source of your discomfort? I was under the impression that love was considered a very pleasant emotion."

"Only if it's mutual. If not, it's fucking miserable."

"And Ensign Olan has not reciprocated your affection?"

"No. She's pretty much with Black," Sahar said miserably, slumping in her chair. "Hell, I don't think she even knows how I feel."

"It is not logical to expect someone to react to something they are unaware of," Suvak said.

"Huh?" Sahar sat up.

"If Ensign Olan is unaware of your attraction, it is not logical to expect her to reciprocate your feeling."

"What are you trying to say?" Sahar said, somewhat accusatorily.

"I am simply stating that your expectations and behavior up to now have been illogical," Suvak said innocently.

"So what do you suggest?" Sahar said, crossing her arms.

"Logically, you have two alternatives. First, you may inform Ensign Olan of your feelings, allowing her the opportunity to either reciprocate your affection, or decline."

"Which would be bad."

"Yes, but the alternative is to abandon your attraction to Ensign Olan, and attempt to find a suitable mate elsewhere. This alternative has the same final result as rejection," Suvak explained.

"That is actually very good advice," Sahar said.

"It is merely a logical evaluation of your situation. I did not suggest which alternative you should choose."

******

USS Athena, Deck 5, 1705 hours

Casana poked her head out of the storage closet, looking both ways down the corridor. Seeing no one, she ducked back inside.

"All clear," she said, stretching her arms behind her back. Black raised his head to look at her. He was sitting against the bulkhead, still exhausted. While Casana was fully clothed, he was still only in his undergarments.

"Yeah, okay. Just, uh, just give me a minute," he breathed. His face was still flushed, and he was covered in sweat.

"Are you okay?" Casana asked, with genuine concern.

"Sir, I am Starfleet Security Officer. I am in peak physical condition. I can assure you, I'm fine." He paused to take a deep breath. "I just need to wait until I can feel my legs."

"Okay," she said with mock disappointment. Casana plopped herself down next to Black, resting her head on his shoulder. "Should I go easier on you?"

"Oh, no," he said, kissing the top of her head. "You're doing just fine."

"Good, because I wasn't going to," she giggled, snuggling up against his side. Black lifted a thick, muscular arm over Casana's shoulder, pulling her closer. "So, why are you so tired, then?"

"Oh, it's nothing. Sahar has been pushing us pretty hard recently, that's all."

"She's intense, isn't she?" Casana smiled.

"Yeah," he sighed.

"What?" Casana asked, looking up at him.

"Hmm?" he groaned groggily.

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing."

"No, it's something. You definitely have something face," Casana probed.

"Well, sometimes, I don't know, sometimes it seems like Sahar is pushing me harder than the others," he admitted.

"Is she being mean to you?" Casana asked playfully.

"I don't know. I think maybe she's... maybe she's upset."

"Upset? About what?" Casana said, sitting up.

"Us."

"Us? She thinks you aren't good for me? I know she's protective of me," Casana pointed out.

"No, not exactly."

"Then what?" she asked, staring into his soft blue eyes. "Why is she upset about us?"

"I just don't think she wants us to be together," he said. Black desperately did not want to be in the middle of a feud between his girlfriend and his superior officer. "Look, I'm probably just imagining things. Don't worry about it."

Casana grumbled, resting her head on his shoulder again. "I'm gonna have to punish her."

"I think that's the point," Black muttered under his breath. He immediately realized that he had not been nearly soft enough. Casana looked back up at him, a confused look in her eyes.

"What does that mean?" she asked.

"Cassie, I love you. I love you a lot. I don't want to do anything to screw this up. Just forget I said anything. Please?" Casana's eyes caught fire.

"No! No, I will not forget that you said anything! My boyfriend and my best friend aren't getting along, so I don't think I will be forgetting anything," she yelled at him.

"Okay," he said meekly. Black was several inches taller than Casana, and outweighed her significantly, but he had grown up in British Columbia, and he knew that wolverines were small, too. Casana definitely stuck him as wolverine-like. "Sahar wishes weren't together because... well... because she wants to be with... you." Casana cocked her head to one side, raising her eyebrows.

"Huh?" she said, with an expression not unlike someone who had just stuck a piece of metal into a power conduit.

"Sahar wants to be with you," he admitted nervously. In his head, Black saw Casana rear back on her hind legs and bear her claws and teeth.

"Now THAT is crazy," Casana responded.

"No. No, it isn't. Ask anybody who knows the two of you, and they'll tell you the same thing," he stated, with a very serious expression on his face.

"Then why didn't they tell me? Why didn't you tell me?" she demanded.

"Because, it's not something for me or anyone else to get involved in. This is between the two of you, nobody else. Not even me."

"I am going to have to talk to her," she said after a brief silence.

******

USS Athena, Main Transporter Room, Deck 6, 2100 hours

The bright blue haze faded from Sahar's vision, replaced by the inside of Athena's main transporter room. Lieutenant Ben-David was at the controls, but Sahar ignored him. She stepped off the pad and trudged towards the door.

"Good lord, what the hell happened to you?" he said.

"It's nothing."

"Like hell, you look like crap."

"Thanks, Danny!" she said with both venom and sarcasm, stopping in the door.

"Yeah, that came out wrong," Danny said. "So, is this about a certain energetic Trill exobiologist we both know?"

"Not you, too," Sahar sighed, walking back inside the room so the door would close.

"Oh? Who got to you before me?" he asked.

"Suvak ambushed me on the station," she admitted.

"Really?" Danny giggled. "Suvak?" Sahar simply nodded. "You know you're in bad shape when you start getting romantic advice from a Vulcan."

"Yes, that had occurred to me."

"So, what are you gonna do?" he asked.

"I don't know. For the moment, I'm going to sleep. After that, well..." she trailed off.

"You're going to have to tell her eventually."

"Oh? And why is that?" Sahar snapped.

"Because, Casana isn't the kind of person that you get over easy."

******

The next day, Exobiology Lab, Deck 14, 1130 hours

Casana was staring through a microscope when she heard the door open. "Just give me minute," she heard Black say. Casana looked from her work.

"Hey, Jeffy," she chriped.

"Hey, Cassie," he smiled back. "I came by because I wanted to apologize."

"For what?" Casana asked innocently.

"For not telling you about Sahar's... feelings earlier."

"Oh, that's okay," she grinned. "I understand. You didn't want to cause any trouble, so you kept quiet. I get it." You can be such a softy, she smiled to herself.

"No, I really should have told. Look, I'm going to talk to Sahar later, let her know that we discussed it, and try to iron this out."

"Good idea! And when we find your body, assuming there is any of you left, I can do the autopsy!" she said sarcastically. Again, Black saw fangs and teeth. "I'll talk to her."

"If you insist," Black sighed in relief.

"I do. Now, what are you up to?" she said, smiling mischievously.

"I'm supposed to be watching the deck 14 torpedo bay, but I needed to get this off my chest."

"Well, let me escort you back to your post," she said, jumping to her feet, smiling fiendishly.

******

At the same time, 1 deck below

Sahar walked down the corridor with Zula, staring blankly ahead.

"Sir, are you okay?" Zula asked.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah. I'm fine," she responded mechanically.

"Oh, good. 'Cause I thought you were moping over Casana."

Sahar stopped in the middle of the corridor. "Come on, not you too!" she cried.

"Yup."

"God, this is like a nightmare!" Sahar said, throwing her hands up in frustration. "Everyone I talk to is giving me advice. Am I that easy to read?"

"Yes. Yes, you are," Zula laughed.

"Great! So, everyone is going to have an opinion! Maybe I should take a poll of the crew! Hey, you, what do you think? Should I tell her or not?" she yelled at a passing crewman. He looked at Zula, who waved him on.

"Until you actually do something, pretty much."

"Why? Why do they care?" Sahar asked pleadingly.

"Do you remember what Leena said about the crew of a starship? That they are all your friends? It's true. They are your friends, and people don't like seeing their friends in trouble." Sahar looked at her skeptically. "Look, you remember those three crewmen that came with us to take the Matter Injector?"

"Hall, Falk, and Taylor?"

"Yeah, do you know why they followed us?" Zula asked.

"Orders," Sahar shrugged.

"Yes, they were ordered to, and they did it unquestioningly. Because they trusted you. They knew that you would watch out for them, and they watched out for you. its instinct for a starship crew."

"How does this, in any way, relate to me and Casana?" Sahar growled defensively.

"I once saw a Lieutenant Commander take a disruptor blast for a Crewman he had never met. It was point blank, full power. He was vaporized before he hit the ground."

"Did you just tell me to kill myself?" Zula ignored her.

"You protect your shipmates, whether it's diving in front of a disruptor or helping them through a tough time," Zula said.

Sahar looked silently at Zula for a long time. She had heard this speech before, from her parents. Brothers, born of blood, she remembered her father saying of his shipmates. Sahar had begun to understand what he meant after the Klingon attack. "So, what do I do?" she whispered.

"You talk to her."

"Just like that?" Sahar sighed.

"Just like that. Either she accepts or she doesn't. Either way, you'll get better."

"Okay," Sahar said, tears starting to well up in her eyes.

"Hey," Zula said, gently grasping her shoulders. "It's going to be okay. Even if she turns you down. It will hurt at first, but it will be okay."

"Alright. Alright, I'll talk to her when our shift ends," she promised.

"Good. 'Cause if you kept up at this rate, I'm pretty sure you'd end up throwing Black out an airlock."

******

Deck 14, Main Torpedo Bay, 1200 hours

Since the Klingon attack, Sahar had repositioned her team. Instead of placing one person on each launcher, where they couldn't see each other, she now placed them together at the door to the Main Torpedo Bay. But as she rounded the corner with Zula, only Sedaris was at the door. "Where's Black?" she called to him. He turned to look at her, an expression of panic on his face.

"Uhh, he's in the bay. Inspecting the... bay, sir," he stuttered nervously.

"Nice try," she said, walking past him into the room.

"Remind me to play poker with you sometime," Zula said to him as she followed Sahar into the room.

"Crewman Black, why are you not at your..." Sahar stopped in mid-sentence as she entered the room, causing Zula to nearly walk into her. In front of her, Casana was lying on her back on a control console, nude from the waist down. Black stood between her legs, his pants around his ankles, still wearing his helmet and armor. Her legs were wrapped around his waist, and he was thrusting his cock into her powerfully. They had not noticed Sahar.

"He's very... vigorous," Zula said quietly to Sahar, who simply stared at Casana as Black fucked her. Casana arched her back, digging her fingers into Black's arms.

"Ohh, fuck, I'm gonna come again!" she cried. Black grunted in response, and leaned forward, grabbing her shoulders for leverage.

"Attention on deck!" Sahar screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Fuckin' warn me before you do that," Zula complained as she covered her ears.

"Shit!" yelled Black. Casana's legs released him and she shot upright in surprise. Black pulled out of her and turned to face Sahar and Zula. His rigid cock was glistening with Casana's juices, pointing directly at Sahar, and the room was filled with the smell of sweat and sex. He stood at attention, panting for air, as Casana slid off the console, looking for her pants. His eyes were filled with pure terror.

"Harry, don't you know to knock when-" Sahar cut Casana off.

"Quiet, Ensign!" she yelled.

"You're pulling rank on me? My promotion is official tomorrow!" Casana protested.

"This is a restricted area, Ensign. You are not authorized to be here," Sahar snarled.

"Harry..." Casana began, but was again cut off.

"You will address me as Lieutenant Tehrani or sir!" Sahar screamed, taking a few steps towards Casana. "Do you understand, Ensign?" Casana looked at Sahar with a wounded expression.

"Aye, sir," she said softly, her eyes starting to fill with tears. Sahar turned her gaze to Black, who visibly shrank from her.

"Crewman, why are you not at your post?" she yelled, stepping directly in front of him, his rapidly deflating cock only inches from her abdomen.

"Sir, I was just, uhh... I went to see Cass, and..."

"You left your post?" Sahar barked at him.

"Only for a moment, sir. I needed to speak with Cas... Ensign Olan, and she offered to walk me back to my post," he said, desperate to escape his almost certain dismemberment.

"And you accepted? You left your post, disrupted the routine operations of this ship, and escorted an unauthorized person into a highly restricted area! And that isn't even the worst part!"

"Sir, I..."

"So, what happened then?" Sahar demanded.

"Sir, when we arrived, Casana heard something inside the room. I asked Sedaris to stay at the door while I checked it out. Casana followed me inside."

"And?"

"And, well, I didn't find anything. And when I turned around, she was smiling at me, and I smiled at her, and from there we just kinda..."

"Fucked?" Sahar screamed into his face.

"Well, it wasn't like we planned on it, sir!"

"You mean you didn't think, right?" Sahar yelled.

"No, it's not that, sir, it just kinda... happened."

"It just 'kinda happened'? You were fucking on the PHOTON TORPEDO LOADING CONTROLS, Crewman!" Sahar wailed. "Put your fucking pants on," she ordered, stepping in front of Casana, who had found hers.

"Why are you here, Ensign?"

"I came with Black," she said softly. Unconsciously, Sahar's voice softened slightly as she looked into Casana's eyes, now full of shame, tears flowing down her cheeks.

"No, but you were about to," Sahar said venomously. Casana closed her eyes, grimacing.

"Ensign!" Sahar shouted, startling Casana. "Why are you in here?"




Star Trek: Lineage Ch. 03



Casana breathed out, opening her eyes. "Sir, I escorted Crewman Black down here, and told him that I heard a noise inside the bay."

"And did you?"

"No, sir. I wanted to get him alone," she confessed, looking at the ground.

"Priority message from Trill for Ensign Olan," said a voice over the intercom. Casana looked silently at Sahar, and the two women stared at each other for a few moments. "Ensign Olan, please acknowledge."

"Sahar?" she asked softly. Sahar stared back at her coldly, but nodded. "Acknowledged," Casana said as she hurried over to the communication console on the wall. She pulled up the message and read it.

"I have to go," she said excitedly, and ran out of the room.

"What the hell?" exclaimed Zula.

"I am not done with you yet, Crewman," Sahar snarled at Black as he finished putting his pants on. "You're on patrol. Dismissed." As he skulked out the door, Suvak pushed past him.

"Lieutenant, we have detected anomalous activity from the Torpedo Loading Control Console. I have been sent to examine the console for a malfunction."

******

Exobiology Labs, Deck 14, 1210 hours

Casana sat down at her work station, tears still wet on her cheeks. She accessed her personal communications and opened the message. It was marked "From: Symbiosis Commission".

"Oh, great," she sighed. Then she read the subject: "Evaluation by Field Docent".

"Yes!" she cried in joy. "Yes, finally!"

"Casana, are you alright?" Dr. Collins asked with concern as she entered the room.

"Hell, yes! I just got a message from the commission, and they are sending someone to evaluate me!"

"Evaluate you? For what?"

Casana remembered that Dr. Collins knew nothing about the Joining. "A... special honor. It is only given to a select few people."

"That's wonderful!" Dr. Collins said, patting her on the shoulder. "When?"

She scanned the letter. "Wow. Tomorrow. They must be close, and it must be urgent if... oh, shit," Casana's heart sunk as she read the last line.

"What's wrong?"

"It's who they're sending. Ambassador Curzon Dax."

******

Armory, Deck 19, 1600 hours

Sahar paced back and forth in front of her locker, a scowl across her face. I am going to fucking kill him, she thought coldly. She was in her off-duty uniform, waiting for Black to report. Abandoning his post, allowing access to a restricted area. Fucking Casana. Her blood boiled when she remembered the image of the two of the on the console, half naked, sweating, pawing at each other.

Sahar had accepted that Casana and Black were having sex, but to be so publicly ambushed by it was unbearable. She had always been proud of her self-control, but it was being severely tested. Her first instinct when she saw them together was to run away crying, but that was quickly replaced by fury. It was as though it had been planned.

The thought gave Sahar pause. It was as though they had planned it, like they had designed it to inflict the maximum amount of pain on Sahar. Did they? she wondered. Did they do this to hurt me? She couldn't decide. Did they know how Sahar felt, and decide to humiliate her for it? It was certainly a possibility. Casana, at least, had to have known how she felt.

Slut, she thought. At first, she chastised herself for thinking it. But it wouldn't go away. Fucking whore. The more she thought it, the angrier she became, and the more it seemed right. Worthless bitch. Her hatred began to shift. Now, she blamed Casana instead of Black. Sahar lashed out, punching the bulkhead. She heard a crack, but ignored the pain that shot through her hand.

Suddenly, there was a pinching sensation on her shoulder, and she blacked out.

******

Crew Quarters, 2100 hours

Casana sat on her bunk, swinging her feet off the edge, staring blankly at the door. I'm screwed, she thought. Dax. It had to be Dax. She had worked her entire life to qualify for the Joining, and now it seemed farther away than ever. Dax. Dax never passes anybody. Despair began to overtake her. He's going to humiliate me. Assuming Sahar doesn't kill me. Oh, god. Sahar. She remembered the look on Sahar's face when she saw her with Black. Once again, tears began to well up in her eyes.

She held her face in her hands and sobbed softly. Stupid, she thought. How could I be so stupid? Casana was sure that Sahar had finished eviscerating Black by now, and was waiting for her to return to their quarters. Casana planned to beg forgiveness from Sahar, and try to salvage their friendship. She was not optimistic.

Casana was sufficiently distracted that she did not notice Danny enter the room. He walked slowly up to her, placing his hands on her knees comfortingly. Casana looked up tearfully into his eyes. "Hey, how ya doing?" he asked softly.

"How does it look?" Casana sobbed.

"Like hell. Come on, you need to sit somewhere where you won't fall," he said, pulling Casana down from the bunk. Danny guided her over to the table, coaxing her onto the couch-seats. He walked around the table and took a seat next to her. "It's okay," he said softly, wrapping his arms around her comfortingly.

"No. No, it's not okay," she whispered.

"What happened?"

"Jeff came to see me in the lab today," she said, struggling to form the words. "We talked for a bit, then he had to go back to his post. I offered to walk him down."

"What did you talk about?"

"Sahar. Jeff said that she likes me."

"Well, of course she does. You two are friends," he said, slowly rubbing her back. Casana was silent. "That's not what you meant, is it?" She shook her head. "I see. So, you walked him down to his post. Then what?"

"When we got there, I told him I heard something in the torpedo bay, and he went to check it out. And I went with him."

"Isn't that a restricted are?" Casana nodded.

"When we got inside, I kissed him, and..."

"And you had sex?"

"Yes. Well, we tried. Sahar and Zula walked in right in the middle of it!" she cried, starting to sob uncontrollably again.

"It's okay. Take your time," he said, rocking her back and forth.

"Sahar started screaming at Jeff. She was furious. I tried to calm her down, but then she started yelling at me!" she said, squeezing Danny tightly.

"What did she say?"

"I called her Harry, and she yelled at me."

"She always does that."

"No!" she cried insistently. "She always says 'Don't call me Harry'. She screamed at me. She said 'You will address me as Lieutenant Tehrani or sir'. She wouldn't let me call her by her first name!" Casana bawled.

"I'm so sorry," Danny said.

"Then, she goes off on Jeff for a few minutes, and the she turns to me and starts to yell when the announcement came."

"About your message?"

"Yeah."

"At least that saved you," Danny tried to console her.

"No, it made it worse," she said pitifully.

"Why? What did it say?"

"You know that thing I have been trying to get?"

"That award thing?"

"Yeah. Well, the commission that awards it is sending someone to evaluate me."

"That's great, Casana!" he cried.

"No! The person they are sending is horrible! He never recommends anyone. Everyone he evaluates gets rejected."

"You aren't going to get rejected."

"How do you know?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Nobody can reject you. Not this evaluator, not Sahar. You'll see."

******

Deck 7, Main Sickbay, 0500 Hours

"Oww," Sahar moaned.

"Lieutenant, your 'patient' is coming around." The voice caused a throbbing pain in her head. Sahar opened her eyes, but the light was so bright that she shut them again immediately.

"Thank you, doctor," said a soft, even voice. Sahar immediately recognized it.

"Suvak?" she asked groggily.

"Yes, Lieutenant?"

"What the hell happened?" Sahar asked. She tried to sit up, but was pushed pack down by a small, powerful hand.

"You need to rest. You fractured your wrist, and recovery from a Vulcan nerve pinch requires some time," she answered.

"A nerve pinch? Who pinched me?"

"I did," Suvak responded. "Open your eyes."

"What?" Suvak pulled open Sahar's right eye and shined a light into it. Sahar tried to bat her hand away, but Suvak calmly stopped her. "You knocked me out?"

"That is correct," Suvak said. In anger, Sahar opened her eyes and tried to sit up, but was again pressed back into the bed. "Remain on the bed."

"Why the hell did you do that?" Sahar said angrily.

"It is important for you to remain still while your central nervous system recovers."

"No, why did you pinch me?"

"To incapacitate you without causing permanent injury," Suvak answered, as though it were obvious.

"Why would you do that?" Sahar yelled. It was loud enough that it hurt her head, causing her to wince.

"I was concerned with your reaction to discovering Crewman Black and Lieutenant Olan mid-coitus."

"He left his post, permitted unauthorized access to a secure area, and, uhh... something else, too," Sahar groaned, trying to stop the pain in her head.

"Carried his weapon in a non-regulation manner."

"I've never heard it called that," Sahar said mockingly.

"All of them relatively minor offences. The absolute maximum punishment allowed by regulation is a letter of reprimand and five days in the brig."

"He endangered the ship!"

"And Lieutenant Olan?"

"What about her?" Sahar snarled back.

"What regulations did she violate?" Sahar thought for a minute.

"Unauthorized entry into a secure area," she finally answered.

"You are incorrect. Lieutenant Olan did enter a restricted area, but did so at the request of a Security Officer, and was escorted at all times."

"They were fucking on the Photon Torpedo Loading Console!"

"They have acquired authorization for non-reproductive interspecies relations."

"So?" Sahar asked, finally able to open her eyes. Suvak was standing over her, arms crossed.

"Lieutenant Olan did not violate any regulations, nor did she mislead you or anyone else. You have no logically valid reason to hold ill feelings towards her."

"You are giving me emotional advice?" Sahar asked skeptically, slowly sitting up. This time, Suvak did not stop her.

"No. I am providing you with a logical, objective analysis of your situation."

"Gee, thanks."

"Also, you have been ordered to report to the Armory. A dignitary is arriving in three hours, and you have been assigned to his security detail."

"Great," Sahar moaned, standing up.

******

Deck 32, Main Shuttlebay, 0750 hours

As she went through the door, Casana found herself face to face with a tall, middle-aged man. She snapped to attention. "Ens... Lieutenant Olan, reporting, Captain," she said, fumbling over the words.

"Nice of you to join us Lieutenant. At ease," said Captain Lowe, before turning to face the landing pad. Casana quickly looked around the room. Black and Sedaris were at the door, standing at attention. Danny was at the tractor beam controls on one side of the room, flanked by Zula and Sahar. In front of the console, Captain Lowe stood with Commander Sull, the Andorian First Officer, on one side and Lieutenant Commander Fuller on the other. Off to the side, a Yeoman stood in full dress, holding a Boatswain's whistle. Aside from Danny, everyone in the room was in dress uniform.

"Sir, K-7 reports that Ambassador Dax is ready to come aboard," said Danny.

"Clearance granted," ordered the Captain. Here we go, Casana thought as she took a deep breath.

She bay doors slid open slowly, revealing a large shuttle slowly gliding towards them, silhouettes against the stars. The shuttle slid into the bay and turned completely around before coming to a rest in front of them. The aft ramp on the shuttle lowered, revealing the Ambassador. He looked slightly older than Captain Lowe, with greying brown hair, just starting to recede. He wore a long, flowing white robe, with numerous decorations and medals. He stepped off the shuttle with a powerful confident stride and extended his hand to Captain Lowe. The Yeoman sounded his whistle, and the Captain shook the Ambassador's hand. "Welcome to the Athena, Ambassador."

"Thank you, Captain," he said in a strong, powerful voice, smiling diplomatically. "I apologize for the short notice, but this is a matter of some urgency."

"You wouldn't be willing to elaborate, would you?" the Captain asked.

"I'm afraid not, but rest assured, it is of great importance."

"Very well. Take all the time you need. We aren't scheduled to depart for another few days," Lowe said graciously.

"Thank you, Captain," said Dax, still smiling.

"Allow me to introduce my First Officer, Commander Sull," said Lowe as the two exchanged greetings. "And this is Lieutenant Commander Fuller, my Chief of Security."

"I have already assigned a protection detail for you, Ambassador," Fuller said, extending his hand.

"Oh, that won't be necessary," Dax smiled as he took it.

"I'm afraid I must insist, sir," Fuller said firmly. Dax looked at him for a moment.

"Very well, but I will need some privacy," he relented.

"Of course. This is Lieutenant Tehrani," he said, introducing Sahar. "She will be in charge of your protection detail," Fuller said as she extended her hand.

"It's a pleasure, Ambassador," Sahar said.

"Let's hope so," Dax smiled slyly. Casana rolled her eyes. Curzon Dax was notoriously libidinous.

"These are Chief Petty Officer Sedaris and Crewman Black," she said, gesturing towards them. "They will be your security detail along with Senior Chief Petty Officer Zula and myse-"

"Zula?" Dax gasped, turning to her. "Asamillia Zula, is that you?" he said clasping his hands onto Zula's shoulders.

"It's me, Curzon. I'm here to make sure you don't cause any trouble."

"I have no idea what you mean," replied Dax innocently.

"Uh huh," Zula said admonishingly. "I remember Rio."

"That wasn't me. It was Kirk's fault. I never said a word to the dancers," Dax said, raising his hands.

"Right. I'm watching you," she smiled warmly. "It's good to see you again."

"Good to see you, Asamillia," he said before turning to face Casana. His face turned serious. "That means you must be her," he said coldly.

"Ambassador Dax, allow me to introduce Lieutenant Casana Olan," the Captain said as Casana snapped to attention.

"Yes, I recognized her from the file. Interesting. Hello, Lieutenant," he said, clasping his hands behind his back.

"Hello, Ambassador," replied Casana nervously.

"Well, Captain, if there is nothing else, I would like to get started."

"Of course, Ambassador. Lieutenant Tehrani, show Ambassador Dax to his quarters."

"Aye, sir. This way, Ambassador," Sahar said, heading towards the door. She stopped in front of Black and Sedaris. "Suit up and report to the Ambassadorial Suite."

"Aye, sir," answered Sedaris. As Sahar continued out of the room, she noticed Zula give Black a menacing stare.

******

Deck 9, Ambassadorial Suite, 0830 hours

"Your quarters are through here, sir," Sahar said, opening the door for Dax. He had been staring at Casana since they left the Main Transporter Room, and it was making Sahar uncomfortable. Though she was still furious at Casana, she did not appreciate having a stranger harass a member of her crew, Ambassador or not. "The head is through that door, and the bedchambers and a study through the door on the far side of the room."

"Thank you, Lieutenant, I am sure I will enjoy my say," Curzon smiled suspiciously at her. "Now, if would please allow us some privacy."

"Of course, Ambassador. There will be guards stationed at the door at all times. If you need anything, please feel free to ask. Should you wish to leave these quarters, the guards will escort you, and this room will be sealed," she said moving towards the door. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"Could you have a grilled cheese sandwich and a bottle on tranya sent up?"

"Of course, sir," Sahar said. Before she turned to leave she glanced at a very nervous Casana. Judging by her eyes, she did not want Sahar to leave. They looked at each other for a fraction of a second before Sahar left, but it was enough for Curzon to notice. Sahar stepped out and took her post next to Zula. "I don't like this," she said. Zula did not respond.

Inside the suite, Curzon turned to Casana, his expression serious. "Initiate, I have been assigned by the Trill Symbiosis Commission as your field docent. I am here to evaluate your suitability as a host, after which I will make my recommendation to the Commission. They will then either approve you as a host, in which case you will be joined as soon as a suitable symbiont is available, or they will reject your request, and you will be removed the ranks of candidate hosts. Do you understand what I have just told you, and do you submit to my evaluation?"

"Yes, Ambassador," Casana answered, trying to sound confident.

"Then let's begin," he said as he took a seat behind the large desk. Casana sat in the chair in front of him. Curzon folded his hands in his lap and leaned back in the chair, staring silently at Casana. For a few seconds the room was silent. Casana became increasingly nervous. She desperately wanted to speak, but had no idea what to say.

"What do you want to know?" she squeaked out after a few seconds.

"That didn't take long," Dax muttered under his breath as he leaned forward, clasping his hands together on the desk. "Lieutenant Tehrani," he said, staring at the door behind Casana. "You two seem to be close. Is she a friend?"

"She's quartered with me, sir," Casana replied quietly.

"That's not what I asked. Is she your friend?" he said, raising his voice.

"I think so. She was, but... I don't know. I think so."

"Why would she no longer be your friend?" Curzon asked, still looking at the door.

"We had... a problem. I think I hurt her."

"Why?" His tone was sharp and critical.

"Well, I'm in relationship with Crewman Black, and-" Casana began.

"No, why did you hurt her?"

"I didn't mean to!" Casana said defensively.

"What kind of friend would stop being a friend over an accident?"

"It wasn't an accident, I just-"

"So you did mean to? Which was it?" Dax demanded.

"I was with Jeff, Crewman Black, and Sahar walked in on us. I meant to be with Jeff, I didn't mean for Sahar to see us."

"And when did this happen?"

"Yesterday, while we were on duty. In the Main Torpedo Bay," she admitted, looking at the floor.

"So, you seduced a Security Officer into leaving his post, so you could have sex in a restricted area?"

"That's not all," Casana whispered. "Sahar, she likes... she's in love with... with me."

"So, knowing she had feelings for you," he yelled, "you seduced one of her subordinates into having sex with you, thereby undermining her command, in a restricted are, committing a breach of security in her area of responsibility, and in an area where she was certain to find you in the act with him? I can't imagine why she would be upset," Curzon said sarcastically.

"I didn't think about that," she pleaded.

"Well you damn well should have," he said, raising his voice again. "How can you possibly expect me to recommend you when your behavior is so abysmally stupid?"

"It was a mistake!" she yelled. Curzon looked silently at her for a few minutes. Casana knew she had made a mistake. I'm screwed. Dax appeared to be thinking, but she couldn't figure out what he was thinking about.

"Tomorrow, I will follow you through your duty shift, observing your behavior and speaking to those you work with."

"Yes, sir," Casana said quietly.

"Now, let's go over your service record."

******

Deck 14 Exobiology Lab, 0800 hours

Casana took a deep breath and glanced at Sahar. She was standing by the door, facing the wall with an angry expression on her face. Casana sighed and stepped into the lab. Curzon was standing with his back to her, his hands clasped behind his back, talking with Dr. Collins.




Star Trek: Lineage Ch. 03



"Have you ever been to Alpha Centauri? It has some wonderful museums. I particularly like the Cochrane Museum of Interstellar Transportation. They have a replica of the first human space craft, as well as a mockup of the Vulcan ship that made first contact." Casana grimaced. Oh, no, not the museums. Dr. Collins could go on about them for hours, describing every detail of every exhibit.

"No, but it sounds lovely. I enjoy the Museum of Interspecies Relations on Betazed. I was actually asked to give a lecture there on Human-Trill relations and diplomacy once. The auditorium is magnificent, with..." Casana rolled her eyes. He's flirting with my boss? Gross! she thought. Casana shook her head in disgust, causing Dr. Collins to notice her.

"Ah, Lieutenant, good morning! I was just speaking with Curzon about the museum on..."

"I am sure Lieutenant Olan has work to do, Laura," Dax interrupted tactfully.

"Oh, yes, quite right. Lieutenant, I wanted you to take a look at the Bajoran Shrimp tank you set up. They seem lethargic, and I think the electrolytic balance is off."

"Right away, Doctor," Casana said, forcing a smile.

"Also, could you start designing a specimen storage area for non-organic life? If we are going to be surveying uncharted worlds, we may run into silicon-based organisms, and I would like to be able to take some specimens."

"Of course, Doctor," Casana smiled, genuinely this time. The prospect of seeing new, totally unknown organisms always excited her.

"Excellent. Let me know if there are any problems," Dr. Collins said. "I will see you at the Forward Crew Lounge. 1800, sharp," she smiled to Curzon.

"I wouldn't dare miss it, Laura," he said, smiling broadly. Dr. Collins turned and left the room. As soon as she was gone, Casana turned to Curzon.

"Please, don't sleep with my boss," she pleaded.

"Excuse me?"

"I am asking not to have sexual relations with Dr. Collins," Casana repeated.

"My personal life is none of your concern. Besides, you are hardly qualified to give such advice, Lieutenant." Casana lowered her head in shame, and walked over to a large tank filled with crystal clear water. Inside the tank, several dozen shrimp-like creatures floated around slowly. She entered some commands into the environmental computer and examined the chemical analysis.

"So, these are your responsibilities? Water quality and silicon-based-mouse storage?" Curzon asked disdainfully.

"I'm the Assistant Exobiologist on board. I'm responsible for cataloging, storing, and maintaining all biological samples aboard ship, as well as performing tests on the specimens," Casana said with annoyance.

"So, you're a zoo-keeper," he sighed to no one in particular.

"No," Casana said, raising her voice and spinning around to face him. "I'm an Exobiologist. I perform some of the most mission-critical work onboard this ship," she said angrily. "You know, the 'new life and new civilizations' part?"

"That isn't a new civilization," Curzon said calmly, pointing to the tank. "It's seafood." Casana's eyes widened in anger, but instead of pouncing on him and tearing his head off like she wanted to, she turned and went back to work. "The water is fine," he yawned.

"Oh? Then what is wrong?"

"I'm not here to do your job, Lieutenant," he said indignantly. Again, Casana glared menacingly at him.

"Then stop trying to do it!" she yelled.

"Very well," Curzon said calmly. His demeanor was infuriating for Casana, but again she resisted the urge to stuff him into a plasma conduit and went back to work. Examining the analysis of the water, she found that it was, in fact, unchanged. She set the equipment to scan for organic toxins. Curzon gave an exaggerated sigh.

"What is it now?" she demanded, turning around.

"Hmm?" Curzon pretended not to know what she meant.

"What's with the sigh?"

"I thought you didn't want me to say anything." She turned back around quickly, and the desire to push him down a turbolift shaft faded slowly. The sensors found no toxins, and she was out of ideas. Water is fine. No biological contaminants. What am I missing? Casana closed her eyes, trying to concentrate. Behind her, she heard a soft grinding sound. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Curzon chewing his nails as he stared at the ceiling.

As she went back to work, he spoke. "So, what would you like to talk about?"

"Nothing, until I finish this."

"How long do you think that will take?" he asked.

"About five seconds," she chirped happily. "Bajor's atmosphere has a slightly different transmission spectrum than most M-class planets, producing a slightly greener light reaching the surface. To compensate, the symbiotic microbes in the gills evolved to absorb a different wavelength than these lights are producing." Casana adjusted the lighting, and turned to face Curzon. He was asleep. She screamed in frustration, and Curzon slowly opened his eyes.

"Are you finished?" he said, stretching his arms behind his back. She started to lunge at him, but was caught by Sahar.

"What the hell is going on in here?" she growled at Casana. She grunted in frustration, but turned and went to her desk. Sahar looked at Curzon.

"It's alright. You can go," he said. Casana had her head in her hands, her elbows on the desk. Tears began to fill her eyes.

******

Armory, Deck 19, 1700 hours

Sahar stepped out of the Armory and headed for the turbolift. Six hours of sleep, then relieve Black and Sedaris, she thought. I am going to need every second of it. As she walked down the corridor, she thought about Casana. When the shift had ended and Casana and Dax left the laboratory, Casana looked completely defeated. Her head was down, her eyes blank, her hair in tangles, and her face expressionless.

She also remembered grabbing Casana as she lunged at the Ambassador. Casana could have been court martialed for it, but Dax just waived it off. What the hell is going on in there? Sahar knew there was something she wasn't being told, but had no idea what it was. What kind of award requires this kind of evaluation?

"Deck 5," she said as she entered the turbolift. Why is the Ambassador doing this to her? What is he doing to her? Sahar had no answers, but felt compelled to find them. As she was thinking, the turbolift door opened, and someone entered. Sahar looked up, and saw a totally demoralized Casana, her head hanging. Sahar gasped, and Casana looked up. When she did, her eyes grew wide, and she slumped back against the wall of the turbolift, a look of resignation on her face.

"Computer, pause turbo lift," Sahar said. Casana shut her eyes and slid down the wall until she was sitting.

"No," she whispered softly. "Please, no. Please, Sahar, not now," begged Casana. Instead of berating her, Sahar knelt down and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"What?" she asked.

"Please, don't yell at me," Casana whimpered.

"I'm not going to yell at you," Sahar reassured her softly. Casana lifted her head, looking into Sahar's eyes.

"You aren't? Why not?"

"Why would I yell at you?" The anger was completely gone. All Sahar felt for the helpless, quivering mass before her was empathy and love.

"Because of yesterday. You know, with me and Jeff, and..." her voice trailed off.

"It's okay." The words surprised even Sahar, but she continued. "You made a mistake. And I should have accepted that you are with Jeff."

"Why is this happening?" Casana asked, looking desperately at Sahar.

"What do you mean?"

"I have worked so hard for this! It's been my biggest dream, and now I'm losing it!" she cried, wrapping her arms around Sahar, sobbing.

"Shh," Sahar whispered, sitting back and pulling Casana into her. They sat there for several minutes while Casana cried softly, her head resting against the top of Sahar's chest. The human let her head rest on top of Casana's, and she felt the body in her arms start to relax. Casana reached her hand up, drying the tears from her eyes, grazing Sahar's chest as it rose. A jolt ran through them both, and Casana looked up into Sahar's dark brown eyes. Slowly, she raised her head until their lips met.

Sahar pressed her lips softly against Casana, her eyes closed. Her hand slid up Casana's back to her neck, gently caressing it, pulling her in closer. Sahar felt Casana's lips part, tongue pressing against her own lips, which parted of their own accord. She felt Casana's hands come up her sides, pass under her arms, and grip her shoulders from behind. Inhaling, she smelled Casana's sweet aroma, mixed with sweat and tears.

But something nagged at Sahar in the back of her mind.

Sahar forced herself to break the kiss, pulling Casana's head to her shoulder, whispering in her ear. "No." The word was almost physically painful to say. "We can't. Not here, and not now," she said, choking back her own tears.

"Why?" Casana cried softly into her shoulder.

"Because of Jeff. Because of Curzon. Because of your evaluation."

"Please, Sahar, please love me," she pleaded tearfully.

"I do love you. But you have to love me," she whispered, cradling Casana in her arms.

"I do!"

"You can't know yet. You aren't thinking. Get through this, and then we'll see what you feel, okay?"

"But..."

"Please, Cassie."

"I can't!" she screamed into Sahar's shoulder. Sahar pulled her up, until they were face to face, just inches from each other.

"Yes, you can. You can do this, and you will do this!" she said commandingly.

"But, he..."

"Screw him," Sahar growled. "Tomorrow, you show him that you are not going to break. You go into that lab with the same energy that you always have. Prove to him that he has no power over you." Casana stared into her eyes for a few moments.

"Okay," she finally said. She curled back up against Sahar, letting the tears flow. They sat like that for nearly 10 minutes, rocking back and forth, Casana crying into Sahar's chest, Sahar stoking her hair and resting her chin on the top of Casana's head. Slowly, the tears subsided, and Casana let herself relax in the warm embrace.

"Why are you doing this?" Casana asked.

"I love you. And I'm Persian. And Persian women are strong. And we don't let people push someone we love around."

"Really?"

"That's what my sister's Russian husband says," Sahar smiled. "And after you get your award, we can be together."

"I might not be the same person then," Casana whispered.

"I know. Things like this change you. That's why we have to wait."

No, you don't know, Casana thought.

******

Deck 9, Ambassadorial Suite, 0700 hours

Sahar arrived at the Ambassadorial Suite with Zula, and relieved Sedaris and Black. She stood for a moment, looking at the door. "Sir, are you alright?" Zula asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Sahar responded, still looking at the door, preparing herself.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," she said, turning to face her. "Chief, I want you to go ahead to the Exobiology Lab. I will be by in a few minutes with Ambassador Dax."

"Aye, sir," Zula said. With a wry smile, she left for the lab. Sahar turned back to the door, and pressed to enter.

"Come in," Curzon called from the other side, and the door slid open.

"Are you ready to go, sir?"

"Yes, yes Lieutenant, I'm ready. Let's go," he smiled. They walked silently down the corridor to the turbolift, and entered it.

"Deck 14, Exobiology," Sahar said. She waited for a few seconds, her eyes closed. Okay, it's now or never. "Computer, pause turbolift."

"Is something wrong, Lieutenant?" Curzon asked. Sahar turned on her heels and stepped up to him, staring into his face angrily.

"You're goddamn right something's wrong, you son of a bitch!" she snarled menacingly. Her demeanor had totally shifted. A moment before, she was the picture of a Starfleet Officer: calm, composed, dignified. Now, she glared at Curzon in a blind fury, barely in control of herself.

"Excuse me?"

"No," she barked. "You think you can come in here on a whim, torment my friend, and get away with it?"

"Lieutenant, you're out of line," he said, raising his voice.

"Shut the fuck up!" she screamed into his face. They peered into each other's faces. Sahar's eyes burned with fury, while Curzon's were calm and analytical. "I have watched you push Cassie around for two days, and I've had enough," she said quietly. "So here is what's going to happen: you are going to treat Casana fairly, and with the respect due a Starfleet Officer. You're evaluation will be honest, your recommendation just. Do you understand?"

"Are you threatening me, Lieutenant?" Curzon asked calmly.

"Yes," she hissed.

"I understand," Curzon said, without the slightest hint of having been intimidated.

"Good. Computer, resume transit."

******

Deck 14, Exobiology Lab, 0730 hours

Sahar smiled as Casana stepped past her into the Exobiology Lab. Curzon was again talking to Dr. Collins, but Casana ignored them. She practically danced across the room to the shrimp tank, humming as she went. Curzon looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Good morning, Lieutenant," Dr. Collins said.

"Morning!" chirped Casana. "Hey, I have an idea about the Bajoran Shrimp, so unless you object, I would LOVE to do a couple quick experiments here."

"By all means, go ahead," said Dr. Collins enthusiastically.

"Aren't you going to ask what she is going to do?" Curzon asked curiously.

"With Casana, it's better to be surprised," she smiled, turning to go back into her office. The door shut behind her, as Casana and Curzon were alone.

"So, what are you doing?" Curzon asked suspiciously.

"It's a secret," Casana giggled.

"You're just wasting time, aren't you? Playing with the shrimp?" His annoyance was palpable.

"You're half right," Casana smiled at him. She finished entering her commands into the computer and pressed a button on the tank. A robotic arm extended from the bottom of the tank and snared one of the larger shrimp in a net, dragging it down out of view.

"Or are you getting a snack?" Curzon said condescendingly.

"I already ate," she smiled. A small hatch at the base of the tank housing opened. Reaching into it, Casana retrieved a small, water filled transparent container with the shrimp inside. She took the container and crossed the room to an examination bench. Casana flipped a switch, and the table top lit up. She placed the container on the bench and retrieved a small vial of clear liquid from a storage closet.

"Seasonings?" Curzon asked.

"Even better: sedatives," she beamed as she walked past him. Casana opened the vial and emptied its contents into the container, and the shrimp immediately stopped moving and sank to the bottom of the container.

"You killed it."

"Nope." Casana rolled up a sleeve and reached into the container, removing the shrimp. Using a small laser drill, she cut a small hole in the carapace. She then picked up a small pair of energy shears and reached them into the hole. Snipping once, she withdrew the shears, which now had a small, yellow-green piece of tissue. Casana dropped it into a dish before returning the shrimp to its tank.

"What are you doing?" asked Curzon, his curiosity finally getting the better of him.

"You'll see!" she cooed, picking up the tissue sample with forceps. She used a small bottle to wash the sample, and the yellow-green material fell from the tissue into another small vial. "Got it!" she said happily. Discarding the tissue sample, she placed the vial into a small device built into the wall, and pressed a button.

"DNA sequencing?" Curzon asked.

"Maybe," she snickered. After a few minutes, a chromosomal map appeared on the display screen. Casana entered a few commands, and the computer searched through the DNA for a moment before highlighting a sequence of code. "Gotcha!" she yelled happily, clapping her hands together. She stored the sequence in the computer and removed the sample from the device, placing it in a cryostorage unit.

"What did you take?"

"Basket weaving 101, on Earth. Among other things," Casana replied, walking over to a large, cylindrical instrument. Using the controls, she pulled up a view of the DNA sequence she just isolated and entered some commands into the device. "Okay, now we let it cook!" she exclaimed proudly.

"Are you going to tell me what you just did?"

"That depends," Casana smiled innocently.

"On what?"

"Whether or not you'll give me a cookie," Casana said with a straight face. Curzon stared at her. "Just kidding! I took the gene for the protein that produces the photo-reactive molecule for photosynthesis, and now the machine is splicing it into algae."

"Why? To make it a slightly different shade of green?"

"No, for use in terraforming worlds with nonstandard light environments!"

"That is actually not a totally insane idea," Curzon grudgingly admitted.

"Why, thank you!"

******

2 Months Later, Deck 5, Crew Quarters, 1500 hours

Sahar leaned back against the wall of the sonic shower, closing her eyes. She let the waves of sound wash over her, cleaning the sweat and dirt from her body. Sahar was always amazed at how much dirt she could pick up on a starship. Casana was due back in the morning, and Sahar had requested to be present when she arrived.

After he left the Athena, Curzon had written a glowing recommendation for her, noting her resilience and her ability to inspire the loyalty and friendship of those around her. Sahar smiled when she heard the last part. Casana had been accepted, and a few days later she had departed the ship to take part in some ceremony. Sahar had not seen her in 7 weeks, and missed her energetic friend. The Athena had left K-7 a few weeks ago, and was nearly to the Cestus colony, the last Federation outpost before they entered uncharted space. A frigate was meeting them to deliver Casana before they left Federation territory.

She thought back to that week. She remembered Casana breaking down in the turbolift, herself screaming at Curzon, Casana's elation when she heard that she had been accepted, and Casana promising to have that talk with Sahar when she returned. Then she remembered the image of Casana and Crewman Black in the torpedo bay. It still brought her pain, but this time, it also brought something else.

Sahar felt herself heat up. She ran her hands over her body, from her long, jet black hair, down her neck, sides, and hips. As they passed her ribcage, her nipples began to harden, and her pussy grew damp. Should have brought the gloves, she thought, smiling to herself as her hands passed over her clit. She brought them back up her stomach slowly, creeping towards her breasts, trying to tease herself.

The image of Black and Casana passed through her mind again. But this time it was different. Black was gone. Sahar had taken his place between Casana's legs, his cock replaced with the programmable strap-on she kept in her wall locker. In her mind's eye, Sahar stood motionless between Casana's legs. She imagined the lust in her voice, the need in her eyes. As her hands reached her breasts, Sahar imagined it was Casana's hands, and she moaned loudly.

One hand slid back down her body to her now dripping sex, pressing softly as she pictured herself slowly entering Casana. Sahar imagined Casana's chest as she arched her back in pleasure, licking her lips at the thought of those nipples between her teeth. She pictured herself slowly moving in and out of Casana, starting to gently fuck her. Sahar's hand rubbed her clit as she imagined Casana's legs wrapping around her, pulling her deeper.

She moaned as she plunged her middle finger into herself, her thumb still on her clit, imagining Casana's moans and cries of ecstasy. Sahar's pace increased, both in the shower and her own mind, driving her higher as she imagined doing the same to Casana. Her juices flowed over her finger and onto the floor, filling the shower with the subtle smell of her passion. A second finger joined the first as she neared her peak.




Star Trek: Lineage Ch. 04



Writing scenes on the surface of an alien planet presents 2 odd challenges. First, the time of day at a given point on the planet will not be the same time as aboard ship. Second, the planet almost certainly has a day that is not 24 hours long. I chose to deal with this problem by describing the time of day in reference to the equivalent time of day on earth, based on planetary rotation. Thus, 1200 hours equivalent local would be the middle of the day, regardless of how long ago midnight occurred or what time it is aboard the Athena.

Hope that isn't too confusing.

Tranquility

2299, Uncharted M-Class planet, 40 light years outside of Federation space, 0200 hours equivalent local

Sahar bit down hard, and was rewarded with a sharp gasp. She released the woman's flesh, licking the spot on her shoulder that she had just bitten. Sahar's finger continued to pinch and pull sharply on the woman's pussy lips, her juices dripping down Sahar's hand onto the grass. Her other arm ran under the smaller woman's arm and across her chest, pulling her into Sahar. She nipped at the woman's shoulder again, this time closer to the neck, and again soothed the pain with her tongue.

"You like that?" she growled, and bit down again.

"Ow... oh, yes," the woman moaned as Sahar licked the mark she left.

"Yes, what?" she said before biting down on her sensitive neck.

"Ahh! Yes, sir," she cried.

"I know," smiled Sahar. She released the woman from her arm, and pushed her roughly forward. The woman fell forward, her face on the ground, arms outstretched. Sahar rubbed her free hand over the woman's back as she continued to play with her pussy. Without warning, Sahar raised her hand and brought it down with a crack on the woman's ass. At the same moment, she drove two fingers into the woman's opening.

"Ohh! Ohh, fuck," she squealed as her hands dug into the soil. Sahar slammed her fingers in and out of the woman's pussy, filling the air with wet slapping sounds and the thick smell of sex. "Oh, shit, I'm gonna come!" the woman moaned.

"Not yet," Sahar said teasingly as she slapped the woman's ass again. She continued to thrust into the woman, who struggled to contain her orgasm. Sahar bent over and kissed the red handprint on her ass, before biting down softly on it.

"Oh, fuck..." the woman moaned. 

"Not yet," Sahar said as she kissed the spot where she had bitten. She added a third finger, pushing as deeply as she could into the woman.

"Please!" she begged, panting desperately for air.

"Wait," Sahar whispered. She slapped the woman's ass a third time. "Wait." Sahar rubbed over the swollen red flesh, gently squeezing. "Now," she whispered softly, squeezing the flesh in her hands tightly.

A long, high, deafening shriek split the night air.

******

Planet Surface, 0623 hours equivalent local time 

Sahar sat quietly on the hillside, watching the suns come up over the plains to the east. This is one of the things she had always dreamed of seeing: an alien sunrise. But she was not happy. Her expression was blank, her eyes tired. Even as the wind tossed her long hair about, the cold morning air biting at her flesh through her undershirt and against her bare legs, she gazed off into space. The last few years had been a blur. Nothing really mattered to her. She simply went about her daily work, filled out reports, slept, ate, and drilled.

Four years of charting gas giants and barren rocks had begun to drain Sahar of her enthusiasm for exploration. The most exciting thing they had encountered on their nearly complete five year assignment had been an unusually small sloth-like creature, and this planet's atmosphere, which prevented transporters from working. Time seemed to have no meaning deep in the bowels of a starship. The corridor lights were always on, the sounds always the same. All that changed was whether or not you were on duty.

Sahar peered down at the figures in the valley below. They were a few hundred meters away, but her keen eyes could still recognize some of them. Commander Sull was the easiest, being Andorian, and Dr. Collins' white hair stood out from the others. Somewhere down there was Zula, Sedaris, Black, and Casana.

Casana.

Sahar had tried to think about her as little as possible in the last four years, but every time she had, it was painful. She thought back to the conversation after Casana's return from her ceremony. She had effectively ended their relationship before it began. After it had become clear what was happening, Sahar fled in tears. They had not spoken much after that. Casana had changed shifts, so they did not see each other much, and Sahar did not try to change that.

Something stirred beside her, and warm flesh touched her thigh. Sahar looked down at the naked body next to her, wrapped in a blanket. This had been the closest she had gotten to a real relationship: a one-night stand with some anonymous crewman. God, what was her name? Sahar tried to think of it, but she couldn't quite remember. Sarah? Samantha? Sandy? Eventually, she gave up.

Standing, Sahar dressed and began to walk down to the shuttle.

******

Deck 19, Main Engineering, 1000 hours

With adjustments to the Primary Energizing Coils, the Annular Confinement Beam can be stabilized, allowing dematerialization/rematerialization. Suvak checked her calculations again. Excellent. She downloaded her work from the console to her PADD and went to find Commander Kolarov in the Armory, where he was working on the Firing Range safety monitoring systems.

As she passed the turbolift, it opened and Chief Zula stepped out. "Greetings, Chief," Suvak said.

"Hello, Sir."

"Why are you on this deck? I believe you are assigned to decks 14 and 15."

"Yeah, well, my communicator failed, and I need it replaced, so Sahar sent me down to get one from the Armory," Zula said.

"How did you find Lieutenant Tehrani today?" Suvak asked.

Zula frowned. "Same as usual. Bad. She's just plodding through her duties like a heartless Vul... machine."

Suvak raised an eyebrow. "And what about Lieutenant Shen?"

"Saw her before the shift started. She's okay, I think. Kinda blue, but I think she'll get over it."

"Unfortunate," Suvak sighed, or as close to sighed as a Vulcan can get.

"Yeah, especially after all the trouble you, me, and Danny went through playing matchmaker for those two. I mean, you knocked Sahar out, and they still don't get it."

"I am fascinated by the ability of many species to refuse to acknowledge their own desires."

"Yeah, well, it kinda just pisses the hell out of me." Their discussion ended as they reached the Armory. Kolarov was just leaving as Suvak and Zula approached, so they parted ways and Suvak walked up to the Chief Engineer.

"Commander Kolarov, I wanted to discuss something with you."

"What is it, Lieutenant?"

"I think I may be able to modify the transporter to lock onto a tricorder through the magnetic interference on this planet, allowing safe transport. If successful, the technique could be adapted to similar environments."

Kolarov listed intently. "Let's see what you've got." Suvak handed him the PADD, and he examined her design. "Very well. Make the adjustments to the Auxiliary Transporter and a tricorder. We'll send it down with tomorrow's shuttle."

"I would prefer to go down myself," Suvak said. "The tricorder component is the most delicate, and I would prefer to be able to make any adjustments personally."

"Very well. I'll add your name to the list for tomorrow's run."

******

Deck 32, Main Shuttlebay, 0900 hours

Suvak was sitting in the shuttle, working on the tricorder when the access ramp lowered. "Hey, Lieutenant, I see you're coming with us today," said the pilot in a soft Welsh accent.

"Good morning, Ensign Morgan. Yes, I am working on a way to transport through the interference. I am going to use this tricorder as beacon for the transporter to lock on to," she explained as Morgan walked past her to the cockpit.

"Yeah, that's great," she said, taking her seat and beginning the preflight protocols. The corridor door opened, and Casana and Zula entered.

"Hey Suvak," smiled Casana.

"Morning, sir," Zula said.

"Chief, Lieutenant," Suvak replied, still working on the tricorder. Casana sat next to Suvak, reading over her PADD. Zula took the seat opposite from the Vulcan, and closed her eyes. "Are we ready to depart, Ensign?"

"Not yet, sir. Still one more," she answered. The door opened again, and Sahar stepped through. She took a seat across from Casana, and looked at the floor. Casana looked at the ceiling. Suvak and Zula looked at each other. Suvak raised an eyebrow and Zula rolled her eyes. "Now we're ready. Bridge, Shuttlecraft Armstrong requesting permission to launch."

"Armstrong, Bridge, you are clear to launch. Be advised, solar storms have increased magnetic interference on the surface. Expect turbulence."

"Understood, Bridge. Armstrong departing," Morgan said closing the channel. The lights in the shuttle dimmed, and the Shuttlebay doors opened, allowing the light from the system's twin suns into the craft. The shuttle lifted off the deck and slid forward silently.

They passed out of the Main Shuttlebay, underneath the aft section of the hull. The shuttle pitched to one side and turned towards the planet below. Brilliant oranges and bright yellows from the suns danced across the inside of the craft as it turned. The planets large oceans and vast grasslands gleamed in the light, a green and blue gem in the dark of space.

"Now entering outer atmosphere. Brace for turbulence," Morgan said over her shoulder. Over the hum of the engines, they began to hear a dull roar, soft but growing. Suvak, however, heard something else as well: a slight hissing sound, very soft, coming from the aft of the shuttle. She was at first concerned, but the sound faded quickly, and she leaned back into the chair. She glanced at Sahar as the planet's gravity began to be felt. She looked uncomfortable.

"Are you ill, Lieutenant?" she asked.

"Guess," she snapped, trying to breathe deeply.

"Might I..." she stopped mid-sentence as she heard another sound. This time, she heard a soft popping, coming from the same area as before. Suvak turned to Morgan. "Ensign, I suggest you run a diagnostic on-"

She was cut off by a deafening bang, followed by the sound of tearing metal and rushing wind. Alarms sounded, and the shuttle lurched to the side sharply. "Shit!" yelled Morgan. "Lost impulse power. Hull breach. We're losing altitude!"

"What the hell?" Sahar yelled. Another bang shook the shuttle, and it began to tumble.

"I've lost control! Brace for impact!" screamed Morgan.

There was a thunderous crash, and sparks flew through the cabin. The flight controls overloaded, exploding in Morgan's face. Another crash, and the shuttle came to a stop.

******

Shuttle Io Crash Site, 0930 hours on Athena, 1743 hours equivalent local

Suvak calmly looked around, but her eyes saw nothing. She groped around her waist for the emergency restraint's release lever. Her fingers found it, but when she pulled, nothing happened. Damaged. Suvak grasped the restraint itself and shook it. Loose. Possible structural damage. It may be possible to detach manually. She grabbed the restraint belt with both hands and pulled with all her strength. The belt immediately snapped free on the seat, and she tossed it to the floor. 

The cabin was completely dark, but she knew where the door was. She stood, nearly falling on the heavily tilted floor and moved to the ramp. It too was loose, and with a firm push the ramp swung down before falling from its hinges onto the ground. The shuttle was bathed in light, and Suvak turned to assess the damage.

The damage was total. The main window had been knocked out of its frame and now lay with one side on the top of the pilot's seat and the other on the controls. Despite numerous cracks, it was still supporting the weight at least a ton of rock, which now covered the front part of the shuttle. The controls themselves were destroyed, a smoldering mass of scrap. Zula stirred, groaning quietly as she opened her eyes.

"Ow," she mumbled.

"Chief Zula, are you injured?" Suvak asked.

"Huh?" She looked up at Suvak in confusion. "What the hell?" Finally, her mind began to work again. "Yeah, I'm fine," she said, pulling the release lever. The restraint released its grip and she nearly fell forward, her seat being on the elevated side of the wreck.

"Good. Help me wake the others," Suvak ordered as she moved to Casana. Behind her, Suvak heard Sahar moan as Zula pulled her from her seat.

"Easy, sir," Zula said as Sahar tried to move.

"Chief? What the hell happened?" she asked as she looked around.

"We crashed," said Zula flatly as Sahar surveyed the situation.

"I can see that, thank you Chief." Suvak removed Casana's restraint and examined her. She was breathing, but unconscious, and appeared to have received a blow to the head. As Suvak forced one of her eyes open, Casana jolted awake. She swung an arm out, catching Suvak in the jaw, causing her to stumble back and trip.

"Lieutenant Shen, please refrain from striking me." Casana looked around for a moment before realizing where she was.

"Oh. Sorry, Suvak," she apologized. "It's been awhile since I've been in a crash this bad," she blushed.

"When were you in a crash?" Sahar asked.

"Uh, a long time ago," she answered nervously.

"What about Morgan?" Zula asked, changing the subject.

"I do not know," Suvak said as she stood. She slowly worked her way through the debris to examine the Ensign. Tiny shards of glass and metal were embedded in her face, and blood ran down her uniform, but she was still breathing. "She requires medical assistance."

"Chief, get the medkit," ordered Sahar as she joined Suvak. Zula retrieved a medical kit from underneath one of the seats and opened it.

"Sir, most of the stuff in here is smashed, including the tricorder."

"Toss me a light," she said. Zula pulled a light from the box and tossed it to Sahar. Clicking it on, she shined it in Morgan's eye, watching the pupil. "She's responsive. We should move her," she said to Suvak.

"Agreed," the Vulcan responded. "Release her from the harness." Sahar bent down and forced the release, freeing the restraint and letting Morgan's body slump into Suvak's arms. As the others stepped out of the way, Suvak slid her arms under the unconscious pilot's shoulders and dragged her from the cockpit back to the ramp and out of the shuttle. Suvak set her down on the grass a few meters from the shuttle before returning to the wreck.

As her Vulcan friend went through the debris, Sahar bent over the young woman in front of her. She picked the glass and metal fragments carefully from her face, brushing aside a lock of dark red hair. She took a gauze pad from the medkit and gently dried the blood from her face. The dermal regenerator was destroyed, so she tore bandages into small strips and used them to cover the wounds. When her face was clean, Sahar could see another injury.

It was a long gash running from her right forehead down her face, through the eyebrow, across the cheek and ending at the jawline. Whatever had caused it had missed her eye by millimeters, sparing her any serious damage. The autosuture was also broken, so Sahar used another set of bandages to seal the injury without obstructing vision. Sahar stared at the Ensign's face, struck by the marred beauty of the young officer.

"We gotta get out of here!" yelled Casana, pulling Sahar back to reality.

"Why? What's wrong?" Zula asked as she looked up from some salvaged equipment she had been gathering.

"That," Casana said, pointing to the horizon. Sahar looked up to see dark clouds in the distance. Bright flashes lit the clouds a few times a second, and lightening was striking the ground almost constantly.

"Holy shit," Sahar gasped. "An electrical storm? On an M-class?"

"It's rare, but possible," Casana said.

"Suvak, can you get that transporter working?" Sahar called into the wreck. Suvak poked her head out.

"It will take time," she answered. "Time that we apparently lack," she added when she saw the storm.

"Get everything you can. We have to get out of here."

******

2 kilometers from crash site, 1803 hours equivalent local

"A few dozen more meters!" Casana shouted back to the others. Powerful gusts of wind lashed at the treetops, sending the weaker branches crashing to the ground as thunder rolled in the distance. They had covered more than 2 kilometers in a matter of minutes, but they were in danger of being overrun by the storm. They had entered a sparsely wooded area to minimize the chance of direct strikes from the lightening, but it would provide little protection from the full fury of the storm.

"Stay together!" Zula shouted back. "Sir," she added, remembering that she was, in fact, the lowest ranking person on the planet. She was carrying two bags of equipment, staying just behind Casana. Immediately behind her was Suvak, who was carrying Morgan in her arms. Behind them all was Sahar, who carried the least equipment, but was responsible for keeping track of the storm and was the most likely to get separated.

"We have to move!" she yelled forward. She could barely see Casana in the rapidly fading light. The Trill climbed a few meters up a tree, staring into the dark.

"I found an entrance!" she called back, pointing. She stayed in the tree, directing each person towards the cave entrance. Casana had memorized the geological scans of the area, and remembered that there was a network of caves in the hills near the crash site. They would provide sufficient shelter from the storm, assuming that they could get far enough in.

"Are we missing anyone?" Sahar asked Casana, having to yell despite being next to her.

"No. Come on, let's get in there," she answered, pointing to the cave entrance. Cold rain began to fall as they reached the cave entrance, and Sahar clicked on her light. It was useless outside, but in the tight quarters of the cave, it was very effective. But despite the light, she could not see Zula or Suvak.

"Suvak?" she called.

"Up the left passage, Lieutenant," said a voice, echoing down one of the passages. Sahar and Casana made their way carefully up the passageway until they reached a massive chamber. The chamber was at least 50 meters across, roughly circular, with a 20 meter high ceiling. Most of the chamber was underwater, covered by dark, still water, but there was a large dry area in front of her. The floor of the cave was covered in a fine sandy material, scattered with a handful of large rocks. Sahar shined her light into the water, and saw that it was not black, but rather emerald green.

In the center of the dry area, Zula was setting up a makeshift camp while Suvak examined Morgan. Sahar set the survival kit she had been carrying down and went over to the Vulcan. "How is she?"

"I am an engineer, not a doctor. While she does not appear to have suffered any major injuries, her pulse continues to slow, and her fingers are growing pale," Suvak said, holding up one of Morgan's hands for Sahar to examine. She took it in her own hands, and she saw that the hand was extremely pale and cold to the touch.

"She's losing blood," Sahar said.

"Are you sure?"

"Pale skin, restricted blood flow to the hands and feet, slow pulse. All signs of blood loss."

"There is no sign of bleeding, and her uniform is not torn."

"Take it off," Sahar said. Suvak looked at her questioningly. "We have to be sure."

"Very well." Suvak and Sahar removed Morgan's crimson jacket, setting it aside. Her undershirt was white, indicating her department. As Sahar started to pull it off, Suvak grabbed her hand. "Wait," she said, pointing to Morgan's abdomen, "here."




Star Trek: Lineage Ch. 04



"Yeah, I see it," Sahar agreed. The undershirt stuck tightly to Morgan's body, drenched in sweat, but a small area on the left side of her stomach was stained by a small amount of blood. Sahar gently peeled the fabric from Morgan's body. "Okay, let's see what we have here... oh, fuck!" she cried. As soon as the darkened part of the shirt was removed, a long, deep cut opened up and dark red blood poured out. "I need the field surgical kit!"

Zula and Casana looked up from what they were doing and saw the blood. Zula reached into the medkit and retrieved a small red box, tossing it to Casana as she passed her. Casana opened it as she reached Sahar and Suvak. "I need room!" she said, and Suvak stood and backed away. 

"Holy shit, that's a lot of blood," Sahar said worriedly.

"The dark color means it's not oxygenated. It's been in the wound for a while, coagulating. As far as circulation is concerned, it's already gone." Casana knelt across from Sahar, next to the Ensign, digging in the surgical kit as Zula and Suvak looked on. Sahar reached down and used her hands to place pressure of the gash, trying to stop the bleeding. "No! Not yet," Casana yelled, pulling Sahar's hands away, "We need to let it clear. It will carry away any pathogens, cleaning the wound, and make room for oxygenated blood to reach the tissue."

"Since when do you have medical training?" Sahar scowled, but Casana didn't respond. Instead, she pulled a stack of bandages from the surgical kit and set them on Ensign Morgan's chest.

"I need a bio-waste bag and light," she said calmly. Suvak picked up a light and knelt behind Casana as Zula dug a small resealable bag out of the medkit and handed it to Sahar. "Hold it here," Casana said as she maneuvered the light in Suvak's hand to illuminate the injury. Casana dropped a piece of gauze on a small puddle of blood that was starting to form in the sand, and used another to wipe the area around the wound dry. "Bag," she said, and dropped the blood-soaked gauze into the bag as Sahar held it open.

"Shit," muttered Zula as Casana gently pressed a gauze pad against the injury and the white material immediately turned dark red. She quickly replaced the gauze, dropping the used one into the bag. Casana went through several gauzes, each one taking up less and less blood. Finally, she pulled the gauze away from the wound, and bright crimson blood slowly seeped from the cut.

"Okay, it's cleared. Sahar, I need you to hold a gauze pad in place to absorb blood while I look for the source of the bleeding."

"Okay," she said. Casana carefully placed a small piece of gauze in the wound and brought Sahar's hand to it.

"Hold it here," Casana ordered as she peered into the injury. Using her small fingers, she moved the tissue around, trying to find the source of the bleeding, occasionally moving Sahar's hand to better absorb the blood. At last, she spotted a small tear in the muscle layer, slowly leaking blood. "Tell me the laser scalpel isn't broken," Casana said to Zula.

"It is," she answered gravely.

"Fuck."

"We can build a substitute," Suvak said. "Chief Zula, find a small piece of metal, long and narrow."

"Okay," Zula said, digging around in the equipment before finding a small shard. "Got it."

"Now, place several small rocks together away from the equipment."

Zula quickly gathered a few stones and piled them in the middle of sandy area. "Now what?"

"Using your sidearm, heat the rocks to over 500 Kelvin."

"I see where this is going," Zula said as she drew her phaser. She adjusted the power setting, aimed the weapon at the rocks, and fired, maintaining the beam until the rocks glowed bright orange. Zula picked up the shard of metal and wrapped one end in cloth from the lining of the survival kit and stuck the exposed end into the rocks, quickly turning it red hot. "Here she," she said, handing it to Casana.

"Okay, let's see." Casana carefully maneuvered the metal so as not to touch any undamaged flesh. She delicately drew it across the torn muscle tissue, cauterizing it shut. "Got it. Now I need something to stich the laceration closed with..."

******

Cave Campsite, 2000 hours equivalent local

Having finished working on Ensign Morgan, Casana washed her hands in the water while Zula and Suvak picked through the salvaged equipment. The storm still raged outside, sending bursts of light through a small hole in the wall of the cave. Emergency lights had been set up to provide maximum illumination of the chamber, reflecting off the water to form shimmering, shifting patterns on the ceiling of the cave.

Sahar was sitting on a rock next to Ensign Morgan, staring down at the young woman. Did that just happen? she asked herself. It's impossible. But I saw it. Casana had no medical training, but she worked on Morgan like a skilled surgeon. She couldn't explain it, and that bothered her. Sahar tried to shake the thoughts, and walked over to Zula and Suvak. "What do we have?" she asked.

"Very little," Suvak answered. "Much of the equipment is damaged or destroyed, including my modified tricorder, the medical tricorder, the emergency beacon, and most of the medical equipment."

"Can you repair any of it?"

"Yes, but not all of it."

"Which ones?"

"Any of them."

"What?" Sahar said, confused. "You just said you couldn't!"

"I said I couldn't repair all of them, but any of them can be repaired."

"What the hell does that mean?" Sahar cried in frustration.

"If I use parts from other pieces of equipment, I can repair any of them, but there are not enough parts to repair them all," Suvak explained.

"Why the hell didn't you say that in the first place?"

"I did," Suvak responded. Sahar threw her hands up, turning around and walking back towards Ensign Morgan. As she sat back down, she noticed the Ensign twitch slightly. Sahar knelt over her, and Morgan slowly turned her head to one side.

"Bloody hell," she murmured, wincing.

"Stay still. You're injured," Sahar said softly.

"I noticed," she said, moving a hand to her side. Her eyes opened, revealing dark emerald-green irises.

"Good, you aren't paralyzed then!" Sahar teased, causing Ensign Morgan to chuckle and wince in pain.

"God, no jokes! It hurts to laugh," she smiled.

"Fine, fine. Hey, Casana, she's awake!" Casana finished washing the blood from her hands and came to kneel next to Ensign Morgan.

"Can you hear me?" she asked calmly.

"Yes."

"Good. Do you remember your name?"

"Ensign Kara Morgan." 

"Where were you born?"

"Swansea, British Isles, Earth," Kara said.

"I think she's okay," Sahar said.

Casana ignored her. "Do you know where you are?"

"Oh, come on, Casana," Sahar said, crossing her arms.

"I need to make sure short term memory is intact," Casana snapped at Sahar.

"What, do you think she guessed where she was from? Who would guess that?"

"Hey!" Kara said with a scowl.

"That's long term."

"And by the way, when did you become a doctor?"

"I'm not," Casana replied, still examining Kara. Sahar grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her around. She was furious, more so than seemed appropriate even to her.

"Bullshit! You just performed emergency surgery with a flashlight and a hot piece of metal!"

"Wait, what?" Kara asked, but was completely ignored.

"I performed a simple procedure on someone who was going to bleed to death if I didn't. It didn't take any more knowledge than basic anatomy," Casana explained, trying to remain calm.

"I'm not talking about knowledge," she snapped. "I'm talking about skills. The way you moved her flesh around, the way you positioned the gauze, the way you cauterized the muscle. You did all of it like it was routine." Sahar paused, staring at Casana. Then, in a low, accusatory voice, "Like you had done it a thousand times." Casana stared back at her coldly.

"Uh-oh," whispered Zula, who had just noticed the confrontation, as she tapped Suvak's shoulder. They both stood, but remained near the small pile of equipment in the center of the camp.

"Stay out of my affairs," Casana growled, turning back towards Kara.

"Stay off the torpedo loading controls," Sahar sneered. The cave was still for a moment, with only the sound of distant thunder occasionally breaking the silence.

"What the hell does that mean?" Kara asked, but was again ignored.

"What did you say?" Casana whispered, her back still to Sahar.

"I said, stay off-" she was cut off as Casana whirled around, striking her in the jaw with the back of her first. Sahar was taken off guard and stumbled backwards, nearly falling to the ground. As she regained her footing, Casana hit again, this time to the stomach, dropping Sahar to her knees. She quickly recovered, and charged forward from her knees, catching Casana in the stomach and driving her backwards.

"Gah! Holy fuck!" cried Kara as they tripped over her legs, sending them both tumbling to the ground next to her. Sahar ended up on top of Casana, straddling her stomach, and punched her in side of the head. As Sahar drew back her hand for another strike, Casana reached up and grabbed the back her head, pulling it forward into a powerful head-butt. Sahar was dazed for a moment, but recovered quickly and clasped her hands together over her head.

Before she could bring it down, something seized her arm, and Sahar was hurled backwards through the air, striking a boulder and knocking the wind out of her. As she struggled to get to her feet, still on her hands and knees, she looked up to see a large, black boot swinging towards her. It stuck her in the face, sending her to the ground, landing on her back, unconscious.

Casana tried to stand but was stopped by a searing pain shooting through her arm and shoulder, and slumped to the ground.

******

Cave Campsite, 2030 hours equivalent local

Kara groaned as she laid her head back against the rock. She was seated against a small boulder a few meters from the "campfire", a large pile of phaser-heated rocks. "It's a bit hard," she said to Zula, who had helped her into this position. Zula reached into the survival kit and removed a sleeping roll.

"Use this," she said as she tossed it to Kara.

"Thanks," she replied, slipping it behind her head. "So, what the hell was that all about? I mean, they weren't fighting over whether or not Lieutenant Shen is a doctor, were they?"

"Very observant," Zula answered dryly as she watched Suvak prop up Casana against a boulder on the other side of hot rocks, next to Sahar. They were both unconscious, with their hands restrained behind their backs. "They have a bit of a history."

"Yes, I gathered that, too. What kind of history?"

"Lieutenant Tehrani holds deep romantic feelings for Lieutenant Shen, but they are not mutual," Suvak explained. "Several years ago, Lieutenant Tehrani expressed those feelings to Lieutenant Shen, but was rejected. She has since repressed those emotions, which appear to have manifested as aggressive and antisocial tendencies." She finished with Casana and looked back at Kara. She was wide-eyed.

"Oh, that's bloody brilliant! So, we're stranded in a cave with two feuding non-lovers, very little food, and no equipment?"

"It gets worse," Zula said.

"Naturally," Ensign Morgan sighed.

"See, before Sahar told Casana how she felt, she caught Cass and her boyfriend, who was under Sahar's command, going at it on the Photon Torpedo Loading Console in the Main Torpedo Bay, which he was supposed to be guarding."

"Nice."

"At the time, Sahar outranked them both. She tore into them like a Klingon drill instructor."

"And they've been fighting ever since?" Kara guessed.

"No, they made up. Almost got into a relationship, too. Then Casana... changed."

"God, this is like a Greek Tragedy," she sighed.

"Incorrect. In most Greek tragedies, most or all of the principle protagonists die before the end of the story," Suvak corrected her, kneeling over the medkit.

"That's still a possibility," Kara pointed out dryly.

"We hope to avoid that. Hence this little intervention," Zula explained, getting to her feet. "Ready?" she asked Suvak, who retrieved two hyposprays from the medkit.

"Yes. Here is Sahar's dose," said the Vulcan, holding out one hypospray for Zula.

"I'm gonna do this manually," she smiled

Suvak pocketed the hypospray, and went over to Casana. She bent over and pressed the spray head against Casana's neck, and a sharp hiss signaled the delivery of the stimulant. Almost immediately, Casana breathed in sharply and stirred. "She is regaining consciousness," she said to Zula. "What do you mean by 'manually'?"

Zula just grunted and stood over Sahar. "Hey, you in there?" she said.

"I do not believe that is sufficient," Suvak said.

"Call it 'fair warning'," Zula scoffed. She nudged Sahar with her foot, at first gently, then harder. When this proved ineffective, she squatted down next to her. Zula looked at Sahar's face for a moment. "You've earned this one, sir," she sighed. Zula drew her hand back and slapped Sahar hard across the face. Sahar's eyes immediately opened. "Dipshit," Zula muttered, sitting back down next to Kara.

As they were joined by Suvak, Sahar began to struggle against her restraints, still not fully conscious. "May not want to do that," Zula called out. "We had to use some electrical cables to tie you up, and it has a tendency to bite into the flesh."

"What the fuck!" Sahar yelled when she realized where she was. She pulled hard against the restraints, trying to break free, but they cut into her wrists, and she cried out in pain.

"Told you."

"Chief Zula, I am ordering you to untie me," Sahar said in her most commanding voice.

"Nope."

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" she shrieked.

"We'll get to that," Zula said, noticing that Casana had opened her eyes. "You awake, Lieutenant?"

"Yes," Casana said weakly. "Wait, why are my hands tied behind my back?"

"We concluded that the two of you would most likely resume your confrontation when you awoke," Suvak said.

"They didn't want you two fighting anymore," Kara smiled. "I begged them not to."

"See, we are going to deal with this little spat you two are having. Right now," Zula added.

"She fucking hit me! Why am I tied up?" Sahar yelled, her face red with anger.

"What did you expect? You pushed and pushed until I responded!" Casana yelled back.

"Slut!"

"Bitch!"

"This is going swimmingly," remarked Kara.

"Clearly, there are deeper issue putting stress on your relationship," Suvak observed.

"What fucking relationship?" Sahar screamed back at her. Her eyes were beginning to puff up and turn red as she fought back tears.

"Our friendship," Casana said.

"We don't have one!" Sahar barked at her.

"And why is that?" Casana said angrily.

"You hurt me, then led me one, then hurt me again! What did you think was going to happen?" 

"I thought you would be reasonable!"

"Reasonable? You fucking cried in my arms, begging me to be with you!"

"And you said 'No'!" Casana screamed, tears rolling down her face.

"Because I didn't want a comfort-fuck, I wanted you!" Sahar bawled, tears flowing down her cheeks. She cried silently for a few minutes, the whole cavern quiet.

"This is better than theater," Kara whispered to Zula, who shushed her.

"You said you wanted me," Sahar finally whispered.

"I did want you," Casana said, her own tears flowing.

"But then you left. And when you came back, you were a whole different person. And you wanted nothing to do with me."

"It's not that simple," Casana said softly.

"Yeah, actually, it is that simple," Sahar said, looking at Casana for the first time. "You came back, and you didn't want me."

"I couldn't."

"Why? Why couldn't you?"

"I can't tell you," Casana said, looking at the ground. "They made me swear not to tell anyone. And if we were together, you would find out eventually."

"What did they fucking do to you? It's like you were brainwashed!"

"It's not brainwashing!" Casana screamed, taking the others by surprise.

"Uh huh," Sahar said condescendingly. "Let's take a look at the facts, shall we?" Casana's face grew pale as Sahar said this. "Setting aside your little change of heart, you leave a carefree, smiling, bubbly, energetic little ball of cute. When you came back, you had the energy, but now you're concerned about everything, like your always looking over your shoulder. You don't use the transporter, you keep to yourself off-duty, and you don't even get your yearly physicals."

"I have a waiver," Casana explained.

"A waiver? I have never heard of anyone in Starfleet getting a waiver on their yearly physical. Hell, the Starfleet Chief of Staff has to get one!"

"I can't tell you!" Casana yelled.

"Why not?"

"Because, they'll kill me!" The cave was again silent, Casana's words echoing off the rock.

"What?" Sahar whispered.

"They will kill me," Casana repeated. "They would do anything to protect the secret. ANYTHING."

"Who? Who would kill you?" Sahar asked.

"The Commission. The ones who gave me... this."

"And what is 'this'?" Sahar demanded.

"Sir," Zula interrupted, getting to her feet. "She can't tell you."

"Maybe not. But you can," Sahar said, turning her head to look at Zula. "You told me so. Don't you remember? My first day aboard, you told me that Casana was special, that the Trill have a secret. What is it, Chief?"

"Sahar-" Zula began, but Sahar cut her off.

"Goddammit, Chief, you told me you know what it is!"

"I told you to keep her close, sir!" For the first time that Sahar knew of, Zula yelled. "I told you that you would see a new person, and that that person would be one of the most valuable friends you could possibly have! And what did you do? You pissed it away!"

"What was I supposed to do?" Sahar cried, staring to tear up again. "Someone I loved, really loved, was suffering, and I couldn't find out why, I couldn't stop it, and I couldn't understand it!" she yelled. Sahar struggled to her feet, her hands still bound, tears rolling down her face. "What was I supposed to do? Let it go? Stand there every day and watch as Casana suffered? Pretend it wasn't real? And then, in the turbolift?" She was screaming now, at the top of her lungs. Sahar turned to look down at Casana.

"You remember that? When we happened to end up on the same turbolift? You looked so miserable that it made me sick! I stopped the turbolift, and you just came apart! You slumped down on the ground and begged me not to hurt you! God, you were pleading like I was going to kill you! Do you remember what I did?" she screamed. Casana opened her mouth to respond, but didn't get the chance. "I held you in my arms. I held you, and I let you cry, and I tried to encourage you, and what did you do?"

"You kissed me," she whispered. "You leaned up and you kissed me. And it was glorious, like nothing I had ever experienced. I wanted you so badly, to lay you down and cover you with love. I wanted to push you down and rip your clothes off, to make you smile and laugh and scream in joy! But I didn't. I didn't because it would have been me taking you. It would have been me, coming in when you were hurt, and taking what I wanted. And I wouldn't do that. But I had to do something."

"Do you know what I did after that?" she asked. Sahar turned to look at Zula. "Do you, Chief? Suvak? I'll tell you what I did." She turned back to Casana and fell to her knees. Sahar stared into Casana's eyes, tears on both faces. "I'll tell you," she whispered. "The next morning, I escorted Curzon to the Exobiology Lab. I sent you ahead," she said, looking at Zula for a moment before turning back to Casana. "I needed to do it alone. When we were in the turbolift, I stopped it. And I let him have it."

"I tore into him with all the rage I had. I screamed in his face. I told him that I wasn't going to come to my ship, hurt my friend, and get away with it. I told him to be fair, or he'd answer to me. I threatened him." Sahar paused, letting the idea settle in. "I threatened a Federation Ambassador under my protection."




Star Trek: Lineage Ch. 04



"I risked everything, my career, my future, my life, for you, Cassie. And when you came back, you stuck a knife in me," Sahar finished. She hung her head, looking at the sand, watching her tears fall. Suddenly, her hands were free. She looked up, and saw Suvak cut Casana's hands loose, and Casana threw her arms around Sahar.

"I'm sorry, Harry," she cried. Sahar wrapped her arms around Casana, pulling her tight.

"Don't call me 'Harry'," she whispered into Casana's ear. Sahar felt her take a deep breath as Casana rested her head against her chest.

"That is HOT," said Ensign Morgan, smiling broadly. Casana giggled, bringing a smile to Sahar's face. They held each other for a few moments as their friends looked on. Finally, Casana pulled away to look Sahar in the eye.

"I need to tell you something. Something important," she said. "I need to tell all of you."

"Are you sure about this?" Zula asked her.

"Chief, people as old as us know that nothing can stay a secret forever. Someday, everyone will know. That will be a proud day for me, but I can't go on without telling you all."

"Even me?" Kara asked. Casana looked at her hesitantly.

"It would be unwise to move her," Suvak said. Casana looked up at her questioningly. "And it is still unsafe to leave this area." Casana looked back at Ensign Morgan.

"I won't tell. Promise."

"I don't know," Sahar said.

"Aww, come on, Mum, I wanna see how it ends!" Kara begged.

"Okay, fine," Casana relented. She turned to Sahar and took a deep breath. "Oka, here it is."

"I am Casana Olan, but I am also more. I am many in one." Sahar blinked in confusion, but didn't interrupt. "I am two individuals, merged into one. The first is Casana Olan. I have all her memories, skills, and knowledge. The other is Shen. Shen is here." Casana took Sahar's hand and guided under her shirt and over her stomach. Sahar felt something inside move ever so slightly.

"Holy shit," she gasped unconsciously.

"Shen is a symbiont. The symbionts come from subterranean pools on Trill. There are very few of them, and they live for a very long time. The symbionts are joined with a host, like Casana Olan, to form a single being. The two share experiences, thoughts, and emotions as one mind. When the host dies, the symbiont is removed, and joined with another host, carrying with it all of the memories, skills, habits, emotions, and quirks of all previous hosts."

"It takes you over?" Sahar asked in horror.

"No! No, not like that. I did not steal Casana Olan's body from her. Casana Olan did not die, she became me, Casana Shen. I am her, all of her. And I am the symbiont, and all of its previous hosts, together in one consciousness."

"How many?"

"There were three before Casana. Please, try to understand, I am still the person you knew. Casana is a strong personality, and her personality contributes more to the joined person than any of the previous hosts. She has not been removed or reduced, she has been added to."

"Why is this secret?" Sahar asked.

"The symbionts are very few, and totally defenseless by themselves. But joined Trill are very wise, and very valuable to us. Only a very select few can earn the right to be joined with a symbiont. For us, it is the ultimate honor. Hosts are chosen by the Symbiosis Commission, and they are very protective of the symbionts."

Sahar thought silently for a long time as Casana stared at her. It was a lot for her to take in, but she was glad Casana had told her. 

"Thanks, Cass."

******

2 Weeks Later, 0400

Sahar bit down gently on the soft flesh, drawing a moan from the woman in her arms. Sahar kissed the red mark she had left, flicking her tongue over it as she did. A shiver went through the woman, and she bit her lip. "Ohh, that's nice," she moaned. Sahar stopped at looked up into her eyes.

"'That's nice'?" she said, feigning offense.

"What? It was. And I want more," the woman said. Sahar grinned and leaned forward, taking one of the hard, pink nipples into her mouth and flicking it. The woman straddling her legs grabbed Sahar's head and pulled her closer, begging her not to stop as Sahar's hands roamed over her back. Sahar tried to lift them, rolling the woman onto her back, but she stuck a leg out and stopped her. "I'm on top," she giggled down at Sahar.

Sahar looked up and smiled, not releasing the breast from her mouth. Sahar mumbled something into the flesh, sending vibrating pleasure through the woman. "Sorry, I didn't catch that." Sahar took one more lick at the nipple and released her breast.

"I said," she repeated, kissing her way across to the other mound, "'Whatever... you... say." Sahar ended by taking the woman's other nipple in her teeth and gently moving her head from side to side.

"Oh, wow!" the woman gasped. Sahar again mumbled into her chest. "What is it now?"

"I said 'That's more like it'."

"Just stop teasing me and hurry up," she begged playfully. Sahar just smiled and lay back onto the blanket. The woman moved her torso between Sahar's legs and slowly drug her body up Sahar's, letting her breasts rub against the taller woman. She came to a stop when she reached Sahar's mouth and kissed her lightly on the nose.

"You're weird," Sahar said, grabbing the woman's ass with both hands and squeezing softly.

"You're hot," she responded, and began to slowly rock her hips back and forth, grinding her hairless mound and damp pussy against Sahar's small patch of hair and soaking wet folds. "Evidently, very hot," she giggled.

"That laugh is adorable," Sahar smiled.

"Why, thank you. You've been so good to me, and I want to repay you. So, just lie back, and enjoy." Sahar closed her eyes, letting the sensations wash over her. The smell of fresh rain mixed with the scent of their passion to create a beautiful, intoxicating scent. It was light and fresh, but also musty. It filled her nostrils, sending her head spinning.

The woman kissed her, briefly poking her tongue into Sahar's mouth before breaking away. Sahar licked her lips, trying to capture as much of the taste as she could. It was sweet and tangy, but very light with a bit of saltiness, and left her with a powerful desire for more.

Sounds of wet flesh filled the predawn air, seemingly melding with the sounds of nature. Sahar could hear heavy breathing, both the woman's and her own, almost perfectly synchronized with each other and the movement of their hips against one another. It provided a single, beautiful rhythm of passion.

Her hands gripped the blanket, turning the knuckles white. The cold wind gave Sahar goose bumps, but her skin felt as though it was on fire. She tingled from head to toe, desperate for contact with her lover. Occasionally, the woman's hair would fall low enough to make contact with her, sending jolts of pleasure through Sahar as it tickled her. Pressure was building slowly inside her, demanding release. With each stroke, the friction of her pussy against her lover's sent her higher and higher, causing their pace to quicken.

Sahar's heartbeat pounded in her ears, and her body started to shudder. She reached out, pulling the woman close, whispering in her ear. "I'm close."

"Come for me, baby," she whispered back. "Come for me. I want to feel your body twitch and heart race. I want you gasp for breath and hold me tight as you quake with ecstasy." The words excited her, pushing her ever so close to the edge.

"Oh, god," Sahar gasped, trying to hold out as long as possible.

"I'm going to come with you," the woman whispered, sending Sahar over. Her arms left the blanket and wrapped around the woman on top of her, pulling with all their strength, her hands balled into fists. Sahar opened her mouth to cry out, but her voice failed her. She wrapped her legs around the woman, arching her back and pressing their hips together.

"Oh, god yes," she squealed softly, her body totally rigid as the orgasm washed over her. When Sahar thought she could take no more, she felt the woman in her arms tense and gasp, setting Sahar off again.

"Oh, yes baby. God yes, come with me baby," the woman cried, her whole body twitching. They quietly rode out the storm of pleasure together, holding each other tight, unable to speak or think or feel anything but each other.

******

0620 hours equivalent local

Sahar sat peacefully on the hillside, arms wrapped around her legs, drawing them to her chest, watching the suns rise over the plains in front of her. It's like a dream come true, she thought. An alien sunrise. She smiled broadly, drinking in the beauty, ignoring the wind biting at her exposed skin and tossing her hair aside. She thought about the last few weeks, about the crash, about Suvak, Zula, and Casana.

Casana

The name rang in her head, and her smile grew. The old Casana had returned in the last two weeks, full of life and energy. The friend she had missed so much was back, stronger than ever. Sahar pictured the braided hair, the bright grey eyes, her gleaming smile, and even her excited, bouncing walk. All of it was comforting to Sahar.

Sahar felt warm flesh against her back as thin arms reached around her, covering her own. She felt soft, smooth legs around her hips and a soft, hot body press against her own. A gentle kiss caressed her shoulder, and Sahar leaned back. The woman set her chin on Sahar's shoulder, and she felt a blanket wrap around them, trapping the heat. They sat together, cheek to cheek, watching the suns rise.

"Happy new year," she said, squeezing Sahar.

"Huh?"

"It's 2300 now. A new century."

"It's 1620. It's not a new century for another 8 hours," Sahar laughed.

"It's sunrise, a new day."

"So, it's a new year in spirit?" The woman nodded, rubbing her cheek against Sahar's. For the next hour, they sat silently in each other's arms.

"It's beautiful, love," the woman said.

"So are you, Kara."

******

Dedicated to the memory of Neil Armstrong



Star Trek: Lineage Ch. 05



For those of you not familiar with the terms, port is the left side of a ship, and starboard is the right side.

A Seat at the Table

2230, Deck 19, Battle Bridge, 1721 hours

"This is never going to work," Sahar cried. From her post at the Tactical Station, she watched the battle unfold on the viewscreen and console in front of her. Kara, now a Lieutenant, sat to her right at the Helm.

"Quiet, Lieutenant," ordered Commander Sull from the captain's chair behind them.

"Aye, sir," Sahar sighed.

She was pushed nearly off her seat as the Athena turned sharply to the left, banking hard into the turn. There was a buzz, and the dorsal phaser arrays fired. Sahar watched them strike the aft shield of their enemy. "No effect, sir. Their shields are too strong."

"We're just peppering them," Sull replied. The Athena came out of the turn, and their opponent filled the main viewscreen. It was large and bulky, not at all sleek like Federation ships. The color was mixed brown and dark green. The main hull was a tapered, rectangular-shaped mass, thin in the front, with two large pylons jutting forward from the aft portion of the ship. It looked to Sahar like a strange, geometric horned snake head.

"We're closing in," Kara called out as the Athena accelerated out of the turn, the sound of her engines straining to push the ship faster filling the room.

"Firing torpedoes," said Sahar. Loud, thrumming pulses came from above and below them, and shimmering red gems streaked forward towards the hostile ship. They struck the aft shield, the glittering sparks and explosions flashing brightly in dimly lit room.

"Effect?" Sull yelled out to Sahar over the engines.

"Direct hits, aft shield... holding at 27%!"

"Dammit!" he yelled. The Athena passed over the enemy ship, and was now fully exposed.

"Incoming!" shouted Sahar as she saw the sensor readings spike on her console. Before any of them could react, the ship shook violently and the lights flickered. Above her, a power conduit overloaded, showering her with sparks. "Sir...!" she started to yell, but was cut off as another blast rocked the ship. This one was much stronger than the first, and knocked Sahar from her seat onto the deck. Alarms sounded, and there was an explosion behind her.

"Damage report!" screamed Sull as Sahar returned to her station. She scanned her console before looking back over her shoulder. Behind Sull, a vent had ruptured, spewing steam into the room and obscuring her vision. Sahar could make out Suvak at the Engineering Station, working quickly to assess the damage.

"Aft shield is down. Direct phaser hits to Engineering Section, decks 15, 19, 20, 21, and 16. Damage to the warp nacelles. Aft Photon Torpedo Launcher is offline. Lateral Phaser Array is offline. Hull breaches on deck 19. We are venting warp plasma," Suvak said calmly, reading off her console.

Amber lights pulsed on the ship layout on Sahar's console, blinking for a few seconds before turning red. "Intruder alert!" she yelled. 

"Seal the room!" Sull called back, but it was too late. Pillars of shimmering green light appeared around the room, accompanied by a crackling hum. As she heard them, Sahar stood and drew her phaser, leveling at the nearest one. In moments, the lights faded and coalesced into a figure.

The intruder was tall, nearly 2 meters, with scaly, dark green skin. Its head was reptilian, with no ears, a short snout, and rows of teeth. The eyes shined silver, and it held a large rifle in its larger, clawed hands. It wore a shining gold tunic and trousers, leaving its clawed feet bare.

"Stand down!" Sull ordered, but Sahar had already squeezed the trigger. The orange blast streaked from her phaser, striking the intruder square in the chest. The creature hardly moved, snorting in response. All of the consoles returned to normal, the lights came up, and the ship stood down from Red Alert.

"Fuck!" screamed Sahar, ripping her helmet off and throwing it to the floor.

"Thatsss three ssstraight for usss," hissed the creature.

"Yeah, yeah. Victory for Gorn Hegemony!" she said sarcastically, waiving her hands in mock celebration.

"Lieutenant, take it easy," Sull ordered her. "Next exercise is in 36 hours. Dismissed."

"Aye, sir. I just hate losing. Come on, Riss, I'm buying. Again," Sahar sighed as she trudged off towards the exit. "You wanna come?" Sahar asked Kara.

"I'll meet up with you later. I still have some work to do."

"You don't have to pay," Riss pointed out, following behind Sahar.

"I know that! It's a figure of speech," she sighed. "Gecko," she muttered.

"Monkey," laughed the hulking Gorn.

******

Deck 10, Crew Lounger, 1800 hours

"That was fucking stupid," Sahar cursed into her lemon Sharbat.

"Yesss, it wasss," Riss smiled, or as close to smiled as a Gorn is capable.

"Closing to point blank with a Gorn dreadnought. What do you think is going to happen?" she growled to herself.

"We will crussssh you!" the Gorn bellowed loudly as he lifted his large drink, drawing glances from other tables.

"You guys aren't very subtle, are you?" Sahar laughed.

"Why sssshould we be? You warm-bloodsss can't sssstand againssst usss, and we can't ssssneak around like you can." Sahar just grunted, taking a sip of her drink and staring out the window. "Sssspeaking of not being ssssubtle, where issss your mate?"

"What?" Sahar choked on her drink. "What are you talking about?"

"Your mate. The female who issss going to meet ussss."

"What, Kara? She's not... we aren't... how is it that you know everything?"

"Gorn body language issss very precisssse. Your'ssss issss not."

"What else have you noticed?" Sahar asked curiously.

"I have not been aboard you sssship much. I have sssseen little," he "smiled" again.

"Don't play dumb with me," Sahar warned him, leaning forward.

"I ssssee that your crew fearssss ussss."

"Like hell!" Sahar scoffed.

"Not terror, apprehenssssion," he explained. "They are afraid to act, unssssure of how to deal with ussss, sssso they don't. They flee or hide until they can't anymore. When that time comesssss, they don't know what to do, so they do whatever they would do with each other."

"We don't know what to do about you, so we just do what we always do?"

"Yessss! And it ssssuitssss ussss!"

"God, cover your mouth if you're going to hiss that much," Sahar teased, pretending to wipe her face off.

"Then don't sssshed all that fur on me!" he laughed, deep and loud, the sound echoing through the room. Sahar was about to respond when she spotted Kara and Casana enter the room. She raised a hand, waiving to them.

"Hey, over here!" she called, but they were already on their way over. Casana bounded over ahead of Kara, taking a seat at the round table between Sahar and Riss.

"Hey, Harry, how ya doin'?" she asked gleefully as Kara grabbed a chair and sat down next to Sahar.

"Don't call me 'Harry'," she growled, pushing Casana gently. Their relationship had recovered since the crash, and they were again friends. Casana had also taken to Kara quite quickly, likely due to the human's sense of humor. "And I'm pissed."

"Ahh, what's wrong?" Casana asked sweetly.

"We got our bloody asses handed to us," Kara chimed in.

"Yessss, we defeated you ssssoundly!" Riss said proudly.

"Aww, I'm sorry, Harry," Casana mewed, leaning briefly on Sahar.

"Don't call me 'Harry'!" Sahar hissed. "What has you in such a good mood, anyway? It's really annoying," she teased Casana.

"Oh, you wouldn't believe it!" Casana squealed. "Dr. Slir brought some of the Gorn's more exotic specimens and we had a chance to examine them! It was awesome! They had this venomous bird, and it produced this alkaloid neurotoxin. It's stronger than cobra venom. And there was this mammalian exoparasite that..."

"Okay, you can stop right there. I really don't want to hear about your vampire mouse," Sahar said.

"It's really more like a rabbit," Casana corrected her.

"Oh, that's much better," Kara laughed.

"Yeah, I can just imagine: Vampire rabbits. Thank you very much for those nightmares," Sahar snickered, poking Kara gently in the side. Suddenly, she had an idea. "Come on, Kara, we have to go!" she said, grabbing the smaller woman's hand and practically dragging her out of the room.

"Gahh, I don't want to think about ssssuch a thing!" Riss roared.

"What, a swarm of bunnies?" giggled Casana.

"No, thosssse two mating!" he howled, laughing deeply.

Casana couldn't breathe, and fell out of her chair.

******

Deck 10, 1830 hours

"You aren't usually this impulsive, love," Kara laughed as Sahar pulled her down the corridor. They turned a corner sharply, heading for the turbolift. "We going somewhere... private? I'd love to lay you down and spend hours teasing your...."

"Armory," Sahar said as they entered the turbolift.

"Not the word I would have used."

"What? Oh, no, that's not what this is about," Sahar told her.

"That's unfortunate," sighed Kara. Sahar turned to her, smiling slyly.

"That comes later," she said, giving Kara a peck on the cheek. "Right now, I need your opinion on something."

"Oh, good. I've got plenty of those," Kara laughed.

"Yeah, I noticed." Sahar pressed a button on the comm panel. "Tehrani to Suvak, can you meet me in the Armory?"

"Of course, Lieutenant."

"What are you up to?" Kara asked suspiciously.

"I have an idea," Sahar replied as the turbolift doors opened. They exited and traveled the short distance to the Armory. "Hey, Zula, I need your help with something," she said as the Armory door opened.

"Sure, what is it?" Zula asked from behind the Quartermaster's desk. The new rank insignia gleamed on her jacket, and she smiled broadly, leaning back in her chair.

"Enjoying your new position, Master Chief?" Kara asked as they approached.

"Why, yes I am. More than 30 years in Starfleet, and now the highest ranking noncom on board."

"You definitely earned it. Sad to see Anlor retire, though," Sahar sighed. "Loved that grumpy blue fogey."

"Yeah, I'll miss him, too," Zula said sadly, looking down at her desk briefly. "I hear they put you on the rotation for Tactical."

"And I'm getting the Helm!" Kara chirped.

"Must be nice, being at the heart of the action," Zula smiled.

"Oh, yeah, it's great. Why, today, I got to sit in the Battle Bridge and watch!" Sahar said sarcastically. "They put me on the reserve crew."

"At least you ain't guarding a fucking door," Zula pointed out.

"Yeah, whatever."

"So, what do you have for me?"

"You have access to the sensor records from the exercises, right?"

"You never did take losing well," Zula said, shaking her head. "Yeah, why? You got a plan brewing?"

"It's still cooking, but I'd like us to go over it a few times when Suvak gets here."

******

Deck 19, Armory, 0120 hours

"Is this what 'a few times' means to you?" Zula asked as Sahar started to recording yet again. There was no response. "Hey, we've been here for hours. What are you looking for? Hey!" Zula said, poking Sahar in the side, hitting the bruise left by her fall.

"Shit!" Sahar cried, rubbing her side. "That fucking hurts! Hey, Suvak, could you guys take it easy with the inertial dampers next time?"

"It is important to simulate combat conditions as thoroughly as possible in order to maximize the effectiveness of the exercise."

"I take it that's a 'no'," Kara yawned.

"That is correct." They had set up the recording of the last combat exercise to display on the main screen in the Armory, usually reserved for the internal security schematic. They sat side by side in fours chairs, staring at the recording. On the screen, a computer-generated representation of the Athena made the sharp turn around the back of the Gorn dreadnought. The Federation ship fired its phasers, striking the port shield.

"Wait!" Sahar shouted, jumping to her feet. "Computer, freeze!"

"What?" Zula asked, confused.

"There!" Sahar said, pointing to the aft of the Gorn ship.

"I don't see anything," Kara shrugged.

"One of our phasers struck the aft shield instead of the port shield," Suvak said.

"So what?" Zula asked.

"Computer, display tactical sensor readouts for threat vessel," Sahar said excitedly. The computer chirped in response, and two schematics of the Gorn ship appeared, showing the craft from the side and from above, each surrounded by four small arcs, representing the shields. "Got you!" she yelled through clenched teeth. Sahar turned around to see three deeply confused faces.

"I think you might want to get some sleep," Zula said quietly, as if she was afraid of offending Sahar.

Sahar grunted in frustration and turned back around to face the screen. "Computer, roll back recording five seconds and play at one quarter speed, and show tactical sensor readings." The computer chirped again, and split the screen into two. One half showed the recreation of the engagement, while the other showed the sensor analysis of the Gorn ship. As they watched, the Athena banked into its turn slowly, firing its phasers in rapid succession. Each shot struck the port shield except the last, which struck the aft.

"Interesting," Suvak said.

"What? I still don't see a damn thing!" cried Zula.

"Computer, playback last 1.5 seconds," Suvak said. "Watch the aft shield strength." Zula stared at the readout. As the phasers struck, the bright arc representing the port shield gradually faded. With the last shot, the aft shield darkened slightly, then brightened heavily as the other shields dimmed.

"Clever bastards," remarked Kara.

"They reinforce specific shields after one takes a hit, drawing power from the others," Zula said.

"It must be done automatically. It is too fast for manual control," Suvak pointed out.

"And we are going to use that to beat them!" Sahar grinned.

"How?"

"Shuttles." This was met with silence.

"Huh?" Zula asked after a few silent moments.

"We use the phasers on the shuttlecraft to trigger the shield reinforcement on multiple shields simultaneously, while the Athena hits one of the others with everything we have."

"Are you crazy?" Zula cried. "Those shuttles won't last long outside our shields."

"They don't have to, just long enough for us to bring down their shields and beam the strike team directly onto their bridge, winning the exercise," Sahar explained. Again, the room was silent.

"Your logic is sound, but you are making a critical assumption," Suvak said.

"And what's that?"

"You are assuming that they will react to multiple attacks the same way they react to a single attack."

"They will," Sahar said confidently.

"How do you know?"

"Cause if they don't, we're screwed."

"Those shuttles are going to get hammered," Kara said.

"They won't see them as a threat. They're just shuttles," Sahar smiled wickedly.

"You mean vampire bunnies?" Kara laughed.

"Exactly."

Zula and Suvak looked at each other in confusion.

******

Deck 10, Crew Lounge, 0830 hours

Sahar sat in the window frame, staring out into space, well apart from everyone else in the lounge. She had just taken her findings to Commander Sull, who had reacted enthusiastically, and promised to present her plan to the captain. As she waited for Captain Lowe's decision, she went over her plan again. Or at least she had intended to. Her mind had wandered, thinking back over the last few years, wondering about her parents, and worrying about the next few hours.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Casana plopping down on the other end of the frame. "Hey, Harry, what's going on?" she asked cheerfully. 

"Don't call me 'Harry'," Sahar said automatically. "I'm just thinking."

"About what?"

"About tomorrow's exercise."

"Yeah, I heard about your little scheme," Casana smiled.

"Kara?"

"No, Suvak. She asked my opinion on Gorn psychology."

"She told you my theory?"

"Yup."

"And?"

Casana shrugged. "I don't know. Sounds reasonable, I guess. It's not really my area of expertise."

"What is?" Sahar asked pointedly.

"You know: Exobiology, Chemistry, Military Science."

Sahar turned to look her in the eye. "No, that's not what I mean," she said.

"Oh, you mean my... ancestors? It varies. The Commission likes to mix it up a little. Let's see..." she sighed, closing her eyes. "Well, the last one was a surgeon."

"Figured that would be in there somewhere," Sahar grunted.

"Yeah, that came in handy," she giggled. "Let's see, he was-"

"He?" Sahar said in surprise.

"Huh? Yeah, the last host was a male."

"And you remember that? What it's like, I mean?" Sahar asked curiously.

"To be male? Sure, why?" Casana replied casually.

"Well, to us non-sex changing races, that's kinda weird. Especially for humans. We've spent a good deal of our time trying to explain what being one sex is like to the other."

"And how did that work out?" Casana said, tilting her head.

"Mostly, we just argued about it. One side would try to explain to the other, who wouldn't understand. Then that side would make a statement about the first side, and they'd get pissed, and there'd be marches and boycotts and riots and crap. And we just went on and on like that, taking turns being offended."

"And nobody ever got it?" Casana laughed.

"No, they just got pissed," Sahar sighed. "Hell, for most of human history, those fights ended with men telling women to shut up and go back to making dinner and not voting." Casana laughed softly. "So, what's it like? To be a man?"

Casana shrugged. "I don't know, I can't really explain it. It's different, but not really."

"That was helpful," Sahar sneered.

"Well, okay," Casana began, sitting forward. "It's different in a way because your body is different. Men are bigger, bulkier. They're bigger and stronger. And everything is rigid, stiff."

"Yeah, I know that." Sahar snickered.

"That's not what I meant."

"And women?"

"Women are smaller, more compact. They can stretch and they can glide. But it's all window dressing."

"What do you mean?"

"The big difference isn't what you are, it's what other people think you are. People think men are strong and brave and horny, so they are. And they think women are small, fragile, and shy, so that's how they are. But it's all an act."

"An act?" Sahar asked skeptically.

"It's unconscious, but, yeah, it's an act. It's not really who they are that matters, it's who they think they are. "

"So, what, we've all brainwashed each other into thinking we're different?"

Again, Casana shrugged. "Sort of."

"Again, not very helpful."

"Well, it's sort of a yes-and-no kinda thing. On the yes side, our expectations of others direct their behavior, just as their expectations of us direct our own. We all just go along with it because it's all we've ever known, and we don't question it."

"What? Of course we do! We question it all the time!" Sahar scoffed.

"Yeah, intellectually. But people don't do things for intellectual reasons, they do them for emotional reasons. And emotionally, it's a lot easier to just accept what we have always believed."

"And the on the 'no' side?"

"Well, the reality is right there in front of us, and no matter how much we ignore it, we eventually realize that we aren't all that different. Eventually, something wakes us up."

"Like what?"

"I don't know. It depends on the person. Maybe something big, maybe not. One way or another, the reality that we are all alike sneaks through, and we glimpse the truth. Sometimes, it changes one person, sometimes it changes a whole species."

"I suppose I can see that," Sahar admitted. "Before the Third World War, humans were obsessed with what it meant to male, and what it means to be female. We spent a lot of time figuring out where everyone was meant to be in society, what was natural and what wasn't." 




Star Trek: Lineage Ch. 05



"And what happened?"

"We pretty much attempted suicide. We're good at that, ya know. Killing. Humans have a gift for killing," Sahar said glumly. 

"Oh, that's not true!" Casana scoffed.

"Of course it is! Look at our past. Do you realize how many humans were killed by other humans? Fuck, at some points in human history, it was considered a science!" Sahar said emphatically. "Do you know what happened after the First World War? The fucking Second World War! And not a hundred years later, 20 years later! And the same fucking people fought it!"

"You can't judge a culture based on what they do once or twice."

"Or three times," Sahar interrupted.

"Or three times. You judge them by what they keep, no matter what. The most telling aspect of a culture is the things that they preserve above all else, the monuments, the documents, the things they see as icons. Things that transcend tangible existence and become ideas in and of themselves."

"Like what? The Colosseum?" Sahar said skeptically.

"Okay, a minor exception. But there are other things! Like the Great Pyramids, monuments to the dead."

"The dead dictator."

"Alright, what about Stonehenge? And before you make fun of it, let me remind you that Kara's ancestors built that one!"

"Okay, that's one, but-"

"And the Eiffel tower? Or the Millennium Gate? Hell, you went to the Academy, do you remember the Golden Gate Bridge? And how many of the Seven Wonders were about war?"

"The Great Wall."

"Defensive. Doesn't count." Casana smiled. "So Earth had some dark times. Every culture does. The important thing is what happens next. What happened after the Third World War?"

"After the Third World War, humanity was about as closed to extinct as we had ever been, and we were too busy trying to scrape by that we didn't have time to worry about what things were supposed to be like. Eventually, we realized that they aren't supposed to be like anything. Nature doesn't care about what things are meant to be, it cares about what they are."

"And that is why humans are so well adjusted. They have accepted the reality that diverse is not the same as different," Casana said, leaning back. They sat silently for a few minutes, staring out the window at the stars.

"Where did all that come from, anyway?" Sahar asked.

"My first host was a philosopher."

******

Deck 2, Conference Lounge, 1400 hours

Sahar paced outside the door, waiting to be called in. "Take it easy, Sahar," Kara said trying to calm her as she looked on. Sahar continued to pace until Kara grabbed her by the shoulders. "Sahar, baby, look at me," she pleaded. Sahar looked up, eyes full of fear. "It's going to be fine. It's a good plan. All you have to do is explain it."

"What if I screw it up? What if I forget?" Sahar whispered, as though afraid the words could curse her.

"Forget it? It's your plan!" Kara laughed. "Look, Harry-"

"Oh, god, not you, too!" Sahar cried.

"Sorry. Slip of the tongue," she apologized. "You're going to do fine. It's a good plan."

"It's crazy."

"The good ones usually are," Kara smiled. The door opened, and Lieutenant Commander Fuller poked his head out.

"Lieutenant, we're ready."

"Aye, sir." Sahar closed her eyes, and stepped through the door. The room was long and narrow, arching gently, with a window running the length of the outside wall. At the head of the long conference table sat Captain Lowe, with Commander Sull to one side and Lieutenant Commander Fuller on the other. Next to Sull sat Commander Kolarov, and then Dr. Collins. Across from them was Lieutenant Commander Osuna, a tall Betazoid and the Chief of Operations, and Dr. Muwara, the Chief Medical Officer. Every one of them was staring at Sahar.

"At ease, Lieutenant. I understand you have a plan for our last exercise against the Gorn," said Lowe.

"That's correct, sir," she said calmly. There was a brief silence.

"Would you like to tell us?" he asked impatiently, destroying Sahar's calm.

"Oh! Yes, sir. May I?" she asked, gesturing to the display console behind him.

"I think it would be helpful," Lowe said. Sahar walked down the outside of the table as the Senior Staff turned to face the display. She brought up the recording of the previous engagement.

"After analyzing the sensor readings from out last fight, I noticed something odd in the Gorn ship's shield configuration," she said, tapping the screen. The recreation ran forward slowly, showing the Athena bank into its turn and fire. As the phasers hit, the screen froze. "Right here," she said, pointing to the Gorn ship, and the image was magnified, clearly showing the phaser striking the aft shield.

"One of our phaser blasts hit the aft shield instead of the port one," she explained. Sahar pressed another button, and the recreation moved back a few seconds. As it played forward slowly, the tactical sensor display appeared alongside. "After the phaser strikes the aft shield, its strength drops briefly, but then rises precipitously, at which point the other shields loose strength," she said, finishing just as the phaser struck and the shield was reinforced. The screen again froze.

"We believe that the Gorn have programmed their computer to reinforce any shield that takes fire with energy from the other shields. I propose that we use this against them, simultaneously striking all but one shield, forcing the Gorn to use power from that shield to reinforce the others. We then strike the weakened shield with everything we have. When the shield goes down, we board their ship," she finished. The officers looked at each other.

"How do you know the Gorn are not controlling shield strength manually?" asked Kolarov.

"The shield reinforcement occurs less than half a second after the shield is hit, much to fast to be done manually."

"Alright, assuming you are correct, how do you know that the computer will respond the way you predict? Perhaps the shields will remain unchanged," the engineer continued.

"Two reasons. First, if the shields are not reinforced, it will still keep them from reinforcing the target shield. Our calculations indicate that even if it is not weakened, it will collapse under a full volley without reinforcement."

"And second?" asked Fuller.

"Psychology. Gorn tend to deal with problems head-on. They attack directly with overpowering force, crushing the enemy. They are set up for slugging matches, one-on-one. It follows they would optimize their warships to fight a single, heavy target, meaning that attacks will only ever come from one direction." Captain Lowe turned to Lieutenant Commander Osuna.

"What'd you think?"

"It's reasonable," she said quietly.

"How do you propose we strike from every direction at once?" asked the Captain, turning back around.

"Shuttlecraft," Sahar answered, pressing a button on the screen. It changed again, this time showing the two ships, facing each other. "We will make a full loop of the Gorn ship, offset from the horizontal plane." As she spoke, the image of the Athena moved forward, pitching up and banking to one side. It moved around the Gorn ship, passing high to its right before dipping down below the enemy and coming back towards the front. "During the maneuver, we will launch shuttlecraft periodically," she said as small representations of shuttles split from the Athena.

"They will take up positions around the Gorn ship and, on command from the Athena, fire simultaneously at all shields, save for the port shield." Small orange lines extended from the tiny shuttles, converging of the Gorn ship. "The Athena will come out of the turn sharply, giving us a point blank shot at the weakened shield." The Athena passed below and in front of the Gorn ship before turning sharply into it. As it closed, several red dots fired from the ship, hitting the Gorn.

"Those shuttles are going to get butchered as soon as they are in range!" cried Kolarov.

"No, they will not," said Osuna before Sahar could respond. "The Gorn will ignore them, trying to save everything for when we close on them."

"Why the port shield? Isn't the aft shield weaker?" asked Fuller.

"It is, but if the shield doesn't fall, we can turn away from the bow of the enemy, denying them a shot at us," Sahar answered as the fake Athena turned hard to right and moved away from the Gorn ship.

"Will the exercise control protocols be able to keep track of what's happening?" Lowe asked Kolarov.

"They are designed to handle anything from one-on-one engagements to full fleets. This won't be a problem."

The Captain leaned back in his chair for a moment. "What you are proposing is a return to fighter tactics," he finally said to Sahar. "The Federation hasn't deployed fighters in combat for decades." He paused, exchanging glances with each of the Senior Staff. "Let's hope it works," he said.

"Thank you, sir!" Sahar breathed in relief.

"I also want you at Tactical for the battle," he added.

"Sir?" Sahar was confused.

"It's your plan. You should be at Tactical for it."

"Aye, sir," she said shakily.

"Dismissed, Lieutenant," he said. Sahar stumbled towards the door, wondering what she had just gotten herself into when Lowe called to her.

"And Lieutenant, I hate losing just as much as you do," he smiled.

******

Deck 6, Library, 0110 hours

Sahar rubbed her eyes and took a sip from her lemon sharbat. She was pouring over specifications, technical descriptions, performance evaluations, anything she could find on the Gorn ship, on the Athena, or on the shuttlecraft. The prospect of being in command, even for a few minutes in an exercise, had terrified her, and she had spent the last eight hours trying to prepare in every way possible.

She was so focused, in fact, that she failed to notice the door open. A figure quietly entered, careful to step lightly so as not to be noticed. It came closer and closer, until, finally, it stood over her. A single hand reached out, avoiding detection until the last possible moment. Then, with blinding speed, the hand shot out and seized the lemon sharbat. 

"What the... hey!" Sahar cried as Kara took a long drink from the glass.

"Relax, I'm not taking all of it," she reassured Sahar. "What are you doing here, anyway?"

"I doing some research," she answered, turning back to the console.

"Why?" Kara asked slowly.

"I want to be prepared for tomorrow."

"Don't you think you should rest?"

"I can't. I'm too nervous. This is all I can think about," Sahar sighed, rubbing her eyes again and leaning back in the chair. Kara suddenly had an idea and reached for the sharbat again. She held it over Sahar and carefully poured a tiny amount onto her cheek. "Holy... what the fuck was that for?!" Sahar yelled as she jumped to her feet, the juice running down her neck. At first Kara didn't respond. Instead, she leaned in and licked the sour liquid from her neck, ending with a kiss on the cheek.

"I am giving you something else to think about," she whispered in Sahar's ear. "Now, sit back down, and let me take it from here." She gently pushed Sahar back into the chair before turning it so that she was behind her. Kara leaned over and ran her hands down Sahar's chest, drawing a deep, relaxed sigh. Sahar let her head hang back, exposing her smooth neck.

Kara dipped her finger into the sharbat and drew a cold, wet line down Sahar's neck. She quickly followed the trail with her tongue, still rubbing Sahar through the think jacket. Sahar tried to take it off, but Kara batted her hands away. "What did I say, love? Just relax," she scolded her.

"Okay, sorry," Sahar sighed, letting her arms fall limp on the chair. Kara slowly undid the buttons on the jacket and lifted it off, exposing the dark green undershirt which was quickly pulled off as well. All that was left was a bra between Kara and her lover's perfect breasts.

Kara spun Sahar in the chair and kneeled between her knees. She brought her lips to Sahar's firm stomach, kissing and licking as she reached around to remove the bra. Sahar gasped as Kara's tongue darted into her navel, and the bra finally fell free, releasing her firm mounds.

"Excellent," Kara sighed, sliding up Sahar's body, taking one of the breasts into her mouth while her hands fumbled with Sahar's belt.

"Going a little faster than usual, don't you think?"

"Would you prefer I stop?" Kara cooed, drawing back.

"Never mind," Sahar laughed.

"That's what I thought," she smiled, pulling Sahar's belt from around her waist. "Now, stand up for a moment." Sahar complied, and Kara pulled her pants and panties down together, still on her knees. Sahar sat again, and the redhead pulled the last garments from her.

"Now for the good part," she smiled up at Sahar, reaching for the sharbat. Kara took a small sip of the liquid before touching the cold glass to Sahar's inner thigh. A loud, high-pitched chirp sprang from Sahar's surprised mouth.

"Holy shit that's cold," she croaked, opening her eyes. Below her, Kara had one hand clasped over her mouth, shaking heavily. "What? What?!" Kara barely managed to put the cup down before exploding in laughter. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"You..." was all she managed to squeak out before collapsing on the ground. After a few moments, her hysteria subsided, and she tried to catch her breath. "You... you squeaked!" she gasped.

"Like hell," Sahar blushed.

"You squeaked like a... like a wee schoolgirl!"

"That's not funny," she scowled.

"It was adorable!" Kara breathed, finally getting ahold of herself. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm back."

"I'm not sure I'm up for this anymore."

"Oh, no! Sit your schoolgirl ass down, I'm not done with you yet!" Kara cried, pushing Sahar back down into the chair and grabbing the drink again. She stood up, raising the cup to her mouth, and took a mouthful of the icy, sweet and tangy liquid. But instead of swallowing all of it, she sat down sideways on Sahar's lap, the arm holding the cup around Sahar's neck. She leaned in and kissed Sahar, letting some of the drink pass into her mouth as their tongues intertwined.

The beautiful, sweet taste of the raven-haired woman's mouth mixed with the sour taste of the lemon in the drink, creating a gloriously delicious mixture. A small bit of the fluid escaped, running down Sahar's chin and neck. Kara broke the kiss, and lowered her head to lick back up the trail to Sahar's lips, covering her lips as she tried to breath, driving her tongue into her mouth passionately.

Finally, Sahar broke free of Kara, gasping for breath. "Oh, god, yes, that's just awesome," she smiled happily.

"That's just the beginning," Kara whispered as she again slid back down Sahar's body. She poured a bit of the sharbat onto one of Sahar's nipples, making her squeal softly at the sensation as goose bumps spread across her body. Kara watched as the juice trailed down Sahar's chest, over her stomach, and towards her groin. She ducked her head down, catching it above Sahar's bald pussy.

She licked the fluid back up Sahar's body, ending with a flourish of her tongue on Sahar's nipple. Sahar cried softly, her eyes rolling back at the sensations washing over her. Kara repeated what she had just done on the other nipple, letting the juice get a little closer to Sahar's clit this time. 

Kara continued this pattern, drawing closer and closer to Sahar's increasingly sensitive nub each time. Sahar was panting, unable to think or speak coherently. The scent of her arousal filled the air, and she could still taste the sharbat mixed with Kara's saliva on her tongue.

Sahar's jumped and shrieked as Kara poured a few drops of the liquid directly onto her clit. "Ohh, that sound is absolutely lovely," Kara moaned as Sahar squeaked and gasped in pleasure. She sealed her lips around Sahar's clit and sucked, pushing her to orgasm.

"Oh, holy fuck, Kara, yes," she cried incoherently, powerful waves of pleasure rolling over her, shocking her senses. Kara held on, forcing her hips down. Sahar's twitching slowed, and when her breathing began to return, Kara drove two fingers into her, forcing her to come again.

Half an hour later, Kara helped a very exhausted Sahar into her bunk, and she was asleep immediately.

******

Deck 1, Bridge, 0630 hours

The turbolift door opened, and Sahar stepped onto the Bridge of one of Starfleet's most advanced ships. To the average crewman or junior officer, the Bridge of a starship is a place of legend. It is where the important decisions are made, a place everyone knows about, but few ever see.

The layout of the Main Bridge was different from the Battle Bridge. Sahar stepped from the starboard turbolift, between the Science and Environmental stations on the wall of the circular room. On either side of the port turbolift were the Communications and Propulsions stations. The Bridge was well lit, and Sahar counted a dozen people in the room.

"Lieutenant Tehrani reporting, sir," she said, standing at attention. Captain Lowe, who was standing over the Comm Officers shoulder, turned to face her.

"Excellent. Take your post," he said as he sat in the captain's chair.

"Aye, sir," she said as she walked to the Tactical Station and took a seat. She was at the back of the room, with the Main Systems Display mounted on the wall directly behind her, a large schematic of the ship which showed the status of major systems. In front of Sahar was the captain's chair, beyond which were two stations, set below the captain, Helm on the right and Operations on the left, directly in front of the massive, rectangular viewscreen. An enlisted crewman sat at the Auxiliary Systems station on the wall to left of the viewscreen, and Commander Kolarov manned the Master Systems station on the right.

With the exception of Helm and Ops, all of the stations had seats for two operators, though all of the stations except Communications were currently manned by one person. Sahar entered her security codes and the console lit up. Lieutenant Commander Fuller took the seat next to her.

"Sir, what are you doing here?"

"I'll handle Internal Security. You concentrate on Tactical," he said.

"Thank you, sir," Sahar said gratefully.

"Sir, we are being hailed," said the Comm Officer.

"On screen." A Gorn officer appeared on the viewscreen.

"Captain, sssshall we begin?"

"We shall," answered Lowe. The Gorn nodded and the transmission closed, the screen returning to the forward view. "Red Alert! All hands to battle stations!" he cried. The siren sounded, the lights dimmed, and several turned red.

Sahar's console changed immediately. On the main display in the center of her half of the console, a general systems schematic was replaced with a tactical map, showing the two ships from top down, and a small window showed a view of the Gorn ship from the Athena's position. An auxiliary display activated, showing shield, hull, systems, and weapons status on the Athena. Flipping a switch, the display switched to show the same information for the Gorn ship. She clicked it back to the Athena, and checked the Tactical Systems display on the other side of the central screen, in the console's center.

"Shields are up, phasers standing by, torpedoes armed. All systems ready, Captain."

"Very well. Helm, take us into position," he said. Sahar felt the ship accelerate and turn, and on her screen she saw the Athena and the Gorn ship separate from each other, moving apart in opposite directions, the distance between them rapidly growing.

"Sir, the Reptilis reports that they are ready to begin," reported the Comm officer.

"Okay, Helm, bring us about. Lieutenant Tehrani, you have the Conn."

"I have the Conn, aye," Sahar called back, not looking up from her console. The Athena came about, as did the Gorn ship, and they headed directly at each other. "Shuttlebay 1, standby for launch. Shuttle Alpha, status?"




Star Trek: Lineage Ch. 05



"Ready for launch, sir," came Kara's voice over the intercom.

"Helm, begin the turn," Sahar ordered. The ship pitched up and banked, pulling up and away from the Gorn ship. "Open Shuttlebay doors."

"Aye, sir," responded the Auxiliary systems operator. On her display, a green light marked "Main Shuttlebay Doors" blinked yellow for a few seconds, then turned red. "Doors are open."

"Deploy the shuttles." As the Athena banked into its wide turn, shuttles deployed from the Main Shuttlebay, forming a ring around the Gorn ship. As they passed beneath the enemy, the shuttles moved into position around the larger ship. The Athena passed below the Gorn, the last shuttles emerging.

"Shuttles away and in position," said Kara through the Comm.

"Affirmative. Helm, stand by," Sahar ordered. The ship came back up, nearing the same elevation as the Gorn. "Helm, hard to port!" she yelled.

"Hard to port, aye!" The ship banked hard, and the impulse engines hummed loudly, trying to push the large craft ever so slightly faster. The Gorn ship filled the viewscreen, and the Athena hurdled towards its left flank.

"Make your pass underneath," Sahar yelled, and the bow dipped slightly. "All shuttles, commence fire." On the viewscreen, a dozen bright orange beams converged on the Gorn ship, impacting the shields and encasing the vessel in an egg of bright green light. On her console, Sahar saw the port shield weaken, and pressed the fire button.

A spread of nearly a dozen torpedoes streaked towards to Gorn ship and as they struck, the phasers fired, hitting the weakened shield with the full fury of the Athena. Green, red, and orange flashes filled the viewscreen, painting the Bridge Crew's shadows on the wall for an instant. Sahar looked down at her display. "Fuck!" she screamed. "Port shield is holding at 6 percent!"

"Coming hard to starboard!" called the helmsman.

"Negative, steady as she goes, all ahead full!" Sahar called back.

The helmsman hesitated. "Captain?"

"You have your orders," Lowe said calmly.

"Aye, sir. Steady as she goes, ahead full. The Gorn ship is coming about."

"All hands, brace for emergency maneuvers!" Sahar yelled. She watched on her screen as the Gorn ship turned towards them, accelerating. It banked hard towards the Athena. Sahar watched as the ship tilted harder and harder, waiting for the perfect moment. "Helm, one third impulse, emergency turn, 90 degrees hard to port!" she screamed.

"One third impulse, emergency to port, 90 degrees, aye!" The massive ship lurched sharply, forcing Sahar to grip the console to avoid being thrown to the floor. The ship came out of the turn, and Sahar watched on her display as the Gorn struggled to match the turn, trying to decelerate. But the ship was too slow, and passed aft of the Athena, port shield exposed. Sahar fired again, and several torpedoes flew from the aft launcher. For what seemed to Sahar like an eternity, the torpedoes, like glittering rubies in the night, sped silently through the void until striking the Gorn ship.

"Shield is buckling... the shield is down! Away all boarders!" she cried.

"Boarding party is away," reported Fuller. For a few moments, no one moved, waiting for the news.

"Captain, the Reptilis congratulates us on a clever victory," reported the Comm officer. Cheers ran through the ship, and Sahar slumped back in her chair.

Slowly, joyous tears filled her eyes.

******

Assembly Hall, GCS Reptilis, 1600 hours

The massive hall rang with sound. The more senior members of both crews had filled the room, and stood in ranks, one crew facing the other, both at attention. The Federation Anthem played, echoing through the room. On one side of the hall, behind the crew of the Athena, was hung a giant banner with Federation Seal emblazoned across it. On the opposite wall was hung an equally large banner for the Gorn.

The graceful, sweeping melody would have been very inspirational for Sahar, had she gotten more than 3 hours of sleep in the previous 48 hours. As it was, the song allowed her to remain awake, and she was able to avoid yawning. Following the anthems, there were brief speeches from each captain, and more formalities followed that. Through it all, Sahar remained at attention, wearing her dress uniform.

Finally, mercifully for Sahar, the ceremony finished, and the reception began in earnest. The two crews mingled, exchanging anecdotes, opinions, and other kinds of small talk as they ate. Sahar was mostly interested in the drinks, preferably something with generous amounts of caffeine and sugar. Unfortunately for her, she could not make it more than a meter or two at a time before someone wanted to speak with her, or congratulate her, or something of that nature.

I really hate this crap, she thought, trying to evade a particularly verbose dignitary. At the bar, she ordered her lemon sharbat, and greedily downed a large portion of the tangy drink. It was revitalizing, and she began to feel as though this event would not actually kill her. She felt a cold, powerful hand on her shoulder, and turned to find Riss standing behind her.

"Lieutenant, I wanted to congratulate you on your ssssucssssessss. I understand you were in command for the lasssst exerssssisssse," he hissed, possibly happily.

"That's right. I finally beat you," she smiled.

"You fought well, Ssssahar. I congratulate you," he said graciously.

"Thank you, Riss," Sahar said, patting his shoulder.

"You are quite welcome. I am ssssure you are exhaussssted, sssso I will leave you be."

"It's been a pleasure, Riss," Sahar said as he started to walk away.

"I will ssssee you again, I think," he replied. Sahar turned, only to find the dignitary bearing down on her. At the last moment, though, someone grabbed her arm, pulling her through the crowd and out a small door at the back of the room.

When they were away from the crowd, Sahar recognized her abductor as Kara, and was immediately thankful. The room they were in was a massive arboretum. Tall, alien trees stretched more than 10 meters into the air, with numerous shrubs, bushes, flowers, ferns, and other smaller plants forming a thick mass of green. Wide, tall pathways had been cut into the small jungle, and Sahar noticed a few Federation personnel down one of the paths. "What is this place?" Sahar gasped, awestruck.

"This is the Reptilis's arboretum." Kara explained. "Gorn are carnivores, and they eat a lot. To keep a ship this size fed, they need their own forest to feed the food."

"This is amazing," she muttered. Nothing like this existed on Federation starships, or even on Federation Starbases. She walked silently down one of the paths, staring up at the artificially lit ceiling.

"Come on, this way," Kara smiled, taking her hand. They walked slowly down the path, hand-in-hand, enjoying the scenery. The jungle opened up into a large clearing, with a small pond and stream. Several varieties of fish were visible in the pond beneath the footbridge that took the walkway through the clearing.

"Wow," Sahar said as she leaned over the rail on the bridge, watching a school of small fish dart about beneath the surface.

"You like it?" Kara whispered as she wrapped an arm around the taller woman and leaned against her.

"We have got to get one of these," she smiled.

"I don't think it would fit. It's bigger than the Main Cargo Bay" Kara laughed. She unconsciously twirled a lock of Sahar's hair in her hand, and squeezed her tighter. She felt Sahar's long, sculpted arm wrap around behind her, and closed her eyes. "You did great today."

"I would have to agree," chuckled someone behind them. The voice startled them, and Sahar nearly dove over the rail for cover instead of turning around. "Whoa, take it easy, Lieutenant," Lowe laughed as they snapped to attention. "At ease. We have been ordered to the Alpha Centauri Yards for a retrofit. Afterwards, I want you on the rotation for Tactical on the Bridge."

"Thank you, Captain!" Sahar gaped.

"As you are aware, this makes you one of the Bridge Officers. As such, you are being assigned private quarters on deck 7. They will be ready for you at 0900," he finished.

"Aye, sir."

Captain Lowe turned to leave, but stopped. "Take tomorrow off, Lieutenant. You look like you need it," he said over his shoulder. Kara turned to Sahar.

"Told you," she whispered, kissing her ear.

******

Deck 7, Lieutenant Sahar Tehrani's Quarters, 1000 hours

"This place is awesome, Harry!" Casana squealed, peeking into the head.

"Don't call me 'Harry'," Sahar sighed with the last tiny bit of annoyance she could muster. She was sprawled out on her back on the modest bed, eyes closed. She had not slept well last night.

"Aww, are you hung over?" Casana cooed, sitting down next to her, patting her on the stomach.

"Hey, paws off my girl!" yelled Kara in mock anger. She was sitting at the small table in the center of the room with Zula, while Suvak inspected the room silently, hands clasped behind her back.

"Yes. Yes, I'm hung over. And I blame you," Sahar sighed, pushing Casana lightly. "The party was your idea, after all."

"What, didn't you enjoy it?" Casana giggled.

"I don't remember," mumbled Sahar.

"Good point!" Casana cackled. "That's why I brought you the tea," she said, motioning to the untouched cup on the table next to the bed. "It's my own recipe!" she added proudly.

"Come on Harry, drink it. What's the worst that could happen?" snickered Zula. Sahar opened one eye and stared venomously at her. "I mean 'Sahar'. Or 'sir'," she said, raising her hands in surrender. Sahar's eye closed. "Well, I have to get back to the Armory before Sedaris blows something up." She stood to leave, waving to each of them.

"I should depart as well," Suvak stated, and left unceremoniously. Kara gave her a pat on the back and looked at Casana intently. Casana mouthed "What?", and Kara motioned to the door.

"Oh, I just remembered! I have to go... do... things," she said, scurrying out of the room with a knowing smile. Once the door closed, Kara sat down gently on the bed and lifted Sahar's head into her lap.

"Okay, you really do need to drink this now, love," she whispered as she grasped the cup.

"She tried to kill me with drinks last night. How do you know she isn't trying to finish the job?" Sahar said as she sat up.

"She likes you too much," Kara laughed as she handed her the cup. Sahar took a long drink, and nearly gagged.

"Holy hell, what is in this?"

"I don't know, and I don't want to," Kara answered, leaning against her. "Just finish it." Sahar groaned, but tipped the cup back and downed what was left.

"I am going to kill her for this," she moaned, flopping back down on the bed.

Kara lay down next to her, gathering the extraordinarily tired woman in her arms.



Star Trek: Lineage Ch. 06



But A Walking Shadow

2301, Deck 7, Main Transporter, 1000 hours

"No. No, I can't do this!" Casana squealed and turned to run, but was blocked by Sahar and Suvak.

"Yes, you can," Sahar reassured her, turning her around.

"I can't. Danny will find out about Shen," she whispered nervously, despite being alone with the two of them in the corridor.

"Lieutenant Commander Ben-David is already aware of the symbiont," Suvak explained.

"What?!" Casana cried, looking with horror at Suvak.

"It was necessary to inform him in order to maintain your secret."

"He'll alter the transporter records after beaming to hide the symbiont," Sahar said calmingly. Casana took a deep breath and nodded her consent. Slowly, they coaxed her into the transporter room, but as soon as the door opened and she saw the pad, Casana again tried to run.

"Transporter room, Bridge, what's taking so long?" asked Lieutenant Commander Osuna over the intercom.

"Some minor technical glitches. We'll have it ironed out in a moment, sir." Danny smiled at Casana.

"Pick up the pace. The survey team on the service needs to be relieved. Bridge out." More than a year had passed since exercises with the Gorn, and the Athena was now on the other side of Federation space, surveying planets core-ward of the Federation/Cardassian border. They were currently in orbit around a typical M-Class planet with the ruins of a now-extinct pre-industrial civilization. Sahar, now a full Lieutenant, was leading a survey team to the surface.

"Wait, what if there's an accident?" Casana whined, trying to slip by Sahar and Suvak to no avail.

"We don't have time for this," Sahar sighed to Suvak. They each grabbed an arm and carried the squirming Trill to the transporter pad. Lieutenant Morgan was already on the pad waiting for them, and laughed at the three of them. They lifted Casana up and set her on one of the transport pads.

"Stay," Sahar pointed at her as she took her position.

"Bridge, we are ready for transport," Sahar said.

"Very well. Energize."

******

Surface of Beta Cutal IV, Survey Team Basecamp, 0650 hours local

In a matter of seconds, Sahar, Suvak, Casana, and Kara materialized on the surface of the planet. They had beamed down a few meters inside the campsite perimeter, a large ring of sensors and force field generators designed to ensure the camp was secure while the team was away. "Oh, god," Casana gasped as she patted herself down franticly. "Oh, god, did it work? I felt something. Something went wrong! Do I still have spots?" she cried.

"You're fine," Sahar said impatiently without looking at Casana. "Let's go. We're late."

The team they were relieving, led by Lieutenant Commander Tokada, was waiting for them in the middle of the camp.

"Gamma team reporting, sir," Sahar said as they approached.

"About time. What took you so long?" he scowled.

"Transporter problems. Everything's working now, though."

"Alright, fine," Tokada grumbled. "Beta team stands relieved. Athena, four to beam up." As Tokada and the three other survey team members were beamed up, Sahar surveyed the camp. A large, prefabricated building had been assembled in the center of the camp, designed to serve as the sleeping quarters, mess, and command center for the survey teams. A small building had been erected next to the main building, housing the scientific equipment and facilities.

Around the buildings were several other pieces of equipment, including an atmospheric monitoring station, an emergency comm relay, and several storage containers. Lastly, there was a six-man shuttle parked on the surface for emergency evacuation.  

The survey of the planet had been planned in three phases. Alpha team selected the campsite and constructed the buildings and perimeter, which had taken several days. Beta had been a geological/environmental survey team. They had just finished their two-week survey. Gamma was Sahar's team. Normally, security officers did not lead survey teams, but this system was between Cardassian and Federation space, and tensions had been mounting in recent years as the two powers grew nearer to each other.

The campsite was in foothills west of a massive mountain range. The white peaks stretched north to south as far as the eye could see, rising steeply into the sky. The rumble from a number of large waterfalls could be heard in the distance, feeding several small streams that ran around and through the camp. To the west, the streams merged into a wide, deep river. The river wound through the lightly wooded lowlands which stretched several dozen kilometers west to the coast of one of Beta Cutal IV's oceans.

In these lowlands, a few kilometers from the campsite, lay Gamma's area of interest. Built into the rolling hills, where several streams met to form the river, was a sprawling, deserted city. Scans had found no power sources of any kind, no trace of industrialization, and no living animals larger than a dog. Gamma had three weeks to examine the city.

"Get set up. We start tomorrow," Sahar ordered.

******

Basecamp, 2340 hours local

Suvak sat motionless on her small bed in the main building, a single candle burning in front of her, deep in meditation. She sat, back stiff, legs crossed, hands on her knees, eyes closed, concentrating inward. She focused her mind on relaxing her body. Her heart rate slowed, blood pressure fell, breathing slowed. One by one, she slowed each of her body's core functions, reaching a state of total calm.

Or at least that was her intention.

This time, it was different. Regardless of how much she focused, she could not calm her body. It was unsettling for her, something she had not experienced for many years. Suvak was nothing if not persistent, but it was to no avail. She focused harder, pushing the limits of her mental discipline.

Her pulse raced, her breathing quickened, and she grew hot. She felt something else, too, something she did not recognize. It was energizing, yet painful. Suvak could not understand the strange experience. She focused harder, but it was useless. She could not stem the tide of sensation.

Her eyes snapped open. She finally recognized what she felt.

Emotion.

Rage. Humiliation, betrayal, and rage. Her hands gripped her knees tightly, the nails digging into her bare flesh. She blinked several times, and the feelings began to fade. Slowly, her body relaxed, and she lay back to sleep.

Casana was also unsettled. She was afraid that she would be discovered, that her secret would be revealed. Yet, at the same time, she knew the potential good that could be done. I cannot win, she thought.

The Joining was a glorious thing, and she knew the Federation would benefit greatly from the vast knowledge and experience of the Joined Trill. She was certain that the Federation would use this resource wisely. The expertise of the Joined Trill could alter the course of history, if used correctly.

But at the same time, she was afraid of what would happen if the Symbiosis Commission found out that she had failed to keep her secret. They had handed out punishments to those that had violated the oaths taken before the Joining, and those punishments were harsh. Besides, if their secret became common knowledge, it could put her race in terrible danger.

Casana felt trapped. Trapped between what she knew should happen and what she could actually do.

Sahar, meanwhile, was afraid. It was not a fear that enveloped her, drowning out all other feelings. Rather, it was a fear that sat in the back of her mind, slowly gnawing away at her. With each passing second, it grew nearer, causing her to curl up in her bed. She knew she should know what she was afraid of, but she couldn't figure it out.

It was the kind of fear that haunts. She knew something was wrong, but had no idea what, and was powerless to stop it. It was as though a great storm was brewing over the horizon. It was out of sight, but the perceptive could still sense its approach. And she knew that when it came, she would be in the eye of the storm.

With this realization, panic swept through her. She had to escape what was coming, but no escape was possible. Slowly, the panic receded, and she began to breathe easier. But in its place was something else.

Resignation.

Across the small room, Kara watched Sahar toss and turn. She knew that Sahar was under great pressure, and was afraid, but there was nothing she could do. Unlike Sahar, Kara was in the unique position of knowing exactly what was wrong.

Or, at least she thought she did.

Kara had seen the burden of command consume people, but she felt there was something else, something she was missing.

Something sinister.

******

Basecamp, 0600 hours local

Sahar snapped the clip into the base of her phaser and holstered it. "Ready?"

"Ready, Harry," Casana answered.

"Don't make me shoot you," Sahar sighed. "Move out." The four of them set out from basecamp towards the city. Though sunrise had technically occurred a few minutes before, Beta Cutal had not yet climbed above the mountains. As they hiked down towards the city, the shadow of the mountains could be seen clearly in the coastal waters of the ocean.

They followed one of the streams down the foothills. The trees grew dense near the water, providing a nearly solid green canopy. The foliage was dense enough that the forest floor was hard to see in the early morning light. After nearly half an hour picking their way through the thick brush, the team emerged from the forest onto a grass covered slope.

"Holy crap," Casana gasped, stopping in her tracks. Before them, only a few hundred meters away, stood a towering gatehouse built into the city's wall. It was made from glittering white stone, eroded heavily but still shining in the morning light. The wall towered more than 20 meters over them, with a gatehouse built in rising another 10. "That is awesome."

"Finally," Sahar smiled. "Eight years. Eight years, and I finally get to see a new civilization." A hand clasped her shoulder, and she glanced back into Kara's shining eyes.

"Let's take a look," she said softly.

"Agreed. Let's have a look."

******

City Gate, 0630 hours local

The forest had reclaimed much of the area surrounding the city, but the gate and city interior were in pristine condition. Sahar examined the surface of the gatehouse while Suvak scanned it with her tricorder.

"It looks as though there are crystals imbedded in the rock," she observed.

"You are correct," Suvak stated. "The surface stones are similar to white marble, with several varieties of crystal. Behind it, the structure is composed of granite." Suvak's eyebrow raised. "Interesting."

"What?" Casana asked as she examined a small purple flower.

"The wall is solid granite."

"Solid?" Sahar repeated. "As in, one large block?"

"That is correct, Lieutenant," she explained. "This section of wall consists of a slab of granite 25 meters tall, 15 meters thick, and 50 meters wide. It has been driven 7 meters into the ground, and covered with a marble facade."

"What?!" Kara cried, looking up from the carvings on the gatehouse she was examining. "That's almost, what, 20,000 cubic meters of granite?"

"18,750, to be precise," Suvak corrected her.

"How the hell did they do that? These people had just invented indoor plumbing!" Kara replied.

"How should I know?" Suvak snapped at her. The others stared at her in stunned silence. "I apologize, Lieutenant," she said softly. "I have not been feeling well recently. Gravity on this planet is only 86% of Earth gravity, making transport of the rock slabs somewhat easier."

"The rock isn't local?" Sahar asked cautiously, still weary of Suvak.

The Vulcan studied her tricorder for a moment. "It's chemical composition matches that of the mountain range to the east."

"How far?" Kara asked.

"Roughly 11.4 kilometers."

"'Roughly'?" Casana said, arching her eyebrows mockingly as she stood, twirling the flower in her fingers.

"The nearest deposit is 11 kilometers and 386 meters away."

"They moved these slabs 11 and a half kilometers over rough terrain without electricity," Sahar said to herself, reaching out to touch a carving in the white stone.

"That is correct."

"Hey, take a look at this!" Kara called from the gateway, pointing into the city. The others joined her, following her hand with their eyes. A wide street ran from the gatehouse through the city to a large palace nearly a kilometer away. Behind the palace, a massive statue rose into the air.

The metal statue gleamed silver in the morning light. It was a depiction of a young woman. Her hair was covered by a helmet resembling that of a Roman soldier's, with two ridges running front to back on the top of the head. She was clad head to toe in plate armor, with ridges at the shoulder joints. Even from this distance, elaborate carved patterns were visible on the breastplate. The style was not revealing, but was not modest either. The breastplate featured false abdominal muscles, and showed off her small breasts. She was standing with her feet apart, holding a long, barbed spear in one hand, blunt end on the ground, with a massive round shield on her other arm.

"How big is it?" Casana gaped.

"I estimate its height to be between 190 and 195 meters," Suvak said.

"Let's take a look inside the walls," Sahar said as she stepped forward.

******

City Ruins, 0900 hours local

"This is impossible," Kara stated emphatically.

"Obviously, it is not," Suvak corrected her.

"I'm going to have to side with Kara on this one," Casana said. The four of them stood in a small square near the city center. Two streets intersected here, both lined with one or two story buildings. The roads themselves were light blue stone, cut into blocks a few meters long and a meter wide, buried into the ground. They were intricately carved to resemble rivers, complete with rapids, fish, and the occasional boat.

The buildings themselves were made from stone as well, though the stone was a pale yellow instead of white or blue. They were built with square foundations, with the corners slightly curved. The buildings had all had stone porches in front, shaded by brightly colored fabric coverings. Many of the two story buildings had similar areas on the second story.

Most of the buildings had clear glass windows, though some of the larger ones had stained glass. Flowers of every conceivable color grew in pots and stone boxes around the city. They were in windows, on the side of the streets, and in the many plazas and squares in the city.

The entire city was in pristine condition.

"It is what it is. What we are seeing is possible, because we are seeing it," Suvak said with a hint of annoyance. Kara and Casana glanced at each other, but Sahar looked away.

"Where to now?" Kara asked her.

"I'm not really the one to ask," she said, looking at Suvak.

"The palace. It is logical to assume that the most advanced technology will be there."

"I agree," Casana said.

"Lead the way."

This way," Suvak told them as she started down one of the roads. After a few dozen meters they turned onto the main street. It was a long divided road running from the gatehouse to the palace. Running down the middle and along either side of the street were a series of gardens from which grew a line of trees, white flowers in bloom. Buildings of all sizes lined both sides, and banners waved in the wind on poles in the middle of the street.

From somewhere in the distance, a horn sounded. All but Suvak stopped in their tracks. "What?" she asked, annoyance again creeping into her voice.

"Didn't you hear that?" Casana replied.

"Hear what?"

"The horn!"

"I... yes. I did," she realized. "I heard the horn, but... it seemed normal to me. As though I had heard it many times. As though I expected it." The four exchanged glances.

"I don't like this," Casana finally broke the silence.

"Perhaps we should get to the palace," Sahar said softly.

"Yes. Let's go to the palace. We may rest inside," Suvak agreed.

As they walked, Sahar thought she heard a voice, strong, yet feminine.

******

City Palace, 1030 hours local

Sahar and Kara pushed with all their strength and the gem-studded gold doors swung slowly open. Torches lit the room and an enormous bronze statue, identical to the giant one outside, stood in the center of the room. Two stair cases ran up either side of the circular room, with steps of white marble and ivory rails. The room was capped by a massive, gold-trimmed dome.

None of them noticed. Instead, they slowly climbed the stairs, Suvak and Sahar on one side, and Casana and Kara on the other. At the top, they walked silently down a long hallway. It was lined with windows, their white curtains blown around by the wind. When they reached the end of the hallway, Kara and Sahar turned and passed through small doorways on either side of the hall.

Inside, they each found a large, decorated four post bed in a lavishly furnished room. Large doorways led out to balconies overlooking expansive gardens. They each removed their clothes, folding them neatly and setting them on small tables near the doors. Sahar and Kara slid under the covers of their beds and closed their eyes.

Suvak and Casana continued up the staircase to a landing. They stopped and turned to look at each other. Casana bowed deeply, and Suvak nodded her head before continuing up another set of stairs. Casana walked silently through a double door on one side of the landing and into another, larger bedroom. After releasing her hair, she too removed her clothes and slipped under the covers of the bed. She stared up into a mirror above the bed, and closed her eyes.

At the top of the stairs, Suvak passed through a curtain of small gemstones into a cavernous room. Fountains spouted water from the walls, feeding crystal clear water into a small pool in the center of the room. Suvak crossed the pool on a small footbridge and climbed another set of stairs. At the top, a giant bed with snowy white sheets highlighted with gold threads and green trim. She also removed her clothes, letting them drop to the floor, and crawled into the bed.

Her eyes closed as well.

******

City Palace, 0720 hours local

Sahar's eyes opened slowly. Groggily, she sat up in the bed and looked sullenly out the window at the gardens below. She quietly slid out of the bed and crossed the room to the table at the door, wincing as she stood. Her groin and ass were still sore from the previous night. Slipping the thin white robes on, she opened the door and crossed the hall to the other door. "Irla, wake up," she whispered through the door as she knocked.

Inside, Kara opened her eyes and sat up, smiling broadly. As slipped from beneath the sheets, she gazed out the window, admiring the garden. "I'm up, Shala, thank you." Kara threw on her robes and left her room.

"Lords, you're glowing," Sahar said to Kara as they climbed the stairs.

"Lady Tilan was in a particularly gracious mood last night," said Kara, smiling. "You?"

"Master was not," she sighed, hanging her head.

"Perhaps you should seek comfort elsewhere," Kara whispered into her ear.

"That is forbidden!" Sahar gasped. "My body belongs to my Master, and is for his pleasure alone, on pain of death!"

"You don't know what you're missing," Kara smiled as she turned towards the doors to Casana's room. Sahar sighed as she quickly climbed the stairs and passed through the curtain. She hurried over the bridge and climbed up the last flight of stairs. Peeking over the top of the stairs, she sighed in relief when she saw Suvak still asleep. She walked quietly up to the bed and knelt, bowing her head.

"Milady," the guard greeted Kara as she reached for the door. He was tall and muscular, and appeared human except for the angular ridges on his forehead and cheeks.




Star Trek: Lineage Ch. 06



"Good morning, Artus," she smiled back. "Is my Mistress in?"

"She still sleeps, milady," he smirked as Kara quietly entered the room. She locked the door and crossed the room to the bed. Dropping her robes to the floor, she lifted the covers and slid over next to Casana. Kara sat up in the bed and gently pulled Casana's head over next to her, playing with her hair. Casana gently stirred, a smile spreading across her face.

"Hmmm," she moaned happily.

"Good morning, Mistress," Kara said softly.

"So it would seem," she smiled, running a hand along Kara thigh. "And how are you this morning, Irla?"

"I await your command, my Mistress," she smiled meekly down into Casana's grey eyes.

"Ugh! How many times have I told you to drop the formality?"

"Every day, my love. I just like teasing you."

"Well, I like other kinds of teasing," Casana grinned, rolling over onto her stomach. Kara pulled her up into a soft, lingering kiss, her fingers lightly running up and down Casana's arms. The tips of their tongues grazed each other, dancing over the other's lips. Casana broke the kiss and wrapped her arms around Kara's torso, resting her head on the ample breasts. She closed her eyes and sighed happily as she felt Kara's legs wrap around her waist.

"Don't you have work to do?" Kara giggled, brushing a stray lock of hair from Casana's face.

"Yes, but not for a while. Aresh was up late last night with Shala," she said with disgust. "It will be some time before he is awake."

"I spoke to her earlier. She did not look well," Kara frowned.

"He is a pig. He takes her for his own pleasure and thinks nothing of her."

"I feel sorry for her," Kara whispered sadly. Casana opened her eyes and looked up into Kara's eyes.

"When he is gone, when I have her, will you still give yourself to me?" she asked, worry in her eyes.

"Of course. I will obey you without question, Mistress," Kara replied.

"No, no! Will you give yourself to me willingly? Will you be mine, and I yours, as we are now?" she pressed.

"Do you love her?" Kara asked.

Casana hesitated, trying to predict Kara's response. "Yes," she finally whispered.

"And do you love me?"

"Yes!" she cried, sitting up on her knees between Kara's legs.

"And will you show her the same kindness you have shown me?" Kara asked, her voice slowly rising. "When you take her into your bed, will you give her the same pleasures you give me? The same gentle touch, the same loving caresses, the same sweet admirations?"

"Of course," Casana answered.

Kara cupped her cheeks and drew her into a strong, passionate kiss. Her tongue pressed into Casana's mouth and she threw her arms around her lover's shoulders. "Yes, my Mistress," she smiled when the kiss broke. Casana smiled and moved forward, placing her knees on either side of Kara's hips, pressing her groin into Kara's stomach.

"Thank you, my sweet," she smiled, a tear running down her face.

"As long as when you take her, you take me as well," Kara grinned playfully up at her, pressing her hip up into Casana's damp pussy.

"But of course!" Casana replied, bending forward to kiss Kara's forehead, grinding herself against Kara's abdomen.

"Thank you, Mistress," Kara smiled invitingly. "Please, Mistress, take me."

"So, you're in that kind of a mood, are you?" Casana smiled as she reached into one of the nightstand drawers. Kara nodded as she pulled out several strips of red silk. "Very well. Close your eyes, girl," Casana commanded her, tossing the covers back.

Kara's eyes closed, and she felt the silk drag up her body, tickling her from her pussy to her nose. Casana took a handful of her hair and pulled Kara's head forward, wrapping the silk around her eyes, blinding her. A wet warmth slid up Kara's neck to her ear, and she heard a soft whisper. "Give me your hands, girl."

"Yes, Mistress," Kara said obediently, and brought her hands to her chest. Casana grabbed them roughly, and wrapped a strip of silk around them in a figure eight, binding them together before tossing them back over Kara's head. Then, the weight of Casana's body lifted off of Kara, leaving her exposed to the cool morning air. Kara felt cold and alone, and desperately wanted to feel her lover's body again.

A drawer opened and closed, and there was again silence. Without warning a hand came down on her breast with a slap, and Kara jumped in surprise. "Be still, girl," Casana hissed.

"Yes, Mistress." There was another slap on the other breast, followed immediately by a soft, tickling sensation. Kara's nipples hardened immediately, and she arched her back. There was another slap, this time harder.

"Be still!"

"I'm sorry, Mistress," Kara pleaded, and the tickling returned. This time, it was on the other breast. The sensation danced over her skin, setting it on fire as it went. When it disappeared, the tickling was replaced by a weight on her stomach. It was warm, and Kara felt soft, slick skin on her abdomen. The smell of Casana's arousal filled the air, and she had to bite her lip to avoid crying out.

"To whom do you belong?" Casana asked softly, rolling Kara's nipples between her fingers.

"I am yours, Mistress," Kara answered.

"And what may I do with you?" Casana said playfully, pinching hard on Kara's nipples.

"Ahh! You may do with me as you wish, Mistress!" she cried.

"And what do you do?" Casana cooed, gently squeezing her breasts.

"I do as you command, Mistress," she answered, her voice full of desire.

"And what do you desire, my pet?" Casana smiled to herself, knowing the answer.

"I desire only to please you, Mistress. May I please you?"

"You may!" Casana cried. She grabbed Kara's hands and pinned them to the headboard with one hand, while the other reached down to take a handful of red hair. Casana scooted forward, pulling Kara's head to her pussy. "Lick me, girl!"

"Yes, Mistress." Kara barely had time to blurt it out before her face was pressed against Casana's pussy. She licked and nipped at the small outer lips. As Casana moved her face around, her small trimmed patch of hair tickled Kara's face.

Casana closed her eyes and threw her head back. She moved Kara's head around her pussy, forcing her to please certain areas, listening to the wet sounds of their lovemaking. As pressure built, her hips began to rock and her juices flow. When she felt her orgasm near, Casana pushed Kara's head back down into the pillow. "Whom do you serve?"

"I serve you, Mistress," Kara immediately replied, gasping for air, and Casana forced her face back into her pussy. Her hips ground against Kara's face, smearing her juices all over her cheeks and nose. She pulled Kara's face side to side, running her nose over Casana's lips. Occasionally she would slide her hips down, bringing Kara's mouth to her clit, driving her higher. Casana felt her lover's hands tap on her wrists, and she pushed Kara's head back down.

"Breathe, pet. We are only just beginning," Casana whispered. Kara panted beneath her, trying to catch her breath. When her breathing slowed, Casana again pulled her face between her thighs. At first, she pulled gently, waiting for another tap. When it didn't come, she pulled harder, forcing Kara's lips around her clit.

As the redhead's tongue lashed against her nub Casana leaned forward, panting heavily as her body tensed. She waited as long as she could, and when she could bear no more, Casana again forced Kara's head to the pillow. "Whom do you love?" she asked throatily.

"I love you, my Mistress!" Kara cried back.

"Good girl," Casana smiled, pulling Kara in again. Soft squeaks and moans escaped Casana's lips as she neared climax, steadily becoming louder and louder. Tension grew in her muscles and she squeezed her eyes shut.

Finally her body went rigid, her mouth frozen in a silent scream for a brief moment. "Oh, Lords, yes!" Casana shrieked as her body began to quake. She forced Kara's head back and forth over her opening, and felt her tongue extend. Casana thrust her hips forward, pulling Kara's tongue into her at the same time, fucking herself with the redhead's face, shrieking in joy as orgasm after orgasm rolled through her.

When she could take no more, Casana released Kara's head and arms and collapsed to one side. She lay on the bed panting, running her hands over her body and through her hair, spasming periodically. Kara slid over to her, pressing her face into Casana's neck, gently kissing.

"Are you pleased, Mistress?" Kara asked sweetly, pulling away from Casana's neck. Casana responded with a feverish nod before diving on top of Kara, pressing their lips together in a crushing kiss. She took a handful of Kara's hair and roughly pulled her head back, giving her room to attack Kara's neck.

"I am very pleased, Irla," Casana said in a husky voice when she pulled away. She lifted one of Kara's legs and pushed her own underneath it, resting her dripping pussy on Kara's other thigh. "Would you like for me to return the favor, girl?"

"Please yes, Mistress," Kara moaned.

"Very well," Casana smiled and took hold of Kara's hips. She thrust her own hips forward powerfully as she pulled Kara towards her, pressing their groins together tightly. Kara had already created a wet spot on the sheets with her juices, and their slamming together made a wet slapping sound.

"Oh, Lords, yes! Thank you, Mistress," Kara squealed as Casana slammed and ground into her, pulling Kara's leg higher and wrapping her arms around it for more power, unconsciously licking and kissing her calf.

The pace of their hips built steadily, as did the volume of their moans and cries. Their worlds shrank, until all that existed was each other, their mutual pleasure all that concerned either of them. A thick, intoxicating smell filled the room, and neither of them could think straight as they raced towards their peak.

"Yes, yes, oh yes, oh Lords please, Mistress!" Kara screamed before exploding into tears as she came. Her body twitched and jerked uncontrollably as Casana continued to grind against her, bringing herself closer.

"Come for me, girl. Show me how much you enjoy being mine," Casana growled before throwing her own head back and releasing a powerful, primal scream as she came, too. She reached down and grabbed Kara's bound hands, pulling her up. Casana had intended to kiss her but missed, and they ended up with their arms wrapped around each other as their bodies slumped together, hips still pounding.

They could hear each other's cries and feel their chests rise and fall rapidly. Casana rested her chin on Kara's shoulder while the redhead cried softly into her neck, their hips finally slowing to a stop. Her arms were tired, and Casana was out of breath, but still had enough strength to undo Kara's blindfold and bindings before they collapsed onto the pillows, still in each other's arms. With her last bit of energy, Casana pulled the covers over them before she fell asleep.

******

Lord's Chamber, 0810 hours local

Sahar's legs burned, but she didn't dare move. To her relief, Suvak finally stirred, yawning and scratching her chest. Suvak tossed her covers off and stood. As she stretched her arms and arched back, Sahar readied a long, thick, flowing robe of fine furs and expensive fabrics. Suvak raised her arms and Sahar slid the robe onto her. Moving around to the front, Sahar secured the gold clasp across the neck of the robe before kneeling to close the robes. A thick, masculine scent filled her nostrils, and she cringed.

"No, leave it open," Suvak commanded. Sahar stood, her head bowed, and backed away. The Vulcan marched down the steps and across the foot bridge, guards kneeling as she passed, Sahar following close behind her. As they exited the room, two guardsmen in full steel plate armor fell in behind them, following as they descended the stairs and passed through the long hallway.

It was lined with guards, their armor consisting of a gold plated chest plate molded to look like a finely muscled bare chest, shining steel greaves and bracers over leather boots and gloves, and metal helmets painted emerald green, a single crest running down the center. Suvak ignored them, turning at the end of the hallway and walking through a massive double door which two guards opened for her.

The room they entered featured a large round table to one side, upon which was built a scale reconstruction of the city. The model showed every detail of the city down to the carvings on individual streets. The only thing missing was great statue behind the palace. On the floor in the center of the room was a detailed map of the area painted onto the marble floor. Hanging on one wall was a full map of the planet, clearly machine-made.

Casana stood with her arms behind her back, speaking to an official as she stared at the city model. Behind her, Kara stood near one of the open windows with a pitcher and two jeweled goblets on a silver platter. As soon as the doors opened, Casana looked up at Suvak. "You are dismissed," she said to the official. "Good morning, my Lord," she said, bowing her head.

"What do you have for me today, Tilan?" Suvak asked impatiently.

"I just spoke to the Imperial Architect," she reported, walking around the table. "He informed me that construction on the new harbor facilities is proceeding ahead of schedule. He expects it to be finished within the month."

Suvak was completely uninterested in the harbor. "How did you get your consort to be so cheerfully obedient?" she asked, looking at Kara. "Shala is always so dour." Sahar blushed and looked away in shame.

"I reward her loyalty. I return to her all of the pleasures she brings me," Casana smiled.

"Hmm," Suvak frowned. "So do I. It must be something else."

"Lord Aresh, the Mason's Guild is still demanding better conditions," Casana said, trying to catch Suvak's attention. "They are complaining about dangerous conditions, and say that pay has been withheld."

"I tire of this," Suvak sighed. "Round up the leaders and execute them."

"Milord?"

"Find the leaders of the Mason's Guild, and kill them. Leave the bodies in the streets," Suvak ordered, turning to face her.

"Milord, I think that may be unwise," Casana advised her.

"I am the Lord of this world!" Suvak yelled. "I am to be obeyed unquestioningly! Those are the terms of my agreement with your ancestors, and your people WILL honor that agreement!"

"As you wish, Lord Aresh," Casana relented, bowing her head. Suvak sat heavily into a large, plush chair, resting her head on one arm.

"I am not without kindness," she sighed. "Announce that upon completion of the harbor facilities, the workers will be paid in full, with an additional reward for completing the project early."

"I do not think we can afford to do such a thing," Casana pointed out.

"I know. It does not matter. I want that harbor finished so that work may begin on the temple."

"As you wish, milord."

Suvak yawned, looking out the window. "Shala, I desire your services," she said offhandedly.

"With pleasure, Lord," Sahar replied. She hurried over to the chair and knelt between Suvak's knees. But as Sahar pulled the robes aside, the doors opened and a guard rushed into the room.

"Lord Aresh, your sister has arrived," he reported.

"Damn," Suvak grunted. She stood, pushing Sahar to the ground roughly. "We will continue this later. I must speak with my sister." Suvak rushed from the room, followed by Casana, Kara, and Sahar. They followed her back down the hallway and up the first flight of stairs. As Suvak continued up to her room, the others stopped on the landing.

"Leave us," she yelled to her guards, and they filed out of the room. Casana and Kara exchanged glances, and Casana took Sahar by the hand.

"Shala, might I have a word with you?" she asked sweetly.

"As you wish, milady," Sahar replied, hanging her head.

"Please, call me Tilan," Casana smiled, leading Sahar to her room. Kara opened the door, and locked it behind them, waiting outside. Casana released Sahar's hand when the door closed and walked over to the window, staring out at the city.

"W-what is it you need of me, milady?" Sahar asked nervously.

"Do you enjoy your duties?" Casana asked casually.

"Of course, milady. The service of my Master is my sole purpose, and gives my life meaning," she said from memory.

"Do not simply repeat your oath," Casana said, turning to face her. "Does fulfilling your duties bring you pleasure?" she asked again.

"No, milady," Sahar answered, blushing in shame.

"Do you not wish it would?" Casana asked pointedly. "Do you not wish that you were sworn to please one who would return that pleasure?"

"Milady?"

"Would you not prefer to serve one who would treasure your service?" she asked, walking slowly towards Sahar. "Who would take you in their arm, whispering their gratitude in your ear? Someone who does not strike you, does not use you and dismiss you? Who returns to you all the pleasures you bring them, who keeps you in their embrace once you are spent?" They were face to face, only inches apart, staring into each other's eyes.

"Yes, milady," Sahar whispered.

"Then be mine," Casana said softly, brushing the dark hair out of Sahar's eyes. She leaned in, gently grazing her lips against Sahar's. "Serve me."

Sahar recoiled in horror. "Milady, I cannot! I am sworn to Lord Aresh!"

Casana grasped her gently by the shoulders. "To hell with Aresh!" she cried. "He will not remain in power long. If he is not deposed, the kingdom will collapse! One way or another, Aresh's reign will soon be over. Serve me, help me depose him, and I will reward you. And I will love you." Sahar stared at her silently for a long moment.

"Yes, my Mistress," she finally answered, kneeling before Casana. Casana brought her hand to Sahar's chin and raised her head.

"You need not bow to me," she whispered tearfully. Casana pulled her up and pressed her lips gently against Sahar's. Casana wrapped her arms around Sahar, and felt the taller woman melt against her. She tried to move them to the bed, but their legs became tangled and they fell to the floor, with Casana landing on top of Sahar. She pushed herself up on her hands and knees, but Sahar immediately pulled her back down.

"Please, Mistress, don't stop touching me," she whimpered, tears rolling down her cheeks. "It has been so long since I have been touched with such gentle care."

"I won't, Shala," Casana smiled, pulling away briefly. As she gazed down into Sahar's eyes, something tugged at the back of her mind again. There was the same alarm as before, but there was also regret. Though she could not remember what it was, she knew there was something she regretted, and that she was about to make it right.

But as Casana lowered herself back down to Sahar, they were interrupted by a terrible crash. They both looked up to see Suvak standing in the doorway, the door itself on the floor, knocked from its hinges. Her eyes were filled with blind fury.

Casana tried to speak, but before she could open her mouth, Suvak crossed the distance between them kicked her in the flank with all her strength. With a sickening crunch, Casana was sent twisting through the air, landing on the bed. She was gripped by a burning pain in her side, and tasted metal in her mouth. Casana coughed, and looked down to see the white sheets stained red with blood.

"Whores!" Suvak screamed powerfully, causing the walls to reverberate. "You would betray me?! I will make you pay!" She moved to step forward, but stopped when Kara struck the back of her head with candlestick. But instead of collapsing, Suvak wheeled about to face her.

"Die!" Kara screamed as she produced a dagger. She raised the blade above her head and brought it down, but Suvak grasped her wrist before she could strike. Suvak squeezed with her hand, crushing the bones in Kara's wrist with a crack.




Star Trek: Lineage Ch. 06



Kara shrieked in pain, but Suvak struck again, striking Kara in the chest with her palm and sending her hurdling into the stone wall. The impact knocked the air from Kara's lungs, and she felt a horrible pain in her chest. She tried to breathe, but could not get her lungs to work.

"Now for you, harlot," Suvak growled down at Sahar. Her eyes widened and she tried to crawl away, but Suvak pinned her to the ground. "I shall visit upon you the humiliation you have brought me," Suvak hissed into Sahar's ear as she pushed her victim's robe up past her ass.

"No!" Sahar screamed pitifully. "Please, Master, I had no choice!"

"You had a choice: me, or death! And you chose poorly!" Suvak yelled, untying her own robe. Sahar felt something push against her anus, and began to cry in shame and fear. Sahar looked towards the door and saw Kara, hopelessly trying to breathe. She turned her head to see Casana twitching on the bed, coughing blood. Sahar gritted her teeth and shut her eyes, awaiting the pain of her impending rape.

Then, a powerful, deafening cry split the air. "Brother!" screamed a voice from the doorway, and Sahar opened her eyes to look. In the doorway stood a woman, clad in simple steel armor from the neck down. The metal was bare and unpolished, like that used for training new recruits. Her hands and feet were bare, with exception of simple gold bangles on her wrists and ankles.

"Stay out of this!" Suvak yelled at the woman, her face turning red.

"I will not! This has gone on long enough! These people are not your playthings," she yelled back. Her light brown hair fell around her shoulders, framing her pale face and soft blue eyes.

"Leave me," Suvak growled at her. Without responding, the woman crossed the room in only a few steps. Grabbing Suvak by the back of the neck, she pulled her off of Sahar and hurled her into the wall. The stone cracked under the impact, shaking the building to its foundation. The woman again crossed the room in only a few steps, raising one leg as she closed the gap.

As Suvak got to her feet, the woman's boot landed powerfully on Suvak's chest, sending her back into the wall, cracking it further. The woman drew her fist back, but as she punched, Suvak caught the hand in her fist. The Vulcan stood, head-butting the woman and sending her back a few steps.

Suvak reached for a sword hanging from the wall, bringing it down towards the woman with both hands. As the blade came down, a large bronze shield grew from the woman's left arm. She raised it above her head, falling to one knee and blocking the sword. At the same time, a spear materialized in her other hand as it shot forward. The woman buried the spear in Suvak's chest, striking the wall behind her.

A small purple flower fell silently to the grass.

Sahar's hand pulled back from the stone reflexively and she looked around, eyes wide. She saw Casana a few meters away, in her Starfleet uniform, a small purple flower at her feet. Beyond her, Kara was standing at the entrance to the city. Both of them were staring at her in shock and confusion. Sahar heard the humming of a tricorder behind her, and spun her head around to see Suvak, tricorder in hand, staring at her.

"What the fuck," Sahar muttered.

******

City Gate, 0630 hours local

"Did you all just...?" Casana asked softly.

"Yeah," Kara whispered in response.

"Interesting," Suvak said calmly.

"Is everyone okay?" Sahar blurted out.

"Uhh, yeah," Casana said as she felt her sides.

"I can breathe, so I think so," Kara mumbled.

"I am uninjured," Suvak said, looking down at her tricorder. "It is 0630 hours local, on the second day on the surface."

"What?" Sahar said, turning to face her. She walked over and looked at the tricorder. "Fuck, it is."

"Okay, what the hell just happened? Did we imagine that?" Casana cried.

"I don't think so," Kara said, her mouth gaping open as she looked through the gate into the city. "Take a look at this."

"Holy crap," Casana gasped. The city lay in ruins. Most of the buildings were collapsed and overgrown with vegetation. The palace was mostly intact, but the stone was cracked and faded, worn away by time. Even the walls were in ruins, covered with vines and missing whole sections.

They slowly walked down the street towards the palace, stepping over chunks of stone littering the roadway. The carvings on the streets had been worn down by time, and were now almost unrecognizable. In the distance, on the far side of the palace, stood the enormous metal statue of the woman from the palace, gleaming in the morning sun as though it were brand new. But instead of standing, the woman was on one knee, her spear thrusting forward, the shield raised above her head in protection.

The great doors to the palace lay on the floor of the foyer, covered in dust. Vines ran through cracks in the roof, and the dome had collapsed inward. Sahar led the way as they climbed over the rubble and up the stairs. They walked down the long hallway, the tapping of their boots the only sound, the curtains having long since rotted away.

They climbed the first set of stairs together and stopped at the landing. Sahar stepped through the doorway, over the shattered door. The bed was rotted away, as was all of the furniture. But there was a crater in the wall near the door.

"This is where I hit," Kara whispered, running her hands over the cracked stone.

"Look," Sahar said, pointing to the wall. The area she pointed to was crushed, with a deep indentation in the stone. Parts of the wall had fallen away, revealing a storage room on the other side.

Buried in the stone was a single spear.

"What the bloody hell fucking happened?" Kara yelled.

"Suvak, are there any power signatures? Any subspace distortions? Anything at all unusual?" Sahar asked.

"No," she responded, staring at her tricorder. "There is nothing out of the ordinary."

"No, there's something here," Casana whispered. "I can feel it."

"What is it?" asked Kara.

"I don't know. But when I was in here... before, I remember that I felt something. Like something was wrong."

"When?" said Sahar.

"When I was..." She hesitated. "When I was with Kara. Or Irla, or whoever."

"I was someone else. I felt perfectly at ease, like there was nothing wrong at all," Kara said. "Well, until Suvak tried to kill me."

"I did not try to kill you. I believe we were shown something," Suvak explained.

"Shown what?" Sahar asked curiously.

"I believe we were shown a crucial event in this city's history."

"Yeah, but how?" Kara cried.

"Telepathy," Casana said quietly.

"Telepathy?" Sahar repeated.

"Yes. From the moment we first saw the city, our minds were being influenced."

"I remember that I have felt agitated since we beamed down," Suvak added.

"Vulcan's are telepathic, so you may have been affected first. Something altered our perception of reality."

"Why?" Kara asked.

"To show us what happened to the city."

"But the tricorder isn't reading anything unusual," Sahar protested.

"Sensors cannot detect the telepathic messages used by Betazoids. At least, tricorders can't," Casana pointed out.

"Okay, but why?" Kara asked again. "I mean, why show us this? We didn't see what happened to this city. We saw what happened to these people. The city wouldn't have known about what we saw as it happened."

"The city's leaders were killed," Sahar said. "Society must have fallen apart."

"No," Kara objected. "Look around. Nothing has changed. The only difference is the statue. There are no signs of chaos. No evidence of looting, of rioting, not even of a mass exodus. It's like they put up that statue and left."

"Great," Sahar said, throwing up her hands. "So, to recap, we don't know who the people here were, we don't know where they came from, we don't know where they went, and we don't know what happened to them. Do we know anything?"

"Aresh and his sister were not of the same race as Shala, Irla, and Tilan," Suvak observed.

"Oh, so we don't know anything about two races, not one," Casana smiled.

"We know that Aresh lived much longer than his subjects. He told Tilan that he had a deal with her ancestors," Sahar said.

"So, we know that there were two races here, one more powerful than the other," Kara stated. "The weaker ones owed some debt to the stronger, otherwise they would not have pledged their service. They also didn't think that Aresh's people were gods. You don't stage a coup against a god. What else?"

"They didn't collapse after Aresh's death," Casana said.

"We don't know that Aresh was killed," Suvak pointed out. "Though we can assume he was deposed."

"Okay, they didn't collapse after Aresh was deposed," Casana corrected herself. "But they did disappear."

"I don't think they died," Sahar added. "There are no bodies or remains anywhere. Anything else?"

"They loved his sister," Kara said quietly.

"Why did you come to that conclusion?" Suvak asked.

"Because she beat the hell out of that birk. Besides, they built her a bloody statue."

"I know one other thing," Sahar said, flipping open her communicator. "We better get the fuck out outta here. Lieutenant Tehrani to Athena, requesting immediate beam-out."

******

Deck 7, Sahar's Quarters, 0230 hours

Sahar tossed and turned, unable to sleep. She took comfort in Kara's embrace, but it was not enough to calm her. Frustrated, she slid out of bed and walked over to the window. As she stared out at the stars, she heard the woman's voice in her head.

"I will be watching you."



Star Trek: Lineage Ch. 07



First Contact

2302, Deck 10, Main Crew Lounge, 1800 hours, USS Athena, in orbit around Makav XI

"You will only have one opportunity, Lieutenant," Suvak warned her. "It must be correct on your first attempt."

"Everything is riding on this, Harry," Casana said, her eyes wide as she sat vibrating with anticipation. "Get this right and everything else is cake."

"Come on love, you can do this," Kara reassured her, squeezing Sahar's hand.

"Okay, here goes," Sahar sighed, closing her eyes. After a brief pause she opened her mouth and spoke. The words flowed out beautifully. Soft, delicate tones, sweeping gently up or down, were punctuated by an occasional dramatic jump in pitch. The sound was beautiful and rhythmic, lasting only a few seconds. When she finished, Sahar opened her eyes and looked up. The others were wide-eyed. "How was that?" she asked nervously.

"Interesting," Suvak remarked, cocking her head.

"Wow. Just... wow," Casana gaped.

Sahar turned to Kara, who stared silently at her for an instant. Then she exploded in uncontrolled laughter, clutching her stomach and falling from her chair. Sahar scowled at her.

"That was incorrect, Lieutenant," Suvak told her.

"It was perfect!" she protested as Kara rolled on the ground next to her.

"No, not really," Casana said, starting to giggle herself.

"The Makavian language is very nuanced, Lieutenant," Suvak reminded her as Casana clasped both hands over her mouth. "Several frequency sweeps were reversed, and your inflection was off on three occasions."

"So what did I say?" Sahar asked, hanging her head. Casana lost her control and laughed incessantly, grasping the table to stay in her chair.

"You were supposed to express your delight at having the privilege of bearing witness to this great occasion," Suvak reminded her.

"And?"

"Instead, you expressed your enthusiasm for your assigned task of cataloging his daughter's carnal skills." Sahar blinked at her.

"Well, I can hold my own in a fight," she sighed, taking a sip from her sharbat as Casana lost her grip on the table and collapsed on top of Kara.

"Actually," Suvak said, "given Makavian society's general sexual permissiveness, especially in regards to voyeurism and homosexuality, your statement would likely have been greeted favorably."

"Oh," Sahar smiled, leaning back in her chair. "Maybe I should keep it at that, then."

"You said 'catalog', not 'sample'!" Kara howled from beneath the table.

"Hey, Harry, ya' think I can come along for your visit?" Casana squealed from under the table. Sahar kicked out a leg.

"Ow!" Kara yelped as Casana laughed harder. "Bloody hell, what was that for?"

"Wanted to know who was who down there. And for laughing at me." Sahar adjusted her aim, and kicked out harder.

"Hey!" Casana cried.

"That's for calling me Harry," Sahar scolded her as she kicked again. "Twice."

******

Deck 7, Officer's Quarters, 1930 hours

Sahar plodded slowly across the room and threw her limp body onto the bed, whimpering pitifully. "Wow," Kara remarked, "that was really pathetic."

"I'm trying," Sahar sighed, rolling over onto her back and staring up at the ceiling. 

"I meant that flop onto the bed, love," she laughed softly, sitting down next to Sahar.

"I learned Klingon in three weeks," Sahar whined. "Why can't I say one sentence in Makavian correctly?"

"Klingon has much simpler transitive and intransitive rules," Kara said reassuringly, brushing back a lock of black hair from Sahar's face. "You'll get it, you're just nervous."

"If I'm nervous now, what will I be like when I'm on the surface?" Sahar cried.

Kara thought for a second before shrugging. "Oh well, I guess you're buggered."

"Thanks," Sahar said sarcastically before rolling onto her side away from Kara.

"Oh, don't pout. I'm just kidding. You'll do fine. You're at your best under pressure."

"I hope you're right," Sahar sighed, "because there aren't many higher pressure situations than first contact."

Kara reached down and rolled Sahar over. Before she could protest, Kara planted a kiss on Sahar's lips. She let her tongue linger, savoring Sahar's powerful, exhilarating taste. When they parted, Kara gazed into her dark brown eyes, smiling lovingly and running the back of her hand along her cheek. "I'm always right."

"God, stop talking," Sahar groaned before grabbing Kara's head and pulling her into another kiss. 

******

Deck 7, Officer's Quarters, 0530 hours

Sahar yawned as she read the PADD, sitting up in bed. She was going over Makavian traditions and customs, as well as her duties in the days ahead. Setting the PADD down for a moment, she rubbed her eyes. The low light made reading hard, but she did not want to risk waking Kara.

Sahar looked down at her, smiling to herself. Kara's head was resting on her midsection, her arms wrapped around her torso. Red hair cascaded across Sahar's stomach and onto the bed covers, and she could feel the warmth of Kara's breath on her skin. Occasionally, Kara would twitch slightly and then softly rub her nose on Sahar's flat stomach before settling back down.

Sahar found it mesmerizing. The feel of Kara's body next to her own was comforting and familiar, like a child's favorite blanket. Her touch was soothing, even if it was just a tap on the shoulder or a touch of the hand. The redhead's caresses never failed to put her at ease, an effect that Kara's personality only added to. Sahar's own fatalistic tendencies were perfectly offset by Kara's relentless, uncompromising resilience. Kara gave her strength when she needed it most.

Still, Sahar was troubled. Kara may have brought her strength but she could be difficult as well. She was stubborn to a fault and seemed to always want to have the last word. They had never had a full blown fight, but there had been some tense moments.

Besides, Sahar was the type of person who yearned for new experiences. And while their lovemaking was always wonderfully pleasing to Sahar, it now sometimes seemed old and familiar, lacking the fire of a new relationship. It seemed as though Sahar's deepest, most secret fear was coming to pass: she was growing bored with Kara. And something else was bothering Sahar.

For the first time in nearly two years, Sahar had dreamed about Casana.

******

Deck 23, Auxiliary Transporter Room, 1300 hours

Sahar and half a dozen others milled about in the transporter, waiting for permission to beam down to the planet's surface. Normally, Starfleet tried to keep first contact incidents as discreet as possible, especially when the race in question had not already made contact with intelligent life from another planet. When a massive starship like the Athena swoops down out of the sky and announces not only the existence of intelligent alien life, but the fact that said life is vastly more powerful and advanced than anything the native population had ever imagined, the general populace reacts unpredictably. If handled improperly, first contact can result in anything from mass jubilation to a full-scale thermonuclear attack.

In order to avoid such reactions, the Federation had discreetly contacted the Makavian government several weeks before, intending to determine how best to make their existence know to the Makavian people. The Makavian leadership's reaction was to immediately call a press conference and announce that they had made contact with a powerful, benevolent alien civilization, and that there would be a public ceremony and cultural exchange in a matter of days. Despite the fact that no such arrangement had ever been made, Starfleet had agreed. The Makavians had recently developed warp technology and were situated uncomfortably close to Cardassian space.

Sahar was to be among the first Starfleet personnel to (officially) set foot on Makav IV as part of the cultural exchange. The actual ceremony had been going on for nearly an hour. It featured all of the Senior Officers except for Commander Fuller, who was left in command of the ship, as well as Starfleet personnel from as many different planets as possible, including Suvak, Casana, and Zula. Captain Lowe had even gone so far as to have several crewmen from races not represented by any of the Athena's crew temporarily transferred aboard.

Sahar was scheduled to beam down with two dozen other specialists as part of the end of the ceremony, after which she would meet with her Makavian counterpart. They would then spend the next few days discussing military tactics, philosophy, and culture, trying to learn as much about each other's armed forces as possible. 

"Transporter Rooms, Bridge. You're cleared for beam-down," said Fuller through the intercom. The landing party silently took their places on the transporter pad, and she was immersed in bright blue light. The last thing she saw before dematerializing was the transport officer mouthing two words: "Oh, fuck."

They rematerialized in an alley between two multistory buildings with boarded windows and peeling paint. In front of them was a city street, with automobiles passing by every few seconds. The team stood in stunned silence for a few seconds, unsure of what had happened or what to do. Sahar's communicator chirped, causing the young man next to her to jump. "Easy, Ensign," she said as she reached for the device. "Lieutenant Tehrani here, where are we?"

"Sorry, sir," said the transport officer. "We got bad coordinates, and I had to adjust mid-transport to keep from beaming you into a wall."

"I appreciate that, Ensign," she said gratefully, "but where are we?"

"About two or three kilometers from the ceremony, on the far side of the river. Do you want me to transport you there?"

"No," Sahar said quickly, trying not to reveal how much nearly being beamed into sheetrock bothered her. "We'll make our way on foot. Tehrani out." She flipped the communicator closed and turned to the rest of the team. "Come on, let's get going."

Sahar walked out of the alley onto the sidewalk and looked down the street in both directions. The Makavians were humanoids with horizontal ridges spaced a few centimeters apart, running around their heads from the eyes to the base of the neck, with a channel on either side of the head as though someone had drawn their finger down molded clay to make it. They had brightly colored hair that usually was kept long by women and short by men. She noticed a bus stopped a few meters away, letting on passengers, and led the team over to it.

When the rest of the passengers had boarded, Sahar stepped up the stairs and looked at the driver, pulling the long, cylindrical universal translator from its sheathe and turning it on.

"Excuse me, sir, but do you know the way to the First Contact Ceremony?"

*****

Makav IV Capitol City, 1410 hours

Sahar's palms were sweating as she stepped off the bus last, thanking the driver. They had arrived at a large square in the center of the city, now occupied only by clean-up crews, Makavian police, and a handful of Starfleet personnel and Makavian officials. Sahar spotted Captain Lowe and walked towards him. He was talking with a tall Makavian woman with bright blue-green hair, her back turned to Sahar.

"About time, Lieutenant," he frowned when he noticed her. "What the hell happened?"

"Sir, we were beamed to the wrong coordinates," she explained "We had to use local public transportation to get here."

"I know that," he snapped. "Why did it take you over an hour to go two kilometers?"

"Traffic in this city is hideous, Captain," the woman said, turning to face Sahar. "Hello, Lieutenant. My name is Major Aka'i Soo'u, Chief of Staff for General Ha'atu of the Makavian Army," she said, flattening her hands and placing the thumb against her face just outside of her eyes, palms in, and taking a slight bow. "It is an honor to meet you."

Sahar took a deep breath, and turned off the universal translator. She opened her mouth to repeat the phrase she had practiced so many times over the last few days.

"Oh, forget it, Lieutenant," Lowe said, cutting her off. A bit disappointed, Sahar clicked the universal translator back on. "You and the Major have a lot to discuss, and you're already behind schedule. Get to it."

"Aye, sir," Sahar sighed as Lowe walked away.

"Shall we?" Aka'i said with a smile.

******

Makav IV Capitol City, 1930 hours

"This is awesome!" Casana gasped, petting the small animal on her wrist. It was the size of a small rabbit, covered in short brown fur, clinging to her wrist with two thin paddle-like appendages, wrapping them around her arm. Its head was short and flat, with two tiny black eyes on the top. When she touched it, the creature cooed softly and gently squeezed her wrist. "Holy crap, that was adorable!"

"It's called a 'la'oont'," the man next to her said. "They're indigenous to the temperate forests, but many Makavians keep them as pets."

"I can see why! It's so cute!" she squealed, tickling the animal. "What kind of diet does it have?"

"They eat small insects. Here, watch this," he smiled, reaching into a drawer. He pulled out a small stick with piece of string attached to one end. At the end of the string was a small, plastic insect. The man dangled the insect above the creature, swaying it back and forth slowly. After a few seconds the creature opened its mouth, also on the top of its head, and its long tongue shot out, wrapping around the insect and pulling it into the animal's mouth, only to immediately spit it out.

"Wow," Casana gaped. "It just waits for a bug to wander by?"

"Pretty much."

"Aw, who's a lazy little ball of cute?" she smiled, tickling the creature again.

"Lieutenant Tehrani to Lieutenant Shen," her communicator chirped.

Casana used her free hand to open her communicator. "Hey, Harry, have you seen a la'oont yet? It's the most amazing thing I've ever seen!"

"Don't call me Harry," Sahar said, almost as a formality. "And yes, I've seen a lute."

"Not a lute, doofus. A la'oont," she laughed. "It's an animal."

"This isn't another vampire rabbit, is it? Or a bat that I'm going to have to chase?"

"Actually, he kinda looks a bit like a bat, and he eats bugs, but no, it's not."

"Good, cause you find the creepiest things interesting," Sahar observed dryly.

"He's cute," she insisted. "So, what's up?"

"The Major and I are going to get something to eat with Suvak. You wanna come along?"

"Sure," Casana smiled. "Hey, Unoo'a, you want to get something to eat?" she asked the man.

"No, I still have some work to do here," he frowned.

"Oh well. Okay, Sahar, I'll meet you there. Shen out," she said, flipping the communicator closed. Casana immediately flipped it back open. "Hey, where am I meeting you?"

******

Makav IV Capitol City, 2200 hours

"So then, Unoo'a gets this little stick with a bug on the end, and dangles the bug in front it, and then..." Casana said excitedly before sticking her tongue out and bobbing her head.

"It suffered an epileptic seizure?" Suvak asked curiously.

"What? No! It shot its tongue out and grabbed the bug," Casana explained.

"Did you just suffer a seizure, then?" Sahar laughed.

"Har, har, Sahar," Casana said mockingly. "Hey, wait a-"

"Don't even think about it," Sahar snarled. "The last thing I want is another of your nicknames."

"Aw. And that was a good one, too," Casana pouted. The four of them sat around a table in a bar near the square. Aka'i had ordered for Sahar and Casana, but Suvak insisted on ordering for herself. They had finished their meal, and now sat over drinks as the restaurant slowly emptied.

"So, Lieutenant, how is Kara?" Suvak asked out of nowhere.

"Excuse me?" Sahar replied, caught off guard.

"Is that not an appropriate question?" 

"I guess it's okay. Just kinda... random."

"I have been researching human social customs. I was under the impression that it is customary to inquire about a friend's mate in these situations," she explained.

"Well... she's fine, I guess," Sahar said quietly. Casana raised her eyebrows.

"That wasn't very convincing," she observed.

"Kara is fine," Sahar insisted.

"Then something is wrong with you."

"I'm fine, too."

"No, you aren't. Tell me what it is."

"No," Sahar snapped.

"So there is something wrong!" Casana squealed. "Tell me what it is."

"No," Sahar said with annoyance.

"Come on."

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Do it. You know you want to."

"No, Cass."

"Do it, or I let a bat loose in your quarters."

"God fucking damn it, Tilan, leave it alone!" Suvak, Sahar, and Casana all froze. "Please, drop it Casana."

"Oh, no you don't," Casana said emphatically. "You just called me 'Tilan'."

"It just kinda... came out," Sahar blushed.

"Have you been experiencing dreams again, Lieutenant?" Suvak asked.

"Yes. Yes, I've been dreaming about Casana," Sahar admitted.

"How frequently?" Suvak pressed her.

"Almost every night now."

"What kind of dreams?" Casana asked quietly.

"What kind do you think?" Sahar snapped.

"Is Kara aware?" Suvak questioned.

Sahar looked up at her angrily. "Hey, honey, you look lovely this morning!" she said mockingly. "Oh, by the way, I've been dreaming about that time Suvak almost raped me when she caught me and Casana together. What's for dinner?"

"Wait, you tried to rape her?" Aka'i cried, looking at Suvak.

"Several months ago, Lieutenants Tehrani, Shen, Morgan-"

"That's Kara," Casana interjected.

"... and I encountered a telepathic presence while exploring an uncharted planet," Suvak continued, ignoring Casana. "The message showed us a series of event, with ourselves standing in for key figures. The individual I represented attempted to rape Lieutenant Tehrani."

"And your name was Tilan?" Aka'i asked Casana.

"Yep."

"And this is causing friction between you and Lieutenant Morgan?"

"Pretty much," Sahar shrugged.

Aka'i was silent for a moment. "Your lives are not like ours," she said finally.

"Yeah, no shit," Sahar sighed as she stood. "Look, I'm gonna go take a walk, then head back to the ship. I'll see you guys later."

"Night, Sahar," Casana yawned.

"Good evening, Lieutenant," Suvak nodded.

"I will see you again tomorrow," Aka'i said. She watched as Sahar left the restaurant, then left herself.

******

Makav IV Capitol City, 2245 hours

Sahar slowly trudged through the park, woefully staring at the ground. The more she wandered, the more miserable she became. She had no desire to leave Kara, but was not terribly thrilled about staying with her, either. She could not decide what she wanted, and it was killing her.

The problem wasn't that she didn't enjoy being with Kara, it was that she wanted more. An affair. Sahar stopped in her tracks. Could I do that? Cheat on Kara? Her first instinct was no, and she continued to walk through the park.

But as she went, the idea seemed less and less like a mistake. Just once. Get it out of my system. A voice in her head objected, but she crushed it. No harm, no foul. But who? Casana? The thought was not unpleasant to her. Casana was definitely attractive, and Sahar knew the feeling was at least slightly mutual. Perhaps this would solve her problems and save her relationship.

Sahar was paying so little attention that she did not notice the person walking next to her. As she picked her head up, she finally saw her. "How long have you been following me?"

"Following?" Aka'i replied. "I wasn't following you. I was right beside you."

"How long?"

"Long enough to know that you just made a decision about something."

"You didn't know humans existed two days ago. Don't assume you know anything about us."

"No, but your friends do. And they know something is wrong."

"I don't want to talk about it."




Star Trek: Lineage Ch. 07



"There is an old Makavian saying: 'An unfamiliar eye is always fair'," she said, looking out into the night.

"Some things you can only tell a stranger?"

"Something like that. And I am about as much of a stranger as you will ever find."

Sahar walked quietly for a few moments. "I'm having relationship issues," she finally said.

"With Lieutenant Morgan?"

"Yeah," Sahar said, exhaling deeply. "I've been with Kara for nearly two years now." Aka'i turned, leading an oblivious Sahar out of the park.

"And?"

"And it's been two years."

"Is that long for humans?"

"Yes and no. It's a long time for a casual relationship."

"And more serious ones?"

"They can last for life. My parents have been together for decades now."

"I see," Aka'i said, taking another turn. "And are human relationships... exclusive?"

"Typically," Sahar said. Aka'i nodded silently. "The trouble is, I don't know if our relationship is serious or not."

"How can you determine whether it is or not?"

"That's the thing, I have no idea. I guess you're just supposed to know," Sahar shrugged.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, if it's a serious relationship, there's supposed to be a spark."

"A spark?" she asked in confusion.

"Metaphorically. The relationship should feel exhilarating, exciting, new."

"New relationships, by definition, feel new," Aka'i pointed out, turning down a narrow side street.

"Yeah, but a good relationship should stay that way."

"And yours does not?"

"No, it does not."

"Then it is not a serious relationship," Aka'i concluded.

"But I want it to be serious!" Sahar protested. "I love Kara. Really love her. She's just so... familiar now."

"And you want to experience the feeling of novelty again?" Aka'i said, smiling to herself.

"I guess."

"I thought so. Let me show you something," she said, tuning down a dark alley.

"Show me what?" 

Aka'i ignored her.

"You see, Makavian relationships are not exclusive," Aka'i explained as they walked through the darkness. "For example, my Prime is an officer in the police."

"That's your first husband, right?"

"Yes. He is a police officer," she said, descending a long staircase towards a single wooden door. "But I also have three other husbands and two wives."

"You have four husbands and two wives?" Sahar blurted out.

"Not in the same sense that you think of it," Aka'i explained. "My Prime is what you would consider my husband. The others are all secondary to him. I maintain a sexual relationship with them, as well as a casual social relationship."

"Sounds extremely complicated," Sahar observed as Aka'i knocked on the door. A Makavian man opened it and gestured for them to enter.

"It is," Aka'i laughed. "Virtually every Makavian is related by marriage to every other Makavian, directly or indirectly."

"Lovely."

"Actually, it helps to discourage conflict. Going to war against a stranger is easy. Killing a relative is not." They passed down a short hallway and into a waiting room filled with chairs. Aka'i waived to an attendant, who smiled back and opened a door in the back for them.

"How does this relate to me? I don't think Kara would approve of me having vice-girlfriends."

"Look around," Aka'i smiled as they went through the door into another, longer hallway. The hall was lined with glass doors, most of which had curtains drawn across the inside. A few, though, did not. Inside, Sahar could see Makavians, usually two to a room, all of whom were having sex. As they walked, Sahar saw couples, and sometimes threesomes and beyond, engaged in every possible form of sexual activity, including a few that Sahar had never considered.

"Holy shit," she gaped, stopping at one of the doors. The room was darkly lit by a single red light. Inside were three women, each one covered in a different colored gel, licking it from each other's bodies.

"Ooloota'i oils," Aka'i explained.

"That's a mouthful," Sahar commented, still staring into the room.

"Yes, that's the idea," she smiled. One of the women noticed Sahar staring, and smiled broadly at her. The woman leaned over, whispering in the ear of one of the other women. She, too, turned to look and when she saw Sahar, the two Makavians smiled to each other.

They quickly pounced on the third women, showering her affectionate caresses. They pleasured her relentlessly for several minutes before the woman arched her back and wrapped her arms around one of them. Sahar could see the woman's torso expand and contract as she gasped for air, desperately holding onto her lover.

The woman she was holding onto slowly lowered her to the bed, and the two women gently caressed the one who had just climaxed. Sahar gasped when, as the woman panted desperately, the oil covering her changed color, from dark blue to orange. The woman gasped again, and pulled one of the others into a kiss.

"What was that?" Sahar asked, suddenly short of breath.

"When Makavians orgasm, we release several compounds through our skin," Aka'i smiled. "The oils react with those compounds and change color. Each time you climax, the gel turns a new color. Each color also produces a unique sensation."

"Like what?"

"Well, the dark blue produces a mild tickling sensation, while the orange feels warm."

"Amazing."

"Yes. Those three almost always use ooloota'i gel."

"You know them?" Sahar asked, finally able to look away.

"Oh, not well. The two who looked at you are each other's Prime. The third is married to both of them. They are in here every couple of weeks, always together, always using the oil," she explained casually. "They spend hours pleasuring their mutual secondary, only occasionally climaxing themselves."

"Why?"

"Because they enjoy it," Aka'i shrugged. "Beyond that, I don't know. It doesn't really matter."

"What is this place?"

"This is a place where people can come and experience each other's love in whatever way they wish. I come here maybe once a week."

"With who?"

"Different people," she shrugged. "Usually my husband, sometimes someone else." 

"Why did you bring me here?" Sahar asked finally.

"To see these two," Aka'i smiled, gesturing to a room a few doors down the hall. She led Sahar the short distance down the hall, gesturing to the window. Inside were two very old men, lying in bed together, holding each other in their arms. Several projectors in the ceiling shined images onto the walls, simulating a panoramic view from a mountain top.

"What are they doing?" Sahar wondered aloud.

"These two are here every week at this time," Aka'i explained. "And every time, they just lie there, holding each other. The mountain is in a range north of here. It's where they met. They're each other's Primes, and have been for many, many years. They used to have sex, but they're too old for that now. The strain would probably kill them," she laughed softly.

"Why are you showing me this?"

"Look at them. Does it look like they are experiencing anything new?" she said. "No, they're here for that familiarity you mentioned. You see, the 'new' feeling is easy to get. But that familiar comfort? That feeling of perfect peace and contentment? That's hard to find, and that's why they always do the same thing. Most people here do the same thing every time, like these two old men."

"So, you're saying I should just be content with the familiarity?" Sahar said skeptically.

"Of course not," Aka'i scoffed. "But maybe the two of you should come by here before your ship leaves. Try something out. Get that 'new' feeling. Then, when you're holding her in yours arms, maybe you'll know what you're looking for." Sahar gazed at her for a few moments, considering what she had seen and heard.

"What should I try?" she eventually asked.

"Oh, leave that to me," Aka'i smiled, leading Sahar back towards the exit.

******

Makav IV Capitol City, 1813 hours

Where is she? Kara thought as she sat in the waiting room. She looked up at the attendant, who was working busily on her computer across the room. After a few moments of staring, Kara hung her head and sighed. Come on, Sahar.

"Come on, Sahar," she heard a voice say down the hall behind her. Kara leaned in her seat, looking down the hall to the entrance. Kara smiled to herself when she saw Aka'i pushing a nervous looking Sahar down the hallway towards her.

"What took you so long, love?" Kara asked, extending her arms.

"Casana ambushed us," Sahar sighed, wrapping her arms around Kara's waist and planting a short kiss on her lips.

"What?" Kara said, cocking her head as she held Sahar in her arms.

"Literally," Aka'i laughed.

"I'll tell you later," Sahar blushed and looking away.

"I can't wait," she smiled happily. "So, what do we do now?" she asked Aka'i over Sahar's shoulder.

"Right this way," the Makavian said, gesturing towards the attendant. Aka'i led them across the room and down the darkened hall. All of the blinds were shut, and the hall was silent save for their footsteps. Kara looked around apprehensively as she followed behind Aka'i and Sahar. After a few dozen meters, Aka'i stopped at one of the doors. "Here you are," she smiled. "Have fun."

Slowly, Sahar reached out and tentatively took hold of the door handle. Pausing, she looked back a Kara, and their eyes locked. Kara smiled, and Sahar felt the fear and tension drain from her body. Turning back to the door, she opened it and stepped inside the small room with Kara right behind her.

It was completely empty.

"What the hell?" Sahar sighed. Frowning, she turned around to ask Aka'i what was going on, but the door was closed.

"Just take your clothes off and put them in the receptacle," came Aka'i's voice over a speaker. Sure enough, there was a small slot in the wall next to the door. Most of the wall was taken up by a mirror and lights which, along with the speaker in the ceiling, the door, and the receptacle, were the only things on the walls, floor, or ceiling. The rest was a padded cube, about four meters to a side.

"What?" Sahar called back, looking at the speaker in the ceiling. She heard a click, and the mirror became transparent, revealing Aka'i standing in the hall, pointing towards the receptacle.

"Put your clothes in here," she repeated.

"Can you hear me?" Sahar asked.

"Yes, but only until you put your clothes in the receptacle," she answered.

"What the hell are we supposed to do in here?" Sahar cried.

"Each other," Aka'i replied, and flipped a switch. The window became a mirror again, and Sahar shook her head. 

"You better not be able to see this," she said as she began to unbutton her jacket.

"Relax. Nobody is going to be seeing anything," Aka'i said a bit too happily for Sahar. She opened her mouth to protest, but Kara cut her off.

"Easy, love," she said, tossing her jacket onto Sahar's head.

"Hey!" she laughed. As Sahar fumbled with the jacket, Kara leaned against the door while she unlaced her boots. They stripped off their clothes, and deposited their jackets, boots, socks, pants, and undergarments into the receptacle. "All right, now what?" Sahar asked somewhat impatiently as she closed the receptacle. The moment it clicked shut, the lights went out and they were plunged into total darkness.

"Have fun!" Aka'i chirped.

Sahar and Kara stood silently, staring into the total darkness. "Oh, great," Sahar sighed, finally breaking the silence. "What happens now?"

"I think this is it," Kara shrugged before realizing that Sahar couldn't see it. 

"It's kinda cold in here."

"You think so? I wonder how we could keep warm," Kara replied suggestively, but Sahar didn't respond. "Love?" Kara could hear Sahar's breath quicken, but still she didn't respond. "You okay?" She heard the shuffling of feet and a soft thump as Sahar fell back against the wall.

"Who's there?" she asked, barely audible.

"What?"

"Who's there?"

"Sahar, it's me," Kara cried, rushing towards where she assumed Sahar was. She groped around with her hands, but felt only the soft floor.

"Who's there?" Sahar nearly yelled from a few meters in front of Kara. The redhead crawled forward until her fingers touched the smooth, firm flesh of Sahar's thigh.

"It's me, sweetie!" she cried again. "It's Kara!" She reached up and her hand felt Sahar's cheek. The moment it made contact, Kara felt a jolt run through Sahar's body.

"Kara?" she whined desperately. 

"Yes! Yes, it's me, baby! It's Kara!" she smiled, tears forming in her eyes as she threw her arms around Sahar.

"Oh, god, I thought I was alone!" Sahar sobbed, squeezing Kara in her powerful arms. "I thought I was alone again, in the dark, and I could feel the blood on my hands."

"Blood? You mean from your nightmare? You had it right here?" Sahar didn't speak, but Kara felt her head nod. "Oh, god, baby! Are you okay?"

Sahar hesitated, lost in the feeling of Kara's body against her own. She felt familiar hands softly stroke her hair, comforted by the pressure of Kara's weight on her body and by the sensations of the redhead's breath on her shoulder. "Yeah," she sighed calmly. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Do you want to leave?" Kara asked, pulling back from Sahar in anticipation of the answer.

"No," the tall woman whispered, and tightened her grip, trapping Kara in her arms. "I want to stay here with you. I love you, Kara."

"I love you too, Harry," Kara giggled.

"Just this once, I'll let you get away with that. But only because I want you," Sahar said as she leaned her head forward. She tried to kiss Kara, but missed her lips. Instead, she landed somewhere between Kara's ear and her left eye. "This might take some getting used to," she smiled to herself.

Kara took Sahar's head in her hands and pressed their lips together, pushing her tongue past Sahar's lips to paint her teeth with the tip. As she did, Kara slid a knee forward, pressing it lightly against Sahar's groin. Sahar rolled her hips forward, pressing her sensitive flesh against Kara. In response, Kara slid her knee backwards, away from Sahar.

"Hey," Sahar moaned, breaking the kiss. "Come back!"

"No," Kara chirped back, slowly dragging her fingers up and down Sahar's thighs. "You are going to have to wait."

"Ugh," Sahar groaned. "I hate waiting."

"I promise you won't hate this," Kara whispered lustily as her hands trailed up Sahar's sides. They passed over her shoulders and down her arms, the nails gently grazing the skin as they went. When she reached her hand, Kara slipped her fingers between Sahar's. Without warning, she lifted Sahar's arms and pressed them to the wall above their heads. Kara pressed her knuckles to the wall and lifted herself up, just enough to break contact with Sahar.

And she waited.

Sahar stared into the darkness, futilely trying to see Kara. She saw nothing. She heard nothing, smelled nothing, and felt nothing aside from Kara's hands pressing on her own. Her mind focused in on that pressure, and it became the only thing in Sahar's world. She closed her eyes and relaxed, and as she did she heard something. Sahar focused, trying to make out the faint sound. At last, she recognized it.

Her heart.

The thumping grew louder, pounding in her ears. But behind it, she heard something else. Like a soft whisper, incoherent and barely audible, Sahar recognized it as Kara's breathing. Her mind shifted its focus to the sound, and the pounding of her heart faded. After a few moments, she noticed a slight heat on her neck and shoulder: Kara's breathing.

Sahar could now smell Kara's sweet scent, could taste a hint of her saliva in her own mouth, could almost feel her smooth skin. But not quite, and it tortured her. She longed for the familiar touch of her lover, to hold her tight and feel her shudder and quake in ecstasy. But she felt nothing. Even the floor seemed to disappear, and Sahar felt as though she were floating in a vast, dark sea.

Something grazed her chest, just below the collarbone, and though it was only the faintest of touches, it felt like a whip cracking against her skin compared to the nothing she felt only a moment before. The sensation spread like a fire across her chest, setting her nerves ablaze. Sahar writhed under the sweet torment and her cheek brushed against something. It was soft and smooth, and she recognized it immediately. Sahar rubbed her cheek against Kara's, reveling in the touch she longed for.

"I know what you want." Kara's whispered words thundered in Sahar's ear. "I know what makes you feel good, what turns you on," she purred, and Sahar felt the heat of Kara's arousal as the redhead lowered herself down, pressing her hips against Sahar's abdomen. "I know your body better than you do. Let me show you."

Kara released Sahar's hands and wrapped her arms around the powerful shoulders, pressing her whole body against Sahar. At first, the overwhelming sensation stunned Sahar, and her arms fell limply to the floor. But while her mind could not act, her body could, and she soon found her arms wrapped around Kara's torso, pulling them together. Sahar lowered her head, kissing and nibbling on that sensitive spot on Kara's shoulder that she had discovered that first morning on the hillside.

"Oh, God," Kara moaned softly, her head falling to rest on Sahar's shoulder. She ground her hips against her lover's toned stomach, back and forth, side to side, and in small circles, leaving a trail of molten passion behind her. Every now and then, their nipples would touch as their bodies slid against each other, sending jolts of pleasure through both of them.

Smiling in the dark, Kara trailed her hands down Sahar's back to tickle the base of her spine. Sahar reacted exactly as she always had, and arched her back sharply. Kara seized the opportunity and pulled away just enough to lower her head to Sahar's breast. With perfect accuracy, her lips found Sahar's nipple and latched on, her tongue lashing furiously at the rigid nub. After a few moments, she released Sahar's breast and blew gently on the wet nipple, and was rewarded with the same sweet squeak that she first heard in the library.

Their hands and fingers and mouths danced over each other's bodies, hitting all the right places with a tickle here, and lick there, pressing all the right buttons in all the right ways. For what seemed an eternity, Kara writhed in Sahar's arms, basking in the attention of her mighty lover. Eventually, Sahar felt Kara begin to quake. Kara's pulse was racing, her breathing fast and shallow, and her muscles tense as she neared the peak.

Then, she froze.

She sat motionless in Sahar's embrace, cradled in powerful, loving arms. For an instant, nothing happened, and all of existence seemed to shrink until all that was left was two bodies grasping at each other in the darkness and the searing heat between them.

A moment later, a low, primal scream split the air. Kara's body shook wildly and she tried to curl up in Sahar's arms. Sahar felt her muscles clench and release, clench and release, over and over again as Kara cried and screamed and jerked in her arms. A flood of hot liquid poured from between her legs, coating Sahar's stomach and filling the air with a scent both sweet and heady.

Sahar's grip tightened, pulling Kara close as she thrashed wildly, holding her lover's head to her shoulder. Kara rode out the storm, jerking and screaming, finally coming to a rest in Sahar's arms. Her head was resting on Sahar's shoulder, her hands wrapped around the strong body in front of her as her senses slowly returned.

Kara opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, Sahar pushed her back. Kara sat back, panting heavily, and was about to ask what was wrong when Sahar pounced on her. She was thrown onto her back, and immediately Sahar was on top of her. A storm of affection descended on her as Sahar covered her with kisses and nips and licks with dizzying, nearly frantic intensity. Kara could only throw her head back and gasp as Sahar ravaged her with affection.




Star Trek: Lineage Ch. 07



Slowly, Sahar's frenzied attention crept down Kara's body, inching closer and closer to the center of her pleasure. Kara stretched her arms out above her head and tried to arch her back as the flurry passed over her chest, but Sahar pressed her against the floor. She shivered as she felt Sahar's fingernails run down her flanks, stopping at her hips and running back up her body.

Her toes curled and her heart fluttered as Sahar licked and nipped at the firm flesh of her stomach, so tantalizingly close and yet so far from her core. Take me, love, Kara thought. I'm yours. She smiled as the words passed through her mind, and though she didn't speak a word, she knew that Sahar understood. And just as she was Sahar's, so too was Sahar hers.

Finally Sahar reached Kara's dripping pussy, and she wasted no time lapping up the juices she found there. Kara's hands slammed down onto the floor, pushing her head and shoulders off of the ground with a scream when Sahar's tongue slashed at her clit. Electric jolts coursed through her body, and Kara could feel the slightest tingle on her skin. Her stomach tightened and heart pounded as she was again pushed towards orgasm.

Kara could not tell what Sahar was doing to her, and she did not care. She was swimming in ecstasy, and that was all that mattered. A fog filled her mind, and she felt her hips lifting off the ground as her orgasm flooded over her. Kara cried out desperately, screaming and moaning as she writhed in the dark. Wave after wave crashed over her, and for a moment she feared she would drown. As her body thrashed and her skin burned, she reached down and grasped at Sahar's head, pulling her up.

Kara was dimly aware of the familiar weight of Sahar's body pressing down on her and she wrapped her arms and legs around it as she quaked with pleasure. Trembling in the wake of her release, spasming in the occasional aftershock, Kara slowly descended from her high. She gradually became aware of Sahar stroking the back of her head, whispering her love in Kara's ear.

"That was... the most intense thing I have..." Kara's hoarse voice trailed off as she fought to catch her breath.

"Well, I'm glad you liked it," Sahar whispered, pecking Kara's cheek. She let her hand trail down Kara's stomach to the wet, sensitive flesh below and brushed her fingertips over Kara's clit.

"Ohh, stop it!" Kara squealed, the sensations nearly painful in their intensity. She batted Sahar's hands away and covered her pussy with her own to avoid any more stimulation.

"I will do no such thing," Sahar said. "But, I suppose I can give you a moment to rest, if you want," she added with mock disappointment. "I'll just lie here and wait." Kara felt Sahar's body move off of her, and immediately missed the contact. Kara strained and lifted her weak body, crawling in the direction Sahar had retreated.

In the dark, her hand found one of Sahar's ankles and she followed the leg back towards her lover. "My turn," she whispered seductively, and started to kiss her way up the inside of Sahar's thigh. Patiently, she let her lips slowly wander over the soft flesh, hooking her arms under Sahar's legs to cradle her hips. By the time she reached the hip joint, she could feel the heat from Sahar's pussy and smell the intoxicating scent of arousal. She smiled inwardly as the small patch of hair above Sahar's clit tickled her nose, and she tightened her grip. God, I missed this, she thought, and dove in.

Kara sucked some of the soft flesh of Sahar's outer folds between her lips and lashed at it with her tongue, using her nose to poke and prod at the clit. Sahar let out a surprised gasp and arched her back, pressing her hips forward into Kara's face. The redhead responded by pulling her head back to kiss and nip at the smooth flesh of her lover's thighs.

"You tease," Sahar groaned in frustration.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Kara said innocently before taking a single quick lick at her clit.

"Ohh! Lick it or don't, just make up your mind!"

"Okay," Kara chirped, and stopped.

"I take it back!"

"I thought so," laughed Kara as she returned to Sahar's clit. She licked and sucked at it, letting her teeth graze the sensitive nub every so often. Her hands massaged the inside of Sahar's thighs, her fingernails gentle scratching the skin as she drove Sahar higher.

As Sahar's juices began to flow in earnest, Kara changed tactics and turned her attention to the source of that sweet nectar. At first, she licked up and down the length of Sahar's slit, savoring the taste and the sound of her lover's sighs and moans. Eventually, though, she was overcome by her own hunger, and pushed her tongue into Sahar's opening.

Sahar cried out as Kara slowly pressed further and further into her, until she could go no deeper. Kara pulled back and paused for a moment before ramming her tongue back into Sahar. As she fucked Sahar with her tongue, Kara felt powerful thighs wrap around her head and tension grow in Sahar's body. At the last moment, Kara managed to free one of her arms and quickly replaced her tongue with two fingers. Using her fingers to pound into Sahar, twisting with each thrust, Kara latched onto Sahar's clit with her mouth.

Sahar's legs released Kara and slammed against the floor and she drove her hips up with a full-throated scream. Kara's shoulders and torso were lifted off the ground but she maintained her efforts, drawing cries and shrieks from Sahar. Strong hands grasped Kara's head, fingers wrapping in her hair, holding her still as Sahar's hips ground against her face.

Unable to see, Kara simply rode out Sahar's orgasm. She was tossed about by the frantic thrashing of the orgasm she had brought upon Sahar but she held fast, drinking in Sahar's cum and reveling in the loving pride of knowing she had brought her lover to ecstasy.

As Sahar finally began to relax, she pulled Kara up towards her by the hair. "Hey, watch the hair, love," Kara managed to say before Sahar pressed their lips together in a powerful, passionate kiss. Untangling one hand from Kara's hair, Sahar wrapped an arm around her shoulders, still crushing their lips together with the other.

"More," Sahar grunted when the kiss was finally broken. "I want more of you, Kara. Please."

"Always, love," Kara whispered, snaking her right leg over Sahar's left and pressing their soaked pussies together. With her left hand, she managed to drag Sahar's right leg over her own left and tried to lean back on her elbow. But when she tried to pull away, Sahar tightened her grip and pulled their bodies together.

"No!" she cried, almost pleadingly. "Please, I want to feel you." Wordlessly, Kara complied, gently wrapping her arms around Sahar as they ground their hips together.

The unbridled, desperate aggression of moments before was gone, replaced by slow, tender caresses. Sahar let herself fall onto her back, pulling Kara gently on top of her. As their hips rocked back and forth, slowly grinding their wet pussies together, their lips met again. Moans and whispered words filled the dark room, the sounds of passion and love.

Kara slipped her tongue into Sahar's mouth, savoring the familiar taste as they pushed each other closer and closer to the edge. No matter what she did, she couldn't seem to get enough of Sahar's taste, to feel enough of her skin. But she tried anyway, running her hands through Sahar's hair, over her chest, down her stomach, rubbing and caressing anything she could touch. Sahar, on the other hand, seemed content to simply hold Kara in her arms, squeezing the smaller woman against her chest. Kara could feel both of their hearts pound, their breathing grow shallow and ragged, and it drove her on. They pressed against each other harder and harder, each trying to push the other higher and higher. 

"Oh god, I'm gonna come, love," Kara whispered into Sahar's ear as the tension in her stomach became unbearable.

"Do it," Sahar moaned back. "Come on, baby. I want to feel you come again."

Kara's only response was a short, quiet squeal before she shuddered and came. For a moment, her body was rigid, but soon she relaxed, letting the waves wash over her. Each one brought a little moan out of her, followed by a few tremors. Beneath her, Kara felt Sahar's body tense and spasm as she, too, peaked. As the tension faded from their bodies, the two women settled into a contented peace, wrapped in each other's embrace.

This peace was shattered when the lights came on, blinding both of them as their eyes struggled to adjust.

"Hellooo?" crooned Casana over the speaker. "Harry? Are you in there?"

******

Makav IV Capitol City, 0900 hours

"So, how did it go?" Aka'i asked when she met Sahar again the next morning.

"It was... intense," Sahar said as they walked down a hallway in the Makavian Defense Ministry.

"Intense how?" Aka'i asked probingly. She already knew the answer.

"Fine. You were right. It was great."

"And did you come to a decision about your relationship?"

"Definitely," Sahar smiled, stopping to look out a window at the sprawling city "More than one."

"I thought you might."

"Where did you get the idea for the darkness?"

"Was it effective? I'm told that humans are a very visual race."

"Ohh, it was effective alright, if a bit... unnerving at first."

"I probably should have warned you. I didn't mean to startle you," Aka'i lied. "And to answer your question, Kara suggested it to me."

"What?" Sahar spun around to face her. "That sneaky little... I can't believe I'm going to have a baby with her," she said with a smile.



Star Trek: Lineage Ch. 08



2304, Deck 10, Main Crew Lounge, USS Athena, 0830 hours

 

Casana pressed her nose against the glass, staring intently out the window into the depths of space. Seeing nothing, she frowned and turned her head to one side and then the other. As she went back to staring straight ahead, she unconsciously lifted one heel and twisted the foot back and forth on the toe.

"What are you doing?" Sahar asked from the table a few meters away.

"I'm watching for the ship!" she chirped back exuberantly, tapping on the glass.

"The Republic is approaching at warp velocity," Suvak stated. "As such, it will enter the system traveling faster than any photons emitted by or reflected off of it. Your efforts are therefore in vain."

Casana's shoulders slumped and she pushed herself off the glass. She trudged over to the table with a forlorn look on her face and flopped back into her chair. "Sue, did anyone ever tell you that you're kind of a buzz-kill?" she said, looking up at Suvak.

"You have told me that on numerous occasions."

"Well, they're late, and I'm bored," Casana said with a pout.

"We go through this every time we get new crewmen," Kara smiled, leaning back in her seat.

"I like meeting new people," Casana sighed before taking a sip of Sahar's lemon sharbat when she wasn't looking.

"I just hope they know wha... hey!" she yelled, grabbing the glass out of Casana's hand. "You're like a child!"

"Oh, you can only pray your child is as adorable as me!" she cooed back, batting her eyes and sucking her thumb.

"I'd settle for marginally more mature," Sahar scowled at her.

"Oh, don't mind her, Cass," Kara laughed, putting a hand on Sahar's shoulder. "Sahar always gets grumpy talking about our daughter."

"When are you actually gonna to have her?"

"We haven't decided yet," Sahar answered, looking away. Casana and Suvak exchanged looks.

"You have had a considerable amount of time to plan," Suvak said. "I am surprised that you have not yet decided."

"So, who's going to carry the little kid?" Casana asked, looking anxiously out the window.

"We aren't telling!" Kara smiled wickedly. "You'll have to wait and find out."

"Lieutenant Tehrani," Suvak said casually, taking a sip of her tea.

Sahar and Kara looked wide-eyed at each other, then at Suvak. "How did you know that?" Kara gaped.

"She doesn't," Sahar scoffed. "She's guessing."

"Vulcan's do not 'guess'," Suvak replied, almost offended.

"They're here!" Casana shouted, knocking her chair over as she leaped to her feet. "They're here!" The others turned to look out the window. Sure enough, a few kilometers in front of the Athena was another ship.

"USS Republic," Sahar sighed as she got to her feet. "Constitution-class."

"Haven't seen one of those in a long time," Kara said, wrapping an arm around the taller woman's shoulder. "Hard to imagine that there's only a handful of them left in service." Casana bounced out the door, with Suvak, Sahar, and Kara following behind.

"You know, when I was a kid, those ships were legendary," Sahar said as they walked down the corridor towards the turbolift. "Enterprise, Constitution, Lexington. I knew all of them."

"Huh?"

"I knew the name and designation of every Constitution-class in service as a kid."

"That's... kind of sad," Kara teased.

"My parents met on the Potemkin," Sahar said to no one in particular as they stepped into the turbolift. "Fuller served on the Enterprise. I remember when I first saw a Starfleet vessel. It was the Kongo, in orbit after undergoing a refit. Me and my brother were taking a shuttle to meet my parents on Luna, and we flew right by it. We pressed our faces to the glass, staring in awe."

"Awww," Casana grinned as the turbolift door opened on Deck 6.

"That was the face of our parent's generation," Kara said. "Not ours. Things move forward, and the next generation takes over. Like our daughter will."

"Or these new crewmen," Casana added.

"Hey, you saw the list, Kara, anyone we know?" Sahar asked, her nostalgia gone.

"Any officers?" Casana added.

"I didn't recognize any of the names, and there's only one officer," she said, shaking her head as they neared the transporter room. "A security officer. Lieutenant-"

"Holy shit," Sahar gasped as the transporter room door opened and a tall, muscular man stepped out carrying a small bag. When he saw the four of them he stopped in his tracks. Zula emerged from the transporter room behind him and smiled.

"Hey, look who I found."

"Interesting," Suvak said, arching an eyebrow.

"Lieutenant Tehrani, Lieutenant JG Jeffery Black, reporting for duty, sir."

 

******

 

Deck 18, Aft Cargo Bay, 1215 hours

 

Sahar, Suvak, and Kara sat on a small cargo crate watching as Casana paced in front of them, chewing on her lip and rubbing her hands together furiously. They had been like this for an hour, ever since they found Casana after she ran from Black outside the transporter room. Suddenly, Casana darted behind a cargo container, peeking out at the doorway.

"Did you hear that?" she whispered nervously.

"No," Suvak replied calmly. Casana remained behind the container for a few moments, staring intently at the door.

"Could you possibly relax?" Kara said, concern starting to creep into her voice.

"No!" Casana hissed back desperately. "I can't let him find me!"

"Why not, exactly?" Sahar asked, cocking her head to one side.

"Because, the last time we talked, he asked for a transfer! I broke his heart, and now he's come back! For revenge..." she said, letting her voice trail off dramatically.

"What?" Sahar laughed. "It's not like you killed his father. You broke up with him, that's all."

"Shhh!" Casana hissed, bringing a finger to her mouth. "He'll hear you!"

"He's nowhere near here," Kara said, trying to reassure her.

"I tried to go to my lab a few hours ago, and he was waiting for me!"

"He's stationed there!" Sahar cried.

"Convenient, isn't it?" Casana whispered, looking back around the container. Sahar shook her head.

"What is your plan of action?" Suvak asked, leaning forward in an attempt to see the doorway.

"My what?"

"Your plan. How do you intend to deal with Lieutenant Black?" she explained, stepping off her seat and coming to stand next to Casana.

"I'm hiding," Casana said slowly, as if to a child. "I thought that was obvious."

"Indeed," the Vulcan replied, undeterred. "I was referring to after you are done hiding."

"What do you mean 'after I am done hiding'?"

"Logically, you cannot hide forever," she explained, folding her hands behind her back. "Assuming you are not discovered, you cannot remain here longer than 72 hours without water."

Casana stopped and looked at her. "I hadn't thought of that."

"There are no provisions in this hold, so you will have to leave the hold in order acquire supplies," Suvak said. Sahar and Kara looked at each other.

"It'll be hard to avoid detection," Casana said to herself.

"And if you do not report for duty in a few hours, security will likely take notice."

"That's right," Sahar said. "We'll be forced to search the ship for you."

"Oh, crap," Casana frowned.

"Logically, then, you have only one option: you must confront Lieutenant Black," Suvak said matter-of-factly.

"You're right," Casana said, folding her arms. "I know what I have to do. I have to ki..." She stopped midsentence when Lieutenant Black walked out from behind the container. He was looking at a PADD, but stopped the moment he came around the corner. Black raised his head and turned it to look at Sahar and Kara. They simply stared back at him, and he turned to look at Casana and Suvak.

"I-" Black started to speak, but Casana interrupted him.

"You'll never take me alive!" she yelled and started to run for the exit, but Suvak grabbed her by the shoulders.

"A moment, Lieutenant," Suvak said, holding on to her firmly but gently. "I believe you came to speak with Lieutenant Shen?" she said to Black, still holding on to Casana.

"Actually," Black said, "Chief Zula asked me to come down here and get some spare phaser charge packs out of storage. I believe you're sitting on them," he nodded to Sahar and Kara. "But, now that you mention it, I think maybe we should talk," Black said, looking back at Casana.

"Time to go," Sahar said, hopping off the crate and heading for the door.

"Yup," Kara added, following her out the door.

"I believe I should leave the two of you in private," Suvak said, nodding to both Black and Casana in turn before she, too, left the room. Black and Casana looked at the door, then at each other.

"What were you guys doing back here? And who's the redhead? Wasn't she with you in the corridor?"

"Hiding, Harry's lover, and yes," Casana answered, looking at the floor as she shifted her weight back and forth. 

"Okay," he said. "Let's start with the easier one. She's Sahar's girlfriend?"

"Yeah."

"How long?"

"About five years now. She actually arrived aboard the same ship you left on."

"What's her name?"

"Lieutenant Kara Anwen Morgan. They met in a shuttle craft crash. They're gonna to have a kid soon."

"Good for them," Black said with gentle smile. "They'll be glad they did."

"What?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm married."

 

******

 

Deck 7, Officer's Quarters, 0810 hours

 

Sahar walked slowly into her quarters, rubbing her neck with an exhausted sigh. She sat down on the bed, kicked her boots off, and then simply collapsed, intent on not moving unless absolutely necessary. For a long time, she lay blissfully still, letting the tension of a long shift drain away. She had stayed in the Armory an extra hour getting the new personnel settled in and planning the new duty roster with Zula and Fuller. For a moment she wondered where Kara was, but exhaustion quickly overwhelmed her mind and she drifted off to sleep.

She awoke to the sensation of something pulling on her jacket. Sahar could also feel a presence next her, a weight on the bed, and heard soft breathing above her. Hands massaged her shoulders and arms, and Sahar's body relaxed. A happy smile spread over her face, and she felt someone gently brush a bit of hair off her cheek.

"Hey, Kara," she whispered tiredly.

"Guess again," sang out a familiar voice. Sahar's eyes snapped open, and she found herself staring up into Casana's grey eyes, a triumphant grin spread across her face. Sahar sprang to her feet, nearly tripping on her boots, and spun around to face Casana.

"What the fuck are you doing here, Cass?" she yelled in alarm. "What the hell were you doing?"

"Relax," Casana grinned, "I just wanted to see if I could fool you. I just want to talk to you."

"Jesus Christ..." Sahar breathed, trying to catch her breath.

"Hey, you're lookin' kind of pale."

"I'm fine," Sahar panted. "You just scared the hell outta me. How did you even get in here?"

"Are you sure you're okay? You look like you're gonna pass out," Casana said with some concern.

"I'm fine, dammit. What do you want?"

"I don't know..."

"Casana!"

"Okay, okay," Casana relented, raising her hands in surrender. "Geez, you need to relax. Oh, and you should change your door code more often."

"What?"

"I need to talk to you about Jeff."

"How did you get my door code?"

"I'm not sure I can work with him. I mean, I've still got some feelings for him," she sighed, taking a brief pause. "Plus, he's really hot. I mean really, really hot. Seriously, have you seen his ass? Holy crap! It makes ya' wanna-"

"Casana!" Sahar shouted, taking Casana by the shoulders. Casana snapped back to reality and looked up into Sahar's eyes. "Why are you coming to me?" she asked slowly.

"Well, we get along pretty well, and we used to be involved. Or almost involved, I guess. And you still have some feelings for me-"

"What?" Sahar's eyes widened, and took a few steps back. "I do not," she muttered and looked away with a blush.

"Uh-huh. Just a thought: poker is not your game."

"So, you want to know how I get along with you despite having 'feelings' for you?" Sahar asked, putting air quotes over the word "feeling".

"Yes," Casana answered with her own air quotes.

"Well, it's simple really: I didn't have a choice," Sahar shrugged. "You weren't going anywhere, and I wasn't going anywhere, so I was just sorta stuck with it."

"Seriously?" Casana said after a moment's hesitation, suspicion in her voice.

"Pretty much."

"So, your telling me to just get over it? Easy as that?" Casana asked, still suspicious.

"Well, not exactly. I mean, it's not easy," Sahar admitted, sitting down in a chair next to the bed. "Hell, I went on five-year sex-fueled downward spiral 'til I met Kara."

"Yeah, I already tried that," Casana frowned.

"What? Really?"

"No," Casana answered. Sahar was somewhat off put by the ease with which Casana had lied to her.

"Oh, umm, that's a relief," she said.

"Yes."

"Wait, yes to which part?" Sahar asked, again not sure if Casana was lying. "Yes, it's a relief, or yes to the sex thing?"

"Maybe I should go talk to him," Casana said to nobody in particular, ignoring Sahar's confusion. "I mean, I'm 97 years old, I should be able to handle it, right?"

"Whoa, back up a moment. Who, exactly, did you have sex with?"

"I've been married, and I've been divorced. I can totally handle this," Casana said with a nod of her head. She bounced to her feet and walked confidently out the door. "Thanks, Harry!" she called as the door closed behind her.

"Don't call me Harry," Sahar snarled at the closed door.

 

******

 

Deck 5, Port Navigational Sensor Cluster Diagnostic Station, 0810 hours

 

Kara scratched the back of her neck and stared at the screen in front of her with confusion and annoyance. "Yeah, that's gotta' be wrong," she mumbled, and started running another diagnostic. After recalibrating the system, she re-entered the test data, and the sensor read it correctly. Next, she switched the sensor from diagnostic to scan mode, and whispered a silent prayer.

"Lieutenant Morgan?"

"Shit! God-bloody-damned fucking piece of crap, what the hell is your bleeding, fucking problem, you worthless sack of rubbish!" she screamed and slammed her fist down onto the console in front of her.

"Is this a bad time, sir?" Black asked from the doorway to the small room Kara was working in.

"What? Oh, Lieutenant Black," Kara said, looking up from the terminal with an embarrassed blush. "I'm sorry, I didn't notice you there. Please, come in. Jeffery, right?"

"Yes, sir," Black said as he entered the room. He came in just far enough for the door to close and stood at attention.

"At ease, Lieutenant," Kara said with a half-smile. "Any friend of Sahar's is a friend of mine. Do you prefer Jeffery, or just Jeff?"

"Jeff, sir," Black answered and relaxed ever so slightly. "Is something wrong?"

"Oh, the graviton detector in one of the navigational clusters is acting up. What can I do for you, Jeff?"

"Well, I need your advice. About Casana."

"Go on," Kara said, turning back to the terminal.

"Well, a few weeks before I transferred off the ship, she left for some award ceremony on Trill," he explained, leaning against the wall. "When she got back, the first thing she did, the FIRST thing, was break up with me."

"Perhaps she needed time to think about it before she told you," Kara said, immediately realizing what kind of ceremony he was referring to.

"I thought that at first, too. Be she started acting different. Stranger."

"You mean she was normal at one time?" Kara said with a smirk.

"Well, not really," he replied with a brief laugh. "But more normal than when she returned. It was like she was herself one minute, and a totally different person the next."

"Maybe she's possessed."

"Ha ha. Sir," he added quickly. "I'm serious. For example, she still had the same energy, the same flirty attitude, and she still tortured Sahar. But she also stopped using the transporter, started spending more time alone, and she even changed how she walked and stood!"

"Well, except for the spending time alone, that sounds like the Casana I know."

"And that's why I'm here," Black explained. "I need to know how to deal with the new Casana. I mean, that stuff in the cargo hold was totally unlike the Casana that I knew."

"I'm still not sure what you mean. Damn," Kara frowned after her latest attempt to fix the sensors failed.

"For example, if she starts flirting with me, is she serious? Because the old Casana would do that all the time and it didn't mean a thing, but now..."

"Look, Jeff," Kara said, choosing her words very carefully. "Casana has... matured. I don't think you have anything to worry about."

"So what do you suggest?"

"I suggest you just behave normally around her. Fuck!"

"What's the problem?" Black asked, leaning over the terminal. 

"This sensor cluster is detecting a weak graviton source off the port side, none of the other clusters read anything, and when we maneuver the ship, it keeps a fixed bearing and distance."

"Sounds like an error in the computer."

"Yeah, but the calculations all come out fine."

"I assume the test input comes out fine?"

"Yeah," Kara sighed, rubbing her eyes.

"Maybe the test input doesn't cause the error to occur," Black said, taking a moment to think. "What if you routed input data from another sensor cluster through this one, and sent this one's to that cluster?"

"Yeah, that might show us were the problem is!" Kara smiled. "We'll have to adjust some of the filters to compensate for the different orientation of the clusters, but it should work."

"I'll make the adjustments, you reroute the data," he said, walking over to another console. "What do mean, 'behave normally'?"

"Oh, come on," Kara teased. "Don't tell me a good looking guy like you doesn't know how to deal with an ex."

"This is no ordinary ex, sir," Black answered. "Making the filter adjustments now."

"I'm going to use data from the forward cluster. Sure she is. I know Sahar and Casana have a history, and we hang out all the time. You should join us. After a few times, I'm sure everything will be okay."

"I don't know. Whenever Sahar, Cass, and I are together, something bad happens, and frequently it happens to me. Filter adjustments complete."

"Oh, don't be silly," Kara laughed. "Nothing is going to happen. Rerouting sensor data. Check the output from the forward cluster." Kara stared down at her screen as the readings came up. "Huh. It looks normal over here."

"Mine isn't," Black frowned. "Reading a graviton source off the port side. The problem has to be in the sensor cluster itself. Someone is going to have to go out there and check it manually."

"That's what engineers are for," Kara grinned and reached for the comm panel.

 

******

 

Deck 7, Officer Quarters, 1630 hours

 

"Hey, sweetie, how was your day?" Sahar asked from her comfortable chair as Kara shuffled into their quarters.

"How was your nap?" Kara sneered half-heartedly.

"Ouch," Sahar laughed quietly, setting aside the PADD she was reading. "What happened?"

"Sorry," Kara said with a weak smile as she tossed her jacket onto the bed. "I spent eight hours chasing a sensor glitch in the graviton detectors."

"What was the problem?"

"No fucking clue," she sighed. Kara walked into the bathroom and splashed some water on her face. She struggled to let the built up tension in her body fade until she felt Sahar's strong arms around her waist.

"Don't worry about it, baby," Sahar whispered into her ear, slowly rocking from side to side. "You just take it easy now, okay?"




Star Trek: Lineage Ch. 08



"Hmm, sorry I snapped at you, love," Kara apologized and leaned her head back, letting it rest on Sahar's shoulder. She turned her head into Sahar's neck and took a deep breath, letting the familiar scent fill her nostrils. "How have you been?"

"Oh, God," Sahar moaned and rolled her eyes. "When I came back from my shift, Casana was waiting for me. In our quarters." Kara laughed softly. "It's not funny."

"Of course it is, love!" Kara smiled and turned around in Sahar's arms. "What did she want?"

"She wanted my advice on dealing with Jeff... Lieutenant Black." Kara threw her head back and laughed, much to Sahar's annoyance. "Kara," she said sternly, letting go of Kara's waist. "Kara!"

"Casana came to you? For relationship advice?" she managed to say.

"Yeah, so?" Sahar scowled.

"About men?" Sahar nodded, and Kara exploded with laughter, nearly falling to the ground.

"Oh, I get it," Sahar frowned. "You don't think I know anything about men, huh?"

"Not when it involves having sex with them!" Kara howled.

"Oh, and I suppose you do?"

"Sweetie, if you had a cock, I could make it dance!"

"We'll just see about that," Sahar smirked and led Kara by the hand towards the bed.

"What are you gonna' do, break out the strap-on?" Kara giggled.

"Yeah, actually. That's exactly what I'm gonna' do," Sahar said, looking back at her with a mischievous smile.

"Good," Kara smiled and ran ahead of her to sit on the bed first. Sahar went straight to the dresser by the bed and opened one of the top drawers. From it, she retrieved a small PADD and the strap-on. It consisted of a black leather-like harness secured to two short, narrow, limp blue masses, one on the inside of the harness and one on the outside. 

"Aw, it always looks so sad when you first take it out," Kara laughed, pulling her undershirt off. "Poor little fake phallus. Pseudo schlong. Prosthetic pecker. Rubber ram. Wax wang."

"How many of those do you have?" Sahar chuckled.

"Me and Cass spent a whole afternoon coming up with them once."

"How many?"

"Oh, I don't know. A hundred-odd," Kara mused, lying back on the bed while Sahar pulled down her pants and fixed the harness to her hips. She slid the tiny, almost perfectly smooth inner dildo between her already moist lips and tightened the straps.

"So, what'd you want?" Sahar asked, picking up the PADD.

"I'm feeling... adventurous," Kara smiled, stretching out her arms on the bed. Sahar raised her eyebrows and grinned. She pressed a few buttons of the PADD and the small blue mass rapidly grew to monstrous proportions. "Very funny," Kara said, looking disapprovingly at Sahar. "Here, give me that," she added, and lunged at the PADD.

"Oh, no you don't ," Sahar said gleefully, and hid the PADD behind her back. Kara tried to reach it, but was stopped by Sahar's body and the enormous dildo. Frustrated, Kara turned away with a pout, and Sahar relented. "Hey, Kara, I'm kidding," she apologized, but Kara refused to turn around. "Baby, come on, I didn't mean anything by it. Here, I'll reset it." She looked down to the PADD, but the moment her eyes were off Kara, the redhead spun around and seized the PADD from her hands.

"Ha! Sucker," Kara cackled, avoiding Sahar's attempt to retake the PADD by leaping onto the bed. "Let's try this." She entered a few commands, and Sahar's dildo shrank back down to its original size. Sahar scrambled onto the bed after Kara, tackling her on the soft sheets, but still unable to get the PADD back. Kara reached back over her head and opened a small drawer on the nightstand next to the bed and tossed the PADD inside. "I win!" she giggled as she pushed the drawer shut and activated the lock.

"Damn you," Sahar laughed, admitting defeat. "What did you do?"

"You'll just have to wait and find out," Kara smiled, rolling Sahar onto her back. Immediately, she swung her leg over Sahar and straddled her stomach, taking her face in both hands and pressing their lips together. As their tongues dance and caressed each other, the dildo in Sahar began to stir.

"Oh, you didn't," Sahar said, breaking the kiss when she noticed. Kara laughed and dove at Sahar's neck with an evil grin, teasing the skin with her lips and tongue. Her hands deftly undid Sahar's jacket before violently pulling it open and forcing it off of Sahar. When it came free, Kara turned her attention to the green undershirt and forced it up over Sahar's breasts. The redhead took one in each hand and squeezed, kissing the area above the valley between them.

With a mischievous grin, Kara looked up into Sahar's eyes and drew her thigh across the fake cock. The blue material expanded and stiffened ever so slightly. But inside Sahar, the plug stirred considerably more, expanding and contacting in waves running its length. The stimulation sent shivers through Sahar's body.

"Oh, fuck, you messed with the translational gain, didn't you?" she moaned.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Kara lied, and slid her thigh back the other direction. Sahar grabbed handfuls of the sheets and inhaled sharply, arching her back. Kara took the opportunity to unclasp Sahar's bra and tossed it over her head before seizing a nipple in her mouth. She bit down lightly and flicked her tongue across the tip, driving Sahar wild. Again, both dildos grew, though Sahar's grew more quickly and began slowly vibrating.

"That's ch-cheating," Sahar complained just as a particularly strong tremor passed through her.

"All's fair in love and war," Kara replied, rubbing her nose over Sahar's tender nipple. "And this is both." While her mouth played with one of Sahar's breasts, a hand attended to the remaining nipple. Kara's other hand slipped down between them. Fingers wrapped around the blue cock, and Kara began to slide down Sahar's body. Her tongue trailed down Sahar, leaving behind a wet path of saliva as it went.

The dildo was only half erect, but the programmed shape was already clear. Only vaguely resembling an actual penis, the shaft was ribbed along its length, ending in a slight bulge at the tip. Smiling back up at Sahar, Kara licked along the underside of the dildo from base to tip and back again. Inside Sahar, the same area of the plug hummed and pulsed. Kara took the very tip of the cock between her lips, sucking lightly and massaging the shaft with her hands.

Sahar sat up for a moment before flopping back down on the bed, reveling in the sensations. The plug inside her was rock hard, but not yet at full size as it vibrated and pulsed. She looked down just in time to see Kara take the length of the half-erect cock into her mouth, sending a flood of pleasure through Sahar's body.

The blue penis grew rapidly, becoming too large to fit entirely in Kara's mouth without her gagging, so she focused her attention on the head. She swirled her tongue around it, grazing the smooth material with her teeth and using her hands to spread her saliva across the shaft. Occasionally, she would dive down and take as much of the dildo as she could into her mouth before retreating just as quickly. By the time it had grown to its full size, Sahar was on the edge.

"Oh God, baby," Sahar moaned. "God, that feels good. Oh!" she squealed as Kara forced the length of the cock into her mouth one last time, driving Sahar over the cliff. The cock pulsed and hummed in her mouth as she sucked hard on the last third of its length, pushing Sahar farther along. Sahar rode out the storm, wave after wave crashing over her and leaving her body trembling. As she started to come down, Kara released the blue dildo and climbed back up Sahar's body.

"And no yucky aftertaste," she cooed before kissing Sahar. The brunette's senses quickly returned, and she pushed Kara onto her back. Jumping from the bed, Sahar grabbed her by the ankles and drug her to the edge on the mattress. She quickly undid Kara's pants and pulled them off, pants, panties, and socks, all at once.

"My turn," she growled, arousal thick in her voice.

"About damn time," Kara grinned, and spread her legs. Sahar positioned the cock at Kara's entrance and took hold of Kara's hips with both hands. Kara threw one arm around Sahar's shoulders and used the other to guide the dildo.

"Take me, love," she whispered into Sahar's ear. She let out a gasp when Sahar pressed slowly forward, gradually filling her. The strap on pressed deeper and deeper, torturously slow. "God, stop teasing."

"If I go any faster, I'm gonna lose it," Sahar moaned through gritted teeth. Inside her, the plug hummed and pulsed, its intensity determined by the pressure on the end in Kara.

"Maybe I shouldn't have turned the gain up so high," Kara mused, and wrapped her legs around Sahar's waist. "Oh well..."

"Don't you dare," Sahar warned her, but to no avail.

"Guess I'll have to do it myself," she smiled and tightened her legs around Sahar's waist. Sahar tried to hold her ground, but Kara was too fast and the stimulation too intense. Kara pulled her closer until their hips met, the dildo filling Kara up to exactly the right point. Sahar shuddered and gasped, placing her hands on the bed for support.

"B-bitch," she growled.

"I love you, too," Kara laughed, stroking Sahar's dark hair as she came. The dildo in Kara began to pulse and vibrate, responding to the contractions of Sahar's muscles around the other end. The tension had been building in her for a while, and she knew she was close. And so did Sahar.

"My turn," Sahar whispered as she slowly came down from her high. She slipped a hand between them and pressed on Kara's clit. The redhead cried out in surprise, and quickly succumbed to Sahar's fingers.

"If I'm going, I'm taking you with me!" Kara yelped and fell back on the bed, pulling Sahar on top of her. The contractions of Kara's body drove the plug in Sahar, and soon they were both quaking in ecstasy. The energy of their mutual release rolled back and forth between them, each orgasm fueling the next. Screams and moans echoed through the room, a raucous declaration of mutual bliss. Slowly, the intensity began to wane, and they floated back down together.

"Fuck," groaned a winded Sahar.

"I think I turned the gain up too high," Kara whispered, her voice weak.

"No shit," Sahar groaned. She tried to withdraw, but as soon as she moved the device began to stir again. The stimulation was nearly painful on her sensitive flesh, and collapsed back down. "Please tell me you can reach the drawer."

Kara only nodded, and reached back lazily to unlock the drawer. She opened it and retrieved the PADD. With the press of a button both ends of the strap on deflated, allowing Sahar to finally pull free. "Yummy," Kara giggled, kissing Sahar's shoulder.

"I'll take that," Sahar grinned and seized the PADD. "Now we do it my way." But before she could press a button, the comm panel on the nightstand beeped.

"No!" Kara whined, still trying to catch her breath. Sahar reached over her and pressed a button on the panel.

"What?" she barked.

"Need you two in the Armory. Now," said Zula through the speaker.

"Fine. Be there as soon as we can," Sahar snapped and closed the channel.

"Balls," Kara sighed.

 

******

 

Deck 19, Armory, 1713 hours

 

"Hey, Sue!" Casana smiled as she stepped out of the turbolift outside the Armory. Suvak passed by her as she spoke, and Casana fell in behind her, trying to read the PADD she was holding over her shoulder.

"I would rather you used my correct name, Lieutenant."

"See, why can't Harry be that nice about it?" she sighed. "So, you have any idea what Zula wants?"

"I do not."

"Huh. Oh well," Casana shrugged as they entered the Armory. Inside, Sahar was toying with a phaser at one of the work benches while Kara looked on from one of the chairs in front of Zula's desk. When Casana and Suvak entered, Sahar stopped what she was doing and looked back at them over her shoulder. The moment she did, an evil smile spread across Casana's face. She left Suvak, and walked quietly over to Sahar, looking her up and down with that same grin on her face.

"What?" Sahar finally sighed. "What do you want?"

"Nothing," Casana giggled.

"Then why are you smiling?"

"Because, I know what you were doing when you got Zula's call!" she cried happily. Sahar blushed and looked back down at the phaser.

"What are you talking about?" she said quietly.

"You and Kara were-." Casana stopped midsentence as the door opened. Zula and Black walked in, but stopped as soon as they saw they were not alone.

"Oh, this can't be good," Black said.

"What the hell are you all doing in my Armory?" Zula asked suspiciously, but she was met with four confused faces.

"Uhh, you asked us here, Chief," Kara replied.

"Nothing good has ever happened when we were all in the same room together," Black said nervously.

Suvak opened her mouth to speak, but before she could the ship was rocked by an explosion. Casana and Sahar were thrown to the floor, and the lights flickered briefly, but stayed on. The alert lights flashed red, and the alarm sounded.

"Red Alert. Red Alert," the computer called over the speakers. "All hands to battle stations."

"Bloody hell!" Kara exclaimed, grabbing the desk to keep her balance as another explosion nearly knocked her from the chair.

"See? I fuckin' told you!" Black cried as he ran to the equipment lockers.

"Something is wrong," Suvak said calmly.

"Yeah, no fucking shit!" Sahar yelled over the alarms as she got to her feet.

"Standard procedure is for the Bridge to announce the nature of the Red Alert," she explained.

"Armory to Bridge!" Zula yelled into the comm panel, but there was no response.

"Oh my God," Kara gasped, placing a hand over her mouth. The others turned to see her staring at ship's status display behind the desk. The schematic was flashing red in half a dozen places, indicating hull breaches. One of those places was the Bridge.

"Fuck!" Sahar screamed. Then, her training took over. "Chief, organize the security personnel and prepare to repel boarders. Everyone else, come with me," she ordered as she ran for the door. Without a word, Suvak, Casana, Kara, and Black followed her down the corridors. They passed a numbered of injured crewman, but had no time to stop and help them.

Twice as they ran, the ship shuddered under the force of more hits. Panels blew out and conduits ruptured, starting fires in the corridors. On more than one occasion, they were forced run through the flames, the heat scorching their clothes and causing the flesh to blister. The same halls that had been quiet and peaceful just minutes before now echoed with calls for help and cries of pain.

They rounded the last turn, and Sahar slammed her palm against the panel. The door slid open, and she ran into the empty Battle Bridge. Suvak went to the Engineering Station and Kara sat down at the Helm, while Casana went to Science and Black to Tactical. Sahar herself sat down in the large black chair in the center of the room and took a deep breath before pressing a button on the armrest.

"Crew of the Athena, this is Lieutenant Tehrani. I am taking command of the ship."

As she said this, the ship was rocked by another explosion and Sahar was nearly thrown from the Captain's seat. She looked up, but the viewscreen was blank. Her eyes darted down to the small displays on the chair's armrest, both they both showed only the Federation Seal. She tapped the control panel on one, and the symbol was replaced with a tactical map. At its center was the Athena, represented by the Starfleet emblem. Two red blobs circled around it, with one stationary contact directly ahead of them. As she looked at the screen, a small red dot split off from one of the red spots and moved towards the Athena. As it hit, the ship was hit yet again, causing the lights to flicker and ship to shake violently.

"Damage report," Sahar ordered in a voice so calm that it unnerved her.

"We have sustained multiple direct hits to the hull," Suvak answered, pouring over the information in front of her. "Warp engines are offline. Dorsal phaser array is offline. Aft torpedo launcher is completely destroyed. Impulse power at 68 percent. EPS conduits have ruptured across the ship. Life support is down on several decks. Hull breaches on decks 1, 2, 7, 15, 16, 20, and 32. Emergency containment fields are in place. Shields..." Suvak hesitated.

"What?" Sahar barked, turning around in the chair.

"Shields are completely nonfunctional."

"Fuck," Kara swore under her breath and looked at Black. At the same time, he glanced over at her and they exchanged looks of true fear.

"Helm, ahead full. Get us the hell outta here," Sahar ordered before turning to Casana. "Cass, who's trying to kill us?"

"That's a good question," she said in total seriousness. "The hulls appear to be Klingon Birds-of-Prey, but the configurations are completely wrong. And they're old models. I'm also not reading any Klingons, only..." Casana paused as she checked another console on the wall next to her before looking up at Sahar. "Orions. I'm only reading Orions."

"Here they come again!" Black shouted, and another shot hit them. A console overloaded in the corner of the room, showering them with sparks, but nothing else.

"Impulse engines aren't responding!" Kara cried. "Switching to thrusters."

"The third ship isn't a Bird-of-Prey!" Casana yelled over the crash of another hit. "It's the Republic. She's dead in the water. I'm not reading any power. No life signs."

"Captain, turbolifts are offline, and Damage Control teams are being overwhelmed," Suvak said calmly.

"Battle Bridge to Engineering," Sahar said, pressing a button on the chair's comm unit.

"Bridge, Engineering aye," said a young male voice over the intercom. "Lieutenant Junior Grade Calhoun reporting, sir."

"Lieutenant, what's the status of your Damage Control teams?"

"We have teams trying repair the warp engines, restore..." He paused as they were hit again. "Restore life support, and reach the Bridge," the young Lieutenant answered. Everyone in the room could tell from the sound of his voice that he was in over his head, and starting to panic. Sahar's mind raced, but she forced herself to be calm.

"Calhoun, listen closely," she said.

"Aye, sir," he replied, his voice shaking.

"I need you to retask your Damage Control teams. Focus on the warp drive, weapons, and the shields." The comm was silent for a moment, and Sahar held her breath.

"Battle Bridge, can you confirm? You want me to pull teams from life support and the Bridge, and put them on shields and weapons?"

"That is correct, Lieutenant," Sahar answered, wincing as she said the words. Again, there was a pause.

"Aye, sir," he finally croaked, and the line went dead. Sahar looked up to see Kara and Black looking back at her. She looked back and forth between them, a shameful expression on her face. Kara opened her mouth to say something, but before she could they were hit yet again. The hit was especially strong, and something in the ceiling above Sahar exploded, sending shrapnel down onto her.

"Sahar!" Kara shrieked, and started to stand.

"Stay at your post!" Sahar ordered, her voice shaking from the pain. Reluctantly, Kara sat back down.

"Sir, they're too fast for us," Black called out. Another hit, and an alarm sounded.

"Hull breach," Suvak reported. "Deck 22. Containment field in place. We cannot continue to absorb this amount of fire for long, Captain."

"Okay then, let's give them some back. Kara, come about," Sahar ordered, wiping a bit of blood out of her eyes. 

"Coming about, aye!" 

"Targeting is down," Black informed Sahar. "I'm gonna have to aim manually." The ship banked and turned, trying to come around before the Orions could close on them. On her screen, Kara saw the Orions accelerate towards them, trying to close the gap as quickly as possible, and smiled to herself. She banked the ship hard in the opposite direction and reversed the thrusters, bracing herself against the console. The ship lurched to a stop awkwardly, and the Orions were moving too quickly to react.




Star Trek: Lineage Ch. 08



"Shit, Kara!" Sahar swore behind her. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Were you even awake during Combat Maneuvers at the Academy?" Kara shot back. As she did, the Orions overshot them, and appeared on the now-functional viewscreen.

"Remind me to thank you for that later," Sahar apologized. "Black, fire."

But he already had. The launchers above and below them hummed and the photon torpedoes streaked towards the Orion ships. Most missed their targets, but a pair struck one of Orions, impacting one of the wings. The first knocked the shields on the small ship down while the second blew a hole in the wing. The ship jerked hard to the side from the impact and the wing broke from the rest of the hull, but it began to come about with the other ship.

"Black!" Sahar shouted, and he followed the torpedoes up with phasers against the damaged ship. Again most missed, but one hit the center of the ship. There was an explosion, and the ships engines flickered to a halt. "Finish him off!" Sahar cried.

"I can't, we used everything on the first volley! Phasers are still recharging and torpedoes loading."

"The other ship is coming about!" Kara yelled. On the screen the other Bird of Prey had come about and was bearing down on them.

"I'm getting some unusual readings from that ship," Casana said. "Incoming torpedo!" A powerful explosion rocked the ship, and several consoles overloaded, sending shards of the screens flying through the air. The screen filled with an orange flash, and when it faded the view was cluttered with debris.

"Massive damage to the saucer section," Suvak reported, calm as ever. "Superstructure has been compromised. Containment fields are in place, but they will not hold."

"Show me," Sahar ordered. An image of the ship's saucer section appeared, revealing a gaping hole in the ship, through which stars could be seen. "Holy shit," she muttered, dumbstruck by the sight of a gaping hole in what had been her home for more than a decade.

"We're losing thrusters!" Kara screamed, and the lights flickered and failed. After a moment, emergency lights came on, but the consoles had mostly gone dark.

"Main power is offline," Suvak said. "We are defenseless." The room was silent, save for the sound of alarms and feet moving around outside. Shouts back and forth from the corridor, muffled by the walls, could just be heard over the noise. But the room's five occupants were in their own world, staring back and forth at each other.

The moment was broken by a flash on Casana's console, one the few which still had power. The Trill turned and examined the console. "Neutrino surge directly above us! A ship is decloaking!"

"More Orions?" Sahar asked desperately.

"Maybe. No! It's Romulan!"

"On screen!"

Above the Athena, a Romulan battlecruiser decloaked, and unleashed a flurry of torpedoes and disruptor fire on the Orion ships. Neither stood a chance, and under the storm of fire from the Romulans they were both destroyed. Sahar sat stunned in her seat, unable to comprehend what had just occurred. She simply stared at the viewscreen as the Romulan ship moved slowly away from them, gently turning to come face to face with the Athena. Something in her mind clicked, and she realized that Casana was speaking to her.

"Uh, Harry?"

"Don't... um..." Sahar mumbled. "Don't call me that."

"Their hailing us," she said.

"Onscreen," Sahar said dumbly as she stood. The screen flickered, and a Romulan officer appeared.

"Federation vessel, I am Commander Alaria of the RIS Imperious," she said matter-of-factly. "We apologize for violating the Neutral Zone. Do you require assistance?"

"Why did you...?" Sahar began, but trailed off.

"The Romulan Star Empire has no tolerance for piracy," Alaria sneered. "Do you require our assistance or not?"

"Yes, we do," was all Sahar could say.

"Very well. We shall begin coordinating with your Chief Engineer immediately," she said, and closed the channel.

"Did we just get saved by Romulans?" Kara asked in disbelief.

Sahar didn't hear her. She simply fell to her hands and knees and stared at the deck. Her stomach turned as the reality of what had just happened dawned on her, and she vomited. With a deep breath, she sat back on her legs and gazed down at her uniform. The clasp on the jacket had fallen open, exposing the white fabric of the lining. As she watched, small drops of blood fell from her face, staining the material bright red.

"It's okay, love."

The words snapped Sahar out of her daze. Kara's arms wrapped around her, and she helped Sahar to her feet. "Suvak," Sahar said weakly, "contact Engineering and retask Damage Control to life support and the Bridge."

"Yes, Captain."

"Jeff, get back to the Armory and help the Chief put together security teams to keep an eye on the Romulans."

"Aye, boss."

"I'll try to contact Starfleet," Casana said before Sahar could give the order.

"I'm taking you to Sickbay," Kara said, leading Sahar out of the room. But Sahar stopped at the door and looked back at Suvak.

"What's the time?"

"0929, sir."

 

******

 

Deck 2, Jeffries Tube Junction Room, 1002 hours

 

"Well?" Sahar asked as she looked up the Jeffries Tube towards the ensign a deck above her.

"Still working on it, sir," he called back over the sound of the laser torch.

"How long, Ensign?" she scowled, though he couldn't see it.

"Just another couple of minutes, sir. I can see the Bridge access hatch on the other side of the blockage," he answered. "Watch out, sir." Sahar stepped back from the ladder and a twisted, scorched piece of metal crashed to the deck in front of her. "Just one more cut, then we're in," he informed her, poking his head down into the shaft.

"Pick up the pace!" she yelled, growing impatient. "Internal sensors and transporters are still down, so we need to cut our way in to help any wounded."

"Aye, sir," the young Ensign said nervously. He was a first year officer, fresh from the Academy, and had only been on the ship for a few months. Under normal circumstances, Sahar would never have pressed him like this. But these were hardly normal circumstances.

"Well?" she heard Casana say as she crawled down the Jeffries Tube.

"Just another minute or two," she frowned, still looking up the ladder. "Still need to make another cu-"

"Got it!" the Ensign cried, and Sahar rushed up the ladder, followed by Casana and a pair of medics. They passed the sweat-drenched Ensign at the top of the ladder and crawled on down the tube towards the Bridge. The top of the crawl-space had collapsed, and Sahar's uniform caught on a sharp piece of twisted metal, ripping the material. Sahar ignored it, and forced open the hatch. 

She crawled out of the hatch and was greeted on the other side by a scene of near total destruction. Virtually all of the consoles had been destroyed, and the room was littered with debris. Only a handful of lights still functioned, flickering valiantly against the darkness. In the center of the room, Commander Osuna sat in the Captain's chair. Aside from her, the room was deserted. As medics and engineers emerged from the hatch behind Sahar, she silently stood.

"We're crippled, sir," Sahar reported as Osuna hobbled across the room to her.

"I gathered that, Lieutenant," she said. As a medic approached her, she swatted him away. "The hell are you doing? The Captain is wounded!" she barked at him, pointing towards a door behind her. "I assume you took command?"

"Aye, sir. A couple of Orions attacked and disabled us. We tried to escape, but they were too fast. We're only alive because a Romulan battlecruiser happened by."

"Romulans don't 'happen by'," Osuna scoffed.

"The Romulan Commander said they were sent to hunt down the Orions. Apparently the Romulan's take a dim view of piracy."

"And the Orions?" Osuna asked as one of the medics began to examine her, but she waved him off.

"Romulans blew the fuck out of 'em, sir," Sahar said, looking over Osuna's shoulder as members of the Damage Control team began to set up lights in the room. She could see shapes and shadows, but couldn't make out much in the darkness. "I was in the Armory when we were attacked. When we couldn't contact the Bridge, I took command."

"Well done Lieutenant. I'll take over from here though, if you don't mind. Casualties?"

"Not sure yet, sir," Sahar replied, looking away shamefully. "Current count is 57 dead, 70 wounded, and more than 200 still missing. Internal sensors, communications, and transporters are still down." Osuna just nodded, and moved towards the Jeffries Tube before Sahar stopped her. "Sir, what happened up here?"

"Commander Sull and the Helmsmen were killed in the opening volley, and we lost power. Fuller is unconscious, but everyone else is okay. They took shelter in the ready room."

Sahar was dumbfounded. "How?" she mumbled back, almost in disbelief.

"Lieutenant," Osuna whispered, putting a hand on Sahar's shoulder, "look up."

Sahar's head tilted back to look at the ceiling, but all she saw were stars. "Holy fuck," she mumbled.

"No kidding," Osuna sighed as one of the medics ushered her towards the Jeffries tube. "I'm going to the Battle Bridge. You're acting Chief of Security, Lieutenant."

"Aye, sir," Sahar responded dumbly as Osuna disappeared through the access hatch. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Casana scanning the bulkheads with her tricorder, a concerned look on her face, but she paid it no attention.

 

******

 

Deck 5, 1400 hours

 

"Very well. I will inform Ms. Alvarez that you are authorized to access the life support systems on this deck," Suvak said, nodding to the Romulan engineer she was talking to.

"Thank you, Lieutenant," he said, and moved past her down the corridor. As he disappeared into an access hatch, Sahar emerged from around a corner, escorting the Romulan Commander.

"Suvak, can I speak to you for a moment?"

"Of course, Lieutenant," she replied. "What can I do for you?"

"The Commander wanted to speak with you, if you have a moment." Suvak arched an eyebrow. "Can you?"

"Diplomatic protocol does not become you, Lieutenant," the Vulcan observed.

"Yeah, I know," Sahar sighed. "Well, can you spare a moment?"

"Very well," she relented, turning to their guest.

"I am Commander Alaria of the Romulan Star Empire," the Romulan announced with a considerable hint of superiority. "I command the RIS Imperious."

"Yes, I was aware of that," Suvak said impatiently, looking down at her PADD.

"I see," Alaria frowned. "Very well, I will get to the point. We have been ordered back to Romulan space. Evidently, our presence here is making Starfleet... nervous. In the interest of peace, the Senate has given us 24 hours before we must depart."

"In what way does this concern us?" Suvak said. As she looked up from her PADD, she noticed a bit of dirty-blonde hair duck around the corner behind Sahar and Alaria.

"This concerns you because the repairs to your ship will not be even close to complete by then," Alaria sneered.

"Very astute," Suvak replied, glancing back down the corridor. Behind her, a long stretch of the corridor had been blown away. While the structural supports remained intact, the majority of the hull in a 50 meter wide cylinder had been completely destroyed, leaving a gaping hole in the saucer section. What remained was twisted metal, and all that protected them from the vacuum of space was an emergency containment field.

"What I mean is, you will not be ready to safely travel to the nearest repair facility within that time period," Alaria said angrily. Behind her, a glint of light caught Suvak's eye. Her keen eyes spotted a small hand mirror, stuck around the corner just far enough to allow someone to peek around. "If repairs are to be completed in that time frame, we need to be allowed more access to your ship."

"Very well," Suvak relented. "You will be allowed access to backup EPS relays and the Life Support systems."

"I am not sure that will be enough."

"It will have to be. Now, if you will excuse me, I have work to do," Suvak said.

"Hey, Suvak, is she still following us?" Sahar whispered, leaning in towards Suvak.

"Lieutenant Shen?"

"Yeah."

Suvak looked over Sahar's shoulder and again saw Casana duck her head back around the corner. "Yes."

"Is it just me, or is she getting crazier?"

"I have noticed that her... quirks have become more prominent in the last few weeks."

"Osuna to Tehrani," blared the Betazoid's voice over the comm. Sahar went to the nearest panel, keeping an eye on Alaria.

"Tehrani here."

"Lieutenant, report to the Battle Bridge. It's about the captain." Her voice was shaking, and Sahar knew immediately what had happened.

They'd lost him.

 

******

 

The remains of Deck 7, Officer's Quarters, 1800 hours

 

The room was trashed. An EPS conduit in the floor had ruptured during the attack, and vented electro-plasma into the room for a split second before emergency force fields came up. In that split second, the superheated plasma burned through the floor and vented up into the room, where it started several small fires. The computer had responded by venting the compartments atmosphere and sealing the plasma leak. Though the whole process had completed in less than a second, it was long enough to leave a mark on the room.

The carpeting was mostly gone, melted away as the plasma spread over the floor, leaving singed and warped metal as the flooring. A large, circular hole was burned out of the floor, and above it the plasma had done enough damage to cause part of the roof to collapse, including a large support girder that had crushed the bed. All of the standard lights had blown out, and the room was lit by emergency lighting alone. An ODN conduit had ruptured in one of the walls, and now the severed cable sparked on the floor.

The sight of it overwhelmed Sahar as she looked in through the doorway. She leaned back and looked down the hall. About 10 meters away, the corridor had been torn away as part of the gaping hull in the saucer section. She mutely turned back to her quarters and stepped inside, completely expressionless. The door tried to close behind her, but jammed half open, leaving a sliver of light in the mostly dark room.

As she walked, something cracked under her feet. Sahar stepped back and bent over to examine it. It was a PADD, whose cracked screen still showed the text of the last message received:

TO: Sahar Tehrani, Lieutenant

FROM: Walter Lowe, Captain, USS Athena

SUBJ: Commendation and Recommendation of Promotion

As she looked at the words of the screen, Sahar's blood boiled. Her fingers squeezed around the broken device until the knuckles turned white. She stood and hurled it across the room with all her strength. The damaged metal case broke against the wall, but Sahar had already turned away by the time it hit.

She entered the bathroom and stared at herself in the mirror, her rage continuing to build. Gripping the sink, she fought hopelessly to maintain control. Finally, she exploded. She released the sink and struck mirror with all of her considerable power. As her fist made contact, she bellowed a deep, vicious scream, full of rage and hatred, her body quivering with unbridled fury. The mirror shattered and pain shot through her hand and wrist with a sickening crunch. Sahar ignored it, and turned her attention to the sonic shower. Her fist lashed out again against the transparent aluminum, but failed the damage it.

Sahar screamed again and slammed her foot into the clear metal. Twice more she struck the door of the shower, unable to damage it. Finally, throwing all of her weight and rage into the blow, she kicked out again and the door gave way. The hinges failed, and the door was hurled back against the opposite wall of the shower.

Sahar stood panting, her burning blood coursing through her veins, and stared silently at door. In an instant, anger turned to pain, and the searing agony from her hand washed over her. It came in waves, each stronger than the next, and her knees gave way. Sahar collapsed, and slid back against the wall, clutching her wrist. The pain overwhelmed her, making her lightheaded and nauseous as she sat against the wall. Tears began to flow from her eyes and she slumped over, lying on the floor as she cried and pleaded with the universe.

This was how, a few minutes later, Kara found her.

At first, she could barely hear the sobbing as she stuck her head through the door. "Sahar?" she called into the darkness, but heard only whimpering in response. She forced the door open and stepped into the shadows, shocked by the destruction. Kara followed the sound carefully through the dark, giving her eyes time to adjust. 

"You in there, love?" she called, but again heard no response. She slowly made her way into the bathroom, and recoiled in horror when she saw Sahar. "Baby? Are you hurt?" she cried and rushed to Sahar's side. Kara tried to pull Sahar into her arms, but as soon as they touched Sahar became hysterical.

"No!" she wailed, and shuffled away from Kara into a corner.

"Love, sweetie, what happened?" Kara begged, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Please, no!" Sahar continued, ignoring her. "Please, I'm sorry! I was wrong, I'm sorry, please, I take it back!" she screamed, clawing at her face with her working hand. Kara panicked and lunged at her, grasping both wrists. As soon as she took hold of Sahar's right, she felt and heard the sick scraping of broken bone sliding together, and Sahar shrieked in agony.

"Oh, God, I'm sorry," Kara cried. Sahar did respond, but buried her face in Kara's neck, screaming into the dark.

"I killed him! God, I killed him! I'm so sorry, please!" she howled, curling up in Kara's arms and weeping.

"What? Who?" Kara asked, still confused.

"The Captain!" Sahar whimpered, her strength beginning to fail again. "I diverted the repairs! I gave the order! I left them to die!"

"Shh," Kara cried softly, trying to comfort her. "It's not your fault, baby."

"I gave the order," Sahar whispered. "I take it back. I take it back..." Her voice trailed off as Kara slowly rocked her back and forth, trying to get her to calm down.

"You saved us, love. You saved us all," she whispered. "You saved me."

 

******

 

Deck 4, Turbolift, 2350 hours

 

Black stared suspiciously at Alaria as they waited for the turbolift. He knew full well what would have happened if the Romulans hadn't arrived when they did, but that didn't mean he trusted them. But what was more concerning was Casana, who happened to be working on the life support systems a few meters away. He kept one eye on each of them, Casana glaring at Alaria and Alaria looking the other way. Finally, the turbolift doors opened.

"Ma'am," Black said, gesturing for Alaria to enter the turbolift. Without turning to look at Casana, she walked confidently through the door. As he turned to follow her, though, he was pushed aside.

"Sorry Jeff. Catch the next one," Casana said as she slipped by him into the turbolift. Black moved to follow her, but the door shut in his face.

Before she could turn around, Casana slammed into Alaria's back, hurling her against the wall. The Trill immediately grabbed Alaria by the shoulder and pulled. Casana stuck her hip and leg behind and below Alaria's as she pulled, dragging the Romulan off her feet. As her target fell backwards, Casana slipped the sidearm from its holster.

"What are..." Alaria began to say, but stopped when she looked up to see the emitter of her own disruptor pointed at her face.

"I thought there was a Romulan saying: never turn your back on a Trill?" Casana said calmly as she entered a series of commands into the turbolift panel. They dropped half a deck and stopped. "Or is it a Breen? I can never remember."




Star Trek: Lineage Ch. 08



"What is the meaning of this?" Alaria said through gritted teeth.

"You know, the turbolifts on this ship tend to be very dramatic places," Casana said, ignoring her. "If something important is going to happen, there's a good chance it will happen in a turbolift."

"I said-"

"I heard you," Casana barked. "I know what you did."

"What are you talking about?"

"We have our own saying, you see. Beware Romulan's bearing gifts," Casana explained, her eyes narrowing. "You see, I've been busy. When we were attacked, it was without warning, which means the Orions were cloaked. Which isn't surprising, considering the fact that they're Orions. They could easily buy a few cloaking devices from one of the lesser Klingon houses, especially if they promised to use it against Starfleet.

"They also could have bought some old Birds-of-Prey. Lord knows there are enough of them in Klingon scrap yards, and the Klingons aren't very picky about who they sell them to."

"I don't understand what this has to do with me," Alaria snapped.

"Bullshit," Casana spat. "The Orions didn't get anything from the Klingons. They got them from you."

"We have had problems with Orions raiders. That's why we were hunting them."

"No, I mean they got them from you personally," Casana explained. They stared at each other in silence for a moment.

"How dare you," Alaria hissed. "I am-"

"You are an agent of the Tal'Shiar," Casana cut her off. "I knew it the moment I saw you. After spending as many years as I have around Romulans, you can pick out Tal'Shiar in an instant. You're all just so damned... emotionless. Like Vulcans."

"You arrogant..."

"A Trill, arrogant? No," Casana gasped. "The thing that puzzled me was why. Why would you go to all that trouble just to save us? Then I remembered something Jeff said during the attack. The Orions weren't using disruptors. So I scanned the crap out of this ship. Every breach, every impact, every scratch. And you know what I found? Plasma and antiprotons. Every inch of this ship is dripping with plasma residue and antiproton traces."

"Plasma weapons are decades old."

"Plasma torpedoes, yes. But these were energy. I recreated the battle from the sensor logs, and all of the plasma hits came from one ship, while all the disruptors came from the other. And they targeted the same areas. It was a field test."

"You have no proof," Alaria sneered. "The Orions were destroyed by our weapons. Any residual traces can be explained as residue from our attack."

"Not all," Casana smiled. "Jeff got off a good shot. Blew one of the wings off of a Bird-of-Prey. And on that wing was a single cannon. When help comes, they'll tractor us back to starbase. Unless someone tells them to collect that cannon."

"What do you want?" Alaria said, admitting defeat.

"I don't intend to tell Starfleet about what I've discovered."

"What?" Alaria looked up in surprise. "Why?"

"What's the point? My government will accuse your government of plotting against the Federation. Your government will deny it," Casana explained, waving the disruptor from side to side. "Starfleet will trot out the cannon. Then the Romulan ambassador will go before the Federation Council. He'll admit that the Romulans are developing new weapons, and he'll say that the Orions stole them. He'll apologize to people of the Federation, and he'll give his deepest regrets to the families of those killed," Casana continued, placing her hand over her chest and swooning dramatically. "And that will be it. Starfleet won't be able to prove that you gave them the weapons, so we'll just drop it. End of story. Except for you."

"You see," Casana smiled, crouching down across from Alaria, "the Tal'Shiar will not be happy with you. Your mistakes will have caused a great deal of embarrassment to the Romulan Star Empire. The Tal'Shiar will lose a lot of prestige in Romulan politics. And they will blame you."

"I would likely be executed."

"If, on the other hand, I was to say nothing," Casana explained, "you can take credit for a successful operation, and, more importantly, not be executed."

"In exchange for what?" Alaria asked.

"How very Romulan of you!" Casana said gleefully. "A debt of honor."

"And what have you done that would place me in your debt?" Alaria laughed.

"Save your life."

 "You impudent-"

"You listen to me!" Casana screamed and lunged forward. She pressed her foot into Alaria's chest, pinning her to the wall, and pushed the disruptor against the Romulan's forehead. "You scheming cost a lot of lives, lives I care about! I'm not going to let their deaths be wasted in some diplomatic pissing match. You can either accept my offer, or face the Tal'Shiar."

Alaria hesitated, weighing her options. She had none. "Very well."

"Good," Casana smiled sweetly and stepped back. "And remember: Trill have long memories. Now, where were you headed?"

 

******

 

Deck 5, Junior Officer's Quarters, 1800 hours

 

"Ten years, and I'm back here again," Sahar sighed, sitting on one of the bunks. The Athena had suffered heavy damage to its accommodations, forcing the crew to use all of its spare quarters until repairs could be made. Like most of the officers, Suvak, Sahar, Kara, Casana, and Zula were now quartered together in previously vacant crew rooms. "So much for privacy."

"We are short accommodations, so two of us will have to share a bunk," Suvak observed.

"I wonder who that will be," Kara smiled, staring at Sahar.

"Not me. Dibs!" squealed Casana as she came through the door. She ran at Sahar and leapt onto the top bunk.

"For fuck sake, would you watch it?" Sahar cried, narrowly avoiding Casana's knee.

"This is gonna be fun!" Casana giggled, lying down on the top bunk. "Hey, Zula, why did Jeff want to switch quarters with you?"

"Gee, I don't know," Zula replied from her chair across the room. "Maybe something to do with how the last time the four of you were together, the ship had a hole shot through it?"

"Or it could be the company," Kara said with a smirk. She sat down next to Sahar and wrapped an arm around her. "Married man like him, it'd be hard not to be tempted sleeping with four women."

"Speaking of women and holes," Casana said, leaning over the edge of the bunk to look at Sahar and Kara, "would you two please keep it in your pants while we're here?"

"Yeah. Some of us are supposed to be celibate around humans," Zula added. "In fact, I'm telepathic, so don't even think about it too loudly."

"Fine," Sahar agreed. "We'll try to contain ourselves until we get new quarters, as a way of saying 'thanks'."

"Thanks for what?" Zula asked, turning her attention back to her PADD.

"For calling us to the Armory," Kara explained. "If you hadn't called us out of our room, we would've been killed in the attack." Zula put the PADD down and looked at them.

"I didn't call anybody."



Star Trek: Lineage Ch. 09



Commitment

Isfahan, Iran (UTC +4), Earth, 1006 hours, 2305

Sahar stepped up to the door and reached for the access panel but stopped before she touched the call button. Her hands were shaking; she was so nervous. Sahar summoned all her courage but still she hesitated, then pulled her hand away and stepped back.

"Oh, for the love of God," Kara chuckled behind her. "What is it now?"

Sahar turned, but didn't look at her. Instead, her eyes wandered over the waters of the Zayande River. "I'm not scared," she said.

"Of course not, love," Kara said sarcastically.

"I'm just nervous."

"So there's a difference now?" Sahar blushed and tried to turn, but Kara stopped her. She grabbed Sahar by the shoulders and kissed her. Kara could feel the tension in Sahar's body, and broke the kiss only when it melted away. "Now press the bloody button." Sahar nodded sullenly and turned back to the door. She reached for the panel but stopped short again.

"Promise me something first," she said over her shoulder.

"What is it?" Kara asked impatiently.

"Casana never hears a word of this."

"What?"

"Not a word. Ever."

"Fine," Kara laughed. Sahar pressed the button.

Five months into a twelve month stay on Earth, and Kara had only just convinced Sahar to bring her here. With the Athena in dock undergoing repairs and a major refit, most of her crew had been temporarily reassigned to various positions in the Sol system. Those that would return to the ship after work was completed would return to a changed vessel. With new replicator technology, large amounts of space used previously for storage would now serve other purposes. This, paired with a slight reduction in crew size, resulted in a significant increase in the amount of living space for each crew member. And Kara judged that necessary as she eyed the slight bulge in Sahar's stomach.

The door opened to reveal a tall, muscular man in his 60's. His black hair was speckled with grey, but youthful energy still shone in his dark brown eyes. With his back straight, his head held high, and his clothes neatly groomed and cleaned, there was no mistaking him for anything other than a Starfleet officer. He looked first at Sahar, then at Kara, his eyes boring through both of them, taking their full measure in the blink of an eye.

"Hi, Dad," Sahar said warmly.

"Welcome home, Harry," he said, and wrapped his arms around his daughter. Kara fought desperately to suppress a laugh.

****

Cardiff (UTC +0), 1427 hours

"I jush don't get it," Casana moaned into her drink. "I don't get it."

"You have said that 47 times in the last 15 minutes," Suvak observed, holding a mug of Vulcan tea while she sat next to the Trill at the bar. They were drinking in a small pub hidden in the heart of Cardiff. A soccer game was being shown at the other end of the bar and virtually all of the other patrons had gathered around to watch, leaving Casana and Suvak more or less alone. The game was apparently of great significance as the crowd was chanting and shouting so loud that it made it difficult for the two aliens to talk.

"Becaushe I don't!" Casana whined. "What'sho great about thish planet?" She took a long gulp of her beer.

"I do not understand your question."

"Itsh shimple: why doesh everyone love Earth?" She looked up at Suvak, blurry eyed and swaying slightly in her chair.

"You question is based upon a false premise: not everyone loves Earth."

"Yesh they doo-hoo!" Casana moaned, sounding increasingly like an infant. The outburst took Suvak by surprise, and drew a few glances from the other patrons. "What? They do!" she told them, rather defensively. A few more heads turned, but something happened in the game that drew their attention. Casana snorted victoriously and turned back to Suvak. "Shee? They 'gree!"

"I am not sure that they-"

"You're righ. They're not obj... objej... they're biased. But do you know how many non-humansh live on thish planet?"

"Aproximately-"

"Eshactly! There'sh Boliansh, Vulcansh, Tellearitesh, Caitansh, Katariansh... you ever notice theresh a lot of kitty people, and very few doggy people?" Suvak arched her eyebrows. "I even knew a Cardashian once, Iliana or Lilana or shomething, I can't remember her name. But she wash hot! I mean real hot, like... like... and she loved Cardashia, but when she came with me to Earth, the moment she saw it, she refushed to leave. I shwear, she wouldn't go near a shuttle or transhporter till I shwore I wouldn't make her leave. Can you believe that? A Cardashian fell in love with this weird, blue-green ball. I mean, itsh not even that pretty. Do you know what humansh have done to thish planet?"

"Yes."

"I'll tell you what they did! They blew it up! And not onsh, they did it like three timesh. Harry told me about it onsh. I don't think she getsh it, either, but she lovesh it, too. You should have sheen her face when we entered orbit."

"I did. I was standing between you."

"Oh," Casana muttered, suddenly very solemn. She was quiet for a long time, staring contemplatively into her drink. Casana lifted the mug, drained it, and ordered another. When it came she took a long drink before putting the mug down with a long, thundering belch. Finally, she spoke again. "I jush don't get it!"

"I believe I may have an explanation," Suvak said, and Casana's eyes perked up.

"Really?" she gasped, as though she were a child whose parents had agreed to get her a puppy.

"Most races experience some catastrophic events during their development, and these events have lasting impacts on those races. For example, it could be argued that the Klingon Empire's aggressive expansionism is, in part, a result of their home world being conquered at least twice in known history. Similarly, modern Cardassian asceticism can be traced back the collapse of the Hebitians and the resultant mass starvation and poverty that gave rise to military dictatorship."

"You ushe pig wordsh," Casana groaned as she rested her head on the bar.

"In this context, humans are not unique in having suffered cataclysmic events."

"Shtill don' ged it."

"However, humans, compared most races, recovered from these events far faster. Even today, nearly two millennia after the fall of the Hebitians, poverty is still an issue on Cardassia. By comparison, humans were living on verge of extinction less than 300 years ago."

"Sho, their like the ugly gooshe?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"You know, the human shtory about a gooshe that gesh born ugly." Casana tried to sit up, and nearly fell off her stool. "Okay, sho thish gooshe gesh born, right? And ish all ugly. And all the other gooshesh teashe it for being grosh. And then it growsh up to be a shwan! And everybody loves swans!" Somehow, Casana managed to shout out the last sentence as clear and loud as a bell. All motion and activity in the pub stopped, and all eyes turned to her. 

"Whads going on?" she said.

****

Isfahan, 0031 hours

Kara ran her fingertips over the exposed skin in front of her, smiling as they left a wake of goose bumps. Sahar's tanned skin had paled somewhat after a decade on a starship, but a few weeks under the sun had been all it took to darken it again. Kara loved Sahar's skin. She loved how it seemed to be so perfectly smooth, how it gave a sense of softness to Sahar's otherwise hard muscled body, like velvet over wood, how it stretched tight over her flesh. That tightness had led to some noticeable stretch marks around her growing stomach, but that was nothing a dermal regenerator couldn't handle, and Kara didn't care anyway. She ran her hand over the rise in Sahar's stomach, taking care not to press down. "Still nothing?" she asked.

"A few jerks and twitches here and there but nothing else," she answered, her eyes still closed. "Cass said it was just the neuromuscular nerves forming or something."

"So, are you going to get much bigger?" Kara asked, barely able to hide an evil smile.

"What?" Sahar's eyes popped open. She did not sound amused, but then again she never did. At least not at first.

"What I mean is: how many more sets of clothes will you be going through?" At times, Kara reflected, Sahar was just too easy a target. Of course, that didn't mean she was going to stop.

"That's not real high on my list of concerns," Sahar said with a scowl.

"Okay, okay," Kara said, pretending to relent. For a few moments, she just lay there next to Sahar. "It's like you swallowed a bloody grapefruit."

"Can we change the subject?"

"Sorry. You're just a bit... bulbous."

"Bulbous?!"

"Expansive? Rotund?"

"Bitch," Sahar muttered. Kara turned and looked her straight in the eye.

"Moo."

Sahar couldn't help but snicker. "Why do I put up with you?"

"Haven't a clue," she smiled back, and slipped a hand down between Sahar's thighs.

"Oh, god," she sighed. "I've been hot all day. It's like I'm a fuckin' teenager again. Damn hormones."

"I can see that," Kara smiled back. Sahar's panties were moist, and the heat coming from between her legs was intense. Fingers pressed down on the wet fabric, rubbing in a slow circular motion around, but not on, Sahar's clit.

"No, don't tease me," Sahar whimpered, writhing under the sweet torment of her lover's fingers.

"Shh," Kara hushed her, and slid her hand under Sahar's panties. Sahar squealed quietly when she felt a finger dive into her, and buried her face in Kara's neck. She instinctually nipped and kissed the flesh at her lips, but coherent thought had abandoned her, and Kara knew it. Her finger pressed deeper, curling up to hit that magic spot she knew so well. Sahar tensed in Kara's arms and balled her hands into fists. Her breathing was ragged and frantic, and her body was quaking. Sahar was already close, and Kara wasted no time sending her over. Kara had known that Sahar had been desperately aroused for most of the day, and had hoped that by getting her off quickly she could calm Sahar down.

She was wrong.

As Sahar began to come down from her orgasm Kara tried to pull her fingers from Sahar's dripping folds, only to have Sahar stop her. Sahar grabbed Kara by the back of the neck and pulled their lips together in a crushing kiss. Meanwhile, she took hold of Kara's wrist and forced the redhead's fingers deeper in, using Kara's fingers to fuck herself. Sahar's grip on her wrist was so tight Kara thought she might bruise, but she didn't try to stop Sahar. Instead, Kara let herself be taken and gave her body to satisfy Sahar's need.

Muscles clenched around Kara's fingers and she heard Sahar's breathe catch. Sahar lay frozen for a few moments, Kara crushed up against her before she went limp. Kara felt hot liquid flowing over her fingers, heard Sahar's shallow breathing, and felt their hearts racing. It was exhilarating. It always was.

"Feel better now?" Kara whispered, nipping playfully at Sahar's ear.

"I need to taste you," she growled back hoarsely.

"Well, if you insist." Kara slipped a hand between her thighs, but Sahar had other ideas.

"No. Sit up," Sahar blurted out, much to Kara's surprise. Having Kara sitting on her was not one of Sahar's preferred positions, mostly because whenever they did it Sahar's hair would get trapped under Kara's legs. But before Kara could ask if she was sure, Sahar started to push and pull her into position, so Kara dutifully obliged. She sat up and carefully moved Sahar's long black locks out of the way before throwing one knee over her lover's head.

Even before Kara had settled into position, she felt Sahar's hand on her thighs, pulling her hips down. A jolt of pleasure flashed through her when Sahar went straight to her clit, and the redhead had to grab the headboard to steady herself. Sahar attacked her pussy with enthusiasm, and seemed to be licking and sucking everywhere at once. She had already been quite wet, but now Kara could feel her juices start to flow in earnest.

Sahar was more aggressive than usual, and it was all Kara keep from screaming loud enough to wake Sahar's parents. Her first orgasm came in a matter of seconds, taking her by surprise. She doubled over, hitting her head against the headboard, and had to bite her lip to stay quiet, but Sahar didn't seem to notice and certainly didn't slow down. Kara felt a tongue press into her and teeth graze her clit, the pleasure taking her breath away.

She felt Sahar shift beneath her, and suddenly Kara was on her back. Her hair was in her eyes, but something covered her face before she had a chance to brush it aside. It was warm and wet and filled her nose with a powerful, familiar scent. Kara's mind was blank for a few moments until she realized what it was: Sahar. They had reversed position and Kara now felt Sahar's strong hands on the back of her head.

Kara's mind was still racing from her orgasm, and her instincts led her to lick. Sahar was grinding down on Kara's face so hard, and her grip was so tight, that Kara had no control over where she made contact. Instead, she just stuck her tongue out and licked at whatever was there. She felt Sahar rock back and forth, dragging Kara's tongue up and down her slit. Kara could hear Sahar moaning on top of her. The sounds were low and rumbling, almost animal, filled with unbridled lust.

And then she was gone.

The weight of Sahar's body simply vanished. Kara was suddenly alone on the bed, and opened her eyes to see what had happened. Sahar had disappeared completely, and for a moment Kara was both confused and afraid. Then she noticed the bathroom door was open, and she heard quiet gagging sounds coming from inside. "Of course," she laughed to herself as she threw on her robe and walked on somewhat unsteady legs over to the doorway.

Inside, Sahar was bent over the toilet, heaving her guts out. Kara knelt beside her and gathered her hair behind her head. Sahar glanced at Kara for a split second before turning and retching again. Her whole body contracted, curling up into a ball and only barely keeping her head over the toilet. Kara did her best to keep Sahar steady, rubbing her back and shoulders in an attempt to comfort her stomach. When the heaving finally stopped, Sahar pounded her fists on floor and screamed.

"I fucking hate this!" she bellowed. "I hate this puking, I hate being pregnant, and I hate you!" she continued, glaring at Kara.

"What did I do?" she laughed, knowing full well what the answer would be.

Sahar's eyes narrowed accusingly. "This was your idea, you bitch! You put this baby in me-"

"Technically, Dr. Mooan did that," Kara pointed out.

"It was your godamn DNA!" Sahar roared, her face turning beet red. "Your fault! You! Oh shit..." Sahar heaved, and threw herself over the toilet just before she vomited again. Good a time as any, I suppose, Kara thought to herself, and opened the small package she had left in the robe. She fingered the contents of the package as she waited for Sahar to relax again.

"So, love, I was thinking," she began as Sahar panted and hung her head. "We've been together for a while now. I've met your parents, I've knocked you up, I-"

"So you admit it!" Sahar snarled.

"Guilty indeed," Kara said with a smile before continuing. "I was thinking that perhaps we might..." She let her voice trail off, and showed Sahar the object in her hand. Sahar immediately threw her head into the toilet and heaved yet again. "Oh, lovely," Kara sighed, and waited patiently. Sahar spent another few minutes clinging to the toilet, heaving violently until she could no longer sit up. Finally, she hurled herself at Kara, arms wrapping around her and squeezing.

"I love you, baby. I'm so sorry. I love you," she cried, hanging limply from Kara's body.

"Is... that a yes?"

"'Yes' to what?" Sahar asked, pulling back.

"To this," Kara laughed, and lifted the small gold rings in her hand.

"Oh," Sahar muttered, gazing blankly at the rings. Kara stared at Sahar. Sahar stared at the rings. Neither of them spoke.

"Love?" Kara finally asked, as her nerves began to give.

"Huh?" Sahar looked up absently. "Oh, yes. Of course, yes. But..."

"But what?" Kara asked, her heart in her throat.

"Can you get me some pickled mangos? With walnuts?" 

Kara shivered.

****

Cardiff, 2131 hours

"Let's just get this over with," Sahar grumbled as she and Kara walked through the front door of the security station. It had taken longer to get to Wales than expected, and Sahar's dressing was interrupted by a bit of vomiting. An hour after receiving the call from the Cardiff Police, though, they had arrived to bail out Casana and Suvak.

"Who do you think started it?" Kara asked with a smile.

"Cass," Sahar growled without hesitation.

"I don't know, have you ever seen a drunk Vulcan?" she laughed.

"There's no such thing," Sahar replied as they stepped up to the front desk. "Lieutenant Commander Tehrani and Lieutenant Morgan, here for Lieutenants Shen and Suvak," she told the Starfleet Security officer at the desk. He directed them down a long hallway towards the holding cells. "You get Suvak. I'll talk to Casana."

"Yeah, right," Kara scoffed. "You go find Sue, and I'll get Cass." They were being held in separate areas, so Sahar and Kara had to split up. Kara turned down a long hallway lined with holding cells. Most were empty, their force fields deactivated. A few near the front, however, held a handful of Academy cadets, all of whom looked extremely hung over. At the end of the hallway was one other active cell, and inside was Casana, lying face down on the cot. 

"How's it going?"

Casana did not respond.

"Cass. Casana. Lieutenant Shen!" Kara yelled, but she didn't move. Chuckling to herself, Kara deactivated the force field and stepped into the holding cell. "Wake up, Cass," she said, gently shaking Casana's shoulder.

Casana jolted awake, falling off the cot and shouting "I'm too cute to die!" Kara blinked at her, dumbfounded. "What? It's true."

"I think Sahar would disagree," the redhead laughed as she pulled Casana to her feet. Casana managed to stand, albeit unsteadily, but as soon as she was on her feet she clutched her head and moaned pitifully. "Regretting those last few beers, perhaps?" Kara laughed again.

"Owie," Casana whined.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'."

"Why do they hate swans?" Kara nearly toppled over laughing. "You did this on purpose, didn't you? You're mean."

"How could I have possibly known you would mention swans?" Kara complained, still laughing. "Swansea City is Cardiff City's biggest rival. Have been for centuries."

"You're still mean. And don't laugh so loud," Casana pleaded quietly.

"Okay," Kara relented and wrapped an arm around Casana. "Let's go find Sahar and Suvak." Kara led her out of the holding area and back to the front desk, but Sahar and Suvak weren't there. She asked the man at the desk, but he said he hadn't seen anyone leave, so Kara left Casana with him and went to find Sahar and Suvak. She walked back down the hallway to the holding cells and turned down the corridor towards Suvak's cell.

It was empty.

The only cell occupied was at the end of the hall. Kara raced over to it and found Suvak, sitting in meditation, with no trace of Sahar. "Greetings, Lieutenant. I assume-"

"Where's Sahar?"

"I have not seen Lieutenant Commander Tehrani."

"Not at all?" Kara asked, dropping the force field. Panic was starting to rise in her.

"Not for the last 72 hours. Is she supposed to be here?"

"She was supposed to be getting you out while I went for Cass. I saw her come through that door, but..."

"As I stated, she is not here," Suvak said. Kara's eyes suddenly went wide, and she turned and sprinted down the hallway. She threw the door open, ran to the desk, and threw the desk officer aside.

"Can I help you, sir?" he asked as she ransacked his desk.




Star Trek: Lineage Ch. 09



"Kara, what's wrong?" Casana asked, still holding her head. Kara ignored her, finally finding what she was looking for: a tricorder. She turned back towards the hallway, shoving the security officer aside again, and pushing past Suvak.

"Residual electrostatic charge. Phaser on high power?" she muttered to herself as she scanned the area. "No residual organic matter. No phaser, so it must be..." Kara dropped the tricorder and returned to the desk, pushing past Suvak again.

"Kara, what's wrong?" Casana asked again, her hangover forgotten for the time being.

"It was a transporter!" she shouted at the security officer. "Where are they?"

"What? Who?" he stammered. "I don't-"

Kara grabbed him by the lapels, lifted him off the ground, and slammed his back down onto the desk. "Where are they? Where's Sahar? Where is my daughter?!"

****

Location Unkown, 0221 hours GMT

"Lieutenant Commander Tehrani, can you hear me?" A voice echoed in Sahar's ears; she heard the words but couldn't make sense of them. Her head was pounding and the rest of her body felt strange. She felt numb, but could still sense the pressure of the surface she was lying on. She could move, but her muscles seemed impossibly weak: she barely had the strength to flex her fingers. Her eyes were open and squinted reflexively as though she were looking into a bright light, but she couldn't see. When she tried to speak, nothing came out. Nothing felt right.

"Can you hear me?" said the voice again, and this time the words began to make sense. Sahar strained against gravity, trying to lift the dead weight of her head. Her neck muscles burned and she felt dizzy, but she managed to nod her head enough to be noticed by... whoever the voice belonged to.

"Good. Now, try to stay calm, and don't move. You're still recovering." Sahar's chest burned from the exertion of breathing, and she wasn't sure she could continue to draw breath. She tried to speak again, to tell someone that she couldn't breathe, but she still couldn't make a sound. Starting to panic, she tried sit up, to raise her arms or move her legs, but her body wouldn't respond. Exhausted, Sahar went limp and her head fell to one side.

Sahar stared at the wall for a few moments, trying to figure out what she was seeing. Then it dawned on her that she actually was seeing. She managed to move her fingers, and nearly cried when she felt them rub against each other. Encouraged, she flexed her fingers, and felt her hand become a fist. I'm alive, she thought. The more she moved, the faster she seemed to recover. When she again tried to speak, she finally heard something. It was quiet, almost nonexistent, but it was something.

"Wh..." she hissed. Her voice gave her strength, made her bold, and she tried to sit up. As soon as she began to rise, however, she was overwhelmed with nausea and collapsed back onto the bed. "Where..." she whispered.

"In a safe place. What's the last thing you remember?"

"I..." she tried to answer, but couldn't finish. Then a word emerged from the confusion in her mind. Starfleet. Her mind latched onto the word, clung to it like a raft in a storm. Starfleet. Then another word followed: Officer. "T... Teh..." she panted.

"We know who you are," the voice said coldly. Anger flashed through Sahar's mind. Good for you.

"Tehrani... Sa... Sahar Elaheh," she said, her voice returning quickly now. "Lieutenant Commander... Serial Number S-"

"You're not under interrogation."

"Tehrani, Sahar Elaheh. Lieutenant Commander, Serial Num-"

"We have a proposition for you."

****

Cardiff, 0235 hours

"Just fucking trace it, now!" Kara shouted at the ensign in front of her. The man shrank away from her, but Casana came to his rescue.

"Kara, do you know how many transports are underway on Earth at any given moment?" she pointed out. "Tracking the confinement beam of one transporter using passive sensor data is like trying to pick out the sound of one instrument in an orchestra by listening to an echo."

"You said you could do it."

"And I can, but it's going to take time. Now stop harassing my assistant."

"I'm... sorry. Carry on," Kara apologized, and walked away. Casana watched her go for a moment before returning to her work. Since Sahar's disappearance five hours ago, Kara, Suvak, and the increasingly sober Casana had been fighting an uphill battle to find her. So far, they were losing.

Kara had spent most of that time contacting every security officer she could think of. Fortunately, most of them were at Starfleet Headquarters in San Francisco, meaning that she was talking to them in the middle of the day instead of the dead of night. Unfortunately, none of them had been able to provide any meaningful assistance.

While Kara was busy irritating high ranking officers, Suvak was busy working through official channels, chiefly because neither Kara nor Casana had the patience for it. Filing the initial report had been easy, mostly because they were already in a Security Station. Suvak had also filed official requests for resources to help their investigation, none of which had materialized. 

Casana was the only one of the three who was making any real headway. She had been able to contact an acquaintance and convince them to supply her with some equipment and access to the planetary sensor grid. Kara had "recruited" one of the men staffing the Security Station to assist her. The two of them now sat hunched over a console in the back of the station, the ensign quivering under the pressure while Casana grew increasingly suspicious. 

She had not truly lied to Kara. It was difficult to track a single transport on a planet as populous as Earth, but it was also true that Earth's sensor grid was beyond compare. In addition, all transporters on the planet were carefully monitored, and their logs were easy for Casana to acquire, but they had proven useless. She had fully expected the logs to have been altered when she pulled up the records of every transport made in the Sol system at the time of Sahar's disappearance. It would have been hard enough reconstructing the original file, but what she found was worse.

None of the logs showed any transport to or from the Cardiff Security Station, but neither had any of them showed evidence of tampering. This led Casana to conclude that the log entry had not been erased, but instead had never been created in the first place. That meant an unregistered transporter, one not officially tracked, and that sat poorly with Casana. It was far too familiar.

"Focus, kid," she told the ensign when he looked up at the sound of Kara in the next room, screaming at another official. "Just be thankful they took Harry instead of Kara."

"Why is that, sir?"

"'Cause Harry would have kicked your ass by now." The man's face paled, and Casana went back to work, barely able to keep a straight face. The logs had not been any help, but that was not her only idea. She had been able to calculate the precise time of transport based on the decay of the residual electrostatic charge. Casana then pulled the records for all transporters in range at the moment of transport, and scanned the records for anomalous readings. 

She found 132.

Most proved to be little more than power fluctuations or equipment failures, incidents common enough on a planet as populous as Earth. Another few dozen were aborted transports or operator errors automatically corrected by the transporter itself. One had been a report, filed in Kuala Lumpur, describing a duck whose poor choice of flight path had resulted in it being transported to Oslo along with a pair of Bolian dignitaries. And one was a record of an aborted transport that set off alarms in Casana's head.

The log was from a civilian transporter in Capetown that had attempted to beam down a crate of Livanian beets from a freighter in orbit. Two things about the log caught Casana's attention. First, the transporter was described as a cargo transporter, incapable of moving living matter safely, but the power signature indicated that it had been modified for personnel transport.

The transport itself was more troubling. The beets had been beamed directly from the ship's cargo bay, but the Capetown transporter failed to rematerialize them. The computer redirected the transporter pattern to the freighter's cargo transporter. The pattern never arrived. Casana tried to contact the freighter, only to discover that it didn't exist. 

Casana reached over and grabbed the ensign's phaser right out of its holster. "Need to borrow this," she said as she stepped out of the room. Casana found Kara and Suvak in the lobby, trying to coordinate the staff's efforts. Useless, she thought. "Kara, Sue, come with me."

"What's going on?" Kara asked, but Casana ignored her and walked off down a hall, phaser in hand. She opened each door and poked her head inside, searching for a suitable place to talk. When she finally found one, she pulled Suvak and Kara in before locking the door. It was a storage closet with no windows, no consoles, and no other doors. Without a word of explanation, Casana pushed Kara and Suvak back from the door and welded it shut with the phaser. "What the hell-" Kara started, but Casana turned and fired again, this time destroying the security monitor.

"I know who has Harry," she said.

****

Location Unknown, 0244 hours

"What kind of proposition?" Sahar asked suspiciously.

"We'll get to that. First, we have some questions for you."

"I thought this wasn't an interrogation," she snapped.

"It isn't. Think of this as an unofficial review."

"Smartass," Sahar mumbled. She had regained enough strength to sit up and look around, but she wasn't ready to risk walking yet. Not that she had anywhere to go. The room she was in was painted bright white, and seemed to be lit from every direction at once. She was in a biobed, but aside from that the room was completely bare. There were no doors, no windows, no other furniture, and no other occupants.

"Let's begin with the recent attack on the USS Athena. Could you describe the events leading up to the attack?"

"There were no 'events'," Sahar answered disdainfully. "Two Birds-of-Prey decloaked and attacked us without warning or provocation. We were in Federation space on patrol. Our shields were down and our weapons were inactive."

"Where were you at the time of the attack?"

"The Armory."

"Which deck?"

"19."

"Were you on duty at the time?"

"No."

"Were you posted at the Armory?"

"No."

"Then why were you at the Armory?"

"Excuse me?" The question caught Sahar off guard, and she had to think back to remember.

"Why were you at the Armory, on the same deck as the Battle Bridge, at the time of the attack?"

"The fuck is that supposed to mean?" Sahar snarled angrily, though she didn't have anyone to glare at.

"Did you have advanced knowledge of the attack, Lieutenant Commander?" The voice had suddenly become accusatory.

"Fuck you."

"In your report, you state that you were called to the Armory by Master Chief Petty Officer Zula, is that correct?'

"Yes, but-" They have my report?

"Yet Chief Zula's report makes no mention of any such communication. Furthermore, the ship's comm logs show that there was no communication between the Armory and your quarters. Can you explain that?"

"What?" stammered Sahar. And the ship's logs?

"Lieutenant Commander Tehrani, why did you redirect damage control teams from the bridge after you took command?"

"Warp drive was offline, we had no shields, and we were losing weapons. We didn't have enough men to fix everything. I prioritized combat systems."

"Can you explain why the residual energy readings left by the Birds-of-Prey matched Romulan weapon configurations?"

"They what?!" Sahar was starting to lose track of what was going on. The questions were coming fast, and she still wasn't at full strength.

"Or why sensor readings indicated that the Birds-of-Prey were crewed by Orions?"

"I-"

"Lieutenant Commander Tehrani, have you ever been in contact with the Orion Syndicate or the Tal Shiar?" the voice shouted. Sahar had heard enough, and leapt to her feet. The moment she was off the bed, however, she felt queasy, and fell to her hands and knees.

"Who the hell are you?"

"Answer the question, Lieutenant Commander! Have you ever been in contact with the Orion Syndicate or the Tal Shiar?"

"No, I-"

"What really happened, Lieutenant Commander? Your CO is dead. The First Officer is dead. 117 men and women are dead. What happened?"

"I don't know!" Sahar cried, struggling to her feet.

"We know the Tal Shiar provided experimental weapons to the Orion Syndicate. We know they used your ship to test them. We know you took command after the Bridge was hit. We know that your quarters were destroyed in the opening volley for the Orions. What we do not know is why you were in the Armory when you should have been in your quarters!"

"I got a call!"

"From who? Chief Zula does not report contacting you. The comm logs show no calls to your quarters. Who called you to the Armory and out of your quarters? Why are you not dead?"

"I don't know!" she shouted again. There was a long pause.

"We believe you, Lieutenant Commander," the voice said quietly.

****

Cardiff, 0250 hours

"Who is it, Cass?" Kara demanded, grabbing Casana by the shoulders. She didn't seem to notice.

"Well, it's not like I have names. I don't even think they have names. Well, I'm sure they do, they just don't use them," Casana rambled. She broke free of Kara and began pacing around the room. "Besides, we don't need to know 'who', we need to know 'where'."

"Fine, where?"

"I don't know." Kara threw up her hands in frustration.

"Lieutenant Shen, what do you know?" Suvak asked calmly.

"Nothing."

"I do not understand. You clearly stated that you knew who had Sahar. Logically, you must know something, or you would not have made that statement." 

Casana ignored her and continued to pace, her mind racing and her mouth trying to keep up.

"They must have rigged the transporter to hand off her pattern to some other system. No transmission was made by the transporter, so it had to have been hardwired to another transporter. They could have just materialized her next door. Or they could have bounced her across the planet, there's no way to know."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"We can't trace the transport. How do you track someone if they don't leave a trail?"

"I believe she is attempting to say that Sahar's transport cannot be traced."

"Well, duuhh!" Casana mocked, anger building in her voice.

"You look everywhere. Scan the whole planet," Kara suggested.

"No, they'll have her in a hardened facility. Sensor's won't penetrate." Casana was still and quiet for a moment. "I need to call Jeff."

"What?" Kara was almost completely lost, but Casana didn't bother to explain. Instead, she flipped open her communicator.

"Who is this?" asked Black when Casana finally got him.

"Jeff, how do you hunt something when you can't find any tracks?"

"Casana?"

"How, Jeff?"

"I don't know. You find places where you know it will be. Rivers, streams, thing-" Casana closed the communicator and cut him off.

"That wasn't very helpful," she frowned. "I wonder-"

Kara slapped her. The two of them looked at each other in stunned silence. 

"Cass, they have Sahar. Who are they?"

****

Location Unknown, 0255 hours

"What do you want from me?" Sahar asked as she struggled back onto the bed.

"We need help. We need men and women with courage, with conviction. People willing to do what needs to be done. People like you."

"Who are you?!"

"We protect the Federation - from its enemies, from its allies, and from itself."

"I have had enough of these fucking riddles," she sighed.

"Very well," the voice said, and the room changed around her. The light faded into grey, and the walls disappeared. Sahar found herself in a small room, like a storage area, but the walls were covered with strange devices she had never seen before. In front of her was a door, and next to it, a man. He was in his forties, thin and tall with light brown eyes and hair. He was dressed all in black, but the Starfleet emblem was sewn onto his shoulder. "My name is Tyson Gregory."

"What the fuck..."

"Holographic projections. The technology is still in its infancy, even for us, but it is still impressive. Objects created with force fields and transporters, creating illusions you can touch and feel."

"You're Starfleet?" Sahar asked pointing to the patch.

"In a sense. We are a branch of Starfleet Intelligence. Technically, at least. In practice, we operate independently, outside of the chain of command," the man explained.

Sahar steadied herself, and found her strength returning quickly. "What did you do to me?"

"A transport neutralization field. Still in the experimental stages, but used to incapacitate a target during transport. The effect seems to be enhanced by the holoprojectors. Not sure why yet." Gregory spoke casually, as though all of this was a mundane part of everyday life.

"That's a great recruitment tool," Sahar grunted.

"Oh, we aren't recruiting you. After all, you can't join us. We don't exist."

"You know what?" she barked, turning to face him. Her strength was returning quickly now. "I wasn't all that patient before I got pregnant. Get to the point."

"Very well," he shrugged. "From time to time, we require the assistance of certain individuals in order do what must be done to safeguard the Federation. We would like for you to be one of those individuals."

"I'm touched."

"You should be," Gregory said with sincerity. "Very few people even know about us, much less assist us. We only take the best. And we think you are one of the best."

"Who's we?" He opened his mouth, but Sahar didn't let him speak. "And don't give me some bullshit about not existing or whatever." The man hesitated, but answered.

"We are known, at least to the extent that we are known at all, as Section 31."

"Section 31?" Sahar was unimpressed.

"An unofficial name, to be sure," he shrugged. "It comes from the original Starfleet Charter. Article 14, Section 31."

"I'm not a lawyer."

"Then I'll spare you the full text," Gregory shot back, irritation evident in his voice. "Not that any lawyer would know about it anyway. It is a secret provision, allowing Starfleet to... circumvent certain restrictions in times of crisis. Section 31 is the unit responsible for taking such measures."

"In other words, Starfleet realized that not everyone plays by their rules, and proceeded to wet themselves."

"It means that Starfleet realized the harsh realities of life," Gregory barked. Finally, Sahar thought, hanging around Cass is paying off. "The Cardassians have the Obsidian Order. The Romulans have the Tal Shiar. Even the Klingons have assassins and saboteurs, though they'd never admit it."

"What? No Tholian spy rings or Gorn infiltrators?"

"Don't be so naïve!" Gregory yelled, taking a step towards her.

"Naïve?!" Sahar laughed at him. "I suppose that's true. After all, the only way to survive is to be more ruthless than your enemy. Why, I'll bet you could out-ethnic cleanse anyone in the quadrant!"

"You arrogant fool!" he shouted. "Do you think we take pleasure out of torture, like the Cardassians? Or that we use assassination like you use a transporter, like the Tal Shiar? We do what has to be done!"

"To keep your secrets!" Sahar shouted back.

"To save the Federation! From its enemies, and from itself!" He took another step. It was a step too far. Sahar lunged forward and grabbed him by the lapels. She caught him off guard, turning and hurling him over the bio-bed. He scrambled to get to his feet, but Sahar slipped around the bed and landed a kick in his ribs. Gregory rolled over onto his back and gasped for air. Sahar grabbed him again, pulling him up and onto his feet. She slammed him into the bio-bed again. Dazed and bleeding, Gregory slumped down to the ground, his back against the bed. Sahar knelt beside him.




Star Trek: Lineage Ch. 09



"You'll destroy the Federation," she said quietly.

"How did you..."

"Didn't you read my file? Top of my class in hand-to-hand combat. Plus, I've been experiencing some aggressive impulses lately."

"You stupid little girl," he sneered up at her and spit a tooth out onto the floor. "We're all there is between the Federation and its enemies."

"No," she shook her head, and reached for his shoulder. Sahar ripped the Starfleet patch off his shirt and held it in front of his face. "This is. I am a Starfleet Officer. Do you know what that means?" She should have been angry, she knew, but she wasn't. In fact, she was as calm as she had been in long time. "It means that I stand for something more than myself. It means that I stand for an idea, the idea that we can be better tomorrow than what we were yesterday, and that I will lay my life down to protect that tomorrow. It means that I will not compromise the integrity of my uniform for any reason. Not for love, not for hate, and not for safety."

"We do what has to be done..." he repeated.

"You're a disease," Sahar told him. "You've stained this," she went on, waving the patch again. "You've defiled it, shamed it, corrupted it like a cancer, and I wouldn't be able to look my daughter in eye if I didn't do everything I could to cut you out and burn you."

"I think..." Gregory coughed.

"It's about time," she sneered.

"I think..." he repeated. "I think your escort is here." Sahar glanced around. She was surrounded by nearly a dozen men and women, each of them armed. "I think you'll come around, soon enough." He smiled a bloody smile. "We'll still have use for you, I think."

Sahar stood and turned to leave, but stopped and look back at Gregory. "I'm coming for you," she said.

****

Cardiff, 0303 hours

Kara, Casana, and Suvak were still debating the best way to get to Sahar when she materialized in the room with them, so startling Casana that she nearly shot Sahar. It took a few moments for everyone to grasp what had happened, except for Suvak, who understood immediately and greeted Sahar with a respectful "Welcome back, Lieutenant Commander."

"You are not going to believe what just happened!" Sahar blurted out when her mouth remembered how to speak.

"Let me guess," Kara replied. "You were abducted by a clandestine branch of Starfleet Intelligence known as Section 31, who attempted to recruit you as an agent for their extremely illegal activities?"

"God damnit, why don't I get to surprise anyone?"

"I am reasonably confident that you surprised Lieutenant Shen," Suvak assured her.

"How did you know?" Sahar asked Kara, ignoring the Vulcan.

"Cass told us," Kara answered. "Wait, how did you know?" All eyes turned to Casana.

"I was hoping you wouldn't ask that," she grinned nervously.

"Spill," Sahar said, glaring at her.

"I..." Casana hesitated. She stared at her three closest friends, and relented. "My second host."

"What about him?" Sahar asked.

"Or her?" Kara added.

"Him. And his name was Tazo." She stared at the floor, as if embarrassed. "Tazo was an intelligence agent, first for the Trill government, then Starfleet Intelligence. After about three years with Starfleet, he was transferred to Starbase 343, on the Romulan border. I remember when Tazo was first told," she remembered with a smile. "He was baffled. Tazo was an analyst who spent his career behind a desk, decrypting intercepted Cardassian transmissions. He had no experience with Romulans, and virtually no field experience. There was no reason to send him to the Romulan Neutral Zone."

"They recruited him, didn't they?" Kara asked.

"Yes. An agent of Section 31 contacted him when he arrived."

"And he agreed?" Sahar scowled.

"He didn't know what he was getting into," Casana answered defensivly. "They just wanted him to look at some messages they couldn't decrypt. They said they were worried about a Romulan attack, so Tazo went along with it."

"Why would that warrant Section 31's interest?" Suvak asked. "Starfleet Intelligence makes no secret of the fact that it intercepts transmissions from foreign powers, especially those who have shown hostile tendencies."

"It was all bullshit, that's why," Casana hissed. "They'd decrypted the transmissions months before Tazo arrived at the Neutral Zone. Every time I gave them a deciphered message, he'd nod thoughtfully as he pretended to read something he'd already memorized. They didn't even always give him real messages. Some of them were just made up."

"Why?" Kara asked.

"To test him," Sahar said quietly.

"How do you know?"

"Take a guess," she hissed bitterly.

"She's right," Casana continued. "Tazo had a reputation for... unconventional thinking, and Section 31 wanted to see if he could figure out what they weren't telling him."

"Which was?" Sahar asked impatiently.

"That the Romulans weren't just interested in testing Starfleet's resolve. They were rethinking their basic approach to other governments. The Federation, the Klingons, the Gorn, the Breen, everyone. They were coming out of isolation, and Section 31 wanted to know why and, more importantly, if they could use this change in policy to infiltrate the Romulan Star Empire."

"What happened to Tazo?" Kara asked. "What did you... he do when he figured it out?"

"He didn't. Not all at once, at least. He learned about Section 31's activities piece by piece."

****

San Francisco (UTC -8), 2033 hours, July 13th, 2305

Sahar was exhausted, but still awake. The sun was setting over the Pacific Ocean, setting the sky ablaze in yellows and oranges. It was a beautiful sight, reminiscent of a sunrise she had seen years ago on some nameless planet light years away, but she paid no attention to it. Kara was asleep in the chair next to her hospital bed. She had been with Sahar for the last 36 hours, and hadn't slept in 48. Sahar hadn't slept in nearly as long, but none of that mattered.

The only thing that did matter was in her arms.

She was sleeping now, but had spent most of the afternoon staring up at whoever was holding her. She was born crying, and only stopped when Casana somehow snuck into the room disguised as a nurse and intercepted the newborn between doctors. The girl hushed suddenly when she saw Casana's spots, and in the sudden silence the Trill's transgression was forgotten.

Prenatal genetic testing had revealed a spontaneous mutation resulting in cystic fibrosis, but a simple gene-therapy treatment had corrected the issue. Aside from that minor complication, the child was in perfect health. Now those green eyes were closed, and the center of Kara and Sahar's world slept peacefully in her mother's arms.

Hanging on a coat rack in the corner was Sahar's new uniform, and on the desk next to it were orders to return to the Athena. The color of her new uniform's undershirt had changed to command white, and the orders told Sahar to report as the Athena's First Officer, but that didn't matter either. Only one thing did.

Her name was Morgan Gwawr Tehrani.