Not Alone

Posted on Mon Jan 9th, 2023 @ 9:13pm by Lieutenant Ramat'iklan & Lieutenant R'relle

1,985 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Short Treks
Location: Ramat'iklan's Quarters

By now time had begun to lose some of its meaning for the Jem'hadar. Sickbay had been extremely busy in the wake of the crew's unwanted trip to the future of late; that meant spending long hours at work, going back to his quarters, training if he could fit it in, rest, rinse and repeat. A boring routine perhaps, but a soldier did not complain about his daily routine. He merely did as was required of him without complaint and carried on from there. Tonight was one such night. Arriving in his quarters for the night, in the state that they were in, he tossed the jacket of his uniform aside in preparation for the next half an hour of training in the ship's gymnasium...

Part of being the ships counselor was making sure the crew was doing alright, mentally and emotionally. She had noticed that Ramat'iklan, the Jem'hadar crewman was having his 20th birthday. For a Jem'hadar, that was a big deal. She decided to pay him a visit and see how he was faring. Some would think her intrusive and they may be right . However this was part of her job. She made her way to his quarters. Once there she rang the buzzer for admittance. Hopefully, he wouldn't mind the intrusion.

Ramat'iklan had only just begun to pull his shirt over his head in order to exchange it for something a bit more appropriate when the doorbell chimed. A guest. He did not normally receive guests - and yes, that was in over ten years of distinguished Starfleet service so far. He made few friends, let alone even more than that, and as such had little reason to expect anyone to visit. Nonetheless, though, whomever it was had obviously taken the effort to come all this way. He'd be impolite not to at least see what they wanted With a grunt of complaint he pulled his shirt back over his head and answered the door to find...

"R'Relle. How may I assist you?" He squinted down at the much shorter Caitian woman - or Caitian counsellor - and his colleague and friend. Had he missed a psychiatric evaluation, he wondered. Maybe the counsellor that'd done his last one had forgotten to forward her notes. Why else would she be here? No one visited him, none except his previous two partners of course, who obviously weren't here.

"Hello Lt Ramat'iklan. Well it came to my attention that today is your 20th birthday! I know that is a big thing for Jem'hadar. I felt you might like some company tonight. Maybe a nice dinner and some conversation? I hope you don't mind me just dropping by but I was a little concerned about you spending this special day all alone! So would having a counselor help you celebrate your birthday be alright?" She said with a smile.

Ramat'iklan needed a moment to process exactly what she'd just said. By the Founders, had his 20th birthday come already? He hadn't bothered to keep track, really. He made little of the coming and passing of his so-called birthday and still didn't understand why his colleagues insisted upon celebrating it, along with that of others as well, with elaborate parties and food and games and the like. What was there to celebrate about simply having lived through another year?

But still.

"The Honored Elder title carries no meaning here in Starfleet." Not that it ever really had, he didn't add. Honored Elder or not, a Jem'hadar's worth was in his rank - which was of course decided by his Vorta commander. Firsts treated Honored Elder Thirds or Fourths and so on as if the title were nonexistent all the time. At least in the Dominion they carried what the humans called 'brownie points'. Congratulations on not dying for twenty years and all that. "I do not see a point in disrupting my routine to celebrate it."

Yet he knew that alone would not get the Caitian to leave him alone with Kinaa - assuming the lazy tabby cat decided to wake up, that is. Following a long sigh Ramat'iklan relented: "But since you have already come all this way to visit me: alright. You may stay." With that he stepped out of the way to allow her to enter.

"Thank you!" She stepped in and smiled at the sleeping kitty. "He or she is beautiful. Ramat'iklan. I understand that you feel that the title has no meaning to you, However you work hard and the fact that you are now 20 years old and serving successfully in Starfleet is an accomplishment worth celebrating."

"Reaching the milestone of twenty years of age is only ever honored by my kinsmen for [i]surviving[/i] twenty years of combat without dying. I, who have spent the past eighteen years of my life sheltered in the campus building of Starfleet Medical Academy and in the sickbay of starships, am hardly deserving of such a title. To simply live to twenty is not enough." He said, as the door to his quarters hissed closed behind her.

Sensing someone new in the room, or perhaps smelling was the more appropriate word, roused the sleeping ginger tabby from her slumber. She looked up at the Caitian that now smiled down at her, seeming somewhat confused at the size of her fellow feline, letting out a soft mewl.

"I'm sure I've told you before that I own a cat." He said. "Meet Kinaa. I am sure she is equal parts confused and glad to meet another of her kind." A slight smirk danced its way across his lips then. Was that an attempt at a joke, perhaps? "May I get you a drink? Or something to eat?"

"Hello Kinsa. Ohh you are a sweet girl.' She petted the cat. "Never seen a caitian before eh? Well sorry for the confusion but we can certainly be friends!" she looked up and said "Yes a large iced tea, sweetened please."

Kinaa meowed in response and promptly went back to sleep. Awww. "One sweetened iced tea, and one hot chocolate with marshmallows and peppermint." Yes, of all things he could've ordered Ramat'iklan ordered one of the most unintimidating food items one could possibly ask for - and he did so unapologetically. He handed R'elle her drink before settling on the sofa. "Join me?"

R'elle smiled. "Certainly!" she sat down besides him on the couch. "So how are you adjusting to life onboard the Enterprise?" She asked.

"I am adjusting acceptably." He said as he sipped from his drink. The sweetness of chocolate and refreshing sharpness of the mint that accompanied it warmed him up very nicely indeed. "I met with doctor Marner a few days ago - you should have seen the look on his face when he first laid eyes on me. He was like a deer trapped in headlights - that is the human colloquialism, is it not? Deer in headlights?"

"I do believe that is the expression, yes. Yes The doctor is a good person and an excellent physician but I dare say he's never treated anybody like you before. He will adjust though." She replied.

"He will adjust." Ramat'iklan echoed. "Commander Bashir of the Aventine was genetically modified, was he not? Yet he was accepted by the crew of Deep Space Nine as one of their own without question, even after his genetically modified heritage was revealed." He sipped from his drink in silence, savoring the minty, chocolatey sweetness that filled his mouth and throat. "I am confident that in time I shall be accorded the same respect and acceptance. Until that happens my deeds speak far louder than my words when it comes to proving my worth. Is that not so."

"Yes indeed. I agree. People just need to get used to you. It will take time, but do a good job and have patience and good things will come." R'elle said.

Ramat'iklan hummed and sipped from his cup of hot chocolate for a few more moments before speaking up once more: "The grapevine has it that you have fallen for a certain someone on board. Who is it, if I may ask. It is quite the hot topic in sickbay - especially after others saw the way you looked when you came into sickbay last Thursday morning."

"OHhh yeah!" She felt slightly embarrassed. "Well, yeah! Her name is S'miren and she a tactical officer. We met the other night in 10 forward. We... well hit ti off. She's a black furred Caitian. They are very rare. That makes her very desirable to most Caitians. That and she is very forward and very sexy. She knows how to make someone feel very special. I admit I think she is very sexy! I intend to see her again for sure!" She said with a smile. She really did like S'miren and hoped this could turn into something permanent!

"I ought to warn you." Ramat'iklan said, sipping from his cup of hot chocolate. "Lieutenant S'Miren has had a hard previous life - as her medical records show. I will not reveal specifics to preserve patient confidentiality, but I will remind you to be careful. That being said." He cracked a smile, a tiny one. "You might just be what she needs. Support. I will ask another counselor to attend to her psychological needs instead of you if you'd like to court her."

"Well since I wasn't seeing her in the first place, professionally, that works. I do wish to court her. I think there is something real between us and I do so want to explore it." r'elle said. "It has been a while since I dated anyone. Just never found the time or was that interested in anyone. S'miren excites me and makes me feel special. I like that! I want to get to know her better! I think she is special."

"Then why do you hesitate?" Ramat'iklan retorted through a mouthful of minty hot chocolate. "If there is obvious attraction between the both of you, seize the opportunity. Remember: victory is life. You will not win the victories if you do not fight." He said plainly. "Find her tomorrow and tell her exactly how you feel. I look forward to hearing of the outcome of your attempt."

"Oh I told her already! She wanted to see me again too! So I'd say things are actually going good! I look forward to the future and seeing how things develop with us. We seem to really have a connection I feel. So onward to the future. I'd say things were looking up right now!" R'elle said. Yes, things were good for her. She felt happy and well S'miren was what she needed.

"Good. I look forward to seeing where the two of you go. But again, I advise you: be careful." Ramat'iklan smiled wryly - and somewhat wistfully. Perhaps he too missed the feeling of having someone like that in his life. "To new beginnings." He raised his cup as if offering her a toast.

She did likewise with her cup. "Indeed, new beginnings!" she said and took a swig of her iced tea. Life sure had gotten interesting lately! She couldn't tell what the future held but as things stood right now, she liked the way things were going.

Ramat'iklan downed the rest of his drink in one go before sighing and sitting back on the sofa with a content sigh. "I shan't keep you too long - you have the Caitian of your dreams to court, don't you? I'm sure you'd like to make your next meeting perfect. I'll be alright by myself for the rest of the night. Thank you for coming to visit - I appreciate it."

R'elle smiled. "You are very welcome my friend. Take care and good night." With that she took her leave and headed back to her quarters.

 

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