The Truth Hurts

Posted on Mon Feb 22nd, 2016 @ 12:38am by Lieutenant Riley Sukotav & Maxym Balasz & Ensign Reva Madhava
Edited on on Mon Feb 22nd, 2016 @ 12:42am

Mission: Further Challenges
Location: Guest Quarters

“Reva won't be here? Why?” Grax frowned and fussed with the formal Betazoid garb his mother had made him put on.

She sighed, rolling her eyes and snapped, “For the hundredth time: she's away! On some ship somewhere.” She adjusted his jacket, since he'd pulled it out of alignment. “Stop fussing with this and sit down.”

He nodded blankly and sat down on the sofa. He retreated into his own little world, the one where he was still with the love of his life, Europa.

Menna knew what the small smile on his face meant; she hated it, but had learned long ago that there was nothing to be done about her son's obsession with the Orion. When the door chime sounded, she called out, “Maxym! Could you please see Mr. Sukotav in before you go?”

“Of course.” Maxym emerged from the kitchen and opened the doors. He looked Riley over for a moment, glad to see he was also in Betazoid formal wear. It was a good first step.

Good choice and good luck tonight. He smiled at Riley, then spoke aloud. “Welcome Mr. Sukotav.”

Riley couldn’t help staring at Max for a second or two, so much did he look like Rhys. He mentally shook himself, however, and stepped in. “Good evening. Ambassador.”

Max escorted him further in. “Menna Avaavax, Lt. Riley Sukotav.”

Menna eyed Riley, as if looking for a flaw to complain about. “Mr. Sukotav, please, have a seat.” Beside her, Grax looked alert and smiled slightly at Riley. To Max, Menna said, “Thank you, Maxym, I know you have another engagement tonight so we will see you tomorrow.”

“Good evening. Enjoy your dinner.” He departed, hoping he didn’t have to clean little Riley scraps off the floor in the morning.

Riley approached Menna and, in traditional fashion, held out his hand for hers. “The pleasure is mine.”

She gave him her hand and frowned as Grax suddenly warned, “Don't go prying, Mother.” To Riley, he said, “You're the one marrying my little girl? She should be here with you.”

Riley gently kissed Menna’s hand before turning to Grax. “She’s out on an away mission for the Fleet,” he answered politely. “She did ask that I send her regards and she’s sorry she’s missing this dinner.” He kept the fact that Reva hadn’t said either thing locked away in his head. He suspected, too, that he’d be doing that a lot this evening.

Grax nodded, more animated than he had been in months. “Good. I hope to see her.”

Menna frowned as she glanced at her son. “It’s just as well she isn’t here.” She stood and walked to the dining table, “Come, let us eat while we talk.” Food was laid out on the table and the sideboard. While Grax and Riley served themselves, Menna took a seat at the head of the table. She waited till they were seated then asked, “Has Reva used her Orion traits on you? Is that why you agreed to marry her?” She was clear in her thoughts that any sane Betazoid would stay as far from Reva as possible.

The fact that she got right to the point didn’t surprise Riley. He was determined not to get rattled however and so took his time about answering. “I’ll be glad to answer that. Would you like me to get you something first though?”

His politeness was a positive for Menna. “Yes, please, just a bit of the roast and some fruit,” she said. She was accustomed to being waited upon, more because she was unsteady when carrying anything, but also because of her position in the family. That was also why Maxym was there as her companion. She had no idea that she often reminded Grax of Europa, even now, as Grax shared that thought with Riley.

Riley almost dropped the plate he was filling for Menna when the thought reached him. He glanced back at Grax and a quick mental query was answered with the strong-willed tendencies of both Menna and Europa. Riley thought briefly that Robin would’ve found that interesting. He smiled at Grax and set the plate before Menna. After he poured her some wine, he sat down to his own dinner.

“To answer your question, no, Reva has not. Starfleet requires her to be on inhibitors as a matter of course,” he said.

“Of course, though Reva was never one to stick to the rules.” Menna picked at the fruit on her plate. “What position do you have here, Mr. Sukotav?”

“I have a dual role, actually. I am the Chief Science Officer of the Hammond, a Fleet ship attached to SB900, and I am part of the Sciences division when not needed for away missions on the Hammond,” he answered. “Full lieutenant as well.” He held back a smile at Menna’s comment regarding Reva and rules. “And yes ma’am, she has been known to push the line where some things are concerned but she’s getting much better about that. I like to think I’m a good influence.” He decided not to go into one of the big reasons Reva had settled down.

“You think that, do you?” Menna’s doubt was obvious. “She’ll lull you into thinking she’s following the rules and then do something that will shock you.” She shared one of Reva’s antics during high school, one that had cost a teacher his job and forced Menna to hire a private tutor to finish her education. “If you marry her, you’ll have to be constantly aware of that tendency.”



“Her high spirits are one of the things I love about her.” He looked over to Grax and shared the memory of Reva sending one of her bots sneaking into Darwin’s room and smiled.

Gripping his fork tightly, Grax coughed to cover a laugh. Menna was quick to frown at him then at Riley. She had the feeling they were communicating around her but couldn’t - or wouldn’t - break into their thoughts. “High spirits... that’s one way to describe her. It’s one thing to date a woman like that, another to marry her. I think she’s addled your head, Mr. Sukotav.”

“I can tell you truthfully that she has never used her pheromones on me.” He took a drink of his water and then another bite of his dinner. It wasn’t a lie. The time with the barbecue in the Arboretum had been Seyla’s pheromones. “I promise you I have all my wits about me. But may I ask you a question?” Her attitude regarding Reva was beginning to annoy him.

“Yes, you may,” Menna granted him that.

“Reva is a wonderful woman, and has worked very hard to get where she is. She is gifted and vibrant, but you seem determined to find fault with her. Why is that?” Riley lowered his glass and waited for her answer.

She stared at him as if he were a fly in her chardonnay. “She is her mother’s daughter,” she answered after a moment. “Her mother stole my son, took his life from us and left me with a half-Orion to raise.”

“She also left you with a half-Betazoid,” Riley gently reminded her. “One with the blood of the Third House in her veins but that seems to get overlooked too often.” He kept his tone soft. He noted her use of ‘us’ in the life stealing part and again thought Robin would have fun with that one. “She has worked her ass off to become a great engineer, and your lack of approval is a constant shadow for her. Will she ever be good enough?”

“She’s a mix-breed. My son didn’t have a choice about her; that pirate took him and muddled his brain. You can see he’s still addled. When he came back from his ordeal, he wasn’t fit for marriage to any Betazoid. Our line of the Third House ends with him,” she said. She didn’t directly answer Riley’s impertinent question.

Grax did, silently, She’s my daughter; she’s the best thing in my life, besides her mother. My mother...? Hmm. She has her own opinions. Aloud, he quietly said, “Mother, she is still my daughter. She’s the image of her mother, too: an absolute beauty.” He smiled.

“I would agree with that, Grax.” Riley smiled back at Reva’s father. “She’s gorgeous and has a heart to match. I think I should tell you a story here. Maybe it will show you what a strong, determined woman she is.” He pushed his plate aside and began the tale of Reva’s abduction by the slaver, then Riley and Raj’s rescue and what it had taken Reva to survive, ending with his killing Fisher to get Reva out. He considered editing it to soften it a little then changed his mind. It was a miracle Reva had survived and Menna had thoroughly pissed him off. He wanted her to know how close she had come to losing Reva altogether.

Grax had paled during Riley’s telling of the ordeal; Menna, though, had grown angry. “This is what Orions lead civilized people to. They debase those around them. Reva led you to kill a man,” she said. “You cannot marry her, Mr. Sukotav.”

“And what part of ‘it wasn’t her fault’ was missed?” he asked. “She didn’t ask to be kidnapped and abused, nearly killed. She saved herself and another poor victim who is now here on this station alive and making a new life for herself. I think she’s amazing and not everyone would’ve made it out alive. That took true courage, and it’s a shame you can’t see that.”

“Did you know that some historians theorize that Orions visited Earth centuries before humans had developed technology? They base that theory on several Earth tales that equate green with evil, such as green women who practiced black magic.” Menna sipped her wine. Again, she wasn’t answering Riley’s question.

Riley was having none of it. “Is that all you can see? The green?”

“That and that she’s an intractable, obstinate firebrand,” she said.

Grax spoke up, surprising Menna; usually he was dull, somnolent and barely aware of his surroundings. “Mother, stop. Turn that on me, not Reva. She never deserved your ire. She’s my child and though she resembles Europa, she isn’t her mother. Riley, you’ll have to excuse her. When Europa was imprisoned, Starfleet gave me a choice: raise her or put her in the foster system. I wouldn’t let Mother abandon her, much as she wanted me to.” This speech was the longest speech Menna had heard from Grax in decades; she was speechless.

Riley smiled and then laid his napkin on the table. He turned to Menna and politely said, “Thank you for dinner.” Then he looked back at Grax. “I think it’s time to go. Would you care to see a little of the station with me?”

Grax glanced at Menna then nodded to Riley. “Yeah,” he stood. “I’ll be back later, Mother.”

Menna started to work up a head of steam, but the men were out the door before she could articulate it. Instead, she sat at her dining table and cried.

*****************
Maxym Balasz
Menna Avaavax
Grax Madhava
Lt. Riley Sukotav