Ending Chapters

Posted on Wed Dec 21st, 2011 @ 1:34am by Lieutenant Valkris Edwardson- tSepeS & USS Paladin

Mission: Sections of the Delta Quadrant
Location: Lounge: Near Hangar 12
Timeline: Several days ago
Tags: Mek'tor

Valkris sat at the embarkation lounge, waiting impatiently, dreading the meeting that she had been putting off for sometime now. The room was filled with officers and crew waiting to board their transports or were here to meet with friends and family on other ships. She could see the happy smiles, the sad goodbyes and others who like her, seemed indifferent to anything else but their own situations.

She had spent the past few months in the bases Strategic Operations Department, as a detached officer and Starfleet Academy Graduate student. She originally had every intention to return to her ship, the Iapetus, once her studies were completed. With Captain Krace being transferred to Task Force 47, the likelihood of her returning to her old position had disappeared with the transfer of the Iapetus.

Now here she sat, waiting to meet the man who had been a part of her life both professionally and personally for the past 20 years. They had been linked romantically off an on for most of that time but the past 6 years the two of them had them at odds with one another. Their last meeting had her agreeing to marriage when and if he made Captain of his own ship in Starfleet no less!

When he reached the rank of Commander and was poised to be given a command of his own in the KDF, Valkris panicked and resigned her commission in the Imperial Marines and bolted for the Federation first. She reasoned that if he were named captain, he'd never give up command of one of the new Khin Vagh D70 class Battlecruisers, and a position in the IKEF, the Imperial Klingon Expeditionary Fleet. What she didn't coun't on was him doing the complete opposite; resigning his commission and essentially following her back to the Federation where both of them served as Exchange Officers throughout their careers.

In the pit of her stomach, Valkris felt something akin to nervousness, and aphrehension. She reasoned that it was the non-Klingon part of her that caused her to feel the way she did but knowing that didn't make the waiting any easier. The PADD next to her detailed recent events in and around the Task Force and offered her something to focus her attention on.

Suddenly as if on cue, the crowd seemed to part before her and a large figure seemed to cast a shadow over her. She didn't have to look up to know exactly who it was. Standing up straight she gazed into the figures eyes defiantly and bared her teeth.

"Captain,. . . I see that you found another piece of gold to attach to your collar! You'd better keep your chin down or they'll realize that you're a Ferengi in a warriors body!" Valkris said mockingly

"That's HoD Mek'tor SutaI Ro'Vaas! Commanding the Federation Starship USS Paladin" The Klingon replied "..Oh and I might add, Task Group Alpha Commanding Officer!" he obviously gloated. "It's a small thing but when you've served with honor and. . ."

Valkris threw up her hands and rolled her eyes "Uggh! you're just as insufferable as ever! I don't know why I'm here!"

Mek'tor smiled and mockingly brushed his shoulders and stood with his arms folder across his chest "...you are here because of a wager lost! A wager I beleive made some time ago?"

"You PetaQ!! I know full well why I am here! So what? I'm supposed to bend my knee and ask for your hand now?" Valkris growled

Mek'tor smiled and moved closer towards her, sighing "No, that's not it at all actually. . I came here not for the reasons you are probably thinking of. . "

Her eyes widened for a moment "Then what? We had a deal! You won and I lost! I thought that If I went far enough, stayed away long enough, you'd lose interest and move on! But perhaps I was mistaken, you've always had one singular focus haven't you?"

"Look, I didn't come here to argue or to make your life any more difficult. I came here to thank you actually, If it weren't for you, I don't think i'd be where I am today..." Mek'tor replied. "I am also here to tell you that I've. . . moved on. I'm taking the Paladin out into the Cradle soon, the Solarian nebula to be exact. I dont' know when I'll be back this way again but I couldn't leave without telling you that you should move on as well..."

Taken aback by his sudden directness, Valkris wasn't sure what to say at the moment. ".Uh huh, so. . you're not looking to call in our bet then?"

Laughing Mek'tor pulled her close and embraced her. "No, I suspect that you were never going to go through the ceremony anyway! I've sent a message home advising your sister to cancel the preparations. I have decided to close this circle of my life and to focus on my career for a change. I know that's exactly what you came out here to do." Mek'tor pulled away from her and taking her hand into his, lifeted it to his face and breathed in deeply before releasing it.

"Take care of yourself Lieutenant!. . " Mek'tor smiled wryly before exiting. "I'll be seeing you around somethime, either in this life or the next."

Her eyes narrowed for a second as she looked at him walking away from her. It had suddenly dawned upon her that her longtime gentleman caller and sometime mate was ending their relationship and moving on. A part of her was relieved adn another part just a bit sad and angry. He had done it to her again! She wanted to be the one to end things on her terms. For as long as she could remember, it had been she who had walked away. He was a persistent Klingon, and once he'd decided on something, nothing and no one could change his course.

But then he was the consummate game player, a career tactician who always had several plans within plans operating at the same time. Was this a part of some elaborate game to get her to chase after him for a change? She couldn't be sure, but she was going to not dwell upon it for once and live her life.

Valkris looked at ther chronometer, she had a meeting with her new department and another meeting yet with Professor Drake in her office. It was time to get back to work and start looking to the future as opposed to continually looking at what was following behind.


* * * * * * *

Lieutenant Valkris Edwardson- tSepeS
Intelligence Officer & SFA Graduate Student
SB 900
"newly single"

Captain Mek'tor Ro'Vaas
CO, USS Paladin
TG Alpha CO
"The Ex"