PART 1 : Absolution
After the battle with the Valante Valusia ships there were wounded, particularly from the Tanga, the Valante’ Valusia destroyer that was rendered helpless with a series of well placed shots to her stern. As a show of goodwill, it was agreed that some of the wounded, the more serious cases, would be brought to the USS Hornet’s more advanced medical facilities for immediate treatment.
LCDR Jeiliscia Valusia, the USS Hornet’s Orion CMO, and high sister of Valante’ Valusia Kar made her way around to each of the injured, her own family and people, helping each as she could. Normally this would have been an awkward affair given her disobedience to her mother, the original Tabadi, but now her older sister, Sherrishia was now Tabadi, and in that declaration, she not only brought forth her younger sister’s name from whispered obscurity, but made it quite clear that as Second High Sister of the house, she is to be respected and revered.
That, admittedly, did make Dr Valusia somewhat uncomfortable as she had left that life behind for the life of a Starfleet doctor. In the midst of Orion high society she was an outcast, rejected from her mother’s court and nothing more than fodder in a trade for influence. In Starfleet, however, there are no lords and ladies, no princesses and princes, no high sisters, just your rank and job. She really liked that simplicity.
But now every turn, every corner, with every Orion patient, it was “Mistress”, “M’Lady” and “Fairest Sister”. The upside being that there were no defiant patients. They did what they were asked to do by the doctor. In her mind, she reminded herself not to get too drunk on this power.
“Doctor or Lieutenant Commander is fine, mori” Jeiliscia explained to one Tanga crewmember who insisted on calling her “Lodubyal Ot”, Orionii for “Mistress” (or “Madam of Whores” which is not necessarily considered an insult).
Though, to some extent, she found validation in all this, particularly having learned that her sister Sherrishia and her brother Marrack really did admire what she had become, and that she was not an outcast or an embarrassment to the family. There was still one person whom she wasn’t sure of, and that person was one she would prefer to avoid at all cost, her sister Meleinia.
The same sister that, a year ago, had come to visit her last duty station on Earth Spacedock, claiming to be on pheromone blockers and wanting to reconnect. The same person that was on a low dose that only lasted a few hours. The same person that seduced and then slept with Jeiliscia’s then fiance, David. That was a face, a voice, a smell, and a conversation she would prefer to avoid all together.
Meleinia, however, was on her way, if not already here, rendezvousing with all the ships with the claim that she, as the First High Sister, was coming to take Sherrishia, the new Tabadi, back to the family palace at Sherrish-il-Thlass,on Orion Prime, in “something nicer than a run down freighter.” Jeiliscia considered that Meleinia was looking only to score points with Sherrishia as that was very much a Meleinia thing to do.
Jeiliscia hoped that Meleinia would stay away from Medical, and that no one would show her how to get here for that matter. Maybe Meleinia would be too busy sucking up to the new Tabadi to remember that her younger sister was here. Nothing to do but stay busy, and hopefully stay hidden.
“Hello, fairest Second High Sister!” That same, familiar, much not-wanted, voice yelled out, causing Jeiliscia to drop her PADD and freeze as though the speaker would be unable to see her if she didn’t move.
“Jeiliscia? It’s me! Meleinia.”
Jeiliscia closed her eyes and quietly let out an offensive Earth word that rhymes with duck, which caused a small but audible snort from her nurse assistant, Lieutenant Mark Aubry, a human male, who had just picked up Jeiliscia’s PADD and handed it back to her.
Jeiliscia slowly turned to face the last person she ever wanted to see again, Meleinia. She dressed in a blue mini-dress with gem-studded neck-line and sleeves, and a white pair of go-go boots, which were very much Meleinia things to wear.
“Meleinia,” Jeiliscia regarded her coldly. “Are you lost or something? I think Sherrishia is talking to the Captain.”
“Oh, no,” Meleinia replied. “Sherrishia and I just finished having a wonderful talk with Lunya…”
“Captain Vel…”
“…right, as I was saying we had a lovely conversation about improving relations with Starfleet, and now Sherrishia is making her way here to visit with her crew. Can you imagine? Mother would never do that. I think my sister…”
“Our sister…”
“…right, our sister is going to make a great Tabadi, Don’t you?”
“And, so now what do you want with me?” Jeiliscia said as she walked over to Meleinia, who she then gave her a quick injection of a long term blocking agent with a hypo-injector.
“OW!” Melainia exclaimed. “What was that?”
“A pheromone blocker.”
“I took one already!”
“Well, now you have one that will last for the duration of your visit which I hope will be brief,” Jeiliscia stated angrily. “Now what do you want? I’m very busy attending to OUR wounded people.”
“I… wanted to talk to you,” Meleinia said, rubbing her arm.
“Fine, talk, but make it quick,” Jeiliscia said, continuing her rounds.
“Well,” Meleinia said, “Could you just stop for a moment and face me.”
“I said I was busy, Meleinia. I have no time for your games and foolishness.” Jeiliscia walked off.
“Wait,” Meleinia called out.”Please, Meshal Falishnea, hear me out.”
“Cherished Sister?” Jeiliscia turned and angrily said, ”You dare call me that after what you did? Now look, I don’t know what you are up to but this is a medical facility, MY medical facility, and I am busy taking care of patients in MY medical facility. Now if you’ll excuse me…”
“I owe you an apology for what I did, dear sister,” Meleinia said. “That is actually why I am here. Not for Sherrishia. For you. To mend things with you.”
“It’s a bit late for that, Meleinia,” Jeiliscia replied coldly.
“No, it’s not too late. It’s not. Look, Jeiliscia, I admit it. I was wrong. I was jealous. I thought, when I took your place to be with Dan Goddard, as his concubine, I thought I would be happy.” Meleinia moved closer. “I thought for once I would gain mother’s approval. Be important to her, but she still ignored me. I wasn’t happy. You were right to leave. Now I am nothing more than a fixture in his mansion, just like I was a shadow in our mother’s court. He know longer desires my body. Says I am old and dried up. He is even immune to the stink. I do not know how. You were right in not going through with that.”
Meleinia continued, ”To add insult to injury, I did what Mother asked, and yet, instead of appreciating… well, me… I was told she was sad after you left. She changed… Like she missed you. You, who before she wouldn’t regard as anything more than a pawn, a cast off, was now the center of her thoughts. Would she ask how I was doing? No. She asked about you. If anyone has heard anything of you.”
“Now I know for sure you’re full of shit,” Jeiliscia said, crossing her arms.
“No, it’s true, ask Sherrishia,” Meleinia pleaded. “She will confirm this.” Meleinia looked down and then continued. “Then I saw you with David, and how happy you both were, and thought about how miserable I am… I became so jealous. You, who betrayed mother, you had found happiness and I did what she asked, I found nothing misery.”
“So you planned to seduce David before you came to ‘make peace.’”
“No,” Meleinia answered. “I didn’t. I swear by the Mother Goddess. I really wanted to reconnect with you, but when I saw you two together, and how happy both of you were, and I knew that you and he had falinshae, a love from the Mother Goddess herself… that you were both in love even though you did not enthrall him, I… I just… I don’t know what came over me.”
“Jealousy as you already stated. Well, now you have nothing to be jealous of. That is unless you are planning on replacing me as the Chief Medical Officer here. Now, again, I have patients and this is not the place for this badly scripted, melodramatic, tear-jerker holo-vid. If you’ll excuse me…”
Meleinia knelt down in front of Jeiliscia.
“Meleinia, what are you doing?”
Meleinia continued lowering herself until she was kneeling, face down at Jeiliscia’s feet, to the shock of all those around.
“Meleinia, get up!” Jeiliscia demanded. “This is a hospital not an exercise parlor.”
Meleinia began to recite the ritual of apology.
High Kolari{
“Mother Goddess: she gazes upon me as I lay prostrate at your feet.
Mother Goddess: may she strike me dead, if I stray from this position until forgiven.
Dear Beautiful Sister: I beseech you, forgive me for my sins against you.
My sins: I confess my jealousy drove me to take what was yours”}
Jeiliscia looked around uncomfortably. “Meleinia, we… we don’t do that here, you could just say your sorry while standing…”
Meleinia ignored her and continued.
High Kolari{
“Fairest Jeiliscia: Please forgive me and I will never again act against you.
My thoughts: they will be only of your best interest
My deeds: they will be only in support of your needs.
My hands… they will never… again… touch what is yours.”}
“Meleinia,” Jeiliscia implored, “get up, this is embarrassing…”
Meleinia however stayed on the ground at her feet. Something Jeiliscia would have never expected of Meleinia, one of the vainest and most arrogant of her sisters.
“Alright, alright,” Jeiliscia said. “I forgive you. Now please get up.”
Meleinia still stayed where she was.
Jeiliscia rolled her eyes and sighed. “Oh, by the Mother Goddess, fine!” She placed her PADD into the hands of a bemused human nurse standing nearby. “This is a serious ritual, Mark.” she said to the nurse. She began kneeling, “You’re going make me go through this whole thing…,” she grumbled as she knelt down to her sister and placed her hand on Meleinia’s head.
High Kolari{
“Valued First Sister: I accept your apology with all of my heart and soul.
Mother Goddess: she sees you prostrate before me seeking absolution as do I.
Mother Goddess: she accepts us both and gives us grace.
As myself: I give you this grace now, you are forgiven for your sins against me.”}
“Now please get up off of my hospital floor, Meleinia,” Jeiliscia said in a raspy whisper. Meleinia stood up with Jeiliscia’s help. “…and thank you for apologizing,” Jeiliscia continued. “That really does mean a lot to me, sister.”
“I’ve owed it to you for a long time, sister. I know I… I know I act in my own self-interest sometimes…”
“A lot,” Jeiliscia added.
“Well, a bit,” Meleinia said in defense, “but I really did mean that apology, sister. I really did. Now, there is someone else who needs your forgiveness, Jeiliscia, and I think you know who that is.”
“Meleinia,” Jeiliscia tried to speak but the words would not come forth. “I… I’m sure he’s moved on. I don’t want to cause any problems…”
“I doubt he has, Jeiliscia,” Meleinia said. “and even if he has, don’t you think he deserves that closure? More than I do anyway. After all, it was my fault.”
“I damn well know it’s your fault.”
“…and he should know that you understand that it is my fault and my fault alone, whether he has found another mate or not. Do not let him live in the darkness of shame and guilt as I have.”
Jeiliscia paused with her mouth open. She surrendered to this idea and sighed. “As much as I hate to admit it, you are right, sister. Alright, look, I will… I will contact him. Alright? Is that satisfactory? Is that what you want to hear?”
“As long as you actually do it,” Meleinia replied.
“You know, Jeiliscia,” Sherrishia, who had finally arrived to check on her people, said, “when you were younger you were always running away from things. Never confronting obstacles. Never facing that which bothered you. You had good reason to do so as you were not strong then. Now, you demonstrate your true strength, with all you’ve accomplished: a healer, an officer, a war hero, and someone who carved their own path in life. It seems like you’ve done the greatest things, greater than anything we’ve accomplished, because you didn’t just run away. Stop running away from this, Jeiliscia.”
“I’m not running away,” Jeiliscia stated, “I’m… I’m… I’m giving him his space.”
“You are running away,” Meleinia said. “I’ve owed you this apology for thirty moons now. I could have just stayed away too and let this wound fester. What I did to you was wrong. I knew that when I saw his face… and your face… and the happiness that you both had ended at that very moment, because of me.” Meleinia gently shook her finger at Jeiliscia. “I see it, you are still pining for him. I know he is still in your heart. Stop running away from him, from your heart. The Mother Goddess gave you a love that none of us ever had; one that was pure and I ruined it. That doesn’t mean it has to stay ruined. I’m trying to fix my mistake, dear sister. Please call him.”
“I will message him,” Jeiliscia said.
“Call him,” both Sherrishia and Meleinia said in unison.
“Fine, I will call him,” Jeiliscia relented. “Now, please, we’ve entertained everyone with our little family melodrama, so if you would, let me finish my rounds, and when I’m done I will meet you both in the lounge, we’ll get dinner and we’ll talk more, alright.”
Sherrishia and Meleinia both nodded in agreement. Sherrishia began checking on her people’s well-being with Meleinia dutifully in tow. Jeiliscia sighed then looked at her nurse who was now crying.
“ Lieutenant, why are you crying?” Jeiliscia.
“That was so beautiful, Doctor,” he said in between sniffles. “You and your sisters… the sisterly love you share…that makes me want to call my brother and apologize for… something.”
“Yes, Mark, you should do that, “Jeiliscia said, quite perturbed, “after we are finished with rounds.”
“You should also call David, whoever that is, Doctor” Mark said, still sniffling. “He sounds special.”
“ Mark, would you mind your own damn business,” Jeiliscia said with clenched teeth.
“Sorry, doctor.” sniffle “I’m just all twitterpated.”
“Well, un… twitter… pate yourself. We have injured patients. We need to finish rounds,” She said as she walked off to the next patient.
“Yes, doctor,” Mark replied subserviently.“That was so beautiful,sniffle” he whispered under breath.