Beginning: A Star Trek Novel (New Frontier Reloaded Book 2)

by ROVER MARIE TOWLE

  "Hm." Kira chuckled and Kejal felt her take the hanger. "I'll give it a shot because it's gorgeous."

  The metal collar and sleeve cuffs clinked behind the fitting room door. Kejal sat on the bench, eagerly waiting for the big reveal.

  "I like how this feels. Ready for me?"

  He perked up. "Definitely."

  Kira swung the door open and stopped to examine herself in the mirror. She looked absolutely statuesque. Like that dress was made for her and nobody else.

  "Ooh, wow," she breathed out and turned to see herself from behind. The gown exposed her whole back and the floor-length skirt had a slit all the way up to her right thigh, yet it was modest and sophisticated.

  "Mom?"

  "Kejal, I don't know how you did it, but I think this is the dress for tonight." Kira let her hair down and re-twisted it on top of her head. "Hair sticks will look good with this, and I see the perfect set."

  Kira stepped away from the mirror to pick up two black hair sticks. From their glossy tips, gold mandala charms dangled on short, delicate chains. She pulled her hair into a bun, held it there and added the hair sticks.

  "What do you think?"

  Kejal beamed at her. "Perfect. Mother is going to be amazed when he sees you. I know I am!"

  "You're sweet." Kira grinned back. "Okay, it's settled. Shoes are the easy part for me." She vanished into the changing room. "Did I mention Odo looks fantastic in a tuxedo?"

  "Those formal things from Earth, right?"

  "Mmhmm."

  "Ah." Kejal concentrated and fashioned his outer surface into a fancy tux with a yellow shirt, a red tie and a matching cummerbund. "Something like this?"

  Kira emerged holding her chosen evening gown. She paused, stared at Kejal and smiled, her eyes soft. "Yes, something like that. I still can't get over how much you look like he used to."

  He grinned, reverting to his previous outfit of a green turtleneck and pants. "He thought about you all the time while in the Great Link. I think he was hoping you found someone else and got married."

  Kira paid for the dress and hairpins. Pricey, but not overly so.

  "Really?"

  Kejal walked with her to the shoe store next door. "Mother didn't want you to be alone. He loves you so much and said so many times, and I quote, 'I hope for her happiness, even if it isn't with me.'"

  "That sounds like Odo." Kira shook her head. "I tried dating again after he left. None of them worked out. So how about you, hm? Anyone special in your life?"

  At that, Kejal smirked. "No, but I make women blush all the time."

  "Odo mentioned you're an awful flirt."

  "He's jealous because he is about as charming as a Tarkalean cactus."

  "Cacti have a lot of charm! Prickly on the surface, gelatinous on the inside." Kira examined the holographic display of shoes and selected black pointy-toe slingbacks with spike heels and gold buckles.

  Kejal imagined a cactus talking like his mother. He couldn't hold back a rude snort.

  Grinning, Kira pulled off her boots and placed her feet in a small depression in the floor. The computer measured her and replicated the shoes right onto her feet. She tested them out by walking around the bench.

  Kejal eyed her shoes. He willed his boots away. "Computer, give me the same."

  "Kejal! What are you doing?"

  "Having a little fun." Kejal stood up and realized his entire center of gravity wasn't where it belonged. He rolled both his ankles before he took two steps. "Uh oh." He reverted to his gelatinous state as he fell. The impact made him splatter on the floor and wall.

  The elderly shopkeeper didn't look pleased at the disturbance.

  Kira gasped. "Oh! Kejal! Are you okay?"

  He reformed sitting on the ground, laughing, and set the heels back into the replicator where they dissolved in a white sparkle. "How do women walk in shoes like that?"

  Kira's worried expression melted into amusement. "It takes practice." She helped him up. "You're lucky you don't have bones. People break their ankles doing that. Did that hurt?"

  "A little." Kejal wiggled his toes and reformed his boots. "I hope father is all right. He looked tired this morning."

  Beside him, Kira changed out of her heels and paid via the computer system on the wall. The replicator produced a box to store the shoes. She let the shopkeeper see the shoes in the box before exiting the shop.

  "Odo says you're upset about the whole thing."

  Kejal nodded once. "I'm not ready to let him go."

  "Nobody is. I wasn't. I ran away from my father's death. I could have stayed to hold his hand, and instead I went on a raid." She blinked, staring down at the floor. "I never forgave myself for that."

  "I don't like that he gave up."

  She led him to the door. "It's not giving up if the treatments don't work."

  A cool breeze blew over the street. Leaves rattled along the white roadway.

  Kejal faced Kira. "Then why isn't he spending his time looking for new ones?"

  Her face softened. She reached for him. "Because he's getting ready to die, and he wants everything in order before he goes."

  He let her grasp his hand. Everything in his chest was churning. It amazed him how fast his mood sank after soaring so high.

  "When mother and I shopped for plants to plant in the back garden, I saw plants that don't bloom for four or five months. I couldn't picture their flowers." Kejal glanced at Kira while they strolled past a computer shop. "I can't think beyond father's death. Those days don't exist to me."

  Kira peered up at the blue-green sky and squinted. "Because all you see is that he won't be there."

  "Exactly!"

  Kira stopped walking and looked Kejal squarely in the eyes. "You and Odo are both running in your own way. You're here, but you aren't here. You can't do anything about his illness or eventual death, but you can make something with the time he has. Whatever you do, Kejal, don't leave it all until the last minute. Make memories now, and let go as fast or as slow as you need to, but don't run from it. I ran, and I never got to say what I needed to say before my father died."

  Kejal swung their arms, sighing. He had no desire to discuss the subject. "Mother is handling this better than I am."

  "The dying part? He's doing fine there." Kira released Kejal's hand and caught her dress before the bag fell off her arm. "But their relationship is still rocky. Odo has a lot to work through, just like you."

  Suddenly, Kejal felt himself smile. "I see why mother is crazy about you."

  She giggled. "Believe me, Kejal, I had no idea of his feelings for me for a long time. Not until he told me. He was the best friend I could ever ask for...he listened to me complain about Bareil and Shakaar. Then I watched him have you, and I realized there was a lot more to him than I thought. He became so much dearer to me. I loved him, and our first date in the holosuite made me realize it."

  "Really?" The change of subject helped lift Kejal's spirits.

  "Mm, I always thought he had the prettiest eyes I'd ever seen on a person."

  "He gets all embarrassed when people tell him that."

  "I know." Her gaze was faraway. "Kejal, I was holding him in my arms when he gave birth to you. He doesn't really remember me whispering in his ear, but I told him he was incredible. Pol had great timing, he caught the smile...Odo hasn't smiled like that since."

  "Mother isn't much for smiling...he says that's my job." Kejal bumped Kira's shoulder with his own. "I remember seeing your faces side by side. I felt his love for you the whole time I was inside his chest."

  "You did?"

  "I think it helped shape who I am."

  "Oh..." She rolled her eyes and rubbed her palm down her face. "I was such an idiot. I think I was the only one who didn't know Odo was crazy about me."

  "Sometimes love takes time. Mother didn't want to impinge on you and Shakaar."

  "That's so like him, isn't it?" Kira smiled. "Odo said you're the baby Changeling he tried to help."

  Nodd
ing, Kejal rattled the bag holding Kira's evening gown. "Yeah."

  She eyed him. "So how much do you remember before you...?"

  "How much do I...oh!" He picked up a faded leaf skittering past his feet. "Bits and pieces. Mother spoke to me often. He seemed incredibly sad. I didn't know why until he actually held me in his hands. Then I knew-- I just knew what to do. I wanted to live. He wanted his shape shifting abilities back. It worked out for both of us."

  Kira's eyes tilted in amusement. "I wish I had holograms of him during the pregnancy. It changed him. I heard him laugh for the first time because of you. He said your bubbling tickled."

  "Oh, mmhmm. I remember. I liked hearing him talk to me."

  "So do I." Kira stopped walking. "We should head back. They're going to think we got lost out here!"

  "I hate time." Kejal grumbled, smiling. "I'll get us a tram."

  "Thanks." At the sound of soft music from a nearby shop, she smiled again. "Pol said you're quite the singer."

  "Music! I love it so much I want to marry it." Kejal flagged down a tram. "Climb in and I'll serenade you."

  Chapter 10: Life's Little Hiccups

  The young star burned brightly, its stellar wind and intense radiation cutting billowing swaths through the darkness. He watched its looping prominences and flares dance against the void. Stars-- so peaceful at a distance, yet so violent up close.

  Mora woke to a cool hypospray touching his neck.

  "Oh," Odo moved back. "I didn't mean to wake you."

  "You didn't." He yawned, picking the sleep goop off the corners of his eyes. "Don't worry about it...I didn't mean to fall asleep."

  "You needed it." Odo replied gruffly. "I gave you your antibiotics. Aleexa says you need to take them at same time each day. It's almost twelve-hundred."

  "Mmhmm." Mora lifted his head. "You stayed all this time?"

  Odo shrugged, glancing down at the PADD in his other hand. "I made myself available in case you woke up needing assistance. Do you want anything to eat or drink?"

  "Water is fine." Mora scooted himself closer to the head of the mattress and adjusted the bed into a semi-sitting position. His lower back roared in protest at the disturbance. He sucked a deep breath and slowly exhaled. "Are Kira and Kejal back yet?"

  "Yes." Odo handed him a cool glass of water from the replicator.

  "Ah, thank you." Mora took three sips. "I need to speak with Aleexa."

  "I'll get her."

  "I appreciate it." He winked one eye shut. "By the way, Odo...your mothering instincts never really go away, do they?"

  Odo stopped and looked over his shoulder. "No, I, um, suppose they don't."

  A few minutes after Odo left, Aleexa slipped in. As always, her brown eyes shone with compassion.

  "Pol, how do you feel?"

  Mora sighed. "I have to admit, the pain is still there." He tightened his lips and voiced the question he feared asking. "Aleexa, is it going to be like this from now on despite your efforts?"

  Aleexa sat by the bed and rubbed his arm. "No. Finding the right combination of meds and herbs might take time, but there's no way I'll let you lay there in agony. I have other medications on-hand if you want to try them. Is the metorapan touching it at all right now?"

  "No. It worked for an hour. Now I feel like I have nothing in my system."

  "All right." She leaned forward. "Remember, you have a minor infection that's adding to the chronic inflammation. Let's try morphenolog for awhile. It's a little stronger than metorapan. It won't make you sleepy at all, and we can easily go back to the metorapan after the excess inflammation is dealt with."

  Mora nodded, desperate to be comfortable again. "I'll give it a shot."

  "Then I'll go get it." Aleexa patted his hand. She got her knitted white knapsack and took out a small cloth roll full of hyposprays. "Here we are."

  Mora turned his head to let her administer it. The sharp aching in his back slowly dwindled until it only felt like pressure. How odd, he could practically feel the shape of his kidney!

  "I see it's working. Your face changed."

  "It is." He reached for the glass of water and took a generous drink. "Oh, Aleexa, thank you...this is so much better."

  "Just doing my job." Aleexa smiled. "And extra fluids will help your body flush out the infection, so drink up."

  "Anything to help get past this. Ahh..." He pointed, "I think I'll finish that smoothie now."

  "Oh! I forgot it was there." Aleexa giggled, sliding it into his open hand.

  Mora sipped the sweet, fruity concoction. Letting it warm to room temperature didn't affect its taste. "You should be a chef."

  "Oh, pfft, there are dozens of Talaxian chefs already. They don't need another one. I wouldn't be talking to the likes of you if I was a chef catering somebody's wedding."

  "Aleexa, you sell yourself short." Mora lifted his smoothie glass. "This is delicious. And who knows? You might feed a wedding party someday."

  "That would be the day." Aleexa's cheeks turned a nice shade of pink. Then she paused and blinked. "Before I forget-- Kejal said I need to hand this to you."

  She passed him a deka seed pod. He looked at it and laughed.

  "One of these days..." Mora finished off the smoothie. "...I will get revenge for all the seed pod pranks he's pulled."

  Suddenly, the seed pod shimmered and grew. There sat Kejal on the edge of the bed. "Boo."

  "Kejal!"

  Kejal grinned. "What's this about 'revenge' I hear?"

  Amused, Mora mussed up Kejal's hair. "Telling you would spoil my plans before I make them."

  "Hmph!"

  Aleexa folded her arms, watching them. "You two are a pair."

  "He's the weird one," said Kejal.

  "Don't listen to him." Mora countered.

  The baffled look on Aleexa's face made them both chuckle.

  Afterward, Kejal sobered and focused on Mora's face. "How are you feeling, father?"

  "Better, thanks to Aleexa."

  Aleexa patted his hand and quietly slipped out of the bedroom.

  Kejal laid down next to Mora. "What happened earlier?"

  "It's a minor infection in my left kidney. The additional swelling is causing more pain than usual. Aleexa already has it taken care of. I'm fine." Mora smoothed Kejal's hair back into order. "Did you have fun earlier?"

  "Yes." Kejal's face lit up. "I found mom the best dress in the store. Mother's eyes are going to-- " he stuck his index finger in his mouth and pushed it out, causing a popping noise, " --right out of his head when he sees her. Then I tried walking in high heels, and-- "

  "You what?"

  "I was curious. I fell and went splat. I don't know how women do it. Do you think they emit alternating gravimetric fields?"

  The mental image left Mora laughing so much his back started to protest. "What makes you think that?"

  "Because the female species does a lot of things we can't explain."

  "That they do." Mora laid his head back against the pillows with a heavy sigh. He didn't feel well, but he knew saying so would upset Kejal.

  "Do you need anything, father?"

  "Mm, stay with me for a little while...that is all I need." He closed his eyes. "If I fall asleep again, wake me before Odo and Nerys leave-- I want to see them all dressed up."

  Kejal's expression softened. He curled up with his head on Mora's shoulder. "You got it."

  Mora smiled and relaxed.

  .o

  Odo morphed his clothing into a dashing tuxedo. His hair smoothed itself out as he walked into Doctor Mora's bedroom. Late afternoon sun streamed into the window, casting an oblong shape across the opposite wall. It gave the room a warm golden glow.

  "Ah, so that is a tuxedo," said Doctor Mora. "Odo, you look fantastic."

  "Thank you." Odo adjusted his jacket sleeves. "I'm sure you would look just as good in one yourself."

  Kejal peeked in. "She's coming. Mother? Face the window."

  Odo did so, licking his lips. He ran a
hand over his hair and waited.

  Something rustled in the doorway. Doctor Mora took a sharp intake of air.

  Kira's voice spoke. "Odo?"

  Odo turned. His eyes almost bugged out. The dark burgundy dress fit Kira's body like a glove. She'd pulled her hair back into a bun with delicate hair sticks. Her lips were painted luscious red. And her eyes, so dark and dynamic, expressed everything he loved about her.

  No woman in the universe was more beautiful than Kira Nerys.

  It was several seconds before Odo remembered how to speak.

  "N-Nerys..." He cracked a smile and didn't hide it. "You look beautiful."

  "Thank you."

  They met at the foot of Doctor Mora's bed. Odo kissed her lightly on the lips, careful not to smear her lipstick. Kira beamed and straightened his bow tie.

  "Hey, handsome," she winked. "Ready to go?"

  "If you are." Odo winked back. He glanced at Doctor Mora.

  "Fantastic," Doctor Mora grinned, pressing his hands together. "Kejal, make sure you take a holo-image before they leave."

  "Are you kidding? I'm recording right now." Kejal pointed to the holographic camera. He aimed it at Doctor Mora.

  Doctor Mora held up a hand, laughing. "Oh, don't point that at me. I look awful."

  Kejal smiled, refocusing on Odo and Kira. "Have fun, kids."

  Kira chuckled and gently tugged Odo's hand. "We need to go if we want to be on time for our reservation."

  "Yes, of course." Odo noticed the hover-tram pulling up outside. "The tram is here."

  Doctor Mora pushed himself up on his elbows. He did look terrible, but it didn't dampen his spirits. "Have a nice night, you two."

  "Take care of yourself." Odo nodded to Doctor Mora. He smirked at Kejal. "Stay out of trouble, and contact us if anything drastic happens before we return."

  Kejal nodded once. "I got this, mother. Mom? I told you mother's eyes would bug out."

  Kira laughed. "They sure did, didn't they?" She gave him a hug. "I'll see you later."

  Odo offered Kira his arm and they stepped outside. He held the tram door open for Kira. Once they were both inside the vehicle, he couldn't avoid looking her over again.

  "What?" She caught him staring.

  He cleared his throat and fidgeted with the gold cufflinks he just formed on his sleeves. "I'm sitting next to the loveliest woman in the world. Forgive me for admiring you."