Star Trek: Lineage Ch. 09

Commitment

Isfahan, Iran (UTC +4), Earth, 1006 hours, 2305

Sahar stepped up to the door and reached for the access panel but stopped before she touched the call button. Her hands were shaking; she was so nervous. Sahar summoned all her courage but still she hesitated, then pulled her hand away and stepped back.

"Oh, for the love of God," Kara chuckled behind her. "What is it now?"

Sahar turned, but didn't look at her. Instead, her eyes wandered over the waters of the Zayande River. "I'm not scared," she said.

"Of course not, love," Kara said sarcastically.

"I'm just nervous."

"So there's a difference now?" Sahar blushed and tried to turn, but Kara stopped her. She grabbed Sahar by the shoulders and kissed her. Kara could feel the tension in Sahar's body, and broke the kiss only when it melted away. "Now press the bloody button." Sahar nodded sullenly and turned back to the door. She reached for the panel but stopped short again.

"Promise me something first," she said over her shoulder.

"What is it?" Kara asked impatiently.

"Casana never hears a word of this."

"What?"

"Not a word.Ever."

"Fine," Kara laughed. Sahar pressed the button.

Five months into a twelve month stay on Earth, and Kara had only just convinced Sahar to bring her here. With theAthenain dock undergoing repairs and a major refit, most of her crew had been temporarily reassigned to various positions in the Sol system. Those that would return to the ship after work was completed would return to a changed vessel. With new replicator technology, large amounts of space used previously for storage would now serve other purposes. This, paired with a slight reduction in crew size, resulted in a significant increase in the amount of living space for each crew member. And Kara judged that necessary as she eyed the slight bulge in Sahar's stomach.

The door opened to reveal a tall, muscular man in his 60's. His black hair was speckled with grey, but youthful energy still shone in his dark brown eyes. With his back straight, his head held high, and his clothes neatly groomed and cleaned, there was no mistaking him for anything other than a Starfleet officer. He looked first at Sahar, then at Kara, his eyes boring through both of them, taking their full measure in the blink of an eye.

"Hi, Dad," Sahar said warmly.

"Welcome home, Harry," he said, and wrapped his arms around his daughter. Kara fought desperately to suppress a laugh.

****

Cardiff (UTC +0), 1427 hours

"I jush don't get it," Casana moaned into her drink. "I don't get it."

"You have said that 47 times in the last 15 minutes," Suvak observed, holding a mug of Vulcan tea while she sat next to the Trill at the bar. They were drinking in a small pub hidden in the heart of Cardiff. A soccer game was being shown at the other end of the bar and virtually all of the other patrons had gathered around to watch, leaving Casana and Suvak more or less alone. The game was apparently of great significance as the crowd was chanting and shouting so loud that it made it difficult for the two aliens to talk.

"Becaushe I don't!" Casana whined. "What'sho great about thish planet?" She took a long gulp of her beer.

"I do not understand your question."

"Itsh shimple: why doesh everyone love Earth?" She looked up at Suvak, blurry eyed and swaying slightly in her chair.

"You question is based upon a false premise: not everyone loves Earth."

"Yesh they doo-hoo!" Casana moaned, sounding increasingly like an infant. The outburst took Suvak by surprise, and drew a few glances from the other patrons. "What? They do!" she told them, rather defensively. A few more heads turned, but something happened in the game that drew their attention. Casana snorted victoriously and turned back to Suvak. "Shee? They 'gree!"

"I am not sure that they-"

"You're righ. They're not obj... objej... they're biased. But do you know how many non-humansh live on thish planet?"

"Aproximately-"

"Eshactly! There'sh Boliansh, Vulcansh, Tellearitesh, Caitansh, Katariansh... you ever notice theresh a lot of kitty people, and very few doggy people?" Suvak arched her eyebrows. "I even knew a Cardashian once, Iliana or Lilana or shomething, I can't remember her name. But she wash hot! I mean real hot, like... like... and she loved Cardashia, but when she came with me to Earth, the moment she saw it, she refushed to leave. I shwear, she wouldn't go near a shuttle or transhporter till I shwore I wouldn't make her leave. Can you believe that? A Cardashian fell in love with this weird, blue-green ball. I mean, itsh not even that pretty. Do you know what humansh have done to thish planet?"

"Yes."

"I'll tell you what they did! They blew it up! And not onsh, they did it like three timesh. Harry told me about it onsh. I don't think she getsh it, either, but she lovesh it, too. You should have sheen her face when we entered orbit."

"I did. I was standing between you."

"Oh," Casana muttered, suddenly very solemn. She was quiet for a long time, staring contemplatively into her drink. Casana lifted the mug, drained it, and ordered another. When it came she took a long drink before putting the mug down with a long, thundering belch. Finally, she spoke again. "I jush don't get it!"

"I believe I may have an explanation," Suvak said, and Casana's eyes perked up.

"Really?" she gasped, as though she were a child whose parents had agreed to get her a puppy.

"Most races experience some catastrophic events during their development, and these events have lasting impacts on those races. For example, it could be argued that the Klingon Empire's aggressive expansionism is, in part, a result of their home world being conquered at least twice in known history. Similarly, modern Cardassian asceticism can be traced back the collapse of the Hebitians and the resultant mass starvation and poverty that gave rise to military dictatorship."

"You ushe pig wordsh," Casana groaned as she rested her head on the bar.

"In this context, humans are not unique in having suffered cataclysmic events."

"Shtill don' ged it."

"However, humans, compared most races, recovered from these events far faster. Even today, nearly two millennia after the fall of the Hebitians, poverty is still an issue on Cardassia. By comparison, humans were living on verge of extinction less than 300 years ago."

"Sho, their like the ugly gooshe?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"You know, the human shtory about a gooshe that gesh born ugly." Casana tried to sit up, and nearly fell off her stool. "Okay, sho thish gooshe gesh born, right? And ish all ugly. And all the other gooshesh teashe it for being grosh. And then it growsh up to be a shwan! And everybody loves swans!" Somehow, Casana managed to shout out the last sentence as clear and loud as a bell. All motion and activity in the pub stopped, and all eyes turned to her.

"Whads going on?" she said.

****

Isfahan, 0031 hours

Kara ran her fingertips over the exposed skin in front of her, smiling as they left a wake of goose bumps. Sahar's tanned skin had paled somewhat after a decade on a starship, but a few weeks under the sun had been all it took to darken it again. Kara loved Sahar's skin. She loved how it seemed to be so perfectly smooth, how it gave a sense of softness to Sahar's otherwise hard muscled body, like velvet over wood, how it stretched tight over her flesh. That tightness had led to some noticeable stretch marks around her growing stomach, but that was nothing a dermal regenerator couldn't handle, and Kara didn't care anyway. She ran her hand over the rise in Sahar's stomach, taking care not to press down. "Still nothing?" she asked.

"A few jerks and twitches here and there but nothing else," she answered, her eyes still closed. "Cass said it was just the neuromuscular nerves forming or something."

"So, are you going to get much bigger?" Kara asked, barely able to hide an evil smile.

"What?" Sahar's eyes popped open. She did not sound amused, but then again she never did. At least not at first.

"What I mean is: how many more sets of clothes will you be going through?" At times, Kara reflected, Sahar was just too easy a target. Of course, that didn't mean she was going to stop.

"That's not real high on my list of concerns," Sahar said with a scowl.

"Okay, okay," Kara said, pretending to relent. For a few moments, she just lay there next to Sahar. "It's like you swallowed a bloody grapefruit."

"Can we change the subject?"

"Sorry. You're just a bit... bulbous."

"Bulbous?!"

"Expansive? Rotund?"

"Bitch," Sahar muttered. Kara turned and looked her straight in the eye.

"Moo."

Sahar couldn't help but snicker. "Why do I put up with you?"

"Haven't a clue," she smiled back, and slipped a hand down between Sahar's thighs.

"Oh, god," she sighed. "I've been hot all day. It's like I'm a fuckin' teenager again. Damn hormones."

"I can see that," Kara smiled back. Sahar's panties were moist, and the heat coming from between her legs was intense. Fingers pressed down on the wet fabric, rubbing in a slow circular motion around, but not on, Sahar's clit.

"No, don't tease me," Sahar whimpered, writhing under the sweet torment of her lover's fingers.

"Shh," Kara hushed her, and slid her hand under Sahar's panties. Sahar squealed quietly when she felt a finger dive into her, and buried her face in Kara's neck. She instinctually nipped and kissed the flesh at her lips, but coherent thought had abandoned her, and Kara knew it. Her finger pressed deeper, curling up to hit that magic spot she knew so well. Sahar tensed in Kara's arms and balled her hands into fists. Her breathing was ragged and frantic, and her body was quaking. Sahar was already close, and Kara wasted no time sending her over. Kara had known that Sahar had been desperately aroused for most of the day, and had hoped that by getting her off quickly she could calm Sahar down.

She was wrong.

As Sahar began to come down from her orgasm Kara tried to pull her fingers from Sahar's dripping folds, only to have Sahar stop her. Sahar grabbed Kara by the back of the neck and pulled their lips together in a crushing kiss. Meanwhile, she took hold of Kara's wrist and forced the redhead's fingers deeper in, using Kara's fingers to fuck herself. Sahar's grip on her wrist was so tight Kara thought she might bruise, but she didn't try to stop Sahar. Instead, Kara let herself be taken and gave her body to satisfy Sahar's need.

Muscles clenched around Kara's fingers and she heard Sahar's breathe catch. Sahar lay frozen for a few moments, Kara crushed up against her before she went limp. Kara felt hot liquid flowing over her fingers, heard Sahar's shallow breathing, and felt their hearts racing. It was exhilarating. It always was.

"Feel better now?" Kara whispered, nipping playfully at Sahar's ear.

"I need to taste you," she growled back hoarsely.

"Well, if you insist." Kara slipped a hand between her thighs, but Sahar had other ideas.

"No. Sit up," Sahar blurted out, much to Kara's surprise. Having Kara sitting on her was not one of Sahar's preferred positions, mostly because whenever they did it Sahar's hair would get trapped under Kara's legs. But before Kara could ask if she was sure, Sahar started to push and pull her into position, so Kara dutifully obliged. She sat up and carefully moved Sahar's long black locks out of the way before throwing one knee over her lover's head.

Even before Kara had settled into position, she felt Sahar's hand on her thighs, pulling her hips down. A jolt of pleasure flashed through her when Sahar went straight to her clit, and the redhead had to grab the headboard to steady herself. Sahar attacked her pussy with enthusiasm, and seemed to be licking and sucking everywhere at once. She had already been quite wet, but now Kara could feel her juices start to flow in earnest.

Sahar was more aggressive than usual, and it was all Kara keep from screaming loud enough to wake Sahar's parents. Her first orgasm came in a matter of seconds, taking her by surprise. She doubled over, hitting her head against the headboard, and had to bite her lip to stay quiet, but Sahar didn't seem to notice and certainly didn't slow down. Kara felt a tongue press into her and teeth graze her clit, the pleasure taking her breath away.

She felt Sahar shift beneath her, and suddenly Kara was on her back. Her hair was in her eyes, but something covered her face before she had a chance to brush it aside. It was warm and wet and filled her nose with a powerful, familiar scent. Kara's mind was blank for a few moments until she realized what it was: Sahar. They had reversed position and Kara now felt Sahar's strong hands on the back of her head.

Kara's mind was still racing from her orgasm, and her instincts led her to lick. Sahar was grinding down on Kara's face so hard, and her grip was so tight, that Kara had no control over where she made contact. Instead, she just stuck her tongue out and licked at whatever was there. She felt Sahar rock back and forth, dragging Kara's tongue up and down her slit. Kara could hear Sahar moaning on top of her. The sounds were low and rumbling, almost animal, filled with unbridled lust.

And then she was gone.

The weight of Sahar's body simply vanished. Kara was suddenly alone on the bed, and opened her eyes to see what had happened. Sahar had disappeared completely, and for a moment Kara was both confused and afraid. Then she noticed the bathroom door was open, and she heard quiet gagging sounds coming from inside. "Of course," she laughed to herself as she threw on her robe and walked on somewhat unsteady legs over to the doorway.

Inside, Sahar was bent over the toilet, heaving her guts out. Kara knelt beside her and gathered her hair behind her head. Sahar glanced at Kara for a split second before turning and retching again. Her whole body contracted, curling up into a ball and only barely keeping her head over the toilet. Kara did her best to keep Sahar steady, rubbing her back and shoulders in an attempt to comfort her stomach. When the heaving finally stopped, Sahar pounded her fists on floor and screamed.

"I fucking hate this!" she bellowed. "I hate this puking, I hate being pregnant, and I hateyou!" she continued, glaring at Kara.

"What did I do?" she laughed, knowing full well what the answer would be.

Sahar's eyes narrowed accusingly. "This wasyouridea, you bitch! You put this baby in me-"

"Technically, Dr. Mooan did that," Kara pointed out.

"It was your godamn DNA!" Sahar roared, her face turning beet red. "Your fault! You! Oh shit..." Sahar heaved, and threw herself over the toilet just before she vomited again.Good a time as any, I suppose,Kara thought to herself, and opened the small package she had left in the robe. She fingered the contents of the package as she waited for Sahar to relax again.

"So, love, I was thinking," she began as Sahar panted and hung her head. "We've been together for a while now. I've met your parents, I've knocked you up, I-"

"So you admit it!" Sahar snarled.

"Guilty indeed," Kara said with a smile before continuing. "I was thinking that perhaps we might..." She let her voice trail off, and showed Sahar the object in her hand. Sahar immediately threw her head into the toilet and heaved yet again. "Oh, lovely," Kara sighed, and waited patiently. Sahar spent another few minutes clinging to the toilet, heaving violently until she could no longer sit up. Finally, she hurled herself at Kara, arms wrapping around her and squeezing.

"I love you, baby. I'm so sorry. I love you," she cried, hanging limply from Kara's body.

"Is... that a yes?"

"'Yes' to what?" Sahar asked, pulling back.

"To this," Kara laughed, and lifted the small gold rings in her hand.

"Oh," Sahar muttered, gazing blankly at the rings. Kara stared at Sahar. Sahar stared at the rings. Neither of them spoke.

"Love?" Kara finally asked, as her nerves began to give.

"Huh?" Sahar looked up absently. "Oh, yes. Of course, yes. But..."

"But what?" Kara asked, her heart in her throat.

"Can you get me some pickled mangos? With walnuts?"

Kara shivered.

****

Cardiff, 2131 hours

"Let's just get this over with," Sahar grumbled as she and Kara walked through the front door of the security station. It had taken longer to get to Wales than expected, and Sahar's dressing was interrupted by a bit of vomiting. An hour after receiving the call from the Cardiff Police, though, they had arrived to bail out Casana and Suvak.

"Who do you think started it?" Kara asked with a smile.

"Cass," Sahar growled without hesitation.

"I don't know, have you ever seen a drunk Vulcan?" she laughed.

"There's no such thing," Sahar replied as they stepped up to the front desk. "Lieutenant Commander Tehrani and Lieutenant Morgan, here for Lieutenants Shen and Suvak," she told the Starfleet Security officer at the desk. He directed them down a long hallway towards the holding cells. "You get Suvak. I'll talk to Casana."

"Yeah, right," Kara scoffed. "You go find Sue, and I'll get Cass." They were being held in separate areas, so Sahar and Kara had to split up. Kara turned down a long hallway lined with holding cells. Most were empty, their force fields deactivated. A few near the front, however, held a handful of Academy cadets, all of whom looked extremely hung over. At the end of the hallway was one other active cell, and inside was Casana, lying face down on the cot.

"How's it going?"

Casana did not respond.

"Cass. Casana. Lieutenant Shen!" Kara yelled, but she didn't move. Chuckling to herself, Kara deactivated the force field and stepped into the holding cell. "Wake up, Cass," she said, gently shaking Casana's shoulder.

Casana jolted awake, falling off the cot and shouting "I'm too cute to die!" Kara blinked at her, dumbfounded. "What? It's true."

"I think Sahar would disagree," the redhead laughed as she pulled Casana to her feet. Casana managed to stand, albeit unsteadily, but as soon as she was on her feet she clutched her head and moaned pitifully. "Regretting those last few beers, perhaps?" Kara laughed again.

"Owie," Casana whined.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'."

"Why do they hate swans?" Kara nearly toppled over laughing. "You did this on purpose, didn't you? You're mean."

"How could I have possibly known you would mention swans?" Kara complained, still laughing. "Swansea City is Cardiff City's biggest rival. Have been for centuries."

"You're still mean. And don't laugh so loud," Casana pleaded quietly.

"Okay," Kara relented and wrapped an arm around Casana. "Let's go find Sahar and Suvak." Kara led her out of the holding area and back to the front desk, but Sahar and Suvak weren't there. She asked the man at the desk, but he said he hadn't seen anyone leave, so Kara left Casana with him and went to find Sahar and Suvak. She walked back down the hallway to the holding cells and turned down the corridor towards Suvak's cell.

It was empty.

The only cell occupied was at the end of the hall. Kara raced over to it and found Suvak, sitting in meditation, with no trace of Sahar. "Greetings, Lieutenant. I assume-"

"Where's Sahar?"

"I have not seen Lieutenant Commander Tehrani."

"Not at all?" Kara asked, dropping the force field. Panic was starting to rise in her.

"Not for the last 72 hours. Is she supposed to be here?"

"She was supposed to be getting you out while I went for Cass. I saw her come through that door, but..."

"As I stated, she is not here," Suvak said. Kara's eyes suddenly went wide, and she turned and sprinted down the hallway. She threw the door open, ran to the desk, and threw the desk officer aside.

"Can I help you, sir?" he asked as she ransacked his desk.