Ro allowed an uncomfortably long silence to elapse before she addressed her prisoner; she wanted to control the tempo of their conversation and silence was an effective tool in accomplishing that. “I understand those emotions. I also know how incredibly dangerous they are.” Her chest tightened at a flash of memory— Picard, seated across a barroom table, his hand on her cheek, his voice in her ear telling her in no uncertain terms that she would not betray Starfleet for the Maquis.
“I’m not a risk, Lieutenant.” Thriss balled her fists and planted them on her hips. “You got caught in something that started between me and my bondmates before we even came to the bar. What happened at Quark’s won’t happen again.”
“Damn straight it won’t.” Promises rarely persuaded Ro. “Because if it does, even Councillor zh’Thane wouldn’t be able to prevent your deportation.”
Thriss and Ro stood, face-to-face, separated by less than a meter. Ro searched for the rage she’d witnessed in the bar, but failed to find it. Yes, Thriss appeared to be penitent—for the moment—but what about later when zh’Thane said the wrong thing or loneliness got the better of her. What then?
“Will anything satisfy you?” she pleaded. “Can’t you believe that the knowledge that I hurt Anichent has almost destroyed me? I won’t hurt anyone again. I promise to control my temper—to behave myself in public. And if I break my promises, I’ll surrender willingly to your custody and allow myself to be returned to Andor. Would that be enough?”
“If I thought that you kept your promises.”
“Might I state, for the record, that I believe you’re safe in releasing her, Lieutenant.”
Two heads swiveled toward the new presence. How long Commander Matthias had been standing in the rear of the room listening to their conversation, neither could guess. I must have been pretty focused to miss the door opening.Ro, for her purposes, hoped the counselor had heard the unsettling conversation Thriss had initiated believing it was proof plenty that Thriss was a bit unbalanced. But Matthias’s perfectly neutral face failed to yield even the smallest clue of what she might or might not have learned. Matthias’s opacity contrasted sharply with Thriss’s transparency: when the counselor spoke, Thriss’s shoulders relaxed and she inhaled like a swimmer rising to the surface to take a swallow of air. For the first time during this latest conversation, her antennae stopped twitching nervously.
“Go ahead. Disable the force field,” Matthias said.
What?Ro failed to understand what it was Matthias was trying to accomplish by releasing Thriss. She looked questioningly at the counselor who nodded, as if to say all was well.
When the barrier fizzled off, the counselor stepped into the cell. Thriss remained fixed in the spot she’d been in when Matthias appeared. So far, so good,thought Ro.
Moving to Thriss’s side, Matthias talked in hushed tones; Ro couldn’t make out much that was said until the counselor informed Thriss that she could leave the holding cell. The Andorian left first, compliantly, following Ro to the main office with Matthias picking up the rear.
Matthias waited for all to be seated and comfortable, before addressing Ro. “Thriss understands that if there is any hint of a problem, if her bondmates or Councillor zh’Thane have concerns about her behavior or if situations arise that require security’s attention, she will be returned to your custody. From tomorrow forward, she will have daily appointments with me until such time that I feel we’ve resolved the issues that prompted the outburst at Quark’s. Are these terms agreeable to both of you?”
Thriss and Ro exchanged wary looks before Ro answered affirmatively; Thriss’eyes dropped to her lap and her antennae curled slightly down. But she, too, nodded in agreement.
“I took the liberty of contacting Dizhei, Lieutenant Ro. She should be here soon.”
“How, how—” Thriss began haltingly “—is Anichent?”
Matthias touched Thriss’s knee, saying gently, “Dr. Tarses released him to his quarters early this morning. He’ll be fine. He’d be coming along with Dizhei, but he’s still physically drained.”
Silent tears dripped down Thriss’ face. “I have to fix it—make it up to him somehow. I am horrible to have become that carried away…” Hunching over, she buried her face in her hands.
Ro looked out through the clear door and saw Dizhei entering the Promenade from the Habitat Ring bridge. Thriss twisted her dress fabric between her fingers and tapped her foot. “Can I have some juice?” She hiccupped.
While Ro went to the replicator, Matthias leaned forward, resting a hand on Thriss’ chair. “I talked with them. They’re fine and they love you,” she said softly. “Thriss?”
“And I love them, but…”
Before she could finish, Dizehi entered, greeting them in polite tones but her excellent manners failed to hide her tensed antennae and tight-lipped smile. Since the previous evening, her skin had paled markedly.
Ro handed the juice to Thriss who gulped it eagerly; she seemed relieved to have something new to do with her hands. “Thriss agreed to the terms we set forth for her release,” Ro said to Dizhei. “She’s free to leave with you, if she chooses. Or she can leave here when it suits her.” Thriss deserved the right to decide whether she went with her bondmates; Ro wondered if some of Thriss’ frustration stemmed from her relationships with them, though neither Thriss nor Matthias had mentioned problems within the bondgroup.
Thriss looked between Dizhei who, given her longing gazes and quivering antennae, might gather Thriss into her arms any moment, and Commander Matthias who offered encouraging smiles. Scooting back deeper into the chair, she took another swallow of juice.
“If you’d like to move into the anteroom, you could talk with a bit more privacy than you have here,” Ro said. She touched her combadge. “Ro to Sergeant Etana. Please make the interrogation room available to the guests I’ll be sending into your office within the next few minutes.”
“Zh’yi?”Dizhei whispered.
Thriss turned abruptly, looked up at her bondmate and searched her face for answers to some unspoken question.
“Sh’za,”Thriss said, rising from the bench. Dizhei was at her side, pulling her into a hug before she could take more than a step. A flurry of embraces, concerned glances and excited exchanges followed. Standing apart from Dizhei and Thriss’s emotional displays, Matthias gently ushered them toward the adjoining room; the two touched constantly until the door closed behind them.
Grateful that they had left, Ro exhaled loudly. “I have a few questions, Counselor.”
Matthias shrugged. “Ask away.”
“How do we know Thriss won’t be back here by tonight?”
“Typically, we’re bound by expectation.” Matthias placed her palms together contemplatively. “Since Thriss defines herself by others’ expectations, I wanted to make sure she knew we believed she was capable of meeting ours. I wanted her to know she has our trust, that we believed she could succeed.”
“Is she really going to be okay?” Ro asked, recalling Thriss’s longing as she talked about love and emotion and her life.
“She’s not going to hit you again, if that’s what worries you.”… Have you ever been in love?That question defined Thriss for Ro. “No, what I mean is, can she make it until Shar comes home?”
The counselor sighed. “If I were laying odds at Quark’s, I’d say better than even that two months from now, she’ll be on her way to Andor, with Shar, for the shelthreth.Once it’s taken care of, the worst of Thriss’ obstacles will be overcome.”
Whatever it takes. She deserves a reward for her fidelity.Though satisfied with Matthias’s answers, Ro wanted to make certain Thriss was comfortable with how her situation had been resolved. “Could you stay around, you know, just in case Thriss has any concerns, or if her bondmates decide they’d rather not have her at home?”