Shara was still agitated by her recent encounters with Ming over the last two
days. She hated being on this ship almost more than the Parnassus. There, people
didn't like her, but it was different . . . Here, there was her older double
. . . It raised questions in her . . . She hadn't known her parents. They had
died when she was an infant and she had been raised by her Uncle Bakar Mikori.
He was wealthy and had provided for her, but he hadn't been the most warm of
men. He was retired from Starfleet . . . He had been, at the time of her birth
. . . and had spent the years after in the private sector as a research
scientist. She had never asked what he was researching and he had never told
her. Their relationship had been cold and distant. When she had been a young
child, she had wanted his love and approval . . . Something she'd never received.
As a teenager, she knew for a fact that she had some kind of value to him, but
it wasn't as family . . . She had just never figured out the puzzle. She had
been a troubled teen so she had turned to sports. She had excelled at every
physical activity she tried, which made her fee good. And the first time someone
tried to hurt her, she had taken them to the ground, breaking their nose in
seconds . . . The move had been second nature to her . . . It was then that
someone had told her about Starfleet . . . The more she researched, the more
she knew it was where she wanted to be. She couldn't explain it, but she had
to join . . . It was the one thing her Uncle seemed to approve of . . . Only,
by that time, she just didn't care what he thought. She didn't care about a
lot of things . . . He had made her exactly what he was . . . Cold . . . calculating
. . . Alone . . .
She ran a program where she was fighting off attackers . . . several all at once, in an alleyway of a large city . . . It was at night . . . The ground was already littered with four of the bodies, as the holodeck doors opened. She was so lost in her fight, she didn't pick up on her unexpected visitor.
"Computer, freeze program," Karissa said in a calm, but angry voice.
The surroundings instantly froze like a picture, and the attackers stopped in mid movement. Shara immediately turned to see the woman she couldn't stand. Her dark eyes narrowed, the pupils dilating. Her breath was strong and steady.
"Delete holo characters."
Immediately the holo attackers vanished.
"What are you doing here?" Shara spat with contempt.
Karissa met her gaze, watching every movement the woman made. For some reason, though Shara was attempting to block her thoughts, Karissa could read them as if they were her own.
"You know why I'm here," she replied. "THIS is MY ship and these are my FRIENDS! I don't appreciate what you are doing here . . . I do not take kindly to strangers hurting them!"
"Ah, but you're closer to some than others, aren't you?" Shara sneered, gazing at Karissa's swelling abdomen, deliberately goading her older counterpart.
Karissa took a steadying breath, so as not to just pounce on Shara. "Listen to me, what we have done in our personal lives is none of your concern," she said. "And I am telling you right now, should you do anything to hurt anyone else on this ship, I will take you down . . . Make no mistake of that . . ."
"And you're the ship's counselor?" Shara stated sarcastically. "I didn't think officers were allowed to threaten other officers . . ."
"Its not a threat," Karissa replied, meeting the woman's dark gaze. "I will take you down . . ."
"I'd like to see you try it!
You're not better than me!" she said. "And I'll do what I want here.
I'm not going to listen to some Ship's Counselor that managed to make enough
problems for her crewmates to keep
her busy for a lifetime and theirs! So how many men was it that you slept with
at once . . . ? Five?"
"You're a pathetic excuse for telepath, let alone a Starfleet Officer," Karissa said. "I got a look at your file . . . The Parnassus was your third transfer. It would seem that your superior, aloof attitude has not won you any friends anywhere . . . No one can seem to stand you . . . And let me just say again, that if you do anything to anyone aboard this ship, particularly anything using your telepathic abilities, I will personally make sure that you aren't just transferred . . . I will get you dismissed from Starfleet . . . This ship is for team players, and if you don't become one quickly, then you can just move on and move out! Because we don't need your kind here . . ."
"And what kind would that be since you apparently are the same as me," she spat.
"Oh no," Karissa replied, shaking her head at the girl. "Our similarities are only skin-deep, Shara. I care about people and what happens to them . . . You? You don't care about anyone . . . I don't even think you care about yourself . . ."
Angry tears sprang to Shara's eyes
at the truth of her words. Instantly, she sprang as Karissa. Somewhere in her
hurt and angry mind, she thought that by erasing this woman before her, she
would make it all stop. But to her surprise, not only did Karissa easily move
out of the way, but she grabbed Shara's arm and twisted it behind her back.
When Shara let out a small grunt of pain, Karissa let her go with a shove. The
girl stumbled a step and then quickly recovered. She jumped into the air, readying
a kick to Karissa's head. Karissa had been expecting it and as the foot came
close, she grabbed it, giving it a sharp twist, making Shara's body flip. Her
face now falling toward the ground. She was
stunned only moments as she sprang to her feet and again launched an attack.
Karissa deflected the blows with ease. Then, in a final move, Karissa flipped
over Shara's head, and landed on her feet with grace. She planted a kick to
Shara's back, sending her to the ground in pain and surprise. Karissa then placed
her knee on the small of Shara's back. Just enough pressure and she could turn
the girl into a paraplegic. Shara knew this and became very still.
"Regardless of what you think, little kitten, I am the big cat here . . . Don't cross me . . . I can always kick your ass again, and next time I might not be so easy on you . . ." Karissa said. "Do I make myself clear?"
For the first time in her life, Shara was genuinely fearful. No one had ever gotten the upper hand with her before. Tears sprang to her eyes, as Karissa stood up. She watched as the girl, slowly sat up and seemed to crawl into herself. As she allowed herself to mentally reach out, she felt Shara breaking . . . This was an event unprecedented in the young woman's life. Karissa's empathic side took over and the counselor she was kicked in. Cautiously, she took a seat next Shara. The territorial desires were now all but quashed.
"Shara . . . Things don't have to be this way . . ." Karissa said gently.
"Yes they do," she stated,
as she sniffed. "I am exactly what my uncle trained me to be . . . Cold
. . . Alone . . . Unlovable . . ." She turned to look at Karissa, her eyes
holding a deep sadness that she had
kept hidden her whole life. "And then I come here, and see someone . .
. who could be my sister . . . Only . . . She has exactly what I want . . .
She's everything I'm not . . . She's . . . Not alone . . ." Shara looked
away again. "My parents died when I was a baby . . . and my Uncle raised
. . . And he was a bastard . . . He took care of me, but . . . He never loved
me . . . I was a responsibility for him . . . I mean, he cared . . . but it
was calculated somehow . . . Cold . . . I never had anyone . . . and I see how
you have so many who love you . . ." She sobbed and covered her face with
her hands. She had never before broken down in tears like this.
Tenderly, Karissa put her arm around Shara's shoulder and turned to hug her. One thing she was sure of, was that this poor girl hadn't been hugged a lot . . . Nor had she had acceptance from the one who should have loved her . . . and because of that, her subconscious had convinced her that she was unworthy of either and acted accordingly.
"Its going to be all right now, Shara . . ." Karissa said softly. "Let it out. Let it all out . . . Then we can start over . . . On a fresh page . . ." She rocked the girl gently, as she comforted the weepy young woman, who was now as fragile as a child. "The Ronin can be your true family. The people here can give you the acceptance and love that you crave so much . . . But you have to let us in . . . Be one of us . . ."
"You would want me here, even after all that I've done to hurt you and those you care about?" Shara asked, her eyes dark pools of pain.
Karissa nodded. "If you want . . . if you change . . . I know you want to . . . And regardless of anything else, you now have a sister in this universe, and I will be here for you . . ."
"We are sisters, aren't we?" Shara asked with certainty.
Karissa nodded.
Shara smiled as more tears flowed. She embraced her older counterpart. She wanted to say so much, but the words wouldn't form. Instead, she allowed her heart to say it for her. For the first time in her life, she could feel that her life was on a different track. This time, she wasn't going to end up alone . . . She wouldn't end up like her Uncle . . .