Star Tre: Lineage

This installment of

Lineage

contains much less sex than the first two (there is still some), but rest assured, it is important to the story

.

Breaking Point

2294, Outpost K7, Klingon Border, 1700 hours

Sahar sat quietly at a table next to the window in the restaurant, gazing out the window. Hanging in space a few dozen kilometers away from her was the

Athena

. They were at Starbase 24 for a retrofit, one of a number planned for the

Excelsior

-class in the next few years. Sahar had just officially received her promotion to Lieutenant, Junior Grade, more than 6 months after the Klingon attack on the

Athena

. Despite her new rank and letter of commendation, Sahar was troubled. She picked at her biryani, having eaten almost none of it.

Sahar looked up and stared at the

Athena

. The dream she had after the attack had become a regular occurrence. Every week or so, Sahar would make love to Casana in her sleep, and every time she would wake up to find Casana involved with someone else. It was becoming a real problem for Sahar.

"You seem troubled, Lieutenant." Sahar was so startled that she nearly fell out of her chair. "I apologize. I did not mean to startle you." Sahar looked over to see Suvak sitting next to her at the table.

"Goddammit, Suvak! Whistle or something!"

"Vulcan's do not whistle," Suvak said, raising an eyebrow.

"How long have you been sitting there?" Sahar asked.

"53 seconds, sir."

"Don't call me 'sir', Suvak."

"Regulations state that-"

"I don't care. Call me Sahar. You're my friend," Sahar said.

"Very well, Sahar," Suvak said. They had become closer in the last few months. Sahar had been desperate to put distance between Casana and herself, and Suvak had provided a very calming alternative.

Sahar looked back out the window at the

Athena

. "Do we have orders yet?" she asked, trying to make conversation. She had asked the same question every day for the last month, all of which was spent at this station while the

Athena

underwent her retrofit. The answer was always the same: no.

"Yes," Suvak said. Sahar stared at her for a moment.

"...And?"

"'And' what?" asked Suvak in confusion.

"Are you going to tell me what they are?"

"You did not ask."

"I'm asking now," Sahar said, shaking her head. Suvak's tendency to take things literally still caused the occasional problem.

"We have been ordered to the rim-ward border on an exploration assignment beyond the Talos Star Cluster."

"Really?" This excited Sahar. Her parent's stories of exploring the unknown depths of space captivated her as a child. She was very disappointed when she heard that their original orders were to patrol the Klingon Neutral Zone, one of the most thoroughly scanned, mapped, and monitored areas in the galaxy.

Suvak simply nodded, showing absolutely no enthusiasm whatsoever.

"When do we leave?" Sahar asked excitedly.

"We should be ready in another week to ten days, depending on the results of the next set of diagnostics."

"More diagnostics?"

"Indeed. I am concerned that the

Excelsior

may be a faulty design. It has been found to have several times as many design flaws as most new classes. There was some discussion of abandoning the entire design, until the

Enterprise

was announced. Still, I doubt the spaceframe will have a long service life."

"I kinda like it," Sahar said.

"Oh? Why is that?" Suvak asked curiously.

"I don't know. She just feels good."

"That is not a logical reason," Suvak pointed out.

"Yeah, I know that," Sahar said. "Still, it's a beautiful design. Fast and agile, but armed to the teeth. Tough, too. The shields can take a hell of a beating."

"The impulse engines are aligned inefficiently, the EPS conduits are poorly organized, and frame is unnecessarily heavy, hurting efficiency."

"Typical engineer complaints," Sahar teased.

Suvak raised an eyebrow, but did not respond. They sat silently for a few minutes, and Suvak noticed a pained expression gradually creep over Sahar. "Is something bothering you, Sahar?"

"Hmm?" Sahar said, looking up from her drink. "Oh, it's nothing."

"Does it concern Ensign Olan?"

"What? No, I... No. Why would you think that?" Sahar asked nervously. She had not shared her feelings for Casana with Suvak.

"I have noticed that you rarely make direct eye contact with her, and when you are in proximity, your heart rate increases, as does you breathing. Additionally, you perspire heavily in her presence."

"Well, it's nothing," Sahar said, trying to end the conversation quickly. She was unsuccessful.

"These observations force me to conclude that you are sexually attracted to Ensign Olan."

"Do they now?" Sahar said, somewhat annoyed.

"Yes. Is my evaluation correct?" Suvak asked. Sahar stared at her for a moment.

"Yes," she sighed in defeat. "God, yes."

"Is this the source of your discomfort? I was under the impression that love was considered a very pleasant emotion."

"Only if it's mutual. If not, it's fucking miserable."

"And Ensign Olan has not reciprocated your affection?"

"No. She's pretty much with Black," Sahar said miserably, slumping in her chair. "Hell, I don't think she even knows how I feel."

"It is not logical to expect someone to react to something they are unaware of," Suvak said.

"Huh?" Sahar sat up.

"If Ensign Olan is unaware of your attraction, it is not logical to expect her to reciprocate your feeling."

"What are you trying to say?" Sahar said, somewhat accusatorily.

"I am simply stating that your expectations and behavior up to now have been illogical," Suvak said innocently.

"So what do you suggest?" Sahar said, crossing her arms.

"Logically, you have two alternatives. First, you may inform Ensign Olan of your feelings, allowing her the opportunity to either reciprocate your affection, or decline."

"Which would be bad."

"Yes, but the alternative is to abandon your attraction to Ensign Olan, and attempt to find a suitable mate elsewhere. This alternative has the same final result as rejection," Suvak explained.

"That is actually very good advice," Sahar said.

"It is merely a logical evaluation of your situation. I did not suggest which alternative you should choose."

******

USS Athena

, Deck 5, 1705 hours

Casana poked her head out of the storage closet, looking both ways down the corridor. Seeing no one, she ducked back inside.

"All clear," she said, stretching her arms behind her back. Black raised his head to look at her. He was sitting against the bulkhead, still exhausted. While Casana was fully clothed, he was still only in his undergarments.

"Yeah, okay. Just, uh, just give me a minute," he breathed. His face was still flushed, and he was covered in sweat.

"Are you okay?" Casana asked, with genuine concern.

"Sir, I am Starfleet Security Officer. I am in peak physical condition. I can assure you, I'm fine." He paused to take a deep breath. "I just need to wait until I can feel my legs."

"Okay," she said with mock disappointment. Casana plopped herself down next to Black, resting her head on his shoulder. "Should I go easier on you?"

"Oh, no," he said, kissing the top of her head. "You're doing just fine."

"Good, because I wasn't going to," she giggled, snuggling up against his side. Black lifted a thick, muscular arm over Casana's shoulder, pulling her closer. "So, why are you so tired, then?"

"Oh, it's nothing. Sahar has been pushing us pretty hard recently, that's all."

"She's intense, isn't she?" Casana smiled.

"Yeah," he sighed.

"What?" Casana asked, looking up at him.

"Hmm?" he groaned groggily.

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing."

"No, it's something. You definitely have something face," Casana probed.

"Well, sometimes, I don't know, sometimes it seems like Sahar is pushing me harder than the others," he admitted.

"Is she being mean to you?" Casana asked playfully.

"I don't know. I think maybe she's... maybe she's upset."

"Upset? About what?" Casana said, sitting up.

"Us."

"Us? She thinks you aren't good for me? I know she's protective of me," Casana pointed out.

"No, not exactly."

"Then what?" she asked, staring into his soft blue eyes. "Why is she upset about us?"

"I just don't think she wants us to be together," he said. Black desperately did not want to be in the middle of a feud between his girlfriend and his superior officer. "Look, I'm probably just imagining things. Don't worry about it."

Casana grumbled, resting her head on his shoulder again. "I'm gonna have to punish her."

"I think that's the point," Black muttered under his breath. He immediately realized that he had not been nearly soft enough. Casana looked back up at him, a confused look in her eyes.

"What does that mean?" she asked.

"Cassie, I love you. I love you a lot. I don't want to do anything to screw this up. Just forget I said anything. Please?" Casana's eyes caught fire.

"No! No, I will not forget that you said anything! My boyfriend and my best friend aren't getting along, so I don't think I will be forgetting anything," she yelled at him.

"Okay," he said meekly. Black was several inches taller than Casana, and outweighed her significantly, but he had grown up in British Columbia, and he knew that wolverines were small, too. Casana definitely stuck him as wolverine-like. "Sahar wishes weren't together because... well... because she wants to be with... you." Casana cocked her head to one side, raising her eyebrows.

"Huh?" she said, with an expression not unlike someone who had just stuck a piece of metal into a power conduit.

"Sahar wants to be with you," he admitted nervously. In his head, Black saw Casana rear back on her hind legs and bear her claws and teeth.

"Now THAT is crazy," Casana responded.

"No. No, it isn't. Ask anybody who knows the two of you, and they'll tell you the same thing," he stated, with a very serious expression on his face.

"Then why didn't they tell me? Why didn't you tell me?" she demanded.

"Because, it's not something for me or anyone else to get involved in. This is between the two of you, nobody else. Not even me."

"I am going to have to talk to her," she said after a brief silence.

******

USS Athena,

Main Transporter Room, Deck 6, 2100 hours

The bright blue haze faded from Sahar's vision, replaced by the inside of

Athena

's main transporter room. Lieutenant Ben-David was at the controls, but Sahar ignored him. She stepped off the pad and trudged towards the door.

"Good lord, what the hell happened to you?" he said.

"It's nothing."

"Like hell, you look like crap."

"Thanks, Danny!" she said with both venom and sarcasm, stopping in the door.

"Yeah, that came out wrong," Danny said. "So, is this about a certain energetic Trill exobiologist we both know?"

"Not you, too," Sahar sighed, walking back inside the room so the door would close.

"Oh? Who got to you before me?" he asked.

"Suvak ambushed me on the station," she admitted.

"Really?" Danny giggled. "Suvak?" Sahar simply nodded. "You know you're in bad shape when you start getting romantic advice from a Vulcan."

"Yes, that had occurred to me."

"So, what are you gonna do?" he asked.

"I don't know. For the moment, I'm going to sleep. After that, well..." she trailed off.

"You're going to have to tell her eventually."

"Oh? And why is that?" Sahar snapped.

"Because, Casana isn't the kind of person that you get over easy."

******

The next day, Exobiology Lab, Deck 14, 1130 hours

Casana was staring through a microscope when she heard the door open. "Just give me minute," she heard Black say. Casana looked from her work.

"Hey, Jeffy," she chriped.

"Hey, Cassie," he smiled back. "I came by because I wanted to apologize."

"For what?" Casana asked innocently.

"For not telling you about Sahar's... feelings earlier."

"Oh, that's okay," she grinned. "I understand. You didn't want to cause any trouble, so you kept quiet. I get it."

You can be such a softy,

she smiled to herself.

"No, I really should have told. Look, I'm going to talk to Sahar later, let her know that we discussed it, and try to iron this out."

"Good idea! And when we find your body, assuming there is any of you left, I can do the autopsy!" she said sarcastically. Again, Black saw fangs and teeth. "I'll talk to her."

"If you insist," Black sighed in relief.

"I do. Now, what are you up to?" she said, smiling mischievously.

"I'm supposed to be watching the deck 14 torpedo bay, but I needed to get this off my chest."

"Well, let me escort you back to your post," she said, jumping to her feet, smiling fiendishly.

******

At the same time, 1 deck below

Sahar walked down the corridor with Zula, staring blankly ahead.

"Sir, are you okay?" Zula asked.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah. I'm fine," she responded mechanically.

"Oh, good. 'Cause I thought you were moping over Casana."

Sahar stopped in the middle of the corridor. "Come on, not you too!" she cried.

"Yup."

"God, this is like a nightmare!" Sahar said, throwing her hands up in frustration. "Everyone I talk to is giving me advice. Am I that easy to read?"

"Yes. Yes, you are," Zula laughed.

"Great! So, everyone is going to have an opinion! Maybe I should take a poll of the crew! Hey, you, what do you think? Should I tell her or not?" she yelled at a passing crewman. He looked at Zula, who waved him on.

"Until you actually do something, pretty much."

"Why? Why do they care?" Sahar asked pleadingly.

"Do you remember what Leena said about the crew of a starship? That they are all your friends? It's true. They are your friends, and people don't like seeing their friends in trouble." Sahar looked at her skeptically. "Look, you remember those three crewmen that came with us to take the Matter Injector?"

"Hall, Falk, and Taylor?"

"Yeah, do you know why they followed us?" Zula asked.

"Orders," Sahar shrugged.

"Yes, they were ordered to, and they did it unquestioningly. Because they trusted you. They knew that you would watch out for them, and they watched out for you. its instinct for a starship crew."

"How does this, in any way, relate to me and Casana?" Sahar growled defensively.

"I once saw a Lieutenant Commander take a disruptor blast for a Crewman he had never met. It was point blank, full power. He was vaporized before he hit the ground."

"Did you just tell me to kill myself?" Zula ignored her.

"You protect your shipmates, whether it's diving in front of a disruptor or helping them through a tough time," Zula said.

Sahar looked silently at Zula for a long time. She had heard this speech before, from her parents.

Brothers, born of blood

, she remembered her father saying of his shipmates. Sahar had begun to understand what he meant after the Klingon attack. "So, what do I do?" she whispered.

"You talk to her."

"Just like that?" Sahar sighed.

"Just like that. Either she accepts or she doesn't. Either way, you'll get better."

"Okay," Sahar said, tears starting to well up in her eyes.

"Hey," Zula said, gently grasping her shoulders. "It's going to be okay. Even if she turns you down. It will hurt at first, but it will be okay."

"Alright. Alright, I'll talk to her when our shift ends," she promised.

"Good. 'Cause if you kept up at this rate, I'm pretty sure you'd end up throwing Black out an airlock."

******

Deck 14, Main Torpedo Bay, 1200 hours

Since the Klingon attack, Sahar had repositioned her team. Instead of placing one person on each launcher, where they couldn't see each other, she now placed them together at the door to the Main Torpedo Bay. But as she rounded the corner with Zula, only Sedaris was at the door. "Where's Black?" she called to him. He turned to look at her, an expression of panic on his face.

"Uhh, he's in the bay. Inspecting the... bay, sir," he stuttered nervously.

"Nice try," she said, walking past him into the room.

"Remind me to play poker with you sometime," Zula said to him as she followed Sahar into the room.

"Crewman Black, why are you not at your..." Sahar stopped in mid-sentence as she entered the room, causing Zula to nearly walk into her. In front of her, Casana was lying on her back on a control console, nude from the waist down. Black stood between her legs, his pants around his ankles, still wearing his helmet and armor. Her legs were wrapped around his waist, and he was thrusting his cock into her powerfully. They had not noticed Sahar.

"He's very... vigorous," Zula said quietly to Sahar, who simply stared at Casana as Black fucked her. Casana arched her back, digging her fingers into Black's arms.

"Ohh, fuck, I'm gonna come again!" she cried. Black grunted in response, and leaned forward, grabbing her shoulders for leverage.

"Attention on deck!" Sahar screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Fuckin' warn me before you do that," Zula complained as she covered her ears.

"Shit!" yelled Black. Casana's legs released him and she shot upright in surprise. Black pulled out of her and turned to face Sahar and Zula. His rigid cock was glistening with Casana's juices, pointing directly at Sahar, and the room was filled with the smell of sweat and sex. He stood at attention, panting for air, as Casana slid off the console, looking for her pants. His eyes were filled with pure terror.

"Harry, don't you know to knock when-" Sahar cut Casana off.

"Quiet, Ensign!" she yelled.

"You're pulling rank on me? My promotion is official tomorrow!" Casana protested.

"This is a restricted area, Ensign. You are not authorized to be here," Sahar snarled.

"Harry..." Casana began, but was again cut off.

"You will address me as Lieutenant Tehrani or sir!" Sahar screamed, taking a few steps towards Casana. "Do you understand, Ensign?" Casana looked at Sahar with a wounded expression.

"Aye, sir," she said softly, her eyes starting to fill with tears. Sahar turned her gaze to Black, who visibly shrank from her.

"Crewman, why are you not at your post?" she yelled, stepping directly in front of him, his rapidly deflating cock only inches from her abdomen.

"Sir, I was just, uhh... I went to see Cass, and..."

"You left your post?" Sahar barked at him.

"Only for a moment, sir. I needed to speak with Cas... Ensign Olan, and she offered to walk me back to my post," he said, desperate to escape his almost certain dismemberment.

"And you accepted? You left your post, disrupted the routine operations of this ship, and escorted an unauthorized person into a highly restricted area! And that isn't even the worst part!"

"Sir, I..."

"So, what happened then?" Sahar demanded.

"Sir, when we arrived, Casana heard something inside the room. I asked Sedaris to stay at the door while I checked it out. Casana followed me inside."

"And?"

"And, well, I didn't find anything. And when I turned around, she was smiling at me, and I smiled at her, and from there we just kinda..."

"Fucked?" Sahar screamed into his face.

"Well, it wasn't like we planned on it, sir!"

"You mean you didn't think, right?" Sahar yelled.

"No, it's not that, sir, it just kinda... happened."

"It just 'kinda happened'? You were fucking on the PHOTON TORPEDO LOADING CONTROLS, Crewman!" Sahar wailed. "Put your fucking pants on," she ordered, stepping in front of Casana, who had found hers.

"Why are you here, Ensign?"

"I came with Black," she said softly. Unconsciously, Sahar's voice softened slightly as she looked into Casana's eyes, now full of shame, tears flowing down her cheeks.

"No, but you were about to," Sahar said venomously. Casana closed her eyes, grimacing.

"Ensign!" Sahar shouted, startling Casana. "Why are you in here?"