Posted by Captain Alexander Cochrane (Commanding Officer) in Side Sim - The Arrival (Day 3)

Posted by Commander Zef Rollo (Counselor) in Side Sim - The Arrival (Day 3)

Posted by Captain Alexander Cochrane (Commanding Officer) in Side Sim - The Arrival (Day 3)
Posted by… suppressed (5) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Zef had the morning off and because of the stress toll of the last few days, she wasn’t moving as quickly as usual. After leaving the Ghelfis the night before, she’d stopped by Alex’s quarters to check on him. He’d been slumped across his bed, still in the clothes he’d warn to the meeting. Knowing her way around the bedroom, Zef had helped him change out of the slacks and shoes and into a pair of pajama pants and a tshirt. After that, she’d tucked him into bed, made him drink an entire glass of water and told him she’d stay until he was asleep. And she did.

Once he was breathing deeply and in slumber land, Zef left and returned to her own rooms. She’d left a note on Alex’s kitchen counter that said she’d be back this morning for coffee at 1000 hours.

Taking care with how she dressed and looked, she pulled on a gown of light turquoise and fastened a wide belt around her waist. Adding delicate touches of silver jewelry and a hint of makeup, Zef twisted her hair to one side and slipped her feet into sandals. After a final check in the mirror, she put a large bag over her shoulder that contained fruit and cheese and the special drink Anasera supplied her with, and set off for Alex’s quarters.

She palmed the chime and hope he would be happy to see her.

—Zef

The door slid open and the room was empty. But there was a coffee and tea set on the hideous coffee table, and Alex’s voice came from the bedroom. “I’ll be out in a minute.”

He came in fastening his uniform top. He looked at Zef and smiled and said “Sorry… working lunch later on. But you look fantastic, Zef. Really.” and he sat down on the couch. He looked at her and said “Thank you, by the way, for last night. I was… not at my best.”

Alex

She was a little hesitant to enter the room because things were still unsettled between them. “Good morning. Are you feeling better?” She walked to the couch and took a seat, setting her bag on the floor next to her feet. Out came the bottle of herbs and essences, which she sat on the table. “I can’t drink coffee this week, but the baby juice is just for me.” She wrinkled her nose as she looked at him. “Trust me, you don’t want any.”

—Zef

Alex gave her a half smile and said “Well, with a name like that, you can absolutely keep it.” and he poured a cup of coffee for himself and put a finger on the bottle slightly. “May I pour?” he asked.

After the drinks were settled, he leaned back and said “So it seems we have some talking to do…”

Alex

Zef took a deep breath, preparing herself for whatever was to come. “Yes, this is a good time for you to ask questions about the Degansa, or about me, or about us.”

She picked up the cup of juice and took a sip. “Alex, I’m sorry I didn’t put it together about your mother before I brought this all up. If I was anywhere near worth my position, I would have remembered and taken a different route to let you know.”

—Zef

“Zef… you have had a lot on your mind. More so than normal. And you put it together before I did, and it was me that was in it. So please… let that go, okay? I’m just… relieved… that you did. And I thank you for it.”

He paused and took a drink. He set the cup aside and said “So in the… events… of the past few days; I think something extremely important was lost. And I would like to ask you before we go further… do you still feel the same? Or did I manage to screw that up, too?” He didn’t want to hear what he feared, but he wanted to know before he wasted any more of her precious time.

Alex

“Are you asking me if I still love you?” That part hadn’t changed. There were obstacles they needed to get past, but the depth of her feelings wasn’t one of them. His anger had hurt her, the accusations had hurt her more, but Zef was hopeful they’d be able to talk those things out.

“Yes, Alex, I love you. But how do you feel about me now?”

—Zef

Alex smiled a self-deprecating kind of smile. “Zef… I sincerely doubt my feelings for you will ever change; except for getting deeper. I think… I think that’s another reason I reacted so… well… miserably.” He reached over and took her hand and said “I don’t know if it was the shock, the timing, the… whatever it may have been… a part of me felt… less. As if I wasn’t important to you. And you are very important to me, Zef. Probably more than you know.”

Alex

She took another drink from the cup on the table. “So, where do we go from here, Alex? We can’t take back the things we said, or the yelling or any part of what’s happened the last couple of days. So what do we do to get past this…this tension?” Her gaze was clear as she asked the question. ” How can I begin to make it better for you? What do you need from me?” They were honest questions that only he could provide the answers to.

—Zef

Alex nodded in agreement and then moved closer to her. “Where we go is towards each other, not away. And no, we can’t change what has happened… but we can use it to teach us where we need to improve our communication. As a couple, I mean. So what we do to get past this, I think, would be to take the time right now to express to each other what we see coming from us being together. Where do we see this going. And laying out some clearly defined boundaries that we both agree on so… ‘miscommunications’… like this never happen again. And as for what you can do to make it better?” He paused and gave the question the serious consideration it deserved and then he said “You can tell me that you still want to be here with me. And promise me that, after this…” and he took a deep breath. “No, that needs to wait till we discuss the first part. So, Zef… do you still want to be here with me?”

Alex

How could he even ask her that? Of course she wanted to be with him! Zef leaned into Alex, taking up the familiar position of molding her body to his, head on his shoulder, body pressed to his side and arm wrapped around the front of his waist. “I’ll always want to be with you, Alex. This doesn’t change anything about that. But I have to be honest—I still feel hurt that you could think so little of me, and not try to at least find out what happened to explain the change you thought was happening.”

Zef maintained the hug, eyes closed and filled with the hope this wasn’t the last time.

—Zef

Alex leaned into the contact and closed his eyes as well. “I’m sorry. I was hurt as well. It felt as if I didnt matter… as if I was inconsequential to you, a second thought. And that hurt overrode everything else. And for that I am sincerely sorry.” He paused for a moment and just let them sit in silence. Then he said “So do we talk about the future? Or do we delve deeper into the recent past? Whatever it takes to move us forward, I am willing to do.”

Alex

“I want you to be as comfortable as possible about the Degansa, since that is where our problems started. I know what’s going to happen but you must have questions about a contract like that, don’t you?” She pulled back far enough to look into his light eyes. “If I were in your place, I know I would.”

“I think we need to deal with this before we move forward, Alex. I don’t want you to be surprised by anything else that might compromise us again.”

—Zef

Alex nodded and then took a breath. “If I am being honest… I think had we discussed the Degansa under different circumstances, then my reaction may not have been quite so… visceral. I’m am still angry about the timing of you telling me, but the ritual itself I think I can come to terms with.” He shifted so he could look fully at her.

“So my understanding is that when a Bajeen woman, or is it couples only?, wants children but cannot have them, your people have in place a system that allows for surrogacy. In the case of individuals such as Brom, this also allows for a legally recognized heir. As the couple seeking the child, that party has the ability to contract with one of their choosing to act as surrogate. In exchange, the surrogate is provided whatever is agreed upon in the contract. Now in this specific instance, Brom is providing you and your family with care, compensation, and ‘protection’ for two generations. This is also seen by your people to be a great honor to be asked… and for Brom and Anasera it is even more so because of how you, specifically, are viewed in Bajeen society. The ritual, traditionally, is completed by the man…” and he took a breath and steadied himself, “… and the surrogate having sex and then making sure the woman is fertilized; but Brom has taken the untraditional but still legal approach of using artificial insemination for this ritual, but will be present and touching you skin to skin as that is the legal requirement for the ritual to be done, is that correct? The surrogate carries the child to term, and then she gives the child to the contracted parent or parents and then has no more obligation to the child. Is that a good beginner’s grasp of Bajeen surrogacy? I will say… the Federation database had a few pieces of information on it, but was wholly lacking otherwise.”

Alex

She was surprised. “Actually, you have a good understanding of the events that have and will take place. You realize that the baby will be half me and half Brom? Anasera is completely barren—she has no ovum to fertilize. For that reason, we must always talk about it as if it was already theirs. I can’t allow myself to bond with the infant or it will be impossible to hand it over to someone else. Normally, Brom and Anasera would be present for the birth, but since we’re in the Delta quadrant for the foreseeable future, that might not be possible. If it turns out that’s the case, someone else will need to take the baby and care for it until we can give it to its parents.”

—Zef

Alex nodded and listened intently. “So by your reasoning, we will from this moment on talk about Brom and Anasera’s baby. As for the birth and need for care? I’m sure we can anticipate the birth date and try to make things as convenient for everyone as we can, all right?” and he patted her hand. He looked at her for a moment and then took a breath.

“Zef… I want to know something about your people’s physiology. I ask this because I have met species where something like this can have… permanent… repercussions. So what I am asking is… will you be able to bear other children after this? If you wanted to, that is?”

Alex

That was an interesting question to her. “Yes, there isn’t any reason I can’t have as many children as I’d like. I should warn you though that I think one or two would be enough. Any more than that would require some conversation.” She gave him a small smile. “I’ve never been a surrogate before, Alex, but there’s a chance there will be some depression when its time to hand over their baby.”

She squeezed his hand. “I’m just trying to warn you…and myself.”

—Zef