Love Is An Open Door

Posted on May 03, 2020 @ 2:47am by Lieutenant Tulla Keiku
Edited on on May 03, 2020 @ 2:48am

Mission: Last Days of Empire

“Love Is An Open Door”

(continued from "RUM, SODOMY, AND THE LASH")

=/\=

I found my place
I see your face
And it's nothing like I've ever known before!
Love is an open door!
- “Love Is An Open Door” from Frozen

=/\=

Location: USS HERA
Setting: Tulla & Devak’s Quarters
Stardate: [2.20] 0502.2136
Time Index: One month ago


“WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY FOR YOURSELF?”

The Vulcan man, who had been neatly ducking for the last several minutes, appeared to be unruffled. “Nothing. You are not done throwing your mek’leths,” he pointed out. At the growl from his wife, he began walking backwards towards the wall and once there began dislodging the mek’leths that were stuck there. “I can count,” he said. “I know how many you have--”

“DON’T PATRONIZE ME,” Tulla yelled as she flung another two mek’leths.

Devak did a neat dive to the right, and then left, to avoid the flying two-pronged Klingon weapons. “It is called self-preservation,” he pointed out. Grabbing the latest two mek’leths he re-counted all the weapons in his hand and nodded to himself. “We are done with these. Now did you want to discuss this problem?”

Tulla growled at her husband and stomped over to the replicator. Angrily tapping at it she asked, “This is stupid.”

“I do not make judgments,” Devak replied. At his wife’s glare he clarified, “However, I believe what you are trying to express is some frustration at the general situation.” At his wife’s glare, the Vulcan man nodded and continued on. “Yes, well I had been anticipating this situation--”

Tulla slammed down the hot chocolate she had replicated and went looking around their quarters. “I need another blade,” she muttered.

The newly pipped-Executive Officer continued on. “Statistically speaking, one of us had the opportunity to rise to Command.”

“Statistically speaking my blade might find your pointy ears,” Tulla snapped.

“There is a better than average chance at that since it has before,” Devak agreed.

Tulla stomped around their quarters, ripping up pillows and cushions, looking for other weapons. Wearing herself out she finally flopped on the ground. “I’m not giving up,” she warned.

“I would never assume such a thing,” Devak agreed. Walking over he sat down near his wife. “I was unaware that you wanted a Command position. Had I been aware of that, I would never had pursued such a position for myself.”

Tulla blinked her brown eyes at that. “Well that *is* stupid.”

Devak’s lips folded into a single line for a moment before clarifying. “I stand fully behind my statement. Had I been aware that you wanted Command--”

“I don’t want Command,” Tulla interrupted her husband. “That would mean I’d have to talk to more people.” Huffing out she continued on. “That has no appeal to me.”

The Vulcan man nodded at that. “I had thought as much.” Folding his hands he said, “That is why I felt comfortable pursuing it.” Watching his wife glare at him, he asked, “Why are you still frowning?”

“I never thought of you as a coward,” she angrily yelled out. Throwing up her hands Tella continued on, “If you just wanted a divorce, why not say so?”

Devak considered that question for a good many moments, as if he was individually digesting each syllable. “I am unclear why my promotion to Command necessitates a divorce, especially in light of the statement that you did not want such a position for yourself.”

“You are not this thick normally,” Tella muttered. Holding out her hand she began to count out how she saw their marriage going, “You assume the Executive Officer position. I transfer out because one spouse cannot be in a Command position in the same unit where another spouse serves. The time and distance apart drives us to divorce.”

The Vulcan man counted the fingers that his wife held up and stopped at the third one that was raised. “I disagree with this point,” he said. “It is quite simply not logical.” As his wife began looking like she was going to start another argument he stated, “We had 3 bonding or wedding ceremonies: a koon-ut-kal-if-fee, a wedding that was in a cave with weapons, and finally a formal wedding totally naked outside. And with all of those ceremonies, not once in any of those vows, did we promise to live together.”

Swatting away his hands, Tulla frowned, “There are other reasons to live together. You will have pon farr coming up. At some point I will go through The Phase. Not to mention--”

Devak gently grabbed her hands and held them. “Imzadi,” he said softly, “it is not my preference to live apart either.”

“Then why do it?” she asked.

“Although I had doubted its veracity, I am now forced to agree that Starfleet regulations are correct in this regard,” Devak replied softly. “My ability to be completely neutral would be compromised should something happen to you.” Looking as uncomfortable as he ever did, Devak paused as to consider his next words. “That was my test for Command...what was I going to do when faced with something happening to you and the rest of the ship. It would appear that I am unable to resolve such a quandry.” Looking up he said, “I understand if such a confession makes me less of an officer in your eyes.”

Tulla frowned at that and pulled out her last mek’leth, stabbing it into the floor. Holding onto her husband’s hand she said, “It makes you a better husband.”

Devak just looked at the floor. “When did you get a new mek’leth?”

=/\=

Location: Starbase 56
Scene: Sickbay
Time Index: Now


Since landing at Starbase 56, Tulla had led a rather grim existence of: eat, work, exercise, eat, sleep, repeat.

Right now she was in Sickbay which meant work. And lately work meant dealing with the motley crew who streamed in with what they considered medical issues. And on a daily basis that meant Ensign Anya Snow.

“For years I’ve roamed these empty corridors and now suddenly there’s actual real live people coming,” Ensign Snow chattered excitedly as she nearly bounced on the biobed.

“Fascinating,” Tulla replied in a tone that conveyed anything but. Looking at her medical scanner and not seeing anything obvious, the Klingon/Betazoid frowned because she could *feel* that the Human woman was in distress. Frowning, both at feeling the woman’s distress and at the scanner which was showing that aside from a slight spike in adrenaline the Human woman was fine, Tulla smacked the scanner several times. “What are you feeling?” she asked the woman while looking at the scanner to see if now it would work.

“A little afraid,” Ensign Snow admitted as she watched the med scanner get the brunt end of getting smacked around.

Tulla sighed as she saw the clearly bashed in scanner. Throwing it across the room not minding who was in her path, she turned back to Ensign Snow. “What are you feeling?” When Snow just looked at her with wide puppy eyes she tried to clear her throat and attempted the question another way. “What brought you to Sickbay. Today.”

“Oh,” the Ensign said. Sighing she said, “I feel like eating a pound of chocolate. And then when I’m walking down the corridors, I’m just overtaken with a terrible stomachache and I just start sweating.”

Picking up on the theme, as it was similar to the same thing that had brought Ensign Snow to Sickbay for the last few days, Tulla pulled up Ensign Snow’s chart and said, “I’m clearing you for duty. There’s nothing wrong with you.”

“But it’s not natural to feel like this,” Anya replied. “That’s why I came to you, Dr. Keiku!”

The Klingon/Betazoid doctor asked, “This happened when you saw Ensign Deer?” When Ensign Snow nodded, Tulla replied loudly, “I’m a doctor, not a dating coach. Get back to work.”

As Ensign Anya Snow sighed and left Sickbay, Dr. Stell came over holding the broken medical scanner. “You broke another scanner.”

Having lived with a Vulcan for the last few years, Tulla felt on safer ground here. “I’ll either get it repaired or get another.”

Dr. Stell nodded and placed the scanner down. “Perhaps it would be in your best interest not to break them in the first place.”

“Perhaps, but it is unlikely that will happen,” Tulla answered as she finished up her notes on Ensign Snow. Looking up at the Vulcan, the Klingon/Betazoid doctor said, “However, if that is a...requirement….of staying here in your Sickbay--”

“It is, but you will not be in my Sickbay for long,” Dr. Stell said. “I have been informed that when the USS PHOENIX comes you will be transferred there.”

Tulla pursed her lips; she has a little hope that she was going to stay here. Staying on this weird Starbase meant that perhaps she could see her husband if the HERA docked here. But if she was on one ship, Devak was on another, their chances became smaller. “I understand,” she replied tersely.

Looking around Tulla wondered how many other scanners she could break before leaving. It wasn’t like she was going to be staying anyway.

=/\=

NRPG: Hello everyone! Eventually, yes, Dr. Tulla Keiku will join you all on the PHOENIX but for now she is impatiently cooling her heels on the Starbase. I just wrote this to get a feel for her and write a little of her backstory. Her bio is on the website if you are interested.

And yes, there are a few references to Frozen in this post ;-)

=/\=

Sarah Albertini-Bond

Ambassador Xana Bonviva
USS ANUBIS

And

Dr. Tulla Keiku, Lieutenant
aCMO
USS PHOENIX