Chapter 13 added on 31 May 2001
Disclaimers are in part 1.
Rating: NC17
At 18:57, Rain pressed the chime to the Captain's quarters. Looking down at her attire, she grimaced. No way to impress the Captain dressed in loose fitting khakis, an oversized Oxford dress shirt, and 20th century sandals known as Tivas. But her options were limited. She really wanted to be in shorts and a T-shirt, but that was completely unacceptable. So she settled. Everything else in her wardrobe hurt to wear. She let out a sigh just as she heard the Captain say "Enter."
She stepped through the doors and stopped short. She could do nothing but stare at the vision before her. She had seen the Captain in casual clothing before, but nothing had prepared her for the simple elegance standing before her. Dressed in a simple green blouse and black trousers, Rain thought her the most beautiful creature she had ever seen. Of course, she's thought that since she first laid eyes on the Captain, but it somehow seemed more acute at this moment. The most fascinating aspect of the vision in front of her lay at the bottom of the package. The Captain was barefoot. That delighted Rain to no end.
"You're early," smiled Janeway.
"Oh, damn," replied Rain. "I so tried to be late for a meeting with the Captain. I can leave and try again, if you'd like?" Rain grinned as she said it.
"Cheeky, aren't you?" Janeway was grinning, as well. "Come in and have a seat. Can I get you something to drink?" Janeway walked over to the replicator as she asked.
"I'll just have a glass of water, Captain."
"Lieutenant---Rain. I didn't ask you here in an official capacity. I thought we could discuss this as friends. Yes, as Captain, I want to know all about an Energetic crewmember on my ship, but as a woman, I'm simply fascinated by the concept. With that in mind, you can call me 'Kathryn.'"
Rain lifted both eyebrows practically off her forehead. This is certainly progress, Rain. Don't screw it up. "Thanks, Kathryn. Informality will make this tale a whole lot more palatable."
Kathryn watched Rain move towards the sofa, noticing her slow progress. Rain couldn't quite hide her wince of pain as she sat down. Kathryn approached her with a glass of water in one hand and a glass of Chardonnay in the other. Taking a seat in the chair across from Rain, Kathryn handed her the water and said quietly, "Rain, we don't have to do this now. You're obviously in pain-"
She was cut off as Rain interrupted, "I'd be in the same pain in my quarters, Kathryn, and I've waited years to have this conversation."
"All right. What do you say to eating first and seeing where the conversation leads us?"
"Great idea. I hate to tell you, Kathryn, but part of being Energetic is eating large quantities of food. I eat all the time. I have to."
"Well, I can't have you collapsing from starvation, can I?" Kathryn grinned over her shoulder as she went to the replicator again. She met Rain at the table with two steaming plates of a savory chicken and stir-fry vegetable dish. "I hope you don't mind. I took the liberty of asking the Doctor if you had any dietary restrictions. He seemed to find that question amusing. He just laughed and said, 'no.'"
Rain began to laugh, too. "Kathryn, there's nothing I can't eat. My physiology is such that I have to eat all the time. If I had food restrictions, my physiology would be compromised. I can eat anything. Granted, there are some foods I don't like, but chicken stir-fry isn't one of them." She grinned again at Janeway.
They sat down and began to tuck in to the meal. After a few bites, Kathryn asked, "Why do you have to eat so much?"
Rain swallowed and appeared uncomfortable for a second. She looked sheepishly at Kathryn for a moment before replying; "This is the part where people either become fascinated or repulsed. It's one of the reasons Energetics don't reveal themselves. Most people on board just think I'm a pig. Or that I have a fast metabolism. If they only knew!"
"Rain, you don't have to tell me, but I can promise not to be repulsed. As for fascinated? Well, too late. I already am," she stated softly, looking shyly across the table.
Rain's eyes opened widely and a huge smile appeared on her face. She put down her fork and stood up. No way could she eat while Kathryn looked at her that way. It made her want to pull the Captain into her arms and kiss the breath right out of her. Slow down, ene', she's not ready for that part of the explanation. Walking to the viewport she thought about how to put her thoughts into words.
Kathryn watched Rain leave the table and wondered if she said too much, too soon. The look on Rain's face before she got up said 'no.' But Kathryn was confused. It must have shown on her face because when Rain turned around and saw the confusion she said, "It's okay. I just have a hard time eating and talking about myself at the same time. Also, I'm kind of nervous about your reaction to some of the things I have to say."
"All right," said Kathryn, prepared to do whatever she could to make Rain feel more comfortable.
Rain asked a question of her own. "Kathryn, what did you learn about Energetics when you searched the database?"
Kathryn looked surprised. "How did you know I searched the database?"
"Kathryn, you're the Captain of a Starfleet Intrepid class vessel. You didn't get that position by being stupid. I know you value information, which is why I'm sure it was the first thing you did after reading my personnel file. Am I right?"
"Did I say 'cheeky?' I'm sure I meant 'impertinent,'" said Kathryn with a grin. "Yes. You're right. I did check the database. Since I'm sure you know every gigabyte of information in the database regarding Energetics, you know exactly what I learned. Next to nothing. Why is that?"
Pacing slowly behind the sofa, Rain offered a small smile to Kathryn. "We're a secretive species. We've had to be. It's a little known fact that about a thousand years ago a third of the entire species ended up on Earth, following an explosion in subspace, which destroyed the Energetic homeworld. The other two-thirds ended up scattered across the universe. The Energetic inhabitants on Earth discovered it was best to hide their differences, for fear of persecution. Think about what Earth was like a thousand years ago, Kathryn. Humans were not as tolerant back then. Sure, the Energetics could have easily overpowered the population at that time in Earth's development. But we're not like that. We have strong beliefs. The least of which is one rule that must never be disobeyed. 'An it harm none.' We cannot use any feature which distinguishes us as Energetic to cause harm to others."
Kathryn had been sitting quietly, listening intently to the story unfolding. But she had to interrupt. "What characteristics do you possess that could cause harm to someone?" she asked with a crinkled brow.
Rain smiled gently at her and said, "I'm getting to that."
Kathryn returned her smile and replied, "Sorry. Don't mean to rush you." Though, secretly, she did want to skip to the part where Rain talked about herself. But she had to admit she was captivated by the story.
Rain continued her tale. "So they lived within the population. Life on Earth really wasn't all that different than life on the homeworld. They just couldn't be Energetic in public. And they waited. They waited for Earth to play 'catch-up'--- until Earth reached the stage in its development where the founders thought they could begin to reveal themselves." Rain shivered and wrapped her arms around herself, feeling chilled all of a sudden.
Noticing this, Kathryn got up and walked over to Rain. She took her by the hand and led her to sit on the sofa, where she took a small quilt and placed it around the Energetic's shoulders. Rain smiled her thanks, as Kathryn sat down beside her, and continued, "About 450 years ago, the first Energetic was tortured. She was beaten in a town square in Avignon, France. The problem was that they couldn't kill her. So they kept torturing her, claiming she was a witch, a heretic. So much was based on religion back then. They left her hanging in the square, until another Energetic took her down. She didn't die. They moved to the mountains and lived in solitude. They still live there."
"Wait a minute. You said that happened 450 years ago," said Janeway, somewhat astounded.
"Yes. Kathryn, you were close. The other day. When you said you had heard Energetics were immortal. We're not immortal. We're nearly immortal. We can be killed, but only in a few very specific ways. The easiest way is also the most heavily guarded secret to the Energetic way of life. But I'm getting ahead of myself."
Kathryn looked like she wanted to interrupt, but she held herself in check. She didn't want Rain to stop.
Rain took a deep breath. "The founders decided to retreat unto themselves and continue to live as they could. They managed to live nearly as they would have on the homeworld. They found their mates, they had children, they taught their children the ways. When Starfleet began, very few Energetics joined, at first. However, one Energetic took it upon herself to join Starfleet. She told them about herself and our people. She was an exemplary officer. Many, however, were afraid of her. So she, too, was persecuted. Persecuted! Kathryn, this was at a time, when tolerance was the norm! So those at Starfleet Command set up the protocols designed to protect the identity of any Energetic that wanted to join. Apparently, near immortality, coupled with our other idiosyncrasies, makes us frightening. So we hide." She whispered the last.
Kathryn reached up to wipe away the tear that fell from Rain's eye. She took Rain's hand and held it, quietly letting her regroup. Rain stared down at the hand that held her own. So strong, she thought. I've waited so long to hold your hand, Kathryn. Aloud she said, "I'm so tired of hiding." Kathryn's heart ached for the young woman. She reached over and brought Rain's head down onto her shoulder. She offered solace in a warm, tender hug.
NOTE: ene' is Energetic for "king"
To be continued....