From: Sarah Albertini-Bond (serendipity77_at_gmail.com)
Date: Fri Jun 08 2007 - 19:48:04 PDT
"The Avatar of the God of Pain" <continued from Kenneth's "The Ceremony of Innocence Drowned"> =/\= Location: GATEWAY STATION – 2 Stardate: 2.70608.2243 Scene: Ambassador Bonviva's Office "That's a hell of a story," Kane said after Bonviva finished. She had spoken softly, if a bit removed from herself, her lyrical Italian accent filling up the office and the space around them. She spoke of a rogue Intel officer creating a whirlwind on BAJOR that involved a personal vendetta and a quest for racial purity. Of course McInnis – being Bajoran and Scot – was caught in the crosshairs. Even if it wasn't for his background, he would have been caught anyway as he had tangled with the Intel officer before. "I know," she murmured. "And you weren't there?" Kane asked. Xana frowned at that. It had been an…awkward moment in their history. After meeting up on the SUTTNER, Gene and Xana had a connection but had separated because Xana wasn't quite ready for a serious relationship. They separated with the idea that they'd try to meet up several months later to see what could develop. This incident had happened during that. This incident…and many other things. "I was on the GATEWAY during this. I didn't know of it until…later." Kane said nothing but let his mind whirl through various questions, scenarios, and ideas. "What civilians were involved?" "Uhm…well…Gene's family obviously. There was a neighboring family…I know…Gene was…close with a woman about our age…I imagine most of the Tinuviel Valley knew of it," Xana said softly. Mowree had watched the exchange, listened closely. He found himself of imagining of a ship lost at sea, with no moorings and direction, being ravaged by the storm that waged on around it, separate from the storm by still being impacted by it nonetheless. That was what the Ambassador reminded him of. She normally commanded attention wherever she went but here, in her own office, facing bad news the Ambassador seemed to shrink into herself. Even her voice was distant, removed from her, as if she herself was removed from the situation. The Caitan counselor suspected it was more of that she wanted to remove herself from the situation. "I promise, they'll get him back, Ambassador," he said softly. He wasn't sure where that came from – it was a foolish promise. But she had looked so lost and withdrawn, and it was within Mowree's nature to want to comfort. Up until now, Xana had been leaning on her desk, using it for support. Straightening up she walked over to the counselor and stared at him, her violet eyes boring into him. He had heard rumors, rumors that sounded foolish to an atheistic counselor, that she claimed (or at the very least that Bolians claimed) that she was the Avatar, or human manifestation, of two of the gods, one which happened to be the God of Pain. She stared down at him with a wrath that was inhuman and he knew then that if he was proven wrong – even though it was a foolish promise to make – that the Ambassador would come down on him with all the might she could muster. Perhaps she was an Avatar, even though he didn't believe in such things. But if Xana Bonviva could have found a way to pull together all the pain in all of creation and rained it down on his furry head, he knew she would have. "You don't want to promise that," she said softly. "I know how the universe works." =/\= Scene: Bajoran Temple The temple had been closed down. Hannibal had twisted every arm and had gotten the Bajorans to close down the temple. "Tell people it's closed for maintenance. Tell people the Orb has a headache. I don't give a flying targ's ass what you tell them but you're closing that damn temple down," Hannibal had snarled at the staff of the temple. The temple, of course, wasn't closed. It was just a matter of knowing people. Xana stood before the altar, the same one her friend Tai had used before, and looked at the display before the Prophets. "You're nothing but a bunch of sons-of-bitches, you know that? He's a Counselor, for crying out loud. He spends his days trying to help people sort out their lives, and when not doing that, he's helping the out Security figure out psych profiles of criminals. He built his life up again after the EIDOLON and for what – for this? "'You can't conceive, nor can I, the appalling strangeness of the mercy of God,' said one of my Terran authors. I don't know whose ass he was kissing because I think you're nothing but a bunch of feckless thugs. "You think this is a good time to be doing this? The Dominion still knocks at our door. The station is finally prosperous after the Calnarian invasion but that could change. Hell, the Locusta could finally grow a clue and figure out where we are. Yes, I've not been as good a person as I should have been. Yes, I've lied and cheated and yes, I've even killed. But I did this for the greater good. Yes, they were sins. What is this? What greater good comes from this? What was his sin? He finally came back to you, and this is how you welcome him back into the fold? "I've done much for the universe. I kept the GATEWAY safe. Chased out maniacal COs from Starfleet, settled disputes in another dimension, set up a colonies for the displaced, avoided wars, mediated as Ambassador. I've loved and supported my family, friends, and staff. That's not enough for you? I protected the wormhole, or do you not remember that? What was that for? For this? "You know what you are? You're no better than the Mafia. Oh yes, I know of them too. You're no better – demanding fealty and blood and sacrifice with nothing in return. I know all too well the price. Omerta. No, I will not do that – there will be no omerta for you. I will be loud, and vicious, and I will wreak havoc and let slip the dogs of war. You have no idea what you've unleashed." She walked up to the altar and spit on it. "You just declared war. I don't care if you are the Prophets. I don't care if you are beyond humanity's grasp. Did you forget that I'm the Avatar of the God of Pain? Yes, I am the Avatar of the Goddess of Love, but it her gift to me – to love beyond all ego and hope – that spurs me to use the God of Pain's touch on all of you. I will hurt you if it's the last thing I do. So help me, if anything happens to Gene, I'm coming after you." Roh had been standing in the back the whole time. "It's not the Prophets fault, you know," he said softly. Xana Bonviva turned around and glared at Roh. "Tell me then, whose fault is it?" Something had happened to the Counselor, he knew that much. When Ambassador Bonviva had requested private use of the temple, by herself, the staff could only guess that it had something to do with McInnis. Listening to her, Roh had concluded as much, although he still didn't know what it was that had happened. "It's not the Prophets' fault," Roh repeated. "They simply offer guidance. A way." "And what way is that? What way is that that it leads men to kill and hurt, that it divides as much as it unites? And what it unites isn't always attractive I might add." "That's not the Prophets fault." Xana Bonviva gave a dry chuckle at that. "Oh really? Well you'd think that for spirits so wise they'd realize that Humanity is too far below on the intelligence ladder to receive their ever-so-elevated message. That somehow, inevitably, it would be so meddled with that their original message, their original purpose would be beyond recognition and in doing so a mockery of what they were trying to accomplish. Because it would seem to me that if the Prophets were wise they would have realized that." Then Xana tilted her head to the side and asked, "Or have you ever considered that the Prophets aren't all that wise to begin with?" =/\= Scene: Corridor -> Bonviva/McInnis Quarters Kat was worried. She had a baby to think about and here she was waddling around worried. This wasn't good. Hadn't she learned her lesson from last time? Well actually she had. She wasn't actively committing acts of treason and wouldn't be giving birth in a prison. That was a step up. But Xana had Kat worried. She had contacted her when she heard about Gene. Told Xana to come over to her place, that misery loved company. The twins needed to get used to a youngster in the quarters, and Dahlia could provide them with some entertainment. Xana had politely, but ever so firmly, turned her down. Kat had asked what, for the love of sweet baby Kahless, that Xana was going to do by herself besides drive herself mad. Xana's answer worried Kat. Her rash friend said ever so calmly, "I won't be one of those women you see on the holovid, crying and begging for Gene's life. Those women's husbands never come back to them and mine will." At first Kat thought that maybe it was a sign of sanity, that her friend would stay put. Then she remembered it was Xana she was talking about. So standing outside the Bonviva/McInnis quarters Kat sighed, rubbed her lower back, and rang the bell. **Let Xana be here. Let her be going mad inside.** Kat went into the quarters and spoke with the Security staff. Eilean wasn't here – she went up to Security to share the death threats that the Ambassador got, in hopes that one of them would give Security a lead on Gene. Some other private officers were here. Kat heard the opera playing from the bedroom. "She's been playing that for awhile," one of the Security personnel said. "Which opera is it?" a second Security personnel officer asked. "The one where they all die at the end," the first officer responded. "They all die at the end," the second officer responded. When Xana didn't answer the knock, the Englishwoman closed her eyes and ordered, "Open the door." The door opened to show no one in the room. Kat went through the bedroom and into Dahlia's room, where the baby was sleeping peacefully. Then the XO went back into the bedroom and saw Xana's suit carefully laid out on the bed with a note on top. It was handwritten and only had one line on it: "I told you, Kat, that I wouldn't be going on the holovid to beg for Gene's life." Kat closed her eyes again and cursed. Slapping her commbadge she called out, "Katlina Gorman to Hannibal O'Patterson." [[I'm busy.]] "You're getting busier," Kat replied. "Ambassador Xana Bonviva is missing." Hannibal said nothing, his rage palpable, even over the commbadge. [[You think it's him?]] "I think it's Xana's attempt to get her husband back," Kat sighed. Looking around the room she said, "I know she's changed her clothing. And she's taken at least one weapon from here." [[What?]] Kat walked out to the living room to look at the empty wall. "Gene had a Bajoran sword…it's missing." =/\= Scene: Back room of "Get Your Groove On Bar and Discotheque" Zane Rixx, a small, bald, fat, soft Bolian male who made his livelihood doing…questionable things, sat in his back room. He had come to the GATEWAY to chase down a woman who had lied to him and then spurned him. It safe to say that he wanted her alive as much as he wanted her dead. The GATEWAY was proving to be an interesting place for him – it provided him with enough cover to dabble in some interesting things. Eventually he lost interest in his Bolian jewel. But he never forgot her. Especially when she came up behind him with a sword brought quickly around his head and now pressed against his neck. "Keep your hands on the desk," Xana warned from behind Zane Rixx. Zane, who had been in this position before, knew that it was better to listen to the person with the sharp object. He didn't get to be so soft by physically challenging people. So he kept his hands on the desk. "Hello my dear, it's been a while. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Kane had said to use whatever resources she had. Most of her resources were government officials, and not particularly useful. Rixx, on the other hand, dabbled in illegal items, including information. That was what she needed. "You owe me," she replied. Zane considered that. "How do you figure? As I see it, you appear in my life, I lust for you and you lie and try to kill me. How do I owe you?" "Every day that you live, you owe me. Every time you breathe in clean, fresh air, you owe me. You should have been dead, or at the very least in prison, and so for that…you owe me," Xana replied softly as she put more pressure on the sword. "Now I'm saying it's time to pay up." "What do you want?" Rixx asked, wondering if he could get out of this with minimal loss to his empire. "You hear things. You know people. I want to know everything and everyone you know that's involved with these killings," Xana said. "And I want to know it now." =/\= Sarah Albertini-Bond serendipity77_at_gmail.com Ambassador Xana Bonviva Federation Ambassador GATEWAY STATION – 2 "We rest contentedly in our sins and in our stupidities, and anyone who has watched gluttons shoveling down the most exquisite foods as if they did not know what they were eating will admit that we can ignore even pleasure. But pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pain. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world." -- C.S. Lewis From HyperNews_at_youth.net
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