Star Trek: Lineage Ch. 03

"Have you ever been to Alpha Centauri? It has some wonderful museums. I particularly like the Cochrane Museum of Interstellar Transportation. They have a replica of the first human space craft, as well as a mockup of the Vulcan ship that made first contact." Casana grimaced. Oh, no, not the museums. Dr. Collins could go on about them for hours, describing every detail of every exhibit.

"No, but it sounds lovely. I enjoy the Museum of Interspecies Relations on Betazed. I was actually asked to give a lecture there on Human-Trill relations and diplomacy once. The auditorium is magnificent, with..." Casana rolled her eyes. He's flirting with my boss? Gross! she thought. Casana shook her head in disgust, causing Dr. Collins to notice her.

"Ah, Lieutenant, good morning! I was just speaking with Curzon about the museum on..."

"I am sure Lieutenant Olan has work to do, Laura," Dax interrupted tactfully.

"Oh, yes, quite right. Lieutenant, I wanted you to take a look at the Bajoran Shrimp tank you set up. They seem lethargic, and I think the electrolytic balance is off."

"Right away, Doctor," Casana said, forcing a smile.

"Also, could you start designing a specimen storage area for non-organic life? If we are going to be surveying uncharted worlds, we may run into silicon-based organisms, and I would like to be able to take some specimens."

"Of course, Doctor," Casana smiled, genuinely this time. The prospect of seeing new, totally unknown organisms always excited her.

"Excellent. Let me know if there are any problems," Dr. Collins said. "I will see you at the Forward Crew Lounge. 1800, sharp," she smiled to Curzon.

"I wouldn't dare miss it, Laura," he said, smiling broadly. Dr. Collins turned and left the room. As soon as she was gone, Casana turned to Curzon.

"Please, don't sleep with my boss," she pleaded.

"Excuse me?"

"I am asking not to have sexual relations with Dr. Collins," Casana repeated.

"My personal life is none of your concern. Besides, you are hardly qualified to give such advice, Lieutenant." Casana lowered her head in shame, and walked over to a large tank filled with crystal clear water. Inside the tank, several dozen shrimp-like creatures floated around slowly. She entered some commands into the environmental computer and examined the chemical analysis.

"So, these are your responsibilities? Water quality and silicon-based-mouse storage?" Curzon asked disdainfully.

"I'm the Assistant Exobiologist on board. I'm responsible for cataloging, storing, and maintaining all biological samples aboard ship, as well as performing tests on the specimens," Casana said with annoyance.

"So, you're a zoo-keeper," he sighed to no one in particular.

"No," Casana said, raising her voice and spinning around to face him. "I'm an Exobiologist. I perform some of the most mission-critical work onboard this ship," she said angrily. "You know, the 'new life and new civilizations' part?"

"That isn't a new civilization," Curzon said calmly, pointing to the tank. "It's seafood." Casana's eyes widened in anger, but instead of pouncing on him and tearing his head off like she wanted to, she turned and went back to work. "The water is fine," he yawned.

"Oh? Then what is wrong?"

"I'm not here to do your job, Lieutenant," he said indignantly. Again, Casana glared menacingly at him.

"Then stop trying to do it!" she yelled.

"Very well," Curzon said calmly. His demeanor was infuriating for Casana, but again she resisted the urge to stuff him into a plasma conduit and went back to work. Examining the analysis of the water, she found that it was, in fact, unchanged. She set the equipment to scan for organic toxins. Curzon gave an exaggerated sigh.

"What is it now?" she demanded, turning around.

"Hmm?" Curzon pretended not to know what she meant.

"What's with the sigh?"

"I thought you didn't want me to say anything." She turned back around quickly, and the desire to push him down a turbolift shaft faded slowly. The sensors found no toxins, and she was out of ideas. Water is fine. No biological contaminants. What am I missing? Casana closed her eyes, trying to concentrate. Behind her, she heard a soft grinding sound. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Curzon chewing his nails as he stared at the ceiling.

As she went back to work, he spoke. "So, what would you like to talk about?"

"Nothing, until I finish this."

"How long do you think that will take?" he asked.

"About five seconds," she chirped happily. "Bajor's atmosphere has a slightly different transmission spectrum than most M-class planets, producing a slightly greener light reaching the surface. To compensate, the symbiotic microbes in the gills evolved to absorb a different wavelength than these lights are producing." Casana adjusted the lighting, and turned to face Curzon. He was asleep. She screamed in frustration, and Curzon slowly opened his eyes.

"Are you finished?" he said, stretching his arms behind his back. She started to lunge at him, but was caught by Sahar.

"What the hell is going on in here?" she growled at Casana. She grunted in frustration, but turned and went to her desk. Sahar looked at Curzon.

"It's alright. You can go," he said. Casana had her head in her hands, her elbows on the desk. Tears began to fill her eyes.

******

Armory, Deck 19, 1700 hours

Sahar stepped out of the Armory and headed for the turbolift. Six hours of sleep, then relieve Black and Sedaris, she thought. I am going to need every second of it. As she walked down the corridor, she thought about Casana. When the shift had ended and Casana and Dax left the laboratory, Casana looked completely defeated. Her head was down, her eyes blank, her hair in tangles, and her face expressionless.

She also remembered grabbing Casana as she lunged at the Ambassador. Casana could have been court martialed for it, but Dax just waived it off. What the hell is going on in there? Sahar knew there was something she wasn't being told, but had no idea what it was. What kind of award requires this kind of evaluation?

"Deck 5," she said as she entered the turbolift. Why is the Ambassador doing this to her? What is he doing to her? Sahar had no answers, but felt compelled to find them. As she was thinking, the turbolift door opened, and someone entered. Sahar looked up, and saw a totally demoralized Casana, her head hanging. Sahar gasped, and Casana looked up. When she did, her eyes grew wide, and she slumped back against the wall of the turbolift, a look of resignation on her face.

"Computer, pause turbo lift," Sahar said. Casana shut her eyes and slid down the wall until she was sitting.

"No," she whispered softly. "Please, no. Please, Sahar, not now," begged Casana. Instead of berating her, Sahar knelt down and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"What?" she asked.

"Please, don't yell at me," Casana whimpered.

"I'm not going to yell at you," Sahar reassured her softly. Casana lifted her head, looking into Sahar's eyes.

"You aren't? Why not?"

"Why would I yell at you?" The anger was completely gone. All Sahar felt for the helpless, quivering mass before her was empathy and love.

"Because of yesterday. You know, with me and Jeff, and..." her voice trailed off.

"It's okay." The words surprised even Sahar, but she continued. "You made a mistake. And I should have accepted that you are with Jeff."

"Why is this happening?" Casana asked, looking desperately at Sahar.

"What do you mean?"

"I have worked so hard for this! It's been my biggest dream, and now I'm losing it!" she cried, wrapping her arms around Sahar, sobbing.

"Shh," Sahar whispered, sitting back and pulling Casana into her. They sat there for several minutes while Casana cried softly, her head resting against the top of Sahar's chest. The human let her head rest on top of Casana's, and she felt the body in her arms start to relax. Casana reached her hand up, drying the tears from her eyes, grazing Sahar's chest as it rose. A jolt ran through them both, and Casana looked up into Sahar's dark brown eyes. Slowly, she raised her head until their lips met.

Sahar pressed her lips softly against Casana, her eyes closed. Her hand slid up Casana's back to her neck, gently caressing it, pulling her in closer. Sahar felt Casana's lips part, tongue pressing against her own lips, which parted of their own accord. She felt Casana's hands come up her sides, pass under her arms, and grip her shoulders from behind. Inhaling, she smelled Casana's sweet aroma, mixed with sweat and tears.

But something nagged at Sahar in the back of her mind.

Sahar forced herself to break the kiss, pulling Casana's head to her shoulder, whispering in her ear. "No." The word was almost physically painful to say. "We can't. Not here, and not now," she said, choking back her own tears.

"Why?" Casana cried softly into her shoulder.

"Because of Jeff. Because of Curzon. Because of your evaluation."

"Please, Sahar, please love me," she pleaded tearfully.

"I do love you. But you have to love me," she whispered, cradling Casana in her arms.

"I do!"

"You can't know yet. You aren't thinking. Get through this, and then we'll see what you feel, okay?"

"But..."

"Please, Cassie."

"I can't!" she screamed into Sahar's shoulder. Sahar pulled her up, until they were face to face, just inches from each other.

"Yes, you can. You can do this, and you will do this!" she said commandingly.

"But, he..."

"Screw him," Sahar growled. "Tomorrow, you show him that you are not going to break. You go into that lab with the same energy that you always have. Prove to him that he has no power over you." Casana stared into her eyes for a few moments.

"Okay," she finally said. She curled back up against Sahar, letting the tears flow. They sat like that for nearly 10 minutes, rocking back and forth, Casana crying into Sahar's chest, Sahar stoking her hair and resting her chin on the top of Casana's head. Slowly, the tears subsided, and Casana let herself relax in the warm embrace.

"Why are you doing this?" Casana asked.

"I love you. And I'm Persian. And Persian women are strong. And we don't let people push someone we love around."

"Really?"

"That's what my sister's Russian husband says," Sahar smiled. "And after you get your award, we can be together."

"I might not be the same person then," Casana whispered.

"I know. Things like this change you. That's why we have to wait."

No, you don't know, Casana thought.

******

Deck 9, Ambassadorial Suite, 0700 hours

Sahar arrived at the Ambassadorial Suite with Zula, and relieved Sedaris and Black. She stood for a moment, looking at the door. "Sir, are you alright?" Zula asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Sahar responded, still looking at the door, preparing herself.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," she said, turning to face her. "Chief, I want you to go ahead to the Exobiology Lab. I will be by in a few minutes with Ambassador Dax."

"Aye, sir," Zula said. With a wry smile, she left for the lab. Sahar turned back to the door, and pressed to enter.

"Come in," Curzon called from the other side, and the door slid open.

"Are you ready to go, sir?"

"Yes, yes Lieutenant, I'm ready. Let's go," he smiled. They walked silently down the corridor to the turbolift, and entered it.

"Deck 14, Exobiology," Sahar said. She waited for a few seconds, her eyes closed. Okay, it's now or never. "Computer, pause turbolift."

"Is something wrong, Lieutenant?" Curzon asked. Sahar turned on her heels and stepped up to him, staring into his face angrily.

"You're goddamn right something's wrong, you son of a bitch!" she snarled menacingly. Her demeanor had totally shifted. A moment before, she was the picture of a Starfleet Officer: calm, composed, dignified. Now, she glared at Curzon in a blind fury, barely in control of herself.

"Excuse me?"

"No," she barked. "You think you can come in here on a whim, torment my friend, and get away with it?"

"Lieutenant, you're out of line," he said, raising his voice.

"Shut the fuck up!" she screamed into his face. They peered into each other's faces. Sahar's eyes burned with fury, while Curzon's were calm and analytical. "I have watched you push Cassie around for two days, and I've had enough," she said quietly. "So here is what's going to happen: you are going to treat Casana fairly, and with the respect due a Starfleet Officer. You're evaluation will be honest, your recommendation just. Do you understand?"

"Are you threatening me, Lieutenant?" Curzon asked calmly.

"Yes," she hissed.

"I understand," Curzon said, without the slightest hint of having been intimidated.

"Good. Computer, resume transit."

******

Deck 14, Exobiology Lab, 0730 hours

Sahar smiled as Casana stepped past her into the Exobiology Lab. Curzon was again talking to Dr. Collins, but Casana ignored them. She practically danced across the room to the shrimp tank, humming as she went. Curzon looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Good morning, Lieutenant," Dr. Collins said.

"Morning!" chirped Casana. "Hey, I have an idea about the Bajoran Shrimp, so unless you object, I would LOVE to do a couple quick experiments here."

"By all means, go ahead," said Dr. Collins enthusiastically.

"Aren't you going to ask what she is going to do?" Curzon asked curiously.

"With Casana, it's better to be surprised," she smiled, turning to go back into her office. The door shut behind her, as Casana and Curzon were alone.

"So, what are you doing?" Curzon asked suspiciously.

"It's a secret," Casana giggled.

"You're just wasting time, aren't you? Playing with the shrimp?" His annoyance was palpable.

"You're half right," Casana smiled at him. She finished entering her commands into the computer and pressed a button on the tank. A robotic arm extended from the bottom of the tank and snared one of the larger shrimp in a net, dragging it down out of view.

"Or are you getting a snack?" Curzon said condescendingly.

"I already ate," she smiled. A small hatch at the base of the tank housing opened. Reaching into it, Casana retrieved a small, water filled transparent container with the shrimp inside. She took the container and crossed the room to an examination bench. Casana flipped a switch, and the table top lit up. She placed the container on the bench and retrieved a small vial of clear liquid from a storage closet.

"Seasonings?" Curzon asked.

"Even better: sedatives," she beamed as she walked past him. Casana opened the vial and emptied its contents into the container, and the shrimp immediately stopped moving and sank to the bottom of the container.

"You killed it."

"Nope." Casana rolled up a sleeve and reached into the container, removing the shrimp. Using a small laser drill, she cut a small hole in the carapace. She then picked up a small pair of energy shears and reached them into the hole. Snipping once, she withdrew the shears, which now had a small, yellow-green piece of tissue. Casana dropped it into a dish before returning the shrimp to its tank.

"What are you doing?" asked Curzon, his curiosity finally getting the better of him.

"You'll see!" she cooed, picking up the tissue sample with forceps. She used a small bottle to wash the sample, and the yellow-green material fell from the tissue into another small vial. "Got it!" she said happily. Discarding the tissue sample, she placed the vial into a small device built into the wall, and pressed a button.

"DNA sequencing?" Curzon asked.

"Maybe," she snickered. After a few minutes, a chromosomal map appeared on the display screen. Casana entered a few commands, and the computer searched through the DNA for a moment before highlighting a sequence of code. "Gotcha!" she yelled happily, clapping her hands together. She stored the sequence in the computer and removed the sample from the device, placing it in a cryostorage unit.

"What did you take?"

"Basket weaving 101, on Earth. Among other things," Casana replied, walking over to a large, cylindrical instrument. Using the controls, she pulled up a view of the DNA sequence she just isolated and entered some commands into the device. "Okay, now we let it cook!" she exclaimed proudly.

"Are you going to tell me what you just did?"

"That depends," Casana smiled innocently.

"On what?"

"Whether or not you'll give me a cookie," Casana said with a straight face. Curzon stared at her. "Just kidding! I took the gene for the protein that produces the photo-reactive molecule for photosynthesis, and now the machine is splicing it into algae."

"Why? To make it a slightly different shade of green?"

"No, for use in terraforming worlds with nonstandard light environments!"

"That is actually not a totally insane idea," Curzon grudgingly admitted.

"Why, thank you!"

******

2 Months Later, Deck 5, Crew Quarters, 1500 hours

Sahar leaned back against the wall of the sonic shower, closing her eyes. She let the waves of sound wash over her, cleaning the sweat and dirt from her body. Sahar was always amazed at how much dirt she could pick up on a starship. Casana was due back in the morning, and Sahar had requested to be present when she arrived.

After he left the Athena, Curzon had written a glowing recommendation for her, noting her resilience and her ability to inspire the loyalty and friendship of those around her. Sahar smiled when she heard the last part. Casana had been accepted, and a few days later she had departed the ship to take part in some ceremony. Sahar had not seen her in 7 weeks, and missed her energetic friend. The Athena had left K-7 a few weeks ago, and was nearly to the Cestus colony, the last Federation outpost before they entered uncharted space. A frigate was meeting them to deliver Casana before they left Federation territory.

She thought back to that week. She remembered Casana breaking down in the turbolift, herself screaming at Curzon, Casana's elation when she heard that she had been accepted, and Casana promising to have that talk with Sahar when she returned. Then she remembered the image of Casana and Crewman Black in the torpedo bay. It still brought her pain, but this time, it also brought something else.

Sahar felt herself heat up. She ran her hands over her body, from her long, jet black hair, down her neck, sides, and hips. As they passed her ribcage, her nipples began to harden, and her pussy grew damp. Should have brought the gloves, she thought, smiling to herself as her hands passed over her clit. She brought them back up her stomach slowly, creeping towards her breasts, trying to tease herself.

The image of Black and Casana passed through her mind again. But this time it was different. Black was gone. Sahar had taken his place between Casana's legs, his cock replaced with the programmable strap-on she kept in her wall locker. In her mind's eye, Sahar stood motionless between Casana's legs. She imagined the lust in her voice, the need in her eyes. As her hands reached her breasts, Sahar imagined it was Casana's hands, and she moaned loudly.

One hand slid back down her body to her now dripping sex, pressing softly as she pictured herself slowly entering Casana. Sahar imagined Casana's chest as she arched her back in pleasure, licking her lips at the thought of those nipples between her teeth. She pictured herself slowly moving in and out of Casana, starting to gently fuck her. Sahar's hand rubbed her clit as she imagined Casana's legs wrapping around her, pulling her deeper.

She moaned as she plunged her middle finger into herself, her thumb still on her clit, imagining Casana's moans and cries of ecstasy. Sahar's pace increased, both in the shower and her own mind, driving her higher as she imagined doing the same to Casana. Her juices flowed over her finger and onto the floor, filling the shower with the subtle smell of her passion. A second finger joined the first as she neared her peak.