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It was quite surprising that they assigned him a cabin. He was convinced that he would be put in the prison where he belonged. At least on a Romulan ship he would end up there. Instead, he found himself in a two-bedroom apartment with its own toilet and bathroom. Every officer, maybe even a captain, could have lived here.
He walked over to the replicator. "Tea, please."
"Specify," the computer announced. "Black, green, herbal..."
Of course, they will not serve Romulan drinks on a Earth ship, he thought after a moment.
"Green."
A white cup with a pale yellow liquid appeared on his plate. Narek never saw any green tea, but the green color was his favorite. He hoped that the tea would not contain any dangerous substance for Vulcanoids such as chocolate or coffee. But this drink smelled of herbs. He took a cup and sat on the bed. Looking at the stars, he thought about his future.
"I know how you feel," a woman's voice tore him from his thoughts. There was a little blonde standing at the doors. Narek didn't recognize her. He saw her in the village with Soji and other synths. Another "new one" as Picard?
"We don't know each other. I'm Dr. Agnes Jurati," she shook his hand in a human introduction gesture. Narek frowned, but accepted the offered hand. He didn't want to be impolite.
"I know what it's like. You have to do something you don't want... that goes against your faith... but you have to do it because it's right... or at least you think so."
Romulan looked at her in surprise. What was she talking about?
"I know what it's like to kill a loved one..."
"I didn't kill Soji!" But he wanted to. Actually, he didn't want it, but he had to. But it didn't matter. He didn't care about anything anymore. But he didn't intend to explain it to this human woman.
"I worked with dr. Maddox on the production of advanced synthetics. He disappeared after the attack on Mars."
Narek just nodded. He didn't know what to tell her.
Agnes stepped closer and sat down on the bed.
"Admiral Oh took control of my mind. She has convinced me that all synthetics need to be destroyed. Before they destroy us."
She sighed and continued.
"So I killed the man I loved. Because I thought it was a right thing to do."
Tears glistened in her eyes. Narek didn't know what to do. He had never comforted any woman, and certainly not a human woman. He patted her gently on the shoulder, holding her in his arms as she cried. It was something new for him, something unknown.
"It was so awful," Agnes was sobbing in his arms. "He was suffocating and I was just standing there ..."
He touched her hair gently. They were not as thick and coarse as Soji had. Their structure was far finer than by any of Romulan women. They were soft as a cobweb and twisted gently around her face. Narek would like to bury his face in those blond curls.
He collected himself just in time. He wasn't here to touch foreign human women. There was only one woman in his mind and in his heart. Soji.
When Narek woke up in the morning, he knew something was bad. He didn't know exactly why, but subconsciously he felt that something terrible had happened. And also the heaviness on his chest...
He looked up to find that it was a woman. Blonde from the Earth. Agnes Jurati.
That scared him. How did she get here? And in his bed specifically?
One woman with round ears had been lying in his arms before, but his relationship with Soji was clearly purposeful. He had no idea why this scientist was in his bed. Did anyone from Tal Shiar drugged him? Or any of the synths? Were they on their planet or was it just a hallucination, after all?
Those thoughts were interrupted by a foreign invasion. There was a sharp blade at Narek's neck. It was that young boy. Romulan named Elnor.
"I knew I couldn't trust you. But I had no idea you would be able to do such a ruse and rape a defenseless woman!"
"I didn't do anything to her!" Elnor shouted what woke Agnes up.
"Then why does she have bruises on her body?" The boy had no patience. It was obvious he hadn´t pass the true Romulan education.
Agnes looked confusedly from one Romulan to another, unaware of the fact that she was naked.
"You better get dressed, Doctor," Elnor said, looking away. He had never seen a naked woman before, and definitely not a human woman.
The door opened again, and Admiral Picard, Captain Rios, and Soji came inside. She stopped at the doors and watched the scene in front of her in horror.
"I didn't hurt her," Narek told Picard, turning to Agnes to confirm his version. She nodded, but didn't dare to look the admiral in the eye.
"He's telling the truth. I was with him from my own will."
"It doesn't matter now. We've just arrived at the Starbase, so both of you get ready. The officers will come for you and take you to a pre-trial detention cell," announced Captain Rios.
However, Narek didn't pay attention to these words. His gaze was fixed on the woman he loved the most in the world and who had just found him in the arms of another.
Agnes was placed in a cell only with a bed, table and a chair. She sat on the bed and thought about last night. When she came to Narek, she certainly didn't think she would end up in his arms. In fact, she didn't even know why she came after him. To provide him some spiritual comfort? She didn't know that. But something drew her to him, some kind of solidarity. Because only she knew how he felt.
Kisses full of despair when they both imagined someone else. They hugged that other person, kept them in their arms. Words in a Romulan language she didn't comprehend. She only understood the word "Soji." Narek's gray eyes full of disappointment when he found out he wasn't holding the one he loved in his arms.
Soji was scared. She had no idea that she would ever see something so terrible. All the time he had been telling her how much he loved her, and finally she found another woman in his bed. And that bothered her! She wasn't jealous, she really wasn't. If she were jealous, it would mean that she felt something for Narek. All she felt now was anger, hatred and abomination. That night she had a dream about spending it with Narek in his arms.
She still felt the touch of his lips, the tongue in her mouth, the hands on her body... He made her body sing, he was like a master playing a musical instrument. And that tool was her body. He was an experienced and also a relentless lover. The best she ever slept with. She just wasn't sure if those were the real memories or the fake ones.