Work Text:
The patterns of the wormhole played out before him on the sensors, its eddies and currents folding space upon itself in a space that could have fit between both of his hands. It was something of a curiosity during his other, more important mission he was currently on, though it seemed that Telek had truly had gotten the greatest of prizes from this anomaly. This Federation ship on the other side of it claimed that it was from the Delta Quadrant, something he at first had dismissed as an obvious and rather poor deception, except when he analyzed the communications logs and he realized that they were in fact telling the truth. Beaming aboard simply confirmed it to his senses. This equipment was beyond what he had seen before, and if this truly was some sort of secret prototype ship of the Federation, would they really risk beaming him aboard?
His natural suspicion soon gave way to scientific curiosity and interest, and he was peering at the instruments with a barely restrained excitement. This unexpected encounter with the starship on the other side of the wormhole was turning out to be a marvel, but one that was clouded with an air of tragedy to it.
“You want me to send a message to Starfleet for you?” he asked Janeway, his voice restrained, but there was that barely noticeable hint of apology that let the captain know that he was not being difficult out of spite. “I am not a high-ranking official among my own people, so I doubt the Senate will take any request I make into serious account.”
Fiercely proud, and always inclined to view the Federation with hostility, navigating interactions with the Romulan Senate would probably be more difficult than flying Voyager through the wormhole. Still, Janeway was never one to back away from a challenge, especially one that was so important for her and the rest of the crew. “I think the Senate might be more willing to cooperate than you might think,” she said, trying not to sound like she was desperate. How she wished she could indulge in hopeful fantasies, but she had earlier only to have those hopes crushed, and this time she was trying to think with pragmatism. “This is a unique opportunity for them, after all.”
His pale eyes narrowed ever so slightly in thought, his brows giving them an even sharper look as he mulled over her words. “I see what you mean,” he replied. “I am not sure if they would, though. I hope they will, but it is best to remain skeptical.” He already sounded like he had given up, but the fact that he was even willing to try despite that spoke volumes.
“That is the best we can ask for,” she said with a nod. “We don’t have any ulterior motives, nothing more than a hope for compassion and charity, as I am sure you can understand being separated from the ones you love.”
His long fingers tightened a little on the sensor array before he relaxed them with a visible effort, his face still caught in a brief expression of longing before that too was smoothed over. Compared to Vulcans it was as obvious as a fireworks display, but there was still a mask that was difficult to penetrate. Klingons, Betazoids, even Cardassians were all easy to read or even guess what they were thinking, but Romulans were not. “I can very well,” he admitted after a moment, his lips barely moving as he spoke. “What may move an individual, though, may not move a collective.”
“I think basic emotions touch us all the same way,” she said, coming closer to him. “I know that we all share the same desires. We are all moved by the same things.”
Telek R’Mor gave her a searching look, different from how Tuvok could. There was an alertness in his eyes, an inquisitiveness that tried to read her mind through his gaze alone. She could see the thoughts and emotions leaping behind them, all on display for her to see and almost unsettling in their intensity. So much lay beneath the surface, waiting to be drawn out. “Which would be?”
Janeway held his eyes, steeling herself against them. She was not afraid, but she was feeling something else entirely. “We are far away from our homes, our families, just as you are now,” she began, “traveling in unfamiliar stars. We are lonely, and wish for a connection to something familiar. I am sure you understand that.”
There was a long moment of silence from him as he stared at her, the tension around his eyes softening. Slowly his hand drifted away from the sensor array, moving with the slow intent that she recognized from Vulcans so well, except when he hesitated in front of her face. When she did not react, he placed his finger under her chin and tilted her face upward to look at her better.
She allowed it; the moment felt surreal, almost dreamlike, like another anomaly had happened that placed the two of them in a different plane of existence from the rest of the world. It seemed like they were the only two beings left in the galaxy, this moment meant for the two of them alone. “It is a pity that a woman such as yourself is fated to feel so alone,” he said, breaking the silence at last. His tone had shifted, becoming something lower, tinged with velvet. Yet there was a trace of sadness as well, a shared pain that they did not need to speak out loud to understand.
“I could say the same about you,” she replied, reaching up to guide his hand away from her chin. Their fingers brushed together, ever so slightly, but she knew what such a thing meant to Vulcans, and their Romulan cousins were no different. She heard his little gasp, and pretended she did not, letting her touch graze the edges of his fingers as she pushed them away. “But this is why I think we will be able to help each other.”
His fingers did not leave hers, hovering so close that she could feel the warmth from his skin. “Perhaps you are right,” Telek said after a brief pause. He was almost smiling. “I think we have a great deal to offer each other.”