Subject: Grail: The Great Brightness - The Women of the Grail - (Hargen/ Brinn)

Athalya Anne grabbed her consult. *Yippie.* She thought sarcastically.

*Just when I'm about to go to sleep...* Athalya Anne refocused her mind. It

was slightly slurring. "Play message." Shecommanded.

Athalya Anne listened to the message. Suddenly, all her tiredness was gone.

Her heart rate increased and her adrenal gland did its job. The fight in

Hargen's voice was unmistakable, at least, to her.

She giggled slightly. "If it's a fight that the commander's wanting..."

Athalya Anne brooded to herself. If she was lucky, this would be more along

the lines of the philosophical.

"Reply to sender: 10 - Forward. Now. Computer, give the message the

highest priority available and send." And then, Athalya Anne tore out of her

quarters like a bat out of hell.

Janice nearly jumped in her office when the computer announced, [Priority one

message received.]

Janice frowned. *Looks like I'm the popular one lately...* She walked back

to the console and tapped it quickly. Her jaw nearly dropped when she heard

the message. Her eyes narrowed. *If that's the way she wants to play

it...* She strode out of her office quickly.

"K'tel, watch the probe. Instructions on my desk," she said brusquely,

walking quickly past the stunned ensign and directly into the turbolift.

"Ten-forward." She stood still as the turbolift carried her to her meeting

with the XO. She had to grit her teeth to keep herself from yelling at the

computer to speed up. Finally, she arrived, strode out of the turbolift and

into ten-forward.

Brinn was calmly sitting at a table, drinking a brownish fluid. She raised

an eyebrow. Walking calmly to her side, she cleared her throat. "Hello,

Major."

Athalya Anne raised her glass in salute. "En..." She cut herself off. It

was time she stopped thinking of Kaya as an ensign. She had been promoted

recently, if what Athalya Anne heard was true. "Lieu..."

Athalya Anne cut herself off again. *Holy shit! This isn't Kaya!* Athalya

Anne put her hand over her mouth, trying to figure out how to address the

woman. 'Commander' would be to impersonal and 'Jan' would be to personal.

*Resolution?* An idea struck her. A nick name. Athalya Anne spat out the

first name that came to mind. "Lucy." Athalya Anne grinned. "From now on,

your name is Lucy."

Janice raised an eyebrow. First the major had tried calling her an Ensign, a

Lieutenant, and now..." Lucy? "No, Major. My name is Lieutenant Commander

Janice Hargen. I refuse to answer to anything else." Her eyes narrowed

angrily. *Just what does she think she is doing?*

Athalya Anne merely shrugged. The caffeine she was ingesting was easily

counterbalancing Lucy's evil glare. She smiled. "If you say so." She

paused, "Want something?"

"To drink, that is." Athalya Anne added on, realizing too late the broad

implications of the question.

"No, thank you." Her statements were blunt and cold. She refused to say

anything more - waiting for Brinn to finally tell her why she was really

here.

Athalya Anne leaned in, slightly, not enough to crowd Lucy but just enough

to add a level of personal interest. "Please, have a seat."

Janice was tempted to remain standing, but she pulled the chair opposite

Brinn away from the table and sat rigidly. "Well?"

"Yes, that would be the question." Athalya Anne absently mumbled, trying to

curb her tongue before she was asked to take a ride in the turbolift. "It

would seem that there is some undue anger underneath the surface."

Janice raised an eyebrow. "The surface of what?" she asked, almost

condescendingly.

"You're not stupid. Please, don't make me get even bitchier. You are

bearing anger against me. If you have a shred of honor in your soul you'll

stop acting coy and be out with it."

Janice straightened in her chair. "Yes. Have you forgotten the meeting

already?" she asked.

Athalya Anne drew her eyebrows together slightly. She had just barely

insulted Lucy, but not by much. Not enough to be cold as titanium over. If

anything, the Captain should be after her. Lucy might be esper blind, but

her face was an open book. The captain. Lucy. Lucy. "You want him, don't

you?"

"Excuse me?" she asked, hoping she was talking about something other than

what Kait had mentioned previously.

Athalya Anne eyed the woman in front of her. She looked around. Lord.

Athalya Anne inwardly shuddered. She'd had her fill of the nasty little

Ferengi and it wasn't fair to expose Lucy to him either. "Come." Athalya

Anne ordered. "We will walk."

"We will?" she asked, fury brightening her eyes.

"Would you rather I yelled it out in a restaurant full of gossips? It can be

arranged."

Janice cleared her throat. "Walking is preferable."

Athalya Anne stood and walked out, letting Lucy follow her. Once they were

in the clear, Athalya Anne looked around, slowed her pace slightly and said,

"That's what this is all about - the reason you dislike me, that is. I made

the mistake of going against your man."

Janice stopped dead in the corridor. She swallowed slowly, trying to keep

calm. "My... man?" she whispered.

Athalya Anne's chin momentarily went up, like a huntress after a kill. The

familiar old glint in her eyes deepened for a second. Athalya Anne turned to

Lucy. "Yes..." Athalya Anne whispered back, closing in on Lucy. "Your

man."

She grit her teeth. She wouldn't let Brinn get to her. "And who might that

be?" she asked, her voice shaking.

"Do you like playing stupid?"

"No. I would like to know exactly what you think. So there can be

absolutely no misunderstandings."

"If you don't like playing stupid, then why in Terra's good name do you do it

so often? Here's what I think: I think you're scared. I don't think you

like the fact that you're attracted to Epic Terrakian, Captain of the USS

Grail. I think that in spite of your fear, you allow yourself to feel the

attraction. I don't think that there isn't anything you wouldn't do for

him. I think that THAT'S why you're mad at me: I made the mistake of

crossing him, and consequently you."

Janice's jaw fell. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Twice. In

one day. In three hours. *My God, does the whole blasted ship think

this?* In spite of herself, she began to laugh. Softly at first, but it

slowly began harder and harder, until she had to lean against the wall to

support herself. "Do you really think that, Major? That I'm madly in love

with the captain?"

Hysterical. The woman was hysterical. Athalya Anne had hit upon God's

Truth. This was at the core of Lucy. This was what she didn't want anyone

else to know. This was.... Lucy. And in spite of the pain Athalya Anne was

causing, she persisted, enjoying every second of it and hating herself for

enjoying it and enjoying the pain she was consequently inflicting on

herself. "Madly in love? If that's how you care to phrase it, than it will

be so. I think you want him quite possibly more than any other man before in

your life." Athalya Anne's eyes as she locked them with Lucy's. "God's

Truth." She whispered. "God's Truth."

Janice stopped laughing slowly, but her voice was pure venom. "I am not in

love with Epic Terrakian, nor do I 'want him' as you so rudely put. Is that

what you wanted to hear? May I be dismissed now?"

"No, God damn it! You most certainly are not going to be dismissed until we

are at the bottom of this!" Athalya Anne was in Lucy's face, as she had

once been in the same face. "If that's not it - but I do think it is - then

what, my dear, is it?" Athalya Anne's voice was quieter and the evil was

gone from her eyes, replaced with concern. Concern for the hysterical

woman. Concern for.... she didn't quite know what else, but something else

was at the back of her mind.

"What is what?!" she yelled. "What do you want to hear from me?" Her fury

was back, in full force.

"Let's start with rational statements. I want to hear from you the truth,

the truth as you know it and the truth as you believe it or with God as my

witness, I'll keep at you until I know why you're so defensive my

reasoning. Even if it takes the rest of my natural life." Athalya Anne's

voice was under perfect control, and now, so was she.

"The truth about what?!" she asked, trying to grasp at any remaining calm she

had.

"The truth about why." Although by now, it was more than blindingly obvious

why Lucy hated her, and probably would hate her for the rest of the tour.

*Androids. Damn.* "You were predisposed to dislike me."

Janice's jaw dropped once again. "Wha... why... dislike you?"

"Come now, Lucy." Athalya Anne calmly said, but accidentally letting loose

the nick name. Hoping she wouldn't remember immediately, Athalya Anne

continued, "Have you forgotten the meeting already? I'm not blind. If

looks could kill, I would have died a death worthy of a Poe story. Also,

your reception to my overtures was not the friendliest."

"Yes. I was upset with you. I am now. How else do you expect me to

receive an invitation? Bring flowers?" she nearly screamed. *What in the

world is she getting at??*

"Obviously. However, you could have left the ice in your quarters."

Janice took in a deep breath. "You insult me. You insult the captain of

this ship - when you are supposed to support him. You are his executive

officer. Sometimes people even call them 'number one.' But you completely

defy everything that the position means and insult everyone. And you expect

me to just let it lay? I don't think so, Major!"

If the little look in the meeting was what the commander was referring to -

Athalya Anne had all ready apologized. "And tell me - what sort of XO would

I be if I let the Captain violate the Prime Directive?" That had to be the

only thing Lucy had a gripe about - the rest of the Captain's sparring and

hers was in private. And her comment to Eve Mallory struck her. *God!*

Athalya Anne thought happily, *I'm such a bitch.*

"If the look in the Observation Lounge is what you're in a snit over, then

once again, I most sincerely apologize. If how I do my job is what you're

in a snit over - for that I'll never apologize. My worst crime is voicing

my opinion. Admittedly, a little loudly. But my opinion is my opinion."

Something struck her again. "That's how we're different, I guess." Athalya

Anne mused. "I'm loyal to ideals and you're loyal to people."

"Starfleet never did anything for me. I have no desire to do anything for

it. But my friends are few and far between. And I don't ever like to lose

them. And I especially don't like to see others make them upset, Major.

And that, my dear," she spat the word out like it was a curse rather than a

term of endearment, "is the main reason I am upset with you."

"If you don't desire to do anything for the 'Fleet, then why are you still

here?"

"In case you hadn't noticed, I didn't have much of a choice in it. Many of

us didn't."

"That's fallacious reasoning. There's always more than one choice."

"Not for me, there isn't." Her voice almost sounded sad. But it hardened

quickly. "Am I dismissed now, Major?"

Athalya Anne admired this woman. In all her time on this ship, dozens of

people had physically challenged her. None had mentally challenged her.

This Lucy, this little girl, had made her think, made her run, made her....

made her.... made her.... She wasn't going to give that up. Not for the

life of her. And she was going to win this girl. This Lucy. "For now.

However," Athalya Anne knew she was being transparent, "I would enjoy a

weekly engineering report from the chief engineer, every... whenever,

circumstances permitting." She paused and smiled. "We'll be in touch.

Dismissed."

Janice shot a dirty look at Brinn as she mentioned a weekly report.

"Understood, Major." She turned on her heel smartly and strode down the

corridor, barely in control. Athalya Anne watched as Lucy strode off.

Looking down, Athalya Anne noticed that her hands were shaking. She was

amazed. The haden't shook like that since Gaaralanda IV. She hadn't let her

self feel like that since Gaaralanda IV. Arching an eyebrow, Athalya Anne

made way to the nearest stair case. This was far from over.

Janice entered the nearest turbolift. "Computer....." she paused, trying to

find somewhere to go. "My quarters." She knew she should return to

engineering to work with the probe, but she was afraid that she would rip the

thing in two if she went in there with this attitude.

LCmdr Janice Hargen and LMaj Athalya Anne Brinn