The Matriarch

Posted on Mon Jan 25th, 2021 @ 3:56pm by Lieutenant Daisy Stanier & Colonel Sehan t'Varis

1,252 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Chapter III: The Hunt is On
Location: Zeotis IV
Timeline: 238701.30

Daisy stood outside the matriarch's office patiently, her hands folded across her front. She liked living at the monastery a lot, and owed the nuns who had taken care of her and Azalea so much, but Raven was Raven and she was the only other person in the entire universe who Daisy would do anything for. If Sehan t'Varis needed her help, then Daisy would follow.

"Is it like how you remembered it, then?" Daisy asked.

Raven nodded. "The place has gotten a bit more run down, but otherwise, not much has changed. I see they never did bother replacing that dead plant down the corridor. I reckon it must have been there for 20 years now." She chuckled, before gently knocking on the door.

"I think the place being run down gives it more character, to be honest" Daisy commented.

A few moments later, the Matriarch summoned her unexpected guests into her office. Arwenna had not long left her meeting, and although she wasn't expecting guests immediately afterwards, at least whoever it was had arrived at a convenient time in her schedule.

"Enter" she called.

Raven opened the door, and walked in, smiling and bowing her head in deference. "Matriarch Arwenna. Peace be with you. It has been too long since I left this place. I apologise for how I left things."

After she'd entered Arwenna's office, Daisy closed the door behind her and then stood next to Raven. Her interactions with the Matriarch were somewhat limited, although Daisy knew enough about her to form a positive opinion of the other woman. After all, it was Arwenna who'd allowed Daisy and Azalea to live in the monastery in the first place.

"Peace be with you, Matriarch Arwenna" Daisy said.

Arwenna replied. "And with you. Please, sit. May I get either of you anything?"

Daisy sat down, waiting for Raven to answer Arwenna's offer of refreshments.

Raven shook her head. "Thank you for the offer, matriarch. Do you remember me at all, or has it been too long?"

Daisy shook her head and also politely declined the offer.

"Oh I remember you, Sehan t'Varis. You were always the rebellious one, always getting into trouble. I wish I could say I was surprised when you chose to leave the safety of our community before you came of age, but that was your decision and I hope that it turned out to be the right one. Nevertheless, I am pleased to see you are well, and I trust you have been looked after by Nurse Stanier since your arrival?" Arwenna said.

"I am surprised that you would recognise me, Matriarch, but then I am also not. As you say, I always was rebellious. And the getting into trouble, well, that has continued since." Raven shrugged. "It appears that trouble follows me. But yes, Daisy has been an excellent host. You were aware, then, that I had come here?"

Arwenna smiled. "I have eyes and ears everywhere, Sehan. What is it that brings you here after so long?"

The mercenary smirked. Of course the Matriarch was well-connected. It was the only way to keep a place like this even remotely safe. "Well," she finally said. "Over the last few days, some ghosts from my past seem to have reappeared, and it made me realise that there are some things I need to deal with. Tell me, Matriarch, please. What do you know of my mother?"

Arwenna remembered Sehan t'Varis' arrival well, almost as if it were yesterday when it was actually around a quarter of a century ago. She'd heard a knock at the door, but when she reached and opened it, all Arwenna could see was a newborn baby girl wrapped in a blanket inside a wicker Moses basket. Whoever had left her on the monastery's doorstep that night had left no clues about their identity.

"I wish I did, Sehan, but you were left on our doorstep in the dead of night. Whoever left you there had gone by the time I'd opened the door and found you, and they left no clues about who you or they were. You were the tiniest baby I'd ever seen, wrapped up tightly in white cotton blanket with a little hat to keep your head warm. And now, you've grown into the strong, independent woman sat in front of me" Arwenna said.

Raven nodded slowly. This was not the answer she had been hoping for. She knew, of course, that her mother had been a human-orion hybrid, but even that she only knew thanks to DNA analysis performed when she enlisted in Starfleet Academy. Suddenly, she frowned, realising something the Matriarch had said didn't quite add up. "But, Matriarch," she enquired, slightly confused. "What about the bracelet?" She reached into her pocket, and took out a tiny, silver hoop, with an engraved plate. "I had this, didn't I? With my name on it. Was there really nothing else?"

Arwenna paused for a moment, before remembering there was indeed something else. She unlocked one of the drawers in her desk and pulled out an anklet of Orion origin, which she examined for a moment or so before handing it over to Raven.

"There was this, too. I'm sorry Sehan, I wish I could be more helpful" Arwenna said.

"Thank you," Raven said, taking the anklet from the Matriarch and examining it. It was silver, and of exceptional workmanship, but it was very plain and almost entirely unadorned, except for a single, sky-blue gem. She was going to have to have a closer look at it when she got back to the Ourainavassa. "Thank you very much, Matriarch," she said again. "You have done a great deal for me in the past. Is there anything that I can do for you?"

Arwenna nodded. "The only thing you can do for me, Sehan, is to not get yourself killed. You're far more precious than you think you are, and your parents put their trust in me to take care of you. You may no longer be a member of our community, but I still feel an obligation to look out for you."

"In my line of work, that is not something I can promise. But I will try." Raven turned and looked at Daisy. "Isn't there something you wanted to talk to the Matriarch about, too?"

Arwenna looked at Raven with a look of reluctant acceptance before turning to Daisy, intrigued as to what she was going to tell her. The Matriarch had an idea, but she wanted Daisy to say for herself.

"Yes, there is. I love it here and I owe you and everyone here my life, but I've decided to go back with Raven. Consider it my way of keeping an eye on her for you" Daisy said.

Arwenna did not like what she'd heard one bit. The idea of Daisy and Azalea being exposed to such danger filled her with a deep, deep sense of dread, but she appreciated Daisy's expression of gratitude nevertheless. On the other hand however, she knew that Raven would do her best to keep Daisy and Azalea safe, no matter what.

"If agree I to let them go, do you promise to keep Daisy and Azalea safe, Sehan?" Arwenna asked.

Raven nodded. "I will do all I can, as I do for all of my crew."

"Very well, you have my blessing. Take care of yourself and your sister, Daisy" Arwenna responded.

Daisy nodded. "Thank you, Matriarch. I will"

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