Betrayal!
Posted on Sun Jul 14th, 2019 @ 5:08pm by Camille Petrovich
Edited on on Sun Jul 14th, 2019 @ 6:48pm
1,885 words; about a 9 minute read
Mission:
Episode 7 - Home Again
Location: HS Room 7, Deck 5
Timeline: MD007 1700 hrs
Cami stalked through the station, then back into the Pioneer and through the ship’s corridors until she found the office of the ship’s counselor. She’d used her official diplomatic status to find out where Dr. Ovaa was. Cami knew she was in there and hesitated only a few seconds before she hit the annunciator.
She was more than a little irritated when she said, “Dr. Ovaa? Camille Petrovich. I was wondering if I might have a word.” Her voice had an edge to it and she wiped again at her cheeks, trying to will the tears that had been threatening to pour free for the past hour.
Impatient, she slapped the door with her palm, “Dr. Ovaa?”
Tallida had been lost in the report she had been reading. It was easy to do when one was trying to research their origin. It was frowned upon by the Institute but she figured what they didn't know wouldn't hurt her. She looked up at the announcement and took her a moment to realize that she was in the office alone. When the door parted and she spotted a distraught Camille Petrovich her face showed her surprise. "Ms. Petrovich, what is wrong? Are you ok?"
Stalking into the office, Cami walked right up to the desk, leaning forward on both hands to glower at Talli. "Dr. Ovaa," she said icily, "Exactly what did you say to Neil. He just broke up with me. Telling me it was too dangerous for me to be here and that regardless, he didn't have a place in his life for me and wants me to go."
A sob escaped her and she tilted her head forward, tears starting to flow. Her dark hair covered her face and her body shook slightly
Tallida look at her. Her jaw was slacked as pure shock was written across her features."I, uh," She started as she quickly ran over the conversation in her head. Had they even spoken to each other? The events in her mind were tainted by a hormonal rush and she shook her head trying to give the women an answer. "I honestly don't remember what exactly I said." She started and paused giving Camille an opening as her brain scrambled to come up with something.
Cami's face snapped up and she spit,"You don't know what you said? Well you must have said something! He claimed you were making 'Eyes' at him and it made me understand. You want him for yourself, DON'T you!" Her voice cracked and anger poured into it as she pointed a shaking finger at Talli.
"What?" Tallida look at at Camille her eyes wide. "I was what?" She started. "No, that is not what happened. I may not remember exactly what I had said past that I was there on your behalf, but I can assure you Ms. Petrovich, I have no interest in Neil." Without thinking she used his first name, which wasn't like her and she would kick herself later.
Cami straightened then, wiping her face and said in mock calmness. "Oh, well. Ok then."
Then her tone sharpened, "OF COURSE you would say that. You COW! You found out I was interested in Neil and you obviously were interested in him! Then when I talked to you, you had to go see him and poison him against me!" Tears were flowing now as she breathed deeply, her voice becoming shriller, "Tell me more lies, Doctor..he even tried to muddy the waters by claiming to not like you. I think he even questioned whether you had been dropped on your head as a baby. Did you two come up with that together to try and fool ME?"
Tallida's blood was heated at her comments. Not the insults that Camille threw out of anger, but what Neil had said. She let out a laugh. Of course Neil would use her as an out being the coward that he was. She stood up from her chair and leveled her eyes at the emotional women standing across from her. "I will tell you this only once more, Ms. Petrovich. I only sought out Lieutenant Tremble as your request. If you remember our entire conversation I urged you to speak with him yourself."
Talli smoothed down her medical jacket for a moment. "I am sorry that Tremble was so uncaring to your feelings Your emotional inclination to take out your hurt and frustration on a female of which you view as competition is perfectly, human. Females primal nature is to find the strongest man who offers the most protection and eliminate any competition that might stand in their way. So for that, I will not hold your remarks against you. But I assure you, I am not interested in Lieutenant Tremble past a growing desire to send him out an airlock."
Camille drew her self up, staring at Dr. Ovaa as she spoke, shaking her head slowly as Tali finished. "You used my trouble as an excuse to go see him, is that how it went, Doctor? You told him that I was being weak and a strong man like him needed a stronger woman. You used me to to...how did you put it...get your competition out of the way. I just BET you were wanting to follow your primal urges and get him to chose you. Telling him you were the more available one..who could be there for him since you served aboard the same ship."
Camille leaned forward, "What an underhanded, conniving slut you are. And you claim to want to help people..."
It was everything Tallida could do to resist rolling her eyes. She had known that taking a counselor position would set her up for situations like this, but the simple fact that she was in this situation due to a man being afraid of a female was frustrating. "Ms. Petrovich." Talli started moving around the desk to be on the same side as the women who was a mess of emotions. "The situation is not how you see it, I assure you." She closed the gap between moving into a hail mary attempt to get the women to calm down. Wrapping her arms around her she gave the women a hug applying pressure as evenly as she could in an attempt to apply Deep Pressure Stimulation to calm the women down. "I am so sorry." She said softly waiting to see if how she would react.
Cami stiffened as Tallida approached her and almost pulled away before accepting the hug and leaned into the Doctor, sobbing. "What should I do," she whispered. "He's all I've been able to think about for months....and now....this."
Talli was relieved when Camille returned her hug. Ushering the woman to the chairs in her office she handed her a cup of tea and sat next to her. "I wish I could tell you the answer." She replied softly. "Lieutenant Tremble, is a moron to not see the wonderful, strong and beautiful woman that you are." She couldn't help but look her over slightly, it wasn't professional. "I would tell you to move on, but I know it isn't that easy." She started.
Cami sipped at the tea and leaned against the counselor, feeling bone weary and tired through and through. "I've been a fool...he actually said he wished we could have been together. Wished things were different...but I got the idea that he thinks war is coming and...the Bastard...can only see his duty.." She looked up then, surprisingly close to Talli, her breath washing over the Doctor's lips.
Talli hadn't realized the closeness and pulled back slightly. This was a situation she couldn't fall into. She looked over the woman's face. "I am sorry Camille, it is my experience that men don't change." She replied softly. Tallida was so confused. Everything was overwhelming her and she was fighting to keep herself dispassionate.
Camille felt Talli drew back and her shoulders slumped and she gathered her hands into her lap. "No, it's my fault," she said in a low voice. "I chased after him. I handled all of this so badly. I am just a horrible person. I'm not surprised..."
"You are not a horrible person," Same can't be said for him. She tentatively reached over and brushed a curl behind Camille's ear. "We never what we get out of life if we don't leap. Sometimes it works and sometimes we end up crying on a friends couch." She smiled at her. Tallida had spent her entire life in the shadows, so she was out of her element but the sentiment felt right in that moment.
Cami wiped at her eyes again and sighed, "Yeah, but I caused ALL of this. And now he won't talk to me. I'm too much trouble. One thing about Neil is he doesn't...tolerate drama. I ... showed up out of the blue. Then avoided talking to him...and sent you to do it for me."
Tears traced down her face, but this time she was calmer. "I'm just a fool. And destined to be alone it seems."
"I find that hard to believe." Talli replied with a smile. "Lieutenant Trimble may not have been the one, yet, that the doesn't mean you are destined to be alone. I don't want to give you false hope by telling you that maybe he will change his mind, but if you two are meant for each other it will happen. You just can't force it."
Cami nodded, sighing her eyes going far away for a moment, "You didn't spend a deliciously sleepless 16 hour day with him," she related with a tiny smile. "I've never met anyone like him...and now."
She sighed again and shrugged, "I don't want to hope. Hope hurts too much."
"Believe me when I say, I can't even imagine what that was like." Tallida knew that if she spent more than sixteen minutes with the man one of them would end up dead. "I am here for you, Ms. Petrovich." The angosian started. "Let me know if there is anything I can do."
Cami had regained enough of her sense to understand she was being dismissed. She stood and turned to look Tallida in the face and said, "Just. Please. He needs a friend and I don't think he has many. And..." she took a deep breath and said, "Tell Neil I'm sorry. And that I love him."
With that, she turned and walked out nearly unable to speak again.
Tallida watched her leave in complete shock. What was it about Cornelius Tremble that had made such a smart, elegant, composted women such as Camille Petrovich into such a love sick puppy? The man was attractive, as much as the Angosian hated to admit, but primal urges didn't lead to love. She sat in silence as she contemplated how she was going to get to the bottom of mystery that was Lieutenant Tremble.
A Joint Post By
Lieutenant Tallida Ovaa
Chief Counselor, USS Pioneer
Camille Petrovich
Civilian, Empok Nor
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