Beginning: A Star Trek Novel (New Frontier Reloaded Book 2)

by ROVER MARIE TOWLE

"No. It doesn't."

  They were silent for several moments. Odo scooted closer and gathered Kejal to his chest. Exactly how Doctor Mora had done for him.

  "I have an idea, Kejal."

  "Oh?"

  "Let me get the notifications out and then we'll talk."

  Kejal nodded and buried his face in Odo's chest. Odo commanded the communications console to turn on and began delivering the news. Within the hour much of Bajor knew of Doctor Mora's passing.

  Next, Odo and Kejal helped Aleexa pack up the medical equipment. The grab poles, the balance bars and the shower bench had become such regular fixtures that their disappearance felt somehow wrong.

  Odo went to tell Kejal the bed needed to go. He found him in the middle of it in his gelatinous state, his substance surrounding the pillow that cradled Doctor Mora's head.

  Maybe the bed could wait awhile longer.

  .o

  Day two without Mora wasn't as joyful as day one.

  The reality of his absence hit Kejal hard. His established routine no longer applied and he found himself floundering.

  It used to be so automatic. Watch the sunrise, make a mug of deka tea and check on Mora. Now, the sudden free time left him lost. He wondered if his father felt this way after those ten wonderful early years. Then again, now, Mora was experiencing the joy Kejal did upon reuniting with Odo.

  Kejal realized he missed Mora's voice the most. After the confusion following the separation from his mother, that voice became his guidance. Holo-vids were the only items that kept his memories solid. Losing them meant truly losing his father forever.

  "It was an honor to meet you," Spock said to Mora.

  Mora smiled and took a deep breath. "Ambassador, the honor was mine, too."

  They shook hands. Spock raised his right one in the Vulcan salute. Mora mirrored the gesture, his eyes practically glowing.

  The holo-imager flashed to the next video.

  Mora held up a hand, laughing. "Oh, don't point that at me. I look awful."

  All the memories he thought would bring solace became too painful. Kejal shut off the holo-imager.

  Footsteps approached the door.

  "Kejal?"

  Kejal stayed huddled in a ball.

  Aleexa sat by his feet. "It's a strange feeling, isn't it? You spend so much time looking after someone. Then they pass and there you are, wondering what to do with all the time you didn't have before."

  He nodded without looking at her. "I feel selfish. I should be glad he isn't suffering anymore. He was so sick and weak at the end. I wanted him to get out of that miserable body."

  "And now that he's gone, you'll give anything to have him back."

  She practically read his mind.

  "Like I said," Kejal whispered, "selfish."

  "Missing someone isn't selfish." Aleexa moved to seat herself where he could see her. "You loved your father, and he loved you."

  Kejal clutched the gray semicircular pillow to his chest. It still had the bloodstains from Mora's right ear. Blood caused by his pagh escaping and proof of his continued existence.

  "Then why did I rejoice right after he died and why is it painful now?"

  Aleexa smiled, but her eyes had tears in them. "The reality of it is setting in. You saw him go, and you saw him buried. This is where many people say 'now what?'"

  "Hm...I remember...he woke up and looked at us right before..." A sigh made Kejal's nostrils flare. "I'll never forget the love in his eyes. Like he said goodbye with just a look."

  "That is exactly what he did." She squeezed his shoulder. "I've been present at quite a few deaths, and I know the look you're talking about. He was completely happy and at peace."

  "He was. Mother and I were hugging him. He died in our arms, Aleexa. I saw his last breath. I felt the pulse in his neck stop. My own birth was that easy." Kejal said. "Then he looked at the foot of the bed. His eyes had a glow to them. I know what he saw. This bloodstain, right here, it's from his pagh leaving his body. Do you think he ran right to Leruu?"

  She touched the pillow and smiled sadly. "Yeah. I think he did."

  "What do your people believe happens when you die?"

  Aleexa looked up. "We leave our bodies and emerge into the Great Forest. A family member who went before meets us at the Guide Tree and leads us to our ancestors. It's a very beautiful place full of sunlight and greenery. I think you'd like it there."

  "I would." Kejal said.

  He still hadn't convinced his mother to believe in an afterlife yet. Not completely.

  "I know you need to send the bed back," Kejal mimicked clearing his throat, "but can I keep this pillow?"

  "Of course, sweetie."

  He hugged it to his chest and slid off the mattress, taking the red and gold quilt with him. "Thank you. I'll be visiting father's grave while you take care of this. No offense-- I can't watch the bed go."

  "I understand." Aleexa squeezed his arm. "I'll put the quilt and pillow in the closet."

  Kejal thanked her before heading out the front door.

  Sunlight shone in golden streams between puffy white cumulus clouds. Multicolored wildflowers bloomed on the majestic green hills. Gusty spring wind stirred the waist high grass and ruffled Kejal's auburn hair. He squinted upward at the blue-green sky.

  Two huge hills cradled Mora and Leruu's resting place. Just beyond them, a small forest of moba trees.

  Odo was busily digging a hole between the foot of both graves. He glanced Kejal's way.

  "How deep for a deka tree?"

  Kejal sat down in front of his mother. He stuck his open hand in the hole to measure. Shaking his head, he filled in some of the dirt until the hole was only a fingertip deep. "There. That's about right."

  "That seems so shallow."

  "It's a tree seed. It needs to be close to the surface. Don't worry, it'll be fine. They germinate fast."

  "How fast?"

  "About ten days."

  "Hm."

  Odo picked a single seed out of the deka seed pod he'd brought along. Deka seeds looked like fingernail sized wood chips. A defense mechanism the trees evolved to discourage birds and other animals from eating their offspring. Even then, perhaps one out of every hundred seeds ever sprouted.

  "This can turn into a tree?" Odo stared at the tiny seed lying on his palm.

  Kejal grinned at him. "Remarkable, isn't it? In ten years, it'll be a giant tree." He cupped his hands around Odo's and kissed the seed. "For luck. Go on, give it a kiss."

  Odo rolled his eyes before complying. He dropped the seed into the hole. Kejal helped him cover it up.

  Suddenly, Odo took his hands out of the dirt and embraced Kejal, pulling him close to his chest.

  "I will never die on you, Kejal," he whispered. "Don't ever worry about losing me."

  Kejal's face softened. He laid his head upon Odo's shoulder and closed his eyes. "The same goes for me. If we go, we go together or not at all."

  "Hmph." Odo grunted. They slid apart and sat on the ground, facing each other. "I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the concept of an afterlife."

  "Why?"

  He shrugged. "It's all electrical impulses dependent on chemicals in the brain. Remove the any part of that equation and the electricity stops."

  Kejal chuckled to himself. "Energy transforms, but once it begins it can't be stopped. Look around you. We're products of an explosion that happened billions of years ago. An old human saying is we're the universe trying to understand itself."

  "That doesn't answer my question." Odo grumbled.

  "Yes, it does." Kejal said.

  Odo's eyes focused on Mora's grave. "He wondered what made us alive."

  "Mother."

  "What?"

  "I think death is the greatest shape shift of all. To completely leave behind what we were and transform into energy...to float into a place so beautiful people can't find words to describe it." Kejal squeezed Odo's hands. "I was so afraid to die that I saved my own life through you. But
after seeing father die, that fear is gone. I know there is more. I thought I got that through your head."

  "Kejal...." Odo shifted without pulling away from Kejal's grasp. "You know how I am. I always need definite proof."

  "Faith is to believe without seeing." Kejal released his mother's hands and touched the dirt where they buried the seed. "You're aware of the seed, right?"

  Odo frowned at the soil. "Of course. We buried it."

  "Why did you do it?"

  "I hope a tree will grow here."

  "There's that word again." Kejal's lips quirked. "Hope. You hope a tree will grow here. And you hope father still exists. You hope your existence will continue after you die. Mother, to have faith is to have hope."

  "You can hope for something to happen all you want. It doesn't mean it will."

  "It doesn't mean it won't, either." Kejal pressed on. "Do you think there's more?"

  "I don't know." Odo looked up at the sky. Suddenly, he smiled a little. "I hope so, Kejal. I hope so."

  Kejal mirrored Odo's expression and also gazed skyward. "I couldn't imagine life after father, yet here I am. I suppose, in a way, I can understand why you can't wrap your mind around an afterlife. Today didn't exist to me until I got here, and he is there." He gestured to Mora's grave.

  "You're more like me than you realize," Odo said. His words resonated somewhere in Kejal's substance.

  Another wind gust rippled the grass. Kejal heard remembered laughter between the green blades. Mora brought him to this field to teach him about plants and insects. And once or twice, it was a great place for hide-and-seek. The grass grew so fast here that by spring, a person could lie down and disappear.

  Briefly, Kejal thought he saw Mora standing in the grass nearby. He blinked. The field was empty again.

  He pursed his lips and took his mother's hand. "I think we've become more like each other after this."

  "Maybe."

  Kejal peered at his palms. They looked filthy because Odo's hands were covered in soil. He grinned. "Mother, it's not gardening until we're dirty."

  Odo noticed the dirt. He smirked and wiped his hands on Kejal's sleeves. "You're right. Are we gardening yet?"

  Kejal grabbed two handfuls of dirt and rubbed it all over Odo's knees. "We are now!"

  They laughed and liquefied to let the mess fall off. Afterward, they stood together in the sunlight.

  "It's time to pack," said Odo.

  Kejal sighed solemnly. Their first destination was Deep Space Nine. Then, home. Back into the Great Link.

  He hated to admit he missed the link, but he knew he would always miss Mora more.

  Thirty minutes later found them together in the house, packing only what was going with them. Kira took the sand mandala with her at Odo's request. Kejal had a few knick-knacks he wanted to keep. Odo shot him odd looks as he packed every hologram Mora kept under the oval window on top of the semicircular pillow.

  "He'd want us to have these memories." Kejal said. He paused at the holo-image Aleexa took of him, Odo and Mora on Odo's wedding day. They looked so happy. It brought a sad smile to his face. "I'll keep them in the underground vault back home. I can-- hey, Aleexa!"

  Kejal scrambled into the guest bedroom at the sound of Aleexa dropping her hairbrush.

  "Wow! Hey! Kejal, where's the fire?"

  Kejal handed her an isolinear rod. "I copied the holograms. I want you to have this."

  Aleexa took it and pulled him into a tight hug. "Are you okay, sweetie?"

  "Yeah." He hugged back equally strong. "I'll be okay."

  "Good." She patted his back. "What about you?"

  "I'm...decent enough." Odo answered from the doorway. "Time heals a lot of things."

  Aleexa stepped over and embraced him. He let her.

  "So, will someone hear a heartbeat there someday?"

  That made Odo smirk. "I doubt it, but who knows?" He finally returned the hug. "By the way...my people can cry."

  "Oh?" Aleexa peered curiously at him.

  "I had to learn how. So will Kejal."

  She squeezed him gently. "I’m glad, Odo. Just don't hold those tears in, okay?"

  "Believe me, it's impossible." Odo straightened, prompting her to step back as well. "Thank you. Let me know where to send my payments and-- "

  Aleexa lifted a hand. "Pol took care of that. He didn't want you or Kejal worrying about money. It's been handled." She smiled, picking up her large travel bags. One orange, the other purple. They perfectly matched her purple jumpsuit, which she wore under a diaphanous orange vest.

  "I swear you have a bag for every outfit you own." Kejal pointed. "You always match!"

  "It's a woman thing! Of course you would notice, wouldn't you?" Aleexa giggled. She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "But thank you. I got to know a great family by taking care of Pol. So, walk me out?"

  Kejal and Odo helped Aleexa carry her bags. "Well, I got to know a nurse who isn't boring."

  "Boring? Me?" Aleexa feigned offense. "Someone is feeding you lies."

  They laughed and embraced, squeezing each other tight.

  "Take care of your mother," she whispered in Kejal's ear. "He needs you."

  Aleexa's hover-tram pulled up to the house. The polite young driver took her bags and placed them in the tray between the back seats. He tipped his head politely to Odo, who seemed to give off a 'head of the house' air.

  Sighing, Kejal made himself release Aleexa's shoulders. "Goodbye, Aleexa."

  Aleexa pinched his cheek and smiled. Her brown eyes twinkled. This goodbye wasn't sad.

  "Bye, Kejal." She climbed into the tram and stuck her head back out. "Odo, bye!"

  "Take care." Odo waved.

  The tram door closed, the driver got back in and Aleexa's smiling face shrank out of view.

  Kejal stood there on the doorstep. The tram's engine faded. He leaned back when Odo wrapped an arm around his shoulders and kissed him above the ear.

  "Have the legalities been taken care of?" Kejal asked.

  "Mmhmm." Odo exhaled through his nose. "The house and property are in our names. This area will be left alone. That means no one will chop your tree down."

  "Good." Kejal said. "I think I'm ready to go. Let me say goodbye to my tree real quick."

  To his surprise, Odo went with him. They held hands and bid the tree farewell together.

  Chapter 18: Belated Reception

  The tiny transport shuttle zipped through space. A ship so small the transporter pad was almost situated between the two pilot seats. Kejal mentioned pitying anybody who tried to sleep in this thing before settling into his regeneration cycle.

  Old holo-movies kept Odo busy during the five hour trip. He'd found them in Doctor Mora's study shortly before leaving Bajor. They contained Kejal's early life. Something Odo missed and was glad to see immortalized.

  As he watched Doctor Mora read Bajoran nursery rhymes to a bowl full of two-day-old Kejal, his expression gradually morphed into a smile. It softened at seeing Kejal slowly grow up in each consecutive holo-video.

  Kejal had toys to explore, which he did by engulfing them in his substance and mimicking them. Doctor Mora kept him in a beaker on his desk when he lectured at the Science Institute. He promised Odo to take care of Kejal, and the images showed just how hard he worked to keep it.

  When Odo saw his son take humanoid shape in front of a mirror for the first time, his eyes developed a familiar stinging pressure. He let his emotions surface.

  Kejal did it perfectly-- the hair, the eyes, even clothing. Immediately after taking form, he opened his arms.

  Doctor Mora set the holo-imager down and they embraced. He didn't stop to poke, prod or take notes. He ran right into the hug.

  "Kejal, look at you...can you speak?"

  Kejal squinted and moved his lips. No sound came out. It reminded Odo of the moments immediately following his birth.

  "Breathe in and try it again," Doctor Mora said. He let Kejal watch his lips. "And make sure you articulate y
our words."

  "HUH! Heh. LUH...he-- luh. HELLO!" Kejal blinked. "I can TALK!"

  "Yes, you can talk! Don't exhale too hard, or you'll shout." Doctor Mora smiled, deepening the wrinkles around his eyes. "Hello, Kejal, it's nice to hear you talk back to me."

  "It's NICE to meet you, TOO! Oh...that was too loud." Kejal concentrated on controlling his breathing. He felt his own ears and nose. Then he touched Doctor Mora's. "Mine are different."

  "Ears and nose ridges are difficult," said Doctor Mora. He chuckled and caught Kejal's wrist. "Odo has trouble with ears and noses, too, you know."

  They both grinned. Facial expressions came naturally to Kejal right at the start.

  "Odo is mother." Kejal said, "Mother told me I should call you 'father.' Do you mind at all?"

  Doctor Mora covered his mouth with one hand. "Not if you don't mind me calling you 'son.'"

  Kejal's face lit up. "I'd like that a lot, father."

  And then Odo watched holo-footage of Doctor Mora sound asleep in his bed. Kejal crept right up to his face to capture the loud snoring.

  "Captain's log, star date...I have no idea. Father makes this odd noise every time he sleeps." Kejal's voice spoke off-screen. "Let the examination begin."

  Suddenly, two fingers plugged Doctor Mora's nose. Without even stirring, Doctor Mora started snoring louder through his mouth!

  "As you can see, he has another orifice for creating this noise."

  The holo-movie shook with Kejal's laughter. He tried pinching Doctor Mora's lips shut, and the snoring resumed from his nose.

  Kejal made the mistake of trying to stop all air from passing. That was enough to rouse Doctor Mora from slumber. He had to sleepily explain the importance of breathing before he shooed Kejal away.

  As he left the room, Kejal pointed the camera at himself. "Snoring means he's breathing. Huh, interesting."

  Odo watched more footage. He couldn't stop his smile at the sight of Kejal playing, yes, playing with children in the field where Doctor Mora was now buried. At first, he just saw Kejal's auburn head popping up above the long grass. Three dark-haired children appeared behind him. Kejal squawked and disappeared again. The imager shook from Doctor Mora's laughter.

  "Be a tree!" cried a young boy.

  "Sure!" Kejal squatted and shape shifted into a knobby moba tree. The two girls and boy climbed into his branches and swung around, laughing.