SYMBOLS

CHAPTER 10

As she lay resting on the biobed, Kylani stared up at the sickbay lighting. Tayna was asleep and all was fairly quiet. She could hear the Doctor singing, as his spirited, but purposefully hushed, operetta echoed up to the ceiling.

She smiled at the crewman who had been posted not too far away. A one-man security team. At home, guards usually surveyed and hunted in packs.

Then she heard the door slide open and the captain reappeared beside her bed.

"The Doctor says you're feeling better. I'd like to talk to you. If you're up to it?" Janeway asked.

"Yes, of course." Kylani quickly sat up. "Captain, I want to thank you for allowing me to fulfill my mission and return Tayna home. I'm sure her mother will always be grateful... I'll always be grateful." She smiled. "I know you're making a big sacrifice in risking the lives of your crew, but if I can help in any way..." Kylani shrugged her shoulders and trailed off, unsure if she was saying the right thing.

Janeway shifted her position and crossed her arms.

"Kylani, I need to ask you a question. Your honesty in this matter would be appreciated. I witnessed your capture on the planet's surface. The crowd was calling out 'murderer.' What can you tell me about that?"

Kylani had sensed the captain was wary of her. Now she knew why. But the words still struck like bullets, as she was jolted into accepting she had indeed committed a murder. Closing her eyes, she tried to block out the memories she was reliving again in slow motion, as she saw and heard the young priest as he fell backward over the altar and eventually died. The vivid images came readily to her mind. She was sure they would haunt her forever. Looking up again, after a few silent moments, she promised herself she would tell the truth.

"Yes," she responded in a whisper. "Except it didn't feel like murder. If there had been any other choice, I would've taken it. When I first took on the role of Tayna's minder, I didn't know it would mean taking someone's life." Her voice was filled with remorse. She hoped the captain could see she was telling the truth. "I was raised to always show respect to the clergy. My father is a priest too. But if it hadn't been the priest's life, it would've been Tayna's, and her mother trusted me with her survival and safe return home."

The captain lifted her eyebrows at that statement and puffed out a shallow breath before continuing, "You said you're a member of the Dimar. Could you elaborate on your experiences and role within that group?"

"Most Anawins would say the Dimar are just a renegade unit, a group of despondent outcasts, or a bunch of misguided fools. But personally I've always thought the reverse was true," Kylani tried to explain. She outlined some pinnacle moments from Anawin and Dimar history and tried to pull the missing pieces of the story together for the captain.

The Dimar's history pages were soaked with stories of blood. Stories of brutal culling, martyrdom, xenophobia, en masse slaughters in the name of sanctification and High Councilor Zeron's continued efforts at purgation. But amid all the anguish, two fugitives, she and Tayna, had found sanctuary aboard a starship and had been given the chance to build a new life somewhere else - one that might be free of fear - and yet at her request they were going back. At that moment, the decision to return did seem somewhat misguided and Kylani anticipated the captain's next question.

"Kylani, think carefully. On your homeworld, you're now a wanted criminal and Tayna will be forced to live out the rest of her life as an outcast. Are you really sure you want to go back?"

Kylani had never felt like she really belonged among the Anawin people. She had a different perspective on life and her thoughts roamed free from the ingrained platitudes the masses believed. The Anawin populace revered the branding ceremony, but to Kylani it was farcical. Most Anawins considered the Dimar foolish, but she felt they were enlightened. Now she had the chance to build a new life. But she knew her duty, as always, was toward Tayna.