The Price of Harmony

Evander had always been good at compartmentalizing. For as long as he could remember, he could shut parts of himself away and focus on the mission at hand. He was easily able to do this again with Naia. The medical reports that his terminal would feed to him when updated by the infirmary doctors were his way of maintaining professionalism.

He knew she would probably appreciate it more if he visited, but found it hard to do so. It wasn't that he didn't want to see her at all. Part of him worried that she wouldn't want to see him. He'd been the one to order her and she'd been the one hurt. This was true of both women.

His problem was that he was unable to access the records of the other woman. His initial request reported only that Theia had been put into an induced coma while she recovered. He had put in additional requests for information... but the doctor had been uncharacteristically vague.

The tactician felt that something was wrong. As he walked through the hallways of the 7th Ward, his eyes locked on the infirmary. It wasn't as if he couldn't go in. The doctors didn't have authority to prevent him from entering a military ward. Though they shouldn't have had the leeway to withhold information, either.

He clenched his jaw. His mood was already souring after having spent the few days in his quarters largely alone. After the partially satisfying night with Naia, she hadn't returned - and he hadn't seen her again until showing up at the site of the 'battle'. He hadn't even gone to check on the progress of his lover - and he could feel his professionalism slipping because of various guilts.

"Excuse me, sir. Is there something I can help you with?"

Evander stopped at the doors leading deeper into the infirmary. They were closed with a terminal lock and a nurse approached him from further down the hallway after calling out. He straightened and pulled on the face of a calm, collected leader.

"Operations Squad Leader Evander. I'm looking for Operative Theia's room."

He saluted the woman because she wore the insignia of an enlisted soldier, but it was more perfunctory than respectful. As a member of V/O, he was sure his rank was higher in the chain than hers. She returned the gesture and gave him a look he couldn't quite place.

"Sir, the doctors have restricted access to that room."

"I'd like an explanation for the reason for this restriction."

The nurse's posture shifted ever so slightly. Evander couldn't read emotions exactly, but the intent was clear. She was standing in his way. The woman's voice was soft, but her words were firm.

"I'm not at liberty to provide that information, Squad Leader. You need to send your requests through the proper channels."

His eyes glowed red as he shifted a little, then stood down. Beyond his ability to make calculations and tactical decisions, there was also limited precognition in his powers. He could make educated guesses at the most likely outcomes of events based on the few seconds ahead he could see.

But it was tiring and all it revealed was that his current situation was... a high risk, low reward scenario. The guards on the other side of that door were not going to be friendly.

"Understood. Thank you for your assistance, nurse."

He turned and started walking away. He knew that his frustrations were rising and that would cause him to do something regrettable. He'd just have to submit a more formal inquiry... and wait.

He wasn't certain how long he was waiting, but it felt like forever. He distracted himself with study related to his work. The man also continued his running and his time at the gym to keep himself in shape. He would read every update on Naia that was brought to his Tactical Visor.

Evander had checked them... but still not entered the private room she'd been sent to. He was happy that she was recovering, but still felt a strange distance from her. He wanted to know what to say to the woman before arriving in front of her. It would be easier to just start by talking about a new mission.

When he finally went to the infirmary she was in, the door was open. He had been notified that she'd been cleared to return to duty. His feet had carried him here automatically because it was the day she was to report for assignment. When he looked inside, the room was empty.

"You're a little late, Squad Leader."

Poros stepped out of an adjoining room. Through its wall. Evander had never liked his habitual use of his power to subvert normal behavior. Thestocky man stood with his arms crossed over his chest, but not with any other particular tension.

"Where is she?"

"Gone."

Evander didn't respond, but his eyes glowed red. He checked the squad reports again. The shorter man shrugged and opened his mouth to clarify.

"She went to her dormitory an hour ago."

"Why wouldn't she wait for me to come here first?"

Poros didn't answer the question for a while. Instead he sighed and rubbed his forehead. He didn't want to do this. His advice to her had always been to talk things through, but she never listened.

"Evander... I know you've been trying to avoid her because you are guilty, but have you ever thought about how others are seeing things?"

The red haired man frowned. He hadn't expected the accusation. He tried to pull together his arguments to refute it, but the other man was already shaking his head.

"I'm not saying that you don't care for her at all, but you should consider how your actions are hurting her. Do you know that our medic saw you visiting the infirmary ward that Theia was in? That you checked on her and not Naia?"

"I had to. I needed to see that Theia was-"

"Don't give me that bull. We all know she was out of any serious danger the moment she got here. You're a squad leader - and you should *know* how things work. They would have reported to you if things went badly. The fact is that you were more interested than you should have been... and that has always been the case."

Evander tried to object, but his mind was blank. He felt... lost. This was not an argument he had prepared for. There was a hint of something underneath the surface of his thoughts. His eyes glowed with red energy, trying to help him make some sort of sense of things.

"And if I am?"

The olive skinned man narrowed his eyes. Evander could tell that he was angry... and not only because of his stance. It was an unusual sensation for him to really sense it.

"Then you should take better responsibility and make a decision on what you should do - instead of letting my friend worry about how she compares to another woman."

Poros took a step forward and his fists clenched. The tactician could tell it wasn't entirely bluster, but he still didn't think things would get physical. Not as long as he was honest with him.

"She's worth more than that to you. Isn't she?"

The squad leader nodded. He knew that Poros was right. He had avoided Naia because he didn't want to face her... because he didn't know what to say. His interest in Theia was less than professional. He hadn't had enough information. He still didn't have enough information.

"Yeah. I know what to do. Thank you, Poros."