Nightfall
by Jedi Adia

Disclaimer: Star Trek doesn't belong to me; it belongs to Gene Roddenberry.

The Enterprise-D covered the Enterprise-C, as she entered the rift. When the rift closed, the Romulans were there waiting. Like vultures, Tasha thought, as the Enterprise-C sailed into battle without her captain. She and Castillo exchanged a look.

Is this really what you wanted? his eyes seemed to say. She managed a small nod, as the ship lurched, buffeted by disruptor fire.

"Shields down to fifty percent!" Tasha called over the red alert klaxons.

"Return fire!"

But when Tasha returned fire, the volley that came back disabled their weapons array. "We've lost all weapons!"

Castillo twisted in his chair, and gave her a meaningful look. This isn't over, yet..."Helm, evasive pattern Kirk Omega 2."

"Aye, sir."

"They're matching us, move for move!" Tasha said. "Firing again!" No sooner had she said that than the deck trembled hard beneath them. "Shields down to thirty percent! Sir...one more shot like that one, and we're finished."

"Sir, we're being hailed."

Castillo's head swam as he gave the order. "On-screen."

The face that filled the screen was one all too familiar to Tasha. Romulan. "Lower your shields and prepare to be boarded."

"I'm not giving up yet."

"You don't have a choice, human."

Castillo motioned for the transmission to be cut.

"Sir, we're dead in the water. We can't go to warp, we're too close to the planet! We can do nothing!" the helmsman protested.

"I think we'd all rather die than surrender to the Romulans," Castillo said. He turned to Tasha. "You said to me you wanted your death to count for something." He turned back to the viewscreen – just as the ship took another hit.

"Shields are down! Hull breaches on decks ten through sixteen!"

"Evacuate those decks!"

"Sir – we're being boarded. Decks two, three-"the officer at Ops was cut off by the whine of the transporter as several Romulans materialized on the bridge, enough to take it over.

"Let's lock them in the brig," the lead Romulan ordered.

Castillo stepped forward and was immediately stunned.

"Castillo!" Tasha cried. She leapt over her console and knelt beside him. Pressing her fingers to the unconscious man's neck, she was dimly aware of a disruptor aimed in her direction, ready to fire. After making sure Castillo was still breathing, Tasha cautiously looked up. Sure enough, he was there. The Romulan had a smug look on his face, which really wasn't unusual for his kind. They always looked smug. Probably because they always had the upper hand.

"Except for you two. The centurion will have a better use for you," he waved his disruptor. "Come with me." He jerked Tasha to her feet and two Romulan soldiers came forward to take Castillo. Seconds later, there was a whine, as the bridge of the Enterprise-C dissolved into a room on one of the Romulan Warbirds.

"What do you want with us?" Tasha's voice betrayed her anger.

"If you know what's good for you, you'll not speak," the Romulan said. He and another Romulan who had stepped forward prodded them both with disruptors down a corridor towards a destination that Tasha assumed to be the brig. But when they came to a fork, Tasha immediately found she was wrong. They were taken by their captors in two separate directions. She bit down hard on her lip to quell her reaction. She felt her lip break open from the contact, and struggled to hide it, as her Romulan captor hustled her into a room. She looked around the dimly lit room. But she couldn't discern much from her surroundings.

"What is this?"

"These are my quarters," he said, giving her a rough shove onto the bed.

"What do you want with me?"

He slapped her at that. "You'll ask no questions. You're in no position." His hand pressed hard on her chest, forcing her to lie back. She fought back the fear that rose within her, as his lips forcibly met hers.

"No!" she cried, pushing him off of her. She hit him as fast and hard as she could, trying to fight her way out of the room. She barely noticed in the scuffle that he had activated a comm channel somewhere and that several more Romulans had burst through the door. They descended upon Tasha, and quickly subdued her. When the guards stepped back from the limp, unconscious form, they were dismissed.

"I will call you when I am finished," he said. And with a bow, they were gone.

It seemed like an eternity to Castillo, as he sat there in the darkness, waiting. Waiting for any sign of Tasha. Hoping she was alright.

He looked up suddenly, as the doors opened and light spilled into the dark brig. A Romulan entered, carrying something. He stopped in the middle of the room, and unceremoniously dropped his burden and walked back out.

"Tasha..." Castillo whispered, as he crawled over to her. There were bruises on her neck and face. He leaned over her, as she moaned softly. "I guess interrogation wasn't any fun for you either, huh?" he said, wryly.

She coughed. "I was never interrogated," she rasped. Castillo had to lean close to hear her. "They...never asked me anything. Richard..."

He gently ran his thumbs over the bruises on her face, as if he could make them go away. "I bet you wish you had stayed in your own time now..." There was no reply. Taking her in his arms, he kissed her gently, and they sat there in the dark.

Time seemed to fold in on itself after awhile. Castillo's clock practically revolved around the slot in the door through which the food was delivered. The meals consisted of the basic prison diet – bread and water. Tasha ate only what Castillo forced her to eat. The water that neither of them drank was used to help relieve the pain from the bruises that Tasha had sustained during her "interrogation". It went like this until the door opened again. Romulan guards entered, and Tasha and Castillo were separated once again.

"Tasha!" Castillo yelled her name, until he could no longer see her, or hear her as she was dragged away. He had the distinct, sinking feeling that he would never see her again.

Tasha felt detached. She heard Castillo yelling her name, but she was helpless in the hands of the Romulan guards. Where were they taking her now? Her question was answered as she dematerialized and rematerialized in another room. She was planetside now.

"I'll take it from here," a new voice came at her. She felt herself being passed to him, and the guards beamed back up to their ship.

Her new captor lowered her onto a couch, and she tried to fight him.

"I won't hurt you," he said. "My name is Toran." He watched her as she continued to struggle. He uttered a sound of disgust. "What did my brother do to you?" At these words, Tasha became still.

"That man...that animal...was your brother?"

"I'm so sorry..."

Tasha only stared at him, her wariness evident in her eyes.

"You're safe here. You can trust me, I promise," Toran said. "What's your name?"

"Yar. Lieutenant Tasha Yar."

"Lieutenant Yar."

"Where am I? And what happened to the man who was with me?"

"You are in my home on Romulus," Toran said, "and I'm sorry, I couldn't save your friend."

"You didn't even try," Tasha said, moving further away from Toran.

"I tried to negotiate for his release, but my brother wouldn't have it," Toran said. "He had a hard enough time letting you go."

"Release? You call this a release?"

"You're here for your own safety, until I can get you back to your home planet," Toran said. "Given the circumstances, getting you home won't be easy."

Tasha turned away. "It doesn't matter," she said. "I don't have a home anymore."

There was a moment of silence while Toran tried to figure out what to do next, how to gain the trust of this woman that he had rescued from his brother's wrath. "Perhaps you would like to wash up," he said. "I can get you some clean clothes, and some food if you would like."

Tasha looked down, as if noticing the state she was in for the first time. "Thanks. Where...?"

"Right this way," he said, as he led her back into the corridor. "Through the second to last door on the right."

Tasha nodded her thanks and vanished through the door into the bathroom, leaving Toran to stare after her and wonder why his people fought a war with hers.

Tasha stepped out of her clothes and into the shower. She felt so dirty; in her mind, his hands were still all over her. She could hear Ishara in her mind: "Not as strong as you think, are you?"

"Stop...please, just stop," Tasha whispered. Carefully, she washed the dried blood away, bathing the bruises, hoping that they would vanish as quickly as they had come. Lost in her own thoughts, she never heard the door open and Toran enter. He set some clothes on a table and stood there for a moment. She was distorted through the glass, but he could tell she was looking at him, that she knew he was there. Their eye contact was brief before she turned away quickly, and he walked back out.

After dressing, Tasha went back to the sitting room, where Toran waited.

"Would you like something to eat, Lieutenant?"

"Yes, that would be wonderful. Thank you." She was beginning to feel as though she could trust him. He could, of course, betray her later. But that was later. She didn't want to be too suspicious. She was alone in enemy territory, yes, but she had to trust someone. And that someone, she supposed, was Toran.

She followed him to the dining area, and he pulled out a chair for her to sit down. The table was large, Tasha noticed. Much like the residence, it was quite big for one person.

"Do you have any family?" she asked as they ate. "Besides your brother, I mean."

"My parents died when I was very young. My brother and I were pretty much left on our own," Toran explained. "Friends of my father took us in, but my brother, who is about seven years older than I am, decided he didn't need any help and struck off on his own. I didn't see him again for about ten years. And when I did, I found that he was the brutal man that he is now. That was fifteen years ago."

They ate some more in silence. Tasha found that she had quite a bit in common with Toran. Finally, she broke the silence that lingered between them. "I've been on my own since I was very young, too. There was my sister Ishara, but things weren't well between us – especially when I left to join Starfleet." She paused. "I never saw her again." She couldn't explain to him that she was from a different time altogether. It would only complicate things even more.

"Is this why you say you don't have a home anymore?"

Tasha tried to swallow her tears, but she wasn't successful. "I can't explain it," she said, looking down at her plate. "You probably wouldn't believe me anyway..."

Toran rose quickly from his seat and came around the table to kneel beside her. "I saw other crewmembers from your ship. They were beamed down the day before yesterday. Your uniform is different from theirs, Lieutenant," he said, brushing tears from her cheeks.

"That's because I'm from a different time," she whispered. "I'm sorry...I can't tell you any more than that. It wouldn't be right."

"I understand, Lieutenant."

"It's Tasha...please..."

"Tasha..." With his eyes still on her, he moved in closer, seeking her lips with his own. She jumped up and abruptly moved away.

"No," she said, "we can't do this."

"You need time."

"Richard's still alive!" she replied, indignantly. "I won't give up on him."

"If you're talking about your friend, he won't live long at the hands of my brother and his people," Toran said, going toward her. "He may already be dead."

"You're no better than your brother," Tasha said. "How can I trust you?" She looked at the table, with food still on it. "I'm not hungry anymore." And she went past him, into the corridor.

Toran debated going after her, but decided against it. She seemed set in her belief that her friend was still alive. However, Toran knew in his heart that he wasn't. His brother showed no mercy. If only he could make Tasha see that...

No. But any thoughts he pushed aside came rushing back. Tasha was strong...she was much like Nijara had been. His brother had killed her, along with their unborn child.

"I tried to believe I could bring you back, Jeran...but you killed Nijara..." Toran sat down in a chair opposite a window overlooking Imperial City. He wondered what would happen to him if (when?) he fell in love with this woman. Their people were at war. No doubt Jeran had already gone to someone. He would dare undermine his brother, question his loyalty to the Empire. Toran couldn't believe it was coming down to this.

"Who was Nijara?" Tasha asked. Toran looked up, barely remembering that he had spoken aloud.

"She was my wife. My brother killed her – or rather, he had her killed. Too much of a coward to do it himself. That's why I have to protect you, Tasha. He will kill you if he finds you. Tasha..." Toran rose to his feet and went to her. He took her by her shoulders and watched her. "You are so much like her. You have that same strength and defiance." He pulled her closer to him, until he could touch her lips with his own. To his surprise, she didn't immediately move away.

"We can't do this," Tasha whispered. "Our peoples are at war." He kissed her again. "And what about Richard...he's not gone. He can't be."

"The war doesn't matter. It's just us here, Tasha. And Richard isn't gone...as long as you never forget him." He kissed her once more, before pulling away.

As he left, Tasha looked after him. He really did want to help her, it seemed. She was still wary of him, but part of her believed that she could trust him. She would have to, if she were to get out of here and get home.

Home. That wasn't even possible, in more ways than one. Not only was she out of her own time, there was no home for her even in her own time. She was supposed to be dead. Tasha laughed at the irony. She was about as good as dead right here.

Tasha shook her head. She had come back for Richard, only to lose him. Or maybe...

Tasha turned and fled from the room in search of Toran. She found him in his study. He looked up upon her entry.

"Toran...I thought I came back for Richard...but I've been thinking that maybe there's a whole other reason why I'm here," she began. She paused, as Toran looked at her expectantly. "One of the other reasons that I came back was that in the other timeline, I wasn't supposed to be alive. Somehow, when my ship met up with the Enterprise-C, it changed time so that I was still alive. It's almost too difficult to explain, and it's alright if you don't believe me, but-"

"Tasha...it's ok...stop," Toran put a finger to her lips, before kissing her.

"I think...I'm here for you, Toran," Tasha whispered.

"Things have a funny way of working out," Toran whispered back, as his lips moved to her neck.

Yes...they do, Tasha thought. She closed her eyes, moving on and letting Richard go.

Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months. Tasha learned several months after her arrival that she was pregnant. It suddenly became crucial that she and Toran hide from his brother, who had been on the warfront.

"We can't hide from him forever, Toran," Tasha said one day.

Toran went to her, placing his hand on her rounded stomach. "We have to try. There are two of you that I have to protect now, Tasha...I won't let him get to our child."

As Toran kissed the top of her head, his attention was drawn to his aide standing in the doorway.

"General...sorry to bother you, but there's a message for you, sir," he said.

"I'll take it in my office," Toran said. He kissed Tasha again and left the room.

Toran walked into his office and activated his monitor. Thoughtfully, he sat back after reading the message. It was over.

He looked up as Tasha entered the room.

"Is everything alright, Toran?"

Toran could only nod. "We're safe now, Tasha...Jeran is dead."

Tasha was silent. She said nothing as she moved closer to him. He grabbed her hand and kissed it.

"Are you certain?" Tasha whispered.

Toran nodded. "Tasha...I love you. I think you're right...you did come here for me," he said. "I've waited my entire life for you..." He kissed her forcefully before whisking her off the floor. "I love you, Tasha...I can't put this off any longer..."

He carried her to his bedroom and closed the door. It was only the beginning for both of them.

The months passed. Soon after learning of Jeran's death, Tasha and Toran learned of new life. They married soon after getting the news that Tasha was pregnant. Toran felt that it was only right. He loved Tasha and their child, and wanted all of them to be a family. That could happen, now that Jeran was dead. He wasn't in their way anymore.

Tasha gave birth to a baby girl, whom she and Toran named Sela. Tasha had begun to notice how the public looked upon her and Toran, and now their daughter. Toran had told her the war between their peoples didn't matter, but she had to wonder. The family became set apart from society. Tasha noticed this as time passed. She had even heard rumors that Toran was to blame for Jeran's death. She asked him one day if this was true.

"Of course not. Tasha...Romulus is still reeling from the war. They'll blame anyone for anything," Toran said. "Don't listen to them."

They were interrupted by the piercing cries of their two-year-old daughter. Tasha went and lifted her from her crib. Hushing her, she looked at Toran. "There's no way we can shield her from society."

"I don't see why we need to, Tasha."

"They hate me. They hate you for loving me...and they hate our daughter because of what she is," Tasha protested. "I thought we were safe when Jeran died...but there's more to it than that."

"There's always more to it than that. Look, Tasha...I wish I could take you and Sela away from here, away from Romulus. But we'd never get away. We'd never get into Federation territory. And the Federation wouldn't welcome us. They don't even know who you are...because you've only just been born."

It always came down to that. She was in the wrong time. She didn't really belong anywhere, even in her own time. If I die protecting my child, it makes my death meaningful...right, Guinan? Tasha still couldn't get the conversation with Guinan out of her head, even after all this time. She was barely aware of Toran next to her and Sela in her arms.

"We can get through this, Tasha. My brother was the real threat and he's gone now."

"There must have been people who were loyal to him," Tasha replied.

"There's no doubt of that. But we're standing firm. We can't leave. We can't really stay, either, but we have to," Toran said. "We will get through this." He left Tasha with Sela. Tasha was also left with her wandering mind. They would stick it out, but Tasha couldn't help but wonder how long this could go on. Ishara's voice came to her again.

You're not afraid, are you? Of course you are; your loyalty's being tested...you've always had trouble with that.

Tasha looked at her daughter and vowed that she would never let her live the life that Tasha had lived.

She put Sela back in her crib after she was certain the child had drifted off to sleep again. "Your loyalty will eventually be tested, little one, just as mine was," she whispered. "I can stop you from living my life, but I can't stop this." No one could, Tasha thought with a sigh. They were backed into a corner. And eventually, all of them would have to choose.

That eventuality came sooner than Tasha had wanted it to. Sela had just turned four. Toran came to Tasha one day with a message. Jeran was still alive and he was coming out of hiding.

"He's coming after us," Toran said. "I would stand and fight, but I won't have you stay. I can't. I'm taking you and Sela in a ship toward Federation territory and I'm going to let you go. If I'm not there, they won't give you any trouble."

"But you said there was no way I could go into Federation territory."

"You can, but it's not the greatest idea...but staying here is worse. Tasha, listen to me." Toran cupped her face in his hands. "In Federation territory, you will be safe. You are human. They will take care of you."

"And Sela? She's not human...she's half-Romulan."

"Don't worry about that. Just take her with you...keep her safe."

Tasha reluctantly agreed. "I don't want to leave you, Toran." She kissed him, a kiss which he returned.

"I know...we'll see each other again, I promise." It was a promise that sounded hollow to his ears. He knew Jeran would kill him. "Go. Get Sela and some provisions for the journey. I need to get you both out of here."

He kissed Tasha again and she retreated to their room where she found her daughter waiting.

"Where are we going, Mama?"

"We're going somewhere safe, Sela. Come."

"I don't want to leave. Is Daddy coming with us?"

Tasha froze, considering her answer carefully. "Yes," she lied. Although it wasn't really a lie. "Come, we must hurry." They packed very little and met Toran in the front hall. Tasha looked around, and finally at her husband. Her eyes told him how afraid she was for him, but she wouldn't let her daughter know this. "Let's go," she said.

They left the house, heading for a transport. But Jeran beat them there. Toran saw him before Tasha did. "Go. Make for the shuttle. I'll meet you there."

Tasha took her daughter and what little they brought with them, and headed for the ramp.

Jeran saw her and yelled after her. "You! Stop!"

Tasha and Sela made it to the shuttle, but Sela could keep quiet no longer. She screamed and broke free of her mother's grasp. "Sela!" Tasha cried. She turned to see her run to Toran. It was then that Jeran fired. The disruptor blast knocked Tasha off of her feet. In the final seconds of consciousness, Tasha barely heard Toran yelling for her. She could only feel the relief that her death might now mean something.

"Tasha!"

"It's no use, Toran...she's gone. Just like Nijara," Jeran said, mockingly. "Now." He aimed his disruptor at Toran. "You can come with me now, and live...or I can kill you right here. You could be with both of your dead wives that way." A hint of a smile crossed his lips.

"You damn coward," Toran rasped. He pulled his daughter closer to him and looked down at her. At that moment, he made his choice. Tasha lived on in Sela. He would as well, but he himself had to live. He had to protect her; there was no telling what Jeran would do to her if he gave his life now. "You took my wife, but I will not let you take my daughter. If I go with you now, you have to let me keep her."

"Of course. I wouldn't want...that." He gestured at Sela, clearly wanting nothing to do with her.

Toran turned back, laying eyes on Tasha for one last time. My love...at last you get a meaningful death. Richard will take care of you...I love you.

Commander Sela regretted nothing as she left the Enterprise after meeting her mother's former commanding officer twenty years later. When she had come of age, her father took his own life. She supposed he was convinced she was safe now, as she had proven her loyalty to the Romulan Empire. Her parents feared for their own lives and they tried to flee. Her father had considered her uncle a coward, but in her eyes, it was her father who was the coward.

But that was over. She did have their legacy to live with, but that was nothing to her. She could create her own legacy. And she decided to do so. She would start with this mission right now. As the Klingon Empire would crumble in on itself, she would redeem herself in her own eyes, and continue to prove her loyalty to the Romulan Empire, in a legacy of glory and determination.