Cascade – Scars, Seen and Unseen
by Lieutenant JG Gralthek Sirran & Lieutenant JG Saria Rex
Post Details
[ON]
Sirran walked into the research areas, holo-imager in hand. Several busy crewmen went about their tasks. Some acknowledged him and he nodded back. After a brief search he found the officer in charge, a blonde Trill woman with cybernetic implants. "Lieutenant Rex?" he asked.
The blonde Trill looked to her left, immediately spotting the Andorian standing next to her desk. "The only one." Saria smiled. "I assume you are the new officer... Sirran?"
Sirran responded with a curt nod. "Pleased to make your acquaintance. A friend of mine from the Illustrious asked me to bring this to you. He was quite insistent about it." He set the imager down on Saria's desk and activated it.
The small holographic figure that appeared was a Trill male, about the same age as Saria, wearing a red-collared Starfleet uniform and a mischievous grin on his face. He stood with his hands resting comfortably at his sides, and spoke.
"Hello Saria. It's your cousin Cade, obviously. Sirran told me he was heading out your way, so I made him swear to deliver this message to you. I'm sure he has you rolling with laughter already, because he's a real wild one."
Sirran frowned as his antennae bent forward. "Typical Aldrex."
The hologram continued. "And shame on you for not staying in touch. I know you're really busy on DS-Five and your Captain is probably a cruel taskmaster who makes you work for a living, but send me a subspace message every once in a while. I want to know what you're up to." The grin faded into a warm smile. "Seriously. I miss talking to you. Let's not be strangers. All my love." The hologram switched off.
"There's a second message on there," Sirran said, "but he told me that it's more personal. Family, private life, that sort of thing. You'd probably rather view that in your quarters."
Saria's face almost glowed of happiness. "Caden..." She said. "...he still remembered me."
She turned back to Sirran, still standing at the same place as before. "You...you've worked with him on the same ship?!" It was if Saria was about to jump from her chair, happily shouting Caden's message, but she maintained her anxiety. "Excuse me, I haven't heard of him in ages, because I didn't have a lot of time. It's just great to hear from him again!"
"I understand," Sirran replied. "I wasn't aware that you and he were related. Aldrex and I served on the bridge together. He's still there, and obviously I'm here. How long have you been here, if you don't mind me asking?"
"7 months and a few days," Saria replied. "But I formerly served aboard the USS Lakota." Emphasizing the word Lakota. "That's how I got these." She said, tapping on her implants.
Sirran nodded respectfully. He had heard the story of the Lakota. "My sympathies, Lieutenant. You are a credit to the uniform. I was wounded by a Breen disruptor myself only a few weeks ago, and the surgeon had to replace my heart with an artificial model. Your cousin joked that I wasn't using the old one anyway." The corner of his mouth turned up in a hint of a smile.
Saria chuckled. "Yep, that's Caden. He used to call Rex my pet, until we bathed in the Caves of Mak'ala. Rex and Aldrex seemed to have an enlighted conversation, so Caden began to call it "The Enlightened". She said. "But I hope you're all okay now. I'm used to my implants, but you just got a new heart."
"I am well, thank you. Although there is some difficulty in trusting one's life to a machine. For the first week or so I was constantly scanning myself with a tricorder to make sure it was working."
She smirked. "I guess that Caden didn't tell you about never to brawl with a Breen? Or how did it happen?"
"Our ship was orbiting Risa during a relief operation when a Breen warship decloaked and opened fire on us. We never did find out why. It was a terrible fight. A small boarding party beamed onto the bridge to capture us. We were able to repel them but we lost several people. I was shot at point-blank range in the chest by one of the boarders. I was fortunate. The doctors tell me I should not have lived." His antennae twitched as he remembered looking down the barrel of that disruptor, followed by a shriek and a blinding flash of light. "And you?" he asked Saria. "If it's not too personal a question, how much of you is cybernetic?"
"Well..." Saria sighed. "When I served on the Lakota, we had this mission to the Badlands. Just a plain, simple scientific mission, but it didn't go as planned." She paused. "As we were about to go further into the Badlands, three True Way warships decloakef. Keldon-class. They penetrated our shields in no time, and well... they hit the Science section badly. I... I was wounded by the explosion, and flung out into space, along with a few other officers. After nearly half a minute in space, we were transported back. I was the only officer to make it out alive, thanks to Rex..."
She then looked to her left hand, which was covered by and external harness with servos and motors. "You could say that I'm nearly 10 to 15 percent cybernetic." She showed her hand to the Andorian, and showed him a red Borg-like laser light, coming from her left eye. "It's for enhanced vision, so don't fear I'm a Borg or something alike." She smirked.
"Half a minute in space," Sirran said in awe. "It seems we're both miracle survivors." He grunted. "I rather wish you had some connection to the Borg. You might be able to ascertain if they are nearby or not. It would make my new job easier."
"Actually, Lieutenant," Saria replied. "I'm not in the mood to get assimilated, honestly. If I was, there already should've been two nanotubes in your neck." She sat down in her chair. "But that hasn't even been the worst. Rex has seen, or even done worser things. Memories spanning over 1200 years have their ups and downs."
"Just an absent thought," Sirran said. "I don't honestly wish for you to be assimilated. I wouldn't wish it on my most bitter enemy. What has Rex ever done that's worse then what the Borg do to people they meet? I can't imagine there is anything worse."
Saria looked up to Sirran, with an unhappy expression on her face. "Do you really want to know?" She asked, standing up. "It's not really something I like to share at all with others."
Sirran's antennae angled back, surprised at her sudden change in demeanor. "My apologies, Lieutenant. I did not mean to offend. Of course you do not have to talk about the matter if you do not wish to."
"No problem at all, I'm not that quickly offended." She smirked. "It's just that nobody ever told me what Rex had been trough. I expected a regular symbiont without too much past problems."
"I understand," Sirran said, nodding. That was one aspect of joined Trill that had never occurred to him. In addition to getting all the symbiont's wisdom and experience the host also got the baggage. One had to take the good as well as the bad. Whatever Rex's experiences had been in a previous life, it obviously caused Saria a deep pain that she kept buried. He wasn't going to ask her to dig it up for idle conversation. "Well, I need to get up to Ops and deliver a briefing to Captain Tahir and Commander Villiers, but I trust I will 'see you around?'"
"You definately will." Saria smiled.
[OFF]
Lt.(jg) Gralthek Sirran
Strategic Operations
&
Lieutenant JG Saria Rex
Chief Science Officer
by Lieutenant JG Gralthek Sirran & Lieutenant JG Saria Rex
Post Details
| Title | Scars, Seen and Unseen | |
| Mission | Cascade | |
| Author(s) | Lieutenant JG Gralthek Sirran & Lieutenant JG Saria Rex | |
| Posted | Tue Feb 05, 2013 @ 7:00pm | |
| Location | Science Labs | |
| Timeline | SD71 - 0530 |
Sirran walked into the research areas, holo-imager in hand. Several busy crewmen went about their tasks. Some acknowledged him and he nodded back. After a brief search he found the officer in charge, a blonde Trill woman with cybernetic implants. "Lieutenant Rex?" he asked.
The blonde Trill looked to her left, immediately spotting the Andorian standing next to her desk. "The only one." Saria smiled. "I assume you are the new officer... Sirran?"
Sirran responded with a curt nod. "Pleased to make your acquaintance. A friend of mine from the Illustrious asked me to bring this to you. He was quite insistent about it." He set the imager down on Saria's desk and activated it.
The small holographic figure that appeared was a Trill male, about the same age as Saria, wearing a red-collared Starfleet uniform and a mischievous grin on his face. He stood with his hands resting comfortably at his sides, and spoke.
"Hello Saria. It's your cousin Cade, obviously. Sirran told me he was heading out your way, so I made him swear to deliver this message to you. I'm sure he has you rolling with laughter already, because he's a real wild one."
Sirran frowned as his antennae bent forward. "Typical Aldrex."
The hologram continued. "And shame on you for not staying in touch. I know you're really busy on DS-Five and your Captain is probably a cruel taskmaster who makes you work for a living, but send me a subspace message every once in a while. I want to know what you're up to." The grin faded into a warm smile. "Seriously. I miss talking to you. Let's not be strangers. All my love." The hologram switched off.
"There's a second message on there," Sirran said, "but he told me that it's more personal. Family, private life, that sort of thing. You'd probably rather view that in your quarters."
Saria's face almost glowed of happiness. "Caden..." She said. "...he still remembered me."
She turned back to Sirran, still standing at the same place as before. "You...you've worked with him on the same ship?!" It was if Saria was about to jump from her chair, happily shouting Caden's message, but she maintained her anxiety. "Excuse me, I haven't heard of him in ages, because I didn't have a lot of time. It's just great to hear from him again!"
"I understand," Sirran replied. "I wasn't aware that you and he were related. Aldrex and I served on the bridge together. He's still there, and obviously I'm here. How long have you been here, if you don't mind me asking?"
"7 months and a few days," Saria replied. "But I formerly served aboard the USS Lakota." Emphasizing the word Lakota. "That's how I got these." She said, tapping on her implants.
Sirran nodded respectfully. He had heard the story of the Lakota. "My sympathies, Lieutenant. You are a credit to the uniform. I was wounded by a Breen disruptor myself only a few weeks ago, and the surgeon had to replace my heart with an artificial model. Your cousin joked that I wasn't using the old one anyway." The corner of his mouth turned up in a hint of a smile.
Saria chuckled. "Yep, that's Caden. He used to call Rex my pet, until we bathed in the Caves of Mak'ala. Rex and Aldrex seemed to have an enlighted conversation, so Caden began to call it "The Enlightened". She said. "But I hope you're all okay now. I'm used to my implants, but you just got a new heart."
"I am well, thank you. Although there is some difficulty in trusting one's life to a machine. For the first week or so I was constantly scanning myself with a tricorder to make sure it was working."
She smirked. "I guess that Caden didn't tell you about never to brawl with a Breen? Or how did it happen?"
"Our ship was orbiting Risa during a relief operation when a Breen warship decloaked and opened fire on us. We never did find out why. It was a terrible fight. A small boarding party beamed onto the bridge to capture us. We were able to repel them but we lost several people. I was shot at point-blank range in the chest by one of the boarders. I was fortunate. The doctors tell me I should not have lived." His antennae twitched as he remembered looking down the barrel of that disruptor, followed by a shriek and a blinding flash of light. "And you?" he asked Saria. "If it's not too personal a question, how much of you is cybernetic?"
"Well..." Saria sighed. "When I served on the Lakota, we had this mission to the Badlands. Just a plain, simple scientific mission, but it didn't go as planned." She paused. "As we were about to go further into the Badlands, three True Way warships decloakef. Keldon-class. They penetrated our shields in no time, and well... they hit the Science section badly. I... I was wounded by the explosion, and flung out into space, along with a few other officers. After nearly half a minute in space, we were transported back. I was the only officer to make it out alive, thanks to Rex..."
She then looked to her left hand, which was covered by and external harness with servos and motors. "You could say that I'm nearly 10 to 15 percent cybernetic." She showed her hand to the Andorian, and showed him a red Borg-like laser light, coming from her left eye. "It's for enhanced vision, so don't fear I'm a Borg or something alike." She smirked.
"Half a minute in space," Sirran said in awe. "It seems we're both miracle survivors." He grunted. "I rather wish you had some connection to the Borg. You might be able to ascertain if they are nearby or not. It would make my new job easier."
"Actually, Lieutenant," Saria replied. "I'm not in the mood to get assimilated, honestly. If I was, there already should've been two nanotubes in your neck." She sat down in her chair. "But that hasn't even been the worst. Rex has seen, or even done worser things. Memories spanning over 1200 years have their ups and downs."
"Just an absent thought," Sirran said. "I don't honestly wish for you to be assimilated. I wouldn't wish it on my most bitter enemy. What has Rex ever done that's worse then what the Borg do to people they meet? I can't imagine there is anything worse."
Saria looked up to Sirran, with an unhappy expression on her face. "Do you really want to know?" She asked, standing up. "It's not really something I like to share at all with others."
Sirran's antennae angled back, surprised at her sudden change in demeanor. "My apologies, Lieutenant. I did not mean to offend. Of course you do not have to talk about the matter if you do not wish to."
"No problem at all, I'm not that quickly offended." She smirked. "It's just that nobody ever told me what Rex had been trough. I expected a regular symbiont without too much past problems."
"I understand," Sirran said, nodding. That was one aspect of joined Trill that had never occurred to him. In addition to getting all the symbiont's wisdom and experience the host also got the baggage. One had to take the good as well as the bad. Whatever Rex's experiences had been in a previous life, it obviously caused Saria a deep pain that she kept buried. He wasn't going to ask her to dig it up for idle conversation. "Well, I need to get up to Ops and deliver a briefing to Captain Tahir and Commander Villiers, but I trust I will 'see you around?'"
"You definately will." Saria smiled.
[OFF]
Lt.(jg) Gralthek Sirran
Strategic Operations
&
Lieutenant JG Saria Rex
Chief Science Officer