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Day 03 [1000 hrs.] Mysteries & Appointments

[ Nathaniel Isley | Flight Deck Gym] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
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As an ensign Nathan had lost his privileges when it came to adjusting the gravity of a room, but when it came to being a pilot he now had access to one of his favorite rooms. There was a soft clinking of metal as the weights lifted up and down. The sound of old earth music playing loudly as Isley moved about dressed in a muscle shirt and track shorts.

Currently he was on rep forty five of a sixty pound bench press. Since he hadn't done this in a long time he had decided to set the weights low for his body, and focus on forum it was endurance training not about lifting the most but lifting something a hundred times.

His com-badge had been mysteriously turned off and left in his locker.  He had been avoiding the other pilots as well. He hadn't locked the door since he lacked the authority to do that, but he had made no attempt to speak to anyone who had come and gone this morning. This was his plan for the entire day since he wasn't on active flight duty yet. He had already flown once and his bird had the all clear if they scrambled than he wouldn't need to go far to get dressed and armed.

So until that general order was given he just had to kill time and avoid anyone and everyone else.

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Re: Day 03 [1000 hrs.] Mysteries & Appointments

Reply #1 –
[ Dr. Nicander | Fighter Assault Bay | Tactical CONN Lounge Gym | Deck 16 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Hastata-Nerada 
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The new day was already old by the time Doctor Nicander found an excuse to leave sickbay behind. The excuse was the follow-up on the closed case of Ensign Carver's death, and while Lucan had an altogether different role than publicly known when it came to the incident, he sought to do what he could to make amends about the situation for a certain pilot. His earlier public persona, while just a facade for the parasite inside he sought to thwart, had become his real self. It was all he knew. All he could fill the void left behind with, and he knew it was the right thing to do. He had a lot to redeem himself from, and what little he could do, he would, but he could not afford to reveal the truth. Doing so would prevent him from helping the crew.

So, as he entered the lounge and the gym area, his pale grey eyes sought Nathaniel Isley. With a medical kit in his hand, he made his way over to the halfblood Romulan.

"Ensign Isley," he said to the junior officer, yet he decided against going with naval doctrine. He exhaled, his deep voice softer. "I can understand why you decided against going to your physical evaluation, given recent events."

Having said this, he sat down on a nearby bench and rubbed his eyes with his tattooed hand. "When I learned, I decided to come here myself. If you are not medically cleared for duty in this department, then your transfer won't mean much to you, would it?" He looked at the man again, his elbows on his knees as he leaned forward, hands clasped. "This is a house call, so to speak. It is the least I can do, as I feel great guilt about revealing your true genetical heritage to anyone but yourself first. As you may have noted in the investigation, my reservations were noted... but I realise they mean little to you. Those winds are long gone."

Re: Day 03 [1000 hrs.] Mysteries & Appointments

Reply #2 –
[ Nathaniel Isley | Flight Deck Gym] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
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Nathan didn't look up from his reps as he heard the door open. He didn't know who it was till the other started talking, and while he had to admit that it had been foolish of him to not expect this moment there were plenty of things he had wanted to say to the chief of medical on this ship. He hefted the bar one more time sliding it back into place on it's holder and leaned up so that he could face Nicander listening as he spoke about the heritage issue.

"Is that all you feel guilty about?" He was silent for a moment gathering his case notes in his mind before he continued. "Not giving me a heads up before flipping the entire world upside down?"

His voice trembled slightly as he looked at the doctor a feeling of anger surrounding him as he looked at the other man. He wanted to break him, but that would have been an extreme answer. "You are the chief medical officer aboard this ship, which means you have access to every single person's logged medical records."

Nathan only half knew where he was going with this thread of logic. "I was there when we questioned doctor Maya, and she spoke about her black outs, and confessed to drugging me during one of them. If a pilot came to a doctor and said that they were loosing time they would loose their wings and be put under supervision, so why was doctor Maya allowed to run a sickbay on her own? There is no way you couldn't have known about this and the danger it represented to the crew I mean she's your staff, and your the one with access to all the medical records."

"and now there are some whispers going around that Maya is out of the brig as of yesterday on your orders no less. I don't know what it is doc that's making you protect her, but she's a risk. If I were still security I'd be watching the two of you like a hawk, because people around your sickbay tend to get hurt. Maybe you're just getting some Vulcan ass on the side, but something in your sickbay stinks, and I won't be going near it any time soon."

Of course he knew that voicing all of this ran the risk of not having his wings re-instated, which would have seriously burned him. he had technically already broken the rules flying a patrol out before having seen the doctor which could land him in hot water, and no one in security would listen to him after transferring out. The thought of grabbing something heavy with to defend himself did come to his mind, but no he was hoping Nicander would make the first move if it came to violence.

Re: Day 03 [1000 hrs.] Mysteries & Appointments

Reply #3 –
[ Dr. Nicander | Fighter Assault Bay | Tactical CONN Lounge Gym | Deck 16 | USS Theurgy ]
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Lucan already knew that the troublesome Mister Isley had a record of poor conduct when it came to authority, but to actually hear him spew hearsay and wild assumptions? How was this person ever considered Starfleet officer material if he could not conduct himself better when speaking to a superior officer? Naturally, the man was angry with him, but Lucan had never expected to have to deal with the kind of attitude this halfblood Romulan showed. He could but blink and raise his eyebrows at first, then he took a deep breath and raked a hand through his unkempt hair. He so loathed to have to pull rank. He was a Doctor first, not some drill sergeant, but if the man had to be schooled in proper Starfleet conduct, so be it.

"Stand up when I am talking to you, Ensign." He said it in a quiet voice, for the sharpness was not in the audibility of his tone, but the way it suggested that the junior officer crossed a line, and that he would be quite sorry for it.

Once the oaf faced him fully, Lucan chose not to tear into him like he knew other Lieutenant Commanders might, like the esteemed Chief of Security, or like Hendricks had been known to do once in a while in the Operations when necessary. No, that was not how Lucan preferred to deal with insubordination. He faced it with unruly, moronic patients, and this was no different, even if the man wasn't a patient at the moment. The fact that the parasite inside him was to blame in regards to Carver's and Isley's fate did not necessarily made him mellow in his retort either. Regardless of the blame, the Ensign should know better, because his kind of behaviour could spread to other officers, undermining the chain-of-command, and in the long run, lead to anarchy aboard the ship.

Anarchy was not conductive to fighting an enemy thriving on chaos. Therefore, Lucan said his piece.

"You are both presumptuous and unknowledgeable, trusting hearsay and lashing out in ignorance," he said, his tattooed hand in the pockets of his white coat and his chin raised. "You set a bad example for a officer, and what you have said will be noted in your official record, for whatever good that will do out here."

Taking a deep breath, Lucan moved on to correcting him. "What you don't know, and only make wild presumptions about, is that Maya's condition was spoken of in patient confidentiality between Maya and her counsellor, and it was never brought to my attention. Otherwise, she would - of course - not have treated you that day. Moreover, she is now back in the brig, pending further investigations and assessments. She was temporarily released so that she might, with her small stature, be able to reach an officer in great need, and treat him when no one else could. I don't know if the fact that we had a viral outbreak yesterday escaped your notice too, or the fact that we are short on medical personnel because of the battle. The officer she treated was disarming an armed torpedo lodged into Vector 02, threatening to explode within Thea's shields, so you should be quite grateful that did not happen."

Having said this, Lucan stepped up to the bearded male and looked him dead in the eye - his pale grey eyes unflinching. "Are you a petulant little child with a dirty mouth, or are you a Starfleet officer, Ensign?" He asked quietly. "I know you are angry, but the moment you resort to outrageous, vulgar allegations against your superior officers, you have forgotten what kind of tenets this crew tries to uphold. It is your poor attitude that stinks, and I don't presume that you are 'getting ass' somewhere, am I? Sadly, I am bereft of 'ass', as should be with my junior officers, but if you think you can say things like that, undermining the brittle chain-of-command that holds this crew together..."

He leaned a little closer, baring his teeth as he spoke into his ear. "...then I will make an example of you, showing what happens to officers that can't keep their tongue in check, and make sure you will never fly again."

Having said this, Lucan stepped away, eyes even. "Am I making myself clear, Ensign? Now, at ease, and let me make my scan, please?"

Re: Day 03 [1000 hrs.] Mysteries & Appointments

Reply #4 –
[ Nathaniel Isley | Flight Deck Gym] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
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Nathan supposed he should have expected the almost violent reaction he got from the doctor. In his corner to back him up he had conjecture and hearsay, along with a strong hunch that something was drastically wrong with sickbay. It didn't sit well with him that the man didn't know about his own staff's medical condition. If not malicious it was instead gross neglagence on a part of them. Her counselor had said that they were trying to keep it quiet but had she really gone so far as to hide something so critical from her own staff?

What the fuck was going on in the medical department? Nathan shook his head, knowing that to press any further would to risk his health in a fight with a doctor who could as he said make sure that he never flew again. Which was in it's own way a threat of an abuse in power. If he had some sort of recorder on him than he would have savored that small piece of blackmail, but as it was this was a senior officer.

Nathan couldn't exactly attack Nincander, and he wasn't security anymore which meant he didn't have the tools to watch the man as closely. He didn't have friends he could pass on his theories too, as it was it was a dead lead to an already closed investigation. Neglagence or malice, Nathan didn't know and shouldn't care.

All he really had to do was find a doctor he could trust not to drug him again, which would take some time and some personal evaluation of each of them. He added that to the growing list of things he needed to do. In fact, he took a breath to pull up his mental list of quests he needed to complete:

  • Fix attitude problem, find a way to get back former rank
  • Run flight simulations for Valkyrie mk 2
  • Find a girl, Boy? eh so long as can sex
  • Kill Doctor Maya
  • Figure out psychic blocks to prevent mind reading
  • Get into the fighting ring, maybe call up that cute pilot we were flying with yesterday to have a match?
  • Seduce captain, again
  • Find a doctor who's presence doesn't make my skin crawl.

With that added to the ever growing list of stuff he had to work with for the day he let out a sigh and went to ease. "Fine scan away." He had a few other quips he was feeling about how the doctor could go die in a fire, none of which were actually all that witty so he instead just went along with it Standing up so that the doctor could take his scans the sooner he was declared fit for duty the sooner he could cover up the fact that he had resumed active duty yesterday because they were behind a pilot.

Also he really didn't care either way about what Nincander thought of him. Something about the way stuff lead back to sickbay made him paranoid and he would be avoiding the place like it had the actual plague.

Re: Day 03 [1000 hrs.] Mysteries & Appointments

Reply #5 –
[ Dr. Nicander | Fighter Assault Bay | Tactical CONN Lounge Gym | Deck 16 | USS Theurgy ]
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When the fighter pilot conformed himself to the chain-of-command, at last, Lucan nodded quietly before he began his scan.

In the aftermath of Starbase 84, after what the Radiant's light had done to him, Lucan felt very conflicted about Nicander, Lin Kae and Thomas Ravon. They had all three been victims of the parasite's experiments. They had all done things they normally wouldn't, manipulated medically to preform atrocities, all three of them serving as possible scapegoats to cover up the fallout of grander schemes. Whenever the parasite did something out of turn, unable to deny itself guilty pleasures it may have had, the three men would have been the perfect victims for any investigations. Because of what the parasite had made them do, and because Nicander's public image was impeccable, it would demand very little to redirect any blame in their direction. Just like with Maya, who had been instrumental in making it happen.

When he had been under the influence of the vile thing inside him, Lucan had regretted how Thomas Ravon was lost during the battle against the Calamity. Ravon had been made just as schizophrenic as Isley, and as far as Lucan knew, the new Squadron Commander had almost raped Evelyn Rawley - one of Lucan's past lovers. Still, even if Ravon had been lost before the battle, the parasite would have had Lin Kae too. Kae, the young genius, who's paranoia had made him openly betrayed Thea, the Captain and the whole crew at the Black Opal, all because of what the parasite had made Lucan do to him. Not just medically induced paranoia, but splitting personalities chemically by bolstering some parts of the brain's chemical disposition, and it all had been made possible by using Doctor Maya to administer the timely inoculations. Maya, who had let herself be hypnotically compromised during the Phoenix Project, becoming the unknowing tool of the parasite's will.

So, with all the things the three victims had done, and what had befallen Maya... Lucan was at odds with himself about having to put Isley on the spot for his demeanour. Still, he had to, not just because of the chain-of-command, but because he needed to help the crew, and he couldn't do it from inside a holding cell. He just hoped Maya would last a bit longer in the brig, before he figured out a way to get her out.

When he was finished with his scan, having stepped around the fighter pilot as he did it, Lucan soon lowered his tricorder. "How are you dealing with the knowledge of your genetic heritage?" he asked while he reviewed the readings on the small screen, "Judging by your personnel file, I suppose there are a couple of possibilities for how it might have come about. It could be that either or both of your parents are not truly blood-related to you, or your mother - T'Mei, if I recall the name correctly - had her Romulan genes masked as Vulcan as well. I think the latter is more believable, since the same thing had clearly been done to you, but this is something Security might make an investigation of for you, should they find the time."

Saying this, Lucan put his tricorder away and put his tattooed hands into the pockets of his coat. "You are an impressive physical specimen, Mister Isley. Your scans checks out, and you seem quite ready to return to service in Tactical CONN once more. I will add to your journal that you are cleared for duty." Saying this, Lucan realised he could actually do something for this pilot. Even if he was abrasive, the pilot did deserve more in the regard of his past having become a lie. "By the winds, I can imagine the cruelty of learning this about your mother, and not being able to confront her, to speak with her about what truly happened in your infancy."

Pausing, Lucan took a deep breath. "What I am willing to do, if you are interested, is to use my security clearance as Lieutenant Commander and access her file in our Starfleet database. This might yield more information than your current or former rank could. Of course, there is no guarantee that more information is made available for me, but it's the least I can do considering how you learned about her in the fashion you did."

Being quite serious in his offer, Lucan pulled up a small PADD from his other pocket, waiting for the pilot's reply with his eyebrows raised in askance.

Re: Day 03 [1000 hrs.] Mysteries & Appointments

Reply #6 –
[ Nathaniel Isley | Flight Deck Gym] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
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"Thank you." Now he just had to come up with some reason why he had gone out and flown on patrol yesterday, and why his doctors note would be coming to Ravon a day late. He doubted that it would cause any sort of ripple considering that they pilots were needed, but with his deduction in rank, and his checkered past he was pretty heavily on the bottom of this social totem pole among the wolves.

Now with that settled he was waiting for the doctor to kindly get the fuck out of his life, up until such a point where his services were needed perform some life saving surgery. But he paused when instead the man grabbed a PADD, and offered to use his security clearance to instead check up on one of the remaining mysteries that had consumed Nathan's life. That of his mother, and the fact that she was in some way a Romulan spy.

He disliked the idea of there being some part of that mystery which he hadn't known. He disliked the fact that he had been lied too about his heritage, and that he had to make guesses as to what his past had truly been. He had used his security clearance back when he had been a junior grade, but he knew security clearance was a need to know thing, and rank often had more privileges.

It was something he was curious about rank, he had never really acted or respected the privileges around him, but after getting smacked around by the totem pole he did have some new found respect for command, even if he was legitimately no good with it. He had to wonder just how long he would be stuck as an Ensign, as he was probably one of the older tactical pilots aboard the ship now.

"Okay lets hear what it has to say." He said resigning himself to working alongside the ally of convenience no matter how much it made his skin crawl he couldn't pass up this opportunity.

Re: Day 03 [1000 hrs.] Mysteries & Appointments

Reply #7 –
[ Dr. Nicander | Fighter Assault Bay | Tactical CONN Lounge Gym | Deck 16 | USS Theurgy ]
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It seemed that whatever misgivings Isley had, he was finally resigning himself to behave somewhat like the officer he was, and for that, Lucan was grateful. 'Resigned' was certainly the word for it, but as much could be expected given the circumstances.

Nonetheless, Lucan did as he had offered, used his security clearance to enter the database, and pulled up the available information about the Romulan woman. A woman that posed as Vulcan, and while Lucan hadn't overly cared when the parasite dictated his mind, he now wondered if Starfleet knew who this woman truly was. Was she a defector, or a sleeper agent? All known facts so far, based on Isley's genome alone, were circumstantial on that point...

"Here you are," said Lucan and offered the small datapadd to the pilot. "I downloaded what was available and logged myself out. I feel like I have invaded your personal life sufficiently when I had to reveal your genetic heritage, so I will leave you to your reading."

Having said this, Lucan turned to leave, but spoke up again on his way out, not pausing his step. "Make sure you come in for the next physical evaluation when it is due, Ensign. I generally don't make house calls."

And then, he was gone.

Re: Day 03 [1000 hrs.] Mysteries & Appointments

Reply #8 –
[ Nathaniel Isley | Flight Deck Gym] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
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As soon as Nicander was out of the room, Nathan stuck out his tongue towards the exit where the doctor had been. It was the most juvinile gesture he could think of bar sticking up his middle finger. He mocked the doctor under his breath. "Be sure to make your next check up."

While Nathan couldn't proove anything was wrong with the medical division on this ship it felt wrong to simply let it slide. He was pretty sure that Nicander was sleeping with Maya, he had no proof but it was really the only explination that sat well with Nathan. The dude fucked his subordinates so he let them be lax, and that laxness got people hurt, as long as it was just that he supposed that he couldn't fault Nicander. If Maya were willing he would probably have jumped at the chance to stick his dick in the smaller woman.

"Vulcan's who can trust them?" He shook his head, and focused on the one Vulcan that continued to matter through his life, or rather the romulan traitor that was his mother.  T'Mei, he honestly didn't know how to take the information that his mother was a romulan. As a half-breed he had never felt particularly loved by his mother. She had been as cold, and logical as any vulcan parent he had known growing up. He could barely remember any hugs, or the like, and things like birthdays were human traditions which only served to remind you time was fleeting and unimportant.

Sitting down on one of the various excersize machines around him the file hadn't changed too much from when he had read it back when he had looked it up as a master chief. His mother was a civilian who happened to be married to a Federation scientist. Honestly the file was more focused on his fathers work than...

wait... there was another access here.

The file had been accessed five times in the past two weeks. The first was back during his trial, the second was when he and Ives had sat down in the brig when Thea had accessed the file to determine probabilities. the third was when he had been a master chief petty officer, he had wanted to know more about his mother and had taken the file to do some reading, the fourth was by far the most interesting.

The fourth was an access by a civilian aboard the ship.

The fifth he had in his hand, but the fourth access had been by a.. romulan.

Nathan wasn't a member of security he couldn't arrest the Romulan, and if he passed this info off to Wenn it would just raise questions like how did you get this security clearance.

So that left only himself to act. "Thea where is Drauc? Also who the hell is Drauc?" And why was he looking into his mothers file?

As soon as he had a location Nathan was out of the door.

Re: Day 03 [1000 hrs.] Mysteries & Appointments

Reply #9 –
[ Theurgy "Thea" NX-79854 | Incorporeal Presence ] Attn: @Kaligos @Triage 
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When the Ensign made his query, Thea answered via the intercom in the Tactical CONN Lounge. Her incorporeal voice was heard in the gym before Isley left.

[Drauc T'Laus, Romulan, came aboard on a shuttle belonging to the USS Resolve, in the company of Ensign Krystal Tancredi. There is also a record of a man fitting this description in Starfleet's database, but it is from the year 2374. Accessing...]

When Isley was outside the lounge, Thea's voice shifted to emerge from his combadge instead. [At the rank of Lieutenant Junior Grade, Drauc T'Laus was treated at Starfleet Medical, San Francisco, for injuries sustained during the Dominion War. There is also record of a brother that died in the same battle, killed by Jem'Hadar. At Starfleet Medical, at the day Drauc T'Laus vanished, a Klingon was found killed in the same ward that T'Laus was treated. As a single witness to the events, Nurse Jovela - a Cadet at the time - claimed she did not see what happened. There are no further records of Drauc T'Laus in the database after this incident, until he was processed at Starbase 84, arrested for being a part of a Romulan raiding party leaving Romulan space.]

There was a pause. [My internal sensor logs suggest Drauc T'Laus is currently in the Upper Shuttle Bay, Vector 01.]

Re: Day 03 [1000 hrs.] Mysteries & Appointments

Reply #10 –
[ Nathaniel Isley | Flight Deck Gym ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
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"Thank you Thea. I request a site-to-site transport to the upper shuttle bay, vector 01." Nathan admittingly did not know what he was about to do. There was a part of him that was curious about another Romulan aboard the ship. He kind of thought he was the only one, the others would be hiding as Vulcans. Oh, he could add that to the list of suspicions towards Doctor Maya. The medical staff had cleared her when he had mentioned the possibility during the interrogation, but he was pretty sure that Nicander was biased and if he was biased, than that meant the entire medical staff could be in on it.

Okay, now he was just being paranoid. Then again, someone was reading his mother's file, and that person just so happened to be a Romulan who had apparently been a witness to a murder and then vanished. Section 31, Tal Shiar, fuck he could be Klingon Imperial Intelligence for all the good they ever did, and no one would even know. After all, he was the prime witness and suspect of a murder and he had just vanished.

So, at the end of the day, the only thing he could do was really just walk in, and ask what was going on.

[ Upper Shuttle Bay | Vector 01 ]

As he re-matarialized back in the flesh, he was more than ready to have a fight. Though slightly sad that he had handed his weapon back to security, he would have loved to stun first ask questions later. He walked around for a few moments, unsure what the guy even looked like. Finally, he decided that he would just act the part of the crazy person, taking a long deep breath.

"Drauc T'Laus!" He shouted the name in the midst of the busy shuttle bay, probably breaking a dozen or so protocols but for all he knew, the other was probably preparing to run.

Re: Day 03 [1000 hrs.] Mysteries & Appointments

Reply #11 –
[ Drauc T'Laus | Upper Shuttle Bay | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Kaligos 
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Perched on the upper level of the shuttle bay, leaning over the railing with his hood up, Drauc stared at the figure shouting his name on the lower level through the tresses of his burgundy hair. His scarred hands were still on the metal railing, and his raspy breath was even. He knew not what this Starfleet officer below wanted of him, and since he was in off duty training attire, Drauc could not place his Departmental belonging either. After he had saved Nurse Jovela's life - for the second time - on the first day aboard, he had reckoned that Security would eventually figure out that he had been the one to subdue the two Devoted. Jovela would not have named him, because if she hadn't done so when he escaped Starfleet Medical, she would not have done so the second time either.

The reason why he was sure they would find out he'd helped Jovela was because he was not exactly inconspicuous when treading the corridors of a Federation starship, wearing his threadbare, brown robe instead of his old uniform. That, and the fact that he had aided in fighting Ian Hawthorne on Starbase 84, meeting that Andorian Deputy and the other officers in the boarding team. They might not seek him out, but they would surely know of him. There was also the fact that several Resolve officers knew about his involvement during the battle. So, it was only a question of time before he would be approached.

What would prove interesting, however, was whether or not his desertion would play any kind of role... despite how many years had passed.

"Raise your eyes," he called in his damaged voice from on high, announcing his whereabouts to the man below. With the light above him, his face was likely hidden within the darkness of his hood. The same could not be said about the one who sought him, since when he looked up... Drauc did not speak anew, for it was as if he looked into the eyes of his dead brother. Kraun? No...

Remaining still, with his scarred forehead creased in a deep frown, he said naught more. Who is this?

Re: Day 03 [1000 hrs.] Mysteries & Appointments

Reply #12 –
[ Nathaniel Isley | Upper Shuttle Bay | Vector 01 ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
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Nathan tried to squint at the figure who called from him . The hooded figure atop the second level of the shuttlebay. Nathan could attempt screaming his head off at the guy, but in truth he would rather not. He didn't know exactly what this other would do, if he yelled at the guy to come down to his level would he accept such a request? If he ran could Nathan give chase? Without a weapon or security clearnace he didn't really have any authority to hold down the man or question him. Still as he was trying to get a good read on the mans face he had to do something else loose the lead.

"Stay where you are, I'm coming up!" Nathan said finally deciding that it was worth the risk of him running if he could in fact get a little closer to the man so that they didn't have to hold a conversation over several feet, airing out business that Nathan would rather not have out in the open. With that decision made he went for the closest thing that would grant him elivation to Drauc's level, a ladder. His eyes didn't leave the hooded figure if the man broke out into a run than Nathan would have to persue.

"You accessed the file of a Romulan agent, under the name T'Mei, I want to know why."  His voice was still loud but now that he was closer he could tone it down a few pegs, hoping that not everyone in this room had to be privy to this conversation.

Re: Day 03 [1000 hrs.] Mysteries & Appointments

Reply #13 –
[ Drauc T'Laus | Upper Shuttle Bay | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Kaligos 
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Waiting where he was while the apparently human male climbed to his level, Drauc T'Laus pushed away from the railing and turned to face him. He flexed his scarred hands at his sides, eyes drilling into the visage of this dead ringer of Kraun. The human lacked the ears, of course, the scars, and the sombre visage of Drauc's dead brother. Yet what was more profound to Drauc was how the man's mind was not like Kraun's. Despite the years that had passed, Drauc would know his brother by his presence more than the sight of him. This was not Kraun, and the momentary mistake made Drauc bitter.

No, the mind of this human - if that was the case of his parentage - was younger. He was keen on knowing who Drauc was, that was the primary read Drauc got as he looked at him, the man approaching him on the walkway above the shuttle bay. Drauc came to stand in the middle of the walkway, gleaming railings on either side of him and his hood still up. He knew not the intentions of the man, but if he had come with ill will, despite how many witnesses were at work all around them, Drauc did not care to fall down. He spread his feet a bit nonetheless, because in the mind of the man, there was deep frustration. Feelings of betrayal. Of great loss, and an inclination towards violence that just needed a spark. The barest of motivations.

T'Mei? Why had his database query about her agitated the human so?

Drauc had expected any other number of reasons why he'd been singled out. Yet surprisingly, this man knew T'Mei to be Romulan, which would mean that her mission on behest of the Tal Shiar had been compromised. The database had merely found a Vulcan female by that name, neatly and orderly registered in Starfleet's records, but since Drauc could not remember what she'd looked like, he hadn't been certain it was the right woman. Yet judging by this man... Drauc had indeed found her. It was the T'Mei he had been looking for.

"According to your database," he rasped to the man, whom he still didn't know the name of, the echo of his voice reverberating, "T'Mei is Vulcan. There was no record of her being a Romulan operative."

While he could respect the man's raw feelings, the honesty in them, he would not trust him with anything further. Not without knowing more. He remained utterly still where he stood, betraying readiness to sudden movement, but he bore no intent to provoke any foolish idea to attack him. "I tread a righteous path, and I mean no harm. My apologies if I accessed information that was restricted, yet it appears you know more than I... or we sought two different women."

He'd test the waters, and try to learn the man's motives before he'd confirm T'Mei's real parentage. He would not betray his mother's true identity since that would compromise her further. Unless she is already dead... or hidden in a distant penal colony.

That might just be why she never returned home. It made him clench his fists at his sides, shoulders draw up.

Re: Day 03 [1000 hrs.] Mysteries & Appointments

Reply #14 –
[ Nathaniel Isley | Upper Shuttle Bay | Vector 01 ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
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"Yeah really holy path what with the murder you walked away from, and the disapearance from Starfleet." Nathan scoffed as he folded his arms. Looking upon this guy Nathan couldn't see much past the burns and scars that littered the mans face. It was actually unsightly and unpleasant to look at. Even looking at the mans eyes caused some form of unease, he could just barely recognize the fact that they had the same brownish eye color, but that seemed to be the only thing he could attribute to this romulan. Aside from that he was old, scard and more akin to stories of ancient cave dwelling hermits than an actual person.

When he gave the line about T'Mei being a vulcan Nathan scoffed, still too angry with his mother to admit that his outing of her was painful in it's own way. It had to be reported, but the last time he had seen his parents they had still been happily married on a colony world safe from strife when he had gone off to join the Federation.

Officially yes she was a vulcan, but that still didn't explain why this other person had looked into the file. He didn't have patience to try and do this tactfully so he was just going to rip off the bandaid.

"Bullshit, if T'Mei was a vulcan than I would be half Vulcan not Half Romulan, and now I have a full romulan poking around in my families file, so you either come forward and tell me what you know or I hand you over to Wenn as a Tal Shiar informant. Cause that is what you are right? As well as the murderer of a Klingon on Starfleet grounds."

Re: Day 03 [1000 hrs.] Mysteries & Appointments

Reply #15 –
[ Drauc T'Laus | Upper Shuttle Bay | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Kaligos 
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The younger man was abrasive, accusatory and clearly upset. In fact, Drauc did not have to read his mind to any degree. This supposed Starfleet officer wore all his emotions on his sleeve, unfiltered, and without any care towards proper conduct or manners. Surely the fleet had not diminished so far in propriety since he left? I did not say 'holy'. He lost any faith when they cut him open as a mere child. He took it as an insult.

Then again... he realised he held the man to a standard he and Kraun had failed to live up to as well. In fact, before Kraun died, they had both been hotheads, eager to vent all the anger they held towards their own people and the Tal Shiar at any given opportunity the Dominion War had provided them.

This thought caught him in a very poor way, when the image of a woman and a man appeared in this man's mind. It was just the briefest of flashes, showing a house of Federation ideals come true. Happiness, overshadowed by the man current bitterness. Drauc ceased to breathe, hearing the thought becoming vocalised by the man's lips. Half Romulan. Could it truly be that simple? Could it really be her? Had she betrayed it all? Her Empire, her race, her husband and both her young children, for the sake of the Federation? Thirty years of separation made him fail to remember her face, but the name. The name was the same. The false name they were supposed to use to speak to mommy... Only they were never allowed to. Drauc and Kraun were denied it, and never learned where she went. Then, after their father decided that he could not raise two sons on his own, he had them submitted for euthanasia, since they had yet to turn five years old. There had been naught wrong with him and Kraun, so their father must have lied when submitting their names.

Drauc's hands curled into fists at his sides. Strange, how despite the years, the very idea that their mother had begun a new family in Federation space, leaving him and Kraun to die... it vexed him. He was surprised how much it vexed him, learning about that house, and that ideal family, and knowing...

...that the man in front of him had been given everything. Why was he not more numb to it? Why could he not just dismiss it like he dismissed the man's words about the Klingon? His concerns were not about Jovela setting the record straight, but that his man represented the life he had been denied. He breathed slowly, the knowledge permeating his mind, and the fury seeping into his thoughts. He clung to rationality, knowing his mind well enough by knowing the minds of all the people he'd met in his life.

"What's your name?" he rasped, like a rusty sword being drawn from its sheath. "Who is this that accuse me of being Tal Shiar? You know nothing about them. What they do in the Praetor's name. The agony they inflict to further the Empire. The sick disregard for innocence."

He lifted one hand, and pushed back his hood - eyes unblinking as they stared into his half-brother's. Truly, the resemblance to the face he saw in the mirror was striking, barring the scars that riddled his forehead, the marks of screaming and pain that lined his mouth and eyes, the ears that this halfbreed lacked, and the years of a life hard led that this youth could never fathom. The man didn't have mother's hair either.. but he got everything else from her.

"I can see into your soul, officer. That is the curse I was left with, the dubious prize of my pain. I see you lash at me before you speak. I see you feeling betrayed. Lied to. Thinking, in your ignorance, that what mother did to you was so unfair. You... do not know betrayal. Nothing remotely akin to what Kraun and I suffered. You are like a boy that just learned that his favourite toy is broken. We were left behind to die at the hands of father, which had been a mercy compared to what the Tal Shiar did to us instead."

Eyes ablaze, yet his movements without haste, Drauc stepped closer to his new-found brother, wanting that he got a real good look at his face. He curled his upper lip, making the scars and the lines dance as he denounced his claim to betrayal. "Tell me your name... little brother, or I will pluck it from your thoughts."

Re: Day 03 [1000 hrs.] Mysteries & Appointments

Reply #16 –
[ Nathaniel Isley | Upper Shuttle Bay | Vector 01 ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
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Seeing the man take off his hood, he watched with a sickening horror as the realization of what he was seeing dawned on Nathan. The man's look was gross not from his scars,  but from the subtle family resemblance to his mother, T'Mei. He had her hair, though not her brown eyes, and his Romulan features while a tad more green matched with what he remembered of his mother and a stranger. He knew that she had a long life before she had met his father, but the idea of some other family some set of older brothers. He hated the idea.

Though when the man spoke he could admit that he was naive to assume that he understood anything about the Tal Shiar. The man he was looking at clearly had the price for that information. However he most certainly did know betrayal. This entire ship had been betrayed by everything they had fought for in the Dominion War, and currently were blamed for working with the Romulans, having one aboard this vessel did most certainly make him nervous. He had also been betrayed by several aboard this ship personally.

Ives had betrayed him after they ended up having sex before the Niga Incident, when she had sworn him to secrecy about what had happened. Ida had betrayed him when she had arrested him on evidence that was circumstantial. He had been betrayed by Maya when she had drugged him, and while he couldn't hold any of the above truly accountable for those actions he did most certainly feel betrayed by all of them.

As for his gaze and the ability to peer into his mind it immediately brought up the violation that had been performed by Doctor Maya. Nathan's fist tightened as he looked at Drauc with danger burning away in his eyes. "You already know my name."

"You read mommies file, which means you know she had a kid, my picture was even in there, Nathaniel Isley. Born on Sennis IV, to Ethan Isley and T'Mei, officially half Vulcan." There was a spitting breath of anger as he gave that last part. "Only it turns out that I'm half Romulan, and it came out at the worst possible moment. T'Mei lied to me, altered my genetic coding, spent her entire life putting me at arms length letting me think she was just logical and cold like all other vulcan mothers."

"So, Old Bro." He said pulling away from Drauc still angry, but now curious, family was in short supply and if this man really was his older brother. "Who the fuck are you?"

Re: Day 03 [1000 hrs.] Mysteries & Appointments

Reply #17 –
[ Drauc T'Laus | Upper Shuttle Bay | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Kaligos 
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Flashes of thoughts came from the man, jumbled images. Intimacy with two different women, and a Vulcan removing her hand from the side of Isley's face. He knew one of them. The Andorian. Yet he cared naught about this half-brother's frivolities. Much less how these three women had betrayed him somehow. He saw the like in the minds of others all the time. Hurt.

Such a question, who you truly were. Did anyone know the answer? Drauc had read the minds of countless people, but he could not read his own. He had as much objective perception of himself as any other humanoid on the ship, this starship that could split into three, of all things. Yet he did think, nonetheless, that the objective aspect of seeing so many others struggle with their own motivations grounded him in his own. To a certain degree, he saw reflections of himself in the minds of others, and he told this newfound brother his answer.

"A survivor," he said in short, remaining where he stood, fists clenched at his sides, and stared at the walking gene-experiment. That, they had in common, how they had been moulded into something that wasn't themselves. Drauc's alterations were of the mind, whereas Nathaniel Isley - whom looked naught like the image in the file - his alterations were purely physical. Drauc also doubted that T'Mei, this maternal traitor they had in common, hadn't resorted to the methods of the Tal'Shiar when altering her youngest child. Nor had the abuse upon his tiny person lasted for fifteen years.

"A survivor against my better interests. I fought for Starfleet during the Dominion War. Kraun died on the battlefield. Him and I shared the years of torment together, had a bond unlike any I have yet to perceive in others." He paused, looking out over the activity of the shuttlebay below them. "I... withdrew into my own mind to escape the imprint of others'. I emerged again at Starfleet Medical, the vocal plight of a nurse piercing the fortifications I built to keep everyone out."

He looked back at Isley, doubting he had both wit and heart to understand anything of what he was saying. Still, Drauc knew he could but place the blame against T'Mei at this man's feet. In essence, he had no true quarrel with this man. "Before you judge my actions when I deserted the fleet... you should speak with Nurse Jovela. I found her here, on this ship, by some odds I cannot begin to fathom. I had to save her again, from these Devoted you keep aboard, and I served Captain Kendrick of the Resolve before I ended up here. Fought alongside a Deputy zh'Wann on Starbase 84, tried to end the threat Ian Hawthorne posed. I noticed you might know her."

Slowly turning to the railing, Drauc put his scarred hands on it - looking away. "To your credit, you do not presume to know me. You ask me who I am... yet I suggest you make your own opinion based on my actions."

Re: Day 03 [1000 hrs.] Mysteries & Appointments

Reply #18 –
[ Nathaniel Isley | Upper Shuttle Bay | Vector 01 ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
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It was sort of a great loss to be sure. Nathan hadn't even thought he had one brothr, and now it turns out there was another one he would have never known about if not for this meeting. By all rights he didn't have much to feel angry for towards Drauc, aside from the fact that his mother had kept him a secret. Growing up Nathan had always sort of wanted another sibling to be around, he remembered once asking his mother for a younger sister or brother. It was one of those dumb things an only child would ask not really believing that there was any chance for him to actually get a sibling.

Growing up he had always thought T'Mei was just like any other vulcan parent, she was distant cold and logical, but upon learning that she was a romulan he had been trying to see what if any connection to this woman he had. She had always encouraged him away from the logical culture of the vulcans telling him that it was too difficult for a half breed to live up to the vulcan's science council expectations. It was one of the reasons he had never been to vulcan.

When Drauc continued speaking, Nathan tried to pull his words along, and when it came to Jovela his eyes widened slightly thinking of that midnight hued creature he had been carying for since the time when he Jovela had gone into stasis. He hadn't been there at the moment when Jovela had been shot, but he had been the root cause of Niga, and felt responcible, caring for the creature was the least he could do in the long run, returning the pet to Jovela would be a top priority once this was all said and done.

"I do know Ida." Nathan hid away the bite from his voice trying to be more reasonable with this other, after all he had described he couldn't exactly call drauc out for causing trouble. He seemed to actually be out on their side. It was however infinitely more creepy that the man could read through anothers brain. "She is an excelent judge of character, while I do not... like her as much as I once did, I can concede that if she trusted you enough to be here, than  so can I. She has never spared anyone from her job before, and I don't see that ever changing for her."

Though he could feel bitter he could concede that Ida was perhaps the most trust worthy on this ship when it came to putting the needs of security first. "I will speak to Jovela though." Both because she needed to be reunited with Rhyanna, and because she was the primary witniss.

"I don't think i can call you out on the whole traitor thing. I mean look where we are standing, my Starfleet comission went out the window when we started this whole crusade and I was one of the first people in line." Nathan said crossing his arms, and nodding slightly. "But that doesn't mean I can presume to like you, only time is going to tell if that's the case."

Re: Day 03 [1000 hrs.] Mysteries & Appointments

Reply #19 –
[ Drauc T'Laus | Upper Shuttle Bay | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Kaligos 
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Drauc did not turn his head to look at Isley when he spoke, his eyes on the activities of the shuttle bay below while he leaned on the railing. He did not have to look at his brother to sense each word before they left his mouth, the violent intent having abated already. He sensed a modicum of understanding, and acceptance. He also saw the image of a creature, and how it rightfully belonged to Jovela. It was truly a small universe, all thing considered.

"Whether you like me is not the question, brother," he rasped quietly. It felt wrong to call anyone else than Kraun that. "I wonder if you have the experience needed to understand my choices, and if you are going to report me despite my service to this mission - my selfless intentions on this righteous path I tread."

Then he did turn his head, his brown eyes staring at the officer through the tresses of his hair. "Give my regards to Jovela," he grated, his voice as scarred as his visage. "She will be grateful to have her caracal back."

That Isley hadn't mentioned Rhyanna out loud was secondary to Drauc, the lines about the said and the unsaid blurred since he was a child on Romulus. Thinking back, Drauc did realise that he had a singular question for Isley, and spoke up before he left. He had resumed looking at the bay again, but his words carried to the officer on the walkway.

"Was mother good to you?"

This woman who finally had a face. The one that had stared back at him in the file from the database.

Re: Day 03 [1000 hrs.] Mysteries & Appointments

Reply #20 –
[ Nathaniel Isley | Upper Shuttle Bay | Vector 01 ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
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"I thought romulans didn't have the same psychic potential as the vulcans." When Drauc spoke of the Caracal pet that he would eventually have to part with to Jovela he paused. Drauc had already mentioned that his mind had been touched and exparamented in some sort of torture exparament thing, but it was shocking to actually see such a gift in use. It made him even more warry of the man he would call a brother.

Psionic's ever since he had been mentally touched by Maya, and then again by Cir'Cie he had been curious about that potential. Growing up he had of course asked about things like mind melds, he was half vulcan back then and desired to know more about what was done in those rituals, but at every step he tried to take towards his mothers culture she would push him towards his father, and encourage the emotional side, telling him that it wasn't logical for him to follow in those footsteps.

Those thoughts were the ones that brought him to Drauc's real question. Was his mother good to him. He paused for a moment thinking over his childhood. Being sure to give Drauc a few of the happier memories he had with his parents together, allowing him access to things from before the time when his world was hit by war. "T'Mei was distant, not unkind, but kind of guarded. Growing up she was attempting to be a vulcan, but i guess looking back at it she over compensated a little. I never got the feeling that she didn't want me around, but her favorite vulcan saying was 'It is logical for children to be independent of their parents'.  She was supportive, but not too much, for a vulcan she was obsessed with making sure I never followed in the footsteps of what i thought were our people."

"I guess hindsight being what it is and knowing what I know now, T'Mei was a good mother in a stressful situation. She settled down with a Starfleet officer, and if she had ever comeforward with him, that she was a spy for a foriegn enemy I probably never would have seen her again. I suppose she did a lot to protect me, and at the end of the day that's all any child can ask of their parents. My memories of my mother, are of her pretending to be something she wasn't. So... maybe you could fill in the blanks... What was romulus like before this civil war and this mission?"

Re: Day 03 [1000 hrs.] Mysteries & Appointments

Reply #21 –
[ Drauc T'Laus | Upper Shuttle Bay | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Kaligos 
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Indeed, Drauc was able to see glimpses of the past, shards representing the missing pieces of childhood - the care Kraun and he never got. Flashes of T'Mei's face, this maternal woman lost to him, playing a charade. It made Drauc wonder what had motivated her. Had she abandoned her family out of a sense of duty, still on her mission, still working for the Tal'Shiar? Or did she truly love this Starfleet officer she'd been with when Isley was born. Did she parent this man before him whilst still on her mission, still being a sleeper agent of the very same organisation that had tortured him and Kraun for almost fifteen years? It was true that one division of the Tal Shiar didn't know what another was doing, and a sleeper agent operating beyond the Neutral Zone would hardly be appraised....

Could it be that he and Kraun had been their leverage, the incentive for T'Mei to continue her false life? Had father been compensated for giving them over to the training center? Had he even been forced to do it, just to make T'Mei continue in her service? Memories of when they had been seized were fleeting, after so much had been done to their minds. It was likely they had been given false memories, to make them think they had no mother and father that would care for them. There were no answers to be found in Isley's memories, at least, just.... hurt. Feeling betrayed, but not knowing for certain if that was the truth.

His newfound brother had asked a question, and even though Drauc did not feel like talking, he found himself anwering.

"Kraun and I never saw Romulus until the day we fled. Trained as assets of the Tal'Shiar, we used what we had been taught to flee, boarding a shuttle and leaving for Federation space," he said quietly, not looking at the man, "I did not learn to know my native people until I returned... and after years of service in Starfleet, I did not see Romulus as a Romulan would."

Clenching his jaw, Drauc was assailed by the bitter realisation that he had been in Federation space, serving the fleet, while mother had been raising his brother. Had they known, Kraun and he would have sought T'Mei while on the right side of the Neutral Zone. Yet the vague memory of mother, this name that had surfaced... It had not come to Drauc until recent years, when he'd had enough time for introspection, and to delve into the jagged, torn mess that was his early childhood.

"My apologies," he said quietly. "Would you be so kind to leave me? I have a lot to think about."
 

Re: Day 03 [1000 hrs.] Mysteries & Appointments

Reply #22 –
[ Nathaniel Isley | Upper Shuttle Bay | Vector 01 ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
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This new man was a curiosity, and while he had wanted to know more about his mothers history, it seemed that Drauc could not explain the woman's actions or anything about the world their mother had come from. It was likely that the only person alive who could share the answers both were seeking was T'Mei herself, which was difficult because last he had seen his mother she was still on Sennies IV. If she was still alive than she was out of reach of the Theurgy, and no amount of pull with the Captain would get her to alter course just to pick up one woman who was non-critical to their mission.

He looked at Drauc as the other said that he wanted time to think, and it was agreeable in fact. He wasn't entirely sure if he even wanted to try and meet Drauc again at some point in the future. The man was a concept he wasn't entirely ready to face yet, and he was off kilter by that fact. He didn't like the idea that he was no longer an only child.

For now though he nodded his head towards Drauc. "For now I think that's for the best." Nathan said to Drauc and took his leave of the shuttle bay.

He had a pet to give back to a lost owner, and a lot more that he needed to think about. Drauc was likely the last person he should be hanging out with in that regard, as the man's very presence only raised questions about who Isley really was, and he wasn't entirely sure he had the expertise to answer any of the questions raised. Maybe he needed a therapy session?

But then therapists were part of the medical section of this ship, so maybe he just needed to focus his energy on something more productive.

- FIN
 
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