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Day 21 [1200 hrs.] An Asset in Irons

DAY 21 [0630 HRS.] AN ASSET IN IRONS

[ Doctor Lucan cin Nicander | Brig | Security Center | Deck 07 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @BipSpoon  
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Even though the days of shore leave for the Theurgy crew was a time of recovery and regrouping for the next part of the mission, Lucan found it to be a time of reflection. The introspection he would have enjoyed, however, was marred by the manner in which he wasn't entirely on his own in his cell. There was no time for quietude because of the shadow of himself that existed in their present reality. A darkened mirror image that was a slave to the parasite inside him, and who's thoughts and experiences bled through the breach they shared. A breach to the voracious dark, gaping wider because two identical parasites existed simultaneously, and left Lucan seeing more than he ought to even if his mind was no longer subsumed.

The nights in his holding cell were the worst, when his dreams were overtaken by the imprints of the collective consciousness of the Infested - this abyss through which they communed. This 'communication', if it could even be called that, was a thing of chaos, true to the nature of the space beyond the breach, but there was enough transference of thoughts, events and incentive to push towards a common goal. The connection shared transcended time - possible pasts and futures - as well as physical distances, but coordination was lacking. There was just the common urge that drove the Infested, and the hosts acted in accordance - possessed by their parasites. Thus, Lucan's dreams were that of nightmares rooted in what might have been and could be, as seen through the eyes of others like him. Those whom no longer held autonomy of themselves, and accepting it without the means to resist.

After he had woken up that morning, having witnessed greatly troubling things in the shadows of his dreams, he was restless. Troubled. Since his incarceration, he always made Personal Logs of his dreams, which he revisited and re-examined in order to learn things of value. Things that might aid the mission, if he was only listened to. The thing he gleaned over the days and weeks of time passing made for a larger picture than the isolated incidents where he actively tried to peer into the abyss in the back of his mind, using his 'Farsight' as the ability had been named by the former First Officer. Those times, he put his sanity on the line to learn what the mission required of him, whereas the things that bled into his mind at night - and sometimes when awake - could either be arbitrary impressions of what his shadow doubleganger was doing or fractal glimpses of other machinations.

"Personal Log, Stardate 57706.59," he said, running a hand over the stubble of his cheek as he sat on his bed in the cell. His heart was racing, and his pale grey eyes darting over the deck plating as if in search for answers. He swallowed, trying to find the words to describe what he had seen. He flexed his hands, one of them tattooed and the other being a bionic hand with a synth-skin graft over it. "They... There is something being built. Something close to a star. It has been built before, in other cycles, but this time, it serves as a primary resort rather than a secondary one. The Borg invasion failed, so they are directing their efforts towards things that were not a priority in other cycles. The star... it is supposed to go supernova, but not... Not for some time. This... this correlates with other dreams. The Savi are involved. Definitely. My shadow is with them. The other me and..."

As he tried to put words to flashes of visions in his mind, he hadn't seen the figure outside the force field, and his eyes found her.

"Cam," he breathed, blinking. The sight of her was normally one of great joy, of emotional escape from his confines, but as he struggled to retain the images of his dreams, his momentary smile faltered. "I... I was dreaming again.... I... There is something afoot, and I need to figure it out. I need to go over my other logs, make sense of it. I... Please, come in. I am sorry."

Shaking his head, he rose to his bare feet, still merely in underwear since he just woke up, and rubbed his eyes. "I have a bad feeling, and it grows by the day. All these glimpses from eyes not my own, finding their way into my mind. I... I don't know what to do. Worse yet, it might be too late, and there are only so many aboard whom speak to me. Whom I might talk to about all of this."

Re: Day 21 [1200 hrs.] An Asset in Irons

Reply #1 –
[ Ensign Cameron Henshaw Brig | Security Center | Deck 07 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
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Qo’Nos had been less so shore leave for Cameron as it had been equal parts transformation and challenge. That first night in orbit, she’d found her way to the very place she’d found herself walking the halls towards. Towards the brig. Towards the ENEMY. Towards Lucan. Searching out resolution to one of the most traumatic events of her life, she’d found solace with another person that she saw as LIKE her, an outsider. The halls of the ship were lit per usual, the lambent ambience of the running lights feeling almost like a soft blanket of comfort. Ships had been Cameron’s home for so long, that the sometimes harsh lighting felt like anything but to the yeoman.

Each step she took she took with a hint more confidence than the last. She knew that each trip she took to the brig, the greater the risk of being caught was. However, all those nights ago she’d decided; consequences be damned. She still stood by that decision. Anyone with the inclination would likely be able to piece together the puzzle based off of visitation logs alone. She understood that within due course, the time would come that the secrecy would come to an end. Though she still walked with a confident, and relaxed gait. The confidante she’d found in the prisoner was something unique, something special. Each rendezvous they’d shared she’d gleaned just a hint more information of who he was as a man, aside from his ‘affliction’ as Cam had tried to delicately call it whenever the topic arose. It wasn’t always such serious business though. She’d found herself there several nights simply wanting someone to share a drink with, and play a game of cards. Just to have a conversation. Each word she said of course, was carefully marked, and carefully guarded. Not a sliver of critical information could slip her lips in his presence. It wasn’t that she didn't trust HIM. She didn’t trust the thing that resided within him.

She approached the desk in the waiting area, chocolate orbs locking themselves upon the crewman that held her post there. It was a bajaran woman, with short blonde hair and eyes pigmented like the subtle green of an algae pool at harbor. She placed both hands on the front of the desk and offered the woman a quick, but friendly smile. “Ensign Henshaw here to see Dr. Nicander.” She kept all introduction professional in the presence of the woman, attempting to put forth the front of business rather than a casual visit. Wordlessly, the woman affixed the wristband to Cam and gave her a nod. Glancing to Cam’s other hand, which had a piece of…something, wrapped up in a cloth, she raised a brow.

“A danish.” Cam said plainly, unwrapping the pastry briefly to show it to the woman who simply nodded in response.

“Go ahead.” She gestured forward, quickly glancing at the chronometer on her station. It was close to a shift change. Something that Cam had planned for intentionally. Pressing forward, each footfall being matched by a subtle, but still noticeable ‘thud’, Cam approached the cell.

On her approach, she saw him laying there, speaking directly to his log. She didn’t want to eavesdrop but she did take a moment to just…watch him. Not in any way trying to spy on him, but perhaps to simply glean another sliver of insight into who the man was at his core. Who he was when he wasn’t in her presence. Moments later though, she was spotted, and she gave him a subtle smile, and shook the little cloth, “I brought breakfast for you.” She’d caught some of what he said, and she knew full well that it was likely he realized she had as well, but she neglected to mention what she’d heard. Her mind, though, ran at the speed of a racing craft.

A star? A supernova? His shadow?

She tried to rally her senses, face forcing itself into something a bit more jovial than the spiral of doom that her psyche was throwing her into. She stepped inside, and offered the breakfast to him, but if refused she’d simply set it aside for him. “What did you dream?” For a moment, she again slipped into the shoes of a counselor, allowing herself to find a seat at the foot of his bed as she watched him. “I can help you. I’m off duty now.” It was her last day of true ‘leave’. If this was how she was to spend it, then she was happy to.

“Well-“ She thought for a moment. Whatever he said, she knew she was likely to believe him and from what little she’d heard, it sounded like the consequence of his dream, may very well become catastrophic if it wasn’t addressed properly. The lingering thought of just minutes before returned, the realization that the time for secrecy was likely at it’s end. “While many of the crew won’t talk to you directly simply at your call…they will talk to me, so, tell me…” She crossed her legs and scooted a bit closer towards where he was standing in the cell, keeping herself sitting on his bed however. “Tell me everything.” Her eyes locked upon with with an intensity that he’d likely not seen before in that fashion. Certainly he’d seen her eyes alight with passion, but just then, it was alight with the intense drive she carried to carry out her duty. Not only to the ship, but to him, and given their circumstances, all those who might be saved should only the powers that be actually listen to Lucan.

Re: Day 21 [1200 hrs.] An Asset in Irons

Reply #2 –
[ Doctor Lucan cin Nicander | Brig | Security Center | Deck 07 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @BipSpoon  
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His mind still replaying as much as he could remember from the dream, keeping what he'd learned from slipping away like sand through fingers, Lucan accepted the wrapped breakfast with his tattooed hand but it remained there - unopened - while he paced the deck of the cell. He had inclined his head in gratitude and given her a brief smile, but by the winds, his thoughts were still trying to put what he'd dreamt into perspective and into relation with old observations. He noticed how Cam went to sit on his unmade bed, and how her attitude was open to listening, and genuinely caring for him. Moreover, he got the impression that she wasn't just ready to hear him because of what had developed between them, but that she might bring what he had learned to others whom might heed him.

"Everything?" he asked rhetorically, eyebrows raised, since that would result in a long rambling of madness that even he had yet to make sense of. He had to try and frame what he had pieced together and present it in a way that was constructive and didn't leave all the facts strewn across the floor in bits and pieces. The pieces made the whole, collected over the course of weeks and months, and only now it showed the dire implications. He had not ended the personal log recording, so Cam's questions would be there as well, prompting him to give voice to his growing concerns. He took a deep breath, pinched the bridge of his nose with his free hand, and looked at her... even if the sight of her served to be a distraction.

"There is... a lot," he said in his faded Câroon accent. "Many nights, I have found myself walking the dim-lit corridors of a Savi ship, as seen through the eyes of the other me. I recognise their austere ship interiors from my Farsights of old. I see Scions as well as Antes who still believe in the Scion Directive. I have spoken about how the Savi seem to be split into a civil war before, and I still get the impression that there is a rebel faction of Savi - led by the Ante that saved the Theurgy abductees from captivity aboard the Versant. I get the impression that his name is Echtand, and that he had the Savi position named 'Voice' aboard the Versant. The rebels are growing in number, that is my impression from what the Scions are doing. It would seem the truth about the Scion Directive and how it was used to enslave is Antes are spreading in their Flotilla."

Little did Lucan know that the Theurgy was in an alliance with the Savi rebels, and that he hadn't just been instructed to spy on the Scions for sake of keeping the Senior Staff appraised about what they were doing, but that whatever he told had been forwarded to the Voice as well.

"Tonight, I was roaming the Savi ship again, but this time, my shadow from the other timeline approached a viewport. I could see his reflection first. He was dressed in a blood-stained lab coat, torn and threadbare, and his bare torso was scarred down the middle from repeated expulsions of Niga seed-pods, from when he was trapped aboard the Theurgy in the other time-line. I can feel his mind through our connection, and he is maddened not just from the parasite's influence and the effects of the Niga virus, but from his fall into debauchery and evil aboard the other Theurgy, from the things he did to the crew - one at the time - and the repeated 'gestation' periods of the Niga seed. Each time the seeds would burst from his torso, the parasite would preserve his life, and he would care less and less about perfectly sealing the ruptures. Pain is pleasure to him. He revels in it. Exemplified, perhaps, in how he constantly keeps a connection to his Câroon abilities despite the toll on the host body. The parasite allows him to utilise his zi'naaq and channel the elements unhindered. I could see it, since his eyes were shining white in the reflection of the view-port."

Anchoring him in that sight, dreadful as it was, Lucan was able to move on to shift his focus to what the dream had shown outside the Savi ship.

"He was looking at something the ship was connected to. Some form of docking arm stretched from the white hull next to the viewport, and reached... some kind of superstructure in late state of development. It looked like... some kind of orb, with a ring around the lower section. More importantly," he said, his pale grey eyes returning to Cam, "the structure was in orbit of a star. Yet not just any star. See, other dreams of mine have come to me from other Infested, Scions among them, and when I piece it all together, from briefings and starcharts, conversations and imagery, I know that star. I know it is the Hobus star. More worringly, however... is that I now understand the purpose of the superstructure the Scions are building. It has to do with accelerating the life of that star, and making it go supernova ahead of its time. The implications of that wouldn't just affect the Romulan Empire, but the majority of the Alpha Quadrant as well."

Lucan took a breath, unsure how to proceed. Perhaps Cam had questions that might help him give her a better perspective. "I know I am right, but I have no other evidence than my connection to the Infested, and I am certain that we must stop the Scions from doing what they intend, before it is too late."

Re: Day 21 [1200 hrs.] An Asset in Irons

Reply #3 –
[ Ensign Cameron Henshaw Brig | Security Center | Deck  | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
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Her eyes traced him back and forth across the cell as he paced, her own mind spinning itself into spirals of apprehension and anxiety. She’d spent more than her fair share of time in that cell recently, but this time felt ever so slightly different. Her eyes were locked to him, rapt. She didn’t seem to mind that he seemed more distracted than usual, quite the contrary, she really did seem to want to help him to find his footing. She’d long thought about what it must have been like from his perspective, to have something that you know will help but still to be entirely disregarded because of that very same advantage. It must have felt maddening.

She shrugged, noncommittal at his rhetorical question. She had assumed that everything may have been a bit too much but, still if that was the route he wanted to take, she’d spend as much time listening as she needed to. Her fingers were interlaced, right palm resting on her right knee as her legs criss crossed over one another. The other challenge that she faced, was keeping her face stoic and controlled throughout his explanation. While she trusted him, she did not trust the parasite that resided within him. She could not give it so much as an inkling of information that could help further its goals.

She envisioned the scene in her head, Lucan, standing just as he was, walking down the dank, echoing chambers of a Savi vessel, each footfall matched with a subtle ‘pat’ ‘pat’. Whatever she knew already about the Savi, was not evident on her face though. She kept herself serious, even stern. Through that stern, unyielding attention though was the edging of someone who cared deeply, each word was paid attention to and given as much credence as the last.

“Your shadow?” Of course they’d had conversation previously, blended into the casual chatter that had so quickly developed between the two. She hadn’t inquired too deeply yet about the shadow though. It wasn’t that she didn’t care, she did, she really did. What had hindered her curiosity was the harsh reminder that even in another universe, the man she’d realized she had growing affection for, was integral to the plans of their sworn enemy, be he a willing participant or not. It was a frightening concept, and a tough pill to swallow. Hearing the description of him, sent a chill up her spine. If he enjoyed his own pain so much, she could only imagine how much he enjoyed inflicting horror upon his victims. It wasn’t something she could even imagine out of the Lucan sat before her, a Lucan who reveled in the agony he caused. “Is he aware of you, that you know?” If Lucan could see anti-Lucan, could anti-Lucan see Lucan? That was certainly a tongue twister if she’d ever heard one.

She had been nearly about to reach out to him, to take his hand in an attempt to calm him, even if just slightly. The name of the star though froze her in her tracks and caused her to blink several times in an attempt to wash away the look of concern. “Hobus as in the Romulan Star?” If that star went supernova…it would destroy everything in its path for…

She rose to her feet and crossed her arms. “Damn the quadrant depending on the energy exerted and based on simple laws of thermokinetic expansion in vacuum…” It was impossible to say just how far the explosion would continue, but it very well may have been a threat not only to Romulus, to the Federation and the alpha quadrant.

But to the entire galaxy.

She approached him, loosening the death grip she had on her own arms, and placed a hand against his upper arm, “I believe you.” She paused though, as even she herself was unsure of what exactly they could do to stop the disaster.

“How-“ She started, “How do you know exactly what this device is, and what star it is?” Surely he didn’t just…recognize the star? She knew that likely he had his reasons but if she were to further the issue with her own superiors, she would need a solid bedrock of information to bring to them, or at the very least, to have Lucan present to them.

A realization fell upon her, and she realized that her time was up. The secret would be out. It had only been a matter of time, but she had hoped for just a little longer. A tiny taste longer of the happiness she’d found. She didn’t think that it would disappear entirely, but the thought of bringing forward the information to the Captain, and having to explain why she trusted him, and why the Captain should too…was complicated.

“We-“ She swallowed anxiously, eyes breaking their gaze from Lucan as she searched for the right words, “We need to tell the Captain.” It would be the Captains decision in the end in any case, and while they had a complicated history, her and Ives, she trusted that Ives would do the right thing, no matter the personal strife that arose in the process.

She waited a long moment, until there was a silence between them and ascent had been given to take the next step before she tapped her combadge.

“Henshaw to Ives. There’s something important you need to hear.” She waited for a response, and if agreeable, she provided the Captain with her location.

Re: Day 21 [1200 hrs.] An Asset in Irons

Reply #4 –
[ Doctor Lucan cin Nicander | Brig | Security Center | Deck 07 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @BipSpoon  
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As his thoughts darted between memories, trying to narrow down the specifics rather than the vague impressions of them, Lucan was working his jaw and kept pacing slowly across the deck plates of his holding cell, barely glancing in Cam's direction when she said she believed the destruction would extend beyond Federation space. It might be true. He was a Doctor, not a space-plasma physicist. More importantly, if she was right, it enforced the likelihood that the Infested were doing what he feared. Indeed, the observation she made caused him to swear under his breath in his native tongue. Blood and gales, why could I not see it sooner?

Then, Cam anchored him down by the lightest touch of his arm, bringing his attention to the present and her. Her cool fingers upon his skin made him stop pacing and listen to her, for she was giving him direction - asking the important questions. For while it was all clear to him, he had to be specific and precise about what he'd learned. He couldn't just assume anyone else but her would take his word for what he knew. Why would anyone else in the crew listen? Even if they would have listened to him before, this horrific implication wasn't something he could just spread like gospel without clearly outlining what he'd seen to made him so sure.

"The... The structure has been under construction for months," he told her, remaining where he stood, brow creased in deep furrows as he thought back on the logs he'd made of his dreams, knowing he would have to play them again to verify it all. Idly, his thoughts not upon his actions, he began to unwrap the breakfast that Cam had brought - baring it between them with his fingers. "I've... seen it happening since the battle in the Azure Nebula. Now and then... in my dreams, taking shape. Not just the structure itself, but digital drawings. Holograms with detailed plans hovering above consoles, and Savi faces looking at it. At first, I couldn't tell what it was. I didn't know the importance of it, so I paid it no greater heed. But the assembly, and the mechanism shown, the dreams persisted since the Infested Scions paid great interest to it."

As the bundle in his hands was opened, it gradually became plain what Cam had brought him, just like the purpose of the thing in his nightmares. Though he cursed himself, he knew that logically, he couldn't have known right away what he was seeing.

"The star... I have witnessed star charts in the same way, together with the structure. Projected over Savi consoles. Scions hovering around the two images, of the star and the abomination they were building. Yes, they have their own classification of stars, their own written language, yet in the interest of me spying on the Scion High Council, I have been given resources to translate words as best as I can. It has taken a long time, but I know it is that very star now."

He paused, and took a bite of the breakfast she'd brought him. The sweetness of the thing was easy to associate with her, and while he said naught, he was grateful. "While... what I know come from dreams and my abilities, rather than physical proof, I know I am right." And she believed him. That, if anything, was reassuring. A friendly soul on a ship who'd largely shunned him. Someone who'd listen, and perhaps, make the rest heed him, before it was too late. "As for the other me..." '

His frown deepened as he brought the Earthen pastry to his teeth and took another small bite. He shook his head. "He might know that I am on to what they are planning, but I don't know. He arrived here mere weeks ago, while I have deduced this over the course of months. Furthermore, he might be arrogant, because while Thea is formidable, she is nothing compared to the Savi. The Versant taught us that. If he does understand that I know what is about to happen, it just means we have to act quickly, lest we may loose the element of surprise."

Then, Cam came to the conclusion that they had to tell Captain Ives. Numbly, Lucan nodded, knowing what it might mean for Cam and how the Commanding Officer might think of her when their affiliation became public knowledge. Likely, there were already rumours spreading, but Cam had been private and discrete about her visits, so it may have escaped Ives' notice so far. This, however, would mean the end of that, and Lucan had no way of telling what the Chameloid might do when he knew his Yeoman was literally having an affair with one of the Infested.

"Aye," was all he could say, the pastry forgotten in his fingertips - looking into her eyes as they both knew what it meant for them. The silence lingered, until Cam did the unavoidable.

“Henshaw to Ives. There’s something important you need to hear."

[Ives here. It sounds like this is something best heard in person. I'll make myself available,] the Captain said in his male form's voice. Then, Cam gave Ives their location, and while there was a short pause, Jien agreed to come. [I will be there momentarily. Ives out.]

When Cam's combadge fell silent, Lucan had finished the breakfast she'd brought him and he'd discarded the wrapping on the fold-out table. Given that Ives was heading to them, Lucan began to dress, donning socks and shoes with his uniform trousers for the first time in many weeks. He loathed footwear, always had, but he had to make himself presentable. He sighed. "I suppose you have not told him - or anyone - about us yet?" he asked quietly, and not in any accusatory way, rather in futile hope that this meeting would not be as dramatic has he feared it might be... for the wrong reasons. "By the winds, I just hope it won't cloud his mind, and prevent him from hearing us out."

Yet to don his undershirt and uniform jacket, he paused, and went to her. He gently put his hands on the sides of her neck and stroked her cheeks with his thumbs, smiling to her in spite of his inner turmoil. "Thank you, for believing in me. It means more than you may fathom, and whatever may happen next, I want you to know that I have cherished these past weeks more than I can describe. You have been a cool breeze in this purgatory I find myself in, and I am to you forever grateful."

Then he kissed her.

Re: Day 21 [1200 hrs.] An Asset in Irons

Reply #5 –
[ Ensign Cameron Henshaw Brig | Security Center | Deck 07 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
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Cam struggled to keep her face from betraying her emotions. It was plain that within her mind, fear was the prominent emotion. A weapon like the one Lucan was describing was of the sort that seemed almost…insurmountable to even begin to try to handle. A supernova was a catastrophic event, and even with the technology of their time…it was like trying to stop a natural death. It was inevitable, was it not? The level of destruction was of the sort that mitigation was the only resort, because if they failed? Then the losses would be unimaginable. Entire sectors, perhaps even an entire quadrant, gone, a wave of destruction razing everything in its path.

She staunched the fear though, and her expression shifted into one of strength and stoicism. It wasn’t for her benefit, it was for his. She did her best to guide him with her questions, dipping her toe back into the wealth of knowledge she’d gathered before her departmental transfer as the Captain's Yeoman. A grounding touch could bring a patient back to the moment, and a guiding question could lead them to the place they need to be. A counselor was not there to tell someone the right answer, merely to guide them to it.

Cam watched his fingers work at unwrapping the pastry, as each detail began to pour from his lips. “Do you…remember what it looks like?” She quirked a brow at him, eyes remaining soft as she asked. “Maybe-” She thought for a moment, “You could draw what you saw? Or even just describe it to Thea, and she can extrapolate the information.” It was only an idea, and despite her trying to help, her words still had to be carefully monitored. While he could see the enemy, she knew well that the enemy could likely see him. A fact she had learned to come to terms with, their relationship being as natural as it could while still having a solid wall between them, when it came to discussing the topic that affected them both the deepest.

The Infested.

Breaking the tension, if only momentarily, she reached forward, intending to steal the tiniest corner from his breakfast, and taking the bite to her mouth. She shot him a quick wink, and once again returned to the abyss of thought. “I believe you.” She repeated herself, trying to make it clear that at least for her, he need not offer further explanation or coercion. To solidify it for others though, they would need to gather physical proof.

The other Lucan was always the elephant in the room. The evil one. The one that likely she understood, the crew likened the Lucan she knew to, though she understood just how different they were. Once more, she reached for him, at the mere mention of the other ‘him’. Though instead of a touch to his shoulder, she reached for his hand, intending to truly offer herself as an anchor to reality. “If he does-” She paused, “Then we will find a solution.” She didn’t elaborate on any ideas she may have, instead she offered a light and warm smile to him, in an attempt that, though it may be for naught, to comfort him. Each detail was another hurdle she would have to jump through, making leaps and arguments of logic not just with her Captain, but with the rest of the crew. When word spilled of what she had been doing, she knew she’d have to answer to the court of public opinion both for herself, and for Lucan.

Her eyes met his, and for a moment, there was fear there, but quickly she stood a bit taller and shrugged at the silent understanding that passed between them. Words weren’t needed, the consequences of her actions were a thing she understood would inevitably come to pass. She was prepared to deal with them.

So she simply echoed him, “Aye.” She gave his hand a squeeze and made the call.

Ives likely had no idea what he was about to come to know. She knew that it would be a complicated conversation, their own relationship having ended in near disaster. It had been wholly inappropriate to begin with, on both of their parts. She knew better than to pursue, and he knew better than to allow it. Each of them had made mistakes. She’d told Lucan some of what had happened, that they had developed for a short time, an intimate relationship. She hadn’t provided him details, and she certainly had not told him that the end of their relationship had contributed to her suicide attempt. She held little ill will towards the Captain, she respected him a great deal, and she had no intention of providing anyone aboard, crew or prisoner, any reason to harbor feelings of distrust or anger towards him.

As he dressed she broke her gaze, and looked down for a moment, only shaking her head. “No. I haven’t told anyone. I’m sure that some of the brig staff have ideas or even know what is going on but so far as I’m aware…nobody knows.” She swallowed, anxiety riddling her every bone. “The Captain is wise. Have no misconception that-” She paused, stumbling over her words before she cleared her throat, “That there will be anger. As far as the Captain is concerned, I’ve been sleeping with the enemy.” She quickly spoke up again though, “I know that is not the truth. You know that is not the truth. That is all that matters. You are not the enemy, and nor am I.”

As he took her face, she reached up to grasp his hand, and wrapped her other hand around the back of his head, letting her fingers run through the handsome dark strands that layered across his scalp. “Whatever happens, happens. It will change nothing for me. It will not change how I feel, Lucan.” He had been a safe port in the most violent of storms for her, and whatever the consequences were, damn them, so far as she was concerned. She had little intention of forcing herself to change who she was, as the woman who would have done that, had died along with Ian. She had changed.

“And I you.” She returned the kiss, not caring who saw, or heard, or noticed them for the first time since their affair had begun and it felt…liberating, allowing herself to be taken completely.

Re: Day 21 [1200 hrs.] An Asset in Irons

Reply #6 –
[ Doctor Lucan cin Nicander | Brig | Security Center | Deck 07 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @BipSpoon  
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When Cam had asked whether or not he'd be able to draw or describe the thing that the Savi were building, Lucan had nodded, thinking that the challenge would be to do so without him verifying that the artist got his description right. If he wouldn't be able to use his own eyes to see the drawing, Thea's or not, there might be challenges.

Lucan had welcomed Cam's touch, returning the way she squeezed his hand in reassurance. With Cam's help, he was confident that as long as Ives was willing, this threat might not be dismissed. It would be a sad day for this Cycle if the opportunity was lost because of the crew's distrust towards him.

The exchange of endearing words, and the intimate embrace, almost had Lucan wish Ives wasn't on his way, so that he might linger in it. They fit so well, in a way that kept surprising him regardless the number of times they were together, and there was this connection between them that went beyond the physical attraction. Though he knew he ought to part from her as soon as possible, so that he might finish dressing and at least run a hand through his hair before the Captain arrived, he couldn't keep himself from Cam for a little while longer, knowing that it might be different from then on out.

Eventually, he did part his lips from her, and slid his hands from her sides so that he might resume dressing. With a solemn air about him, he donned his teal undershirt, added his three pips to the collar, and ran his hands through the uniform jacket. Once he zipped it up, he walked over to the bulkhead that held the small washstand and opened it. There was naught to do about the stubbled beard, but he tried to make his unkempt hair somewhat orderly, before turning to face the forcefield and Cam. He sighed, knowing that this would be just as bad for Cam as it might be for him.

They didn't have to wait long, however, since soon enough, Captain Ives' approach could be heard from outside the forcefield. The footfalls were almost foreboding, but Lucan dispelled the notion from his thoughts, taking a deep breath. He folded his hands behind his back, one tattooed and the other grafted with synth-flesh, and raised his light grey eyes to the figure that appeared.

Captain Ives was in his male form, looking between Cam and Lucan with an unreadable expression on his face. He remained outside the forcefield, and Lucan had the impression that even if the Theurgy's Commanding Officer had access to a second bracelet, he still wouldn't enter the holding cell. As enigmatic as the features of the Chameloid might be, Lucan had no illusions about the Captain being ignorant about what might be going on between Cam and the Infested in the Brig.

Question was, what might that mean for Cam, given the history between her and the Chameloid? Cam had told him little, and Lucan respected what kind of repercussions it might have for the Captain if that became public knowledge, and by extension, how much it might affect the mission if the crew's confidence in the Captain was undermined. Regulations bound the crew to the chain-of-command and kept the order. Yet given the dire straits their particular crew had faced, some rules were equally bound to be broken. Moreover, who am I to judge him given my native views on intimate relations?

"Well?" Ives asked, raising his eyebrows a little at the two of them, but making no further comment on the suspected liaison between them. "What is it that I need to hear?"

In a way, the blatant omission about what seemed evident frayed Lucan's nerves more than if Ives had called them out. He glanced towards Cam, thinking that the odds of gaining the ear of the Captain might be better if she made the case about hearing him out first.

Re: Day 21 [1200 hrs.] An Asset in Irons

Reply #7 –
[ Ensign Cameron Henshaw Brig | Security Center | Deck 07 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
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Cam wanted to remain in the embrace forever, to simply allow herself to be absorbed by comfort and joy, and leave the rest behind. That however, was not her lot in life. Nor would it ever be. She lived a life of duty, only recently had she decided to finally seize her own happiness by the reins and control it for herself. It was a decision she knew would have consequences. How dire those consequences would be though, she knew she’d find out shortly. The embrace has allowed her one final moment of privacy and reprieve from those consequences. So when it dawned on her that reality was soon to come crashing down upon her, she steeled herself, and took a step back from Lucan, turning chocolate eyes upon him as he dressed.

She watched him, allowing the silence between the pair of them to grow thick with apprehension as he affixed his jacket. Backlit by the subtle light from the forcefield, she stepped forward towards him and offered him the briefest of comforting smiles. The action she hoped would not only bring him comfort, but her as well. She had always found a deep well of relief in helping others alleviate their own troubles, it had been part of why she'd become a counselor in the first place. In her newest role, she could do just that and even more. She was uncertain though, if she would be allowed to remain in that role, once the truth came out. She reached forward, slender fingers moving towards Lucan's collar to straighten it out, though it had already been straight, a final gesture of anchoring herself in reality before she heard the steps and lowered her hands.

Those same brown eyes that had looked so warmly upon Lucan, darted then to Ives, standing behind the forcefield, and separated from the pair of them. His expression, unreadable, shot a spike of the coldest ice through her. Even under normal circumstances, it would have appeared odd to be standing where she was. Even if she were an officer that had any reason at all to be interviewing Lucan, it could be done from the safe side of the forcefield. Standing where she was she knew likely only spoke to the reality of their relationship, laid bare in front of the other. Truly, Cam didn't know what reaction she was going to get. She knew it would very likely not be simple understanding, but what she didn't know is if the Captain would react with any iota of jealousy.

Cam stood a bit taller when Ives finally spoke, and her gaze broke from him, a demure gesture of what could even be considered obedience as she looked away. She felt two sets of eyes locked upon her, waiting for her words, and yet she still stood there, searching for where to even start. The evidence though, pointed plainly to what had been happening there. If not for simply the cloth wrapping that had contained the pastry, a cloth usually found in crew quarters, and even she was uncertain if the hair tie she'd left for him was sat out somewhere in the open. A simple check of logs prior to his arrival would have shown how often she'd been visiting. So she opted for honesty, consequences be damned.

"Dr. Nicander and I have been spending a deal of time together recently." She didn't go into detail, "and he's brought something to my attention that I think should be listened to, and I don't-" She paused, momentarily stumbling over her words before she took a deep breath, stood tall, and looked the Captain straight in the eyes, "It's information that cannot simply be ignored. You are the Captain of this ship, it is information you need to hear directly, because I believe him, and I believe you should too, Captain."  She glanced at Lucan, almost seeking him out, just to get a glance at him for some reassurance, before she turned back to Ives.




Re: Day 21 [1200 hrs.] An Asset in Irons

Reply #8 –
[ Doctor Lucan cin Nicander | Brig | Security Center | Deck 07 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @BipSpoon  
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After Cam said Lucan had something important to share, Nicander looked at the Captain for a bit, wondering if Ives might say something. Would he accept to hear him out, or would he not?

So, do you talk first, or do I talk first? Lucan thought, but as Ives just watched him from the other side of the force field without making comment on what Cam had just said, he figured he might as well get on with it. It was impossible to tell what the Captain might be thinking about the reveal of the romantic affair, and Lucan doubted the Chameloid would divulge anything about it either. Not then and there, and especially not when Cam had said there was a matter of importance at hand.

"My connection to the spatial anomaly that bear no name - this centre of incredible mass in space that the parasites are somehow affiliated with, it's hold on me has been suppressed by the transphasic light," he said, gesturing towards the cannon mounted next to Ives, "granting me control over my mind and agency over my actions. At night, however, as I dream, there is some kind of bleeding effect in which I glean things from the minds of other Infested. I theorise it may be happening because of my unconscious state. I am positive that what I experience isn't dreams, in the traditional sense, because what I have dreamt in those instances isn't just different to me, but what I've witnessed over these past months in my dreams has also been corroborated at the times when I have used my connection directly - what Fisher named Farsight - like when I gleaned the shield harmonics of the Rotarran, when I espied Tal'Aura's involvement with the Paris attack, when I detected the Breen connection, and when I could single out a suspected Infested among the Klingon High Council."

Jien shifted his stance a little, and if anything, it seemed like he was listening attentively, and to his credit, the Captain didn't question how he might be able to differentiate his nocturnal experiences from nightmares, taking his word for it when he claimed the that he'd seen the same things when using the Farsight. That ability had been proven real and working enough times to be beyond doubt among most of the officers that knew about it. "Please continue, Doctor."

So with the Captain's attention primed, or so he hoped, Lucan told him what he'd told Cam, about what he had derived and the threat posed by the Hobus star. He made sure to tell him what he'd told Cam about how he could be so certain, the smaller pieces of the full mystery that he'd been able to put to together over time, about which star was implicated, and what the superstructure looked like.

"It appears to take the shape of a sphere, with a thick ring connected to it around its lower base. It is nigh completed, as far as I can tell."

"When?" Jien interjected, almost hissed through his teeth, jaw set. "How much time do we have?"

Lucan took a moment to give his best estimate, even though it was largely guesswork. "A week? Days? Less? The Scion High Council is devoting a lot of time and resources towards it, which - aside from their civil war I have told you about - might be a contributing factor as to why they have not come after us directly. To the best of our knowledge, they merely sent a saucer to collect my doubleganger from the other timeline twenty days ago, but they have not otherwise engaged the ship. That is, from what I know, locked up here as I am."

It was circumstantial evidence, that the Scions were working on something big, but Lucan thought he'd mention it regardless since it made sense in the larger claim he was trying to make. Jien eventually folded his arms across his chest, brow lowered in thought.

"So you believe these dreams of yours are a definitely - without a doubt - a derivative of the astral consciousness projection you can utilise," he said, and then looked at the cannon next to him. Nicander immediately knew the argument the Captain would make when he spotted that glance. "Yet when you use that ability of yours otherwise, 'directly' as you call it, we have had to use this weapon to bring you back - suppressing the parasite's hold on you. Again and again."

Jien looked back at Lucan, oaken eyes hard. "If your claim is true, what makes you certain that the parasite isn't influencing you more than you know - using the weakened state of your sleeping hours to control you? What makes you certain we can trust your word, when it may give you false impressions in your sleep? How can we trust that you are still you, and that the officers that visit you are safe?"

Before Lucan could derive an answer - suppressing the ire that mounted at the implied revocation of visiting hours and casting his word in doubt yet again - Cam interjected.

Re: Day 21 [1200 hrs.] An Asset in Irons

Reply #9 –
[ Ensign Cameron Henshaw Brig | Security Center | Deck 07 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
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Cam felt paralyzed, frozen in place. She felt each nerve in her body firing with anxiety as she watched them, eyes darting between the two. Ives, who though it felt like a lifetime ago, not so long past she had fallen into bed with. At the time she’d allowed her psyche to cling to him, naively believing that their physical relationship would extend into something serious, and not understanding the repercussions of such a thing. A captain, and his yeoman? A ship likely hadn’t seen a scandal of that scale in a decade. Then there was Lucan, who in the eyes of so many was to his very core the embodiment of their enemy. It was an enemy they couldn’t truly see, not until it was often too late. With Lucan they had a face to blame, an individual to blame who in the eyes of the crew had betrayed them all. Cam had seen something more in him, and where she’d staunched her feelings with Ives, after much effort, she had not been successful in that regard when it came to Lucan.

She was head over heels, and it was entirely obvious given that her features themselves even softened when she looked upon him, her body shifting to a stance of comfort and not fear.

She listened to Lucan, and though she trusted him she did listen for any inconsistency, not to call him out on it, but to try and piece together the full truth for herself. She trusted him, but not the beast that poisoned his very soul.

Cam flinched at the Captains interjection, expecting chastisement, and not inquiry. Chocolate-hued orbs bounced to Lucan, giving him a subtle nod of encouragement, not that he seemed to need it. Idly at her sides, her knuckles rolled, going white and then pink again with each repetition of the movement. Her lower lip had been drawn slightly between her teeth, and her eyes were a bit wider than they normally were. She was clearly uncomfortable, but she had every intention of riding it out. She knew she wasn’t about to entirely be let off the hook for what had evolved between her and Nicander, but she still stood in the cell with him, in his presence, making clear that she stood by her decision.

Then she heard the words, ‘How can we trust that you are still you, and that the officers that visit you are safe?’ If she was going to speak, that was her time. She swallowed, and forced the building anxiety deeper down, into the abyss it would not be found again. Her posture tightened, and she stood a bit taller, hands ceasing their movement and her lip releasing from her teeth.

“For starters I have been visiting often, and he hasn’t harmed a hair on my head. I came to him to ask about my father, and he answered not just with honesty, but with kindness.” She let out a breath, “But even putting that aside, he has helped us, and frankly even saved us time and time again. The azure nebula, for instance. We never would have sealed the apertures if not for him and his-” She looked at him, “Ability.” It was the kindest way to put it, “Which franky-” Her gaze shifted back to the Captain, “Ought to be seen as a curse. He has done horrible, horrific things under the influence of the parasite, nobody has denied that. However he has proven himself to be trustworthy. What about the Breen? If not for him we’d have to fight them too, among the rest of the enemies that we are at odds with now, more lives would have been lost, but they weren’t. Whatever life may have ended during a war with the Breen, was saved by Lucan Nicander.” She turned, looking between the two. “Has he ever asked for anything in return?” She raised a brow at Ives, her expression soft, warm, but alight with intention and purpose. “He spends every second of his life sequestered away in here, while the crew sees him as the devil himself. Yet he still does all he can to protect them, and save them.”

“What else must he do to prove he is worthy of trust? Trust is what makes the Federation work. If we didn’t trust one another we would be no better than every other secluded empire out there, and we are out here fighting for the Federation. The best way to learn if you can trust someone, Captain, is to offer them some trust and see what they do with it.” She flushed, having never spoken to the Captain in such a way before. She half expected to be sequestered to house arrest, or even worse, another brig cell on the spot. The other half of her hoped, and begged on its knees that her council would be heeded. That was her duty as yeoman, not only to handle administrative tasks, but also to offer counsel.

Ian had never enjoyed yes men in his crew, and finally Cam understood why. Sometimes, harsh things needed to be said, for the sake of duty.

“Please Captain, if this turns out to be nothing, then do what you will. Don’t trust him, don’t trust me again, hell, revoke my commission if it pleases you if it is a lie, but I know that it isn’t. If this turns out to be true though, and we did nothing about it? Then everything is lost.” Her voice softened, and took on a tone of almost pleading.

Re: Day 21 [1200 hrs.] An Asset in Irons

Reply #10 –
[ Doctor Lucan cin Nicander | Brig | Security Center | Deck 07 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @BipSpoon  
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Moments such as the one he just experienced reminded Lucan that happiness wasn't some permanent state of mood to strive for, or that he ought to try and achieve anew in life. By the winds, it was merely a thing that showed up every now and then, sometimes in tiny breezes that were just soothing enough to keep him going.

Hearing Cam stand up for him in the way she did was such a moment, reminding him once again that regardless what the rest of the crew might think of him - though some did see him as the victim he was - she was earnest in her support for him. She brought up something that seemed overlooked; that he had been the one to explain what the Omega Device had done in other Cycles - informing Ives about what needed to be done in order to seal the apertures of the Azure Nebula and stop the Borg Invasion. It seemed that since Wenn Cinn had taken Lucan's place in detonating it, Wenn's willing sacrifice had overshadowed Lucan's aid in that moment. Having foreseen the way the crew would treat him after his true nature had been revealed, Lucan had volunteered to remain behind - finding some kind of redemption for the atrocious acts he'd preformed under parasitic influence. Yet his credibility, and the faith in him actually detonating the device, had been questioned, and Wenn Cinn had claimed the Prophets meant for him to make the ultimate sacrifice. For Bajor, and the linear time they wished to see unfold, or so Wenn Cinn had said.

As for espying the Breen involvement, it was merely intel that he'd gleaned from using his Farsight, and in comparison, it seemed moot at the time. As it were, however, Commander Dewitt and her away team had found not just evidence about a plan to provoke the Breen Confederacy, but one of the Infested. An Ambassador Visser, using the diplomatic bag of the USS Eirene - which was visiting the Breen capital - to smuggle something called a Genesis Device into the city. Nicander had not been privy to the details, but the repercussions for the pending war were easy to guess, had the plans of the Infested not been stopped by the Theurgy crew.

The silence that followed after Cam had spoken was brittle, but after a short while, Jien took a deep breath - the set of his brow softening a little. "Sometimes, with enough blood spilt, the distance between paranoia and suspicion can be rather short," he said quietly, his oaken eyes turning from Cam to Lucan, and the Captain raised his chin.

"You were one of the enemy since before you took your first step aboard this ship, Doctor, on the day this ship was commissioned. For as long as I have known you, you have been a stranger, scheming and undermining all that Starfleet stands for. You have claimed that the battle at Starbase 84 changed that, and that you have been yourself since then - that you tried to support this crew without revealing what remained inside you out of fear for what we might do." Jien folded his hands behind his back, his tone clear and concise. "That we, the people whom thought they knew you, would feel betrayed and be unwilling to understand your plight. Even worse, after Sonja Acreth escaped, you heard what some officers would do to one of the Infested if we caught one again, and believed you'd be dissected out of desperation... for sake of the mission and all that was riding on it. That the ends would justify the means."

As if taking what he just said into account, weighing his options when it came to his decision by reiterating what Lucan had claimed in all hearings up until that point, Jien frowned and looked towards the deck. "I believe it was William Blake who said, in regard to betrayal... 'It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend.' Since you are - or were - both, I have remained indecisive for too long." The frown remaining, he raised his eyes to Lucan. "Perhaps I have been unwilling to believe you since you are a stranger now, wearing the face of a traitor, and which I've come to associate with the enemy that is hounding my crew, and mean to destroy everything the Federation stand for."

The forcefield remained between them, but somehow, for the first time since Lucan had been locked away, it seemed Jien was really looking into his eyes, in the manner he did when Lucan had been a part of the Senior Staff. Something has changed...

"If you genuinely believe in this new threat posed by the Scions of the Savi, then I need you to document everything, compiling your findings into something the Senior Staff can read and understand, and also believe," Jien said, and then looked towards Cam. "Call a new Senior Staff meeting, scheduled for 0800 hours tomorrow morning. Work with Security to establish a vid-link this cell, so that Nicander can speak for himself. In order to protect the identities of the new senior officers, Nicander may have to be blind to the occupants of the conference lounge, but he need to hear and answer any questions they might have. Understood?"

Having given his order, the Theurgy's Captain then turned his eyes to Lucan again. "You have your orders, Commander," Jien said with a small smile, and it was the first time Ives had used his rank in months. "You have more people than me to convince, but I am willing to trust - given what you've done of late - that you deserve to be heard."

The fingers of Nicander's tattooed hand were tingling, and he closed it into a fist. He had a task ahead of himself, and he hardly believed Cam had managed to convince Ives to let the staff hear him.

Re: Day 21 [1200 hrs.] An Asset in Irons

Reply #11 –
[ Ensign Cameron Henshaw Brig | Security Center | Deck 07 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
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Cam, for her part no matter how utterly terrified she was in her core, held her ground. Almond-hued orbs locked themselves upon the Captain, a previously unseen fire alight behind them as she stood there. Her body language even exhibited the hard-headed stubbornness that had taken her, and allowed her the find the courage to finally speak her mind, in front of Jien Ives, no less.

When she’d found Lucan, she had walked into the brig already hating him. She wanted her answers and she wanted him to feel her pain, pain that she had blamed him for because, if she hadn’t have blamed him, there would be nobody else to blame. She would have had to accept that everything that happened was just pure chance, and at the time she just wasn’t ready to do that. Lucan, had instead shown her a sort of reflection of herself with his words. He wasn’t an evil monster, hellbent on driving them to self annihilation, he was just a man. A man who’d endured horrific things. A man who’d had to watch himself commit horrific acts at the behest of a beast in him. While Cameron certainly didn’t have some parasite that caused her to commit such heinous acts, instead she simply had a sickness. One that for practically her entire adult life had caused her nothing but pain. It caused her to second guess her every word and action. It caused her to set her life on fire for no good reason, simply because of the rush.

She had forced herself into self submission, constantly monitoring herself and the moment things became risky, she’d blamed her illness, and shut herself down. While there were certainly things that her illness caused her to do, it also enabled her to enjoy a great deal of creativity and bravery that until she’d met Lucan and tried to live with it, and live for herself instead of others, she didn’t understand.

She meant every word that spilled from her lips. She trusted Nicander with her life, her career, and even the lives of those aboard. It was a delicate balance, entrusting him but still keeping the parasite in the dark. However, it was a balancing act that Cam felt she’d executed well enough. The brittle silence that followed her words, caused her to swallow nervously, and watch the Captain like a doe watched a wolf on the rise of a hill. Her fear though, was for naught.

She didn’t interrupt, hell she hardly took a breath for fear that her interruption would ruin the progress being made, but finally…when she saw the look in Jien eyes, and how he’d finally looked at Lucan and not only looked at him but truly seen him for who he was. Finally, her fear was broken was a sharp intake of air, and the vaguest hint of a smile across her lips.

“Understood, Captain.” She gave Ives a nod. It was going to be a long night, but she was ready for it. It was the first step to finally giving Lucan some credibility, and saving the lives of innocents not only in the Romulan Empire but in the Federation as well. She would have to encrypt the internal transmission to scatter the voices of those asking questions, and keep the visual to one-way. It was a start, and Cam knew it was to protect the crew, and to protect Nicander himself, from the influence of the beast within.

Cam let her eyes finally lock onto Lucan, her face assuming the usual coquettish glow it held in his presence. She wanted to stay, and it was evident by the step forward that she’d taken immediately after Ives had finished, but she paused, and gave a quick glance to her side.

‘To hell with it.’

She didn’t want to do anything to make the Captain uncomfortable, but she wanted to not only reassure, but congratulate Lucan on the development. So she walked forward, and reached out to squeeze his hand, her cheeks flushing as she did so. “I have to get to work. I’ll come by in the morning.” She smiled, lightly and then turned on her heel to exit with the Captain. She not only had some explaining for herself to do and some work to discuss, but they had some things to clear between the pair of them.

“Mind if I walk with you?” She offered to him as she approached the exit, phasing through the force field without difficulty. It clearly was not her first time.

Re: Day 21 [1200 hrs.] An Asset in Irons

Reply #12 –
[ Doctor Lucan cin Nicander | Brig | Security Center | Deck 07 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @BipSpoon  
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Barely able to accept the obviously earnest words of the Captain, Lucan found himself facing Cam again - a lack of words within reach.

He could but smile and nod when she promised that she would return in the morning, and he had to take a moment before he could answer. "I have my work cut out for me... so perhaps it is for the better," he said, returning the squeeze of her hand, and out of respect for the Captain that was retreating down the hallway beyond the forcefield, he lowered his voice a bit. "I would rather have had you here tonight... but you would be too much of a distraction if I am to prepare for the morrow. Until the morning..."

After Cam left him, passing through the force field with her bracelet and leaving him alone, Lucan turned towards the PADDs strewn about the fold-out desk and took a deep breath. He would have to catalogue all his observations, ask Thea for assistance in drawing an image of the Savi superstructure orbiting Hobus - with the added difficulty of not being able to see what Thea would render from his words - but with a clear purpose and task ahead of him, he was dead set on doing his best to present what he knew to the Senior Staff in the morrning.

For now, he would have to put aside his research into transporter technology, since the implications of what the Scion High Council was up to overshadowed his personal situation. Someday, I will not just regain the ear of the crew, but walk among them. Tomorrow may be the first step in that direction...

[ Captain Ives | Security Center | Deck 07 | USS Theurgy Attn: @BipSpoon
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By the time Cam caught up to him, Jien was about to step through the security gateway - the Brig Officer having opened the heavy doors on his side of the gateway. The Aide in the Security Centre lobby was about to be notified of opening on the other side once those doors were sealed behind them. Jien smiled faintly to his Yeoman when they ended up alone in the gateway, waiting for the Aide to get his notification and act on it, and he turned to face her.

"Of course not," he said quietly, and glanced towards a surveillance unit inside the gateway. Any mentioning of their past would have to wait, but he had some things he wanted to ask her as well, before visiting the topic of what had happened on Theta Eridani IV, and what had continued for a couple of weeks after that. For the time being, he wanted to make sure she knew what she was doing, affiliating herself so intimately with Nicander.

"Obviously, I am worried about you," he told her, his oaken eyes looking into hers. "I am not the kind to judge you for your feelings, as it would be wrong of me to do so, and I trust that you are more than aware about the risks since you have seen first-hand what the Infested are capable of. I think I see where you are coming from, based on the Doctor's actions of late, and his warning will be heard by the Senior Staff, but still..."

Jien searched her eyes, as if trying to spot any doubts lingering in her mind. "If the anomaly that influence the Infested can reach him in his dreams, allowing him to discern things in this... chaos hive mind he alludes to in his reports, this means that his disconnect from that place isn't complete. I worry that it may be there still, and that he - unawares - is still acting as an agent on behalf of the enemy. It might be he just doesn't realise how his words and actions are not completely his own, and we have no way of verifying that this isn't the case save for judging those words and actions."

Folding his arms across his chest, Jien frowned and looked towards the deck plating, continuing. "The transphasic cannon is supposed to work, artificially made on the basis of the bioluminescence of the Radiants, but that technology was made strictly on the basis of Nicander's word that it works. It isn't based on anyonic subspace particles, which freed Kopek in the Klingon High Council chamber, and brought the parasite inside him into phase - fusing with the Councilor insides. That, as opposed to the cannon, is real evidence, until we have the opportunity to test the cannon on another Infested. Therefore..."

Jien sighed, looking up at Cam again. "...I hope you understand my concern, and my worry for you. Your sense of safety may be treading on more brittle ice than you think, considering what little we know about the transphasic light option of dealing with this enemy."

Re: Day 21 [1200 hrs.] An Asset in Irons

Reply #13 –
[ Ensign Cameron Henshaw | Brig | Security Center | Deck 07 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
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Cam finally found herself face to face, and alone with Lucan. She was frankly dumbstruck that it had gone as well as it had. She waited until Ives had left them, before she finally cracked a wide smile and let out something akin to a schoolgirl giggle, blended with a squeal. She rushed forward, and threw her arms around Lucan.

“You do.” She smiled at him, a reassuring smile, her hand finding the side of his face to gently caress the stubble that had taken root there. “I would rather stay too, but you need to prepare. I’ll bring you breakfast in the morning.” She bit her lower lip, flushed, and even offered him a wink. Clearly her offer was a breakfast that consisted of more than just food. “Try to get some sleep. If you need anything, I’m not hard to reach.” Leaning forward, she attempted to give him a quick kiss and then turned.

She hadn’t thought it would go as well as it did. In truth, she’d thought she may end up in a cell herself, but…she didn’t. No, Ives had been far more lenient on her than she’d thought he’d be. Ives, with whom her history in itself was so…confusing. As she left the brig, she took one last glance at Lucan over her shoulder, putting it to memory. She too had her work cut out for her. She knew that likely, not all the senior staff would be so forgiving or even trusting. Her emotions would have little to no bearing over their opinions.

Only her logic would.

[ Security Center | Deck 07 | USS Theurgy ]

Cam caught up quickly enough to Ives, and as they stepped through the gateway she began fiddling with the bracelet. Of course they’d been alone since everything that had happened, it was her job to provide the Captain with information, that of course required the two to be alone from time to time. It was however, the first time they’d been alone in a setting that wasn’t strictly professional, with an already writ purpose to their meeting.

She followed his eyes to the surveillance unit and bit her lip, idly waiting for the aide to open the gateway itself and let them through. The silence between them was palpable. She had no clue what he was thinking, just as he had no clue what she was. Purposefully, she averted his gaze for a long time. She knew that the instant their eyes met, it would finally be their chance to talk. It hadn’t been the situation she’d wanted to finally speak to the Captain over. She’d wanted to clear the air for weeks, but she hadn’t been brave enough.

Only her bravery in the face of her emotions for Lucan, had afforded that to her.

She let his eyes find hers and nodded. “I’ve seen not just what the infested can do, but what he can.” Her voice grew a bit softer as she looked over her shoulder and towards the cell, not that they could see one another any more. “My feelings aren’t just about Hobus.” She took a moment, before she clarified, “I came to see him, I wanted to ask him about-“ Again, she paused, as if stumbling over her words, or struggling to find the bravery to say them, “About Ian.” She looked Ives over. “I thought him to be the monster he is rumored to be, but I was wrong.”

“I appreciate your worry, and I even understand it. Sometimes though our feelings outweigh our logic and once that scale has been tipped, there is no undoing it. Nor do I wish to try.” Her words were soft, not confrontational at all. She simply wanted to explain herself, and why of all the choices she could possibly have, she had chosen Lucan.

“I haven’t told him anything. We don’t…we don’t discuss the situation, or anything sensitive. We just talk about our lives, we talked about loss, and loneliness, and about selflessness to the point of sacrificing one's own happiness.” Her eyes locked onto Ives. “I worry too that he’s not entirely severed, which is why I want to do everything in my power, and I mean everything to free him from the influence of that thing inside of him. Imagine for a moment, that you are taken over, and forced to watch as your body does horrors you never thought yourself capable of, then in an instant you are a pariah, with nothing. It’s not fair what’s happened to him, nor is it fair the blame he feels, yet he willingly takes it, giving this crew a face to blame for their suffering and he’s asked for nothing in return, from anyone.” She looked down, “I’m careful. I trust him, I do not trust the beast that sits in wait within him.” She hoped that explained it better.

Listening to the explanation of the device she gave a quick nod, “Then how can we verify it? Do we feed him or, rather the parasite, some false information, and see what happens?” They needed to be able to prove that he was himself, and if not, find another way to make him become himself.

She gave him a quick nod, “I know. I appreciate your worry. I will continue to be careful, but I can’t- I won’t just abandon him. You know me well enough to know that.” She couldn’t, not would she want to. As the gateway opened, she passed off the wristband to the security aide that was standing there, and waited for Ives.

Re: Day 21 [1200 hrs.] An Asset in Irons

Reply #14 –
[ Captain Ives | Security Center | Deck 07 | USS Theurgy Attn: @BipSpoon
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After the bracelet had been handed over and they were leaving the Security Centre, Ives had been thinking long enough on what could possibly been done to see whether or not the parasite was still influencing Nicander, yet more minds than his own had been working on that issue without rendering any results. This since, the Battle of the Apertures, and the inherent problem was that they had no means available.

"Given the Doctor's connection, he has already warned us that the enemy is spying on us through him, so giving him misinformation doesn't prove anything," he said, a frown remaining on his brow as they headed towards the turbolifts. "If the information flowed in the other direction, it would tell us something. For instance, if he - knowingly or not - led the Theurgy into a trap or compromised the mission in some way by giving us misinformation when he uses the 'Farsight' ability, there would be cause for suspicion. To my knowledge, there has only been one such instance, but the Voice of the Savi has since verified what he saw through the Scion Admiral aboard the Versant."

That instance of discrepancy, despite how it has been corrected later, had led to several officers doubting that Nicander was anything but the enemy still. Those had spoken to others, and hearsay had led to where they currently were, where there were still a large portion of the crew that discredited the Doctor's claims. Fewer, perhaps, after the incidents in the Breen capital and the Great Hall of the Klingon High Council, but some people were stubborn about changing their opinions.

"Deck 01," Jien said when they stepped into the turbolift, and he turned to face Cam. "I have no doubt that you wouldn't tell him things that the enemy mustn't know, of course, and separating him from his parasite is a high priority. The Science Department has yet to come up with a solution for it, but Vael Kaeris left us some good theories to work on. Theories that I believe Nicander is helping to do research on as well. Something about a secondary containment beam and isolating the parasite with it using its anyonic phase variance. Until that can be accomplished, however, and since we cannot know for a fact that the Doctor's subconscious is affected by the enemy, you must be careful around him. He may not know that he is compromised already. The degree of which that may have happened could be small, but it might still be there - undermining his control."

- FIN

This thread being old and forgotten, I will lock it, but PM me if you want to continue the scene. I removed the ending to make the scene get closure on a nice spot, and the removed text can be found below.  /Auctor [Show/Hide]
 
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