Private Office, Erzana Centre for Psychological Analysis and Treatment
El’Nar City, Betazed
Stardate: 55302.1 (April 21st, 2378)
It had been five days since the transferral. They had run every conceivable test on Daezan, all of which had come back clear. He’d undergone several therapy sessions with Yuza and Stovak, which had resulted in them learning that he remembered little of his time hosting the other neural patterns. T’Pellinar had told them that might not always be the case, that he may experience momentary ‘flashes’ of memory from the last three months—which could be brought on by various stimuli. She has assured them though that these would fade after several weeks, but until then he would need to rest and relax. The flashes wouldn’t be painful or debilitating, but depending on what they regarded, they could be unpleasant.
T’Pellinar herself proved to be as strong as an ox. What she had experienced had been a shock to her system, but after a couple days’ recuperation and meditation she was good as new. She and the monks would remain for another day or two before returning to Vulcan.
Mbeki had also spoken with Susanna, Amorin and a few others from the Silverfin over the last few days, after he had passed on the good news. Though they were eager to talk to their shipmate and friend once again, he advised against it for a little longer, in order to let Daezan’s system get back to normal. He had however passed along their messages to Daezan, who seemed truly touched by the concern and support of the Border Dogs.
There was now little left to do but write up the last of his reports and findings, pass them along to Yuza and the others (there was already a buzz about the paper that could be written on this unique case), then book passage back to Star Station Freedom and on to the Silverfin.
Mbeki himself was exhausted, having worked long hours over the last three months on a tough and stressful job. He needed some time to unwind and relax, which he planned to do whilst on Betazed—in order to better explore the beautiful planet he had seen so little of during his time there. Fortunately, he’d been told that he could stay at the centre for as long as he wanted.
The door chimed.
“It’s open,” he called.
Opening, he was surprised to see Doctor Inzendra Stadi standing in the doorway. He had thought that she had returned to Rixx.
“I’m not interrupting, am I?” she asked.
“Of course not. Please, come in.”
Stadi stepped inside and he gestured to an empty seat. She slipped into it and then looked out the window for a moment. He gave her the time to arrange her thoughts. When she looked back at him, her black eyes were sad.
“I wanted to thank you.”
He gave her a soft smile. “I should be the one thanking you. If it wasn’t for you, Kolanis would still be possessed.”
“And if it wasn’t for you, I would still be doing Aiva’s memory a disservice.”
Of all the things she could have said, he’d never have expected that. During the week that they’d worked together they had only ever had chance to talk about the research and analyses, the personal conversations of their initial meeting weren’t discussed again. Mbeki found it strange sharing something so personal with a complete stranger—even back on the Silverfin only Susanna and a couple of the corpsmen knew about his troubled family life.
“I...” he began, not knowing what to say.
Stadi looked him straight in the eye. “After she disappeared, I tried to hold onto my memories of her. But then when her death was confirmed, my grief turned to anger and I blamed Starfleet for taking my daughter away from me. I forgot who she had been, that she had wanted to join and do her part...and that I was proud of her choice.
“I may not completely trust Starfleet, but I can begin to trust some of those that, like my daughter, chose to follow their heart,” she added with a soft smile. “If you are ever in need of a consultation, then you know how to reach me.”
“Thank you.”
Stadi stood up and he rose as well. “The Silverfin is a lucky ship, to have such a dedicated physician looking after them.”
He offered her his hand, which she clasped. “Trust me, I’m the lucky one.”
They released each other’s hands and she left him alone in the office once again. He sat down at the terminal again, but instead of returning to his terminal he opened up his personal database and opened up the only file he had in it. On the screen a holophoto appeared. It had been taken the previous summer in Central Park on Star Station Freedom, when the crew celebrated the fifty-fifth anniversary of the Silverfin’s commissioning (which had been known as her birthday for as long as he had been onboard the Cutter). In the image, clustered tightly together were himself, Leijten, Amorin, Daezan, Ling-Na (just a few weeks before her departure), Llewellyn-Smyth and th’Shaan, all in civvies and smiling widely—though it was impossible to tell with the Benzenite XO, Mbeki knew that he was too.
The image was one he made sure to take with him wherever he went, whilst a hardcopy was safe on a shelf in his quarters. The men and women in the picture were closer to him than kin, and he couldn’t have had a better family.
* * * * *
Patient Room 107, Erzana Centre for Psychological Analysis and Treatment
El’Nar City, Betazed
Kolanis Daezan watched as the attractive blonde nurse checked on his vitals, for the second time since he woke up that morning. She had a friendly smile on her face and went about her duties in an efficient and meticulous manner. Kallani Onall was definitely one of the more chattier nurses on staff, seeming genuinely interested in how he was doing and happily answering any questions he had at the same time. Some of the others treated him like a plague carrier, barely able to be in the same room with him let alone strike up a conversation.
“So when can I get up?” he asked as she was writing up her notes.
She peeked over the datapad. “When the doctors say that you can.”
“I feel fine now.”
“That may be so, but you’re not a doctor.”
“I’ve got degrees in sensor management, statistical and telemetry analysis, and translation operations. Doesn’t that count?” he pleaded.
“If we were on a starship, maybe,” she countered with a grin.
Daezan had to chuckle. He’d been telling the truth, he felt fine—great in fact. Doctor Mbeki had told him what the Vulcans said might happen, but so far he hadn’t experienced any flashes. Nor were there any headaches, nausea, dizziness, heart palpitations, blurred vision, or bursts of emotions.
The one thing that he was having difficulty with was the fact that the mission to the Cairo had been three months ago. His last memory was of entering a set of quarters with Crewman K8 Blue, looking for signs of the crew or any hint of what had happened to them. Since then until he work up in the dark room was all blank, but after hearing what had happened to him, Daezan wasn’t sure he wanted to remember.
The doors parted and Mbeki entered. “Afternoon Doc.”
“Hey Kolanis.”
As Onall was coming around the bed, heading for the exit, she said, “The patients complaining again, Doctor. Shall I get another sedative?”
Daezan flashed them a winning smile and they both chuckled. Mbeki looked from Daezan to then nurse.
“Have it handy, just in case.”
Onall’s smile widened and she headed out the door. Mbeki moved closer to the bed, taking a quick glance at the monitor above Daezan’s head, then down at him.
“Everything looks good,” he stated.
“I could have told you that, Doc. When can I get back on duty?”
“Not just yet. Give your system time to recuperate,” Mbeki advised.
Daezan nodded. “Okay, no work, but can I at least get out of this bed? Maybe enjoy some fresh air?”
“I think that would be a good idea. Do you want a hoverchair?” Mbeki asked as Daezan flung the covers off.
He shook his head as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed. In an instant the doctor was by his side, gripping him firmly and using his considerable strength to help Daezan to his feet. Though he appreciated the gesture and knew he hadn’t been mobile for some time, his legs felt strong and he was eager to get moving.
It took them only a couple of minutes to get him on his feet. His legs held firm and he gave Mbeki a confident—even somewhat smug—look. Smiling, the doctor shook his head but still stayed close and kept a light hold of his upper arm. After slipping on some light footwear and a robe, they headed out into the corridor and then down towards the lifts that were opposite the nurse’s station.
There was a bit of banter between the two, Mbeki telling him about all the well-wishers from the Silverfin as well as catching him up on some of the news and gossip from the Cutter. The mundane stories made him smile, glad to see that life continued onboard, whilst the long list of those that had asked after him was touching. He would have more than a few people to thank once he got back.
They had just arrived at the large desk where Onall and another nurse sat, when the intercom chirped. “Doctor Mbeki you have an incoming comlink.”
He tapped his combadge. “I’m just about to head out. Who is it?”
“It’s coming in from Captain MacDougall of the S.C.E.”
Mbeki scowled. The name meant nothing to Daezan, but the doctor obviously knew the Captain.
“Can you patch it through to the nurse’s station?” he asked. Glancing at Daezan, he added, “This shouldn’t take long.”
He went behind the desk and over to a vacant terminal. Curious, Daezan moved closer. On the monitor he noticed the S.C.E. symbol appear for a few seconds, before being replaced by the image of a stern-faced woman, with blonde hair piled on top of her head. She had four pips displayed on a gold collar, which was something of a rarity in the fleet.
“Captain MacDougall, what can I do for you?”
“Doctor Yuza has just brought up to speed on Commander Daezan’s recovery. Going over the data I noticed a correlation between the transferral procedure and an event here on the Cairo,” the woman explained.
“What kind of event?”
“At the moment the Commander awoke, what can only be described as apparitions appeared throughout the ship. Five hundred and thirty-eight to be precise.”
“What?”
“A previously undetected energy field enveloped the ship for a few seconds, during which time my teams encountered humanoid shapes moving through the ship, operating consoles, even running routine maintenance and eating. It looks like there is a link between Mr Daezan and the ship’s complement.”
The scowl returned to Mbeki’s face, though much deeper than before. “No,” he stated avidly.
“Doctor?”
“I will not allow him to return to that ship, not after what happened to him before. He was strong enough to handle the assault once, he may not be a second time.”
“Doctor, I wouldn’t be asking if it wasn’t important.”
There was a standoff between the two, neither backing down. Daezan looked from Mbeki to the screen. He understood why his friend was looking out for him, from what he understood of the ‘incident’, his mind had taken a serious hit and he’d almost been consumed by the trapped consciousnesses of the Cairo’s crew. But if what had happened to him was somehow connected to what had happened to the crew of that ship, he had the opportunity to find out what happened to over five hundred people, to give their families some closure.
“I’ll do it,” he announced.
Mbeki, MacDougall and the two nurses all looked up at him, all at varying degrees of surprise. He was determined, his mind set. He wanted answers.
* * * * *
END
El’Nar City, Betazed
Stardate: 55302.1 (April 21st, 2378)
It had been five days since the transferral. They had run every conceivable test on Daezan, all of which had come back clear. He’d undergone several therapy sessions with Yuza and Stovak, which had resulted in them learning that he remembered little of his time hosting the other neural patterns. T’Pellinar had told them that might not always be the case, that he may experience momentary ‘flashes’ of memory from the last three months—which could be brought on by various stimuli. She has assured them though that these would fade after several weeks, but until then he would need to rest and relax. The flashes wouldn’t be painful or debilitating, but depending on what they regarded, they could be unpleasant.
T’Pellinar herself proved to be as strong as an ox. What she had experienced had been a shock to her system, but after a couple days’ recuperation and meditation she was good as new. She and the monks would remain for another day or two before returning to Vulcan.
Mbeki had also spoken with Susanna, Amorin and a few others from the Silverfin over the last few days, after he had passed on the good news. Though they were eager to talk to their shipmate and friend once again, he advised against it for a little longer, in order to let Daezan’s system get back to normal. He had however passed along their messages to Daezan, who seemed truly touched by the concern and support of the Border Dogs.
There was now little left to do but write up the last of his reports and findings, pass them along to Yuza and the others (there was already a buzz about the paper that could be written on this unique case), then book passage back to Star Station Freedom and on to the Silverfin.
Mbeki himself was exhausted, having worked long hours over the last three months on a tough and stressful job. He needed some time to unwind and relax, which he planned to do whilst on Betazed—in order to better explore the beautiful planet he had seen so little of during his time there. Fortunately, he’d been told that he could stay at the centre for as long as he wanted.
The door chimed.
“It’s open,” he called.
Opening, he was surprised to see Doctor Inzendra Stadi standing in the doorway. He had thought that she had returned to Rixx.
“I’m not interrupting, am I?” she asked.
“Of course not. Please, come in.”
Stadi stepped inside and he gestured to an empty seat. She slipped into it and then looked out the window for a moment. He gave her the time to arrange her thoughts. When she looked back at him, her black eyes were sad.
“I wanted to thank you.”
He gave her a soft smile. “I should be the one thanking you. If it wasn’t for you, Kolanis would still be possessed.”
“And if it wasn’t for you, I would still be doing Aiva’s memory a disservice.”
Of all the things she could have said, he’d never have expected that. During the week that they’d worked together they had only ever had chance to talk about the research and analyses, the personal conversations of their initial meeting weren’t discussed again. Mbeki found it strange sharing something so personal with a complete stranger—even back on the Silverfin only Susanna and a couple of the corpsmen knew about his troubled family life.
“I...” he began, not knowing what to say.
Stadi looked him straight in the eye. “After she disappeared, I tried to hold onto my memories of her. But then when her death was confirmed, my grief turned to anger and I blamed Starfleet for taking my daughter away from me. I forgot who she had been, that she had wanted to join and do her part...and that I was proud of her choice.
“I may not completely trust Starfleet, but I can begin to trust some of those that, like my daughter, chose to follow their heart,” she added with a soft smile. “If you are ever in need of a consultation, then you know how to reach me.”
“Thank you.”
Stadi stood up and he rose as well. “The Silverfin is a lucky ship, to have such a dedicated physician looking after them.”
He offered her his hand, which she clasped. “Trust me, I’m the lucky one.”
They released each other’s hands and she left him alone in the office once again. He sat down at the terminal again, but instead of returning to his terminal he opened up his personal database and opened up the only file he had in it. On the screen a holophoto appeared. It had been taken the previous summer in Central Park on Star Station Freedom, when the crew celebrated the fifty-fifth anniversary of the Silverfin’s commissioning (which had been known as her birthday for as long as he had been onboard the Cutter). In the image, clustered tightly together were himself, Leijten, Amorin, Daezan, Ling-Na (just a few weeks before her departure), Llewellyn-Smyth and th’Shaan, all in civvies and smiling widely—though it was impossible to tell with the Benzenite XO, Mbeki knew that he was too.
The image was one he made sure to take with him wherever he went, whilst a hardcopy was safe on a shelf in his quarters. The men and women in the picture were closer to him than kin, and he couldn’t have had a better family.
* * * * *
Patient Room 107, Erzana Centre for Psychological Analysis and Treatment
El’Nar City, Betazed
Kolanis Daezan watched as the attractive blonde nurse checked on his vitals, for the second time since he woke up that morning. She had a friendly smile on her face and went about her duties in an efficient and meticulous manner. Kallani Onall was definitely one of the more chattier nurses on staff, seeming genuinely interested in how he was doing and happily answering any questions he had at the same time. Some of the others treated him like a plague carrier, barely able to be in the same room with him let alone strike up a conversation.
“So when can I get up?” he asked as she was writing up her notes.
She peeked over the datapad. “When the doctors say that you can.”
“I feel fine now.”
“That may be so, but you’re not a doctor.”
“I’ve got degrees in sensor management, statistical and telemetry analysis, and translation operations. Doesn’t that count?” he pleaded.
“If we were on a starship, maybe,” she countered with a grin.
Daezan had to chuckle. He’d been telling the truth, he felt fine—great in fact. Doctor Mbeki had told him what the Vulcans said might happen, but so far he hadn’t experienced any flashes. Nor were there any headaches, nausea, dizziness, heart palpitations, blurred vision, or bursts of emotions.
The one thing that he was having difficulty with was the fact that the mission to the Cairo had been three months ago. His last memory was of entering a set of quarters with Crewman K8 Blue, looking for signs of the crew or any hint of what had happened to them. Since then until he work up in the dark room was all blank, but after hearing what had happened to him, Daezan wasn’t sure he wanted to remember.
The doors parted and Mbeki entered. “Afternoon Doc.”
“Hey Kolanis.”
As Onall was coming around the bed, heading for the exit, she said, “The patients complaining again, Doctor. Shall I get another sedative?”
Daezan flashed them a winning smile and they both chuckled. Mbeki looked from Daezan to then nurse.
“Have it handy, just in case.”
Onall’s smile widened and she headed out the door. Mbeki moved closer to the bed, taking a quick glance at the monitor above Daezan’s head, then down at him.
“Everything looks good,” he stated.
“I could have told you that, Doc. When can I get back on duty?”
“Not just yet. Give your system time to recuperate,” Mbeki advised.
Daezan nodded. “Okay, no work, but can I at least get out of this bed? Maybe enjoy some fresh air?”
“I think that would be a good idea. Do you want a hoverchair?” Mbeki asked as Daezan flung the covers off.
He shook his head as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed. In an instant the doctor was by his side, gripping him firmly and using his considerable strength to help Daezan to his feet. Though he appreciated the gesture and knew he hadn’t been mobile for some time, his legs felt strong and he was eager to get moving.
It took them only a couple of minutes to get him on his feet. His legs held firm and he gave Mbeki a confident—even somewhat smug—look. Smiling, the doctor shook his head but still stayed close and kept a light hold of his upper arm. After slipping on some light footwear and a robe, they headed out into the corridor and then down towards the lifts that were opposite the nurse’s station.
There was a bit of banter between the two, Mbeki telling him about all the well-wishers from the Silverfin as well as catching him up on some of the news and gossip from the Cutter. The mundane stories made him smile, glad to see that life continued onboard, whilst the long list of those that had asked after him was touching. He would have more than a few people to thank once he got back.
They had just arrived at the large desk where Onall and another nurse sat, when the intercom chirped. “Doctor Mbeki you have an incoming comlink.”
He tapped his combadge. “I’m just about to head out. Who is it?”
“It’s coming in from Captain MacDougall of the S.C.E.”
Mbeki scowled. The name meant nothing to Daezan, but the doctor obviously knew the Captain.
“Can you patch it through to the nurse’s station?” he asked. Glancing at Daezan, he added, “This shouldn’t take long.”
He went behind the desk and over to a vacant terminal. Curious, Daezan moved closer. On the monitor he noticed the S.C.E. symbol appear for a few seconds, before being replaced by the image of a stern-faced woman, with blonde hair piled on top of her head. She had four pips displayed on a gold collar, which was something of a rarity in the fleet.
“Captain MacDougall, what can I do for you?”
“Doctor Yuza has just brought up to speed on Commander Daezan’s recovery. Going over the data I noticed a correlation between the transferral procedure and an event here on the Cairo,” the woman explained.
“What kind of event?”
“At the moment the Commander awoke, what can only be described as apparitions appeared throughout the ship. Five hundred and thirty-eight to be precise.”
“What?”
“A previously undetected energy field enveloped the ship for a few seconds, during which time my teams encountered humanoid shapes moving through the ship, operating consoles, even running routine maintenance and eating. It looks like there is a link between Mr Daezan and the ship’s complement.”
The scowl returned to Mbeki’s face, though much deeper than before. “No,” he stated avidly.
“Doctor?”
“I will not allow him to return to that ship, not after what happened to him before. He was strong enough to handle the assault once, he may not be a second time.”
“Doctor, I wouldn’t be asking if it wasn’t important.”
There was a standoff between the two, neither backing down. Daezan looked from Mbeki to the screen. He understood why his friend was looking out for him, from what he understood of the ‘incident’, his mind had taken a serious hit and he’d almost been consumed by the trapped consciousnesses of the Cairo’s crew. But if what had happened to him was somehow connected to what had happened to the crew of that ship, he had the opportunity to find out what happened to over five hundred people, to give their families some closure.
“I’ll do it,” he announced.
Mbeki, MacDougall and the two nurses all looked up at him, all at varying degrees of surprise. He was determined, his mind set. He wanted answers.
* * * * *
END
