EXETERRPG: (2, 0000) Starfleet Medical Specialist, Commander Ailynn and Bracken and Kyros Ryelle

[Will Banowsky]

NRPG: note, this doesnt mean flood day 2 with posts. let your characters
get there organically.

RPG:


Mission: Space was cool before it mattered

Day: 2

Stardate: 2446.04.26

(USS Exeter -Guest Quarters -Starfleet Medical Specialist, Commander Ailynn
and Bracken and Kyros Ryelle - 00:00)

Ailynn woke gently, extracting herself from Caity’s gentle embrace,
slipping out the bed, she pulled on the robe that she always kept on the
chair just by her bedside. There was an air of calm, and contentment that
surrounded her, the robe a shield against night’s imposing chill. She moved
through to the bathroom, where after her now regular nighttime ablutions,
she stepped through to the lounge.

“Hello Ailynn” A familiar figure spoke to Ailynn as he appeared in the
room, suddenly the location changed to a shadowy space reflecting a temple
on Bajor.

“Who’s that? Step forward so I can see you?” she drew herself up to her
full height, no mean feat when her back was under so much more strain. If
intruder it was, Ailynn started surveying the room, looking for a weapon,
she’d fight and cause casualties in defense of what was hers, pregnant or
no. she ignored the new surroundings for the moment.

“It seems life has been good to you.” The figure spoke, as he walked closer
into the lit area, revealing itself to be the since deceased Dr. Kyros
Ryelle.

Feeling her heart and stomach skip at the figure, she stepped forward,
though pulled the robe further around her, covering as much of herself as
possible, holding it up to her neck. “Ryelle…?” She looked around her,
honestly impressed at the ornate, if dimly lit temple that surrounded them.

“Yes, Ailynn…It is me. It’s been a while.” He replied.

Raising her chin, her mind running through possibilities. “I’m assuming
that I’m not simply dreaming here, no, this is more. Smells wrong. I can
always smell that room scent that Tee puts in the lounge. Not keen on it
exactly, but I can’t smell it now.”

“I’m not sure what this is myself. I was at rest, and now I am not. But I
found myself here. Though not sure where here is. Last I remember was being
trapped in a cell with you. Dying, for you. Being at peace. And now I am
here. And it seems you are not alone. Carrying the children of a duplicate
created using my genetic template.”

“You heard about that one huh. Well, two.” Ailynn found herself blushing
deeply.

“It’s amazing what you learn in the afterlife.”

“Don’t think I’m being rude but how are you here? I’m going to need so much
more counselling. My counsellor already thinks I should be screened for
PTSD, amongst numerous other neurological disorders.”

“I myself am unsure how I am here. The prophets? A Q? Perhaps even
something you ate? I feel as if I am myself, for whatever that is worth.”

“I’m not sure I know exactly how to say, but…thank you, it’s a bit trite to
say to the person who literally gave up their life for you. I’m not sure
I’ll ever get over it.”

“You should. I did so willingly. You were what was needed, not I. I always
thought myself a healer, as are you. But a different kind. You had the
capacity to rise above, the willingness to take the next step. My soul, too
passive. I would not have had the strength you had. It was my honor to give
my life for yours.”

Ailynn blushed, relaxing slightly. "I did what was necessary. I shouldered
the pain of that so no one else had to. I'll always step up to the fire,
for that reason"

“Was it not said once in your earth fiction, ‘Great men are forged in fire.
It is the privilege of lesser men to light the flame.’ It was my privilege
to light the flame for you.”

"Well, you have my thanks nonetheless." She said simply.

“Tell me Ailynn, your children, the one of my, other self, their genes, are
they mine?”

Resting her hand on her bump, she nodded. "It's…a little more complicated,
but yes. Other than the Bajoran specific alleles, genetically yes, You're
the girls' father; and if they grow up with half your bravery and good,
gentle nature then they will go far."

“I guess, I guess I will live on, in a way.”

“In many ways,” She smiled gently, stepping around the temple’s large open
courtyard, her feet pleasantly cool on the ancient stone. “You sure none of
this is familiar?” She asked, relaxing and letting go of the neck of her
robe but securing the belt.

“I still don’t know what this is. It’s like in your earth novel, a
Christmas Carol. Perhaps there is more gravy than grave about me.”

She smiled, “So I have three more of you visiting me this evening?” She
said with a playful twinkle in her eye, a look of tart amusement.

“Don’t worry, I am not here to teach you the meaning of Christmas.”

“Pity, I always liked our conversations, regardless of which religion we
were talking about.” She remembered the deep faith of the man that Ryelle
had been when he was alive.

“May I ask, why did you leave the Exeter, albeit temporarily?”

“The short version is that a lot happened and got on top of me and I needed
time to get past it.”

“Hey, we have no idea how long I’ll be here. Might as well give  me the
long version.”

She smiled and nodded. “Longer version is that I got scared.”

“I never thought you were capable of getting scared,” he joked.

“You’ll know mums work with nanites. Last couple of years I’ve been working
with her, she realised the limitations of her version of the nanites. I
looked at what she had and designed a new nanite substrate, amongst other
things. Then, the business with the Empress happened.” Ailynn sighed, and
perched on a low stone wall, looking at an ancient tapestry. “I could see
the Empresses nanites for exactly what they were, Insidious, aggressive,
malignant. I could see their descendancy from true Borg nanites, and in my
head I found myself thinking how easy all that would be. That my changes to
mum’s nanites could enable something like this, and I could see how to
begin doing it. That was when I knew I had to walk away.”

“But just because you can see how to do something, doesn’t mean you will.”
He retorted.

“Yeah, I know.” She said with a gentle sigh.

“There is a big difference between seeing what could happen and doing it.
Plus knowing how to do something means knowing how to prevent that
something. Or at least gives you the blueprint.”

“You’re right of course, it was just all so fresh, and a lot of stuff
happened. Besides, I’ll always be able to figure out a way to prevent
something. There’s always a way.” she half shrugged.

“So, if there is always a way, then why not take your position back?”

Ailynn smiled gently, a wistful look in her eye. Ryelle always did have a
way about him, a way of gently pointing out a path. “At some point I will,
at first, I admit, it was about retreat, about hiding and licking my
wounds; now though, I’m needed by Fleet Medical. For the moment anyway”

“I see.” He replied.


“I’m a career Officer, you know that. Despite the many offers of other
positions outside the Fleet, this is my home. Out here I mean. My position
as both a Medical and Command Officer is frowned upon by many, but that’s
the line I have to walk.”

“Well, do you have to? Walk that line I mean. You are a child of two
worlds, earth and bajor. Medicine and Command. But is the choice binary, is
that all there is. Aren’t you more than just where you’re from and what you
do?”

“I’m more than anything…” She stood up, not actually remembering sitting
down on the pleasant stone bench next to the ornamental waterfall, stones
of purest whit dappled the crystal clear water. Ailynn supposed it was
intended to be relaxing, but the running water was getting to her again.
“...more than most can possibly comprehend.”


“Is walking the line keeping you from where you truly need to be?”

She smiled. She understood his point, of course. “No. The irony is, that it
suits my psyche.” She lifted her sleeve, showing him the tattoo in ancient
Bajoran that she had received from the Prophets themselves. “As much as I
love medicine, and I do, and I always will, and in all likelihood it’s what
older version of me will settle down to do. This me, the one that has the
power, the energy and the intellect to affect change, true change; well…”
She smiled. “She’ll pick herself up after each fall and carry on, doing the
things that have to be done, but few have the will to complete.”

“Funny.” he said with a laugh, “you keep skirting around the answer I am
trying to get you to say.”

“Yeah, I always was that kind of student. What is it you need me to say?”

“The will to carry on, to do what few will. Now I am not saying you should
have gone to the Hood. Yes I know about that, even though I was dead. There
is more courage sometime in saying no to something rather than yes.”

“The Hood was a no go. A Captaincy isn’t me, not yet, just so some upstart
FO can stop me from going on an away mission where I can tip a balance? No
thanks.” She drew a breath reflectively, “that isn’t what you meant though,
you meant something else, you’ve alluded to it a couple of times.”

“Ailynn, You’re place, right now, is here on this ship, not as you are now
but as you were. The crew has their father but they need their mother. In
the trials that are to come, you must be here.”

“I see.” She observed, a moment of full clarity and openness happened
between them. She lifted her sleeve once more, a glance at what was…she
lifted her eyes, full in their understanding, nodding gently she half
whispered. “understood.”

“I’m sorry.”

She looked at him, drawing herself up to her full height, with a full nasal
intake of breath. “My task isn’t over…is it.” Her voice was rich, and full
of her will, a sense of determination filled her even as a tear filled her
eye, remembering the knife sliding into Jost’s chest.

“It’s a different task, that hasn’t begun. But it needs to be you here.
That is the feeling I have.”

Ailynn’s mouth got the better of her. “If you have any say, can you ask the
prophets for something matching on the other arm?”

“This, this one I don’t think is the prophets doing. The voice in my head,
she just wants you to know she is a friend, and I am not sure she is doing
this for altruistic motives. I think, I think she believes you being here
will save the soul of the one she truly cares for. That is all I know.”

Ailynn nodded. “Once more am I fate’s tool, once more a task is set upon
me.” She felt Ryelle’s words fill her with belief, with strength.

Almost as quickly as Ryelle’s arrival, everything seemed to change, twist,
and turn, as the background returned to Ailynn’s quarters. Ryelle slowly
began to fade away, back to where the after life truly seemed to be.

“Be well Ailynn, I’ll be watching over you. Be strong, as I know you to be.”

Ailynn watched as Ryelle faded, her will growing with his dissipation.

As Ryelle vanished, Ailynn found herself in her quarters, rather than the
Bajoran doctor being with her, the only company was Caity fast asleep in
bed.

Somewhere, outside of the realm of time and space, Quella smiled.

"So be it." Ailynn said to the image in the full length mirror on the other
side of the room.

"So be it.” she drew and released a deep breath, broken only by Caity’s
slumber. “For good or ill." Drawing another breath and steadying herself, a
lopsided grin of sheer will alone.

"I am Paladin."

(Reply none)

(posted by Will and Mark)
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