Posted by Lieutenant Commander Bethany Kovra Gadi (Chief of Security) in Ticking Clocks (TAG Izei)

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Aasrel Izei (Chief Medical Officer) in Ticking Clocks (TAG Izei)

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Bethany Kovra Gadi (Chief of Security) in Ticking Clocks (TAG Izei)
Posted by… suppressed (10) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Bethy wasn’t on duty, but with a chunk of her security team away posing as guests on the luxury yacht she did extra walks of the ship, just to make sure everyone was alright, and to learn the new layout of the ship. At least that was what she told herself. She wasn’t sleeping again. Though she didn’t know if it was her illness or worry. She paused at a view port to look out at the stars and sighed.

Gadi, COS

Aasrel was walking the decks. He wasn’t sleeping either and he needed to walk. It wasn’t too late yet, but late enough he should be in bed. Heading around a corner, he spotted Bethany and paused, considering going the other direction. Instead, he decided to stop at the next view port down from where she stood and look out at the stars himself.

~ Izei, CMO

As he passed Bethany looked over. “Doctor,” she said by way of greeting. She hadn’t seen him since her visit to sickbay. She didn’t know if that was because he stayed in sickbay and so she wouldn’t run into him, or if he was disgusted by her disability and so avoided her.

Gadi, COS

Aasrel wasn’t avoiding her specifically, he avoided everyone. He’d stayed in sickbay, mostly. He couldn’t care less about her disability. Even if he hadn’t lost his own abilities, she couldn’t help what she was born without. He remembered she had no interest in having her empathy. He hadn’t learned to read emotions without empathy. The art of ‘body language’ was a mystery to him. “Lieutenant Gadi. I hope you’re feeling alright.” He said politely, without turning away from the viewport.

~ Izei, CMO

Years ago, Bethany had researched and tried all kinds of things to try and trigger her empathy. As a young teen she had desperately wanted to make her father proud rather than ashamed. It only took a couple of years for that drive to turn to resentment, and then finally, after meeting T’Jal she had learned to accept herself as she was. She still struggled with it though. She offered Izei a polite smile and a shrug, “I suppose. I am no better, but no worse, I guess. How are you?”

Gadi, CoS

Aasrel could not accept his new disability. In fact, he hated it. He was obsessed with finding a way to fix it. And if he couldn’t… Well, an airlock looked mighty tempting some days. He took a deep breath and shrugged. “I’m fine.” That wasn’t really true, but he had served in Starfleet long enough he’d grown used to the idea most of his crew mates couldn’t tell when he wasn’t being truthful about how he felt, unless he gave it away with body language

~ Aasrel

Bethany nodded. “Like most of us then.” Everyone was ‘fine.’ They had to be even if they really weren’t. She stared out the window, searching the stars. “It’s said that everyone looks for home among the stars. Is Betazed home for you, doctor, or somewhere else?”

Gadi, CoS

Aasrel stiffened. It had once been. He loved Betazed. He’d come to the stars to help people. Now… He couldn’t go back there. Not like this. Not when he couldn’t communicate the way he and most betazoids preferred to. When he couldn’t sense them around him. It was like being deaf in a way someone who’d never had that sense couldn’t understand. “It used to be.” He said at last, voice tense and sad. He focused hard out the window for a few moments, and then in the interest of appearing even slightly friendlier than he had so far, asked, “What about you? Were you born there, or somewhere else?”

~ Izei, CMO

“I was, near Lake El’nar. We lived there until right after the Dominion occupation was over.” She grew quiet for a moment. She had been too young to assist in the planet wide counter offensive, but she clearly remembered the horror and fear. “After that, my mother begged my father to take her home to Earth. She was afraid, staying on Betazed, so close to the boarder of Federation space, something would happen, again. She was inconsolable, do he took us. It was always supposed to be temporary…” She stared hard at her reflection, but couldn’t quite keep the edge out of her voice, “things changed.”

Gadi, CoS

Aasrel was too young to remember much besides the fear. Even after the occupation though, Betazed was his home. He had been to Earth, of course, for Academy, but he couldn’t imagine staying there. That was partly why he stayed in Starfleet. There was nowhere else for him to go.

At the hardness in her voice, Aasrel looked over at her. He was used to not only hearing, but feeling those emotions, and it made him miss his abilities that he couldn’t. “What happened?” His voice held a tone of compassion no one had heard from him in months.

~ Izei

“During the occupation, we hid with a few other families in the Janaran Jungle. My mother was exposed to…something. Bacteria, fungus, insect bite,” she shrugged. “We were all sick at some point. She seemed to get better, but after we got to Earth, she got sick again, but worse. She never got better. My father was going to take us back, but then I hit adolescence and no telepathy, not even late. He was too embarrassed to take me back with my disability. I even begged him, twice, hoping the doctors on Betazed could ‘fix’ me. So he wouldn’t have to be ashamed anymore.”

Gadi, CoS

Aasrel nodded. “There were a few illnesses that are known to have long term effects.” He looked at her, “It must have been terrible, being treated that way by your father. You are only half Betazoid, and anyway, even full Betazoids have a chance to be born with that disability.” He’d rather never have it than have had it and lose it. The thought bothered him and it showed on his face. He wasn’t good at hiding emotions. “But you don’t want it now? Even if, somehow, fixing your condition did also fix your empathy?”

~ Izei, CMO

Bethany sighed. “I suppose it seems strange that I don’t when it should be normal for me to have it. I came to terms a long time ago with the fact I am disabled, but I never…really got over my father’s rejection. My uncles say it is because he lived my mother so much, that me being more human than Betazoid and looking just like her was too hard for him. A very petty part of me, doesn’t want any part of him now. Dr. Riley was going to permanently change my eye color for me.” She rolled her shoulders and then turned to look at him. “Besides, I am too old now. I am not sure I would be able to learn the control needed to filter the input. But I suppose if the only way to cure me is to have it work, then I will have to try and adjust.”

Gadu, CoS

“I’m not sure yet.” Aasrel replied, turning back toward the window. “But I do believe the cure will either make it work permanently, or make it never work. I have a theory… But I need more information.”

He looked at her, meeting her gaze for perhaps the first time when she looked at him. “If that is the way it goes, and your abilities do start working, then I would be more than happy to help teach you. I… I was always proud of my… abilities.” He tried to keep his voice steady. It wasn’t working that well.

~ Izei, CMO