Posted by Lieutenant Commander Kastarak (First Officer / Navigation Officer) in Side Sim: Dawson’s Return in Mess Hall (Open to all)

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Quentin “Q” Dawson (Communications Officer) in Side Sim: Dawson’s Return in Mess Hall (Open to all)

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Kastarak (First Officer / Navigation Officer) in Side Sim: Dawson’s Return in Mess Hall (Open to all)
Posted by… suppressed (20) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Dawson woke with a start in his chambers. He was in a cold sweat and couldn’t remember how he had gotten there. The last thing he remembered was discussing the plan to deal with the cloaked Romulan Ship, and then… nothing. He stumbled out of his quarters, the light of the hallway a jarring shock from the dark interior of his room. He had to find Kastarak. He had to know what happened.

The crew he passed all gave him strange looks, either from his unkempt and wild appearance, as he was in his night clothes rather than his uniform, or from seeing him at all. Each face made Dawson wonder How long? How long was I gone? He reached Kastarak’s office and rang the chime. His mind was swimming from the mental strain. It was all too much. Something pushed at Dawson’s consciousness. Something important. Something hidden - stolen from him. He started banging on Kastarak’s door, needing the Vulcan to answer. To give him answers.

He could feel his mind threatening to burst open, like a newly stitched wound opening up from excessive strain. What would happen when these stitches popped? What would bleed out from his lost memories? How would he heal a scar of the mind?

He continued to bang on the door, hoping, praying, begging for it to open.

Lt. Q Dawson

OOC: Hey, welcome back!! We missed you. I’ll follow up shortly!

Kastarak, Lt Cdr
First Officer and Navigations Officer

Kastarak had gone to bed an hour earlier. This day, he had had the debrief session with his senior crew, where they discussed the disappearance of Mr Dawson, without getting any understanding. They had looked everywhere, and gone through all scanners. They knew that one escape pod was missing, btu they had no evidence that Dawson had disappeared along with it, or exactly when they last saw him. Such were the perils of a skeleton crew while under a Romulan boarding party.

Now, as he woke up from bangs on the door, Kastarak was confused. Bangs? Were the chimes off line? There was something frantic, human, about the bangs, desperate. Kastarak, who like usual slept naked, quickly put on a pair of sweatpants that lay on the bench closest to his bed. He hurried to the door, as he sensed the urgency of the situation.

“Open the doors,” he commanded the computer, and the doors opened.

He looked at the disheveled man in pyjamas before him. For a moment, he could not place the familiarity of the face, before it dawned on him: This was Dawson, but different.

“Mr Dawson?” He said out loud, with a rising eyebrow accompanying his rising intonation. He had hypotheses in his head. Was this really Dawson? Was this some kind of holographic simulation? Was this a shapeshifter? Had Dawson been beamed back to the ship, tortured, by the Romulans?

“I am relieved to see you again. How are you? Come on in.”

Kastarak, Lt Cdr
First Officer and Navigations Officer

As the doors opened, Dawson stumbled in, his hands grabbing onto Kastarak’s shoulders for support. “Kas…” He said, trying to focus on the Vulcan’s face, “…what happened? What happened to the Romulans? Where… where was I?” The questions spilled from his mouth as his head got dizzier and dizzier. He thought he was going to be sick.

Lt. Q Dawson

Kastarak looked at Dawson, again testing his various hypotheses of what was going on. He was not making much sense of the situation.

“You were last here on stardate 2273.309. It is now stardate 2274.35. In other words, you have been gone for…” Kastarak made a mental calculation quickly. “… ninety-two days in according to the Gregorian calendar. I do not know where you have been. The Romulans have left.”

Kastarak took a soft step closer to Dawson.

“What do you remember?”

Kastarak, Lt Cdr
First Officer and Navigations Officer

Dawson’s eyes widened even further. Ninety-two days!?! How could that be possible. He tried to fucus on Kastarak’s questions, but found his mind spinning. “I-I remember the bridge, we were discussing plans to avoid the Romulans. We were going to go down to the brig, and then… Then I woke up in my quarters not half an hour ago. How could I have been gone for ninety-two days?”
“I do not know,” Kastarak said softly. It was genuinely beyond his comprehension. Before he could continue his reply –

Dawson tried to stand, but he could feel his legs going weak beneath him. He knew he was about to collapse. It was just too much. His vision began to darken and he clung to Kastarak as best he could as he felt himself sway forward into darkness.

Lt. Q. Dawson

“Let’s get you to Sickbay,” Kastarak said, holding up the right side of Dawson’s body. “Lean on me.”

He buzzed the communicator,

“Kastarak to Sickbay, incoming patient. It’s Dawson.”

Kastarak, Lt Cdr
First Officer and Navigations Officer

((OOC: I could just hear the suspense music playing at the end of that, fading to black before the theme music plays! XD))

Dawson nodded and shifted his weight to Kastarak, appreciating the extra strength Vulcans had. The walk to sick bay was hazy, but it allowed Dawson time to process what had happened. He still had no memories of three months he was gone_(Three months? Three?)_ but he at least was no longer hysterical about it. He was beginning to regain his senses when they arrived at Medical.

Lt. Q Dawson

Chris was on the Bridge for Night Command duty when he got the message from Sickbay telling him that Lieutenant Dawson was back in that the XO brought him there. He immeadiatly stood. “What the.....” Before he could finish he looked around. “Aaahh you!…” HE snapped his fingers a few times trying to remember her name. “Lieutenant Williams. Sorry, but something urgent came up in Sickbay and you will need to take the Con until I come back.” With that he rushed to the turbolift and then rushed to Sickbay.

Running into sickbay and seeing Commander Kastarak and Dawson there he stopped and stared with his mouth agape. “It really is you! I am glad to have you back! Where did you go?! I have o many questions for you!” Then it hit him and regained his faculties. Straightening up to his full height and in a calmer cool voice. “Commander. Please come over to me once Mr. Dawson is on the bed.”

Kastarak had just helped Dawson onto the bed in sickbay when the Captain arrived. Dawson looked up as he sat on the bed and gave a half smile. “Evening sir, sorry to disturb you. Seems I’ve been away for a bit.” He hoped to try and lighten the mood, “I wish I had answers for you sir. I was just telling Kas her that-” The Captain then ordered Kastarak to step away from Dawson and Dawson’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion, realizing to late what was happening.

Once Kastarak walked away from Dawson, Chris pressed the Com switch. [O] Computer. Place a quarantine forefield around biobed 105 in Sickbay. Authorize I, Commander Kastarak and Lieutenant Symar to raise and lower the shield. Captain Christopher Taggart 1189741.[O]. Then he looked over at Dawson. “Sorry Mr. Dawson. I am not going to take any chances. I hope you understand. This is for the safety of the crew and the ship.”

Dawson’s face fell into a resigned sigh. He knew he’d have done the same if the roles were reversed.

Captain Chris_Taggart
Captain USS_Chernov

Kastarak turned to the captain. “Prudent,” he said.

“As a fellow physician, sir, will you help me do the preliminary analysis until Dr Symar arrives?”

Kastarak began scanning Dawson, and he turned to him. “Mr Dawson, how are you feeling somatically? And psychologically?”

Kastarak, Lt Cdr
First Officer and Navigations Officer

“Very prudent indeed sir.” Dawson said giving a humorless smile, “Physically I feel fine sir,” he said talking to Kastarak, who had begun examining him, “Still a little woozy, but I think that’s mostly from the shock. It’s clearing up now. Mentally, apart from this ninety-two day gap in my memory, I’m doing better.”

Dawson swallowed and his posture held more of a sense of authority, “Captain, as Chief Weapons Officer and head of Security, I suggest that we keep me quarantined in Sickbay until Dr. Symar clears me, and then I should probably be supervised by one of the senior officers or be a security officer until we can be sure I haven’t been compromised in some way. My disappearance coinciding with the Romulan incident does not sit well with me. Plus the fact that I was taken and returned while we were supposed to be cloaked is another cause for concern.”

((OOC: I do know that I’m no longer CWO, but Dawson doesn’t know that. I think this would be a good spot to roleplay him finding out he lost his position.))

Lt. Q Dawson

((OOC: let me know what the scans say so i can interpret them hehe ))

“I concur with your recommendation,” Kastarak said. He paused for a moment, before continuing. “Due to your absence, Starfleet sent Olesya Koycheva to the Chernov. She is now the chief weapons officer. Once you are medically clear, the captain and I will discuss with you a suitable posting on the Chernov based on your skillset and experience.”

Kastarak let it sink in a bit, before continuing:

“Your disappearance is a cause of concern. Do you have any hypothesis as to how it occurred? We had initially assumed you were kidnapped by the Romulans. At the same time, an escape pod was missing. Both these hypotheses have been seemingly disproven, with you suddenly reappearing here. We must ascertain it does not occur again, either to you or to other members of the crew.”

Kastarak, Lt Cdr
First Officer and Navigations Officer

Dawson’s eyes unfocused. He seemed to be looking between them as he processed the information. There was a part of his mind that tried to reason him through it. You’d been gone for months. They couldn’t hold the position that long. This shouldn’t be a surprise. _ Still, the recurring question that came to him was _What do I do now? His entire starfleet career had been geared towards security. And now it was gone.

Dawson took a breath and centered himself. “Of course, sir. Unfortunately I cannot provide any answers. I don’t know what allowed them to take me or what we could do to deter it.”

Dawson

The scans detected no anomalies, temporal or otherwise. This result was incongruous with expectations, and Kastarak found the absence of detectable irregularities insufficient to formulate a conclusive assessment. He shifted his gaze toward the captain, anticipating that he might suggest deactivating the force field surrounding Dawson. Given the uncertainty of the situation, Kastarak determined that it would be illogical to rely solely on his own judgment in this matter.

Chris softly shook his head towards Kastarak after looking at the screen. “We need more info”. He said quietly.

“The scans reveal no physiological abnormalities. You should be in acceptable physical condition. However, I require additional data. What is your current psychological state? Additionally, what is the last event you recall prior to your reappearance aboard the Chernov—92 days after your recorded absence?”

Kastarak, Lt Cdr
First Officer and Navigations Officer

Dawson took evaluation of himself as best he could. “I seem to be alright. Psychologically, I’m still grappling with the fact that I’ve been missing for 3 months, which is to be expected, I suppose. The last thing I remember is being on the bridge as the Captain was readying us to go to the brig in order to sell our ruse to the Romulans, then I woke up in my quarters.” Dawson paused and looked to Taggert, “Those are still my quarters, right Sir?”

Lt. Q Dawson

Chris looked apologetic. “They are still your quarters. We had it sealed when we knew you were gone. We did go over it and your belongings with a fine tooth comb. Sorry about that but we had to make sure.”

“I would venture you can do another job around here. We’re happy you’re back but I want you to be better mentally before you return to full duty. So I want you to meet with Commander Kastarak twice a week for a full month. He will be your councilor. After that we’ll get you a new job and get you back on track. Providing the Commanders recommendations are good. You will have access to the basics until you are cleared. Meaning you can’t go onto the Bridge unless you’re being escorted. You can’t go into any of the departments or shuttle bays. You’re only allowed to go to the gym, cafeteria, medical and your quarters.oh and the atrium. Sorry but I know you understand. Until we are positive you are not being mind controlled.”

Dawson listened silently, his face a mask of confidence he didn’t feel. In an instant, he had lost everything he had worked so hard to achieve. At least, it felt like an instant to him. three months of his life gone. What happened? Again he tried to remember. The most frustrating thing was that he could feel that the memories were there. Something was there. But he couldn’t access it. It was like there was a wall blocking it off from him. Or like a processing issue. That was it. It was as if the files were there in his memory, but they weren’t formatted in a way that he could process.

Chris them looked at Kastarak. “If you agree to that then we can let him go and take him to the cafeteria. I bet you’re hungry.”. He said looking back at Dawson. “Sega’A is back and his food is amazing! Come on. Let’s get something to eat.”

Captain Chris_Taggart
Captain USS_Chernov

“I see no reason why you should not eat,” Kastarak said, turning to Dawson.

There was an almost imperceptible twitch around Dawson’s eyes as he snapped back to what the captain was saying. “Y-yes sir, I understand. Completely. And you’re right, I would enjoy some food. I’ve missed Sega’A’s cooking, apparently more than I know,” Dawson stood up from the bed and walked to the edge of the force field. “I’d prefer to stop by my quarters and grab a change of clothes, however.” Dawson gestured down to the white pajamas he was wearing. “While suitable for running madly through the ship corridors, not exactly dinner attire.”

Chris laughed at that.

He knew he was using humor as a defense to avoid dealing with what had happened, but he’d deal with that later. The humor made it seem like everything was fine. Don’t worry sir. Just came down with a case of vanishing, nothing to be concerned with. It was a facade. All part of the mask. Stiff upper lip and all that. Take your problems in stride. Don’t show how much it hurts. If you don’t look hurt, they think they missed.

“So,” Dawson said running his hands together, “What’s on the menu?”

Lt. Q Dawson.

Kastarak noticed the humour as a defence mechanism in Dawson, but he surmised, too, that the cheerfulness was not only that, but also indicative of Dawson’s optimistic and resilient nature. With all that Dawson in his life had survived through, this latest obstacle is only just that, an obstacle. Kastarak could thus share in an optimism in Dawson’s future, that all would be well.

“I suggest we go there together and have a meal together. Only then we will know what is available.”

Kastarak paused.

“Your absence from us has been noticeable and difficult for us. It is agreeable that you are with us once again.”

Kastarak, Lt Cdr
First Officer and Navigations Officer

“Look Q. This is just as hard on us as it is on you. It pains me to say and do those things. But security is paramount as you will know and until we can rule out some things, that’s how it will be. I’m sorry. And I’m also sorry that I don’t know what’s on the menu. But let’s get you changed. Computer. Disengage shield around bio bed 105.”

The force shield deactivated around Dawson.

Captain Chris_Taggart
Captain USS_Chernov

Dawson gave Kastarak a smile and said, “Thanks, Kas. And I understand sir. I’d do the same if I were in your position.” As the field deactivated, Dawson stepped out and took a pause, as if seeing for himself that he wasn’t going to try anything. His body did not act out like some Romulan Manchurian Candidate (a reference Dawson thought the Captain might have appreciated) and he continued to make his way to the door. As he reached Taggart, he said, “Has anyone else gone missing? Anyone we might want to look into possibly returning? Even if we haven’t lost anyone else, we should make sure no one else has vanished as I returned. With the crew as small as it is, we can’t afford to lose to many more. I can conduct a sweep-” He caught himself. “The new Weapons officer will want to look into that, I’d wager.”

Lt. Q Dawson.

“No one else is missing or has been missing,” Kastarak said flatly. “After your disappearance, several sweeps were conducted. The only questions remaining are how your disappearance occurred, and where were you while not on the ship.” Kastarak tried in his mind to return to his old Starfleet physics – not his strongest suit – without much luck. “Perhaps Mr Grey might be of assistance, or perhaps Mr Nightroad?”

“Mr. Nightroad?” Dawson asked, wondering just how many new crew they had undertaken in his absence.

“Mr Nightroad is the newest science officer on board,” Kastarak said flatly. It was simply information.

Kastarak led the group toward the mess hall. Once in the mess hall, Kastarak let Dawson go first. After all, chances were that Dawson hadn’t eaten for over three months.

“What would you prefer to eat?” Kastarak’s mind was back in doctor state. “I suggest something light to begin with.”

Kastarak, Lt Cdr
First Officer and Navigations Officer

Dawson took a personal assessment and discovered he was not abnormally hungry. Wherever he was for three months, he had been kept nourished. He was hungry now, however, and nodded agreement on Kastarak’s suggestion of something light. “Wouldn’t mind something light. Maybe some fish if we have any.”

-Dawson.

There was white fish in the counter. Kastarak wondered how and why Starfleet procured so much human food, while it would be less resource-costly to synthesis the accurate carbohydrate–protein–fat–vitamins–minerals ratio for each individual officer, depending on their species, weight, size and so on.

“There is white fish there,” Kastarak said and pointed. “I cannot judge which species it is. But it looks from Earth.”

Kastarak himself took a baked potato, drenched it in oil, and added a side salad to it. No seasoning.

He held his tray at the end of the line, waiting for Dawson to pick his food. Then they could go to a quiet corner in the hall.

Kastarak, Lt Cdr
First Officer and Navigations Officer

Dawson nodded and picked out some baked cod and got some melted butter to go with it and buttered bread as well. Once he grabbed his food he followed Kastarak to a table.

Lt. Q Dawson.