Memoria Condita

Posted on Tue Aug 28th, 2012 @ 3:01pm by Lieutenant Torin Drell & Lieutenant Ophelia Lysander
Edited on on Tue Aug 28th, 2012 @ 3:17pm

Mission: Episode 1.0 - "Enduring Legacy"
Location: Sickbay, USS Yorktown
Timeline: MD 08, 0830 hours

Torin had arisen early to seek a proper meal in the mess hall prior to starting his first shift on duty aboard the Yorktown and was delighted to find a vacant window seat when he arrived there. While he had always been a man of modest tastes he found that the habits of his symbiont's previous hosts were sometimes too prevalent to ignore, as such he had learned to give himself some allowances from time to time. Rigelian spice rolls accompanied by citrus tea was one such allowance. He had never cared for the confection before but as with many other traits his taste buds had been altered somehow after the joining.

After finishing his breakfast he had intended to head straight to work but as he prepared to leave his PADD activated with a beep, alerting him that he was expected in sickbay. As he headed in that direction he wondered if the trip bore any special circumstances, it was customary for officers new to a ship to check in with the doctor within a week or so of being aboard and he had intended to do just that. What, he wondered, was the rush? He would soon find out.



After striding into the medical bay Torin was immediately struck by the size and sophistication of the facility; its capabilities far exceeded those of any starship on which he had previously been posted. It seemed to be a quiet morning and aside from a couple nurses who tended to other patients the only other figure in the room was a woman with long black hair who seemed to be expecting him. "Doctor Lysander, I presume?"

Looking up from the PADD she’d been perusing, Ophelia greeted the newcomer with a smile and a nod. Judging by the tell-tale markings on his face and neck, she assumed that this could only be the Trill crewmember she’d been expecting. “That’s correct. And you must be Lieutenant Torin Drell. Welcome to Sickbay, Lieutenant.”

"Thank you," Torin replied as he approached. There was something about the doctor's features that the Trill found familiar, near alluring and for a moment an unfamiliar awkwardness settled over him. "I, um..." He stammered before steadying himself and banishing the thoughts. "You wanted to see me?"

Evidently, she'd caught him off guard somehow. Hiding a bemused smile, she realized a moment later that there was something vaguely familiar about him as well. "I'm sorry, have we met before?" It wasn't uncommon to run into old Academy friends and former shipmates, but for the life of her, Ophelia couldn't think of where she had seen him before.

"I don't think so," Torin said but he knew the response wasn't entirely accurate. Something deep within him insisted that they had indeed met before but Torin had never seen the doctor before in his life. "A coincidence I'm sure, you just remind me of someone from another life, from a long time ago."

Coming from anyone else, such a statement could have been written off as romantic drivel, or even just a bad pickup line. Coming from a Trill, however, gave the phrase an entirely different meaning. “Yes, it’s probably just a coincidence,” she agreed. The galaxy was a big place, after all. “Although, seeing as you are a joined Trill”—or so his medical file had told her—“I suppose that it’s possible that one of your previous hosts knew someone who looked like me.”

"Yes, Vexel Drell," Torin revealed. "He was the symbiont's third host, served in Starfleet over a century ago. He knew a woman from his time in the Fleet, a Vulcan, who you bear a striking resemblance to. I have to admit, this has never happened to me before, it's so strange."

Ophelia's mind fairly swam with the possibilities that followed that particular revelation, and her eyes widened slightly in a mixture of surprise and disbelief. "Was this Vulcan woman's name K'Tel, by any chance?"

Torin froze stiff as the name escaped the doctor's lips, K'Tel and his mind flooded with foreign memories. Vexel had indeed known K'Tel, had served with her aboard the USS Venture over a century prior and for a short time had been her lover. Torin was shocked by the images, perhaps more so because Drell had kept them from him for the past five years but also due to the intensity of the emotion that they conjured. The relationship had ended amicably at the time but the former host had regretted letting the one love of his life slip away without any fight, the wound it had opened had never healed and Drell had buried the memories as a coping mechanism. Ophelia might as well have been the living reincarnation of K'Tel and as Torin was overcome by the foreign feelings he reflexively averted his gaze from the doctor.

It was obvious that her grandmother's name had triggered something inside of Torin. The Trill had turned pale at an alarming rate before Ophelia's worried gaze, and she was seriously concerned that he was suddenly taking ill. "Are you all right, Lieutenant?" she asked, already reaching for the medical tricorder she kept in her pocket.

"I'm fine doctor," Torin lied. "Just felt a little dizzy there for a moment, it's nothing I'm sure..."

It was not nothing, and Ophelia knew it. Not only did he still look as white as a sheet, but her empathic senses informed her that he was experiencing something weighty indeed, at least on an emotional level. "You need to sit down," she said, her tone gentle but firm. "This way, Lieutenant." Keeping one hand at his shoulder to ensure that he maintained his balance, she led him carefully to the nearest bio-bed. "Now, just sit still while I scan you, all right?"

Torin's first instinct was to resist, even leave sickbay but he had let himself be lead to the nearest biobed regardless. "I'm okay doctor, really," he replied finally as Ophelia examined him with her tricorder. But he wasn't okay and being so close to the doctor wasn't helping ease the tension, the whole experience had the Trill exasperated and utterly confused. He waited a few moments for her to complete the scan before speaking up, "I really should get to Ops, if there's nothing wrong with me that is..."

Looking over her tricorder’s readout, Ophelia frowned to herself. She lowered her tricorder and looked him over once more from head to toe with a critical eye. There was nothing wrong with him physically, but that didn’t mean that the man was well. Their entire exchange had been strange in the extreme, and she was reluctant to let him go after his odd behavior. With no sign of illness present, however, it seemed wrong to make him stay. “You appear to be fine now,” she pronounced, taking a step back to give him some space. “You’re free to go, Lieutenant, although I really think you should reconsider. A few moments’ rest would do you some good.”

"I appreciate your concern doctor," Torin replied as he hopped down from the biobed and straightened his uniform. "But I assure you that I'm fine and I really do have a lot of work to get started this morning."

Forcing a good-natured smile onto her lips, Ophelia nodded. “Well, I won’t keep you then. Just remember that you still need to come back for your physical, though, preferably sometime this week.”

"Of course, as soon as I have the time," Torin had forgotten about his appointment completely and in the moment couldn't bring himself to remain in sickbay any longer, he was consumed with the desire to flee, to get out of the room before things became any more awkward. He started for the door without so much as a glance toward Ophelia.

“Wait, Lieutenant Drell,” Ophelia called out as he strode away, stepping forward to catch up with him when he stopped. “You never answered my question. Did your former host know my grandmother? K’Tel, I mean?”

Torin finally managed to make eye contact again as he turned though afterward he wished that he hadn't, he couldn't understand what was motivating his reactions and was powerless to control them. The doctor had put him on the spot however and a response was required, the words escaped his lips before he could reconsider them, "I don't think so Lieutenant, I'm sure I would remember if he had." With that he turned to exit sickbay as quickly as he could and didn't stop until he reached the turbolift.

Ophelia stared after Torin long after he had gone, her brow creased in thought. His parting words hadn't rung true at all, and his odd behavior was difficult to ignore. Shaking her head slowly, the doctor turned on her heel and returned to her office. She had work to do for now, but one thing was for certain: She was going to have a long talk with her Grandmother K'Tel as soon as she had the chance.

A Joint Mission Post by:

Lieutenant Torin Drell
Chief Operations Officer
USS Yorktown

and

Lieutenant Ophelia Lysander
Chief Medical Officer
USS Yorktown