SIM:Ayiana Sevo Disjoined Arc
| Crew of the USS Gorkon | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Lt. Commander Ayiana Sevo | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Prologue
Stardate 239201.05
During an away mission to a water-filled Sunak ship, Ayiana was suffering severe claustrophobia inside her EVA suit. Towards the end of the mission, a console exploded sending large amounts of electricity through her. This, coupled with the claustrophobia attack, caused Ayiana to go into a seizure. She was taken to the Victory sickbay and entered a comatose state. The following happens inside her mind.
Dream Sequence - ??? - Learn and Play!
(( OOC: This is going on inside Ayiana’s head while she is comatose in Sickbay. Memories...or a dream? You decide! ))
(( Location and Date Unknown ))
:: Floating. ::
:: Swimming. ::
Brothers need me! Brothers want me! Play, play, play!
Spark! Food time.
:: Swimming. ::
Zap! New brother nearby!
:: Swimming. ::
Hello, friend brother!
:: Floating. ::
Water feel good. Safe. Top of water cold; dry! Stay away!
No! Mother says top of water good. Lots of things outside water.
:: Swimming. ::
No! I am not ready! Stay in water where it is safe! Play, play, play!</nowiki>
...
...
:: Swimming. ::
:: Floating. ::
Mother says I should learn now. Go talk to brothers. They teach me things. Things to know; things to make me live.
Zap! I understand, brother. More? Spark! Yes! Tell me more!
:: Swimming. ::
Water moving! What is this? Strange thing in water; but feels good near strange thing. Peek on top of water.
:: Floating. ::
Feel something. Another brother? Zap? No, not saying hello; but make water nice.
:: Swimming. ::
...
...
Spark! Brothers say mother wants me now. Important things to tell me, mother does.
:: Swimming. ::
Zap! Crack! Above the water? No, mother! I am not ready! I like it here with my brothers!
Spark, crack! Learn? What do I have to learn? I know much already.
:: Swimming. ::
Spark, zap! Mother says learn everything. Everything where?
Zap! Above water? What is above water? No! I want to stay!
Crack! Zap! Mother is angry. I must go above water. Learn about things on top of water. How?
Spark! No, mother! That sounds bad! Crack! But mother say it is okay. It is how mother learned. It is how my brothers will learn.
...
...
It is time. I must go above water soon. Learn about things.
:: Swimming. ::
:: Floating. ::
Zap! Brothers tell me to go here. I will leave water here. Now what?
Something strange! I am above water, but I am not swimming! I feel things, not brothers, nearby! Scared! Help!
I am not moving now. It is dry. I do not like it. Zap? Crack? Anybody there? No answer. Is this learning?
Dream Sequence - ??? - Strange Talk
(( OOC: Continuation of Ayiana’s dream while comatose in sickbay. ))
(( Location and Date Unknown ))
No! Stop! It is dry here! I want back in water!
That is better. Wait, no. I am in water, but not my water! It feels different. I want to leave.
:: Thump! ::
Water is small! I can barely move around. I do not like it. I need my space to swim! What is this? Zap! No other brothers here. I am alone.
...
...
I feel light again. It has been a long time. Water didn’t move, but light feels different.
No! I am leaving water again! Put me back! It is small, but has water!
Strange soft things grabbing me. Never felt things like them before. I am being taken somewhere! Mother said this is what all my brothers go through, but I do not like it.
I am supposed to learn, but how? I am above the water; there are no other brothers to talk to. I do not understand. I want back in water, but not small water. I want home water.
...
...
The strange things have moved me somewhere. I have been put down on something soft. Not bottom of water. It is still dry, but it moves.
I feel something nearby. Zap? No, not talking. It is like talking, but different. It is steady. It only lasts a moment.
I am being moved again, but not far. To where the strange talking came from. It is strange; I am still on top of the soft thing, but I feel it on top a little too.
Zap!
What was that?! Another brother? Up here?
Crack!
No. Not a brother, but it speaks. I must see. Mother told me I can swim up here. It is hard with no water. I can only move on the soft thing under me, but I must see what this is that speaks.
Zap! I am getting closer. The soft thing is all around me now. There are other things here too. Crack? No, they are not doing the talking.
It is strange; I feel no light, but it is also getting wet. I am getting closer. It is coming from another soft thing. I must go inside it.
Zap! Crack! The talking is getting louder. I am close. It is wet in here; like home water but not water. It still tastes good. I can not move any more. The soft thing is all around me now…
Zap! Crack! HERE! Where are you?! I must reach out and find you!
Zap! Snap! Crack! I...can...reach…I...must touch it.
I...am...
Awake.
??? - Legend of the Awakening
(( OOC: Continuation of Ayiana’s dream while comatose in sickbay. Maybe. You decide. ))
(( Location and Date Unknown ))
It is a strange feeling; like being born, but remembering a life before. But it is not like a life *I* ever remember living. I remember...swimming, and talking. But I wasn’t using my mouth. Come to think of it, I don’t think I had a mouth; very strange. I was happy and carefree. I had brothers and sist--no, not really sisters...or brothers. Just...others of my kind. I call them “family” now but before I didn’t have a word for that.
One day my...mother? (is that an applicable word?) told me it was time to start learning. I didn’t know what that meant, but its so much clearer now. She - it - wanted me to learn about the universe; but our kind - their kind - can’t move around very much.
Sorry, these pronouns are going to get confusing. Anyway, the...well...they don’t really have a name for themselves; I remember simply being called “Child.” Well, they are very intelligent, but can’t really manipulate their environment or move outside of their pools. I remember a legend now, nothing I learned in school; must have been something it - I - was taught back in the pools.
---
There was a time when the waters shook and splashed, and many Children were thrown out of the pools. Some water burst through the roof of the world to find another world above us. The Children were helpless; they could barely move around, having no appendages to speak of. I know they don't have ears or eyes, yet they could tell there were rocks and trees around them; they could feel the ground moving as creatures ran too and fro. As I understand it now, they FEEL their way around; kind of like echolocation through solid material.
After squirming around a bit trying in vain to find their way back to the pools, they came across the strangest creature they had ever seen. It was huge compared to the Children; it had appendages to move around with. Obviously they were referring to legs, but didn’t know it at the time. They tried communicating with the being; remember we - they - talk through electric signals. Well, out of their special waters, the electricity didn’t travel very far, and the being probably couldn't understand it anyway. It took time for the Child to move towards the creature, and it was getting sicker. Another reason they didn’t leave their pools was because they kept the Children alive.
As the Child inched closer to the creature, it could feel the pain of the creature. I understand it now as literally “feeling” the sound waves of the person’s voice on the ground, and also feeling their body’s shaking through the ground. The Child finally managed to crawl up onto the being; but the thing hardly responded. I think he was really sick - or dying. Anyway, as the Child crept up the creature’s body, it started to feel a “call.” Not really talking, per se, but a compatible bioelectric signature. Its like hearing another language from your own planet - same root, but the combination of sounds are different.
The Child crept closer to the source of the Voice, and discovered it was coming from inside the creature. As the Child fumbled around, it noticed that part of the body of the creature had been sliced open. The Child pressed on anyway; at this point, it was a matter of survival and was worth the risk. Well, the Child crawled inside the dying creature and found where the Voice was coming from. It reached out itself to touch the Voice...and the world changed forever.
Both the creature and Child had a new awakening. They could feel and hear each other’s thoughts, yet neither was dominant over the other. The Child learned that the creature - it called itself a “Trill” - was cold, sick and dying. It was very primitive - they had bows and arrows, agriculture, and were masters of fire - I think the common term is the Middle Ages. The Trills were fighting each other constantly - feudalism, if my vocabulary is correct; it was a very strange notion to the Child - and now the new hybrid being.
Anyway, the Joining gave the Trill the creativity to build a shelter - a technique of which they had never thought of on their own - and being inside the Trill, the Child had shelter, as well as sharing the nutrients of the Trill’s body.
The details have blurred through the ages, but from what I understand, the Trill that the Child had Joined with was apparently from a powerful group, or family. After that terrible night, the new Joined Trill managed to scrounge up food from the environment, and find his way back home.
Upon returning, he was able to describe to his people the wonders of what happened - the storm, nearly dying, then this strange creature seemingly violating him, only to give him new views of the world. Over time, he managed to convince other Trills of his story, and even various leaders. They eventually found the Caves - broken and drained - but there were still Child survivors. They repaired the pools as best they could, and found more of the Children. Like the one before, some of the Trills voluntarily allowed Children to Join with them, bestowing the gift of knowledge, creativity, and hubris.
Centuries later, that very first Child had grown old. Not old in our sense of wrinkly and dying. I don’t think they really die. Anyway, it couldn’t Join anymore, so it was returned to the pools where it came from so long ago. There, it was able to talk to new Children about the wonders it had discovered, and how their pools had been saved by the upworlders - the Trill. Beforehand, it was able to “talk” to its siblings if the host submerged himself in their pools, so the other Children were already aware of the recent history. Thus it was able to pass on its knowledge to a new generation. Eventually, it started giving birth to Children of its own, and the cycle repeats to this day.
---
At least, thats what I remember; now. All these new memories are still very strange.
So...does that about cover your question?
- Lizara Valeran-Sevo,
First Host to the Sevo Symbiont
Post-Joining Mental Evaluation Interview
JP: Lt. Talia Kaji & Lt. JG Ayiana Sevo - Dreamscape
Stardate c. 239201.13
(( OOC: This takes place a couple of days before the awards banquet. ))
(( Sickbay ))
:: Kaji sat beside Ayiana Sevo’s bed, watching the still woman. The Trill’s vitals were fine, there was no injury to be found, but she wouldn’t wake up. Stimulants were an option, but Talia wanted to know if there was something else going on. She took a deep breath and lowered her mental shields. Closing her eyes, she reached out for Sevo. ::
((Dreamscape))
:: The world inside Ayiana’s mind could best be described as a perversion of reality. Anyone inside her mind would perceive its signals through a combination of their own memories, those of Ayiana, and those of Sevo, the symbiont. In a normal Joined Trill mind, both brains would be in perfect sync, like two computers linked together sharing processing power, but utilizing a single operating system. That was not the case here. ::
:: Somehow, Ayiana’s and Sevo’s minds became disentangled from each other. Basically, . they were both thinking/dreaming things independent from one another, yet still communicating; (if the link between host and symbiont brains were to be disconnected unnaturally, then it could be lethal to both). ::
::Kaji’s eyes are opening. She is still sitting in the chair, but sickbay is empty. Talia stands up and looks around, but no one is there. The door opens as she approaches it, and she steps out into the hallway. The door behind her vanishes, and the corridor stretches ahead of her, empty. Doors line the hall on both sides. Talia tries each one. Most won’t open. The few that do are full of strange, cloudy images or stacks of paper. Some lead to places on the ship, like the science lab, but others lead to strange caverns. One room is packed with cabin trunks which seem to be full of penguins.::
::She walks for what seems like eternity. The doors open less and less often, and then stop appearing altogether. Then, in the distance, she can see the end. The hall ends in a large door, and she touches the control panel. It opens slowly and she is now on the Victory’s bridge. ::
::At first Talia thinks the bridge is empty, but then she sees a strange creature swimming around in the air. It is like a tentacled tadpole, pale peach and featureless. It speaks without a mouth.::
???: Who are you? What are you doing here?
Kaji: I’m Kaji, I’m a friend of Ayiana’s. Where is she?
???: Right here! Wait. No. Thats not right! She is here, but not here. She is nearby.
Kaji: Who are you? Will you help me find her?
???: Oh yes! I remember you now! It is strange with our minds disconnected. I am Sevo, of course! I am also Ayiana; well, not right now. She has run away from me; it is strange to be alone after so long.
Kaji: Oh, so you are the symbiont? I’ve never seen one.
Sevo: We can only live outside a host in our pools back home. I have been together with others for so long. My hosts call it the Joining.
Kaji: But what about Ayiana? We need to find her.
Sevo: Oh, yes! You want to find her! She is hiding from me; I don’t know why. But she is here somewhere. I can feel her.
Kaji: Alright, I’ll follow you.
: Sevo promptly swam down the corridor. It was swimming fast; hopefully Kaji will keep up. ::
::Kaji follows the strange creature back into the hallway. It swims quickly through the air, and she has to run to keep up with it.::
Kaji: What is...this hallway?
::Talia pants as she talks, because she is running so fast. The hall seems to slip by faster and faster, the doors blurring.::
Sevo: You’re in a hallway? Hmm. I guess that would be better for you than my home pools, which I am seeing. I was pretty surprised you could hold your breath for so long. It is a strange place; it is like it knows what I want and changes around.
::Kaji slows and stops, trying to see deeper into Sevo’s brain, to see what it sees. The walls of the corridor disappear, and she is in a deep dark pool. The water presses in on her, and Talia has to remind herself that it isn’t real, that she can still breathe. She reaches out into the dark, swimming after Sevo.::
Kaji: ::murmuring:: It isn’t real. Breathe...it’s just a dream.
Sevo: Well, I guess that would explain why there is a piano in my pool.
((OOC: Well, a Trill piano/keyboard equivalent.))
Kaji: ::she looks around, and sees an instrument floating in the dark water. She looks over at Sevo and its limbless body.:: Is it yours? Or Ayiana’s?
Sevo: Not Ayiana’s but definitely not mine! Did you really think *I* could play one without hands? My first host was a musician! Lizara Valeran - wow, could she play! We did countless concerts all across Trill. She mostly played solo, but sometimes with singers or an orchestra.
:: With the mention of Lizara, Sevo’s first host, beautiful music began playing all around them. As the pair turned a corner, there sat a petite Trill female at a piano. Her back was turned to them, but she had elegantly-coiffed dark purple hair cascading down to the small of her bare back. As Sevo led Kaji around Lizara, they could get a better view. She was dressed in a stunning backless black gown. With her sitting, it went down to her shins, but the sides were slit to allow her legs ample movement to use the pedals with her black dress slippers. ::
::Talia listens to the music drifting through the water, and watches the beautiful girl playing. It is strange to see another girl who is also Sevo, yet is not the woman she knows.::
Kaji: She plays beautifully.
Sevo: Told you. She was wonderful! My other hosts dabbled in music because of Lizara, but none made a career out of it. I don’t think anyone could like she did. :: Sevo started swimming around in place - probably some sort of dance. ::
Kaji: Please, Sevo, we have to find Ayiana!
Sevo: Oh, yes! Ayiana! Lets go. :: Sighing. :: Goodbye, Lizara. I can’t wait until Ayiana’s zhian’tara. I get to bring Lizara back for a while.
Kaji: What is a zhi..a..ta ...what is that?
Sevo: The zhian’tara? Its an old Trill ritual. Through me and my brothers...um...symbionts, a host has a chance to personally meet and converse with previous hosts of their symbionts. It is a deeply personal thing for the hosts; it allows them to discover things about themselves that may have come from previous Joinings, and what made them a better person through Joining.
::The cave walls end in a set of ordinary doors. The pair reaches it and pause. ::
Sevo: This is it! I can feel her just beyond.
:: Kaji walks ahead, and pushes open the door. The inside is really different from anything outside. It is a very dark room; there were no lights on the walls, and the darkness deepens as she looks upwards at a ceiling that may not even be there. The middle of the room holds a small rectangular glass cage...or prison. It is illuminated by a single cone of light emanating from somewhere above. Inside is Ayiana, squatting to fit inside. She is clearly screaming and grasping the walls, but no sound can be heard. ::
::Kaji runs up to the glass and hits it, calling Ayiana’s name. The woman doesn’t respond, just continues to fight against her cage.::
Kaji: Ayana!! Can you hear me?
Sevo: Ayiana! What is going on?!
:: Sevo swam towards the box and frantically swam around it. Tendrils of electricity shot out from Sevo towards Ayiana. ::
Sevo: I don’t get it. She’s not talking to me. And what is with this box?
Kaji: ::she walks around the box and studies Ayiana.:: She’s so scared. It looks like she’s claustrophobic. Is she?
Sevo: She’s...claustrophobic? Really? I don’t understand. My other hosts weren’t. Its...not me, is it?
Kaji: I’m not sure. Did something happen?
Sevo: I...I don’t know. I don’t think…I can’t remember!
Kaji: Calm down! It’s ok, don’t force it, just let yourself think. What can you remember?
Sevo: Wait. I...I remember darkness. I...I remember when I was young, just a Child. I remember being lifted out of my waters by something, and placed in a box. I had no conception of it at the time, but I was being taken for my first Joining.
:: While Sevo is describing its memory, an image of a symbiont pool and a Guardian appears. The Guardian is carrying a small box. He reaches his hand into the pool’s water, and a crackle of electricity sparks around his hand. A symbiont swims to the top of the pool, near his hand. The Guardian scoops up some water into the box, then lifts a symbiont out and places it into the box. ::
Sevo: Th...I think thats me! I...I was always the shy and quiet one of my brothers. I didn’t want to go, but Mother insisted. I didn’t even understand what she wanted of me. I remember being placed in the box. I could barely swim around; I was so scared!
Kaji: You were trapped, weren’t you?
Sevo: I...how could I forget that?!
:: A scream cuts through their conversation. Kaji spins around, and she sees Ayiana still trying to get out, but now they can hear her cries.::
Kaji: This is good! You have to keep telling me about it. What happened next?
:: While no tears could come from the symbiont, Sevo’s voice starts to quiver as if it is crying.::
Sevo: I screamed and screamed in the box, but no one heard me. Outside of hosts, we can only talk through electricity. I didn’t understand why I was being ignored, or where I was going. I couldn’t swim anywhere. I was terrified!
:: Ayiana’s cries are louder now, and they can hear her pounding on the glass. She is looking at Kaji and Sevo. Kaji places her hands on the glass, trying to reassure the young woman. She murmurs to her as Sevo continues to tell its story.::
Kaji: We’re coming. I’m so sorry!
Sevo: Finally, I could feel light on me again. I was placed on something soft; I now know it was Lizara, my first host. I had been placed on her belly, ready to crawl into her open pouch. All I knew was that I could sort of “hear” this sound coming from her. I...I think it was signals from her nervous system. All I wanted to do was reach out and talk to it; I thought maybe it was another brother. ::
:: As Ayiana pounds on the glass, miniscule spiderweb cracks start to appear.::
Kaji: Yes, Sevo, you’re doing great! What happened next?
Sevo: So I crawled into this warm and comfy thing; it was dry - not like my pools, but it felt good. I reached out and connected with Lizara for the first time. And then I saw the world through her eyes for the first time. Our minds merged, and we both became something new. Over time, I totally forgot my ordeal!
Kaji: You suppressed it. You didn’t want to remember being that frightened.
Sevo: I...I guess I did suppress it. So you think my fear somehow turned into claustrophobia in my hosts? I...I don’t remember if it affected the others like it did Ayiana. Oh, Ayiana!!
:: Sevo flies over to the glass cage Ayiana is still pounding away in. Sevo starts sparking electricity at Ayiana; probably talking. Suddenly, with one final thrust with her fist, the glass breaks and Ayiana comes falling out.::
Ayiana: :: Cough, gasp :: Huh? Wh...what's going on? S...sevo? Is that you? And what is Lieutenant Kaji doing here?
Kaji: ::Helping Ayiana to stand:: Hey, I’m just visiting!
Sevo: :: Flying around Ayiana :: Oh, Ayiana! I’m so, so sorry! I had no idea I was the cause of your claustrophobia! I had totally forgotten!
Ayiana: Claustrophobia? Is that what's going on? All I remember is...being struck by electricity, then stuck in that box. It felt like an eternity.
::Kaji pats Ayiana’s shoulder, and motions to Sevo to come close.::
Sevo: Can...can you forgive me? I didn’t mean to cause you all this pain and suffering!
Ayiana: Of...of course. We cannot live without the other. We are two parts of a whole. We are one.
:: With that, Ayiana grasps Sevo in a tight hug. Sevo seems to melt into Ayiana’s body and then they are one.::
Kaji: Alright, it’s time for you to wake up now.
((Sickbay))
:: Kaji blinked slowly, trying to readjust to reality. She sat upright and looked over at Ayiana Sevo. She was awake, breathing heavily. Kaji helped her to sit up and handed her a cup of water.::
Kaji: You did a good job. Welcome back!