SIM:Lael Rosek - THAT Conversation Part I (Gorkon)

Previous sim "Newest Crewmember, Part III"	Lieutenant Lael Rosek HCO Officer Starbase 118 USS Gorkon NCC 82293	Next sim "THAT Conversation, Part II"
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{{Timeline: Before Lael’s visit to Luraul}}
((FLASHBACK, Skyfire’s Quarters, USS Gorkon))

:: Lael paused before ringing the doorchime. ::

:: Chythar had been asleep, or what passed for it. There was a sharp series of barks from little Devlin as CD didn’t move. Then, Devlin hopped onto the bed and began licking his master’s face. After two minutes of wet doggie tongue, CD got up and climbed into a pair of sweatpants before answering the door. ::

Skyfire: Come in, lass. :: He blinked away some crusties before going to the replicator once she’d come inside. :: Coffee? Tea?

:: Lael stepped inside in her night robe, hugging it to her. :: Rosek: ::murmurs:: Tea would be good. :: He replicated two mugs of tea and offered her one before sitting down on the couch next to her. :: Skyfire: What’s up? Rosek: ::meets his gaze:: I want to do it. The surgery. <nowiki>:: Chythar sipped his tea in silence for a minute, processing her words. He’d warned her about the possible consequences, and knew full well that once she set her mind to something, there was no dissuasion. ::

Skyfire: You remember us sayin’ we wouldn’t promise anything and fully understand the risks, right?

:: He wanted to hear her say it before he woke Dassa, if just for his own sanity. Dr. Russel’s methods were debatable, but the results were undeniable. ::

Rosek: :: murmurs :: This has to be the most selfish thing I’ll ever do...but I don’t care. I can’t live like this anymore. Eventually, the nanites aren’t going to be able to keep ahead of it.

Skyfire: Humor me and tell me you fully understand the risks, lass. Please. :: He paused and sipped his tea, meeting her eyes with his and holding her gaze until she reassured him. ::

Rosek: I understand the risks. I want the surgery anyway.

Skyfire: Alright. Ah’ll talk to Dassa when shift starts in the morning. Would that work?

Rosek: :: nods :: That’s fine.

:: CD nodded and had a sip of his drink, feeling himself tense at the thought. Part of him wanted to wake Dassa up now and tell her, but he knew he shouldn’t. She’d been working late in sickbay for weeks, and this would just add to the stress. ::

Skyfire: A’right. We’ll be in touch.

:: Lael nodded and rose to leave, pausing. ::

Rosek: I’m sorry I woke you. It could have waited until in the morning.

Skyfire: Ah understand why you did, so don’t worry about it. Ah was awake anyway.

Rosek: ::nods:: Good night, Chythar.

Skyfire: :: nodding in return. :: G’night, Lael.

((Mini Time Jump, Skyfire’s Office, Sickbay, USS Gorkon))

:: The three sat in silence for long moments before Dassa broke it. ::

Alexander: You’re sure?

Rosek: ::nods:: Yes.

:: Chythar nodded faintly and sipped his tea. He’d been awake ever since Lael showed up at his door to confirm this was her wish. He had been mentally preparing himself to get this over with. ::

Skyfire: Are we ready to begin, then?

Rosek: :: pauses :: As soon as I made my decision, I made a few calls. I’ve already had a conversation with the Captain. She approved a few guests while I’m recovering. I’m going to need all the help I can get. They should be here soon after I return from Luraul. I wanted to just get it done, but they insisted that I wait until they arrive.

Skyfire: Visitors? :: This was the first time she mentioned anyone from Earth in a long while. ::

Rosek: My brother, his son, my mother and a couple of friends from Earth...and their four children.

:: Again, he nodded. This was more the build-up to the surgery, because he didn’t know when it would happen exactly. This new bomb-shell about their arrival prolonged the waiting by a few days, at least. ::

Rosek: ::runs her hands through her hair:: This whole thing is so massively stressful.

Skyfire: So we’re waiting for yer friends to show, then?

Rosek: :: nods :: I’ve been sitting on this for awhile now. I didn’t want you and Dassa hanging for too long if I could avoid it. But their transport could get here any time now. I couldn’t put it off any longer.

Alexander: :: frowns :: How the in bloody hell did you keep this a secret for so long?

Rosek: :: grimaces :: I’ve been practicing my shielding. It’s been a challenge, but…

Skyfire: She has had a bit of help from me, and doing quite well at learnin’ my tricks.

:: Dassa stiffened. She didn’t like this. Lael didn’t keep secrets. Not from her. ::

Alexander: I see.

Skyfire: Ah’m sorry, let me clarify. :: He probably should’ve kept his mouth shut. :: Ah was working with her only shielding. What she chose to do with the techniques was nothing to do with me.

:: Chythar felt himself tensing again and he retrieved the rock from his pocket. He didn’t like keeping secrets either. ::

:: Dassa shook her head. It wasn’t Chythar she was upset at. Her gaze turned to Lael. ::

Rosek: I’m sorry, Dassa. But it’s my choice. I knew what you’d say if I told you. You’d have tried to talk me out of it.

Alexander: ::lips tighten:: You’re damn right I would have. It’s dangerous. You could… :: trails off ::

:: Dassa sighed. She couldn’t bring herself to say the words. ::

Alexander: I can’t be objective on this one, Lael. I could look the other way when you married Jensar...hell, I could even look the other way when you kept risking your neck over and over. But not this time.

:: Chythar stayed out of it and just sipped his tea. He didn’t like having people mad at him, and was not about to get between friends having a disagreement. It was something they’d have to work out and he’d need to not be a peanut gallery. ::

:: Lael nodded sagely. ::

Rosek: Then I’ll look for another surgeon. I’ve been in contact with a couple on Luraul...in case it came down to this.

Alexander: :: eyes narrow :: Are you seriously this daft? They don’t know a damn thing about your physiology. You’re a hybrid, Lael. A dozen things could go wrong. It’s even riskier than doing it here.

:: Again, CD sipped his tea. He didn’t know what to say, and was still rubbing his rock. He was tensing, and took a few breaths to calm himself. ::

Rosek: It’s what I want, Dassa.

Alexander: :: scowls :: I knew you could be selfish, but this is a new low...even for you.

:: CD tentatively broke the silence. He felt like a third wheel, which was an unusual experience for him. ::

Skyfire: Should ah leave?

Rosek and Alexander: No!

:: He sipped his tea and kept his mouth shut, waiting until he was spoken to again as he let the girls resume their argument. ::

Alexander: :: growls :: Fine! I’ll do the bloody surgery. But only because I made a vow. And the best I can do in keeping it is to ensure as little harm is done as possible. I don’t trust those bloody idiots with anything when it comes to you.

:: Without another word, Dassa stormed from the office, a stream of mumbled expletives following her out. ::

:: CD couldn’t bring himself to break the silence. He didn’t know if he’d made things worse by admitting to the shielding assistance. He hated people being mad at him. ::

Rosek: :: murmurs :: It’s not you she’s mad at, you know.

Skyfire: Didn’t seem that way to me, but ah probably made it worse by opening my mouth.

Rosek: :: shakes her head :: No. That’s just Dassa. You haven’t seen this side of her before. She bottles it up. ::grins wryly:: You wouldn’t expect it, but she’s damned lethal. Nearly choked me out during a martial arts training session once.

Skyfire: Alright. Now what?

:: He was at a loss for words, again. Instead of putting his foot in his mouth, he had another sip of tea and realized it was gone. Still, better to keep quiet now that he’d asked the question. ::

Rosek: :: murmurs :: She said she’ll do it. I’ll let you know when they get here.

Skyfire: Alright. Then...that concludes our meeting, ah suppose.

Rosek: :: nods and pauses :: I may end up retiring after this. A nice quiet corner of the galaxy repairing things sounds nice.

Skyfire: Your call. We’ll miss you around here, ah’m sure.

:: He couldn’t think of anything else to say, but did want to help. ::

Rosek: :: shakes her head and murmurs :: When did things get so damn complicated?

Skyfire: You tell me, because you know your history better than ah do.

Rosek: :: sighs :: Well, I’m exhausted. I didn’t really sleep last night and I have to pull a double today.

:: CD nodded. He knew that feeling all too well. He had felt the tension subside, now that he had a bit of time to think. ::

Skyfire: You want to head back to bed?

Rosek: :: murmurs :: Probably should. I think Jansen has delta shift today. Maybe I'll stop by.

Skyfire: Ah’ll catch you later.

Rosek: :: nods :: I’ll let you know if I hear anything from Elina.

:: He recognized the name from Dassa’s paper: only human mother of Andorian children he knew of, ever. He’d be honored to meet the lass, if he had time. ::

Skyfire: Good times. Lookin’ forward to makin’ her acquaintance.

Rosek: ::grins:: She's a riot. I'm sure you two will get along great.

:: CD grinned at that. At least he wasn’t going to be turning on the charm for anything outside of professional curiosity. ::

Rosek: :: hugs him :: I'll see you later. Thank you.

Skyfire: That’s what friends are for, lass. Rest well.

:: Lael turned and exited his office, then exited Sickbay, heading toward Jansen's quarters. ::

:: CD returned to the multitude of paperwork which had piled on his desk since the consultation began. Requisition orders, things needing his attention, scheduling, etc. All boring, but necessary evils. ::
​TBC
===
​​Lt. Lael Rosek
HCO Officer
USS Gorkon
I238110RH0

&

Lieutenant JG ​Dassa Alexander​ ChD, PD, PDS
​Medical Officer
USS Gorkon
I238110RH0

&

Lieutenant Chythar Skyfire
CMO
USS Gorkon
O239002CS01

&

Devlin the Beagle
Therapy Dog
O239002CS01​