SIM:Kael Thomas: Alone

((USS Darwin, Personal Quarters - Deck 6, Drive Section)) ::Kael's room was sparsely populated with personal items. He struggled to fill it in rooms he had half this size, let alone one that was now almost double. Not being much of a sentimentalist and as such he didn't think family photo's or memorabilia would do anything sit on a shelf in his room. With that being said, Kael's room was boring. The walls were the classic coloured steel grey and there was nothing in his room besides his uniform that had any colour to it. :: Thomas: oO I've got to do something about this place Oo ::Already exhausted by the concept of decorating his room Kael sat at his desk. He'd managed to clear the majority of the work related PADD'S that were piled precariously on his desk. Feeling genuinely satisfied by that, he thought it a great time to put a call through to his brother. He'd not spoken with Anthony for some time, at least not since he'd been offered the promotion to First Officer. He wondered to himself why he hadn't made the call to brag to his brother earlier.:: ::It wasn't long before the Starfleet insignia was replaced with Anthony's face.:: Anthony: =/\= Kael, it's been a while. =/\= Kael: =/\= It has been Brother, how have things been for you? =/\= ::Kael knew that his last mission was one which saw a few members of his team perish. Kael knew that Anthony would take that particularly hard. He should have been in contact sooner.:: Anthony: =/\= Yeah, not bad. We're heading back to Earth in a few days. =/\= ::It had been a few years since Kael had been back to Earth.:: ((Flashback, Earth, Kael's Family Home - A few years ago)) ::Rain was battering the metallic roof of Kael's old bedroom just as he remembered it did as a boy. He used to lie here, listening to it slam into the building, to hear it wax and wane as the wind pushed it in all directions. He would lie there as long as he could, disconnecting from the world around him, with nothing else but his heart beat and the rain filling his ears. Today was no different. He laid there allowing the rain to drown out his senses, to allow him to disappear to into his childhood memory but it wasn't to be. :: ::Kael's father was, as he remembered a man who always expected perfection from him. He was never an aggressive man, but he was certainly difficult. Difficult in the sense that you couldn't tell whether he would be impressed with you, or if he would be utterly infuriated at your mere presence. As a boy Kael was shattered by the man's seemingly indifference to him on a daily basis. He did nothing but attempt to strive for the mans affection, to have him show a semblance of approval. Nevertheless his attempts proved mostly in vain. It was only his brother Anthony who managed to have the attention of his father.:: ::The rain did nothing to hide the conversation his father was having with his mother in the Kitchen. A conversation he already knew was about him. He knew it was a matter of time, before that spilled back into his room, back onto him. Kael never wanted to come back here in the first place. He'd been assigned to a Starfleet vessel and had to travel a long way to come and see his father. His mother urged him, begged him to come back to see his father. While Kael did not wish to, his mother had been a rock for him over the years, and it was her that he did it for.  :: ::Kael's attempt to hide was over as he heard his father's footsteps coming to his room, the same footsteps he'd heard so many times before. Taking a deep breath, he steeled himself away from the impending onslaught.:: ::The door bust open and Kael's father was standing just inside the threshold.:: Reynold: What were you doing while I was in hospital? ::Kael sighed that they were going over this again. Kael's mother kept from him the details about his fathers illness until he was diagnosed. He genuinely would have been here sooner if he'd know.:: Thomas: ::As calmly as he could.:: I told you, I was posted onto a vessel and.... ::Kael's father angrily interrupted him pointed and waved out the window. Kael already knew what was coming next.:: Reynold: Did you ever think to come home and help your mother? The place is run down, and yard is a shambles. You have never cared about this place. ::Kael's anger was bottled up well inside him. He'd spent a great deal of time as a boy, and into his teenage years putting a cork into it, and driving it deep down inside. But his father now was shaking that bottle. With every comment, Kael could feel his grip on it slipping.:: Thomas: What do you think? Mum never told me about you until recently. I can't just drop everything and get back here you know. Reynold: You never wanted to be here. You cared more about your career than you did about me. ::Kael couldn't keep that cork in the bottle anymore, in fact, Kael took the cork out himself. He'd endured this for too long already. Standing up to meet the man at full height Kael pulled no punches.:: Thomas: You were the one who was too flaming busy to attend MY Graduation, and you have the gall to stand here and tell me that I put my Career before you. Well, I wonder where I get that from. ::His father now over the shock of Kael having spoke back, resumed his assault.:: Reynold: I put food on this table for all of you, you ungrateful child. Don't stand here and lecture me about how ::He'd heard that statement so many times. He spat it out as if it was an instant argument winner. He puts food on table therefore we all owed him utter respect was the obvious intention. That he had free licence to treat us as he wished, as if we owed him everything for what he had done. Kael never bought it, and he wasn't buying it now.:: Thomas: Oh, here we go again. That old chestnut. Anthony and I did our fair share around the place. Don't even start that we freeloaded and you had to work your life away. Reynold: Don't you dare bring him up. ::As he paused Kael could hear the rain pelting the roof. :: He's twice the man that you are, really, my only son. ::The words he'd been subconsciously aware of for many years washed over him like a tsunami. Kael was always living in Anthony's spotlight. He was smarter, faster and better at just about everything. Kael had to work twice as hard just to match him and often that wasn't good enough. It appeared, as vividly as ever that for his father, it was never good enough. Kael always thought there might be some part of his father that did truly love him. Somewhere deep down that would someday rear it's head and reassure Kael. His father tonight, instantly squashed Kael's hope. The words that followed from Kael would live to be words that he would never be able to take back.:: Thomas: ::Absolutely Incensed, Kael spat the words directly at his father, enunciating each word to highlight its importance.:: I, Hate YOU! ::His father stood there almost a little shocked. What exchanged between the men was unspoken. They had together decided they would both cross a line, that couldn't be undone. That set in motion, the decline and end of their relationship. Kael thought he might feel releif at the comments. But he didn't. He was furious and wanted nothing but to be out of the house and have nothing to do with his father every again. :: ::Kael had finally said what he wanted to say for all these years and so did his father. But he didn't feel better, he didn't feel ok. :: Reynold: Get out of my house! ::Pushing forward the man pushed Kael hard in the chest. Years of working on the property had made and kept his father in a decent physical condition. Kael couldn't simply shrug off the man's approach.:: :: If Kael had of known that his mother was watching, he might have acted differently. He might have saved his mother the torment that she would go on to endure for years from the events of tonight. She might have stopped him from alienating himself from his family. But he didn't' see her.:: ::Kael, forged with years of this kind of abuse, this kind of manhandling finally snapped. Pulling back his fist, he punched his father squarely in the nose. Instantly he fell back onto the ground with a gush of blood already falling and just as quickly as his father fell, Kael felt ashamed. He now felt as though he was the smallest person in the room. He had just assaulted his father. :: Thomas:: His mum now rushing to him.:: I'm...I'm so sorry. ::Kael's aggression at his father was gone. His old man was a lot of things, but he never deserved that kind of behaviour. Kael always prided himself as being a better person than a common thug. His mother looked at Kael with utter disgust and pain in her eyes. His actions, has broken her. Staring at him for a few seconds, she uttered words that would replay in Kael's for a long time.:: Jolaina: Get out Kael, and don't come back. ::The Finality of her words was unmistakable. Balking at first but Kael soon realised his mother face was unchanged. She meant for him to get out, and Kael could read nothing other than that on her. He had never seen her like this, and in one foul swoop, Kael had managed to force his parents to disown him.  :: Thomas: oO What have I done? Oo ::Heading out through the front door Kael was met with the rain on his face instantly. He became drenched before he had left the yard but Kael wasn't thinking about that. He wasn't thinking about anything but walking. Putting one foot in front of the other until he thought he got far enough for it too stop hurting. Far enough until the sight of his mother’s face would leave him. Kael ran, he ran as far he could before his legs just stopped. He was alone. He knew his brother would hate him for happened and his mother would never talk to him again. He had ruined everything. He was as worthless as his father said. Kael fell to his knees in the rain drenched paddock of his family and cried.:: ((End Flashback, - Present)) ((USS Darwin, Personal Quarters - Deck 6, Drive Section)) ::Kael hadn't been home for a long time, and he relied upon reports from his brother about how his parents were going. They had not spoken since he was last at home and despite their problems, Kael did not wish them ill health. The first officer had thought many times about attempting to reconcile with his parents, but the shame was too great. Kael just wasn't strong enough to face them yet.:: Thomas: How are they? Anthony: Mum is fine. She's looking older and older after having to look after Dad.  ::Anthony looked suddenly serious.:: He's not good Kael. Thomas: He's a battler. ::Attempting to avoid the obvious emotional plea his brother was making.:: Anthony: You know what I mean Kael. When are you going to....You need to get over this all Kael. ::This conversation had been done on and off a few times over the last few years. Each time ended the same way, and Kael saw no reason for that to change today. His father had wished Kael wasn't his son and Kael saw no reason to enter back into a relationship that would see him or them hurt again. Kael didn't understand why Anthony didn't see that.:: Thomas: Anthony, Can you not? ::Anthony dropped back into his chair, and put his hands behind his head. Kael didnt' like that his brother had ended up the mediator between them, mostly because he couldn't stop meddling. Kael knew his brother well, and he could tell that he was unimpressed with his lack of concern.:: Anthony: God you can be so arrogant at times Kael. How are you ever meant to get ahead and move on. ::leaning forward.:: I've got work to do. ::The screen went blank and Kael was once again alone.:: Thomas: I made First Officer.....

Lt Commander Kael Thomas
First Officer
USS Darwin-A