round 22 MSNPC Lt Ben Kaji - New Pain, Old Pain

[Dizmim ChNilmani]

((OOC: for the new ensign, Talia Kaji is my main character, and Ben Kaji is her little boy, but the adult Ben came from the future with the other mission npcs. Sorry, I know it gets confusing.))

((USS Victory - Sickbay))

::Benjiro Kaji watched his mother walk away, and it nearly broke his heart. He was relieved to see Captain Faranster approaching him.::

Faranster: I'm ready. :: She looked at the man, hoping he was ready to look her over. :: If you have a moment, Lieutenant.

B. Kaji: Oh, now you want medical assistance?

Faranster: I know what you think of my little declaration, hopefully our crew didn't shy away from you tending to their wounds.

B. Kaji: ::rolling his eyes.:: The only reason any of them has survived this long is pure stubbornness.

::The flip side was that stubbornness got you killed. Especially when you ignored little things like broken ribs. Ben let her remove the jacket. It was designed to put pressure on the torso, so that wounds would bleed less. It was a uniform designed for a war zone. His captain winced as the pain flooded the area. ::

Faranster: Get it over with before people start asking about my scars. :: She said to the man, quietly. :: I am sure the straps and that blasted armor, played a part.

::Ben used a tricorder to confirm his suspicions.::

B. Kaji: Yes, it looks like they cracked a rib in the crash.

Faranster: :: She gave him a hard look. :: How many concussions and broken arms and legs, or worse, have you seen from people not using them?

B. Kaji: ::nodding agreement.:: Many more.

::Ben picked up an instrument from the equipment cart. He hadn't seen an osteogenerator in half a decade. He examined it in wonder, then set to using the miracle device. In his own time, he would have set the bone and wrapped it securely. Then he would have had had to let it heal for weeks, watching closely for internal bleeding and infection. This process took about fifteen minutes, and she didn't even have to remove her shirt.::

::He finished up and handed her back her jacket. There was still about forty minutes before the briefing, so he went looking for his mother. A terribly odd thought to an orphaned boy. He found her in her office, and leaned in the doorway, watching her for a minute. He had seen her at this desk hundreds of times as a child. She would sit hunched over, staring at the computer and mouthing words as she read. He wondered that she was so similar to the mother he remembered, then realized with a start, that she never had a chance to change. The vibrant woman would perish early in the war, falling with her home world.::

::Talia Kaji looked up when she noticed a gaze on her. She was suddenly swept into his memory.::

((Flashback))

::Breathing hard. Running through fields. Stalks whip Ben's face, and he stumbles. Mom grabs him around the waist, pulling him up. She takes his hand and keeps running.::

::Lights flash. A shuttle lands. They join a group of crying families, and Ben wants to cry too.::

Ben: Mom, come with me! Please! I don't want to be alone!

::The children are being herded onto the shuttle. Mom kneels and hugs him tight. He feels her tears on his cheek.::

Mom: I love you baby, I love you so much. I don't want to leave you --

::A scream cuts her off. More screams. People at the edges of the crowd are pushing toward the shuttle. Mom starts shoving children into the hatch, and she grabs Ben. He fights her.::

Mom: ::sternly:: No, Ben. Go. GO!

::She tosses him a small, screaming child. People are falling, and Ben sees a glimpse of a monster from nightmares. Mom pushes him and the little girl through and slams the hatch. She bangs on the outside, and he hears her yelling at the pilot.::

Mom: Take off NOW, [...] you! You save those babies! You save my son!

::The engines whine and Ben runs to a window. He sees his mother pull out her phaser and start pushing buttons. The shuttle races away and he pounds on the window, screaming. A light blooms below him, swallowing everything. Then he only sees black.::

((End Flashback))

::Talia flew across the room. She clutched the man to her, crying for the boy he'd been. He had his own tears and he wrapped his arms around her. After a long while, they released each other. Talia laughed wearily and wiped his face with her cuff.::

T. Kaji: You're a mess! Let's find you a place to clean up.

TBC

MSNPC Lt Ben Kaji

Chief Medical Officer

The Victory

As simmed by

LtJG Talia Kaji

Chief Medical Officer

USS Victory