Ensign Is'Kah - Tiny ball of fury

[kimstapledon]

I really liked the raw emotion @IsKah put into this post, along with the scene in general:

 

((Crew Quarters, Primary Hull, USS Chin’toka))

She quickly headed to the officer's quarters. She pressed the door chime, entering when permission was given.

Is’Kah: ::speaking warmly:: Hello, Lieutenant. I am unsure if you remember me, but I am Ensign Is’Kah Xiron.

She bowed her head slightly to the other officer

Stapledon:  I do, yes.  Please, come in.

The hybrid gave Stapledon a warm smile, trying to put her at ease.

Is’Kah: I'd like to know how you are faring after the events of the past few days. After a trauma like this, one should not spend too much time alone with one's thoughts.

Stapledon:  No, one shouldn't...  ::Sighing::  I'm feeling terrible, if you want an honest answer.  It's hard walking through the ship and seeing the looks on the faces of people...  It's like I committed a bunch of murders in public, everyone knows I did it but they just give me looks, or don't talk to me...  And I remember it and I can't do anything about it...  ::Swallowing::

Is’Kah: It wasn’t your fault that you did any of those things. It’s just like ::her voice quivered:: I’m not at f-fault for my crew dying. No matter how often you tell yourself that you should have been stronger, faster, or better, you could do nothing.

Stapledon:  What happened?

Is’Kah: I was on another Akira, the Ronin. Just before Frontier Day, a Brikar named Wrath attacked us, and let's say I’d rather be assimilated than suffer under his care.

She knew that she’d upset the other woman, but it was important for her to know she wasn’t alone in her suffering. She was sure that Stapledon thought that there was nothing to compare but

Stapledon:  Would you like to talk about it?

oO No, I wouldn’t like to talk about it, but I will. If my trauma can help save lives, then so be it. Oo

Is’Kah: The Ronin responded to a distress call, but by the time we arrived, the attackers had stripped the freighter of anything they wanted and disappeared. We found a child to be the only survivor. We tracked them down to a nearby solar system; however, we changed course to a solar system in the asymptotic giant branch phase due to another distress call. They were under attack.

Stapledon:  And then what happened?

Is’Kah: The Consortium set off a solar flare as a weapon against us. I told Commander Raga that our metaphasic shields would protect us, but they didn’t. My failure would end up cost fi-fifty-se-seven lives. :: A tear slid down her cheek.:: Our defenses were nearly useless against it as it completely disabled the ship. We were only on emergency systems; even the bridge’s EPS Generators were offline. We rammed the other ship, and in all the confusion, spider bots and several Robotic Life Forms or RoLF invaded the ship. While defending the ship, I was us- ::her voice broke:: useless defending the ship and let Crewman Baker g-get r-ripped ap-apart because I can’t target a thing. We lost so many because of my recommendation.

She ran her hands over her face, exhaling slowly.

Stapledon:  I'm sorry.  That sounds horrible. 

Is’Kah: I pray that this ship will never experience it.

Stapledon:  Have you been...  You know...  dreaming about it?

The hybrid held up her hands, still in the flexible casts.

Is’Kah: I get to wear these for another few weeks because of my dreams. I attacked the bulkhead in my quarters while thinking I was defending the ship. It felt so real in the moment, but it was just a hallucination from being awake from stims for six days straight. I nearly killed myself from blood loss from shattering my hands and forearms, and shrapnel after I repeatedly smashed my room's table into the wall.

Stapledon: Response

Is’Kah: I see the moment every time I close my eyes. I see his bl-blood pooling around him. I hear his screams echoing in my ears. Sometimes h-he grabs my unform with a bloody hand, demanding to know why I failed him and the crew. Other times, he’s replaced with a lost en-engineer ::anger on her face and in voice:: that was murdered by that things machines. If I ever see his rocky face, I will pry the stone from him piece by piece ::hissed through closed teeth:: so he suffers like he made Clara.

Her body quivered from her barely restrained fury.

Stapledon: Response

Is’Kah: I know it is unbecoming to harbor hate for any living creature, but Wrath deserves it. We are nothing but ::hisses:: prey to him. He’s that child that pulls the wings off flies, harms animals, or other cruel things. He is a psychopath who gives psychopaths a bad name. As slippery as a cockroach, he managed to get away from us. Unfortunately, he got away from an antimatter explosion at the end.

Stapledon: Response

 

 

 

TAGS/TBC

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Ensign Is’Kah Xiron

Engineering

USS Chin’toka

R240101I14