round 2 Blackwood & (PNPC) Umas: Fractures Of The Mind

[Alexander Matthews]

((Avandar Crash Site - Night))

:: Wide awake, Umas sat with the hull of the Avandar supporting his

back. His good leg was bent at the knee, the other was stretched out

in the dirt with a cold compress on his ankle to bring the swelling

down. In his hand he loving held his daughter’s charm bracelet, eyes

glistening with the threat of tears. One end of the bracelet was

looped around his middle finger, allowing the piece of jewelry and all

of its tiny bobbles to hang at the center of his palm.::

:: The heart shaped charm was so that Veessah would know how much her

mom and dad loved her. A snorkel because she loved to swim. A

firefly-like insect, which she chased around the yard at night. A

fluffy pig-like animal -- the first, but not the last injured pet she

rescued in the wild. A pair of shoes because she loved to dance. And

a musical instrument that she was just learning to play.::

::Birthday songs. Laughter. Presents. Fireworks in the field. The

shimmering sunset. Veessah spinning like a top in her yellow sun

dress until she was too dizzy and fell into her father’s arms

giggling.::

:: Koltar Umas couldn’t remember any of those things. All he could

see was darkness and despair. His imagination took him to the resting

place of his wife and daughter, buried and killed by the ship. The

ship he had put them on. Captain Vetri’s ship…::

:: His thoughts twisted once again to jealousy and hate.::

:: Vetri had her family. They had all survived. The First Officer

had his wife. She had survived. Why did his family have to die? Why

did *he* get to live?::

:: The flow of incoming casualties had slowed to a trickle. Evanna had

been working on the minor injuries the whole day without stopping for

any kind of rest. She was growing ever increasingly worried about her

friend Penny, who Alexander had mistakenly accused of being dead. She

was going to come in here any time now and tell her it wasn't so.

She'd been telling herself that for a while now and her lack of

appearance was knawing at her. It wasn't until the lights inside

triage flickered on that she realised how late it was getting. ::

:: She could stand it no longer inside the triage tent and scooped up

the medical equipment she'd been using. She's found that of the minor

injuries she was treating there were 2 or 3 pieces of equipment that

she was constantly needing. She took herself on a roaming trip around

the camp looking for anyone with minor injuries... at least that was

the excuse. She knew Matthews, Jen, Davies and S'Acul had made it,

even old buster had been seen lumbering around. There was really only

one face she wanted to see right now and it wasn't the face she found

in front of her. ::

:: Evanna sighed as she run the tricorder over him. oOWhat a surprise,

more work for me.Oo With a disgruntled grumbled she plopped onto her

knees and took a better reading of the man's ankle. ::

Blackwood: Well, you got off light. Let me take care of this quickly

for you sir.

:: Without an acknowledging word, Umas closed his hand around the

bracelet, as if hiding it from unworthy eyes.::

:: He sat, stone faced for a moment and watched the woman examine his

ankle. If the cold compress had done its job it would be time to set

the bone.::

Blackwood: Well you have an oblique fracture.

:: He slanted his head recognizing the redhead.::

Umas: You lost someone. I remember, in the triage tent. Who was it?

Blackwood: You must be mistaken sir, my friends are all accounted for.

oOWell mostly, but Penny isn't dead. She must be trapped somewhere.Oo

:: He nodded solemnly, and hung his head again.::

Umas: My mistake. I thought I overheard something…

::Evanna took out her BBF necklace. She'd recieved it not so long ago

as a Christmas present. It was probably the most thoughtful thing

anyone had given her in a long long time. oO I thought we were

supposed to be best friends, why hasn't she come to tell me she's okay

yet?Oo She felt a little angry.::

:: Hearing the tiny jingle of metal, Umas looked up as the woman

revealed a necklace. The expression on her face told him that it was

as important to her as his daughter’s bracelet was to him.::

Blackwood: ::Glaring and speaking forcefully.:: He was wrong, he must

have seen someone else! I'm going to find her. I have to.

Umas: ::nodding:: Then you should.

:: She should go back in there and tear the place apart until she

found what she was looking for.::

:: Blackwood set to work with the boneknitter, it's power seemed to be

getting a little low now. It had been in near constant use the whole

time she'd been out here. She hoped there would be some replacement

power cells in one of those crates. ::

:: The small hum of the boneknitter, and the strange beastly cries

from the jungle animals -- even the eerie mist that had settled on the

ground, didn’t register in Umas’s mind. All he could think about was

his beheaded wife, and what the ship, and the Captain, and Tan, and

*he* himself had done to his own family.::

:: Killed them. They’d killed them.::

:: Rancid thoughts churned and burned within like acid, eating away

at his very soul. He had not cried. He would not cry. He would not

shed a single tear -- not until he got off this stinking planet and

could hold his son again. Though he doubted his son would forgive him

anymore than Umas could forgive himself.::

Blackwood: I'm sorry Commander, you're done. I mean your ankle. I've

mended it. It might be a bit tender for a few days, so go easy on it.

:: She gently moved his foot around, testing the newly mended joint

ever so carefully. ::

Umas: ::wagging his head:: It’s fine.

Blackwood: If you want to see if how feels to walk on now...

:: More head wagging…::

Umas: No.

:: He mostly withdrew inside himself at that point. He almost wished

she hadn’t fixed his foot because now that one pain had receded,

another came to the forefront.::

Blackwood: Well i'm done here. ::Thrusting the medical kit and tools

at him:: Return these to the triage tent! :: In her typical bossy

fashion, completely forgetting his rank and her place.::

:: She didn't give him time to protest as she broke into a run, making

her way back into the ship. It was getting pretty cool and dark out

and she couldn't bear waiting any longer. ::

:: After she was gone, Umas opened his palm, and straightened out the

charm bracelet, losing himself in a deep, empty pit of grief and

anger.::

:: Somebody had to pay for these crimes, he would punish himself, but

most of all the Captain.::

:: Once they were rescued, he would personally see to it that Vetri

lost her pips and spent the rest of her life in a military prison.::

--end--

MPNPC Lt. Cmdr. Koltar Umas

Mission Specialist

USS Avandar

simmed by T’Lea

&

Lt JG Blackwood

ACSO

USS Avandar

Edited March 11, 2012 by FltAdml. Wolf
Adding Round 2 prefix.