Ensign Trovek - A Good Death - The Truth

[Arys Trova]

((Ihalainen Residence, Rovaniemi, Finland, Earth)) 

When Arys woke up this morning, the warm rays of sunlight that woke her didn’t give the slightest hint on the nature of the rest of the day. She sat up and stretched, letting her tired gaze wander across her sleeping room, and couldn't help but sigh. 

With the clothes laying on the floor, the long-dead plants by the window, and the PADDs stacked on a desk overflowing with empty coffee mugs, her surroundings were a perfect reflection of what her mind felt like.  

Arys sighed and swung her legs out of the warm comfort of her bed, got up, and started her day with a large cup of coffee. For a brief moment she hoped that Lukin would join her for breakfast, but when she knocked on the door of the room he was occupying, she found that he had already left. In the past days he had left early and returned late, but he had always been available in the evenings to have dinner, take a walk through the forest, or drink wine and talk. 

She knew that he was busy, and she was grateful that he made time for her regardless. 

There was someone else who was busy, but who, contrary to Lukin, didn’t clear parts of his schedule. Arys' father hadn’t turned up again. Tuomas, Arys imagined, was either sleeping in his office, or in a hotel room close to the clinic. But most importantly, he wasn’t speaking to Arys at all, nor did he react to her calls. 

Arys hated to admit how much that hurt her, and most importantly, that she didn’t know what she had done to deserve this kind of treatment. 

Perhaps, she mused while on her way to the nearest transporter pad, he was indeed disappointed that she had been assigned to the Juneau. She had felt the same disappointment for weeks, but when she thought about the end of shore leave now, she couldn’t help but look forward to returning to the ship and its crew. 

That said, it was nice to be home. 

There was, however, one thing that was missing - one person, to be specific. For the past fifteen years she had lived in this house with her father and grandfather, and while her father had always been somewhat of a workaholic, her grandfather, ever since he had retired, usually was here. 

When she entered the living room, she expected him sitting on the armchair close to the window, like he always had. And when she prepared food for herself and Lukin, she instinctively grabbed a third set of plates and cutlery. 

Arys was aware that Leevi, her grandfather, had reached the end of his human lifespan, and her biggest concern upon being assigned to the Juneau was that she wouldn’t be home to say goodbye. That she would return one day and he would just be gone. 

It felt a little like this now, and Arys couldn’t put her finger on why that was. Leevi had, even in his old age, been on trips as long as he was able to. This should feel the same. But it didn’t. 

((Ihalainen Medical Facility, Helsinki, Finland, Earth))

Greeted by the familiar woosh of the doors of the main entrance opening, Arys set foot into Ihalainen Medical Facility and let the feeling of familiarity wash over her. She closed her eyes, listening to the whir of the elevator, and shoes slapping onto the floor as people walked by. 

The moment of nostalgia was rudely interrupted by a man sitting at the reception - A Vulcan she recognized, but whose name she didn’t remember. Hynn? Henn? Honn? Something like that. 

Hynn/ Henn/ Honn?: Doctor Trovek. If you are here to visit your father, I am afraid he is unavailable. 

Arys frowned and turned towards the man, whose name tag read Hann. She lead against the receptionist’s desk, trying to hide her displeasure over the fact that it looked like her father had made sure that she wouldn’t be able to visit him even if she wanted to. 

Trovek: No, I am not here for my father. I am here for my grandfather, who I assume is a patient here. ::pause:: Could you take a look? 

Hann raised the typical Vulcan eyebrow, and considered his words before he responded. 

Hann: I am not able to provide this information. If you have not been informed about Mister Ihalainen’s whereabouts, I suggest you acquire this information elsewhere. It is against hospital policy to provide information on whether or not an individual is a patient here. 

Arys groaned and rubbed the bridge of her nose, trying not to get too emotional - after all, that wouldn’t help her in the slightest. 

Trovek: A family member of mine is here, and I am entitled to visit him. 

Hann: ::calmly, and without the hint of any emotion:: I am not able to provide this information, Doctor. You should speak to your other family members, I am certain they can advise you better. 

Trovek: ::snapping:: And how exactly am I going to do that when my father is unavailable? ::biting her lip, taking a few deep breaths:: There must be some way I can find out where he is, right? 

Hann inclined his head and checked his console. 

Hann: Of course I am unable to provide you with information in regards to the whereabouts of your family member, however, I see that your privileges as a medical professional here have been limited but not withdrawn. ::he looked up at her:: Are you in need of a new ID-bracelet, Doctor?

Trovek: ::quickly:: Yes. Yes. That’s what I am here for, I lost the ID bracelet. Would you be able to issue me a temporary one? 

Hann inclined his head once more, verified her identity via an iris scan, and handed her a freshly replicated ID a few moments later. 

Hann: Welcome back, Doctor. 

Arys nodded, attached the bracelet to her wrist, and without wasting further time, made her way to the main part of the hospital.   

((Timeskip, 1h))

Something horrible is about to happen.

Every doctor, nurse and patient she passed seemed to communicate these words. 

It took an eternity until Arys had managed to convince a ‘colleague’ - a medical student from the looks of it, whose name tag read Kiwi - to help her locate her grandfather. Even that hadn’t been as straightforward as she had imagined it to be. There was nothing under the name of Leevi Ihalainen, and nothing under the name Trovek either. Arys had been close to giving up when she remembered Taari Turunen, an Alias her grandfather had used every now and then when traveling, or when he had to be hospitalized. 

Arys read the room number, swallowed hard and thanked Kiwi, and almost ran up the stairs as soon as waiting for the elevator was taking too long to her liking. 

And so, a few minutes later, she entered the only ward in the hospital where the silence was suffocating. She found herself in a pale hallway that stretched on and on, and every door branching off it seemed to lead to a different kind of disease. The corridor was empty, and Arys footsteps were echoing in the silence, making her more conscious of her uninvited presence here. The hallway was harshly lit, and only contained Arys, the sound of her footsteps, and the silent beeping of medical appliances that managed to seep through the closed doors. There was nothing here - no splashes of color to brighten the walls, like there had been in the other corridors and the reception area. No doctors or nurses placing spins on the latest results, and no relatives believing their lies.

This place was beyond false promises and empty dreams. 

Arys swallowed once more as she reached her destination. The door opened with a hiss, not asking for identification since no one came here without good reason. 

The fluorescent lighting was only activated as the computer registered Arys stepping inside, as there hadn’t been a need for it before. The walls were plain white, and the closed blinds made it seem as if there was no window at all. 

The room lacked the usual amenities that patients expected when entering the hospital - a small closet for personal items, or a bedside table to be decorated with flowers and get-well cards. Instead, the room contained nothing but a modified biobed that served as a stasis unit, and a chair for visitors. 

It was as if the temperature in the room dropped, and Arys’ eyes began to sting. Something invisible wrapped around her chest, its grip tightening with every step she took towards the bed.

She barely recognised her grandfather. There was nothing left of the man who had raised her with unflagging vitality even at his progressed age. His hair had always been gray but by now was completely white and there were bald patches relieving flakey skin. His face looked like a skull, sunken in and motionless, and the skin thinly stretched over the bone underneath. 

Arys stumbled and fell against the wall, ending up on the floor, still staring at the stasis unit and the personification of death that lay there. The room around her started spinning, her mind refused to process what she saw and the implications it carried. 

She wrapped her arms around her chest as if to keep herself from falling apart, and didn’t even notice the door to the room opening once more. 

___________

Ensign Trovek Arys 

Counselor 

USS Juneau 

J239809TA4