Lieutenant Is’Kah Xiron - Mission talk

[Is'Kah Xiron]

((Valhalla Lounge, Approaching Deck 4, USS Valkyrie))

Is’Kah met Reine’X in a turbolift while on the way to eat a quick meal. After inviting the Orion officer to join zhen for their security interview, it quickly turned into an impromptu counseling session.

Reine’X: Do you want to go back to the way you were before the mind meld?

Is’Kah: No. I don’t wish to. I have seen a possible universe where I was not involved with Ghee’looth. Instead, my name was Is’Kah Doucet, and I have a copy of her katra in here. She was their security officer, and it is because of her that I can complete my duties effectively.

Zha tapped zhen temple.

Reine’X: Wait… hold on… is Is’Kah Doucet any relation to our Doctor Doucet?!

Is’Kah: Yes, but no. We were pulled into another universe by the Organians, and I was married to Evie Doucet. That Is’Kah deeply loved her wife, just as I feel about Ghee’looth.

Reine’X: I have some more questions....

Is’Kah: I imagine you do. Hit me with them.

Zha looked up as their food was delivered. Is’Kah’s plate had red pork slices in a bowl and rice in another. Taking the chopsticks, zha took a bite, clearly enjoying the flavor.

Reine’X: I thought all Vulcans were vegetarians:: she said matter-of-factly, pointing at the small woman with her fork.

The petite woman smiled, knowing the comment had been coming.

Is’Kah: Replicator meat is completely vegan. The social pressure Vulcans face is to eat the flesh of the living. This has never been alive. It hasn’t even been grown in a lab.

Reine’X: That makes sense,:: she nodded:: Although, doesn’t the mere sight of meat make you sick?

Is’Kah: It is a view I developed after bonding with Ghee’looth. It was partly to get her to eat more than Red Bat kabobs, as I had to find food she’d like. Then again, she eats whatever I cook for her, mostly Greek food from Earth.

Reine’X: Greeks? I’ve read about them. They certainly knew how to party.

Is’Kah: I fell in love with their cuisine after I started worshiping the Greek Goddess of the Hearth and Home, Hestia, in the Academy.

Reine’X: I must try some Greek food someday.

The Trican glanced at the slightly cooked steak, noting that they had given her blue instead of raw. It’s not like being uncooked would be any kind of risk, leaving Is’Kah wondering how they messed up the order.

Is’Kah: I have a kitchen installed in my quarters. I can prepare a dish or two for you from there. I tend to fuse it with Asian cuisine.

Reine'X: Oh, yes, that would be great. Thank you.

Is’Kah: Lovely.

Zha took a moment to enjoy zhen meal.

Reine'X: I’m wondering...what was that interview again, the one you wanted to do with me?

Is’Kah: Oh yes. A security interview. Could you tell me a little about yourself while I compare it to your records?

Reine'X: Indeed. I grew up in the First City with my family. Well, with my parents and two brothers. The rest of my family lives on Orion, ::she raised one eyebrow:: I think.

The Trill hybrid nodded, which matched what zha had read.

Is’Kah: If my memory is correct, that city is on Qo’noS. What led you to Starfleet instead of the Imperial Fleet?

Reine'X: I was able to join Starfleet thanks to the Klingon-Federation exchange program , as I'm a Klingon citizen. Though I’m not sure why it’s called an exchange program, since I wasn’t really exchanged for anyone. The numbers of cadets from each side vary every year. I also needed letters of recommendation, which my friends in Starfleet were able to provide.

Is’Kah: Do you enjoy being in Starfleet?

Reine'X: I suppose so. I mean, do I enjoy being on the ship so far? I didn’t have any expectations when I came onboard, if I’m being honest. ::And she was being honest.:: The first thing that happened was that I materialized straight into the middle of Sickbay, with no prior briefing about the current mission. So I just went with the flow::beat::an Earth expression.

She shrugged nonchalantly, as if she was used to being dropped off into the unknown.

Is'Kah: At least a planet didn’t burn down as I did on my first mission.

Reine’X: Response

Is'Kah: To be honest, the horror of watching a planet being consumed by fire has been the least of what I’ve seen. My second, third, and fourth missions were far more intense. ::beat::I am guessing I can’t exactly drop that on you and then deflect back to my side of the interview, correct?

Reine’X: Response

Is'Kah: My second mission was the most traumatic out of my first four, even if my fourth has been the closest to death I’ve come to while in Starfleet. We answered a distress call only to find the ship had been stripped and holes cut into it from the outside. We only rescued a child. A few hours later, we attempted to rescue another ship in a quasar solar system. There was a flare from the star, and I assumed the metaphasic shields should have protected us. They didn’t, and the Ronin was shoved into the ship we meant to rescue.

Zhen voice broke, pain in zhen eyes from the memory. The Trill hybrid felt zhen heart beating harder in her side, panic filling zhen. Feeling suddenly parched, Is’Kah called for a glass of water.

Reine’X: Response

Once the glass arrived, Is’Kah drank most of it.

Is'Kah: It was a trap, one set for Commander Raga. The rest of us just happened to be in the way. A Brikar named Wrath sent spider-like robots to strip the ship. They were supported by a few Robotic Life Forms, or RoLFs for short, covered in Brikar metal, making them nearly impervious to phaser fire. During the fight on the bridge, several people were going hand-to-hand with the shiny robot while I was trying to take out the little metal buggers w-when C-cr-crewman…

Reliving the memory was intense for the Vulcan hybrid, causing zhen to dip zhen head, eyes clenched tightly as a tear dropped into zhen lap. Zha also gripped both hands together in zhen lap to keep them from shaking.

Reine’X: Response

Taking a deep breath to center zhenself, Is’Kah lifted zhen head, all expression and tone gone. Zha had clearly hidden behind zhen Vulcan's mask of being emotionless. Zha spoke as if zha were giving a report to someone.

Is'Kah: Crewman Baker was fatally stabbed by the mechanical spiders and succumbed almost immediately. An officer under my command was abducted and subjected to torture, resulting in their death. In total, fifty-seven individuals lost their lives that day. I spent the subsequent five days awake as we were towed back to Deep Space 31, maintaining the integrity of the ship with blood, sweat, baling wire, and duct tape. When I finally managed to rest, I experienced a severe PTSD episode, during which I shattered both my hands and forearms while confronting what I believed to be a RoLF. It was not. Instead, it was the bulkhead in my quarters. Had it not been for my bond with Ghee’looth, I would have bled to death on the floor of my quarters. She reached out to me through our bond from Denali Station and rescued me from being trapped in my dream.

Reine’X: Response

Lieutenant Is’Kah Xiron

Chief of Tactical and Security

USS Valkyrie, NCC-76418-A

R240101I14

Pronouns:

She/Her (Player and Character)

Zha/Zhen (Character)