Lieutenant JG Ikaia Wong - [BACKSIM] Kingdom of the Sun
Ka Banning
((Deep within Russell River Mines))
S’Ten: ::Flatly:: Surprise.
Wong: Ah! Mister S’Ten! Sorry! I wasn’t expecting you.
S’Ten: I see you are attempting some sort of relaxation ritual?
Wong: Well, it’s a Vulcan technique. I went to the Academy with quite a few of them and well, I picked up a few things along the way.
S’Ten raised one of his eyebrows.
S’Ten: I see.
Wong: How are you feeling?
S’Ten: I am healing. I appreciate your concern, Lieutenant, but I have - ::Looking around mine:: - faced far worse than this. I am finding it difficult sleep.
Wong: Ah. So that’s what brought you by?
S’Ten: Lieutenant… your snoring is what has me awake.
Ikaia looked a little surprised and a bit embarrassed. He didn’t know that his snoring was keeping people awake
Wong: Ah! I’m really sorry. I didn’t know I was doing that.
S’Ten: Any obstruction of your airways while breathing could have long term implications on your health. But I am sure, as a health professional, you knew that already.
Wong: Ah yes. You’re entirely correct. Although, I think in this case it was because of the strange position I had fallen asleep in.
Ikaia could see the Romulan technician struggling for small talk. Instead he came up with….
S’Ten: Yes.
Well. THAT was a way to break a silence.
S’Ten: Lieutenant, I wish to apologize for my earlier behaviour towards you. I was in much pain and you have helped me. I assumed you were from the Klingon empire, and that your Starfleet uniform was a ruse. I was wrong.
Wong: I harbour no ill-will, Mister S’Ten. Most humanoids don’t react well when they’re in pain. It’s entirely understandable.
S’Ten: Your accent… were you raised on Earth?
Ikaia didn’t realize he had an accent. He had been so used to hearing everyone else and himself for so long, he wasn’t even aware of it. He supposed other Klingons not raised on Earth may have sounded different.
Wong: Yes. I grew up there on the Hawaiian islands with a human family. Prior to Starfleet, it’s been the only planet I’ve ever known.
S’Ten once again nodded, and pondered for a moment.
S’Ten: During the Klingon Invasion of 2389, I was a Commander for the Romulan Star Empire who was an expert on the Klingon Empire. It was assumed with my advanced knowledge that I would provide an advantage during the invasion. But our ship was captured, and I was sent to a Prisoner of War facility within Klingon Space.
Wong: I’m sorry…. I had no idea. You have my sympathies. They say that war is hell and by your accounts, I can believe it.
S’Ten: What do you know of Drell?
That question came as a surprise to him. His hand slowly reached up to touch his hair. Since he started experiencing new cultures and other planets on his travels with Starfleet, that name has come up over and over again. Mostly in response to his blond hair. Some days, he was half tempted to dye it just to keep a lower profile if he knew he was dealing with other Klingons.
Wong: House of Drell. I’ve heard of it. Mostly through it being shouted at me with plenty of finger pointing. But I really don’t know much about it. Except for that blond hair seems to be a house trait. Although, I’m not sure if I’m connected to that house or not. I absolutely know nothing. What do you know about this?
S’Ten: I see. I can only tell you what I know from my briefings on Romulus. It was important to understand the workings of Great Houses, while they are an Empire there are always disputes between their houses, which is something that can be exploited during a conflict. Membership of a Great house has traditionally been by virtue of birth, or marriage. But the House of Drell was different. You are aware of the Klingon augment virus?
Wong: Bits and pieces about it from what’s been mentioned in Starfleet databases. Victims impacted by it lost their head crests.
S’Ten: The first Klingon that was born with blond hair was a result of this virus. Over time, Klingons with your hair color were born throughout the population, but only a handful. Word of them spread, and they became shunned like other augments. As a joke, Klingons said that blond Klingons were of “jul”¸ the Klingon word for “sun”. Klingons also found it amusing to claim that any Klingon born of jul were of the same family. One blonde Klingon was so incensed by being teased constantly that she formed a house named “Drell”, a play on the word jul. She declared that any blond Klingon was instantly a member of Drell, should they choose to be.
Wong: Did all those impacted join this house?
S’Ten: Many blond Klingons joined, proudly. Conversely, many sought genetic modification. And some… were sent from the Empire by their parents to live elsewhere.
Ikaia frowned slightly. The gene pool expanded significantly and even if he got a hit in his search using DNA, it didn’t mean that it would be someone from this house. His investigation has just hit its first snag.
Wong: I see. Exiled. A horrible practice. ::A beat:: But from what you’ve explained, I can see why those who are from House of Drell seem to be particular about their blond hair.
S’Ten: Response.
Wong: I was in a marketplace a while back when I first met someone from the House of Drell. His name was Kla’Renz. He believed that my blond hair was a mockery of the house and wanted me to remove all my hair in the middle of the marketplace. Given your explanation, his behaviour now makes more sense.
S’Ten: Response.
Wong: I’ve only just started my investigation into Drell having heard it enough times. While I think it may be possible that I could be from that house, I really don’t know. In fact, now that it has been mentioned that not everyone did join the house, my search for answers has considerably been expanded.
S’Ten: Response.
Ikaia paused for a moment to stretch. Sitting in that position to eventually nod off was NOT good for his muscles.
Wong: I don’t know anything about my genetic past. I’ve never even met my biological parents. Not to say I’m not grateful for my adoptive parents. I wouldn’t trade them for anything nor would I give up who I am as a person! But I know next to nothing about where I came from. I’m at least a little curious.
S’Ten: Response.
Lieutenant JG Ikaia Wong
Physician Assistant
USS Veritas
V239711IW0