Post by Flynt on Dec 4, 2015 1:17:35 GMT
She took a couple deep breaths and felt herself returning to consciousness. Her eyes fluttered open, but she didn't see that much. A dim light from under her body offered little illumination, but enough to realize she was in a small enclosure. A stasis tube.
Xiolani struggled to recall when she was last awake, however the moments she sought eluded her. Instead, her memory contained a jumble of details on her life, which she tried to inventory. She was a Reman with no family. She had been a telepath until being injured in a battle. She was a prisoner without an advocate. Considered dead by Starfleet; considered an outsider by the Republic; an enemy by the Tal Shiar. A nobody by the Klingons.
She was still unsure of who her captors were. After awakening from her injury, she had been a prisoner of a Romulan faction, possibly a Republic-aligned Tal Shiar remnant, though she wasn't sure. After four months of their treatment, someone assaulted their base.
She realized that she remembered the start of the attack, but little else. This suggested she had been stunned before being place in stasis. For more information, she would have to rely on her current captors. The sound of seals breaking and atmospheric pressure changing told her she was about to meet them.
"Welcome home, Commander Xiolani."
Xiolani looked about the space. To her perception, she was in the science lab of a Federation starbase. There were several medical staff present in the room, most tending to equipment. Facing her with a smile was an older human, short in stature but familiar in bearing. "I know you, yes?"
She nodded. "Doctor Adriana Whitlock. We've recovered you and returned you to Starbase 146. We have need of your service to get the station running again."
Xiolani paused over these words. She felt compelled to help, even though a twitch in her mind suggested something was not right.
"You're... not Starfleet, are you?"
"Nope. They still think you're dead. But I think you'll find we offer more generous benefits than they do.
"Terrans, then. I wo-... will help you." She recognized the urge to resist, but stifled it quickly. She was abandoned by Starfleet. This was a group she could serve, that would give her a home.
"Excellent. My staff will help you recover and get acclimated. After that, we will need the spinal lance brought back online."
"O-Of course, Doctor."
Xiolani's attention was then drawn to the medical assistants, who offered various hypos along with a tray of food, as the doctor walked away with another assistant.
+++
The doctor exited the science lab and turned to her assistant. "She hesitated, twice. You informed me that the Tal Shiar's technique would be more than sufficient to provide unswerving loyalty."
"Doctor, you brought her immediately to a familiar environment, and we hadn't anticipated that you would be recognized. She..."
The doctor struck the assistant with the back of her hand. "Idiot. They were part of the same fleet!"
"Yes doctor."
"Stay close to her as she performs her tasks. Reinforce the conditioning as needed. I need to tend to another project, but I should be back in a couple days."
Xiolani struggled to recall when she was last awake, however the moments she sought eluded her. Instead, her memory contained a jumble of details on her life, which she tried to inventory. She was a Reman with no family. She had been a telepath until being injured in a battle. She was a prisoner without an advocate. Considered dead by Starfleet; considered an outsider by the Republic; an enemy by the Tal Shiar. A nobody by the Klingons.
She was still unsure of who her captors were. After awakening from her injury, she had been a prisoner of a Romulan faction, possibly a Republic-aligned Tal Shiar remnant, though she wasn't sure. After four months of their treatment, someone assaulted their base.
She realized that she remembered the start of the attack, but little else. This suggested she had been stunned before being place in stasis. For more information, she would have to rely on her current captors. The sound of seals breaking and atmospheric pressure changing told her she was about to meet them.
"Welcome home, Commander Xiolani."
Xiolani looked about the space. To her perception, she was in the science lab of a Federation starbase. There were several medical staff present in the room, most tending to equipment. Facing her with a smile was an older human, short in stature but familiar in bearing. "I know you, yes?"
She nodded. "Doctor Adriana Whitlock. We've recovered you and returned you to Starbase 146. We have need of your service to get the station running again."
Xiolani paused over these words. She felt compelled to help, even though a twitch in her mind suggested something was not right.
"You're... not Starfleet, are you?"
"Nope. They still think you're dead. But I think you'll find we offer more generous benefits than they do.
"Terrans, then. I wo-... will help you." She recognized the urge to resist, but stifled it quickly. She was abandoned by Starfleet. This was a group she could serve, that would give her a home.
"Excellent. My staff will help you recover and get acclimated. After that, we will need the spinal lance brought back online."
"O-Of course, Doctor."
Xiolani's attention was then drawn to the medical assistants, who offered various hypos along with a tray of food, as the doctor walked away with another assistant.
+++
The doctor exited the science lab and turned to her assistant. "She hesitated, twice. You informed me that the Tal Shiar's technique would be more than sufficient to provide unswerving loyalty."
"Doctor, you brought her immediately to a familiar environment, and we hadn't anticipated that you would be recognized. She..."
The doctor struck the assistant with the back of her hand. "Idiot. They were part of the same fleet!"
"Yes doctor."
"Stay close to her as she performs her tasks. Reinforce the conditioning as needed. I need to tend to another project, but I should be back in a couple days."