Orphans

Posted on Thu Oct 19th, 2023 @ 3:21am by Ensign Anya Bagh & Lieutenant Commander Flora Hazeline MD
Edited on on Thu Oct 19th, 2023 @ 3:44am

2,169 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Joint Logs
Location: Bagh's Quarters
Timeline: Set a couple days after "Little Lives", 23:00 hours

Anya entered her quarters and flopped onto her couch, still in her fur covered uniform. She was exhausted from caring for the Arumanigatan kittens. She was at least able to give Henry Ivo a bit of a well deserved rest.

She grabbed her PADD from her end table and began tapping rapidly. It played what sounded like cat noises: various hisses, yowls, and mews. Anya responded with her own imitation of the sounds. The PADD automatically gave feedback on the tones and fluctuations of her voice.

She adjusted her voice as much as possible, matching the sounds as best she could. It wasn't the first non-terran language she chose to learn, but possibly one of the hardest. She completed her lesson, then switched to untranslated Arumanigatan chatter.

"I lost my culture. You won't lose yours, babies." She absent mindedly promised. She let the chatter continue in the background as she went to the lavatory. Occasionally, she would let out a similar sound in response to the recording.

Her hands gathered her braids on top of her head like a bouquet of flowers. She carefully and precisely wrapped a silk scarf around them, holding them in place neatly. The scarf fell just short of the ridges on the sides of her neck.

She prepared for bed almost in a trance, trading her uniform for her fuzzy pajamas. The recordings played quietly in the background as she curled up in her bed. She switched her PADD to the few documented times the Arumanigata were contacted. Her eyelids grew heavier.

The various kitten sounds lulled Anya to sleep.

—-------------
Next morning, 07:55 hours

She awoke with a start. The alarm clock on her table received an audible smack which quieted it for another day. Today was her day off, but she groaned. Another 'routine' physical.

She mentally prepared for the barrage of questions as she let her braids down and dressed in comfy clothes. She trudged her way to sick bay.

Sickbay was of course brightly lit and bustling for this time in the morning, which was to say there was a tablero game using tea and coffee in progress. Hazeline downed a won shot and went to see her first patient of the day, a Lt Bagh, who did not look nearly as chipper as her opponent had.

"Good morning Lt, thank you for being prompt. Come this way and hop up on the bio bed please?"

Anya nodded and climbed on the bed, a little slower than normal.
"Let's just get this over with. I need my coffee" She still felt half asleep. She made a mental note to not take the first appointment in the morning next time.

"Let me get a couple of scans and we'll get you that coffee and chat." Hazeline promised. She manipulated a few floating touchscreens, and several scans commenced.

She looked at them briefly. "You're having a slight allergic reaction. I'm guessing it's to the cat hair and saliva on your skin. I'm guessing you got groomed?" she told Anya, amused. "Nothing we can't neutralise." She frowned at the scans a bit longer, looking at the bone and skin ones longest.


"Can you turn over? I want to take a look at your neck for a moment."


"It's ok. They need some sort of stability in their life. I'll take a little itching for that" Anya mumbled while turning over.


Hazeline chuckled. "Yeah I got two of the little beasties in my quarters. They're causing havoc but ...worth it." she answered, amused.


Hazeline started another scan, this time a more detailed one of the skull and neck. "Hold still one more moment and I'll release you to the replicators' tender mercies."


She paused. "Well while I take a moment to read these scans. You aren't free to go yet, just free to get coffee.... and I'll take a cream and two sugar.


"OK" Anya grunted, this time trying to hold as still as possible


"You're free to get breakfast." Hazeline answered, absently, as she looked at the results. There was something odd.....


Anya shuffled her way to the replicator, making 2 coffees, one cream and 2 sugars, the other barely above room temperature and only slightly sweetened. She took a sip of the cooler one as she came back to the bed and gave the other to Hazeline


Hazeline took it and grinned at her. "A woman after my own heart." she muttered. She patted the biobed. "Hop on up and let's go through these?" she asked. "Computer, engage privacy screen."


Anya sighed, noticing the doctor's perplexed looks "Yeah, it's stumped all my other doctors too. No one seems to know what that is. Other doctors never really cared as I seemed healthy"


"I take it you're talking about these ridges?" Hazeline traced them. "They're really not that visible, mostly they're subdermal. But they don't follow the normal growth lines or dermatomes for a human. What do you know of your family history Anya? Any injuries in the area? exoskeleton use? Wearing a heavy backpack for years?"


"Nothing. Well, Miss Brunhilde never thought I was human, only Klingon. I was left on her doorstep at one of the few orphanages left on Earth. Every time she tried to ask about me or my background, to any knowledgeable source, we were just... blocked, or never got a response." Anya shrugged again. "She guessed that I was no older than a week when I was found"


"Humm. So probably not human genetics in there. " ....Hazeline mulled it over in her mind, running through the countless species she'd seen at Sector General. She grinned at Anya. "You know there's an easy way to narrow it down, right?" she answered, with a grin. "Simply crunch the genetic data. Might take an hour or two but we can probably narrow it down. If you want to know." she offered. "How many years ago was that? and did your growth patterns match standard Klingon growth patterns and rate?"


"As far as I know they did. I kinda got lost in the shuffle of other kids too. I'm 23 now and pretty sure I've stopped growing..." Anya sipped her coffee as she thought.


"Let's do it. I do want to know what I am... I mean, what do I have to lose?"


Hazeline nodded and compared the scans. "If I was to peg an age, I'd say a little younger than 23. But it's not so far out it might not simply be good genetics and good living and a bit of luck." she murmured. Then she nodded. "Computer, crossmatch Lt Bagh's genetic markers with Klingon and any other bipedal, four limbed, oxygen breathing race please, code DBDG or within one letter code thereof."


She grinned at Anya. "And now we let it crunch. So, think your kittens would be up for a playdate with mine? " She looked at Anya with some more concern. "And more professionally, how are you settling in? you've been here, what, a year?"


Anya smiled. "I'll have to ask Henry..." She flushed right quick before catching herself. "Umm, I mean Ensign Ivo about that. I help him sometimes so he can get a break. He got the youngest ones and I didn't realize how much care they needed. I didn't take any myself because... well, I didn't think they warmed up to me well"
She took another sip. "I think I'm settling in ok. My quarters are comfortable and I get plenty of opportunity to practice my bat'leth in the holodeck"


"Any conflict with anyone? Are you getting enough sleep?" Hazeline grinned at the mention of Henry - Ensign Ivo. "So, you're making connections. That's good. Why do you think they didn't take to you well?"


"I'm not a cat person. Well, and I'm used to people and animals not taking to me immediately and the Aruminagata seemed to notice it too. They remind me a lot of the alley cats that were roaming the streets when I was younger. I did feed them scraps once in a while and they eventually warmed up to me. I do look different but the babies did warm up to me after a few nights as well. You get used to being not normal eventually"


"I've not really fought with anyone, well, not on purpose. Unless they were an enemy on the holodeck. And as for sleep, I'll catch up today I think. I don't have plans except for a book and a warm blanket"


Hazeline chuckled at that. "I might have to try that." she stifled a yawn. "I've heard naps are a good thing." She looked up as the computer chimed. "That was quicker than I thought." she mused, pulling a holographic pad that appeared over. She covered the screen with a hand, so Anya couldn't see it. "Do you want to know the results?"


Anya took a deep breath. "Sure"


Flora smiled at her, sunnily. "It doesn't change who you are. That's set in your genetics, already. It just changes what you know about you." she pointed out gently. "Your mitochondrial DNA and therefore your mother is as Klingon as they come. And you clearly take after her."


She paused, letting Anya think and respond.


"At least that guess was right." Anya half grinned. "Any clue about the paternal side? I figured that would be Klingon too"


"A few." Hazeline answered back. "Bearing in mind, your Klingon half is ..well...clearly genetically playing a dominance race and winning, but no." She pulled up the results. "Your other genetic donor may be part Klingon but there is definitely some influence from the Cardassian or Bajoran region. Or a mix of the two. Computer's coming up with some fuzzy results there."


She tilted her head. "Might explain some of the way you feel that some people don't accept you." She looked at Anya for a long moment. "As far as I'm concerned, you're always welcome, both as a patient and as a friend." she added seriously.


"That said, I am starting to wonder if someone's been playing with the genetics database." She looked at Lt Bagh. "The computer should be able to tell Bajoran from Cardassian, and it's trying to tell me that the Aruminagata are just a weird mutation on Earth cats as well. And do you know how unlikely that is considering the interstellar distances involved? I mean for two species to evolve that closely alike is...well..the odds are astronomical.


"Who would play with a genetics database?" Anya's face scrunched trying to think of any possibility. "I mean... why?" She shook her head, trying to make sense of either suggestion. "Also, Cardassian? Bajoran?" she tried to think for a minute. "Is there a way to make sure the database is matched up with what the federation has?"


Flora shook her head. "No reason I can think of." she shrugged. "Let me do some digging okay? I'll make sure the database is up to date and rerun testing. Hopefully it will give a clearer answer by then." she tilted her head. "Would you be upset if it was either one?"


"I hadn't thought that far. I honestly thought if anything, it'd be human... but maybe that's just because of where I ended up." she leaned her head in her hand. "I know very little about either race. Then again, I only know what I do of Klingons from the library when I could sneak off to get there. "


Hazeline chuckled at that. "We have a few Klingons on board. Lt Kellen comes to mind. Perhaps you might enjoy a bit of research into all three races, while I do that digging?"


"That sounds like a good place to start. I don't think I've worked with Kellen too much." Anya fidgeted with a loose braid "it's a lot to think about. Would it take a few days to look into this? I need to process."


"No, I think I can get it sorted sooner. But I'm not going to give you answers until you've processed this so far." Flora answered. "How about we set another appointment for a week's time? Do you need some time with Ceja?"


"I know I'll have more questions, but I need to organize them" Anya sat in a daze. "Next week would be fine. I'll try to write down what I think of. Is there anything else we need for this physical?"


Hazeline smiled at her. "Nope, scans say you're as fit as a fiddle. Go on, go find your blanket and book." She encouraged warmly. "And we'll talk again next week, or sooner if you need to okay?"


Anya nodded slightly then stood, not saying another word and made her way out of sickbay. Her face seemed more somber than usual as she made her way to her quarters.


Hazeline watched her go, concerned, and sent a quick message to Ceja to give her a heads up. Then she turned to her console to find out what was going on with the genetics database.

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