Immersed: 30 days of Family Fun! (Kyan, Sirol, Xasik, Zero)

[Kyan Mackenzie]

:: Katra Station | Security Chief's Office ::

Every since Jyur had suggested a course of therapy for him, Kyan had been trying to catch Doctor Phil on Subspace. He knew it was him! That is, Doctor Dennis Phillips, pHD, and director of Behavioral Health at the Leonard H. McCoy Memorial Hospital on Miri's Planet. Kyan had known him for close to fifty years at this point. He'd conducted his entrance evaluation into Starfleet shortly after graduating from college. His doctoral thesis led to the advent of Immersion Roleplay Therapy, or "IRT" for Mirans who had taken up adult jobs and careers.

The premise was that a Miran suffering from stress related symptoms would have "positive behavioral outcomes" if they were taken out of their current, "stressful" environment, and placed with "parents" and allowed to live at their physiological "age" for a period of time while they underwent counseling for their issues. They lived with the "parents" during the therapy, went to school, and were encouraged to partake in any age appropriate activities that were available. As the therapy called for the patient to be completely immersed in their role as a normal child, there had to be a complete break with their regular life. Ideally, they would come to Miri's planet for the therapy, or at least live in a different area than the one where they usually lived.

At the conclusion of the therapy, if it was successful, the Miran would be able to return to whatever they were doing before. Apparently, IRT was very successful. Doctor Phil had won a medal for it, and he'd been invited to speak at lots of symposiums. He had even received a pat on the back from the Vulcan Science Academy.

Since just about every Miran had some sort of developmental issue, Post Traumatic Stress, or some other thing that would earn a diagnosis, there was never a shortage of participants for Doctor Phil's preferred treatment option. Kyan himself had undergone IRT four times in the past fifty years, mostly toward the beginning of his career. It was always the same thing. The people chosen to be his "parents" were holier than thou grups who either took the roleplay too seriously, or they found that they weren't actually interested in playing house with a centuries old pre-teen. Some of them ended up needing therapy of their own, or they quit before it got to that point. One of them had even attempted to spank him for some violation of the rules.

That was the last time Doctor Phil had suggested IRT for Kyan. It was also the last time the would be spanker walked without a limp.

Now here was Doctor Phil, his chubby face and bald head filling the monitor, and a placid look forced on his face. Kyan meanwhile, considered the good doctor with equal parts of incredulity and contempt.

"Sure and yer arse is hangin out the window Doctor Phil!" Kyan laughed. "There's nae way in fook..."

"Language" Came a calm, almost disinterested reply from the computer screen on Kyan's desk.

The Miran boy's brow wrinkled as his eyes narrowed. And who was this bald head grup now, telling him what was what and what to say... and him being in the Beta Quadrant, all the way back on Miri's Planet? Kyan suppressed an urge to get indignant. After a moment's consideration, he opted to appeal to logic. "You put me in this hamster cage before Doctor Phil, an it turned to shi....erhm.. crap. you remember what happened to ole Spanky McGee right? So why do you think it'll work this time?"

Doctor Phil smiled knowingly. "Well Kyan, you see we've have fifty years to get this right for you, and I think you're going to be surprised. He then launched into an unsolicited explanation.

"You see", he began "We've always placed you with Human parents, who had formal training and didn't have children of their own."

Kyan shrugged. "Yah so? Isn't that what you told the grups at the conference?" he asked. "You said that two parents and no kids was best so that the grups can focus on just the kid?

Doctor Phil's howls shook as he nodded. "Yes, in most cases that's true. But you aren't most cases are you?"

Even a ten year old can tell when he's being buttered up. Kyan had the advantage of also being a Starfleet trained interrogator himself. He was flattered of course. Who wouldn't enjoy being told that they were special? A cheeky confirmation died on his tongue as Doctor Phil continued.

"So we've already put calls out for two volunteers there on Katra Station. As soon as we hear back from them you'll be able to move in and begin your therapy."

"Ok but what if I'm after deciding not to do it?" Kyan replied. "What then?"

Doctor Phill shrugged. "Well, then you'd be on vacation, and I'd talk to the Chief of Behavioral Health for Starfleet Gamma Quadrant Operations. you'd be sent here to the the therapy. In any case, your commission is deactivated until you're cleared by Doctor Jyur."

Kyan sat back, resignation evident on his face. "Fine." he sighed. "But you better pick good grups this time, an no mistake. They better be interesting!"

Doctor Phil nodded. "Don't worry. I'll be back in touch tomorrow. Til the, pack your bags. Oh! And try not to be late for school tomorrow!"

Kyan was about to tell him where he could stick the school when the connection went black. "Stupid grup!" he muttered as he hopped off the chair to go and pack for the move.

[Sirol]

< Katra Station / Sirol's quarters >

The opportunities causality seemed to throw at Sirol lately certainly had been"¦ Unique"¦ If not to say enriching.
Between her too few actual duties and her private cultural studies, her assistance with the hatchling Emerald had proven to be a joy and fulfilment to the scientist.
For once did her particular role and involvement with the Tholian people as a whole serve as a useful resource for everyone involved, but also had she come more and more to the conclusion that - at this stage - she was practically co-parenting the child. And she relished every minute of it.

While she had not received the chance to adopt and parent a child herself, she was lending substantial aid here, which was - most likely - as close as she would ever be able to get to her life's dream of parenthood, so it came as no surprise that she also had been among the first volunteers aboard Katra who had added their names to the pool of people willing to partake in the project that was called "˜Immersion Roleplay Therapy'.
Not just did it cross her very own field of expertise, but - even more so - it was a good and important cause.

Almost everyone on Katra had immensely suffered during the last few months, and the abuse, both the Station as well as her inhabitants had to endure, was nothing to quickly heal with a few friendly words and time off-duty.
War. War never changes...
A substantial part of Katra's residents had been unspeakably stressed at best and horribly traumatised at worst; in dire need of therapy, with - due to a limited (normally sufficient) number of qualified counselling personnel - their needs bare and neglected in many cases, and the process of distributing counselling rolling out slower than both, counsellors and clients alike would have preferred to...

As with the case of Kyan Mackenzie, the situation was a bit more complex than a regular trauma gathered in combat.
It had been an easy task for Sirol to deduce that he would be the subject client in question here, as he was the only (registered) Miran aboard.
His psyche was unlike that of most cultures out there, not due to socialisation alone, but also the very unique mental, emotional and even physiological development of his species.
Back when they had first met, the scientist had not been aware of his culture and at first had mistaken him for a child. Only after further amounts of research about his home world in particular had she gained a sufficient understanding of what - and to an extent who - he was:
A strange paradox, but - more important than that - a very real person with real needs nevertheless.
A comrade in need, actually.

As a cultural specialist, as well as someone - hopefully well enough versed with the Miran culture - but also as a responsible minded and parental personality, she had seen it as pretty much her civic duty to volunteer.
So she had reached out to Doctor Phil and delivered profound insights into both, her motivation as well as her - hopefully sufficient - qualifications that came with her particular work- but also private expertise.

Now all she could do was wait.
Wait for feedback and - hopefully - the chance to make herself useful even outside of her work with Xasik, Emerald and the Tholians.

[Kyan Mackenzie]

Federation Subspace Network
Message to: Lieutenant J.G. Sirol, Sciences, Katra Station
From Dr. Dennis Phillips pHD.

Lieutenant Sirol,
Good morning! (Or afternoon, evening, etc.) I recieved your volunteer application today for the caretaker role in the Immersion Roleplay Therapy (IRT) treatment for Lieutenant Kyan Mackenzie on Katra Station. I first want to say thank you for volunteering. It is becoming more and more difficult to find qualified volunteers for this program, and especially so when the setting is as remote as the Gamma Quadrant. I'm sure that you have many questions about the program and I will do my best to answer them here. I'll give you a brief rundown of the program, its goal, and the patient you'll be working with here, and then feel free to ask anything further in subsequent mesages.

The main thing we are looking to do here is to suspend the external stimuli which are causing issues for our patient. In Kyan's case, I understand that he was recently injured during an attack on the station and has been experiencing nightmares and other issues stemming from that. According to your counselor, this has made it hard for him to function in his role as Chief of Security there. So what we're looking to do is remove him from those stressors, and give him "age appropriate" stimuli for a while. If you agree to participate, then Kyan will live with your family for the duration of the IRT, go to school with children his own "age" and partake in the same activities that they do.

As I'm sure you're aware, the idea here is a to create an environment for our patient that is as authentic as possible. Luckily, Mirans are very good at suspending disbelief and "playing along" so to speak, so I think you'll find that once he gets acclimated to his temporary routine, that part will take care of itself, for him at least. I'm certain that there will be some initial friction as everyone gets settled but the important thing is that you commit to your role as caregiver. Set boundaries and rules. If Kyan wants to discuss his issues with you that's great but if not, thats ok too. The main thing is that he is safe and separated from his duties and any other responsibilities with Starfleet. It might be difficult at first to interact with him outside of your current professional dynamic but it is important that you do so. If it helps, for the duration of IRT, Kyan's Starfleet commission is deactivated. He is a civilian for the duration of IRT.

So now for the goal of the program. Our goal here is to let Kyan work through his issues and get back to "normal" function. Obviously given his unique situation, that's different for him, but n talking with your counselor, we have a pretty good baseline of what "normal" looks like. Usually this will take around thirty days, but in some cases more time is needed. At the end of the 30 day period, you and your spouse will have a subspace call to discuss the process and chart any progress made. Together with Kyan, we'll make a choice then on whether the program is finished, or needs more time.

Now to the patient. as I'm sure you're aware from your professional interactions, Kyan is an interesting person to work with. I conducted his initial psychiatric evaluation upon his entering the academy in 2346, so he and I have a history together. One thing that you may catch on to quickly is that he approaches most interactions with adults as though it's a tactical situation. Most Mirans are somewhat suspiscious of grown ups of any species, some more than others. Kyan falls into the "more than others" category. This is a good trait to have for a Security Officer, and has probably been exacerbated by his time in that field.

While me might show an enthusiastic interest in you or whatever the two of you are doing, he's also sizing you up. If he suspects that you're being disingenuous with him or attempting to trick him into something, he will put the shields up right away as the saying goes. I have observed adults attempt to gain compliance with him in a lot of ways (misdirection, flattery, bribery, quid pro quo, etc.) that tend to work with most boys of his age and anything short of complete honesty usually fails.

Kyan is willfull, independent, and has a very vivid, active imagination. He plays a mean game of chess, and loves to tell and hear stories. If you are a good story-teller, then you're already half way home. I advise you to brush up on your Romulan folklore if you haven't already, or just make up some new material. It will be very helpful to you.

I'll attach a copy of his last Starfleet Psychological evaluation, which might help you gain some insights in how to proceed. And if you need anything else from me, please feel free to ask.

Again, thank you so much for volunteering for this. I lok forward to working with you. And please do not hesitate to message me with any questions or concerns that you have.

Sincerely
Dr. Dennis Phillips p.HD
Director of Behavioral Health, New York Medical Complex, Miri's Planet

[Xasik]

[Katra Station | Xasik's Quarters]

Looking up from his padd, Xasik watched his child rolling around the living area of their quarters, exploring everywhere they could in their Environmental Containment Sphere (ECS), or hamster ball as he affectionately called it. Emerald was growing stronger and more curious with each passing day, and each day finding new ways to get into trouble.

Earlier Xasik had received an interesting request from someone who called themself Dr Dennis Phillips, a request to foster a Miran for "œImmersion Roleplay Therapy" in which the person in question would come to stay with him and he would act like their parent while they got the chance to act and live at their physiological age. The idea itself was an interesting one and he had taken the time to carefully consider it. He had done background research and confirmed that this was legit. He was very careful about who he let into Emerald's life and wanted to make sure there was no danger to his child.

He had composed and sent a reply to Dr Phill, accepting the request on the condition that it take place within his own quarters as his current child had very specific needs that this area was already equipped to handle. He had more than enough space to host the foster and the other "˜parent'. His request for his arrival on Katra Station had been for quarters big enough for him and his child. He had expected something small, a living room with two bedrooms and a bathroom, but what he had gotten was bigger than that. He assumed that his request had been processed as a family situation and the quarters he had been assigned had three bedrooms, a living room with a small kitchenette on the side and a bathroom. He had tried to appeal the assignment and request smaller quarters so he wouldn't be taking space from a family that needed it. His request had not been answered so he assumed there was no immediate need for the space.

He had set one bedroom up for himself, and had set the second up for Emerald, complete with the environmental needs a Tholian would need to be comfortable out of their suit, using technology similar to that found in the quarantine room of the Simulation Lab. Everything in Emerald's room was designed to be able to withstand the heat so that when they were a little older they would have a safe place to relax out of their suit. For now though, the Tholian hatchling was still depending on Xasik to keep them safe and healthy and still slept in the environmental tank he had set up next to his bed.

The third bedroom he had simply been using to store the samples he was working with as well as his own personal collection. Luckily Xasik was an organized Reman. It wouldn't take him long to empty the third room. Everything in there was stored in labelled boxes. He could probably store his stuff in the lab storage room for the time being. Or if that wasn't an option, he could rent storage space for a month. He was earning more than he needed so the second option wasn't a problem.  Still, he would prefer to store his stuff in the lab where he worked most days so he could keep an eye on it.

He decided that there was no time like the present and tapped his comm badge to check if it was alright.
"Specialist Freeman to Lieutenant Sirol." He rolled his eyes and grinned as Emerald started to squeak excitedly at the chirping of his badge. "Quick question. Do you think it would be alright if I stored some stuff in the lab storage room. It's mostly the samples I've been sent and some of my private collection. I usually keep it in the spare room in my quarters but I've been asked to take part in something called Immersion Roleplay Therapy so I'll need the room to host my guests." 

Xasik picked up an excited Emerald and placed them in a play pen he had set up in the living room to keep the little one safe before he turned on the holoscreen and flicked through the channels until he found something child appropriate to keep Emerald entertained. He gritted his teeth as tacky music and bright colours filled the room but it was worth it. Emerald waved their arms excitedly and started squeaking in time with the music as they enjoyed the program.
Xasik used the time to start cleaning out the spare room. In no time he had all the boxes stacked by his front door, ready to be taken to storage. A quick dust and vacuum of the room and it was ready for an occupant. It was a little sparse though so Xas decided he would have to decorate it a bit later.

Emerald's room was just as easy to prepare. He hadn't yet activated the environment in there so he could enter freely without his EV suit. It didn't take long to pack all Emerald's unused things away into their places as well as making room for another guest to stay in there. Everything Em needed was in Xasik's bedroom. He would tidy the living room before his guests arrived but for now he was done.  He returned to the living room and switched the holoscreen off, much to Emerald's disgust. The hatching squeaked angrily but was quick to quiet down when picked up. They began to chirp happily as Xasik took them into his room and transported them into their EV tank before inserting a nutrition pallet to feed them.

Once Emerald was happily feasting on their pallet, Xasik turned his attention to the fish in a bowl next to Emerald's tank. The fish had been a present given to Emerald on their hatching day. Xasik had jokingly asked the Tholian hatchling what they should name it. He hadn't been expecting a reply from his newly hatched child but had burst into laughter when the child had squeaked in response.
Squeak the fish was now a part of the family and a constant source of entertainment for Em, the hatchling often watching the fish until they fell asleep.
Xasik sprinkled a pinch of fish food into the fish bowl before he settled into his bed to rest a little,  making sure to check his padd to see if he had a response from Dr Phill.

[Kyan Mackenzie]

Federation Subspace Network
Message to: Mr. Xasik, Katra Station
Message from: Dr. Dennis Phillips pHD,

Mister Xasik,

I was very happy to receive your reply regarding my request regarding Immersion Roleplay Therapy. We can begin as soon as you are ready. As of this message I have already contacted Ms. Sirol and Lieutenant Mackenzie and notified them of your acceptance. As you have familiarized yourself with the program, I won't go into any more detail it here. But if you have further questions, or if any issues arise over the next month please do not hesitate to contact me.

I'm not sure how much interaction that you've had Kyan in your time on Katra so I will include a few things here of which to be mindful. Chiefly, Kyan is less than enthusiastic about entering into the program again. He has been placed in IRT a few times in the past, and while it works for him generally, he can be a handful when forced to do things that he doesn't have an interest in doing. Typically we've observed him attempt to get the foster parent to quit the therapy by misbehaving in a variety of ways. This was successful last time, which was about fifteen years ago.

Oh, speaking of that, please don't use corporal punishment as a way to gain compliance. It won't work, and there's a good chance one or both of you will end up in the infirmary.

Kyan, like most Mirans is fascinated by other species and will no doubt have many questions regarding Reman history and culture. He's especially interested in military history and things of that nature so if you have any experience in that arena, feel free to share it with him. It will probably serve you well in building a relationship with him. I've also enrolled him at the station's school in the year six class. He already has an education obviously, but going to school and interacting with other children is always a big part of the therapy. It's more about social interaction than curriculum anyhow.

I have enclosed a list of extra curricular activities available for children on the station as well. I understand that there is a Parises Squares team, but given his recent injuries that might not be a good idea. When I spoke to Kyan last I told him about the Scouting troop on the station. He was interested in it so I took the liberty of signing him up. If you were interested in being one of the adult volunteers, it would be a good activity for both of you. If not, there are the other activities also.

Yourself and Lieutenant Sirol are the first non-human Fosters that we've had in the program, and I believe that you will be a much better fit for Kyan particularly than some of the past volunteers. I'd also mention that if things go well and you are interested, I'll keep your names on the lidt for the next time Kyan or another Miran needs to utilize the program. as there are a only a handful of them currently in Starfleet, it wouldn't be a frequent thing, but certainly much more convenient for them than coming all the way back to Miri's Planet. But there I go getting ahead of myself. We'll see how this goes first, but for some reason, I'm optomistic!

So thats about it. I'll tell Kyan and Lieutenant Sirol to expect to move into your quarters in the next few days. And again, thank you for volunteering!

Best Regards,
Dennis Phillips, PhD.
Director of Behavioral Health, NY Medical Complex, MP

[Kyan Mackenzie]

:: Crew Quarters | Katra Station ::

For Security Crewman Harry Rickobert Gervais, today was the culmination of a week from Hell. First was Monday. Monday was bad on it's face. It didn't need a special reason to be terrible. But of course there WAS a special reason. Harry's mind wandered to that fateful day as he stood my and endured this latest bit of what a counselor might call hazing.

It had all started out.. ok. He was nearing the end of his shift when a fight broke out in Brewhaus Gamma. Because of course the drunk bastards had waited until he could taste the freedom before doing their dumbassery. And of course Harry was the first from his patrol team to arrive. So he went in and spotted the combatants right away. The DJ, a Human names Dalton Thomas Franklin, or DJ DTF as he was known among most of the club goers, was being accosted by an Andorian, a Bolian, and a Benzite.

Apparently DTF had offended them with a song choice. When Harry had approached them and asked what the problem was, the Andorian explained it. He said that the DJ had not only singled them out, but that he was being deliberately racist, AND it wasn't the first time. The Benzite, a junior Lieutenant who Harry recognized from the Science Department agreed. Apparently, the DJ had played a song called "I'm Blue" by a music group from the 20th century on Earth known as "Eiffel 65". The Andorian was incensed. The Benzite Lieutenant was...irritated? Could Benzites get irritated? But the Bolian... he was the harbinger of doom.

When he turned to give his interpretation of the events, instead of speaking, he vomited al over the front of Harry's uniform. Of course it was the most foul smelling stuff he'd ever smelled, but that wasn't the worst part. The worst part was when his stomach acid started eating away at his uniform. By the time the rest of his team got there, Harry was standing in the middle of the dance floor in nothing but his underwear. And that was just Monday.

On Tuesday, he had to go to the infirmary because he forgot to set the safety on his phaser and stunned himself in the foot.

Wednesday was quiet, but that was because he spent his entire shift cleaning the brig cells. The Lurian who'd just left his cell was preceded by a Caitian. That Lurian was also allergic to feline fur. So in addition to the fur all over the place, there was snot everywhere too.

Thursday saw another fight in the Brewhaus, in which no one was injured, but one of the combatants was a Betazoid, who told everyone in the place that Harry was thinking things that he shouldn't have been when he arrested him. And then he elaborated on exactly what those thoughts were. He was telling the truth of course, which made it even worse.

Which brought him here, today. Today, Harry found himself standing in the quarters of his department head. He'd been handed the task of watching Kyan pack his things so that he could move in with that Civilian Scientist named Xasik for a month. Supposedly it was for some kind of therapy thing. From what the Chief had said, Kyan's commission was deactivated until it was done. The Chief had also mentioned that Kyan might try and slip some things into his bag that he wasn't supposed to have. Harry had been on Katra for almost as long as the diminutive officer, so he knew what that meant. Namely, knives, brass knuckles, and other assorted weaponry.

Kyan wasn't happy with that particular edict from the counselor. A fact which he shared freely and adamently.

"Buncha no good grups the lot of em!" he'd fumed as he stuffed clothing into the starfleet issue duffel. "After sayin that I got the PTSD. And I gotta go back tae school the now! Teachers! And me, a tactical officer in Starfleet... made tae be going and s'posedly learning about how tae do numbers and learnin about which fat grup it was what made which stupid decision what led to which stupid law getting signed!"

Harry really didn't know what he was supposed to say. It id sound kind of dumb to him, but then he wasn't a psychologist was he? And Kyan wasn't exactly a "normal" officer. "Ehm... yeah... that's rough boss." he offered quietly, looking around the room. He'd never been in here before of course, but it looked pretty much like he expected it to look. Most of Kyan's collection of bladed weapons and other assorted tools of the trade were laid out on the desk in the corner. One of the things that Harry had to do was check them against the inventory. So he knew they were all there. He'd have to re-check when Kyan was finished too. More awkwardness.

Kyan also had a pretty extensive collection of action figures, most of which were scattered about the room. Harry picked one up and examined it. It was a Starfleet Captain from the 22nd century. He could tell by the greenish gold shirt. "Hey is this Captain Kirk?" he asked, holding it up.

Kyan came by and snatched it from him, throwing it in the duffel with several others. "No." he answered in passing. "It's fookin Garth of Izar. Kirk is over there." he pointed to a sort of cobbled together slab with various implements attached to it which looked like a torture device. There were three Klingon figures standing around it, each with a plastic batleth in their hands. Kirk was strapped to the thing with adhesive strips.

"Them's Kor, Kang, and Koloth." Kyan mentioned. "And they're the first edition too. Smooth foreheads an all, before they got the surgery tae fix their ridges from the augment virus!"

Harry raised an eyebrow. He wasn't to far removed from playing with action figured himself, and he'd never even seen a first edition Klingon. "Wow!" he said earnestly. "Those would fetch a good price at auction.

Kyan stopped and looked at him as though he'd just said something stupid. "They're not fer sale."

Harry walked over to examine them. "Yeah but if you did want to sell them is all I'm saying."

"I don't." Kyan replied. "An even if I did, they won't buy them on account of I took them out of the package they came in. The grups what gave em to me said don't do that... but I did see. And now they're worthless. Except tae me, which is how it's supposed to be so it is."

And after a pause, Kyan continued. "An even if I was after getting paid for em, I cannae do it now. They haven't gotten their revenge on that Orion skirt chaser Kirk!"

Harry nodded, unsure of what to say next. As it turned out, he didn't have to worry about it. Kyan had plenty to say.

"An can ye even believe it the now but these great bags o shite got me hook up wit the Scouts? Yeah. I'll be in the Cubbies this time next week. Goin on campouts on the holodeck with em and earnin merit badges and stuff so I will, the creatures!"

"Oh! I was in Scouts when I was a kid." Harry offered enthusiastically. "It was alot of fun. We went camping all the time. We used to tell ghost stories around a campfire, and go on hikes. I loved it."

"Well I do like stories." the little Miran mused. Then he took one more look around the room before finally zipping up the duffel back and slinging it over his shoulder.

"A'right." he said finally. "C'mon then. Let's get it over with." And with that he walked out the door and into the corridor.

[Xasik]

[Katra Station | Xasik's Quarters]

Xasik

Xasik stared at the reply he'd received from Dennis Phillips before eventually responding that he was ready to receive his guests. He still couldn't believe that he had agreed to something like this. He had only just become a father for the first time and now he was volunteering to play "˜dad' to someone much older than he was. It was such a strange thought, but then again, anything was possible in The Federation.

He did a quick check through his quarters to make sure everything was in order. He had fully furnished his spare room and Emerald's room to make his guests more comfortable, and he had even remembered to make sure that Emerald's room was habitable. Little Pebble was not yet old enough to stay in their own room by themself so they had been sleeping in an EV tank on the table beside Xasik's bed so the only change for the little one would be the addition of two more people living in the quarters.

Emerald knew something was happening. All day they had been following Xasik around the quarters while he cleaned and tidied up, peeping and chirping curiously as new areas to explore were opened up to them. More than once they had nearly tripped the Reman over by getting underfoot but luckily no accidents had happened"¦..yet. Xasik would have to be sure to warn Sirol and Kyan of Emerald's habit of rolling as close as possible to investigate whatever you were doing. Emerald had also recently started to sneak up behind him as quietly as possible before squeaking as loudly as they could, startling Xasik every time. More than once he had sworn in Reman in surprise. Luckily they only startled him in their Quarters so his cussing had never fouled unsuspecting ears. He was certain Emerald enjoyed his shouts because they giggled their little squeaky giggle every single time.
.
He had considered putting a toy that jingled in the ECS ( Environmental Containment Sphere) so that Emerald wouldn't be able to sneak up on him and give him heart attacks anymore, but the more he thought about it, the more he didn't like that idea. Not only would the constant jingling of a bell be super annoying but he would also spoil the fun his child was having. This was a game they had created all by themself and he didn't want to discourage them from being creative and having fun, so in his mind the lesser evil was to allow Emerald to continue playing their game and startling him. He would have to warn Kyan and Sirol about that too. He didn't want them accidentally yeeting his child with their foot in surprise.

Looking at the time, Xasik realized that his guests would be arriving soon. He was nervous, he had never had guests before. Since arriving on the station he had very rarely had anyone visit him in his quarters. His little robotic vacuum (Space Roomba) had been working overtime doing it's rounds to make sure there was no trace of rock dust to be found. He watched as the dinner plate sized disk rolled past him with Emerald in hot pursuit. That was another game the young Tholian had created. They would chase the vacuum around and try to bounce their ECS on top of it. Of course they would roll off again immediately but that seemed to be part of the fun. Xasik smiled as Emerald pounced onto the vacuum, rolled off and giggled as they chased after it again.

"Be careful Little Pebble," Xasik chuckled. "Don't you break our little maid there."

It wasn't long before he began to pace as he started going over his mental checklist. He had cleaned, tidied, and furnished the rooms. He had even stocked up on real food and snacks. His replicator had been serviced and was working perfectly, as had his sonic shower. Was it normal to be so anxious about having guests? The Romulans he had served had never appeared as anxious as he felt when having company around, but then again, they had others to do all the preparation work for them.

Looking at the time again, the Reman grunted and turned the lighting level in the living room up 15%. It would allow Kyan to be able to see properly but it wouldn't be too harsh on his or Sirol's eyes. The bedroom lights could be adjusted independently to suit the occupants comfort level. He would leave that up to his guests to find the setting they liked best.
He turned on the holoscreen and flipped through the channels until he found a child's program that Emerald would enjoy and to give his quarters some background ambiance.

He almost jumped out of his skin when he heard the comm pad on his door chime.
"œIt's open, come in," he called to his guest as he settled himself down. "œMake yourself at home."

-------------

[Katra Station | The Sharp One's Den]

Emerald

Something was happening. The Sharp One (Xasik) could not stand still. He was moving around the den and moving things around. It was very exciting to be able to explore all the new spaces The Sharp One was making, but Emerald did not know why. This was not like The Sharp One. He was more jumpy than usual. Emerald had made him grunt in surprise more than usual, which was funny, but never had they gotten him so many times before.

Emerald very quickly lost interest in why The Sharp One was acting so strange. They had places to explore and a flat bubble (Space Roomba) to chase! They spotted it on the other side of the den and rolled after it, determined to catch it! Once they were close enough to it they bounced their bubble and jump/rolled onto the flat bubble, giggling as they fell off again.
"œPeep peep eep chirp peep peep squeak!" They giggled and tried again, and again. One day they would not fall off and would ride the flat bubble around!

Their game ended when they heard the sound of squeaking and soft music.
"œChirp! Squeak peep!" They called excitedly as they rolled over towards the moving wall (holoscreen) to watch the colours and  enjoy the music and squeaking.
It wasn't long though before the opening wall (door) squeaked and Emerald squeaked back in surprise. That sound meant someone new was here! With excitement Emerald raced to the opening wall to greet them.
"œSqueak! Peep peep chirp squeak peep click!" They called excitedly as they booped their bubble into the legs of the guest before The Sharp One scooped them up and grunted something at them.

[Kyan Mackenzie]

:: Xasik's Quarters | Katra Station ::

As the two of them approached the doors to Xasik's quarters, Kyan spared Crewman Gervais a sidelong glance. "Alright then." he spoke up. "I'm here so I am, and yer job's done. Tell'em I said not to let no aliens or terrorists wreck the place whilst I'm here weavin baskets an playin at house."

Gervais nodded. He was nearly as eager as Kyan for this job to be finished. He had big plans at Cloten's tonight with one of the Dabo girls. Not that he hadn't had big plans before, which had more often than not ended not with the Dabo girl, but with a padd and a bottle of the finest Risian skin conditioner. But this time! he thought hopefully, would be different!

"Ok boss. Have a good time." he answered, turning to leave.

Kyan barely acknowledged him. His mind was firmly in the here and now, and locked in a battle of two competing ambitions. The first ambition was governed by his innate curiosity. Specifically, it was curiosity about what living with a Reman, and Romulan, and a Tholian baby would be like. The other ambition was to foil the plans of Doctor Phil and get back to his own life.

The latter was based merely on principle. Kyan Mackenzie was not now, nor had he even been, fond of having his choices made for him. And for the next thirty days, they would be. When to wake up and go to bed, what to eat, and what to do with his time. He was really hoping that Sirol and Xasik wouldn't be the overbearing types. He'd only met them before briefly, usually in passing, so he didn't have a strong inclination either way on that front.

Another thought that had been creeping up was that this whole thing might be good. After all Remans and Romulans weren't Humans were they? They didn't have the same... ideas about how kids were supposed to behave did they? Hopefully not. The last thing he needed was to have a couple of uptight grups dictating things!

Kyan heaved a sigh. "Welp," he said to himself, soto voce. "Let's be about it then!." Then he reached out and rang the chimes. After hearing Xasik's voice from inside, Kyan stepped through the doors into the expansive and dimly lit quarters. His first thought was that they weren't bad... and Xasik had a television?

His second thought was to give the mandated Hi thanks for lettng me come and stay with you which he wouldn't really have meant, but it was pre-empted by something bumping into his leg. Mildly startled, he looked down and smiled. It was Emerald! the baby Tholian that Xasik was raising. She'd gotten bigger since he saw her last.

"Merry Met again little one!" Kyan greeted her as Xasik scooped her up. "And to yerself as well Mister Xasik. It's nice yer quarters are and bigger than I thought they'd be too."