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[[Xasik's Quarters | Katra Station]]

[Xasik's Quarters | Katra Station]

Cracking one eye open groggily, Xasik glared at the EV tank set up beside his bed before looking at the time and groaning. It was early, far too early and yet his child insisted upon waking him up at the same time every morning with their ear piercing squeaks and chirps.
"Emerald, please." Xasik begged tiredly and rolled over, pulling the pillow over his head to try and block some of the squeaking out. Emerald however seemed to have other ideas and simply increased the volume of their squeaks until Xasik couldn't ignore them anymore. "Alright, I'm up! Good morning Little Pebble" He sat up and yawned, stretching his arms above his head to stretch and crack his back. "Excited for our trip huh?"

Emerald seemed delighted as they watched Xasik sit up and stretch. "Click! Squeak! Peep peep peep!" They happily chirped at him. Xasik smiled despite his tiredness. "I know I know. You want to see Sirol. Well, good news is that she's coming with us. We'll see her soon."

He reached over and attached a nutrition pallet to the side of Emerald's EV tank to feed the child while he got ready to depart. He made sure the child was fed and happy before taking a quick sonic shower to freshen up.
It didn't take long for the Reman to be ready to leave. He had packed his bag the day before. A couple of sets of fresh clothes, Emerald's nutrition pallets and a couple of EV suits were all that he would need. Tholia would require him to wear an EV suit or he would fry instantly.

With a quick look around his quarters to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything, Xasik proceeded to safely transfer Emerald from the EV tank to the more portable Environmental Containment Sphere (ECS) for their journey. Emerald squeaked excitedly once they were in the ECS and wiggled around a little to get comfortable. They were getting stronger by the day and could now roll the ECS around on the ground and explore. Inside the ECS were a few of Emerald's favourite toys, including their all time favourite, a small squeaky ball given to them by Sirol.

When he was sure he had everything he needed, Xasik threw his bag over his shoulder and picked up the ECS and left his quarters to head towards the Docking Bay. He stopped only briefly to grab a coffee, making sure to hail Sirol and ask if she would like a coffee as well.

"Specialist Freeman to Lieutenant Sirol. I know you're already awake. I'm grabbing a coffee, want me to get one for you too?" He yawned as he was talking to emphasis his point before getting the two coffees and making his way to the Docking Bay. Once there he stood in the agreed upon meeting place and waited, an isolated corner out of everyone's way, placing Emerald down to roll around a little bit and explore. Xasik made sure to keep a close eye on his mischievous child.

"Xasik to Captain Eydis, Emerald and I are in the Docking Bay and ready to go. Just waiting on Lieutenant Sirol to arrive."  He sipped his coffee, pulled a funny face and waited.

Character(s) affected: Xasik Freeman
Assigned ship(s): Katra Station
Period of time absent: 08/08/21 - 01/09/21 (23 days)
Date of last period of activity: 08/08/2021
Date returning: 1st Sept

Any relevant comments: Stress and anxiety levels are skyrocketing as my body adjusts to new medication. (I may return earlier if my body and mind allow it)

Character(s) affected: Xasik Freeman
Assigned ship(s): Katra Station
Period of time absent: 22/07/21 - 9 days
Date of last period of activity: 22nd July
Date returning: August 1st

Any relevant comments: Current mission is too stressful and anxiety inducing, being ripped away from a comfortable pace and forced into a situation I wasn't comfortable with. Having any character forced to do something the player isn't okay with is really stressful. I can not keep up.
Kyle is aware of my situation, we have spoken about this.

[[Katra Station | Simulation Lab]]

[Katra Station | Simulation Lab]

Nervous.

He was nervous.

But "˜nervous' didn't seem to cover it. His heart was beating in his throat and his chest felt like it would explode. He had contacted the Tholian embassy to request assistance with his egg and they had responded with the assurance that they would send someone to assist and assess his situation. Lieutenant Sirol had even offered to act as translator for him. She was already involved and aware of his situation and he felt comfortable with her assistance. He had been relieved at first for things with his egg to finally be moving forward, but now that the time was drawing nearer, he was as nervous and anxious as an insect running the gauntlet of the Reman mines at meal time. He hadn't felt this way since he had been selected to undergo combat training as a child. He hadn't even felt this anxious while escaping from his former masters with his fellow slaves.

This was a whole new level. He was pacing the room like a caged animal in between picking up random objects and putting them down again. His lab coat, dark and iridescent in the style of Reman uniforms, was swishing behind him as he walked. If he had had the lights up brighter, the material may have even thrown off prismatic reflections across the lab. He could hear the fabric rustling and rubbing as he moved but he hardly cared at the moment. His footsteps were light and fast and he reached one side of the lab quickly before turning back.

Was this what being a parent was like? The constant worry for the safety of a youngling under your care and protection always nagging at your mind? Your thoughts always on the welfare of the child? He himself had not really known his own parents and conditions in the mine were harsh and did not really allow for parental bonds to form. He knew he was getting himself into a situation that would change his life forever, but he was also excited and couldn't wait to begin the journey. He had spent several nights laying awake and reading "˜Parenting for Dummies' books to try and prepare himself as best he could. But no matter what, he felt that he would never be prepared enough. He supposed that all parents felt this way.

He had arrived at the lab at least an hour earlier than the arranged meeting time. He didn't want to give off the wrong impression by being late, but even he admitted that being here so early was ridiculous. He shrugged it off and slowed his pacing to pick up his cup to take a sip. The green tea inside was a perfect temperature, hot, but not scoldingly so. It was soothing to his soul and after a few sips he calmed himself down. It would do no good to appear as frazzled as he felt. The last thing he needed was to be deemed unfit to raise his child.
He looked to the canister containing the emerald green, crystalline egg and smiled again. Everything he was feeling and experiencing was worth it. He would do it all again if he had to. He already loved the child inside the egg unconditionally, and that realization had shaken him to his core. He had never pictured himself as a parent, never thought himself capable of raising another life form, and yet here he was preparing to do just that. It was mind blowing and although he would never voice it out loud, he could have used a nice warm hug at that moment.

"œWell, Little Pebble. Today may be the day when your thawing and hatching process can finally begin. I can't wait to meet you, and to teach you about everything you could ever want to learn. It won't be easy, I know, but it will be worth it and even though you can't hear me, I want you to know that I love you and I will always protect you." His face heated up slightly as he realized that he had said that out loud. Anyone walking by would have been able to hear him. He was not used to expressing his softer side to anyone, but he would be as gentle and warm with Emerald as he could be. A rocky exterior would do no good in this situation.

It was out of nervous habit that he checked the time again and realized he had been musing for far too long. His company would arrive soon and he didn't want to be caught daydreaming. That may certainly give off the wrong impression. He placed his cup of tea down onto a bench and reached for his padd to pull up all the necessary paperwork he may be required to show. He almost doubted it, but then again, he felt he could never be too prepared. Looking at the stasis canister again, he smiled and picked it up to cradle it like a baby. It was as much to protect the baby as it was to bring himself some comfort while he waited.
He looked at the time again and sighed. It was very nearly time. They would probably arrive any moment now. He hardened his expression and squared his shoulders. He would not allow himself to come across as weak and unworthy.

[[Katra Station | Holodeck 5]]

[Katra Station | Holodeck 5]

Simulation - Mage War Online

It had been a very long day in the lab for Xasik Freeman. He loved his job, yes, but there were days when things did not go as planned. Today had seen him break multiple samples that he had been trying to carve in a specific way. They would still be useful of course, but he was bummed that his hands were a more shaky today than normal. He had been up most of the night watching over his Tholian egg. Nothing had gone wrong, but he had had a bad dream where something bad had happened and he hadn't been able to sleep since. He probably should have called it quits for the day when he realized that he was too tired to work, but he hadn't because he was stubborn. Finally when he had decided to clock out for the day he realized it was way later than he thought, but by this point he was beyond tired and probably wouldn't be able to sleep for a while yet. So he spontaneously decided that he would pick up an old hobby that he hadn't been able to do in quite some time.

Holo Sim Gaming.

Mage War Online had been the best game he had tried so far and he found that he was craving it. He had made sure that his egg was safe and at optimal environmental levels before heading out in search of an unoccupied holodeck. When he found one he wasted no time entering and getting started. He checked to make sure that the game was available before starting it up and logging in to his account.

Quartzferatu01

He smiled as the area around him transformed from the holodeck to a world of forests, lakes and mountains. He bereaved in heavily and enjoyed the ambient bird sounds of this strange and enchanting world. His avatar was a short, agile and leanly muscled elven woman dressed in medium leather armor with a black cloak for stealth. He knew it was not very original, but it worked for him and he enjoyed playing the character, but it came with downsides too. Playing a female avatar usually attracted the wrong kind of attention, and it wasn't long before the Squeakers noticed his presence in the starting area and began to mass around him. It seemed the Squeakers were out in force today. He tried his best to ignore them but when they wouldn't allow him to peacefully go about getting supplies for adventuring he finally snapped.
The constant questioning on if he was female, of if he would date them, if he would join their guilds and if he needed help was too much. He decided to be direct with them and turned off his voice modifier.
"œListen here you pack of squeaky voiced ferals, I am not a woman, I will not date any of you, I will not join your guilds and I do not need your help. Back off and let me vibe in peace."
He knew that this would not convince them to leave him alone, but he had a plan. The amount of experience, equipment and gold he would get from accepting the challenges they were about to throw at him would be worth it.
"œPVP ME OR SCARED!" Came the first challenge from the swarm of squeakers. Xasik grinned and accepted. This would be fun, although he would have to be cautious because he hadn't played in a while. The rage squeaking fueled his soul.

It took a little longer than expected but finally he accepted and won every duel sent his way. The pack of pubescent anger dispersed with cries of cheating, insults towards his mother and threats of gathering their guild members together for revenge. Xasik had to laugh, and he knew it made him sound like a griefing troll but he couldn't help it. It was fun and he had gained some neat gear and lots of gold to fund his adventures. With a skip in his step he made his way towards the merchant stalls to stock on potions, new weapons and supplies for repairs, weaving through the crowd of other players. He almost forgot to switch his voice modifier back on. He didn't want any more squeakers coming after him for now.

Character(s) affected: Xasik
Assigned ship(s): Katra Station
Period of time absent: one week
Date of last period of activity: Friday 28th May
Date returning: Friday 4th June

Any relevant comments: for ATC level 2