Kelton tr'Radaik

::inclines his head in gratitude to Kavek from beyond the veil:: Hann'yyo, rekkhai. Excellent, excellent log, you two. :)

He left the box on the daise's desk. She would find it when she arrived for her next shift. There would be na note, na explanation. t'Ksa would perhaps be surprised, perhaps suspicious. Perhaps she would recognize the ill source they came from, or perhaps she might acknowledge the possibility of a friendly source among the medical staff, ignore caution, do as tr'Usten wanted her to do. And then Kelton would have to play his role. He played the words over and over again in his mind as he moved rapidly away from the medical bay down the corridor. He was to inform tr'Usten as soon as t'Ksa consumed whatever was in that box he had left on her desk. When he did, tr'Usten's words subtly implied, she would become more...docile. Drugged, then. It took neither Kelton's recent experience nor his medical training to make that leap. And then he would assist tr'Usten in removing the daise'maenek to another ship, one belonging to tr'Usten's "superiors." One of the men who had beaten and drugged Kelton initially, perhaps, and with no doubt hardly better intentions in mind for his daise. The young man's handsome features curled in a silent snarl of frustrated fury, then relaxed abruptly as he slid past another officer into the lift back to his quarters. He didn't like it. There was no way he could like it. But there was no way out, either. He was trapped. From the very moment they had struck him across the head in that back-alley house in Rat'leihfi where he had only wished to do good, they had had him at their mercy. He stepped into his quarters, letting the door shut behind him and setting down the two new vials in what had become their accustomed place -- the top of his desk opposite the bed. They gleamed invitingly, offering the fuzzy, tingling oblivion that had become both a respite and a curse in the last few weeks. But he did not touch them, just sat on the bed and looked at them. What have I become? It would not be a day before the business would commence, perhaps. It was all moving too quickly. There was no time to catch his breath, determine the right course, or any course at all besides the one he had been steered towards. But there was no time to convince himself of that course either. What have I become? The question repeated in his head. He had no choice. If he ignored tr'Usten's instructions, the man would move on t'Ksa anyway, and Kelton's life would merely be forfeit into the bargain. If he assisted, though...it made him little more than an obedient pup, the last jarring drop off the ladder down which he had been slowly descending ever since he had first tasted the hnaev called defloxso. The vials gleamed, and he stared at them silently. Perhaps they could be his respite after all. His rescue. tr'Usten had given him more than his usual supply, after all. One vial, he knew from growing experience, brought half-consciousness, apathy, sensory deadening, muscle relaxation. A vial and a half might bring a true sleep, one long enough to avoid any contact with the business tr'Usten had in mind. The full two vials at once indeed might trace the pathways of his brain with a harsh enough touch that he might need to fear no such choices ever again. But he would still be a pup, na more, in sum total when the drug had done its work. And the daise'maenek would still be at tr'Usten's mercy. He could not simply ignore what he had wrought by his own weakness. He would have to see it through. But to what end...he could not force his mind to grapple with. Ai'okhala, jaeih, u'avilh...what have I become? Making a noise like a groan, he reached out and selected one...only one...of the vials and opened the lid.

Eating was not, if he was to be completely honest, the first thing on Kelton's mind. He needed another dose of defloxso bad enough that his stomach was twisting with it a little bit and if left unattended his fingers were beginning to twitch; the extended shift which had followed his late arrival to the medical bay this morning had taken a toll on him. But he forced himself to remain still in a vague approximation of his usual calm demeanor; he had work to do yet. Daise t'Ksa was accompanying him to a meal, which meant he had a chance — perhaps his only chance — to search out the sort of information which would placate tr'Usten. The craving-fuzz in his brain restrained him from thinking about what might happen after that, and at any rate, there would be na safety for either himself or the daise if he did na follow through. So he picked carefully at the hlai stew before him at their table and tried to keep his expression relatively equivocal as he glanced up from it to t'Ksa who had just sat down with her own plate. "Hann'yyo for joining me," he said, trying to get them off on a comfortable foot. He wasn't sure how much of a wall he had erected with earlier ill behavior. "Au asked. I was hungry." She shrugged a little, picking through the side dish of greens on her plate. "Hann'yyo for asking." “Lleinn'yyo," he answered quietly, looking down again, finally forcing himself to fork a bit of the hlai down in spite of the protestations of his stomach. There was a short silence, and then he spoke again, as casually as possible. "Au keep late hours, rekkhai. I was surprised au were na yet off to au own business…" A little flicker of real curiosity burned behind the haze of his thoughts. Ksa glanced up, a curious look upon her face. She was na used to io of her staff members questioning her motives for the long hours she spent in the medical bay. "Dangers of being a daise. Ship business does na stop...well...unless we're all dead... in which case it does stop. But under most circumstances, it does na end after a normal shift and I'm expected to know what's gone on with each of our duty shifts." "True." Kelton had na really given much thought to what work must go into a daise's schedule (and less thought than usual, lately), but he supposed it must be considerable. "Au enjoy au work?" he asked after another thoughtful pause, watching her expression to see how she would respond to the questioning. Morgana laid her fork down slowly and pushed her plate a way a bit. She took a deep breath before speaking. "Kelton," she used his first name for the first time since his little incident in sickbay. "Au are trying too hard." She leveled a look at him. "What's going on?" It took a great effort of will not to freeze at the question, and he covered the moment by taking another, slightly-too-large bite of his stew. "I…na thing," he said lamely, wincing at how patently false that sounded. Elements…he wanted to tell her. He did na know her particularly well, but in light of how she had treated him during his first addiction, he was pretty sure he trusted her — but he could na afford to risk it. tr'Usten's punishment would be swift and painful…and she would suffer for his indiscretion too. "I am…merely curious, rekkhai," he went on slowly, allowing a slight sheepish expression to show in his features. "I would like to be on good terms with au…today nawithstanding." "Relax, fhaen. Contrary to the rumors au hear, rumors that I must admit I helped populate, I do na bite." She laughed softly, favoring him with a rare smile. "And as I told au before, I accepted au's applogy. As long as au do na repeat the behavior again, quii is menkha." Kelton smiled back faintly, almost involuntarily relaxing though his fingers still twitched a little around his utensils. Good…she was willing to talk. I only wish I could value that for its own sake. "I will na," he affirmed, then gave a slight grin that was na even entirely forced. "So…do au enjoy au work?" "I would na be here if I did na." She was trying na to laugh now. "Try again." He chuckled, trying not to let his pride be pricked at the obvious amusement in her eyes. "Alright then. What else do au enjoy? When au are na working the long shifts." "g'Olf. And au?" She picked up her fork again, starting to pick at her main dish a little. We're na here to talk about me. "Reading, primarily, I suppose," he said slowly, then added dryly, "Na such good exercise; I should get more. How long have au played?" "Since I was dev. My father used to take us. Claimed the outdoor air would do us good. I believe he used it as an excuse to avoid the housekeeper during chore day." She popped a mouthful in her mouth. "Au have na interest in physcial pursuits?" She raised a brow as she look a sip from her ale glass. "Na time, and na skill," Kelton said with a self-deprecating sort of snort. "Au father probably had the right of it, though. It's rare enough we get fresh air aboard ship, too." Housekeeper…she came from a good family, then. He might be able to learn as much by research as by questioning… "Did au grow up on ch'Rihan?" "Ie," she nodded a little. "Au?" "Ie. In Dartha." Fvadt politeness — I do na *need* au to show interest in me…be expansive, rekkhai, hta'dva, for both our sakes…"A nice enough place for a child though I do na miss it much now. Do au family still live there?" "Ie," Ksa took another sip of her ale, she seemed to be smiling behind her glass as she reflected. "I'm sorry au do na miss it much. I can't imagine na missing my home and family." She chuckled softly. "What I hate is the sense of homesickness au get when au first leave on a mission. It used to last weeks when I was an Erein. Eventually, over time and experience, it fades. But even after all these years, there is still a touch present as we prepare to depart." "Well, at least subspace allows au to keep in contact. Were au able to see them when we were there recently? I saw the vids of au award ceremony — some of the names called were clearly of au family." He was listening very closely now. This was information tr'Usten might be interested in. Names...relationships...something. "Ie, for a bit. But not as much as I would have liked," She frowned a bit, starting to stir her food around on her plate. "Things were na....menkha in light of the nanogene incident." "Na. They were na," he agreed with feeling, trying another bite of the stew tiredly. His stomach was complaining almost constantly now and he was not sure how much longer he could keep from showing signs of the drug cravings. t'Ksa was smart, and a maenek…she would pick up on it before anyone if he held out much longer. "I wish it were well behind us…" "I'm afraid it won't be." She pushed her plate away, finding she had little appetite left. "Do au want to know why felt that perhaps au were telling the truth?" The question threw him for a loop and he blinked, puzzled. "Ie." She looked pained for a few moments, staring down at the table and the remains of her dinner for a few moments before speaking. "While I was on ch'Rihan," she took a deep breath. "I was approached by agents of the criminal investigative branch within the Galae. Apparently word about the nanogenes had spread and there was a bidding war going on to see who could get their hands on them first." "I was asked to participate in the investigation for a time. I was shadowed by several members of the unit, made contact with individuals they thought were attempting to obtain the nanogenes covertly, and, well, made a verrul of myself in general." She took a long draw on her ale glass. "It turned my life upside down." "So when au tell au were a victim of some of these individuals," She shuddered. "I...." She stopped, na sure if she could explain further. "Au…?" he prompted, feeling his voice a little stuck in his throat. This conversation was suddenly striking too close for comfort. "I was under protection of the Galae then, but still. When I found out a member of my team could have been subjected to..." She blanched. The guilt was palpable on her face. "I'm so very sorry, Kelton." “Do na—" Kelton began sharply, then paused, calming his tone. "Do na feel guilty, rekkhai…fhaen. Au have na reason. Au treated me when I might easily have received mostly scorn and disbelief, and I am grateful for it." His own guilt burned in his chest. The people she spoke of were the people he was now working for, because he was too weak to resist the power of the drug they offered. "Hann'yyo. But it is still hard to na feel guilty. None of this would have happened if I had just na been so fvadt...fvadt...I don't know." She sighed, pushing back from the table. "I'm sorry, tr'Radiak. I find I do na have much of an appetite any more. Perhaps we can do this again at another time, ie?" Kelton was torn whether to protest for a moment, to try to continue the conversation and learn more before tr'Usten's next 'check-in'. But his stomach gave a hard, painful twist, a final rebellion against the introduction of food rather than drug, and he dropped his eyes to hide his expression, nodding once. "Ie…of course, rekkhai." "Hann'yyo again, I will see au at au's next duty shift. Until next time." Ksa gave him a little bow of respect, then turned on her heels and left the mess hall. Kelton waited a few moments until her footsteps had receded, then glanced over his shoulder to make sure that she had gone. Then he let out a slow, shaky breath and pushed himself to his feet, only with difficulty making himself walk, rather than run, to the door himself. Another dose of the drug waited in his quarters, and he would have to have it soon or the cravings would overwhelm him. He didn't want it, though, not emotionally, not for a moment — and less now than he had an hour ago. He hadn't learned as much as he would have liked from the short talk with tKsa…but there was time, and an opportunity now if he chose to pursue it, but he didn't want to. He would have to come up with some way to fight this situation…he couldn't let this go on.

Low watch on a Rihan ship was a quiet affair, and Kelton was alright with that at the moment; it made for a convenient window in which to eat without having to speak too much. It wasn't that he was averse to conversation -- indeed, his chat with t'Ksa earlier probably qualified as the most sane moment of his day thus far -- but he wasn't sure he felt up to to it; his mind was too jumbled with concerns about the sudden reappearance of defloxso in his quarters. A little food would help to get things into perspective, though, and help him decide what in Arreinye to do about it. He sat in the mess hall, his back against one wall, staring at his plate of hlai with a distracted sort of air, barely noticing as a pair of footsteps stopped next to him. tr'Usten knew his superiors would be furious with him if he did na get this minor maenak under control shortly. They had plans for him, and he had already undone much of the groundwork that they had set. However, in doing so, another avenue opened the way for them. Perhaps they could use him, control him to get access to the t'Ksa woman. He was already discredited, but now she was working closely to not only assist him, but she was also hiding from what she suspected. Fvadting new Daise'Erei'Riov..coming on board and getting her all paranoid. Now they would never end up getting her alone, unless they somehow did it through this tr'Radaik. They would use him to get to know her more, her activities, her family, her friends, her lovers, and they would use that, in turn, to lure her to where they could make a grab for her. But for now...tr'Radaik had to be gotten back under control. tr'Usten had followed him towards the mess hall, and seeing him taking a seat alone, had gone and grabbed a pair of ales before walking over towards him. "A siuren of au time if I may? Were au na the maenak that was inadvertently doused with paint during the security drill the other day?" he asked. Kelton looked up, startled at the abrupt address, and his eyes narrowed in a bemused expression at the dheno officer standing in front of him with drinks. "Ie..." he said cautiously. "An apology then. We did na intend to catch you in that mess. It was to demonstrate the debris pattern of an explosion, and we had, as a joke, only intended to get the Daise Dheno. However, we got au instead. For that, several of us wanted to make amends. It's always a menkha thing to na be on the bad side of the maenak that may have to put us back together some day. If I may." He gestured to the table as he set an ale down before Kelton and pulled out the other chair across from him. Kelton stared at him for a moment, and then smiled faintly. "Ie...sit down, rekkhai," he answered, gesturing to the empty seat before picking up the ale and eyeing it. It was, he thought, a nice gesture -- the paint incident had been a blow to his already sensitive pride, of course, but...it would pass. He felt his mood lightening just a bit and he added, "Hann'yyo," taking a sip. tr'Usten made a noise of near-disgust,"Pfft...na rekkhai, fahd. I'm just a working grunt. tr'Usten, stand guard fahd. tr'Usten, stand over fahd. tr'Usten, go stand out there and try na to get shot. Oh, and au will be first in. So...just a few ales between us low-level grunts, ie?" He held up his ale in a mock salute then downed it all, motioning for more to be brought to the table, but knowing he had already laced that first one himself. Once he got Kelton to relax, then it would be easy to get him to have a few too many, and then take him back to his quarters. Kelton wasn't sure how he felt about being called a low-level grunt, and his smile faded slightly, but he nodded agreeably anyway. "Ie...whatever au rank, I appreciate it." He took a long pull of the ale, then another, noting that tr'Usten had already finished his first, and he felt the ale sting on his tongue in a way he didn't remember before. He set the empty glass down heavily, and rubbed distractedly at the bridge of his nose, looking back towards his drinking partner. "So did au...ah..." he began, then paused, as if trying to remember what question he had meant to ask. "Did au joke go over well with the Daise Dheno?" he asked after a slightly-too-long silence, his back suddenly feeling heavy against his chair. "Pfft...na, na it did na," tr'Usten answered casually. "In fact, the woman was so crazed, she even incarcerated the poor dheno that the Daise'Erei'Riov ordered to do the deed. She's still enraged and has been stalking him ever since, her eyes like kalehs hrrau his back. If it were na for the Daise'Erei'Riov intervening, poor tr'Mikels would still be hrrau the br'tehh. And then, she's still na dealing well with her anger, and during the next drill, she goes in and starts shooting up the new science labs. I hear tell that there was quite a bit of damage." The new ales arrived at the table; tr'Usten took them and set one in front of Kelton. Taking a pull on his fresh bottle, he motioned to the server to bring them a few more on ice. "Ie..." Kelton mumbled, nodding, and the motion seemed to topple him off-balance slightly; he put a hand against the table to steady himself and blinked rapidly a few times. He must be tired; the ale was hitting him with more than its usual force. And why na? I have had a long day of it. The second bottle at his elbow suddenly seemed tremendously inviting, and he picked it up and took a long swallow, sagging back. "Au have a potent store," he commented absently to the server as the man went past. Nodding at he server, to whom he had already given a few strips of latinum to keep the ale flowing, tr'Usten turned back to Kelton, "Ie, if au have had little to eat, it can pack a certain punch. But I'm sure au can handle it, being a maenak has it's advantages I'd assume?" "Normally, ie..." Kelton said, his voice a little thick, letting tr'Ulsten push a third bottle towards him. "Ie.. I am na lightweight, I can handle..." His voice trailed off and the bottle fell from his hand as a sudden wave of fuzzy dizziness went through him. "What...?" he mumbled. This was na right. He was tired, ie, but na this tired, and the blur which he had attributed to the alcohol was starting to take on a distinctly familiar tinge. Oh, na...na, na, na... "What did au do...?" he asked roughly, pressing a hand to his forehead and struggling to focus. It had kicked in so fast the first time too... "Ah my friend, na used to this stronger variety of ale I see. It's the brand that the Khre'Riov favors from ch'Havran, a bit thicker on taste, and..." tr'Usten smirked, lowering his voice a bit, "...thick enough to help hide other unwanted tastes, until it's too late. Perhaps au should have something to eat with that, or perhaps I should see au to au room, before au embarrass yourself? It would na do for au Daise to see au like this, or any one else for that matter, would it now? They might go tell her, or that snooping other one Aife. Or even worse...what about that cute little botanist au have had au eye on? Au seemed to be getting along with that one recently well, ie?" "Au...au drugged me-- au faelirh ch'susse-thrai!" Kelton said, the tone emerging in little more than a harsh, rasping whisper, and he shoved himself forward against the table, trying to reach the man's collar and slamming his own ribs against the wood instead. The fuzziness and tingly warmth of the drug was already moving through him now and he felt thick and heavy. "Na..." he shook his head sharply, as much to try to clear it as to negate the comments from the other man -- because he was right. A feeling of panic settled heavily in Kelton's stomach and he tried unsteadily to push himself from his chair. He could na fall into this again, na again, he had found the strength na to...he had left the vials alone...and they had found him anyway, and the cravings that were cramping with release in his stomach would return -- stronger than before. And na io would believe that he had na gone back to it by choice. "Na..." he rasped again, his movement curtailing itself abortively as he stumbled against his seat. "Fahd, let me help au, my friend." tr'Usten stood and walked around to Kelton, noting a few eyes straying their way. "Do na worry, of course she'll say ie if au ask her to bond with au," he said, deliberately a little too loud, loud enough to throw the others off in the room, so they would go back to their own business and stop paying attention to the maenek. Reaching around to slap the man on the shoulder to encourage him, he stuck Kelton hrrau the neck with a small hypospray, injecting yet another dose of the drug into him, and quickly pocketing the device. "Now, now...before you fall asleep and become dead weight, let's get au back to au room and find a bit more of what makes a lovesick heart heal." They began to move towards the door slowly, and he added in a lower whisper, "Come, come, now, back to au room, before everyone on the ship knows what au are doing. And remember, if au say a word, I'll tell them all I've been investigating au and will tell them where all of au vials are hidden. I'll lock au in the br'tehh and au will na ever see the light of day." The fog spread through Kelton's brain with astonishing quickness with the sting of the hypo and he sagged against his assailant's shoulder, feeling even the anger begin to recede, mercifully, behind the static. "Na," he slurred at the threat. "Na..." He couldn't form the words. Au will na tell, and au will na beat me. Au will na take me down like this. I will na give up my respect again... But all that emerged was the plaintive negation which sounded more like a whine than anything else. "Who are au?" he muttered, trying hard to think, to get a grasp of the situation as he allowed himself to be half-carried out of the mess. "Too much ale," tr'Usten made apologies to several of the others as he removed Kelton from the mess and walked him towards his quarters. "Me? I am just au friend Kelton, and when this is over, do na worry, my superiors will reward au for work well done. But work it will be. If au want to not be in pain, au will do what we ask. We will make sure, that au are well taken care of, if au understand what I mean, ie? And, if au wish to see that pretty Daise Maenak remain in a condition where she is actually breathing, au will do exactly what we tell au to." "Ai'Okhala, Jaeih, u'Avilh..." Kelton said, almost too low to be heard, as the two of them stumbled into the turbolift. "V'rhaen-ao'au..." But he had no strength to back up the invective. He was entirely in the throes of the drug now. And he was terrified. Clearly whoever this man worked for, they were the same ones who had left the defloxso in his quarters, and they meant to have him addicted whether he resisted or na. And they meant to use him. What did they want? What was the purpose of this treachery? What in Arreinye was he going to do now?

In some ways it was difficult to account for the feeling of awkwardness that permeated the table in the Talon's mess. Certainly Kelton could na explain it in himself. He was a child of the political ring and the socialite gathering; he could hold his own in conversation with the best and brightest of the Ra'tleihfi elite, and yet he found himself stepping carefully here with a biologist. Na that there was anything wrong with biologists, of course…but t'Merin was na a politician by any stretch, na io to be intimidated by. Na, the primary reason for his sense of discomfort was obvious, and really had na thing to do with t'Merin at all. He did na trust himself anymore. His days of suffering under the influence of the defloxso drug had led him to question his own capacities of self-control and decorum which were so necessary to his behavior in public. How did one recover one's confidence after such behavior? "Au are distracted, Kelton. Are au na enjoying au food?" "What? Oh…ie, ie, it is fine." He stabbed at a bite of the hlai salad on his plate and speared it into his mouth in silence, then looked across the table at his dining companion with some interest as she in turn dropped her eyes to her food away from him. She was attractive enough, in the fine-chiseled, intense Rihan way, and the little, awkward conversation they had had suggested that she was quite intelligent. But she gave off an uncertain vibe which was somewhat disquieting. Why had she asked him to eat with her if she did not wish to talk? "How long have au been aboard the Talon?" he asked, attempting again to open dialogue. "Four months," she answered, then, as if worried he would interpret this as overt inexperience, looked up hastily and added, "It is my second posting. I did research on ch'Rihan for several years." "Of course," he replied, nodding understanding. One required either connections or experience to end up on a ship like the Talon. He was pretty sure t'Merin did na have the former -- at least na thing like his -- so she must have the latter. "And au?" she asked politely, looking up again from her food to meet his eyes. "Less," he answered honestly. "And it is my first. A great deal of training is required of a maenek before they are allowed loose among the general populace." She surprised him with a laugh at that, and he felt a knot between his shoulder blades loosen gently as she answered, "And better that way too. We would na have au be a child in au first surgery." "True," he answered with some amusement at the mental image this engendered. "I would have myself be…trustworthy." And again that flash of uncertainty. He didn't trust himself now; that word didn't apply. "At any rate," he went on after a moment's silence, "I am still finding my way around, to some degree." She nodded. "I know. As am I." She paused, then added, "Au will settle in. It is not very hard…after a while." She paused again, then smiled slightly. "Unless au have made enemies. Then it becomes difficult." Kelton didn't say anything, just picked up his glass of water and sipped at it. She raised her eyebrows slightly. "Have au made enemies? I mean…there are stories that au punched the Daise Dheno in the jaw but I admit I did na really believe it…" "Do na believe it," Kelton said, a little too sharply, looking up at her intensely. She stared at him, puzzled. "I…" he went on, unsure how to cover this moment of reactivity. "I was…taken ill during leave. And had a very vocal disagreement with the Daise." Not entirely untrue, even. He watched her expression, pleading with her silently to na make this now the central facet of the evening. A friend or two was important right now, and beyond Daise t'Ksa, he wasn't sure who he could trust or respect. "I would na have au believe whatever the gossip has made of it." She believed him; actually she looked a little relieved. "Ie…of course, I do na," she answered with equal earnestness, and he could see at once that she meant it, and the rest of the tension went out of his shoulders. "Good," he answered with a slight smile, feeling more relaxed than he had in several days. It had been a lie, of course, and he disliked that, but her respect was better than her understanding, for now anyway. He needed to feel like he could still speak and act like an intelligent man and an officer, and that he had na wasted her time in offering him a dining companion. The rest…would have to wait until things had suitably blown over. There was another short silence between them, and then he asked, "What brought au into the medical bay? Na only to see if I had punched a dheno, I think." "Na…na. I had to speak to the Daise'maenek," she answered. "About…something." I am na the only one hiding something. Kelton chuckled. "Ah, ie," he said agreeably, letting the question pass without an answer. She looked relieved that he hadn't pressed, and cast about for a change of subject. Best not to linger on things neither of them wanted to talk about, but what else to speak about… "Would au like a plant?" she asked brightly, then winced, as if she'd expected something else to come out instead. Kelton blinked. "What?" "A…ahhh…plant," she said, looking around as if for an escape route. It was so easy to forget that anyone not regularly involved with the biology labs might not be so quick to understand her interest in them. "A small one, that is," she added, as if that would explain everything. "Something for au room. A late housewarming, ie?" She grinned, looking embarrassed, like she wasn't sure she was making sense, but he smiled, knowing that from her perspective, the offer was a compliment. "Ie. I'd like that. But na rush. Finish au meal." He leaned back in his seat, folding his arms, glancing up towards the ceiling with an odd feeling of contentment. Na rush. Na hurry to get anywhere. Na more than a meal, but au have na lost everything, Kelton. There is still hope.

"Koval!" There was, Aryal tr'Radaik reflected, no particular reason why his voice should have quite this much glee infused into the bottom of it. After all, the news he was bringing to his older brother was not exactly good for any of them -- not for Koval in particular, of course, but what was bad for Koval inevitably would fall heavily on himself and Dhael, and by all rights Aryal should be worried right now. Too, the news was by definition a bad sign for Kelton, but frankly the potential disgrace of the youngest Radaik brother was a minor concern compared to the backlash that was about to descend on all of them. However, Aryal's primary emotion as he walked casually into Koval's office was one of absolute mirth. He could na help it. There was something in the makeup of his mind which craved chaos where Koval's craved order, and this latest development was chaos in spades. "Kovaaaaal!" he said, with a sing-song tone over the syllables. "Koval, brother, news from the capital!" "Aryal--" "I know, I know, au are working, brother, but au will wish to hear--" "Come back in an hour, Aryal; right now I'm--" "--what I have to say; Koval, it concerns--" "Aryal!" "Kelton!" Aryal finished with some asperity. "Ie...now au understand," he added with satisfaction as he saw Koval's head rise from his work with sudden interest. Koval scowled. "What has the boy done now?" "Au will never guess," Aryal said gleefully, dropping into the chair across the desk from the other man. "After he departed our house, he returned to Rat'leihfi, ie? He spent the night in a bar near the city's center and na io knows where he went after, but the next morning he was found by two officers...in a garbage heap." Koval's fist clenched tightly. "A...garbage heap," he repeated through his teeth. "Ie...and that's na the worst, brother. He attacked the guards, struck a member of his own crew when they attempted to take him in for his layabout behavior. And I have heard rumors -- na confirmed, mind au, but close enough for reasonable certainty -- that his bloodstream was fouled with defloxso." Koval's eyebrows went up and his voice took on a scrupulously even tone that Aryal knew from long experience meant that he was absolutely furious. "And since when, Aryal, does a son of Galen tr'Radaik roll himself up in that kind of hnaev?" "First time for everything," Aryal offered with a smirk. Koval's fist slammed sharply into the desk and Aryal heard a crunching sound resonate through the wood. "Hta'Dva!" he swore. "I thought when we put him away in the Galae he would cease to be a fvadt embarrassment. Bad enough he had na stomach for political battles, and now I hear he is rolling about amid the drug-rats of the Rat'leihfi sewers?" "Calm auself, brother," Aryal said casually, but Koval ignored him, starting to his feet and beginning to pace, with an intensity that made Aryal begin to feel slightly uncomfortable. "Some of the rumors suggest there is reason to believe that he was na responsible for his condition, that he had been atta--" "Na. Na, his irresponsibility, his...fvadt...veruul...this can na be allowed to continue," Koval muttered, his dark eyes tracing the pattern of the floorboards. The door behind Aryal slid open with a whisper of metal on wood, and Aryal glanced over his shoulder to see Dhael standing there, his eyebrows raised in a silent question. Aryal shrugged. He's...na taking it well... he mouthed, and Dhael nodded agreement, looking troubled. Each of them knew what was going through the others mind -- Koval was becoming increasingly unpredictable; a day ago this same news might have gotten nothing more than a humorless laugh and a wave of dismissal from him. But today...today is an explosion. I should have let Kelton examine him when he offered... Koval looked up, and seeing Dhael leaned against the doorframe, favored him with a slightly lesser scowl than that which the absent Kelton had earned. "Dhael, brother," he said hoarsely. "Au are more skilled than I in matters of legality, so fhaen, listen closely, and do exactly as I say. I want Kelton tr'Radaik wiped from our family, do au understand? We have na younger brother!" Dhael swallowed. "Koval, I do na think--" "I know au do na think, Dhael, which is why I am the head of this family. Do as I say!" There was a short silence as Koval's eyes burned into Dhael, and then Dhael inclined his head slowly. "By au leave, brother," he said quietly, withdrawing into the corridor. Aryal, feeling somewhat stunned, popped to his feet and departed as well, rubbing his palms against the hem of his shirt. Dhael did not wait for him, but began stalking down the hallway away from the office at a speed which forced Aryal to break into a jog to keep up. "Are au going to obey him?" he asked. Dhael shook his head. "Of course na," he said roughly. "The further rumors resulting from such a disownment would be catastrophic. By this time tomorrow Koval will have forgotten he instructed it. But Kelton would be wise to na return here again, na for some time." Aryal grunted. "I do na think that will be a difficult proscription for him."

They left him alone, after that. The battle for the two vials he had found in his boot had been short and painful, but Daise t'Ksa had won, and left him alone now to ponder whether his mysterious kidnappers might have left more defloxso stashed somewhere on his person. I am not desperate. Not desperate. And he wasn't, of course. The defloxso was...one question. More to the point was the question of why he was in this position. Why he had been reduced to lie flat on his back in his own medical bay, begging for a dose of designer drugs from a daise who had fought him to prevent it and a daise'erei'riov who had not even needed his distracted attempt at an explanation to determine that he was nothing more than a drugged-up ryak'na veruul. The question of why he had been cut at the root and made to look like a fool. And whether there was more of the drug somewhere about him that might be used to quell the tremendous ringing in his head. not desperate not desperate not desperate not desperate... It wasn't so much that he wanted more (yes he did desperately he wanted more) as that he thought it might potentially clear his mind somewhat. The withdrawal even from one dose was painful enough that it was difficult to think clearly. And at the moment it was paramount that he think clearly. He had to make them understand that he was not the degenerate he appeared to be (was he? he didn't know anymore...) and that this was a misunderstanding. But he was so distracted by the cravings engendered by that withdrawal that he couldn't form the words in any understandable manner. And that was why he needed more. So he could explain. not desperate just going mad ndak said i was out of my mind There was no more, though. He was restrained to the bed but he could tell that those in his boot had been all that were immediately accessible to him. Perhaps his captors had planted more somewhere else, but not here, not where he had them. There were only those two and one of them had been taken by Aife and the other... she didn't take the other elements where is it where did she put it ...was on the floor. t'Ksa had wrestled it out of his fingers but he had heard it clink and hit the ground and roll when he'd pushed her, with the peculiar sensitivity which seemed to have descended on all his senses including his ears, and it had not been picked up. He tilted his head against the bed, angled it sideways to peer along the contour of the decking, and he could just see the glint of it lying against the base of the console at the foot of his bed. She had let it go and in the chaos of N'Dak's arrival, she had forgotten it completely. it is still within reach His fingers clenched at his sides and his eyes flared with renewed purpose. **** He wasn't sure how much time had passed when the soft step of a boot came from the corridor and Rekar tr'Auren stepped through the door, heading for the dispensary. It must be night's shift, Kelton thought distractedly, not bothering to reflect that it was his own presence in the medbay which would necessitate a return to form during the crew's current leave time. "Rekar," he rasped, drawing the young man's attention from whatever had occupied it. "Rekkhai," tr'Auren returned, averting his eyes in what could have been respect or disgust. Kelton assumed the latter, as it better mirrored his own current opinion of himself, and clenched his teeth against a sharp outburst as the younger man continued speaking. "Jolan tru, Maenek. I have heard au are...unwell; I have been asked to see to a meal for au." a meal and a sedative no doubt au cannot fool me boy or do au really not know "Hann'yyo..." "Llein'yyo." do au really na know what is going on or are au laughing at me secretly... "Would au have something in particular?" "I am na hungry." na for food at any rate...fhaen boy don't merely come here to taunt me "Au must be; Aife says au have na eaten--" "And what does Aife know of what I need?" The words emerged like a curse. "Let me alone or help me but do na play these games with me!" There was a sharp silence, and tr'Auren looked rather puzzled. Kelton stared at him, his chest rising and falling in a silent picture of frustration. Perhaps t'Ksa and Aife really had na told anyone else why Kelton was in the bay. The rusted, gummed wheels in his head began to turn. "What do au need, then?" Rekar finally said slowly. not desperate not desperate au are already pitiful do na be desperate "There is...a vial on the floor," Kelton said slowly. The tone of his voice changed; he struggled to hide the automatic defensiveness, hostility, pleading, everything that this craving drove into him. "The daise...made a very particular prescription...for the injury I sustained during leave...she left a measured dosage for me to take. But it has fallen out of my reach." Rekar's eyebrows quirked up. "Ie, I see it." He bent for it, scooped the small container into his palm. "This is na from our medbay. What is it?" "Defloxso," Kelton said, matter-of-factly. fhaen trust me and do not hear the lie in the truth Rekar blinked. "Defloxso? We have na proscribed that for anything since--" "Ie...ie...I know...I was skeptical myself." His lips twisted in the smile that Koval had used to win so many followers in the weeks after their father's death; it came easily to his face as well. It was in his blood. (politician's son with a politician's tongue) "But I understand in small enough doses it is a very effective painkiller...I trust her judgment." (but i do na know if she believed me did she think as ndak did that i am out of my mind) One eye flicked towards the office, wondering if she would emerge before he had time to convince the young officer. (na time to wait i cannot trust anyone but myself and i need more just enough to clear my head) "Will au administer it for me?" The question in Rekar's mind was obvious. Is this a test? "I...have na yet spoken to the daise," he said carefully, Rihan suspicion written all over the tone. "When I have, I will be happy to--" "Rekar!" Kelton snapped. tr'Auren fell silent, staring at him in blatant confusion. Kelton drew in a deep, shuddering breath, formed his eyes into an expression of near-subservience in the desperation that needed no lie to back it up. "Rekar, it hurts...there's no time...I need it." I need more... The moment had the desired effect. Rekar had never seen the normally-proud arrain in such a spirit of solicitation in the short time both men had been aboard the Talon. Clearly something serious was amiss, and it was entirely possible that to wait long enough to confirm this with with the Daise would be to bring down a great deal of trouble upon himself; delay was no laughing matter among maenekir given how often lives hung in the balance in their business. Kelton could see him weighing his suspicion against Kelton's presumed honesty in his mind, as delicately as he turned over the small vial in his fingers. Then he nodded, with a deft flick of the wrist slotted it into a hypospray. Kelton swallowed, a painful feeling. he feels no reason to disbelieve me...for a few more hours then i have a decent reputation and this is what i use it for...fvadt fvadt fvadt fvadt... But he needed the defloxso. Needed it so he could think. If he could just have the dose everything would become clear. Rekar's hands moved with professional precision and the light hiss of the injection sounded just under Kelton's ear. He took a breath in sharply, felt the heat of the drug entering his blood, and then a thrilling fog flooded into his mind like smoke. There was no clarity there; he had never really thought there would be, but for a moment the cravings receded, and that was enough to elicit a low groan of relief as his head tossed back against the bed. They would return, the cravings and the need for more, but for the moment they were gone. For the moment, he did not need anything. For the moment, he was not desperate.

This is Arreinye, then. The thought flashed with fire through his fog-numbed brain and he threw himself with all the force in his body against the restraints holding him to the bed, making a noise of pain and fear like a wounded animal. Everything hurt. His skin prickled and tingled with a strange, agonizing fuzziness; his tongue was numb and heavy in his mouth. His eyes struggled to focus and failed, giving the world a vibrating, tilting aspect, and his head felt like it was caught at the center of a maelstrom, thoughts turned every which way until they were incomprehensible. He needed more. His body cried out for the defloxso, screamed for it, howled for it in silence at the back of his mind, and the few hours of unconsciousness which Aife's hypospray had allowed him had led to the realization of an absolute, stomach-churning hunger when he finally reopened his eyes. He could not think except about how he might obtain those samples which had been sent along with him to ensure his addiction. Where had Aife and the Dheno taken them? How could he get them back? Fvadt...help... The lack of cohesive thought was terrifying. The pure effects of the drug were receding...somewhat...but the withdrawal was equally debilitating and the hunger trumped everything, and everything else not taken up with it was saturated in an aggressive flare of anger against...whatever came to hand, really, but specifically the susse-thraiir who had taken him in the first place. They had struck him in his reputation; he had just enough coherence left in him to realize that, but not enough to determine what to do about it in a rational manner. He wanted...revenge might have been a decent word for it. Punishment was a better one. They had wanted...he didn't even know what they had wanted anymore but they had wanted something they couldn't have and he had resisted...a bit...and talked...a bit...and either way they had now dropped him into a sort of halfway hell which was fitting for some kllhe living on the Ra'tlehfi streets but na for a son of Galan tr'Radaik. And he had heard what the dheno had said too...she thought he had done this to himself. How dare she assume he was nothing more than a drugged up drabhik, that he had no greater respect for himself and his family than that? How dare she accuse him of such dishonor? How dare they tie him down on this bed and refuse to listen to him? "Let me go..." he rasped, not sure who he was talking to. "Let me go, I say! Fvadt...this is not my doing! This is not me! LET ME GO!"

Enarrain tr’Jer'lun entered the command center and demanded an update on progress with the Maenak tr’Radaik. Arrain tr'Falen snapped to vae’drae and saluted, “Rekkhai, I’m afraid he's given us very little useful information. All we’ve been able to glean from him is that the two women were kept under stasis the entire time they were under the effects of the nanogenes. The R'Mor woman was na so remarkably cured as the Khre'Riov, probably because most of the scanning by the makers of the nanogenes that had taken place on the station had been of younger crew members. They may have thought that the Khre'riov’s cells, being much older and having more damage, should resemble the younger members, and tried to repair her more thoroughly, resulting in a lot of cellular regeneration.” “I see, and where are these nanogenes now? Are they stored on the Talon? Perhaps with all the repair teams onboard, we could get someone in to get a sample,” tr’Jer’lun speculated. “Rekkhai, he also reported that once the clones from the station started to board the ship, they also shut down all repairs, which included the nanogenes in the two women. To save the women after they had to destroy the nanogenes, as they then started to reverse their course. At least that's what he claims,” said tr’Falen. “Go ask him again. See if he remembers more. Where they might have some stored that they did na destroy.” “Ie Rekkhai.” tr'Falen saluted again and exited the room, heading to the detention cell where tr'Radaik was being held. Enarrain tr'Jer'lun walked over to the other Arrain, “I want to know how Talon found out so quickly that he had been taken. Care to enlighten me?” Arrain tr'Neral snapped to vae’drae and saluted. “I...I...I do na know Rekkhai.” “Didn't au take away his t'Liss, so that he could na contact his ship? Did au na tell me au struck him down and took it?” “Ie, rekkhai!” tr’Neral responded. “ I took it from him, I swear! Perhaps he has another tracking device on his person?" tr'Jer'lun narrowed his eyes at tr’Neral, “And where is this t'Liss h’nah? Did au disable it? Or is it hrrau au pocket and they are tracking it here?” “I...I...I may have lost it, rekkhai," tr’Neral stammered. He turned out his pockets to show them empty. "I had it in a secure location, but when I went back to retrieve it, it was na longer there. I'm afraid...what if another on the compound has located it and is using it?" When in doubt, he thought, blame others. tr'Jer'lun face was already darkening with anger, “Lost it!? Veruul!!” He reached out and backhanded the veruul across the face. “Au perhaps put this entire operation into jeopardy. We had planned on having at least two more weeks before it would be necessary for him to report back to his ship. H’nah, we may be pressed to move right away.” tr'Neral’s head snapped back, stumbling back a step or two. He said nothing more, lest he get worse treatment. “Neral, go find out from our informant in the town as to how they found out he was missing. Was the t'Liss found and the ship contacted or what? And what type of response has been sent?” "Ie, rekkhai." tr’Neral bowed his head, clicked his heels together in a salute and took off. By this time, tr’Falen had reached the detention block, and nodded to the guards to let him pass. "Jolan tru, tr'Radaik, I trust au are doing better today?" "Ie. Never better," Kelton answered, the irony lacing his tone unmistakable. He was sitting against the wall of his cell, head tipped back, eyes shut. “I trust au may have something additional to add? Things will go easier for au if au assist,” tr’Falen stated. "I have told au all I know," Kelton said tiredly. Which was probably not entirely true, but there au had it; he had told them everything he felt he could reasonably reveal. Wincing, he leaned forward and opened his eyes. "I have na more to add." tr'Falen shook his head, “Au said that au had to destroy the nanogenes before they reversed the process. How did au do that? Surely au can remember how au did that? Au do na value au life much, do au? The Enarrain was serious when he said if au cooperated, you would be freed, but hnah, au play games with us.” "I was na involved..." Kelton answered slowly. "Na in the details at least." He smirked faintly at tr'Falen. "At any rate au surely must realize au do na offer me as easy a choice as au think. I assure au I know I am na playing anything resembling a game." tr'Falen reached down and yanked him to his feet, then turned and kicked him squarely in the stomach where it would hurt but na much would show. Kelton grunted, taking the blow hard and staggering against the interrogator, gasping as the breath was knocked out of him. “Menkha, I have au attention. Care to try again?” tr’Falen asked as he grabbed Kelton by the collar and shoved him back against the wall, then pulled his kaleh and held its tip pointed at Kelton's eye. "Perhaps au are na seeing things so clearly." Kelton wheezed, pulled his arm free of tr'Falen's grip and leaned back against the wall. "I tell au I do na know the procedure! Na in detail..." He leaned forward, trying to ease the pain in his chest, and went on, "It involved electrical energy applied to those affected...I can tell au that much. Electrical shocks." “Hnah, see, that's much better.” "For au," Kelton muttered sardonically. tr’Falen reached over and helped him sit on the bench, “See, na need for being rough, when we can have a nice quiet chat.” Kelton didn't dignify that with a response; just let himself drop heavily onto the bench with a groan. tr'Falen signaled for someone to bring food and water for tr'Radaik, "See, cooperation is rewarded here," he said as the woman set down the tray next to Kelton. "Ie, au hospitality is tremendous," Kelton said sarcastically, eyed the food for a moment in silence, debated between his hunger and his distrust of these people who still refused to tell him anything about who they were. The hunger, much to his dismay, won out. "Au must be parched. Fhaen.” tr’Falen indicated the platter as Kelton began to eat. “I will return momentarily.” He stepped out of the cell and down the corridor to talk to tr'Jer'lun. “Rekkhai, all the reports say he was present the entire time of the major events, but his lack of knowledge or his presence of mind prevents him from telling us much. That, or he is nothing more than io that washes the dirty linens and bedpans.” tr’Neral re-entered the command center with his report and saluted, “Rekkhai, I spoke with our informant back in town, and it seems the child we used to bait the maenak to the trap must have found the t’Liss, and has been seen running around town with a broken pin playing Rihans and Kll’inhannsu. It must still be partially active, as the Talon sent io dheno to check it out. It seems she tried to take it from the child, who bit her, but after the girl showed her where she found it, she returned it to the child and began to ask questions around town. I was thinking perhaps we should head back and try to get it from the kid, we may be able to determine the transponder code and possibly be able to use it to intercept the Daise Maenak’s transport.” “Unfortunately, our timetable has just moved up. It seems that veruul," tr’Jer’lun indicated tr'Neral to tr’Falen, “did na destroy the t’Liss as ordered, only partially disabled it. He's going to go try to retrieve it, but we must now dispose of the maenak.” tr’Falen groaned and gave tr’Neral the eye. "Veruul, we had this all worked out.” tr'Neral snapped at tr’Falen, "At least I found more information...oh never mind" Enarrain tr'Jer'lun glared at them both, “Enough, the drug, it's in the food and water is it na? Prepare the messages that will accompany him and bring that medical kit as well. tr’Neral, I trust that au will be able to hold him down. As it appears that au are good for io thing, do au think au can hold him down?” “Of course, rekkhai." tr’Neral frowned as he tried to figure out a way to redeem himself. “Come then, let's be about this. I'd just as soon vaporize him, but that will raise too many questions. This...is subtle, and hnah, nobody will believe his stories.” Enarrain tr'Jer'lun walked back into the cell where Kelton was finishing his meal. The food had tasted off even as it hit Kelton's tongue but he'd been too hungry and worn to care; by the time he sensed the odd disconnect setting in between his brain and his body, it was too late. Drugged. A fuzziness seemed to settle into his head, and he found himself having a great deal of difficulty in focusing on exactly what it was he was doing here. The plate he had been handed was empty, and most of the thinking that had been abandoned was now replaced by the idea that more would be nice...a lot more, as quickly as possible. “Wha….” His head snapped around at the sound of tr’Jer’lun’s footsteps behind him. “I trust au are feeling better now that au have had something to eat and drink?” tr’Jer’lun began with a bit of a wicked grin. “True to my word, I am going to release au. However, nobody will believe a word of au story. Au see, we've given au a dose of defloxso. Au are a maenak, so I should na have to tell au what it is and what it does. Though, I imagine things are starting to get a bit fuzzy for au? Ie, such a fast acting, addictive little drug is it na?” "Ie..." Kelton muttered a little blearily, swaying slightly as he peered at tr'Jer'lun with a sort of bemused expression. “Au see,” tr’Jer’lun continued, “we gave au some orally, but the drug can taken up by the body at different rates based upon its route of exposure. Intravenous will be the fastest, followed by per os, or orally by mouth as it were. And subcutaneous is slowest. We want it to appear that au have been taking this for a bit now, and don't want to overdose au, so we are giving you a few doses by each route to keep you sedated and under the effects, as well as give au brain time to feel the addiction of the drug. Au must know that the bioavailability of the drug uptake with the different routes, will put au in a steady state of need. And we will make sure that au have plenty on au person. Of course, au know this is a drug that is often only able to be obtained by those with, how shall we say......an ample quantity of latinum. and I'm sure au shipmates will be aware, that au just came into a ample quantity of latinum. Tsk, tsk, au finally come to something, and start taking designer drugs, like a spoiled rich boy.” Kelton shook his head sharply once, then twice, as if to shake away the fuzziness that was now closing in around him. "Why...?" he asked roughly, the question falling to pieces halfway out of his mouth. “Why? Because we cannot have anyone come looking for us before we find out what we need, be that by someone in Galae medical getting us the information we need, or by getting t’Ksa ourselves. If we were to just kill au, they would watch her more carefully, however, if it appears au have just been on a drugged out spree…who is going to believe au? You're stories, will be just that. A way to hide your addiction. And au injuries…resulted when au refused to pay the latinum to the dealer.” Kelton made an incoherent noise of frustration and lurched forwards at the man; what remained of his coherency recognized clearly that they were attacking him on the level of his reputation, but he couldn't control his body enough to make any kind of threat and he staggered, half-collapsed forward off the bench. “We will leave ample messages to au station and a note hrrau au pocket demanding payment or else,” tr’Jer’lun went on implacably. “When au are found, they will believe that au received the 'or else' treatment. As I said, I am a man of my word; I said I would na kill au. Though, if they do na find au fast enough, the supply I leave with au, which I know au will have to take, may make au happy to run out, au will be beyond comprehension. I'm sorry if this ruins au career, but at least au will be alive…well, perhaps alive if au do na overdose, but if au do, it will na be by my hand. Au do realize this will also make au very angry, unreasonable and violent…I hope au do na yy'a any of those who find au or try to take away au supply. It would be too bad if au were to yy'a that dheno that is out looking for au. For that matter, that dheno is going to try to take away au fix, and intercept the supply which au have sent to au ship. tr'Falen, give him that hypo and let’s be done with this. tr’Neral, hold him down.” "Urru Areinnye," Kelton snarled thickly, staggered to a standing position and lashed out towards tr'Jer'lun with a sudden flash of unrestrained anger. "Ah now, I see it is starting to set in,” chuckled tr”Jer’lun to himself. “I'm sure au are going to enjoy this. There are many that would pay a near fortune for what we've been able to obtain for au. I do hope au enjoy it…” tr'Neral easily grabbed Kelton in his impaired state and held him firmly, fingers digging into his arms. Feeling the fingers close around his arms, Kelton's anger easily transferred itself to this new target and he pivoted, slamming his full weight into tr'Neral behind him. tr'Neral, not expecting it, winced and gave a grunt of pain, but did na let go. If he messed this up, then they would take it out on his hide. tr'Falen opened the medical case and grabbed a hypo, pressed it to Kelton's neck with a hiss and made sure to empty the entire cartridge into him. Kelton shouted, sagged as the hypo emptied itself into his neck, and, as tr'Falen withdrew, he pivoted again, lashing out with his right leg in a sharp kick just below the man's belt. tr'Falen went down in a heap. 'Ugh." The angry Enarrain reached for the medkit, which still held a sedative. “Hold him, veruuls! Get that drug into him. I want this finished by nightfall, and the body dropped on the outskirts of the town au took him from.” tr'Neral had been holding fast until that low blow to tr’Falen. The man growled and changed positions to hold Kelton in a head lock, squeezing to block his airway until he settled down. Furious, terrified, and disoriented, like an animal caught in a trap, Kelton continued to struggle for a few moments more, wheezing with pain as the lack of air slowly weakened his movements. “Veruuls!” tr’Jer’lun cried again as he pulled the sedative from the medkit and pressed it against Kelton's neck. "Uhhh..." Kelton's weight dropped like a sack of bricks, falling against tr'Neral and then hit the floor with a jolt. tr'Neral lifted his arms and let him fall. "Oops," he said with a satisfied grin. “Get up, tr'Falen,” tr’Jer’lun said irritably. “H'nah finish the injections. Make sure au get some into his arms, make it look like he's been doing this for his entire leave. When he tries to tell them a story that he was kidnapped, they'll never believe him. They'll believe the note we plant on him and in his messages, to pay up his suppliers. Thus, his obvious rough treatment. Once it is dark, go dump his body in an alley na too far from where he was taken. Take any valuables from him as well, so it looks as if payment was collected, and put a few vials in his pockets and hrrau his room. He’ll be hopped up for quite some time afterward and they're going to have to try to break his addiction, if they can. Speaking of which, have some shipments sent to his attention on the Talon, hide them as other things. When he receives them, he'll find himself having to take them, or if security finds, makes his addiction more believable.“

"Dhael." Dhael tr'Radaik paused just outside the door of Koval's office and looked at Kelton over his shoulder. "Ie, brother?" Kelton folded his arms and kept walking on, waiting for Dhael to fall into stop. "What is it that Koval is na telling me." The short silence from Dhael was more telling than his answer. "What do au mean?" Kelton sighed. "Please, Dhael, whatever else au may think of me, I am na an idiot. He did na used to be so quick to jump to conclusions. He was agitated tonight." "So modest," Dhael quipped. "Au do na assume he was simply na pleased to see au..." "He wasn't, but there was more at work." Dhael checked his step and gave Kelton a sideways look. "Au are na as perceptive as au hope, Kelton." Kelton was silent for a moment. "Perhaps na...but I know what I saw. As a maenek. Elevated respiration, heartbeat, dilated pupils...agitation." Dhael blinked and looked somewhat impressed. "They have taught au more than I anticipated..." he murmured. "Au are right...and yet even his closest associates have na guessed it." He looked at Kelton closely. "Au could tell all that?" "Na, none of it," Kelton said matter-of-factly. "But I thought au might be swayed more by the appearance of fact." Dhael barked a surprised laugh. "My statement stands; au have been learning." Glancing back over his shoulder towards the office, he beckoned Kelton down a nearby set of stairs and out onto the tr'Radaik mansion's back terrace. "Koval has been...less than prudent, lately, with his words. Aryal and I have both noticed it. Where our father was content to work from behind the scenes, Koval eventually desires the spotlight." Kelton looked amused. "Our brother the Praetor?" Dhael's expression remained serious. "I think he would like it, if he could manage it. But that is na the point. He has been loose with his tongue lately, irritable and impatient; na doubt feeling himself ignored and impervious to harm. I am worried for his safety, now. And ours. He would sweep the rug from beneath all of us." Kelton smiled. "And yet au would na have prepared me if I had na asked." Shaking his head slightly, he leaned on the terrace railing and looked out across the wide lawn behind. "I am already learning to watch my back in the Galae, but I imagine I am as safe there as anywhere else." "Na doubt." Dhael shrugged. "It is na au safety which concerns me, but the unpredictability of what au in the field might do to further damage our reputation." "Au put me there. Au can retrieve me whenever au like." Kelton almost wished he'd bitten back the words; he wasn't sure they were true anymore. Tool of his brothers though he might have been, on the Talon he had some freedom to do what he liked, to keep to himself and watch the state of things. Dhael caught his eye sharply and smirked, seeming to follow the train of his thoughts. "Ie. We can. We will see."

Dartha, ch'Rihan "Koval!" Koval tr'Radaik looked up from his desk, switching off the message he had been perusing, and eyed his second-youngest brother with irritation. "I have told au, I am working, Dhael, what is it that au could na wait until the evening?" Dhael, used to Koval's dismissive nature, didn't blink, merely gestured vaguely upwards. "The Talon has put into port." Koval folded his hands across the desk. "Really," he said, his cool tone taking on a hint of surprise. "I had thought to be rid of the boy a deal longer." "I do na believe it was their plan to return this soon, brother." "And what has interfered?" "The Galae is close-lipped on the details--" "Hang the Galae!" barked Koval with abrupt, explosive impatience. "Ie, Koval," Dhael responded placidly, "but our own sources of information do not work so quickly as to tell us information before it is known. Not to mention that we would be hastily disowned by our particular brand of political cutthroat if au were to be heard saying such a thing. Calm auself." Dhael folded his arms, watching as Koval sprang out of his chair and began to pace. "If the boy's crew has failed -- if our plan to put him out of mind has led instead to his dishonor..." "There is na word of dishonor, Koval. Au would be the first to know. But the crew is being...questioned. We have na been able to get a message through." "How long have they been here?" "A few days." "I want him here," Koval growled. "I want to hear it from his own lips that this family may not be ashamed of him." Dhael's mouth turned down at the corners. "Au always think the worst of him, Koval..." "Perhaps one day he will give me less valid reasons." The discussion was abruptly curtailed by the low whine of Koval's reinforced office door sliding open, and Aryal, second-eldest and as languid as Koval was rigid, slouched his indolent way into the room. "Message," he announced to no one in particular, his eyes sliding from Dhael to Koval and back again. "Kelton is in Dartha; he will be here within the hour." *** Au have built this up to too much... Kelton chastened himself for his own discomfort as he rang the chime of the tr'Radaik'ir city house on the outskirts of Dartha. It had only been a few months since he had last been here, but even with the chaos that had characterized his time aboard the Talon, he could na but admit that it had been a relief na to live in this house anymore, and to have some decent work to do rather than listen by turns to taunts and orders from his brothers. But to na make some sort of appearance, with the ship stalled in orbit indefinitely over ch'Rihan, would have been unforgivable in their eyes, and much as he disliked it, he knew that he could na afford to anger them entirely. The tr'Radaik brothers had enough power between them that any one of them could be quietly destroyed by the other three if it became necessary. His plans never coincided enough with theirs for it to work in his favor, however. The door swung open and he was silently admitted into the house and silently escorted to the rear office; the door opened to reveal the three older men already waiting for him, and their expressions ran the gamut for a reception -- Koval's disinterested stare, Aryal's mildly curious contempt, and Dhael, who of the three was the only one to step forward and offer a sign of greeting. "Welcome back, Kelton," he said with a half-nod, a slow inclination of the head. "Au were na detained long in orbit." "Na, I was--" "Ie...do tell us how au came to be arrested, maenek," Koval broke in, his bearing never shifting though his voice contorted sarcastically around the words. "In the hour since au were announced in the city, we have received na less than five communiques offering inquiries as to au...disgrace." Kelton knew better than to flinch at the sharpness of the words; the news was na surprise, in any case. Rumor would of course have spread as to the Talon's activities once it was known to be in orbit, and he knew that Koval would na have been unsettled by such rumors anyway. Koval was a politician; he knew how to deal with rumors. "Questioned," he said calmly. "And for na fault of my own." "There is word of a mutiny," Aryal commented, and Kelton favored him with an aggravated look. Aryal could occasionally be counted on to support him -- he had actually been the one to insist that Kelton finish his medical training before being packed into the Galae, on the grounds that 'fvadt, he must be useful' -- but evidently today was na his day. "I had na to do with it. I kept my loyalty to the Galae. To the Empire." Kelton said the words because he knew they would relax Koval, and they did; some of the tension went out of the older man's high cheekbones and jaw and he moved to sit behind his desk. "Very well." Dhael, who had moved to lean against the wall as Koval took over the conversation, now stirred again. "Sit, Kelton, please. Will au eat?" "Na, hann'yyo," Kelton replied with a shake of the head. Better late than never to remember I am na merely a guest. He took a seat across the desk from Koval, drumming his fingers lightly on the chair arms, feeling somewhat as if he was about to undergo another interrogation. Everything he could tell them of Galae activities was a bit of information they could and would somehow use to their advantage. "I will be returning to my ship shortly; I will eat there." Dhael smiled faintly. "I do na think au ship will have much need of you for a while. Au are welcome to do more than pay au respects and leave." He knows that's not true, and that I won't wish to anyway, but I suppose it's a nice gesture. "Hann'yyo." **** Shikaen -- "family"

t'Aehjae looked over tr'Radaik shoulder as he took the final scan of tRandom. She could see the mutineer's color was na good but was hoping he would be able to revive her. "Au can na bring her back?" she asked, fingering the hypo still in her pocket, knowing now that tRandom WAS yyaa by her hand. Kelton's hand tightened into a fist on top of the resuscitation unit, watching the readings for some spike, some indication that he had not been too late with his efforts. But he saw nothing. His first official patient in the Galae was dead. "Na," he said curtly. "I can na bring her back." In a sense he was almost relieved. t'Random had been on his hands for some time now and it had been only a matter of time before she succumbed to the wounds. But he hadn't expected the tremendous sense of frustration and humiliation that for a moment threatened to overwhelm him. She was a mutineer after all...just a fvadt mutineer...but he had been responsible for her... An excellent way to begin one's career. Turning, he scowled and let the scanner drop next to the bed with a heavy thunk. t'Aehjae stepped away from the bed. "Au were using her blood for t'Rexan. What of her now? Will she have a chance? Or is what tr'Guard said correct? If I am the cause of this io's yyaa, and there is na other, then I will also be the possible cause of t'Rexan's yyaa, if we are unable to get her to a medical facility." "I don't know," Kelton said sharply, trying not to sound as discomfited as he felt. Everything t'Aehjae was saying could, approached from the right direction, apply to him as well, and the idea made his stomach clench. Fvadt...she had been living! He had been proud of himself; she had been surviving...when by all rights she should have been dead when she was first attacked. And now... "I don't know. Another resource will have to be found." t'Aehjae turned and walked a few steps away. "Au said it was just a painkiller in the hypo and nathing that would cause this. I have the hypo in my pocket and will turn it over to t'Ksa or NDak when they arrive. Do au wish to contact them? Or shall I?" t'Aehjae once again looked at the woman's body. Ie...she had wanted to kill t'Random, but she had also wanted it to be a fair fight, and na as this, a meaningless killing with a hypo. "It was a painkiller," Kelton said, his voice taking on a slightly defensive tone. "The same medication I had been giving her all along." Her systems had just finally failed, that was all. That was all. There was nothing to be done about it. Get ahold of auself! "I will contact them. Au just...just...do na do anything. Hann'yyo. Just...stay put." Leaning heavily against the bed for a moment, he took a breath, then opened a commline. "tr'Radaik to t'Ksa..."

Kelton tr'Radaik could feel the Talon Daise'Dheno's eyes on him as he sat at the medical console, idly flicking through the crew's medical files, but his mind was na on her particularly, except to watch out of the corner of his own gaze to be sure she was not touching the Khre'riov's stasis chamber. The rest of his mind was elsewhere, everywhere, anywhere but this ship. Ehsiu, Koval...au scheme has worked. The Radaiks again have a military man among their ranks and I am out of au way forever, or at least so au has na doubt told auself... His eldest brother -- and the two who had followed him before Kelton in their father's lineage -- would certainly be celebrating when the news reached them that their young brat of a ravsam had successfully passed his final tests as a Galae maenek (amid a mutiny, na less) and would be remaining aboard a ship of the line, beginning his career with a promising future. See how our brother soars into the ranks, see how he rides the wings of a warbird, they would say; he hated their fvadt rhetoric but he could na deny they were good at it. And as he sat aboard the ship, a ship which had already proven itself to be dangerous to officers of far greater rank than he, they would make use of him as they always did, to advance their own influence and stay as clear from his actual presence as possible. Na matter that he had never wanted to be a soldier. It could have been worse, of course; they could have forbid him to become a maenek at all. He could have been an amnei'saehne, could have been gunning for the job of the daise'dheno across from him now. It was a job he would have been poor at; at least as matters stood, he wore the medical uniform and his chief seemed reasonable enough (if understandably tired), and perhaps he would yet be able to pursue some business of healing in addition to the other tasks of an officer. He glanced towards the stasis chamber, still lightly humming in its place across the bay. Tasks such as protecting my neck, it would appear. The entire ship had more or less fallen apart as he had watched; knowing nothing of the crisis involved he had elected to stay out of the way until it passed, but now with his commission secured, he would be forced to take a more active part in whatever was going on here. He was na afraid; after the training he had undergone he was capable of protecting himself if necessary, though he would prefer not to have to. He was also hardly unfamiliar with the fact that, when power was at stake, trust was a luxury -- he had always cherished the speculation that the death of his parents was suspect -- but he had also to some extent hoped that perhaps he might be able to leave the greatest of the maneuvering to his brothers and pursue his scientific studies quietly. Na such luck. But he was still a maenek, and that was something. He had passed the tests and that was something too; he had briefly considered retaliating against his brothers' control by failing utterly, but his nascent pride had rebelled against the idea of that dishonor and his basic intelligence had resisted deliberate failure. No, he was here to work, and work he would, and wait, and watch, and see what he could learn about this place and how he might turn it to his advantage; his brothers' influence over his life would never shift unless he could forge his own network here, build his own alliances or raise his own name to prominence. Just how he planned to do that, of course...well, that was na certain yet.

Hann'yyo u'jolan tru, rekkhaiin. :D

Maenek Kelton i-Dartha tr'Radaik Currently Assigned: RES Talon Current Position: Hiifvehi'Saehne (Medical Officer) Physical Description: Age: Twenty-seven Height: 6 feet Weight: 200 pounds Hair: Black Eyes: Green. Known Family: Father: Galan i-Dartha tr'Radaik (deceased) Mother: Aeryn i-Dartha t'Radaik (deceased) Siblings: Koval i-Dartha tr'Radaik (elder brother) Aryal i-Dartha tr'Radaik (elder brother) Dhael i-Dartha tr'Radaik (elder brother) Personal History/Personality Profile: Kelton tr'Radaik was the youngest of the four sons of Galan tr'Radaik, a prominent member of the Jaridan coalition of the Rihan senate, and his wife Aeryn. Galan provided his sons with a well-rounded education and rather spoiled upbringing and did his best to instill them with ambition and a desire to promote their family's honor, power, and influence in the Empire. His sons grew up surrounded by this mindset and could not help but be engaged in it, though Galan was often disappointed by his youngest son, Kelton, who proved a bookish type, more interested in science than politics, and with an amicable personality highly unsuitable for intrigue and debate. Galan and Aeryn were both killed in a transporter accident when Kelton was seventeen and his brothers, by then well into maturity, rose to take over his voice in the political sphere, determined to ensure that the Radaik voice would not disappear in matters of policy. Kelton expressed little interest in supporting them, as he had just begun training as a doctor; as a result, at the earliest opportunity, he was packed off into the military to complete his training as a Galae maenek. This served the elder Radaiks a two-fold purpose -- it supported the family's validity as a member of the Jaridan, who are great proponents of the Rihan military and the Empire's outward expansion, and it got their younger brother out of their hair and prevented him from being a drag on their quest for greater influence. Kelton, who had no desire to become a military man, knew perfectly well why his life was controlled in this manner, but he did not have enough influence on his own to prevent it. This lack of control over his own life stuck in his craw and did more to awaken his nascent pride than any of his family's luxury or power, and so he determined that he would wait it out, amass enough influence in the Fleet, and eventually return to ch'Rihan and knock his brothers from power. He passed through his training quickly, as he is highly intelligent, and he impressed his instructors with his respect for authority and determination to learn. His bearing has remained quiet, thoughtful, though it now hides the seeds of cleverness and cunning, as he is constantly watching the things which are taking place around him, absorbing them and remembering them. He can read people extremely well, and though he realizes unconditional friendships are often difficult in the tough world of the Galae, he is good at forming alliances and preventing himself from making too many enemies. The Talon is his first posting in the Fleet as a doctor.