Truth

Posted on Wed Feb 16th, 2022 @ 2:25am by Lieutenant JG Kassandra Selin & Captain Ivan Petrov & Lieutenant JG Karen Lamont & Ensign Mika Petrova

Mission: S1 Episode 1: Caretaker, Part I
Timeline: MD 33, 1900 Hours
1114 words - 2.2 OF Standard Post Measure

It was after the battle and the transfusion and Kass had had some time to rest. She'd been given some hospital food and some visitors had had a chance to come by, though the immediate aftermath of a battle did not allow much time away from station. Karen came in and leaned against a counter, looking to her patient. "How are you feeling?"

"Better" Kassandra admitted. "Guess I shouldn't try to backflip over the bridge again." she added with a small smile.

"No," Karen said. "The ability of starships to turn damage to the shields into damage on the bridge never ceases to amaze me. Engineers have explained it but..." She gives a small shrug. It's not her area. She knows fairly little about engineering and related subjects. "You'll be ok. Listen, Kassandra...May I call you Kass?"

"Of course, its easier than Kassandra" Kass smiled. "My mother insisted apparently on giving me a name as long as my older half sister's."

"It's very classical," Karen said with a smile which faded slightly as she actually remembered the Greek myth of the Trojan princess. "Look, Kass, there's not really any way to ease into this so I'm just going to say it. According to your genetic profile, there is a 97.2% chance Captain Petrov is your father. That is about as close to certain as we get in these things."

Kass laughed, it was an immediate reaction. Then as she stared at Karen the laugh faded. "You are not pranking me.." she got out. "Andrei didn't set this up?"

Karen shook her head slowly.

"Oh by the gods..." Kass was now sitting up on the bio bed. "oh by the gods... Yana is going to kill me this time for sure." her voice had gone soft, fear and worry laced the tone. Her head swung up wildly. "Who else knows?" she asked.

"Only Mika," Karen said. "Your sister provided a needed plasma donation."

"Is..is she going to tell the Captain or... are you?" Kass asked. All she could think was she was going to be killed now. Yana now had a ironclad excuse to kill her.

"We can tell him together, if you'd like," Karen said gently. "He has reason to be proud of you."

Kass looked down at her hands and then back up. "He has known me most of my life. He is friends with the man I called Father for 22 years." Kass wondered why it had never been seen, it never showed that she was part Petrov. "But.. yes I would like someone else there to tell him. I am not sure I can"

"I'll tell him, Kass," Karen said gently. "You just rest."

"Thank you Doctor" Kass said softly as she lowered herself back onto the bio to think.

Karen hit her comm badge. "Lamont to Petrov."

A few hours after the battle, Ivan had finished his interview with the Gul and was heading to his quarters when he got the comuniqué. He was standing near the turbolift and pressed his own badge.

“Petrov here, what is it, Doctor?”

"May I speak to you when you have a moment?"

Petrov sighed. He was tired and his nerves were fraying with all the stress of the day. An officer stabbed, an investigation, a battle, and a tense conversation all left him feeling nearly empty. He would have to hide that fact.

“I’ll be right down, Doctor.” He said, sounding bland. He quickly stepped into the lift and asked for deck five. When he rolled into sick bay, he looked directly at the doctor and opened his hands in a “here I am” gesture. “Doctor…Ensign.”

Karen looked him in the eye. "Captain, during the battle, our artificial blood plasma was among the many systems damaged. We were forced to find a living donor for Ensign Selin to aid with her recovery. A genetic analysis revealed that Cadet Petrova was suitable, being, according to genetic data, her sister. We then compared with the genetic data in our records and, sir...Genetically, you are almost certainly Ensign Selin's father."

Ivan’s brow furrowed in confusion as his mind, shocked by the news, was slow to put things together. It had been a secret that he and her mother had a one night encounter, but he had been assured that there was no way he was the father. He believe it because, quite frankly, that’s what he wanted to believe. He blinked, his eyes wandering toward Kassandra with an amazed expression.

“Kassandra…I’m so sorry.” Was all he managed to say as he placed a hand on her own.

Kass met his gaze for a brief moment then she looked away. "you didn't know?" she asked softly.

Karen took a few steps back. Enough to be out of there way but still available if needed.

“I…no, your mother never told me.” He said with a frown, still searching for the right words. “We we’re together one time and…she gave me every indication that you were Artaxes’ daughter.”

Kassandra merely nodded. "Well to everyone else i was, but it explains a bit."

“What do you mean? What does it explain?” He asked, looking down at her.

"I believe your wife knows, or suspects. I have always wondered about her ... attitude towards me. I thought she just got on better with my stepmothers, and took her cue from them, but this... explains why she wants me off this ship so badly." Kass didn't look up. "You will need to inform her, and Andrei of this."

"She wants you off the ship?" he asked, his brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"She found me in the ships Library before we left dock. She all but accused me of requesting this assignment which i didn't! And made it clear she wanted me gone. If you want to know more you will need to ask Yana."

“I’ll have to do just that.” He said, his mind a million miles away. After several moments, he pulled himself back into the present moment. “Don’t worry about her. I’ll handle Yana.”

Kass gave a shrug. "Okay" she was not sure what else to say really, she was still processing the fact that her father was not her father, and that her mother had cheated on her husband, what a mess.

Ivan turned them, awkwardly, and moved toward the door. There would be more to say in time, but for now, they both needed to think.

Kass barely glanced at him as he left. She didn't call out or anything, she laid back on the bio bed and closed her eyes. What a mess.