Posted by Ensign Luna (Security Officer / RTF) in Xorem’s Arrival

We once were happy but now we’re unhappy

<SNIP>

The file associated with Xorem showed the individual was anomalous. It suggested that the original form that Xorem had was that of a girl named Leslie Dean that had disappeared years before. How and when Xorem/Leslie became anomalous in nature was unknown … the parents of Leslie, Nicolas Dean and Caroline McCartney were across the federation in two different locations and may be able to provide answers, calls were put out to them and the starships on which they were serving.

But they had no idea what was happening to them and they were scared.

• Xorem/Leslie Dean

Had it been a long time? A short time? An instant? Impossible for Xorem to know. Xorem screamed again, and as Xorem screamed, they changed once more, features morphing into those of a gorn, the scream turning into a growl, but it still sounded frightened rather than angry.

“Xorem,” Gorn-Xorem said in a low gutteral voice, their lizard-like features at odds with its eyes that still had the look of an adolescent girl. A terrified frightened girl.

“Sirs, Doctor Caroline McCartney, we’ve got her on subspace,” the NE reported who had been trying to reach her, the one trying to reach Nicolas Dean had less success, “his ship is not responding, will continue to try to reach him.”

=/\= Leviathan, this is Doctor Caroline McCartney of the Starfleet Medical ship USS Quinn. How may I be of assistance? =/\=

On hearing the voice of Caroline, Gorn-Xorem screamed again, and changed back to the shape of the little girl, they looked frightened and began to shake as their eyes went to the source of the voice and they moved there as well.

“Xorem,” Leslie-Xorem said and tried to move towards the voice they recognised, but the restraints meant they couldn’t.

On the monitor, the countenance of Caroline looked concerned and slightly scared.

=/\= Leslie … =/\= she lost her composure, then she regained her professional demeanor and her voice had a touch of anger about it. =/\= Is this some kind of cruel prank, Leviathan? Have I not suffered enough. Leslie died, she disappeared into a cave on that darn world. We waited for her to retun, but she never did. It cost me my marriage. Don’t tease me like this. At least have the sense to show her as she would appear today if she lived, not as she was. I shall be reporting this. I have people here who need my services. Next time you want to contact me … don’t. =/\=

“Mama,” called out Leslie-Xorem, and Caroline paused, her face softening, =/\= you’ve done your research, Leviathan, good work on that, it is cruel behaviour, but your dedication to your mistaken beliefs is commendable. Have you tried this on Nicolas yet? I don’tt have time for this, I do have patients that need me. =/\=

Xorem was confused, why was mama angry with them. Why wasn’t she here with them. Xorem screamed again and changed, this time they were a horta.

The voice that came out of horta-Xorem was low and rumbling, but it had a tinge to it that was still Leslie in nature “Xorem … Mama” they said.

Caroline seemed to be reaching for a button to close off the comm call at her end, but she seemed to think better of it, =/\= Fascinating, that’s really fascinating, I’m curious as to the reason why you’d be doing this to me. But at the very least the individual there seems to think I’m their mama. Xorem is that the name or the species or what? It almost deserves study and I am due to be in the field soon. Tell me, do you have a need for a Psychologist? =/\=

• Xorem, NEs and Caroline McCartney, DPsych (Baj), FFPS (Fellow, Federation Psychologist Society), SFM-PI (Starfleet Medical - Psychologist Instructor)

=/\= No, ma’am, we do not, =/\= the NE replied, =/\= We’ll look after Xorem and will try to contact Nicolas again. Leviathon out. =/\=

The NE looked towards where Xorem was being held, and Horta-Xorem now changed again, this time into a blonde-haired little boy of perhaps 10. “Xorem,” despite everything else that changed about the being, it seemed to the NE that the eyes were the same, and if Proverbs 30:17 was to be believed, and the eyes are the windows to the soul, Xorem was very troubled and very frightened.

• Xorem/NE

OOC: Xorem is still the boy of perhaps 10

IC: Xorem had been feeling something whenever they reached out a hand, when they had a hand at least. But this time, nothing was there.

“Xorem,” they said, and the NE on duty was slightly dozing, but opened an eye and saw that Xorem was still there and so the NE rested their eyes again.

Xorem moved closer to the edge of which they could go … and discovered they could keep on going. A memory came to Xorem, a lady telling them in the voice of that lady on the screen before, no don’t wake daddy, he needs to sleep Xorem was good and moved slowly and quietly so as not to wake the person who was here. Was he daddy Xorem thought but shook head, didn’t sound like daddy. Xorem liked this body, it was short, but it had bits that they didn’t know what they were.

The room was darker than before, but Xorem padded their way towards where the door was. The door wouldn’t open for Xorem, so they waited. An NE entered the room, nodded to what appeared to be a boy and nodded to Xorem. Xorem nodded back before going through the door and turning left. It was time for Xorem to discover this place, exciting and new … around the corner, “Xorem” and the boy was no longer there, instead they were a cat, a black cat that had great fun chasing its tail before following the scents that came to their nose.

They went to a turbolift and entered. The turbolift moved and dropped Xorem off at a deck, Xorem followed the scents, one their senses picked up as blood.Unknowingly, Xorem had found their way to the deck with sickbay.

Cerenity who was currently cleaning some simpler liquid off the floor in Sickbay spotted what she thought was a cat. ” Oh hi kitty are you lost.” The 3 year old asked. She crouched down and opened her wings slightly to keep her feathers off the floor. ” Where’s your family” She asked.

Xorem looked at the being that was talking to them, “Kitty,” they said, and it seemed some kind of instinct took over and they sniffed at Cerenity, “Kitty” they said, “Family.”

Then, louder, “Xorem” and they changed into a little puppy which began to bounce excitedly around Cerenity.

Cerenity startled flapping her wings and falling backward. She started giggling happly. ” How did you do that,” she asked.

Xorem stuck out their tongue and tried to lick Cerenity as they continued bouncing around her.

“How do you do that,” Xorem-puppy repeated.

“Xorem” Xorem-puppy said.

Meanwhile, a few decks away the two NEs looked at each other, and at the disabled holding container that had held Xorem.

“You shouldn’t have fallen asleep,” the second NE said.

“I was resting my eyes,” the first NE retorted, “you shouldn’t have let Xorem out.”

“I let a boy out, I had no reason to suspect the boy was Xorem” the second NE answered, “Xorem’s chart said they were a horta, not a boy.”

“Well, we need to let the bosses know our guest is loose on the ship.” the first NE stated, “and hunt down Xorem.”

“But there is no evidence that Xorem is dangerous,” the second NE protested, “you contact the bosses and I’ll find Xorem, a 10 year old boy, how hard can that be?”

“Well, unless Xorem has changed and we don’t know Xorem’s abilities,” the first NE said.

The first NE opened a channel to someone on the ship who’d be in charge of the containment of anomolous beings, =/\= Umm, Sir, we’ve got a problem, Xorem has escaped. NE DoorOpener opened the door and let them into the ship. =/\=

The second NE opened a channel of his own to the same someone as the first NE =/\= of course, that wouldn’t have happened if NE Asleeponthejob was paying attention and noted on Xorem’s chart that Xorem was a boy and not a Horta. I am looking for Xorem at the moment. He appeared about 10, he had blonde hair and fairly rumpled clothes. NE DoorOpener Out =/\=

• Xorem, NE Asleeponthejob and NE DoorOpener

OOC: Not sure who they’d be contacting about their little problem :P

=/\= Hay smart boys you need to sound a general alart that the anomaly escaped=/\= came ensign luna’s voice over the com.
Ensine Luna

=/\= It was his fault =/\= the two incompetents said at the same time into the reopened channels. But then, one of them pushed the right button to let a general alert to sound.

“If I get fired for this, I will be telling them it was his fault,” Asleepononthjob said to no one in particular, pointing at DoorOpener.

“If we don’t find Xorem, we will both be fired,” DoorOpener said, opening the door to the room they were in, “so why don’t we go and try to find out where Xorem is?”

“I’ll stay here in case Xorem finds their way back, and you go and open doors to see if you can them,” Asleeponthejob suggested.

DoorOpener then proceeded down the corridor, opening doors as he went … why some people would be doing things in those rooms that they should have locked their doors before starting to do them was beyond him, but hey it was their business, not his.

But he couldn’t find Xorem and that was an issue.

• Xorem, NEs

Luna shook her head. She started sweeping the decks looking for the escaped Anomaly.
Ensign Luna

Luna would be able to pick up the anomalous DNA of Xorem as well as Cerenity’s and the medical staff and patients in the sickbay where Xorem and Cerenity were currently talking. As Xorem said Xorem, their DNA spiked and seemed to be fluid.

• Xorem, anomalous individual