All Roads Lead to Rome - Part Five

Posted on Thu Mar 5th, 2020 @ 5:04am by Lieutenant Commander Heather "Aegis" Davis & Lieutenant Kadian Paris & Director Tienn Gyce

Mission: Mission 55: The Measure of a Woman
Location: Runabout R159
Timeline: 0100Hrs - January 28th, 2392

Ensign Kadian Paris sighed softly as she was seated at the helm of the Runabout as she finished her calculations, she then tapped the autopilot before she turned and went over to Heather Davis and Windspirit. "Let me have your information ladies... so I can compile things into one report.."

Davis handed her tricorder and PADD over to the younger woman.

"Ensign Paris and I recovered several medical records from the local hospital. The injuries from kids in the past ten years, belonging to the children's home, are consistent with typical abuse cover-up stories."

Rabb nodded his head. "I look forward to reading your final report."

"We also discovered that many records were touched up, after initial ER doctors flagged various files for possible abuse." Gyce frowned. "And my daughter was just admitted to the hospital with abdominal pains, consistent with someone that is beat up regularly."

"Okay.. Wait.. what happened?" Rabb inquired. "Did you kidnap someone?"

"Liberated," Gyce corrected. "She's my daughter, but not my daughter... It's complicated."

Rabb paused. "If she is your daughter?.... then how did she end up in ... care?" he regarded her with a pointed expression.

"I have to talk to her father to find out.... Last I heard, she was on Bajor with my aunt," Gyce admitted with equal curiosity.

Rabb raised an eyebrow. "You realize that you kidnapped her." he responded. "You may have to end up returning her..." he sighed. "Still... What are your intentions?"

Gyce sighed. "Raise her. I guess. But I need to talk to her father and see what got her admitted into such a home in the first place."

"Okay. If you would be so kind... Keep me informed when you do." Rabb responded. "Because I have questions of my own.."

Meanwhile Davis was busy checking over the Vulcan teenager who was giving her something of a case of stink eye. "K'Vom. Look... I need to document everything so those who did this to you... will pay for it." Davis explained before she selected her tricorder. "Now. I'd like to run a few scans of your abdominal cavity, see what damage they did and... how to treat you."

K'Vom did not budge. "I will live. I am used to the pain."

Davis raised an eyebrow. "Well that's a scary statement." she responded bluntly. "We will need to keep you from going back to that hellhole."

K'Vom raised her eyebrows. Her Bajoran nose scrunched as well with curiosity. "Why?. My parents did not care. Why should you?"

Davis regarded the younger woman before her. "Because I do care." she responded. "I am also a doctor and I take my profession most seriously, and lastly... because... if I don't care... then who will?"

"Fine... my stomach hurts, but Vulcans are bred to endure most levels of discomfort," K'Vom spoke instantly, with angry eyes watering over the situation.

Davis slowly blinked. "Alright. I'm going to give you a mild painkiller... Because not even Vulcans were bred with this level of abuse in mind." the human female explained as she gently administered some medication to the Vulcan teenager before her. "That should help.." then she went back to her work. "Mmmm.." her frown only deepened and she got more and more irritated the more she looked at the results. "Yeah... someone had their hands on you alright.."

"I fight a lot... with bullies, with teachers." K'Vom seemed to think that was enough to give out. She did not trust these people enough yet to give them to whole story.

Davis regarded her as if to say she didn't believe her. "Alright." she responded. "You may not think I care but... I do and I take my work most seriously." Davis explained. "Someone did more then fight with you... I'm seeing a lot of injuries..." she sighed. "with leads me to suspect there was more going on then I'm seeing here... some of these are months old.." she suddenly had a feeling of dread wash over her. "Let me see your arms... I also want to take a look at your legs too."

"Not without written consent from my father." K'Vom spoke defensively. Like a child that grew up around cops for parents.

"K'Vom." Davis responded quietly. "I need the information so I can help build a case against those who hurt you.... Because I can see what they did was not legal."

"Cases built on conjecture will yield very little, since what you seek is physically not there," K'Vom pointed out dourly. "You will not find their DNA on me."

"I know that young lady." Davis responded quietly. "I know how this works.. I help build a case... and then we nail these guys to the wall..." she then shrugged. "You will remain in my care until the powers that be-" she indicated the door as she spoke. "-figure out where their asses are.. Then we can find out whats going to happen to you."

"Fine." K'Vom cocked her head and popped her neck. "What do you wish to know?"

"From you... Just what happened that caused you to end up in that hospital." Davis explained. "As for the rest... The truth points to itself. " she explained. "Besides... you have told me so much more.."

"I refused to apologize for breaking a bully's arm," K'Vom answered with angry eyes. "I was stunned by some baton, and then I do not remember much else but being punched in the stomach until I apologized."

"Which is illegal." Davis responded. "Your injuries are consistent with someone who has been abused on a consistent basis." the older woman explained with a measure of patience. "Your body has told me all I could ever want to know."

"I wish to rest now," K'Vom insisted in a typical Vulcan drawl.

"As you wish." Davis responded in an even tone, for she had everything she needed. "The replicator can make you some decent clothing so you won't look like an escaped convict." she added. "We also should be reaching our destination sometime in the next twenty six hours.. check with Ensign Paris to be sure."

"Where am I staying?" K'Vom asked with a small hint of fear.

"On this trip... here in this room." Davis responded evenly. "Since there are only a few bunks, we will have space issues, however we are all women so... no issues with gender." Davis peered at K'Vom. "When we get to where we are going... I have no idea honestly."

"All right...." K'Vom looked skeptic but took the offer with a dutiful nod.

"You will need to see Lt Commander Benice for what she wants to do. I believe she has many questions she wants answered."

"I am an ass... Or so I am given to understand. That is why I was sent to that school," K'Vom answered coolly.

"As are we all at times." Davis responded. "I was an ass... Its how I met my husband.." she then smiled. "You are yourself, your own claim to fame and it matters not what others think of you, what matters.... is what YOU think of YOURSELF!"

"I shall contemplate this," K'Vom assured.

"Good. Thats all I ask." Davis responded. "Also talk to Benice and make some effort to get to know her before you write her off alright?"

"I have never written Mother off," K'Vom pointed out very soberly. "She sought to provide my the best opportunities in education... And I irrationally destroyed them."

"You are a teenager." Davis explained. "Should you be expected to know everything before you do it... it matters not." she shrugged. "We can enroll you into the school system on the USS Roanoke.. assuming you wish to stay and assuming you even get to stay."

"I believe I would like to learn from home for a while." K'Vom took a moment to think on this. "I wish to understand the social rules before interacting with my peers."

Davis nodded her head. "Okay... where is home?" she inquired.

"Where ever my assigned quarters will be. There are generally federation computers in said quarters, unless we are in a battleship with few luxuries." K'Vom appeared content with that explanation and laid back tenderly on the bed.

Davis gathered up her things which she would need for her final report. "Alright. Sleep well." and with that she withdrew to locate Gyce at the back of the runabout, she saw that she had just gotten off of the com system. "Commander. Got a minute?" she inquired.

"I just finished my report to Rabb, so yeah." Gyce pointed to the empty chair. "How bad are the injuries?"

Davis handed Gyce the PADD. "See for yourself... Someone had their hands on this girl..."

"Avok is going to call me after a briefing... What I got from him, was that he sent her here because it was said to be a great rehabilitation school for trouble kids like she is," Gyce spoke with guilt and sympathy. "She got kicked out of five schools for nearly killing kids she was much stronger than."

"Considering the injuries. I question the judgement of whoever said that to you." Davis responded. "If it was this Avok character... then I want to have a few words with him..." she commented. "With you in the room... so I can explain this in as plain and simple as terms as I can arrange... Clearly he is a moron.."

"He's not," Gyce explained angrily. "She nearly killed those kids with excessive force. Avok and I have tried several times to teach her to hone her strength... Neither he nor I expected this last school to be what it turned out to be."

Davis regarded her as she narrowed her eyes and gave her a look of pure, cold contempt. "Really... So why don't I believe you?."

Kadian Paris interrupted. "It does not matter either way." she commented evenly. "Oh I heard everything by the way...." as she shifted her attention to Gyce. "Troubled kids... is that a euphemism for half of one species and half of another...?" as she glared at the older Bajoran. "I remind you that I too spent time in a place like that because I was labeled as a 'troubled child'." the young woman added. "And you... you have two children... So... what is this argument about?" Paris inquired.

"I never claimed to be a perfect parent and I most certainly don't condone the abuse to children. So fuck off and leave me be," Gyce snapped angrily and stood up to leave the cabin.

Davis gave her a look of cold contempt. "Whatever you say..." and with that she turned and stalked off, muttering something quietly

Paris raised an eyebrow as she let out a sigh. "We'll reach Niven in about thirty hours." she said to Gyce. "Our... passenger is in the back.."

"I will remind you, Davis," Gyce began with equal contempt, "that making accusations upon superior officers without lack of proof is a punishable offence... An' I don't like false accusations upon my character or Director Avok's."

She left in that moment to tend to her daughter.

Davis's opinion of Gyce had just suddenly hardened into pure diamond in that moment, her final report would reflect what she had seen and experienced.