An Image Of The Past (Tess)

[Rayek trLhoell]

Rahul Skuyanhjin (16 years old)
[Ba'ku - outside Village - Year 2376]

Rahul was too inexperienced in seeing deformities to regulate his horrified expression at the sight of what could only be one of the Son'a.  He'd heard rumor of their disfigured faces though.  That this man had once been a member of his village seemed unfathomable to Rahul.

That the Son'a had plotted with some of Starfleet's people to steal his home right from under his feet, had the 16 yr old distrustful of the man. But refusing to answer the man's question might prompt the Son'a to leave him stranded on the mountainside in the cold.

"I was talking a walk to cool down after an argument and tripped.  I've sprained or maybe even broken my ankle. I can't walk down alone." he answered sullenly.  It didn't occur to Rahul to be anything other than completely honest. That was just the way he had been raised.

"Will you help me?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lieutenant Fabiano Moreno
[Ba'ku - outside Village - Year 2376]

Fabiano marking his progress using the tricorder could tell that the two had met up.  The bio-readings were at the same location.  He'd have to make sure as he continued onward that he made quite a bit of noise.  He had no desire to walk in upon a teenagers tryst so he started whistling as he continued his way up the mountainside.

[Tess tLhoell]

Tamonar Skuyanhjin (74 years old)
[Ba'ku - Outside village - Year 2376]

Tamonar observed the boy's horrified expression. It was hard not to turn away or try to hide his disfigured face. This was why he chose to hide in the first for now and not seek to live amidst the Ba'ku although they were his people.
While he looked at the boy, waiting for him to decide if he wanted to reply to him or not, he tilted his head to the side. Had he not seen him before? Today even?

When the kid finally replied, explaining he had sprained or even broken his ankle Tamonar took a step closer. He was clueless how to help the boy apart from helping him walking back to the village. Tamonar had lived the past 50 years using modern technology. He had been raiding people throughout the galaxy and enslaving them. This ... this was so completely different a life that it felt very foreign to him.

However, when the boy spoke Tamonar was sure it was the same young man he had seen with the Starfleet officer and the little girl.
When Rahul outright asked him if he would help him, Tamonar hesitated only briefly. "Grab my hand", he said, his voice one of an old man. Stretching his hand out, the skin there being wrinkled just as his face would be if he had let it age normally and not tried to stretch it. Tamonar would wrap Rahul's arm around him to support him before helping him walking down - slowly, cautiously.

"You've been up here in the mountains earlier today already, haven't you?"

[Rayek trLhoell]

Rahul Skuyanhjin (16 years old)
[Ba'ku - outside village - Year 2376]

The outstretched hand was wrinkled and Rahul stared at it uncomprehendingly until the words sank in.  He took hold of the hand and pulled himself up, sucking in a pained breath when the movement transferred to his ankle.  But he didn't black out.   The Son'a had him wrap his arm over the man's shoulder and together the pair began the arduous trek back down the mountain.

They had barely gone a few steps when his rescuers asked an odd sort of question.  Rahul glanced over puzzled a moment.  "Yes... but how would you know that?" Then it dawned on him.  "Oh! You were the figure my sister saw.. Have you been hiding up here?  I haven't seen you down in the village before - with the others that decided to remain."

After the Son'a had attempted to take their planet by force a second time - since it was the first attempt that had earned them their exile in the first place -  several had chosen to remain on Ba'ku in a sort of rehabilitation home.  The Son'a were accompanied at all times now - some would say guarded - but allowed to stay and become a part of the village once more.

Rahul's father had been against this and argued his point to the other elders but he had been outvoted.  Since then Ishto had urged his children to stay away from the 'troublemakers', as he called them.  Rahul found it odd that his father could welcome a foreigner like the Starfleet officer, Moreno, into their home after the man had been spying on them for months, but couldn't forgive the mistakes of what had once been his own neighbors.

Realizing that by pointing out the hiding, the Son'a might decide to not to help anymore, Rahul quickly interjected. "You don't have to worry I won't tell anyone.  You didn't have to help but you did... so I will return the favor and not say a word about your presence up her, though I am curious."

After a moment he realized he didn't even know the man's name.  "I'm Rahul Skuyanhjin. You likely know of my father, Ishto.  He's one of the original settlers."

[Tess tLhoell]

Tamonar Skuyanhjin (74 years old)
[Ba'ku - outside Village - Year 2376]

Tamonar was very perceptive of he odd looks the boy casted at him. Briefly he doubted if it had been a good idea to show himself to the boy in the first place, but eventually the kid accepted his hand and let him help.

The Ba'ku boy reacted with confusion to his question, but then realized that he had been the man the little girl had seen - the girl the boy referred to as his sister. When asked if he was hiding up here in the mountains, Tamonar stayed silent. It was true, he hid up here. But admitting why he was doing that wasn't easy.
He probably should have been encouraged by the reaction of Gallatin's mother when he returned. She had welcomed her lost son back home with open arms. But Tamonar just couldn't bring himself to approach his father and mother after he left. There had been a lot of resentment, especially with his father.

His silence seemed to have made the teenager a little insecure, since he spoke up to him assuring him that he wouldn't reveal his presence up here. Tamonar still kept silent as he stoically worked to move them forward but their progress was slow. It was only when the boy revealed his name to him that Tamonar stopped abruptly in his tracks, freezing on the spot. He slowly turned his disfigured face, illuminated by the soft weak light of the planet's rings, to look back at the flawless handsome face of the Ba'ku boy. Skuyanhjin. The boy was a Skuyanhjin. The boy was ... And the girl ...

It took him a couple of long seconds until he was able to control his surprise enough to speak. "My name is Tolun." He used his Son'a name. All of them had given themselves new names after they had left Ba'ku. He just didn't want the boy to be aware that they were brothers. Not at this point anyway. "I indeed know Ishto", he said slowly. The name brought many mixed feelings to him. "I believe he is married to Ehakela." He pretended a little that the name of Ishto's wife was not present to him instantly, although of course it was.

"So ...", he said after he regained his composure. "Ishto has two children ..." He forced himself not to look back at the boy as he was about to resume walking with him. Was he aware that he had an older brother who had left their home? Had their parents told him?

[Rayek trLhoell]

Rahul Skuyanhjin (16 yrs old)
[Ba'ku - outside Village - Year 2376]

His introduction must have come as a shock to the Son'a for the moment after Rahul offered up his name, the Son'a brought them to a halt, staring at him.  Rahul felt a bit disquieted at the slow look the man gave him.  Had he said something wrong?

After a moment the man seemed to collect himself and answered back with his name, Tolun.  That he admitted to knowing Ishto wasn't surprising.  It was a small village and people were very interconnected.  At the mention of his mom, Rahul glanced down.  He was overwhelmed suddenly with a sense of loss at even just the mention of her by a stranger.   He heard Tolun comment about Ishto having two children.

Rahul didn't want to blame his brother, but the teen couldn't help think she'd still be alive if not for Benjin.

"Three actually...." he answered without looking up.  He stopped there for a long moment fighting back an unwelcome swell of tears.

After a moment he managed to hold himself together and apologized. "Sorry. My mother died birthing my younger brother.  He's just over one now. It still gets to me. "

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lieutenant Fabiano Moreno
[Ba'ku - outside Village - Year 2376]

Fabiano continued his trek up the mountain, pausing occasionally to glance at his scanner.   He was relieved when the pair of bio-signals began descending the mountain path rather than sneak off to do God-know-what somewhere off in the forest.  While he knew it wasn't his place to get involved in Rahul's love-life,  he would hope that messing around with your close cousin was considered taboo in the Ba'ku culture. Hell, given how strongly the DNA matched, Fabiano was wondering if Ishto hadn't fathered another child - the two could be siblings.  Fabiano winced.

Medical scanners were a wonderful thing, often giving a the medical officer using the device all sorts of useful information, including sex and age.  The scanner however in this instance was picking up quite a bit of the 'cloned' DNA material that the Son'a used to stave off death.  Cloned material was more often than not genetically female.  The cloned material also threw off the accuracy of the aging.. mind you the metaphasic radiation also did that.

He was just a few minutes below them now.  If they were paying attention to their surroundings rather than each other they'd likely see his light approaching as a faint flickering beacon between the trees.

[Tess tLhoell]

Tamonar Skuyanhjin (74 years old)
[Ba'ku - outside Village - Year 2376]

Tamonar watched as the boy broke eye contact after his question and looked down. The Son'a wasn't entirely sure why that was but it became clear to him when Rahul eventually replied that he had two siblings. The boy's voice conveyed sad emotions and that he actually said Ishto had three children made Tamonar pick up his ears. Had Ishto really told about him? Probably bad things, which might be why the kid was so devastated speaking about it, but their father had told them?

Rahul then apologized and what he said then was something Tamonar had not at all expected. For one he had to face the hard reality that Ishto seemingly had kept silence about his firstborn son to his other children and that Rahul had meant his youngest brother when he said there were three children. But what was an even more severe shock was the news that his mother was dead.

Wasn't that the cruelest irony? While he had fought the past years to stop his body from decaying his mother, who was supposed to live for centuries with the help of their homeplanet's 'magic', died giving birth to her child. The realization these news brought hit him hard. He had wasted time and now it was too late.

Tamonar lowered his own head now and his supporting grip around Rahul's shoulder tightened in a small gesture of comfort. Trying to push down the turmoil of emotions that threatened to well up inside him, he was about to resume walking. "Let's get you down to the village so someone can see to your injury."

Tamonar looked up ahead while he supported the injured boy as they took slow steady steps further down the hill, his eyes caught sight of a undoubtedly artificial flickering light between the trees. He knew his home's fauna. There were no animals or insects that could produce such a strong flickering light - no, it was a product of modern technology in the rural environment of the Ba'ku home.

What the heck was the Starfleeter doing up here in the middle of the night? What concerned him even more was the realization that the man was heading stright up to them and that he most likely had the means to reveal his secret of being a Skuyanhjin.
Briefly he considered trying to avoid the man by steering their course away from the path through the thicket of the forest. But if the officer was looking for them - or rather Rahul - he would find them anyway. It seemed like he didn't have a chance but be upfront.

"It seems we're getting some company", Tamonar remarked to Rahul. "I'm sure the Starfleet scientist will get you to the village safely."

[Rayek trLhoell]

Rahul Skuyanhjin (16 yrs old)
[Ba'ku - outside Village - Year 2376]

Rahul wasn't the most emotionally aware male on the planet but even he caught on to the sense of shock from the Son'a.  If it wasn't for his own renewed feelings of loss right then he might have wondered why the stranger should be so stunned at his his mother's passing.  But irregardless, the sympathetic and comforting hand on his shoulder was somehow welcome.

He nodded at the Son'a's suggestion to continue on and with the man's help they continued down the mountainside for a while longer until Tolun pointed out the approaching light.  It only took one glance at the steady light to know the man was correct on who it was.

"Damn it.  Why did it have to be him?"

Rahul was about to ask how the hell the interloper had found him but the answer was clearly his technology. That just made him all the more resentful.

"I wish he'd just leave."

He nudged Tolun. "Let's just continue.  I don't want his help."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lieutenant Fabiano Moreno
[Ba'ku - outside Village - Year 2376]

The pair ahead came into view of his light and Fabiano's sense of relief turned to concern, at seeing how the teenage Ba'ku was clearly being supported by an older male Son'a.  Rahul was injured?  Fabiano realized he hadn't thought to do a detailed scan of the bio-readings as they were coming down the hill.  At seeing the way, Rahul was hobbling, he did so now, pointing the medical tricorder towards the teen who scowled.

"What happened?" The science officer questioned as he interpreted the readings on the scanner.  A bad ligament sprain.  Easily repaired if he had access to a standard med-kit, but his was back at the house.  "You've got a grade 2 sprain of your ankle - a partial tear of the ligaments supporting your ankle.  I can help repair that once we get you back home."

"No!  I don't need your Federation technology to help doctor me.  The village has it's own physician.  I'll see him in the morning.  Until then I know how to treat a sprain.  You aren't wanted here.  Just leave me alone!" Rahul said angrily, nodding to Tolun to continue on.

[Tess tLhoell]

Tamonar Skuyanhjin
[Ba'ku - outside village - year 2376]

The Son'a was surprised about the teenager's reaction. The Federation and Starfleet had helped the Ba'ku to fight the Son'a after all and spare them the displacement and the destruction of their home. Why was he so extremely resentful towards the man? That he would even reject help to treat his injury?

Tamonar stayed silent until the Starfleeter had reached them. He stiffened ever so slightly, fearing the other man might reveal his kinship to the boy. But he seemed to be more focused on Rahul's sprained ankle at the moment.

The boy's reaction was quite strong when the Starfleet officer offered to treat the sprained ankle. He then realized it was more than resentment the teenager felt. It was straight out anger he was displaying. Tamonar looked from Rahul to the Starfleet man, pondering his reaction. While he knew the man would be better suited to help his brother, he couldn't force Rahul. Plus, it was better to get away from the man who could blow his cover.

"We will get along fine. I will bring the boy down to the village and home." Little did he know that the officer's path would be the same as theirs and that he lived in the same house as Rahul. He thought he'd be rid of him now.

[Rayek trLhoell]

Rahul Skuyanhjin (16 yrs old)
[Ba'ku - outside Village - Year 2376]

Rahul was grateful that the Tolun backed him against the Starfleet officer, even if he did it in a much nicer way that Rahul would have preferred it.   He nodded to the Son'a to continue on.   He urged Tolun to move past the human and together they made their way down the mountainside.

Rahul was silent. Having said his piece - he wasn't in the mood to say any more to the Fabiano.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lieutenant Fabiano Moreno
[Ba'ku - outside Village - Year 2376]

Hearing the venom in the teenager's voice was disappointing to the Fleet officer.  He had always thought he got along well with pretty much everyone.   He didn't want to force his presence on anyone but at the same time despite what Rahul and this unknown Son'a claimed, Fabiano couldn't just leave the teen alone.

"Sorry Rahul, I'm sure your father wouldn't take it well if I didn't at least see you home safely.  You don't want anything to do with the Federations tech..  I get that...  but I'm not about to leave you alone with..." Fabiano's voice drifted off as he reconsidered speaking aloud his thoughts.

Fabiano backed off and let Rahul and the Son'a move past him and he followed at a short distance.

As he walked behind he watched the Son'a.   His was the other familial reading Fabiano's medical tricorder was picking up.   Fabiano thought a romantic tryst might have been easier to deal with.

The silence seemed tense and finally it grew too much for Moreno.

"What's your name?" He asked.. then because he needed to be completely honest, he pointed out. "You do know I have to tell his father."

[Tess tLhoell]

Tamonar Skuyanhjin (74 years old)
[Ba'ku - outside village - year 2376]

Tamonar, still supporting his unaware brother, felt Rahul urging him to move on while the Starfleeter tried to explain why he couldn't leave him alone like the teenager wanted. When the man seemed to be about to say who Tamonar was, the Son'a froze and cast a warning glare towards the human. He was almost sure the technical device of the man had revealed his secret to him. Tense seconds passed and whatever had made the Starfleet man refrain from finishing his sentence, his true identity remained unspoken - for now.

Rahul and Tamonar pushed past Fabiano, continuing to make their slow trek down the hill. The Son'a heard the human following behind them and that started to bug him.

A couple of minutes passed in silence until the Federation officer seemed to decide to inquire further. "Tolun", was Tamonar's curt reply without turning his head or stopping from walking with Raul. When the man poked further, now with the announcement to tell Rahul's father something, Tamonar was sure he knew what he meant. Why couldn't he just mind his own business, damn Starfleeter! He would need to have a word with him alone as soon as possible.

"I'm not sure what you are talking about. There is nothing to tell." He hoped the man got the hint that he didn't wish to have whatever information he had being revealed.

[Rayek trLhoell]

Rahul Skuyanhjin (16 yrs old)
and
Lieutenant Fabiano Moreno
[Ba'ku - outside Village - Year 2376]

Tthe Son'a answered his question regarding his name curtly.  Then outright denied knowing what he was talking about.  The man was as moody if not worse than Rahul.  It seemed they have more than just DNA in common.  Regardless, Fabiano decided not to press the issue, not at the moment at any rate.  He would talk to Ishto later and hopefully learn the truth of who 'Tolun' was.

The science officer continued to follow the pair though he did give Rahul a bit of space, respecting the teen's desire to exclude him.  It was a slow trek down the mountain and must have been rather painful for Rahul, yet the teen made not one utterance of complaint.

Eventually they were passing the first of the village houses and coming upon the Skuyanhjin.

[Tess tLhoell]

Tamonar Skuyanhjin (74 years old)
[Ba'ku village - outside Skuyanhjin home - Year 2376]

As they passed the first houses of the village, Tamonar still supporting his younger brother, he glanced about warily. Ever since he had returned to his planet, he had not dared to enter the village but had stayed hidden in the woods of the mountains.

Now that they were closing the Skuyanhjin home, his home, he feared he might unexpectedly meet his father. Tamonar wasn't that worried he might recognize him. No. He was fairly certain that there was not much recognizable left of him. But he was nervous about his own reaction to see him again. And his father reacting very differently to a Son'a than Rahul had. The teen might have reacted differently if he hadn't been hurt.

Tamonar felt the desire to let the Starfleeter take over bringing the kid home so he could make his way back. But he needed to have a word with him first. He was sure Moreno knew what connected him to the Ba'ku teen. And he had no desire for that secret to be revealed. Not yet at least.

Approaching the home of the Skuyanhjin family, Tamonar stopped with Rahul in front of the door. There was a glimmer of light coming from inside, which suggested for Ishto to be still awake.

Still supporting Rahul, Tamonar glanced over to Fabiano. "After the boy has been attended to, could I speak to you for a moment in private?"

[Rayek trLhoell]

Rahul Skuyanhjin (16 yrs old)
Lieutenant Fabiano Moreno
and Ishto Skuyanhjin
[Ba'ku - outside Village - Year 2376]

The walk down the mountain was quiet after Tolun's outright lie.  Fabiano wanted to call him on it but figured that that decision was best left to Ishto.

Finally they arrived and when Tolun asked to speak privately afterwards, Fabiano nodded.

To be polite, Fabiano was going to knock on the door once before opening the door, but Rahul just reached out and grabbed hold of the latch handle, pulling the door open and disentangling himself from Tolun's help.

"I can hobble the rest of the way myself." the head-strong teen announced.

Ishto, who had long since put both Benjin and Tess to bed, looked up at the sound of the door opening.  The expression on his face went through several changes.   First, was the transformation of brooding fatherly worry over what might have been happening to a brief spur of anger at Rahul having left the house at this time of night.

Then the spur of anger morphed into valid concern at seeing his son's hobbling entrance and obvious injury.  "Rahul?  What's happened?".

The Ba'ku father stood up hurriedly and walked over to his son's side to offer him help, as Rahul mumbled "A sprained ankle, I think."

Yet when Rahul's father got near to the door he noticed... not only the Starfleet officer waiting to enter, but a Son'a as well.  Ishto's expression hardened as he glared at the Son'a.  "Leave here - now. Stay away from my son!  You are not welcome in this home!" he announced bitterly and unexpectedly slammed the door shut on both Tolun's and Fabiano's faces.   The sudden raised voice and slammed door, of course woke Benjin, who wailed in startled surprise from his bedroom.

Fabiano was shocked.  Albeit he had only been around the village a short time, but never had he seen Ishto be so upset before.  He looked to the Son'a.  "Let's have that talk."

Rahul too seemed surprised before the door shut.  Yet any question he might have thought to ask withered with the angry look he received.  "Sneaking out to spend time with those who would have taken your home from you? You point fingers at the Fleet officer, yet it was he and his kind that saved us and our planet from them.  You really disappoint me.  Go to your room.  I'll bring you something for the pain AFTER I settle Benjin."  The Ishto walked off still clearly angry leaving Rahul to make his way on his own to his room.

[Tess tLhoell]

Tamonar Skuyanhjin (74 years old)
[Ba'ku village - outside Skuyanhjin home - Year 2376]

Something stirred inside Tamonar when he heard his father's voice. Part of him wanted to flee - hide up in the darkness of the hills again. But his legs wouldn't move. Ishto's figure appeared near the door frame and Tamonar dared to look back in his face - that face that still looked so young and strong. Unlike his own, withered with age.

A split second passed in which Tamonar dared to get his hopes up, his father might invite him in. That quickly dissolved when Ishto's expression changed to something almost hostile. The words he directed at him were quick and harsh and then the door slammed shut.

Through the door he heard Ishto's angry words toward Rahul for having been with him. Tamonar had wished that his heart had become numb with the bitterness time had brought. But right now, he realized that the wish had not at all become true.

Trying his best to keep to himelf how much that actually had hurt he glanced back to the Starfleet officer, all the more determined to demand from him not to tell anyone who he was.

They walked away from the house, back towards the forest and the hills. Tamonar made sure to be out of ear shot before he began to speak. "I know that you are aware who I am", the aged Son'a said, keeping his gaze straight ahead of them. "My name is Tamonar. I am the first born son of Ishto Skuyanhjin and his wife Ehakela. I betrayed the values they had tought me from childhood on. I left my home. I left my parents, seeking something I couldn't find here." He paused. Back then he had been a rebel. Wild. Demanding. He just had seen some of that fire in his younger brother Rahul. And even in his father.

Dragging his eyes away from the random spot he had been staring on, he looked to Fabiano. "For reasons I'm sure are not difficult to understand I must ask you to keep that knowledge to yourself." Despite his age and withered face, his ocean-blue eyes glowed almost youthfully. "It is better for my father to not be reminded of the misery I brought to him if he knew I was so close nearby." He sighed, his chest clenching with sadness. "Rahul doesn't even seem to know he has an older brother. I don't want to bring that kind of distress into his life. Neither in the lives of my other siblings."

[Rayek trLhoell]

Lieutenant Fabiano Moreno
[Ba'ku - outside Village - Year 2376]

Fabiano followed the Son'a back towards the forest path that would lead back up the mountain.  He supposed the man had some manner of shelter up there somewhere.

The Starfleet science officer didn't say a word as they walked waiting on the Son'a to speak first.  When the man did finally begin, confirming what he'd already begun to suspect, Fabiano was still quite speechless.

"His first born son.." he eventually repeated.  Of course, Fabiano knew of how the original Son'a were exiled from the planet.  Tamonar had been a part of that.  Fabiano had been one of the scientists assigned to study the Ba'ku back before Data had gone rogue at the discovery of the Son'a plot to relocate the Ba'ku villagers.

He considered the man's request.  Other Son'a had been permitted to stay in the village, and while not fully trusted, the process of forgiveness was and making amends was under way.

"I won't tell him - for now.  He's much too angry with the Son'a as a whole right now.  I'll leave it for you to tell him."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rahul Skuyanhjin (16 yrs old)
[Ba'ku - Village - Tess' home - Year 2376]

While his father hurried off to quieten down Benjin, Rahul painstakingly hopped and hobbled his way down the hallway towards his room.  Along the way he noticed he paused at Tess' partially open doorway to a listen in a moment.  He hoped his father's angry shouting hadn't woken her.