SC - Fugitives

[Keira Kelly]

Byrne noted the other woman glancing at the doctor when she admitted to Periferixilin use. So the other woman, the supposed patient, hadn't known.. but finding out didn't seem to phase her either. Still, the other doctor was right; that drug wouldn't cloud the judgment. He listened quietly as she continued to plead her case. An invasive object. Not injury related likely.. the younger woman seemed wholly intact and healthy, at least from a cursory visual examination. But, maybe the other doctor was telling the truth. He couldn't let himself be responsible for someone's death through inaction if he could help it. And he couldn't help if he was tied up in some back room. It would be better to agree to help.

A scan would be called for beforehand anyways and he could see if she was telling the truth. If not, maybe he could get his hands on some kind of tranquilizer and protect the younger woman too if need be. But if it was the truth, he had no recourse but to help. His decision made, he was about to answer when the younger woman interrupted him.

"He will help, Doctor Jade." Ava said. Her psionic powers did seem to be improving as of late, and this colony doctor wasn't the most deceptive of folk. "He wants to help. He wants to be sure that you are telling the truth, but when he finds out that you are, he will help." she said out loud, noting that Byrne seemed quite shocked. Then there was a look of realization on his face.

Unlike most of the people on this planet, Doctor Arthur Byrne was a relatively new transplant to the world of Kalisti and so.. he knew a bit more of what was going on out there than most. That was one of the reasons he had chosen to come to such a backwater planet; the lack of politics, war, factions and that there was a need for skilled doctors here had been a great incentive for him. He just enjoyed helping people. He narrowed his eyes. "You're psionic." he said slowly. He had his suspicions but didn't want to push, even though now he knew the younger woman was probably picking up a lot of what was going through his head. He had always worn his heart on his sleeve though and right now was no different. If she was what he thought she was.. Well, he sorely doubted the Confederacy would have had any reason sending her here. That meant she was on the run. Someone who needed help.

Byrne nodded. "I'll help." he agreed. "But I need to know exactly what we are dealing with her, Doctor. You can make use of these facilities as you need, and I'll help you with whatever you need.. but.. no deceit, no lies please." He noticed the slight gesture the young psionic made towards the slightly older doctor, a nod to confirm that he was being frank too.

[rivaan]

Miranda's eyes twiched when the man recognized Ava as psionic. She was just about a moment's thought away of taking him as an enemy, but hten the rest of the expression on his face suggested to ehr otherwise and the female doctor quickly calmed down enough for the moment and looked at the man, before throwing a look at Ava." Alright, trusting you on this one. You know better than me." She smiled at the younger woman and turned to the doctor.

"Alright, colleague... I can see it in your eyes you know what she is beyond being a mere psychic." Miranda stated and looked at Ava." Alright, you can take off that coat for now. It's going to get in the way." She added and made sure to lock the front door for the moment. There was a bell to ring in case someone wanted to enter anyways." Well not sure how much about that the ghosts you know, but there are devices in their heads that can be tracked down... If she's to survive, that thing has to be removed." She stated without getting into details. She didn't lie to him, but if he knew everything and someone out there got to know that, the good doctor would be dead very soon after." If you learn the compelte details any people that chase us might kill you, so please do not ask more than that."

"Alright, Ava we are going to get you a scan done first. Need to see the thing's exact location to narrow to a minimum the surgery area." Miranda smiled as she gestured for the good doc to lead the way." We are going to have to perform this operation the old school... It's highly complicated to remove because it's well wolven within some critical parts of the brain, but I can remove it. I hope you've got some decent low side effects antibiotics?" She asked, the doctor and looked at Ava." As for you... lean the rifle on the wall next to you while you're taking the scan. We are scanning you, not hte rifle." She smiled.

"We are also going to need mild calming medicine. Nothing too strong as to cloud her head or anything, but the after effects of removing the thing will be incredibly stressful and straining on her. Just a nice cup of warm tea should help a lot actually. Tea is herbal medicine after all... it relaxes the mind. And is drank more or less than all the people in the sector as a casual drink..." She spoke to the doctor and Ava. She was pretty sure that Ava will not be too keen on it, but a sudden spike in powers could kill the doctor and anyone else in the vicinity. Miranda doubted that Ava will kill her, her subconcious mind probably will keep her from killing her, but hte others were more likely than not fair game. Thus she explained to Ava that tea was somethign that everyone was drinking and no one had side effects of it. It was an ordinary thing to do when you feel stressed or nervous.

[Keira Kelly]

When Miranda suggested Ava take off the coat, the ghost hesitated. Yes, it was clear that this man suspected what she was but.. suspecting and seeing were two different things sometimes. Ava had been well taught on the psychological value of ghosts in warfare. Out of the corner of her eye, while still watching the male doctor, she saw Miranda go and lock the front door of the building. Just as well. Finally, slowly, she removed the borrowed coat, letting it hang from her fingers of one hand, staring intently at Doctor Byrne, almost challenging him to run or cower or turn aggressive. It was what she expected. Especially now that her canister rifle on her back would be just a bit visible to him. He could see she was armed. To his credit, though he looked shocked, he kept in control.

He turned his eyes nervously to Miranda, nodding vigorously as if to try to calm himself in answering, diverting his attention from the deadly younger red-haired woman. "I only want the medical information, Doctor. That is it." he confirmed, not really wanting to know anything else about their story. He knew enough to know that ghosts were deadly psionics who were brainwashed into remorseless killers for the Confederacy. Nothing in this young woman's eyes staring at him told him any different than that. But she WAS here, not with any soldiers or Confederate force, just with another doctor. Maybe they weren't all puppets to the regime. Maybe some did yearn for freedom. But he knew better than to ask questions. He had promised to help and he would.

He scratched at his head, again, nervously. "I can't say that I've done much brain surgery before.. but I can assist you, Doctor. Just tell me what you need me to do." he said again. He in turn gestured for them to follow him as he led the way into the back room which opened up into a small ward with a few rooms off of it. Entering one room, he flipped the lights on to reveal a large machine with a hole in the centre. A body scanner, and an old style one at that, most often used to reveal massive injuries often sustained on the mining world but it could do a head scan well enough too. There was a tray out the front of the hole, big enough for a person to lay on. He glanced over at Miranda. "I have a surgery bay the next room over." he told her. "And yes, there are plenty of antibiotics. We need to keep well stocked in them here."

At being told to leave her rifle, Ava gave a blank look at Miranda. Well, to most it would look blank but Miranda would have been around the ghost long enough to know it was reticence. "Yes, Doctor Jade." she said after a moment and moved over to the wall that Miranda had indicated and unslung the rifle, propping it against the wall after setting the safety lock on. The other doctor asked her to remove anything metallic if she could as well. With practised ease, she began to decouple the breastplate armour, remove the shoulder pads, the hip units and the large, metal boots that were a part of her gear and placed them all in a pile beside the rifle. She kept her hostile environment suit, a bodysuit that included the feet, leaving only her head and half her hands bare.

Byrne gestured for the younger woman to come over to the tray, watching her walk over and stop beside it, staring at it. "I need you to lie down on the tray, young lady, on your back with your head towards the machine." he explained. The second he had, the younger woman jumped up with a fluid grace, obeying his command without hesitation. It was almost.. uncanny the way she did. Something not quite... right with her. When the older woman asked for tea, Byrne frowned. An odd request. They had some analgesics and some tranquilizers around, even some mild ones. "There is a kettle in the small mess across the way, and plenty of tea. Another thing I keep well stocked." he answered, still a bit confused by the reasoning. He highly doubted tea would be of any real benefit, preferring actual medicine over herbology when he could. Still, he wasn't going to argue. "I'll start some as we get close to the end of the procedure." he told Miranda, knowing that the procedure might very well take some time and any boiled water would get cold if started now.

As he started up the scanner, he recited exactly what he was doing and what was happening before he hit the button for the tray on which the younger lady lay. It began to slide into the hold in the machine and a whirring around began. He stopped the tray when her head was inside. "Just hold as still as you can, young lady. Hold very still..." he said, checking on the view screen for the scanner, making sure that it was working. Thirty seconds later, the whirring began to slow down and he pressed another button, having the tray eject from the machine once more. He moved over to the monitor, using his hands on the screen to move that was now 3D image around, flicking a couple of buttons on the screen to peel away layers of the scan of the ghost's head and gestured for Miranda to join him. When he noticed that the red-haired woman still lay on the tray, he called to her. "You can get up now, young lady." he said before turning back to the scan. It didn't take long to find the device on it. "This is it?" he asked Miranda.

In the meantime, Ava had risen, and made her way over to them. She stared at the scan in wonder. That.. was her head on there. Her brain. And the solid coloured item.. That was the inhibitor. She could seen tendrils coming from it, snaking their way through her head. How would Miranda deal with that, she wondered. Maybe they wouldn't be able to remove it in the end. She had heard rumours of inhibitors being removed and the ghost being permanently disabled, becoming paralyzed or losing higher brain functions due to the scarring that it left. Again though, she was dedicated to doing this wholeheartedly. The outcome didn't matter. It was her only chance. "Doctor Jade." she began in a quiet voice. Not fearful, just.. placid. "If removing it doesn't work.. if I become.. impaired. Please, terminated me." she asked. "I don't want to live if I become too damaged. I don't.. want to be a burden."

[rivaan]

Miranda smiled at the doctor as they found the inhibitor." Yeah he's the bastard thing..." She replied and set a print of the scan to be made. Without much of a hassle she pulled the print and a pen and then stared down the thing, before starting to draw some lines and numbers and mark areas of the inhibitor on the picture. It was a quite a familiar sight to someone like Ava, it was more or less the same thing that mission ops briefings were, just it wasn't pointing places of entry and security and the like, but instead the sequence of how to proceed with the surgery.

"Alright... we are lucky... good to have confirmation." Miranda suddenly stated with flat voice and sighed in relief." As you grew up, the device didn't settle into a nasty position that would make the removal a lot harder. Because that can happen, generally these things aren't supposed to be removed so they aren't designed to ensure removal security. I've known this for a while, but it's a relief to confirm it one last time before doing the actual procedure." She stated and looked at Ava and the doctor." Alright, I will proceed with the surgery, I've done a lot of brain surgeries in the last 9 years... you will act as my assistant on this. When I'm about to remove it, I would like to request you to leave though... it won't be safe for you to remain in the room when I pull it out of her head." She said, staring at the picture of Ava's brain. It was a little different from the academy, but she had studied this ghost's brain for years. She hadn't lied to Ava earlier. In all seriousness she probably could have done this procedure without the scan even, but for Ava's safety it's always better to be safe than sorry.

"Ava, don't even consider that option." Miranda said to the younger woman with motherly warm eyes." I'm going to free you from it. If the unthinkable happens... I can promise you that you will not suffer even for a moment." She did finally admit though. What she didn't add was that she herself was going to follow her into the grave soon after though. Well that's beside the point for the moment." Let's get this done..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3 hours later
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The surgery was proceeding along expectations. It was slow and careful task to disconnect the inhibitor from Ava's brain without causing any permanent damage. Miranda's hands were moving with utmost care as she slowly cut off tendril after tendril and then started dismantling the inhibitor. The room was no dry nor too humid, it was more important than all sterille. Ava's face was behind a small curtain and Miranda was constantly asking her different questions to keep her conscious and to evaluate her state. All was turning rather well and they were almost done." Doctor Byrne, it's time for you to leave the room..." Miranda suddenly said as she was about to pull out for good the inhibitor from Ava's head. So far it should have been gradualing lessening it's effect in the ghost's head as she had cut off all it's connections. Still the sudden influx of quietness in Ava's mind when it's finally removed was going to be shocking and she didn't want o risk the doctor's life.

When he was finally out of the room, Miranda turned around and looked at Ava." Alright, I'm removing it now... The sudden influx of quietness, thoughts and emotions will be shocking for a while, Ava. Don't allow them to drown you. When you start feeling overwhelmed, grasp into a solitary thing to drown the noise." She explained as she carefully started pulling the inhibitor." You've got to stand completely still... this is the most important part now.... almost... almost... it's out..." She said and threw the thing into a metal tray, making a noisy clanking sound. Miranda looked at Ava." Ava... how are you feeling?" She asked, as she proceeded to put the piece of ava's skull back on it's place and then pulled a really small syringe that she had prepared nearby. This was combat medic tech right there. Nanobots, programed to completely restore the bone and scap conditions. As soon as she injected them they started to work and within moments effects were taking place, though it should be around 10 minutes before they were completely finished.

"How... are you feeling?" Miranda asked, feeling slightly nervous about Ava's condition. She then also pulled the inhibitor, threw it into a glass of spirits to clean it up. Miranda wanted to smash it good right away, but figured Ava should be the one to get the honor.

[Keira Kelly]

The surgery had taken a long time, feeling even longer for Ava since all she could do was lie there, strapped down as best as the doctors could to prevent her moving and injuring herself. Thankfully there had been no pain but... that didn't mean the ghost couldn't feel something going on in her head. It felt like ants walking around in there. Likely just whatever Miranda was doing but.. it felt... weird to be sure. Uncomfortable even. But Ava was used to discomfort. Every so often, what felt like an electrical shock had run through her, causing her body to tense and she struggled to remain perfectly still. Every time that happened, she wondered if that would be it. If she, who she was right now, would be over. But after nearly three hours, she thought that she was still herself.

Except a hiss that seemed to get louder as the surgery progressed, white noise in the background. She knew it wasn't in her ears though. She remembered that white noise. The din of minds around but.. it was weak. Barely there. Even by the time Miranda ordered the other doctor out and told Ava that she was going to finally removed the device. She swallowed hard, feeling Miranda begin to remove the inhibitor from her head, straining to keep still. The discomfort level rose. She bit her lip, trying to distract herself from what felt like a stampede of ants in her skull.

Suddenly the white noise level grew to unmanageable levels. Ava let out a gasp, straining against the restraints but she couldn't. She couldn't move. She squeezed her eyes shut. She could feel herself sinking into the din, the minds of everyone around. She couldn't pick out one from the next and she was losing herself in it all. Concentrate, she told herself. Breathe. Block them. Build a wall around your mind. The techniques she had taught herself before the inhibitor had been put in. Slowly, the din began to decrease, settle back to.. manageable levels. Mostly. She could sense Miranda rather keenly though, and what she felt from the other woman was nearly intolerable. The other doctor's concern, from the next room, was also rather strong but what she was getting from his mind through her mental barrier was far less detailed.

The second time Miranda asked how she was doing, Ava finally opened her eyes again, slowing her breathing. "I am..." she began but paused. How was she? Concerned? Grieving? No, those were other people's emotions. Not hers. She closed her eyes again, trying to sort it out, to separate herself from the other minds she felt. "I think I'm okay..." She was cut off by a sound.

Chittering, chitinous scraping, hisses... Oh no. Not here, not again.... She knew it was the sounds only she could hear. "Doctor, get out... They are back..." she said in a strangled voice. Another mind gripped hers this time, pulling her in, and she recognized it as the other. Opening her eyes, she was there again. She could see the other's hands before her as if they were her own, the creatures all around, but now she knew what they were. She wasn't afraid this time.

'I see you...' came the taunting voice. The other speaking. The voice was rich, feminine but hauntingly alien with a multiple tones at once. 'I know you are there.. Your mind is stronger than before...'

'Get out of my head!' Ava screamed back through her mind. This time, she could feel the link, the edges of it. She could control it. 'Get out of my head and stay out, sister!' she added, as she managed to break the connection forcefully.

Suddenly she was back in the surgery. She was staring at Miranda's concerned face but all she was focused on right now was the fact that SHE had severed that connection without causing any damage.... and the shock she had felt from the other right before she had. "I'm all right, Doctor." she said finally. "I'm all right now. Are you almost done? Can I get up?" she almost pleaded. She felt too vulnerable lying like this, tied down right now. She suddenly realized the emotions she was feeling right now were her own. Fear, grief... anger. She could sense similar emotions in Miranda right now but.. her own were too new, too strong. She could only deal with her own right now.

She knew without a doubt that that other WAS her sister. Had been her sister. She realized tears were streaming down her face. "Please, let me up..." she pleaded. She felt sick about it. She had to find out how, why it had happened. How Sarah had ended up being taken by the zerg. She needed to know. Needed to find out.

[rivaan]

"Good..."Miranda let out a breath of relief only after Ava had confirmed she was fine. These were the most nerve wrecking few hours in the doctor's life to date. This surgery was among the most complicated ones out there and luckily it was eased by the condition of hte inhibitor and the way it had adapted into Ava's flesh as she grew. This could have went a whole of a lot worse since Ava was implated with it at a really early age. In fact Miranda was rather surprised about it when she first saw the scans of Ava's head years ago. It was a bloody good luck and she was grateful for that. At least one good thing had happened despite all the disasters they've lived through. What's more she was even more grateful she didn't have a mental breakdown. As much as that drug was going to turn her future into a nightmare soon, at least that was a benefit it gave. Once she stopped taking it though, she might be the one who would have to be tied down and monitored out of fear of suicide...

"Ohh no!" She suddenly said as Ava showed signs that her connection with her sister was acting up again. She quickly descended and placed a reassuring hand on the ghost's shoulder and stood close to her. No way in hell was she leaving the younger woman alone to deal with it. Even a lil bit of presence at her side could be beneficial from what she knew. Having people who wished you only the best was a reassuring thing next to a psionic usually." I'm with you, Ava. Don't worry!"

Finally Ava seemed to get over it. She seemed a lil bit stressed up and emotional which was normal since all her blocked emotions were suddenly released and probably flooded her. The ghost would need a good while to get used to it." Of course, Ava." Miranda said gently and quickly released the restrained that were placed on the ghost. Curretnly most of the doctor's thoughts were focused on the ghost's wellbeing. Second after that was the gnawing at her heart and soul pain of losing her child. There were also the mixture of self hatred and also pure hatred focused at Mengsk, but all those negative emotions were lessened to an extend because of the drugs.

"Why don't you go back to the ship?" Miranda suddenly asked, placing a hand on the ghost's shoulder." It should be a lot more quiet there since the ship's the most distant part from the settlement. It's also warm, you can get some much needed solace there right now." She smiled at the younger woman." The injury on your head should be almost healed already and the bone should be completely regrown and reattached within some minutes." She exlpained as she walked to the tray with the inhibitor which was now cleaned from all brain fluids and flesh." Also here it is, I think yours is the honor to smash it." Miranda smiled.

She was going to be patient what the ghost was going through wasn't going to be an easy thing to get over. In many way maybe this colony was the best place for Ava to recuperate at. The people density was a lot lesser than others and the people at places like this tended to be a lot more simple and open. Life in harsh conditions like this usually left people a lot more straightforward and honest, with great feeling of community that even if she and ava weren't part of, they should at least be treated politely and well enough.

[Keira Kelly]

Finally the restraints were removed and Ava sat up with relief. Being tied down like that.. It had never bothered her before, not since she was young. It bothered her now, feeling helpless like that, even if she knew it was for good reason and was with someone she trusted. Sitting up, she realized quickly that she had to take it slow. Her head was pounding with a dull ache accompanied with dizziness. Sitting now with her legs over the edge of the surgical bed, she put a hand over her eyes, feeling the tears that continued to flow but unable to stop them. Slowly, the ache in her head was decreasing, little by little, though she could ignore it easily enough. Over her life, she had become accustomed to pain. There was greater pain than just physical right now anyways.

When Miranda suggested Ava go back to the ship, the ghost shook her head. "I don't... want to be alone." she answered. "I've been alone my whole life. I've been.. hollow since the inhibitor was implanted. I can deal with it. I just don't want to be alone." she added, looking at the other woman through teary eyes. When Miranda went and picked up the device from a tray, then dropped in into Ava's hand, the ghost sat there staring at it for a long moment. She felt.. repulsed by it, a new sensation. It sickened her that this had been in her head. Not that she was now holding something that had been inside her but that she was holding something that had controlled her, limited her.. made her a slave. Anger rose inside of her as she studied it. This had been meant the control and track her, to prevent her from being able to live like a normal person. From being able to feel!

She slipped off the bio-bed and onto her feet, staring at the piece of metal. Suddenly, she let it fall from her hand, watching it bounce on the tiled floor. It had barely completed its first bounce when her heel followed it. Thankfully the bottoms of the feet in her environmental suit was hardened as she ground the metal device onto the tile, hearing it crunch, followed by an electrical snap as the tiny power cell it contained breached. For good measure, she brought her foot down onto it again another three or four times, making sure it was damaged beyond repair. She glanced up at Miranda's smile, her own face nearly a scowl, dark look in her eyes.

She forced her eyes closed for a moment, trying to control what she felt, her emotions, and then opened them again. "You had to have noticed that I got pulled back into that connection again, after you took the inhibitor out.." she began. "Maybe because the inhibitor was out.. I felt.. more powerful, enough to sever that link. Before I did though, I.. talked to her. To the thing Sarah became." she explained. The anger was beginning to dissipate as she spoke. "It is her. I could tell this time. It was my sister." she confirmed. She swallowed hard, trying to speak past the emotion now creeping in on her. "I called her that. Sister. Just as I closed it off, she reacted to it, Doctor. Miranda. Some small part of her reacted to learning she had a sister..." She felt sick about all of it.

Right then, she felt something else though. A thought that passed through the doctor's mind, very clear. Ava's head raised up sharply, focusing on Miranda. "You knew more than you told me. You know who left her on Tarsonis." she said in realization. "It wasn't just her superiors. It was the one who leads the whole Dominion now. The Emperor." Rage was filling her, and she realized it wasn't just her own. At the mention of that title, she could feel anger amongst other emotions sweep through the doctor. And she could feel the reason. "You didn't.. join the ghost program willingly, did you? You were coerced. And he took from you. He took from both of us then..." she added, her voice low with anger.

Suddenly, she reached out, gripping Miranda's shoulder in a tight grip, a gesture of connection. "I'm an assassin. It's all I know. I may not have ever been activated but... my whole life has been moulding me into that." she said in a low voice. "And I have killed. Miranda, we WILL get revenge for what Emperor Mengsk took from us." she vowed. Just as suddenly, dizziness swept through her, causing her to nearly fall over. There had of course been little bleeding, or damage during the surgery but it was all still a shock to her system, not to mention trying to deal with all that she had access to now.

Right at that moment, Doctor Byrne peeked inside the operating room. "There's some tea out here if you wish..." he began, then trailed off at seeing Ava standing already. Then again, there had been that syringe... With the younger woman being a ghost, he began to wonder what type of doctor the older one was. Nanobots were not an easy commodity to get for a regular person but.. that was about the only explanation for what he had seen. He knew better than to ask questions though.

Ava glanced questioningly at Miranda at hearing the offer of tea. Miranda had suggested it before the surgery but.. Ava had still never had tea. Almost without thinking, she sent psychically to Miranda. 'Should we have some of this.. tea?' she asked telepathically. The look on the other's face told her that Miranda had received her. She could feel something now. Something she had only ever sensed in certain others. The other trainee ghosts, the wrangler back at the Ursus platforms... Not as strong as them as far as she could tell but... Something.

[rivaan]

Miranda nodded when Ava said she didn't want to be alone." Alright, don't worry. I'm not going to leave you alone in that case." The doctor said and sat on the edge of the bed as the ghost started the stomping game on the inhibitor. She sure was glad at the sound of it being destroyed. She wished that it would be possible to free other ghosts from it too, but it wasn't always the best idea. She knew for fact some people went there to become ghosts and wanted it to be so. For example that Nova girl who had arrived at the academy a while back, she arrived already in her teen, but she was going through the program with a zeal. Miranda hoped they wouldn't encounter her anytime soon. While Ava's general performance was good aside her unstable psionics, from what she saw that Nova woman was straight up killer machine.

She then listened as Ava recounted her connection with Sarah this time around. the doctor frowned for a moment as she started thinking. Was it possible? The zerg infestation wasn't usually one to leave any sentience, but this seemed different. Well Sarah Kerrigan was sentient after all so that meant something was different with her infestation. If what Ava said was correct, then some part of her humanity was still there burried underneath the infestation. Maybe sometime in the future they would be able to purge the infestation out of her. She still couldn't believe that Mengsk ordered her to be left on Tarsonis just because she called him on his cruelty.

"Ah..." Miranda suddenly froze as she heard Ava speaking about things she hadn't told her. Now with the inhibitor out, it seemed the ghost had a lot easier time reading her mind. The doctor felt weird that her whole being could be so easily read now. She looked at Ava without saying anything for a while, leaving the other to read whatever she wanted. Some words struck quite well with Miranda's emotions. Especially when the emperor was mentioned." Yeah..." She admitted it with her own voice." We will..." She also reached and held Ava's shoulder in the similar manner." I'm not a saint either, Ava. Yeah we will get our revenge... Arcturus Mengsk. We will make sure he suffers..." Miranda swore a vow. Her emotions seemed to be resonating with the ghost and she suddenly hoped that her hatred wouldn't affect Ava in a bad way, especially when she clears herself from the drugs.

Miranda quickly helped Ava up and over to sit down on the operation bed again. There was no need to stress the younger woman. She had to rest at least a while after the surgery. There was the missing adrenaline from being in combat that marines had and then there was the fact there was no way in hell was she injecting Ava with stims for this. Resting normally was best.

"Thank you, Doctor Byrne." Miranda called out to the good doctor and thanked him for the help with the tea. She then suddenly turned to Ava who's voice echoed in her head out of nowhere. Miranda blinked and looked at the younger woman.' Telepathy already?' She thought and sighed." Yes." Miranda smiled at Ava nad looked at hte doctor." We will be out in a little bit, doctor." She explained and hurried to tidy up the trays where all the surgical tools were so they could be brought to the sterilizing machine.

"I see you've managed to connect with me on telepathic level." Miranda said and looked at Ava." That's good, it will come in handy at a later date for sure." The doctor stated and gave Ava a smile now that she had finished setting up the tools." Come on, let's drink some tea. You will feel better after that. It's said in ancient times people used to drink tea to relief stress. To this day it's actually quite relaxing. Still no need to rush to move fast. Take it slow for now."

"Well we will also have to get something to eat later after you rest a while." She suddenly said as they were leaving hte surgery room." There will be a lot of other things to do also, but we can leave those for tomorrow onward. For tonight let's rest well."

[Keira Kelly]

Arcturus Mengsk. She had been forced to swear fealty to that man just a matter of weeks ago. First it had been the Confederacy with its council of leaders and then, the Dominion and Mengsk. She had had no choice before, she had been ordered to be loyal. But now, she had a choice. The concept of actually having.. choice was almost overwhelming suddenly. It was true that she had gone with the doctor, forsaking her pledge of loyalty but.. in the end, it hadn't really been Ava's choice, had it? It was most definitely what she would have chosen but.. it hadn't been hers to make. From here on out though, her choices would be hers to make. How could she make choices? She didn't really know how... How did people make choices?

Maybe she didn't have to. She would stick with Miranda and.. now they had a common goal. To see Mengsk suffer in return for the suffering he had caused. Ava wanted that now more than anything, not just for her sister's betrayal but also for the pain she could feel radiating from Miranda. She owed it to the doctor for getting her this far. She would stick with her till the end. She, at least, had earned Ava's loyalty as opposed to expecting it.

When Ava sent psionically to the doctor, she received the reply, confirming what she had thought she felt. How had wranglers never picked the doctor up? Did Miranda even know? With the other doctor, the male, nearby, Ava could already sense a difference. Miranda's mind was much clearer to her. Like the other trainees. To read Byrne's mind would have taken effort to push past barriers.. Not so with Miranda's. But, out of respect, she kept to the surface thoughts, letting Miranda's deeper muddle of emotions stay her own. Besides, Ava wasn't ready to deal with emotion on much of a level as of yet. That was the other reason she hadn't tried to talk to Miranda about what she felt from the doctor yet.

Once Byrne had left, as Miranda started tidying up after the surgery, Ava turned to her companion with a raised eyebrow and curious look. "You do know, don't you, Doctor?" she asked, stopping Miranda after she was preparing to leave the room. Ava paused frowning. The doctor had asked it of her many times but Ava had been ordered by Lt. Calan never to refer to anyone by their first names. It was rank and surname only. But now he was dead, she felt a flush of satisfaction at that thought, and she was no longer held to orders. "Miranda. I can feel it. You are a psionic too..." she said in a lower voice, not wanting it to carry. It wasn't her secret to let out to others. Even with her unstable.. or formerly unstable talent, Ava still had had years of training in her abilities. Miranda likely hadn't, else she would have been forced to be a ghost or a wrangler most likely. Ava was curious though if Miranda had realized.

With that, Ava went to where her pile of gear rested nearby, gathering it up, holding the armour pieces and slinging the rifle back across her back once more. It was too valuable.. too ingrained in who and what she was to leave it anywhere with the potential to be stolen. Glancing at Miranda to see if the other woman was following her, she headed out of the operating room. Her head was already feeling a lot better. More normal. At least physically. There was a dull ache across her eyes though, from trying to get used to screening out other minds. It would fade over time, she was sure. She could deal with it for now.

When they got out into the hall, Doctor Byrne gestured for them to follow him to a nearby room. There, a tray with mugs was set beside a steaming kettle and he began to pour a liquid from it into each of three mugs. That done, he gestured to a small container and a small pitcher to the side. "Would you like milk, sugar in your tea?" he asked. "Help yourselves.."

Ava glanced at Miranda, looking rather lost. "Do I?" she asked. Fare at the ghost academy had always been pretty standard military fare without embellishments. She had drank milk, often when she had been younger, to help build bones and she had been taught about sugar in general but.. she wasn't sure how it was supposed to .. fit with this tea.

After Miranda had answered Ava, Byrne turned to the other doctor now. "Doctor, can I be frank with you?" he asked. "We don't have a big budget here, we don't have a lot of access to off world goods. Look, I realize that you must have somehow used medical nanobots here." he said, raising his hands defensively, gesturing he wasn't implying a threat. "I just want to know if you have any connections to get more. We do a lot of mining here on Kalisti. People get hurt. Medical nanobots could make a world of difference if we could get access. I get that it might be Black Market kind of stuff but.. it could save lives here..." he explained. "If, we could afford it." he added, his voice lowering in resignation, knowing that likely, they couldn't. But even one shipment of it, stored, might still save lives.

[rivaan]

Miranda suddenly had halted when she heard Ava speak. She was literally mid step reaching to open the gate to leave the surgery room when that happened. At first she didn't speak back, she just kept quiet. She felt a distinct coldness on the back of her neck. She was conflicted inside a little. Her mind was filled with countless of thoughts appearing and vanishing, a cacaphony of emotions in a brief moment at her struggle to understand herself and what she should reply. Finally her mind settled down and she sighed. She just looked downwards." Yeah... I... vaguelly started to notice it after I learned about my son... Didn't want to believei t then, it was too vague and distant, but after I killed that beast it's been getting ever so stronger..." She explained and looked at Ava as the other finally left the room.

Miranda followed suit after her, but rubbed her temples. This was so weird... she had known she had the mild potential for psionics since she was a child. With her psi index of 2 she was within the wrangler range albeit the very minimum. She slipped through the cracks because her abilities never realized until now. Hell she had infiltrated the academy for 9 bloody years and not a single of the ghosts or the wranglers she had met ever realized she was a psionic until now. The drugs were probably altering her brain chemistry to help mask it, but with Ava's freed mind she saw right through her. Well even then PSI index of two was not going to be too dangerous for anyone involved. At most she was going to be sensing the presence of Ava and eventually vaguely feeling emotions when they were very close to one another. Though thinkign about that, while she couldn't initiate a telepathic connection with Ava, cause with index 2 she was too week to be a telepath, she could probably project her thoughts well enough for hte other woman to pick on them a lot easier from distance. Thinking about it it seemed like psionic smoke signals. it brought a small chuckle to her rather grim mood lately. There was also the slight possibility that her psionics might grown somewhat in the future now they were activated... 'I'm going to have to learn to pay attention to it and study the psionic sensor ability that other wranglers use... could be useful if ghosts come after us.' She thought to herself now.

"Why don't you try first without sugar or milk? Then in the next sip you can add one of hte two and try it too." Miranda explained to Ava with a smile." Find the way YOU will like it." She finally said as she took a cup of tea and added just a small amount of sugar into it. She preferred only her coffee with milk. For tea honey or sugar was enough and depending on the tea she herself sometimes went without any sweateners either.

Bringing the tea to her lips, she took a sip of it and the warmth quickly spread through her mouth and then down her throat and her body. It was warm inside the clinic, but this warmth was totally different. She threw a curious glance at Ava to check how her friend was reacting to her tea trials. There was going to be a lot of experimentation in the future for the ghost. A whole world of delicious things were opened up to the younger woman and Miranda was going to make sure she tries them all... within reason. No way in hell was she letting Ava turn fat though.

She looked up at the older man and sighed." Yeah... it was medical nanobots." She admitted without hiding it." Won't be hiding it, but getting more will be a little bit hard right now. It's possible to get some via black market dealers as I've done, but a single syringe is already somewhat expensive, a whole shipment will be over ten thousand credits depending on the size. Can your colony afford that?" She asked, knowing it was going to be rather hard since the meager profits of this frozen rock were already being spent on other stuff like conventional medicine and machine parts for repair on a lot of the more complex machinery that kept hte colony alive." That said... There might be a way if we get tricky with it." She suddenly said.

"I could call some contacts that I have moderate trust in. Could probably get a crate of nanobots at a lower price in the case that they still haven't been programmed. Cause without the coding they are just a little liquid metal." Miranda stated and looked at Doctor Byrne." It will probably still take between 4000 to 5000 of credits for shipment of maybe 10 syringes like the one I used earlier... I could program them for you. Let's just say I've got practice in that subject..." She stated and recalled doing it as her graduation project. Ahh good times... before everything went to hell.

"Anyways..." She mumbled and looked at Ava.' I know you can pick my thoughts...' She thought out.' I... have to tell you the truth on this. We might have to stay on this world for a few weeks.' Miranda thought out. She wasn't comfortable having this talk with the doctor present. Those weren't things for him to hear.' I... after I confirmed the death of my child I suffered a near mental breakdown... I was struck with extreme depression. I took a sickleave for a few days under false pretense and spend them contemplating very bad things... but I had to save you so I started taking an anti-depressant medication of dubious safety... I'm... addicted to it now... if I stop it, the withdraw might actually kill me without medical care. I want... to clear up... I want us to stay a few weeks up to 2 months for it... that alright with you?' Miranda admitted to Ava, keeping her eyes closed and drinking her tea, though you could see how tense she was because how tightly she held the cup.