Possessed…

Finding One's True Self: Part 36

By Xan Steel

Several months have passed since Mortora's death for Rubicant, Iris, Julyna, and Altair. Altair managed to take some time off and visit with them as they shared their memories of her with him. A death and a miscarriage always were a heartbreaking moment in life, which made Altair understand why he had been so depressed lately. Even though he never had a direct relationship with her, through their mental connection that they shared he still felt its effect on him. Once they shared the memory of her miscarriage and untimely death, everything became clear to him as he shared his tears with them. 

Altair looked at Iris as she came over and took his handpaw and placed it on her belly. "The time for me to give birth is close. Dr. Pagri noticed a few potential birth defects the youngling might have or may develop as she grows. Likely due to her being mixed species." Iris explained.

He nodded as Rubicant walked over to her and spoke gently while touching her belly, "It doesn't matter sweetie, we'll do whatever it takes to give her a loving and beautiful home." She turned and hugged him while she felt his love for her and the youngling fill her mentally.

The next day the Kestrel received a call over subspace communications that a special couple wanted to board the ship in a day's time and visit for a few days. During that same day, Altair bid everyone farewell, as his shore leave time was almost up and had to return to command. 

When Iris’s Elders arrived at the ships docking port the next day, Iris was there to greet them, while Julyna was making room for their stay in Iris's quarters. Feros kept Rubicant busy in engineering with the surprise they both planned to later show to Julyna, which they had to keep a secret for as long as possible. 

After a long day, Iris had told him to meet her in Julyna's quarters for a special dinner that night, and ask that he dress up a bit. This was an odd request from her as she didn't mention why. So he headed back to Cargo Bay 3 and into his ship and began to pick out some fine clothes, but the only thing he really had, was a three-piece suit he hadn't worn in forever. He took off his clothes and noticed how grimy he felt. He didn't look dirty or anything, it was just a feeling. He decided that he should get washed up a bit, and went to his shower he had while taking some unscented soap with him. 

It wasn't unusual for him to take a shower, as in most cases it helped him relax from the day's stress. The soap he used never covered or removed his personal scent, as Iris explained the importance of and nicety of his scent. As the water ran over him, he let the temperature rise warming and relaxing his body. It helped with the aches and pains his body had while helping remove some of the stiffness. There was, however, a small thing bothering him, something he couldn't quite place his finger on. The problem was he couldn't figure out what it was that was bothering him.

He shrugged it off as he got out of the shower and dried off, thinking it was likely due to this dinner meet up that Iris and Julyna were fairly quiet about. He went over to the duplicator and went through a few files on some semi-formal clothes, as he really wasn't into wearing a suit tonight. After a moment he found something nice and duplicated it, put it on after which he headed to Julyna's quarters. 

Upon arriving he pushed the door chime button to let them know he had arrived. Julyna opened the door and looked at him as she cocked her head to the side, "You don't have to ring my door hun." She said.

"I wasn't sure if I should just walk in, as I still don't know what's going on other than a nice dinner." He said apologetically. 

She smiled at him, "Iris's Elders are here to visit for a short few days." She replied and suddenly felt his anxiousness. 

"Oh!" he nervously blurted out.

"Sweetie, what's wrong?" She asked as she gently pulled him into the room. 

"Oh, it's, um, just a stupid silly feeling." While thinking to himself, 'Don't screw this up Dan, just be calm and relax.' 

Julyna hugged him to try and get him to relax. "You have nothing to be afraid of sweetie, they are both wonderful people and are excited to finally meet the one that saved their youngling." She finished with a smile just as Iris came out of the bedroom as her Elders followed behind her. They stopped and saw him standing next to Julyna as they watched Iris go to him. 

They hugged and kissed briefly as he spoke to her mentally 'How do I properly greet them?' 

She could sense his anxiety in his thought. She smiled as she thought back to him. 'Sweetie I've blended minds with them, so they know how you greet new people. I did that to make things go smoother.' She finished as he felt a small bit of relief as he thanked her. 

They both walked over to him as he held out his hand to them to greet them warmly. Only Ryeena grabbed him by the hand and pulled him into a tight hug as she softly cried. "Thank you. Thank you so much for saving Iris." 

Rubicant gently wrapped his arms around her. "I just couldn't idly stand by and let it happen." He said softly to her. 

"I'm just so happy you were there, and then to find out later you had taken her as a first. My joy has never been so complete." She let go and pulled back to look at him. This was the first furless being she had ever laid eyes on, and he was quite handsome. She could see why Iris fell in love with him.  

Ryeena stepped back as Iris's father came over to greet him as he took his hand and gave a gentle shake. "I'm Iracus, it's so nice to finally meet you in person." He said enthusiastically, as Rubicant returned a similar greeting.

Everyone was enjoying themselves while Rubicant noticed he was becoming more relaxed around them. Which was a good thing, because it allowed him to open up more. The night wore on as he started helping Iris move around while he noticed she was getting tired. After she had sat down on the couch in the living space of Julyna's quarters, Iracus spoke, "When are you due?" he asked Iris.

Iris spoke softly with just a hint of concern in her voice, "In a couple days according to Dr. Pagri, but she is concerned with her being a hybrid." 

Ryeena spoke, "That is understandable, not to mention that it is your first youngling, but I take it you've not heard her voice yet?" she asked.

Both Iris and Rubicant shook their heads in answer, as Iracus spoke again. "I wonder if that is something related to her being a hybrid." He said more as a statement than a question. 

Rubicant shared a memory of his talk with Altair, "I remember Altair talking to me and telling me that about two months before the youngling is born, that it reaches out mentally to the elders. It helps in forming a bond with them." Ryeena nodded as she told them that she could hear Iris mentally two and half months before she was born. Rubicant speculated that because his species isn't telepathic that hers might take some time to develop. Which to everyone else sounded like a reasonable conclusion.

As they sat there chatting for a bit, Iris was gently rubbing her belly with a somewhat pained look on her face. "Iris, Is something wrong?" Rubicant asked in a concerned tone. 

"I think dinner isn't agreeing with me, it's just some light cramps." She said in a reassuring tone while giving him a kiss on the cheek. She leaned back to relax when it suddenly felt like she was stabbed. "OW!" She doubled over a bit wrapping her arms around her belly. 

Julyna came over to her. "Let's get you to the doctor hun." 

"No, I'll be all right in a minuteAAAAAAAAH!" Another more painful stab-like feeling to her belly as Rubicant saw tears coming out of her eyes. 

He stood up and got closer to her and then, to everyone's surprise, scooped her up in his arms and began to carry her to medical. He brought her the whole way as the stabbing sensation was getting more frequent. Julyna spoke with him mentally as he stated that these were not cramps like she was thinking, but instead she appeared to be going into labor.

Just as they got through the door her water broke. "Bring her over here Mr. Tavar." As Dr. Pagri motioned over the surgical bed. She was in a lot of pain, but this wasn't labor pain at least to Dr. Pagri. She kept cradling her belly and was unable to concentrate on her breathing exercises. He could feel her shaking badly as he gently cradled her in his arms. Everyone else stayed outside of the surgical area. 

As Ryeena spoke softly to Iracus and Julyna. "This is not labor pains. She's going to miscarry." 

Julyna spoke in a worried tone, "How do you know this?" Iracus spoke as he held on to Ryeena as she began to gently weep, "Iris is our second youngling, our first ended in a miscarriage." 

Rubicant didn't like that fact she was in this much pain and decided to try and do something about it. He gently placed his hand on her belly and began to focus his mental abilities. He sent it through his arm down to his hand and let a gentle warmth cover her belly while trying to see if he could get her stabbing pains to fade. It was slowly working, as he could feel her relax more. Dr. Pagri turned to look at Iris and spoke, "I need you to push Iris. This youngling isn't going to come out by itself." While Rubicant continued to help with the pain, Iris began to push as she held onto Rubicant's other arm. Julyna, Ryeena, and Iracus watched from outside the surgical room. Julyna started pacing back and forth as her nerves went on edge. What she was getting from Rubicant wasn't good, and seemed to confirm what Ryeena had said. 

Over the next twenty minutes, Iris had finally given birth to a female youngling. Except she wasn't breathing. Dr. Pagri began to firmly, but gently spank her bottom to try and get her to respond. Sadly when she didn't, she took her to another table and put a Neural Electric Stimulator on her head while running scans on her body. She sent the device through a cycle of low-intensity shocks to try and get the brain functioning so it could get the rest of the body working. However, the scans revealed some startling evidence as to why it wasn't working. This youngling hadn't developed a heart and a set of lungs. Dr. Pagri put the scanner down turned off and took off the N.E.S. Iris's worry was evident in her voice, “Doctor, is she going to be ok?”  There was a long pause as everyone watched her wrap the youngling up in a small blanket. 

When she finished, she turned back to Iris and spoke softly. “I'm sorry Lady Iris, she didn't make it.” 

Iris was in shock and didn't want to believe it, but Ryeena came over and wrapped her arms around her, causing Iris weep deeply. Both Julyna and Iracus came over to give her more support, but what surprised them all was Rubicant didn't come over to her. Julyna turned to look at him, only to see him stumble out of medical with his hands on his head. When she tried to reach him mentally, she was met with nothing, it was like he wasn't even there. She heard Iris call out to him in earnest, "Rubi don't go!" Julyna tried again to reach out to him but was again met with emptiness. Iris's voice was filled with pain confusion while tears ran down her cheeks, "Why? Why did he leave me?"

Julyna turned to her, "There's something wrong with him. I can't reach him mentally. I'm going after him to find out what's going on." 

"Will you bring him back to me please?" Iris asked.

"Of course sweetie." She kissed Iris on the forehead and left.

Julyna left medical and saw Rubicant stumbling down the corridor. The way he acted, it was like he was having a mental fight with someone. Julyna mentally told everyone to stay clear of him as she followed him. After a few minutes, she noticed he was headed for engineering. She reached out to Feros, 'Feros, I need to you and the crew to clear out of engineering for the time being.' 

'Is something wrong?' he asked.

'I'm not a hundred percent sure what's going on with Rubicant, but he's headed there now, and he's not acting right.' she replied.

'Understood Captain.' 

She continued to follow him as he entered engineering and sighed in relief to see if empty. She continued to watch him as he went over to the engine core, and proceeded to go down to the lower platform. She watched him sit down and begin working and noticed that he didn't appear to be in that mental fight anymore. She did, however, see his lips moving and started to read them. At least she would have, but Zalina interrupted her mentally, 'Captain, engineering is completely flooded with Aurorian radiation. You and Rubicant need to evacuate please.' 

'I'm dealing with a personal issue at the moment, just keep me apprised.' 

'Captain I.' 

'Zalina!' 

'Y..Yes, Captain.'

Julyna went back to reading his lips, and after a few minutes discovered that someone else seemed to be talking for him. She quietly moved down into the engine core and sat behind him, and slowly moved up closer to him. She figured direct physical contact would help her get passed this emptiness she was getting from him. Once she was close enough to him, she wrapped her arms around and drew him into her. This stunned him for a moment, but this was when she heard a small voice in her mind. ‘Who are you?’ a tiny female voice questioned. 

Julyna responded softly, ‘I Julyna, Rubicant’s second, and who might you be little one?’ 

‘Irina’ she replied in a shy tone. 

‘That’s a beautiful name sweetie’ Julyna responded in a soft and sweet tone. She had a sneaking suspicion that this was the consciousness of Iris and Rubicant’s youngling. 

Irina spoke again, ‘My Pawpaw is telling me that he can’t hold me like this forever. Is that true?’ Julyna thought for a moment only to be interrupted by Zalina again. 

‘Captain, the computer is now registering two new life-forms in engineering, about ten feet from where you are.’ 

Julyna looked around a bit until she saw something shimmer nearby. She spoke to Irina, ‘Sweetie can you see anyone over where I’m looking?’ 

Julyna felt Rubicant’s head turn and look in the direction she was facing, and immediately became overwhelmed with his emotion as she felt him push through. Irina cried out, ‘Pawpaw you’re hurting me!’ He couldn’t stop the emotional wave that hit him, and Julyna did the only thing she could think of that could possibly help, and put your forehead on the back of his head doing her best to smooth out his emotions. Once she had finished, Irina was able to relax again, and Julyna took this moment to look through Rubicant’s eyes. He was staring at Mortora and Maria. This confirmed what Aurorian did to someone just before physical death. She watched Maria’s hands making a bunch of gestures that Rubicant was able to understand as he made his own back at her. She watched Mortora kneel down and open her arms towards them. 

Irina whispered to Julyna ‘That kneeling female is telling me to go to her, but I don’t know her.’ 

Julyna giggled a bit, and replied to Irina, ‘She’s your Pawpaws third sweetie. She wants to take care of you, just like his Te’dar.’ Julyna was starting to understand the hand language that she was using through Rubicant. 

‘That other female that’s wiggling her hands a bunch is his Te’dar?’ Irina questioned in surprise. 

‘Yes.’ Julyna replied softly as she felt how strong his love for her was, and how much he still missed her. 

‘Pawpaw is wanting me to go with them. He says I can still watch over him and visit whenever I want, but I *sniffling is heard* I don’t want to go.’ This was going to be very hard, not just for her, but likely all of them she figured. 

‘Sweetie, I know it hurts, but if you don’t your Pawpaw is going to eventually collapse, and there is a possibility that he won’t ever wake up again. At least with them you can visit him, and watch over him until he’s ready to join you.’ Julyna could hear more sniffling coming from her, 

‘You promise?’ 

‘There will come a day when we all can be with you, sweetie.’ Julyna said gently and lovingly.

After a minute of silence Julyna felt Irina leave Rubicant’s mind and body, and at the same time, he wept deeply for finally seeing Maria, and that she had kept her promise to him that she would see him again. Julyna held on to him with all her love and strength and softly wept with him. She looked up and saw the three of them standing there waving back at them. She held Rubicant’s head up so that he could see, and watched him wave back, as she joined him.

After they both calmed down and relaxed, he turned to Julyna, “You knew all this time, and didn’t tell me?” his voice was a mixture of pain, anger, and happiness.

She knew this would come up at some point. “Rubi, please understand I had no real proof that she was still alive to some degree. Aurorian radiation is never completely been studied because of how rare it is. Only rumors even suggested that just before death that it could separate the consciousness from the body. I didn’t want to get your hopes up if it turned out to be false.” She said apologetically while holding on to him. 

As he thought about it, he realized that she was correct in this. Finding out this way was better because it would have been worse for him if it turned out to be false. They both got up and returned to Medical where Iris was still waiting, and healing. Rubicant walked over to her as she started to weep in front of him. “Rubi?” She said as he wrapped his arms around her. 

“I’m sorry I left like that, but I didn’t have control over myself,” he said.

“What do you mean?” She asked. 

At this point, he put his forehead to hers and shared everything that had happened. After a few moments Iris spoke softly, “Irina, such a lovely name for her, I just wish I had gotten to be there with her.” 

“It’s ok hun, she’s going to be watching over us with Maria and Mortora,” he responded.

After a few hours, Dr. Pagri released Iris from medical. She also asked if it was all right if she could perform a full autopsy to find out what happened. They agreed as they left and headed to Cargo Bay 3 and to Rubicant’s ship for the rest of the day. Julyna would later join them once her shift had completed. She wanted to be with them both to help pass to moment with them, but her duties on the ship came first, and they were behind in the repair and upgrade schedule. Once she finished, she joined them for the night as Julyna let go of her emotions that she had been keeping bottled up all day.

Iris's Elder's made sure that everything was okay before they left the next day. Ryeena told Iris that if she needed anything at all, to contact her, and she would bring it on their next visit. Iracus had turned to Rubicant before they left, "I want to say, 'Welcome to the family' I'm thankful that she has someone like you in her life." 

Rubicant, in turn, replied "I'm glad to be a part of her life. She means a lot to me, and I'm not sure where I would be without any of them." They gave each other a firm hand/paw shake as Rubicant gave a warm hug to Ryeena, as they all watched them enter their own ship and head back home.