[:: Chief Gavon TreVayne ::]
Dirt and grime clung to him like an unwanted friend, as even the stench of the planet was hard to shake, even when they were now hundreds of miles away by now. It seeped into his skin, his hair, the very follicles within in nose, all tainted by the away mission that should not have gone as sideways as it did. The entirety had only been less than forty-eight hours, since first leaving the Ark and returning, much of the time spent on the planet’s surface collecting what the teams could as well as escaping from the many threats that beared down on them like a plague. And for many who hadn’t experienced the first-hand challenges of field assignments in otherwise hostile territory, the nightmarish realities would stick with them for a long time to come. Fortunately for Gavon, he’d been born into worse shitstorms than that, but either way, loss was never easy, but loss at the expense of gaining what? No one really knew. One thing was for certain in the forefront of the Chief’s mind, that any business with SecCom could wait until next shift, and he hoped not to be summoned anytime soon to delay the one thing he longed for since stepping foot back onto the Ark.
It was good to be home...
A relieved smile crossed his lips while he stood in the midst of the dimly lit quarters, quietly placing his camo rucksack in the seat of one of the leather armchairs, and taking a moment to finally breathe now that his evening was coming to a close. Oddly enough, he never much paid attention to the nuances of his own living space considering the number of hours he’d spend within Security Centre -even sleeping in his own office from time to time- and yet aboard such a large scale ship, he could always consider the standard issue quarters his “home away from home”. The Chief stepped across the room, his thick leather and rubber composite boots causing a low thud sound with each footfall, as he made his way past the partition which lead into the bedroom area near the far wall. Stepping up onto the raised platform, he could see his lovely wife sound asleep in the center of the bed, the thick comforter pulled up to just under her chin, and the mild scent of lavender hair conditioner permeated throughout. The large rectangular window that encompassed most of the wall, looked out into the blackest of voids, with only the unknown stars to remind them that they were still in space. Gavon stepped over to the edge of the bed and sat, admiring Natalie’s perfect features even in the low lighting, listening to her even breathing, and simply relieved to have such a partner with him on this journey. His hand, still marred with a bit of dirt and oil residue from the mission, ran gently over her smooth skin and straight hair, which startled her from an otherwise sound sleep.
“Gav!” She rose up almost immediately to wrap her arms around him. “Shit, I’ve missed you.” She breathed in a hushed tone as her arms held him tightly, not wanting to let the man go as they embraced in a long-awaited kiss.
“Are you okay Nat?” He asked in a concerned tone of voice, sensing her body trembling.
“Yeah.” She sniffed, even as tears began welling up around her eyes. “I am now.”
He’d known Natalie for over ten years, long enough to understand some of the more complex parts of her thinking and emotions, but still eluded by many, purely by the simply fact that he was not as emotional as she when it came to certain things. But at the same time, there were very rare occassions over the course of those years that they’d been apart on such critical terms, and uncertainty was always a breeding ground for anxiety.
“I’m here now.” He said in as much of a reassuring tone of voice as he could.
“I know” The other smiled, wiping tears away she’d almost felt embarrassed to have.
“What’s this?” Gavon narrowed his eyes to focus in the low light, on the unusual blemish he noticed along her cheek, leaning over toward the nightstand console to manually raise the lighting in order to see.
“Oh, it-it’s nothing.” Natalie’s smile was rather sheepish, eliciting a doubtful expression from her husband. “It’s...
“A bruise?” His voice grew slightly louder, and more grave. “Nat, what the hell happened? Who did this?”
“Gavon, no one did anything. It was me. I was…” Natalie closed her eyes, trying to allow the earlier incident of her hazy trip on the tram and into Eden to come back to her clearly enough that she didn’t sound like a complete moron. “After work I decided to go out, and had an accident on the tram, but I’m fine, trust me..” She kissed him again. “I’m fine.”
Natalie couldn’t mention the pain killers, she couldn’t allow the man she loved to see such a broken woman. Not now and hopefully not ever. It was a one-time thing, a way to forget why she’d been so depressed, why she couldn’t handle her husband being away. Never again though. Never again would she allow such an impulsive decision bring her down like that. Gavon stared into her beautiful eyes for several moments, eyes that have never betrayed him, and yet this time he’d been unsure of what she was telling him was all truth. But at the same time, this just wasn’t the time for either of them to be upset. Perhaps if it still concerned him after a good night’s sleep, then he’d inquire about it.
“Fair enough.” He smiled and nodded. “I’m just glad you’re safe and I’m back where I belong.”
“My great protector” The other smiled, wrapping her arms around the back of his neck. “So why don’t you carry me to the refresher, where I can help you out of these clothes, because as much as I love you m’dear, you smell like an animal farm.”
For once, Gavon had to agree.
[:: Deputy J. Haas | Security Command ::]
There seemed to have been many firsts since the launch of the Arks, and in light of the recent away mission, for Deputy Jerrol Haas, he had the privilege of “acting Chief” for time enough to realize that he did not envy the amount of work that his boss had to shoulder on any given day. It’s true that there were an ample number of Security related departments to handle virtually any incident and crisis that would befall such a vessel as the Vitae, threats that would otherwise cause lives to be lost. But in this particular case, as Haas scanned through incoming reports and calls, one particular came up as quite the urgent matter, and one he’d never imagined would have been so soon.
[:: incident report 00-CA1257 ::]
Summary:
Dr. Emilie Stone contacted dispatch regarding allegations of the rape of a minor. Her initial statement was taken over ship communication, and flagged for immediate follow-up by Ark Sec Investigation, as well as medical personnel to conduct full physical on victim for signs of violation.
[:: end ::]
Back on Earth, when there was an Earth, cases such as these seemed to be overlooked by law enforcement as though they were dealing with the plague on an epic level. Sex crimes happened, unfortunately, and yet whether it was lack of resources, training, understanding, or a little of everything, many cases went unsolved and were locked away and the only one truly suffering in the end without closure was the victim. He needed someone who had the experience to handle such a delicate case.
Deputy Haas added his own notes into the report as well.
[:: incident report 00-CA1257 ::]
Notes from J. Haas:
Recommend lead investigator Lee Reynolds to handle full investigation into case as utmost sensitivity is to be exercised considering the nature of these allegations.
[:: end ::]
Fuzzybootz
Heat