A Life Unknown
Posted on Thu Jul 21st, 2022 @ 10:06am by Ranger Blue & Lieutenant Helena Issacks
1,267 words; about a 6 minute read
Mission:
Roll With It
Location: Security Offices, Interrogation Room
Timeline: MD 1: 2120 Hours
Helena had poured over the paperwork a thousand times over. Missing persons cropped up all the time. The quadrants were a lot larger than anyone would have liked to admit. But that did not make this any less surprising, especially considering how long it had been since this specific person had gone missing.
She had questions. And the only way she was going to find answers was to ask.
She had sent for Ranger one more time, expecting him to be as belligerent as always. It was what had kept him in the brig for so long; cooperative as he had been, the attitude he put on kept suspicions up. And the decision to release him went above her; that was between the CO and the XO. If the words 'Fenris Ranger' had not come up? She would have let him go and washed her hands of this.
But this was bigger than just one person. It was off, and she was beginning to dislike how fishy it smelled.
"I hope you like questions," Helena stated as Ranger was escorted in. The door slid behind him as she gestured toward the seat opposite her. "Because I've got a few for you."
Ranger smiled and sighed at the same time. “Seems like all we do is question and answer, Lieutenant. I’ve already explained that I’ve got nothing to do with your bubble and the Pakleds just aren’t the brightest crayons in the box. So,” he paused as he placed his hands in the table before him. “What else can I possibly help you with?”
"Maybe I'm trying to get you to figure out that we're not out to get you, kid." Helena tilted her head to one side. "... What do you know about your family?"
Ranger’s brow knit in confusion. “Last I knew, they were on Tychen Colony; in what you call disputed space. If you’re here to tell me something otherwise, be prepared that I’m not going to be on this colony much longer; the Federation, Starfleet, and the Pakleds be damned.”
"Don't get funny ideas, kid, you've only been here for like a day. You break out, we put you right back in. Worse this time, because you'll have actually committed a crime and not even the Fenris Rangers can save you from that." Helena crossed her arms against her chest as she leaned back. "No, I ask because you're apparently in the Starfleet system, kid. Your DNA traced back to a missing persons report on record from one of the various ships. Apparently, you were declared KIA... as a child."
Ranger’s face went from confused to surprised. “You’re saying I’m a Federation citizen, and if I’m in Starfleet records, I was the child of a Starfleet officer. The ship would have gone MIA 15 years ago. How long before we were declared KIA?” he wondered, not that it mattered, he would have been living with the Calderons by then. He raised his hand to dismiss the rhetorical question. “Never mind about that last question.”
Helena didn't hesitate, rolling her eyes. "About a year. No body was found."
“May I have the PaDD?” Ranger asked. Lieutenant Issacks handed it to him. “Alexander James Fullerton,” he repeated quietly, the first time he’d heard his birth name. “First child of Commander Robert James Fullerton and Lieutenant Jennifer Leigh Fullerton. Born August 15th, 2372 aboard the USS Mississippi.” Ranger was smart enough to bury his emotions before Lieutenant Issacks, but inside his heart and mind raced. She had given him answers he would never have known if he continued to chase the clues on his own.
"Not that we haven't heard of Federation civilians joining the ranks of the Rangers. It's not abnormal, but I'm taking it this is new information for you." Helena's brow raised. "How did you end up with your adopted family?"
“Fifteen years ago,” Ranger started. He closed his eyes and breathed regularly to reign in his emotions. “My father, Diego, was a Fenris Ranger during their early days. He responded to a weak distress call which led him to me. I was the sole survivor of the crash.”
Ranger paused again, trying to remember what he could. “I have complete amnesia of anything before the crash. The doctor on Tychen said I had suffered brain damage and emotion damage leading to the memory loss.
They couldn’t identify the type of vessel that had crashed. It was so badly damaged, it looked like…well, nothing.
No one came looking for me, so my dad adopted me. He quit the Rangers just after taking me in.” Ranger smiled. “I think he had a lot on his hands after taking me in.”
"The De Soto's crash is still under investigation. Somewhere out there. Can't remember where it was headed, but I almost ended up assigned to that ship," Helena reflected. "But if you're in the system, that means we can get a hold of your living blood relations."
“I never actually considered having living family…” Ranger’s heart pounded. His voice betrayed him, “I’d like that, lieutenant. I’d like to know my biological family as much as I know my adopted family. And they deserve to know I’m alive.”
Ranger stared at his reflection in the table. ‘Did he have siblings? Issacks hadn’t mentioned his father. Grandparents?’ his mind raced and his reflection showed he had paled a bit.
With a million thoughts in his head, Ranger stood and looked out the window at the colony and the dusky sky as the sun set and the stars shone through the darkness. “Lieutenant…with what you’ve told me, is my father alive? Brothers, sisters, grandparents? What kind of family is left?” he wondered.
"All I can tell you is that you've got yourself a father," Helena leaned over, tapping at the PaDD to show the man in question. "That's his public access file. Everything else is behind Starfleet security clearances - items you do not have."
Ranger sighed and sucked up his pride. “Look Lieutenant, I know I been nothing but a pain your ass since I got here. Sarcasm is my first line of defense when fighting won’t work…I would be very appreciative of you would contact Robert for me, let him know I’m alive and have been living as a Fenris Ranger. He can make his choice after that as to whether he wants contact or not.”
"We'll let him know you're alive and well." Helena stated, taking the PaDD back. "But we'll leave it to you to do the rest, after you're released. You won't be allowed to your shuttle just yet - we've got Pakleds just outside of orbit, and the last thing we want is you being shot down after all that hard work on your shuttle was just done."
She stood. "But you can worry about all of that once we get you straightened out. Till then, you're back to your cell."
Ranger was surprised that Starfleet didn’t directly contact his family as soon as they’d discovered his identity. He shrugged, “Back to the brig…again,” he chuffed out a short laugh.
“Well, at least I’ll have something new to think about.” Ranger left the PaDD on the table, knowing he could bring up the information in his cell. “Thank you, Lieutenant Issacks.” Ranger dipped his head in recognition of her assistance. “This has been an incredibly informative, if failed, mission.”
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