The children of Cragen

Posted on Thu Aug 5th, 2021 @ 10:41am by Kyle Cragen [Reece] & Lieutenant Commander Kara Starr {Kelea-Salik}

Mission: Darkness Rising - A Phoenix Lalor Sub Plot
Location: Planetary Base
Timeline: MD 23 / 0345 hours
1098 words - 2.2 OF Standard Post Measure

{ON}

Unable to sleep Kara had gotten up to go for a walk, leaving Malakai a note in case he awoke and found her missing, she made her way along the darkened corridors of the abandoned mansion. Coming upon what looked like a large dining room she walked inside marvelling at the sheer size of the room.

Laid out in the table was a large pile of the things that had been obtained from Cragen’s lair, walking around to a seat she sat down and started rifling through the items. There were books galore, PADDs, pictures, personal belongings and so much more. Picking up a book she flicked through the pages, it seemed Cragen had quite the harem throughout his life, different women and even children.

She spent a few minutes going through the book she was reading before reaching for a PADD that was closest to her. At first the PADD refused her touch before a tiny pin prick to her finger from a biometric security measure sampled her blood and granted access. “What the...?” Kara stared at the PADD confused as a message came up onscreen.

Welcome progeny of Cragen, this record of your ancestry is now available for you to access.

“Progeny?” Kara stared at the PADD in disbelief, but couldn’t help but start to go through the information contained on it. Scrolling through photographs she couldn’t help but notice how happy Cragen looked, it wasn’t until she came across a picture of a wedding that her hand stopped scrolling. Her heart almost skipped a beat as she saw the young woman he was marrying, she looked the spitting image of herself! They could almost have been twins! The resemblance was totally creepy and yet... Cragen looked genuinely happy. So happy he was practically glowing with it. He was smiling, laughing and the young woman with him was obviously truly in love.”

Scrolling on she watched as more weddings passed by but with each one Cragen had gotten more and more unhappy. Gone were the smiling faces, replaced by more haunted ones. She had to wonder why?

She stopped scrolling as she came to a recording. Her finger hovered over it for a moment, before curiosity got the better of her.

The screen changed to show a happier Kyle Cragen, this one sporting a short, neat, beard. He was smiling as he began to speak. "Ello, poppet! Hopefully, by the time you read this, I'll be home with you and your mum. Your daddy is a soldier for Her Majesty's Special Forces Branch. Right now, I'm in another country, fighting to make the world a better, safer place, for you."

"What can I say about me? Well, for one, I'm a lot older than I look. Perhaps, one day, I'll be able to tell you the whole truth there. As for the rest, you should know that your mum is the best thing that has ever happened to me, next you, of course, my sweet baby Carolyn. You are the best of me. I only hope to live up to your expectations as your father."

Kara frowned, Carolyn? The name rang a bell from recent searches of her family history, her real family. From what she knew of her parents her mother was Human and her father was Betazoid, she needed answers to this. “I don’t understand this!”

Suddenly, the screen changed, this time, showing Carolyn's smiling face. "What's difficult to understand, m'dear? You are the distant offsping of both Kyle and myself.

“Wait... you’re an A.I.?” Kara looked at the woman onscreen. “How can I be distant offspring? I’m not even El Aurian!”

"To answer your first question, yes I am. Master Cragen brought me online four hundred-thirteen years, seven months, two weeks, five days, ten hours, three minutes and forty-seven seconds ago. Granted, with the primitive technology that he had available then, I was merely a data processing program. However, he has bedn upgrading my software and hardware ever since. As he fashioned my appearence after his first wife, you may call me Carolyn, if it helps to reduce any confusion."

"As for your second question, while it is diluted, by about fifteen generations of breeding, there is, in fact, El Aurian DNA in your genetic makeup. If there wasn't, you would be dead now. As a protective measure, the needle that pricked you contained a powerful neurotoxin that is immediately fatal to all Outlanders, as the El Aurian once referred to people not of their species." The AI paused to allow that to sink in. "Have no fear, your unborn child, containing El Aurian DNA as well, is completely safe. As a descendent of Master Cragen, and the first of his progeny to ever access me, you do possess some command code authorizations. Do you wish me to deactivate the poison defense measure?"

Kara looked at her finger in surprise, relieved the toxin wasn’t harmful to her. “Yes, I most definitely do thank you Carolyn. So you are the image of my grandmother, I look so much like her. I hardly knew my parents, they were killed when I was young.” She paused. “Tell me Carolyn, does Kyle Cragen know who I am? Does he keep track of all his progeny?”

"No." The AI replied bluntly. "While he knows that there are hundreds, possibly thousands of his offspring out there, he never fully expected to find one. However, as he is a man of deep patience, he always hoped to find one."

Kara nodded. “So seeing as my dna was sampled I take it he’ll know by now that one of his progeny has been found.” She paused. “Answer me this Carolyn, what do you know of a woman named Josephine, or Sephine?”

"Yes," The AI replied. "Part of my programming was to notify him when one of you gained access to my system. There is also a location beacon in the signal, so, Master Cragen should be contacting you soon. It is time to rejoice! You will soon be with Master!"

“Beacon!” Kara’s eyes widened in horror. She wasted no time in dropping the PADD and smashing it hoping to break the beacon and the signal with it. She couldn’t risk the lives of anyone including herself.

The PADD shorted out when it was smashed, leaving Kara alone in the quiet room.

Looking around at the pile of things of Cragen’s, Kara knew what she had to do. The others had to know about this.”

{TBC}