Star Trek: Starbase 777 - lt-niwayiva﹢family

To be standing in someone's living room in the middle of the night would be an unnecessary, over the top method even in the best of situations. Well, Aangad wasn't about to argue against that point, but he didn't much care for how over the top it was. It was the quickest way, and he wanted to be out of here and going home as soon as possible. It was dark, in Niwayiva's quarters. They were larger than the ones Aangad had had on the ship where he had served until now, and he'd had to share with others. Niwayiva had this one all to herself, sharing only with her child. *Their child.* He was content not waking her up yet, just taking a moment to take in his surroundings. He took a picture off the wall, depicting Niwayiva and a smaller copy of herself. There was no denying that this was their child, it looked exactly like her. Had he been hoping it would look like him, too? Was he that selfish? As he thought about it, the frame slipped out of his grasp, falling to the floor with a loud thud, the glass of the frame cracking widely. Well, perhaps he wouldn't need to wake Niwayiva up. If that hadn't, he didn't know what would. He sighed, but only moved to kick the frame towards the wall, out of the immediate line of sight, creating another thudding noise. He'd wait.

Following the blackout most officers had very eagerly retreated to bed while a skeleton crew manned the station. Once things had settled down in medical Niwa had done the same; except for the fact that she couldn’t sleep. Kea – seemingly a never-ending source of energy – had been bouncing off the walls, ecstatic that she had gotten to do something as cool as be up at four in the morning and float around when the gravity turned off. Niwa’s mind was still far too alert, buzzing with thoughts about the XB crew and trying to think of solutions for if something like this ever happened again. They had spent the rest of the day pouring their remaining energy into tidying up the quarters, and eventually, bedtime had rolled around. Finally exhausted, Niwa had been half-way through composing some messages when she had fallen asleep. It was at an unknown hour that she jolted awake to the sound of something smashing. It sounded strangely distant, perhaps it had only been in her dream – or maybe it was real and her PADD had slid to the floor. Still half-asleep and drowsy, she considered simply snuggling into the pillows again and leaving it to be a problem for the morning… But that was when she heard another thud, definitely not right nearby. That was strange. Quarters were built to be soundproof, so she never heard noise from any of the neighbours. Kea was constantly alive with energy but once you tired her out that was is it; she could probably sleep through the red alert klaxon if she wanted to. It was unlike her to get up for something at this hour. Maybe she wasn’t feeling well..? Concerned, Niwa swiftly got up to check. Stood in the doorway in a pair of soft pyjamas (and no slippers, still only having the one,) she squinted into the dark. “Kea? Are you okay?” She asked – but as her eyes adjusted to the dim, ambient lighting of the living room, she found a silhouette that did not match that of her child.

"Kea is a good name," Aangad replied slowly, a deliberately unreadable expression on his face. It was good to know his child's name, he would need it. "Long time no see," he followed it up with, a statement he was sure wouldn't go over well with his ex. Still, despite this knowledge, a smile started to form on his face, one that transformed solemn, carved features into the picture of wickedness in this dim light. "How have you been?" he asked, and it didn't sound like genuine question, didn't come across as if he wanted to know the answer. It was custom, almost a required question read off of a script. "You just met the mother of your child who you abandoned over five years ago, after appearing in her quarters in the middle of the night, what do you say?" Well, perhaps this wasn't the optimal choice, but it set the tone. He wanted casual, airy, detached. He wasn't interested in the deep conversations, in apologies accepted, wasn't even interested in giving an apology in the first place. He was here to accomplish his goals and leave, as swiftly as he had come. So he bared his teeth in what looked almost manic a smile, and slowly stepped closer to Niwayiva.

Niwa had stepped out of the doorway and further into the light (although it wasn’t as if the quarters were particularly bright at present) to try to get a look at whoever this was. She didn’t need to look at them – their voice revealed it all. “…Aangad?” She asked, squinting into the dark as if she was trying to work out if this was real or just some sort of dream. A million questions had flooded into her head in an instant. How had he found her? What was he doing here? How had he even got in? Part of her mind screamed out to ask any of the questions, instinct told her that something wasn’t right – but a sense of yearning for a long lost love overrode it. She stepped forwards. Niwa didn’t notice the flatness to the question. She didn’t notice the smile. She only noticed him: standing here, in her quarters. Here after all this time. Had something happened to him? Was that why he had left? Was that why he looked different – more thin, gaunt? Had she been wrong to judge him all of these years, cursing his name for having abandoned her? What if it had been for a reason, what if he had been protecting her, or anything, anything- what if it was her who had done him wrong? The guilt came crashing down in an instant. Another step forwards, drawn in like magnetism; completely deaf to the alarm bells ringing in her own head. “…You came back for me?”

Oh, but he didn't remember Niwayiva being this sentimental... he expected strong emotions, sure, but mostly in the way of items thrown in his general direction, lashing out, a physical altercation perhaps where he would be able to overpower her and tell her his demands. This made it almost... easy. Almost. He nearly laughed. "Yes, it's me," he said, and his entire demeanour changed, his devious smile vanished for something smaller, something more approachable, more kind, at least on the surface. He left a few feet between them before he stopped approaching her, and while his entire being had seemed to soften in those few paces, his eyes were still hard and cold, his calculating gaze roaming over Niwa's figure, taking her in. "I received news, from home. I had to come back." He deliberately didn't specify whether or not he had come back for her. He didn't think Niwa would catch it.

It was if she had opted to ignore the part of her brain that was, deep in her subconscious, picking up on the fact that things weren't quite right. It was just like switching off an early-morning alarm on a PADD. Snooze. Ignore. Her brain knew that things were wrong in the way that Aangad's body language relaxed; knew that things were wrong in the way that cold, analytical eyes scanned her form regardless. It was instinctively that a hand went to her baby bump - protective - but her emotions had lagged so far behind that they may well have short circuited. Her only thought was if Aangad would think she had been disloyal to him. His words stopped her from going down that train of thought further. "A message - from home?" Home: lightyears away in the Delta Quadrant. Home: where the two of them had left together following Aangad's family all but disowning him due to his modern political views. Home: the place they had abandoned for the Federation instead. The place that she hadn't heard from years upon years... And the place that for some reason, she still missed. "Was it family? Is everything okay?" There was quiet for a moment. She shifted slightly; bringing both hands together upon her bump, twiddling her thumbs together. Funny how a sense of awkwardness at them standing here like this would register, but all of the red flags wouldn't. "...Would you like to sit down and tell me about it? I know it's early, but - maybe I could get you coffee? Iced coffee? The breakfast one with the blueberries, the one you like?" Did he still like it? She didn't know. But she did want to make him comfortable; happy. Like they both had been once. (edited)

This was easy. This was too easy. Did he really have such a hold on her after all this time? What kind of dumb bitch wouldn't at least have tried to move on? He'd left her to fend for herself for years, with one child and, what, a second on the way now? He would be laughing at this for years to come. Accomplished doctor and Lieutenant outranking him severely, basically begging for him to come back. Oh, it was a balm to his eternally bruised ego. "Right, yes, everything is fine. Everything is great. I don't want anything to drink, Niwayiva, listen to me." Aangad finally closed the distance. Instead of any comforting gesture though, he grabbed her shoulders hard, a little harder than was comfortable, and he looked down on her. At her. Whatever. His smile grew again, sharp and toothy and manic. "We can go back home. I've received word from my parents. They're expecting me back, and they should meet my child." Not our child. Never our child. With Aangad it was always "me" and "my". "Kea deserves to grow up around her own kind, she deserves people she can relate to. And you can come with, too, of course," he added as an afterthought. Honestly, his parents would probably be happier to see Niwayiva than himself, and really, he wasn't looking forward to it, but if he had to in order to return home, he would. He would keep up a façade for as long as it was necessary, just to get out of this damned foreign part of the galaxy and back home, where life could go back to normal.

Still as a statue, she let Aangad step forward. Large hands upon her shoulders felt so familiar, like a comfort; but the firm grasp they created almost made her wince. The way he looked down upon her sent a chill up her spine, the way he grinned made goosebumps raise upon her arms. She had never thought about what her reaction would be if her former partner ever showed up again. She had never expected him to. So much time had passed and yet there was the same reaction from her. It was the same blend of love and longing that she had always had – along with the sense of concern that she had learned to ignore, the subconscious unease that she had so often held back. If anything helped to snap her to her senses, it was ‘Kea’ being spoken by a voice that was familiar, but didn’t sound quite right as it spoke her name. “I… Aangad, I’m glad that they’ve said you can come back home. But… Maybe we should discuss this? Please, let’s sit down and we can talk about things..?” Perhaps her protectiveness for Kea outweighed protectiveness towards herself. She glanced to the sofa and gave a very small nod towards it; no harsh movements, only slight suggestions. Nothing to make him upset. “I’m not sure about moving back home. I have a career here in Starfleet now, and Kea has friends here.” The weight of his hands on her shoulders screamed that what she was saying was wrong before she had even begun saying it. She had to do what he wanted – but she had to do what was best for Keazayi. “Shore leave is coming up soon. Maybe we could all take a trip to Solum then..?”

Was this seriously where she'd start to throw up her walls and defences, where she'd start to defy him? The grabbing, the appearing in her quarters randomly, the abandoning her to begin with, this was all fine, but when he mentioned moving back home, she'd make him do the work? Fine. Fine! He'd put in some effort. His hands slid down to her upper arms, where once more he'd assert a bruising grip. Well, bruising for any other species. Vau N'akat, they healed fast enough that no evidence was ever left of his... enthusiastic style of close communication. He would make her listen, as always. "No, that won't do, they expect me home soon, very soon. I've already made all the arrangements necessary." Then, squeezing until he knew it would be painful, "don't you want the best for your daughter, Niwayiva? You don't have to worry about anything, I will take care of it. It can be like before, when we were happy." When Aangad was happy, at least. Whether or not Niwa was happy didn't interest him in the slightest, as long as she was subservient and obedient. "Don't you want us to be happy again?"

This time there was no concealing the wince at the way Aangad grasped her upper arms. His hands should have felt warm upon her skin, his touch comforting. Instead, it only hurt. Niwa’s head had already started to spin, caught in a fight between the desire to make Aangad happy and the need to put Kea first. “Of course I want what’s best for her, but – it’s all so sudden, and… Maybe we should discuss this with her first? Or – she’s not even met you yet… We could wait until the morning and you could speak to her for the first time, and see what she thinks..?” What was she saying? Words – tentative, cautious – seemed to be created by one side of her brain without any input from the other. Something screamed at her that there was something deeply wrong about this situation, but all of those years of practice and perfect attentiveness to Aangad’s needs told her that she had to listen to him. That was her job. It wasn’t her job to go against his wishes, it wasn’t her job to question him. He had been away for all of this time – Kea didn’t know him – but he knew right, surely, he always knew right- “I’m sorry, I – of course I want us to be happy again. I – I missed you, Aangad.” There was a stammer now, tripping over her words. She had missed him to begin with. Then the sense of missing him had faded. That was practically a sin in itself. Stand your ground. Appease him. The conflict was dizzying. “It’s just… It’s just that this is very sudden, we should plan it all first, at least, maybe..? I don’t want to derail any of your plans, I… I’m sorry." Her gaze lowered then. She couldn't meet his eyes. "I just want to work this all out first.”

"I've done all of that already. I've worked it all out, I've made the arrangements. The plan is done, you just need to come with me." His grip didn't at all loosen, only became solid as iron. "Really, Niwa, you're starting to sound like an ungrateful bitch, after all of the efforts I've made to make this as easy as possible for you and for Kea. Are you sure you want what's best for her? Or are you simply too lazy to change this routine you've made for yourself?" Aangad's voice became softer, in volume, not in its piercing directness. He addressed her like a misbehaving child, rather than an equal. And perhaps that wasn't too far off the mark of how he thought of her, to begin with. Had he ever treated her like an equal? Well, sure, maybe. A long time ago. But whether or not he'd actually ever viewed her as an equal was up in the air. Had he been warped by the power that being someone's main support system gave him, or had he always been a monster, simply biding his time? Did it even matter, in the end? "I think you'd best start packing some bags, Niwayiva," he said, digging his nails into her skin, "I don't want to hear any more daft protestations, we are leaving tonight." And with a shove, he released her, pushing her over with far more power than was even necessary for someone who was clearly already not doing great. Not that Aangad cared.

Aangad’s words stung just as much as the grip he had upon her arms, fingers tight against soft, bare skin. The last thing she wanted was to seem ungrateful. She had never wanted to be ungrateful, never. For years all she had done was tailor how she worked and acted so she could pay Aangad back for his love. Maybe it had been too long and she had fallen out of the habit. Maybe he was right – she had become ungrateful. He had left, but he would have had his reasons. He had still loved her, had given her a child. He had given her the family she had always wanted. She was being ungrateful. “I-I’m sorry,” she stammered. Aangad’s voice seemed to cut to the core even more when he reduced the volume, all but chastising her. She sniffed, desperately holding back the tears that were threatening to well up. He had never liked it when she cried. “You’re right, I’ve just gotten used to things here. I like it here, Aangad, but you know I’ll do what’s right for you, you know I will-“ It almost sounded like pleading. Perhaps it was pleading in a way, hoping that if she appeased him enough he might relinquish the grasp he had, her arms starting to throb with the iron-like grip. She hoped it didn’t come across like begging too much, though. He had never liked that either. When he dug his nails into her skin it might have been enough to draw blood. Niwa wasn’t sure: she was too distracted by the sound of her own heart hammering in her ears, the fight to hold back the tears, and the internal conflict that genuinely made her head spin. Grasp released – had it been her words? Had she gotten through to him, convinced him that she would always do him right? – she stumbled backwards before catching her balance. Her head was nodded hastily in response. She started backing up towards her bedroom. “Of course, Aangad, I’ll get packing, just- just give me a few minutes, please? I won’t take long. I promise.”

"Thank you for understanding, Niwa. I'll wait right here for you, so we can leave immediately when you're done." Once Niwa was out of sight, he took a deep breath, one that sounded more like a sigh. He didn't want to have to be like that, but sometimes, it was the only way to make your woman listen, and that was something he cared about. He checked his nails, and found flecks of her skin he'd removed. He simply wiped them away on his pants, not caring about this dumb uniform he was still wearing. Once they were gone, he'd swap it out for something different. Something clean, and more befitting of the planet they would soon return to.

Not wanting to turn her back on Aangad, it was backwards that she walked into her quarters, keeping her gaze down towards the ground as she did so. It was probably akin to a dog who had just been told off by its owner. When the doors slid closed behind her she stood there for a moment, simply staring towards them – and then subsequently burst into tears. Hands went straight to her mouth, trying to muffle her sobs so Aangad wouldn’t hear. He had never liked it when she cried. He had never liked it when she cried. What was she going to do? She couldn’t go against him! He had come back for her, come to take her home after all of this time, he was being considerate to her even if he thought she might have been disloyal to him! But – she didn’t want to leave. The Federation was her home now, and Starfleet was her family. Her baby was due in only eight weeks and she had every intention of being here, not anywhere else! Here, with the friends she had made, the safe environment that she had found. Here, where Kea was happy, where she had settled down. But maybe Aangad was right. Was it selfish of her to stay here? Would Kea be happier at home, living amongst other Vau N’Akat? Niwa was stupid, stupid stupid stupid, she always had been- divider

15:55

She took a deep breath and opened her wardrobe. The very first thing at the front of it was her Medical uniform. She took the jacket off the hangar, threw it onto her bed – and then froze and had to bite her lip to stop her from sobbing out loud, near-hyperventilating. How could she leave the fleet? It was her career, her home, her life – she didn’t want to, but she didn’t want to upset Aangad either. She lowered herself onto the bed to sit there, hands bundled up in the jacket, burying her face in it as she cried… And then there was the chirp of the commbadge. She had pressed it by accident, it anticipating her requesting someone over the comms. Should she? Aangad might hear her, but – but the medical field had taught her the importance of second opinions. Maybe she needed one right now. Maybe she needed a friend. The actions of a particular person during the blackout earlier in the day drew her mind to them. They had been on shift during the blackout – that meant they would be awake right now, wouldn’t they? Her voice trembled as she spoke through the commbadge. She tried to steady it and not rush – and also keep her voice down so Aangad wouldn’t hear her – but her words came tumbling out. “Chief F-F-Five of Eight from Niwa. Do you… Do you think I’m being selfish by keeping Kea here, Five? I – I don’t want to leave, I don’t want to leave, but I have to, and-“ her speech was broke off then, choking back a sob so she’d be coherent. “-I don't know-"

Five had been in an odd state between consciousness and unconsciousness receiving the message. Holly had woken him up by zipping around his quarters, and now he sat, waiting for him to quiet down... Hearing his combadge chirp, and a panicked whisper follow it, Five was instantly alert, grabbing for his badge to answer. "Niwa?" Still sounding a little sleepy, the Chief frowned at the words he could pick up. He kept his voice gentle and reassuring. "Niwa, what's... Where are you going? Why do you have to leave?" She was clearly in distress. Was something happening...? Maybe back on a home planet? "Take a breath and talk me through it, okay? What's going on?"

Normally she would have felt guilty at the sound of that sleepy voice, most likely having woken the chief up. Her brain was far too preoccupied with other things this time, though. As the Chief said, she took a deep breath- although as she tried to regain her composure, it only threatened to make her lose it further. “My – My partner, my former partner is here. He’s… He’s saying that he’s had word from our home planet, and he wants to take us back there. He wants us to be happy again, he says he’s already made the arrangements and that we’re going tonight, but- I don’t want to leave, I don’t want to leave Starfleet, but it’s wrong of me, it’s wrong, he’s right, and I’m being selfish to Kea-“ There was a ragged inhale on the other end of the comm, forcing herself to take a breath in amidst the words that had spilled out in rapid-fire.

The words took a bit longer than usual to process, likely due to the hour. Five rubbed his eyes and sat up, cradling his badge between both hands. "You don't have to go if you don't want to. It's your autonomy, your child, your decision. You're not being selfish— she's happy here, isn't she? And so are you, right? You don't have to go anywhere. No one is going to make you. Okay?" He couldn't possibly grasp the gravity of the situation from what he knew right now. Maybe if he did, he would've said something a little different. "You're allowed to be happy here, it's not... it's not wrong for you to feel that way. You don't have to bend over backwards for this man, you do what's best for you and Kea. That's what's most important right now. Just take another deep breath for me, can you do that?"

’You don’t have to go if you don’t want to.’ Oh, stars, if only it were that simple. Hands curled into the fabric of her uniform jacket, stretching the material back and forth as if worrying at it might do her stress away entirely. “She’s his child too,” she whispered, voice still stuttering in between rapid, uneven breaths. “They’ve never even met, but he says his family wants to meet her, I… I can’t say no to him. He… He’s only just come back, he’ll hate me, I’ve finally got him back and he’ll hate me-“ After how she had acted out there in the living room, he probably already did. She would understand it – deserve it. “He’s already made the plans. He’s – he’s being generous, considerate, he wants us to be happy again. He told me to pack, I – I just – I just don’t know. I don’t want to leave, but I can’t let him down. I can’t.”

"Is he..." Five trailed off for a moment. 'He'll hate me.' Was that her anxiety talking, or something much worse? The Chief had a tendency to overthink things, but he couldn't help but feel like something much worse was going on. "Niwayiva, are you safe right now? Do you... Do you want me to come to you? I can be there while you talk to him, but if you think you're going to get hurt— forgive me for the potential accusation— it sounds like you at least feel forced to go. I'm sorry if that isn't the case, but this is your choice. Not his. No one else's. No matter how 'generous' or 'kind' he's being. You need to do what's best for you, Niwa. Not for him."

“No,” she stated outright, perhaps more loudly and more firmly than she should have. “No, no no no, he- he wouldn’t hurt me.” Her arms, with the pinpricks from his nails and the already-forming bruises from his fingers, said otherwise. “It’s fine, I – thank you for the offer, really, but – I don’t think he’d like someone else being here. He… He doesn’t like people getting in the way of things. He wouldn’t be happy with me telling someone else. I haven’t seen him in so long… I don’t want to jeopardise things.” But you also don’t want to go. “He’s… He’s probably already disappointed in me for saying that we should discuss things first… I don’t want to be ungrateful, but I just…" Her voice cracked again - another sob despite a moment of relatively calm speech. "I just don't know."

Aangad thought he was hearing something other than the rustles of fabric being folded and packed from Niwayiva's bedroom, but this definitely sounded like she was having a conversation with someone, and talking to outsiders was dangerous. They wouldn't understand why he needed to do this, they never understood, not on Solum and not here. "What the fuck are you muttering about, woman?" he said loudly as he entered her room, only to find her not packing, and instead talking into her commbadge. So his suspicions were true. She was defying him again. Within the blink of an eye, he flew into a frigid, burning, all-consuming rage, one like he'd never shown before. He was on her before he even had the chance to contain himself, his fingers digging into the sides of her neck before he could even realise what he was doing. "You ungrateful, duplicitous, unfaithful whore of a woman, after all I've done for you," he yelled through gritted teeth, slowly raising her to her feet as he closed her airway with one strong hand, the other grabbing one of her wrists so she couldn't use it to fight back. "You can never just listen and quietly do what you're told, can you? You always have to yap, moaning about every little detail to whoever wants to entertain your sob stories." Any pretense of kindness was dropped. This was the worst he'd ever been, and the natural conclusion all his previous behaviour had led to. If only Niwayiva hadn't been conditioned to ignore the signs. "But I don't need you to go back to Solum. I'll take the child with me, and leave you here to rot," he spat, his grip tightening.

Her immediate reaction was to freeze as soon as she heard the doors sliding open, sat bolt-upright and then becoming completely statue-still in response. Her eyes met Aangad’s, wide and genuinely fearful, everything apparently catching up with her at once. There was barely any time for her to even open her mouth to reply – nor for her to do anything in response to his movement. It was almost instantaneously that Aangad was stood in front of her; Niwa still sat on her bed, cradling her uniform jacket in her hands and worrying away at the fabric. There was nothing she could do as a hand shot out – although this time, he didn’t grab her arm. This time, his fingers wrapped around her neck. At any other time, Niwa might have wondered exactly how he had the strength to hoist her to her feet with just one hand. She was a larger woman and heavily pregnant; it wasn’t as though she weighed next to nothing. Right now, all she could focus on was the crushing feeling around her throat as she tried to gasp for air, finding nothing. Tears streamed down her face, attempts at breathing coming rapid and ragged. “Please,” she managed to choke out; a feeble attempt at begging him to let her go. She stood there on her tip-toes as Aangad held her up to his height, her one free hand going to his wrist in some desperate attempt. Maybe the physical contact would make him realise what he was doing, maybe it would snap him out of whatever was going on- -Or maybe it would just infuriate him further, to be touched by some ‘ungrateful, duplicitous, unfaithful whore.’

His voice raised, and the line cut off. The Chief's heart stuttered to an almost complete stop, plummetting to the bottom of his stomach. Shit. Shit. SHIT. GO. Five moved faster than they could think, stumbling out of the chair and to the door. The man was shouting, insulting her, how fucking dare he? He'd hardly registered what the voice had said, but it was all words that could NEVER suit Niwa. And if he couldn't recognize that, he was hardly worth a damn. Any rational thought blurred together and fizzled out with the blind panic he flew into, to the point he forgot to even grab himself a pair of shoes. The ACOO sprinted down the corridor in rubber duck patterned socks and blue plaid pajama pants. If anything, anything happened to her— "Five to Security, meet me at Niwayiva's quarters ASAP. I've got a threat of domestic violence and I need backup, NOW." He had to be there. He'd never forgive himself if he wasn't. He just hoped he was fast enough.

It was like everything was muffled, the blood rushing in his ears dampening any other sounds. He could see Niwayiva's mouth move, he could feel her hand around his wrist, but it all didn't really connect in his brain. He wasn't thinking anymore, there was nothing calm and rational about this, the way he'd always presented himself. This was burning in its freezing, the hysteric strength from simply being this furious allowing him to pull Niwayiva closer to himself, spittle falling onto her face as he spat animosities. "I told you what was good for you, I gave you every chance to simply be a good wife and mother and listen to your betters. What happens now is your own fault, and don't you forget it. My child will grow up well, surrounded by her family and peers, and she will forget about you eventually. Everyone will, and finally I will have a happy ending, surrounded by people respect me, who admire me, and who will fucking listen when I tell them to do things. I don't need someone as useless as you are to achieve that. I'll do it on my own, as per usual." And there, his true feelings revealed, his teeth and ambitions bared. Finally he was honest about what his plans were, but it was far too late now. Whatever would Niwa be able to do about it? She was slowly being asphyxiated by the father of her child, the strength slowly but surely leaving her. Simply put, there was no way for her to stop Aangad from doing what he wanted.

As best she could, Niwa tried to squirm in Aangad's grasp; anything to get free. The brute force he exerted upon her was too much. There was no getting out of this despite how hard she tried, be that physically or verbally. The latter wasn't even an option any more. It had become impossible for her to choke a single word out. In the space of seconds Aangad's words had become distant as though he were speaking from far away instead of from right in front of her, his face mere centimetres from hers. Grey started to creep in at the corners of her vision. Despite his words sounding so vague and distant, somehow they still registered. Perhaps it was some sort of miracle that they did given that it was what he said that spurred her to not give up. Each word hurt as much as the grip around her neck. Despite the fact that she still didn't understand what was happening - Aangad wouldn't do this, would he? - the evidence was staring her right in the face. If he could do this to her then he could do this to Kea. He wanted Kea, he wanted her daughter, and Niwa couldn't let that happen. She would give anything to prevent that from happening. Despite her failing strength her struggling increased, powered by a blend of adrenaline and sheer determination. It was in this strange middle ground between fading alertness and desperation that her mind locked on to a potential solution, sensing the neuroflux mesh that Aangad had used to get through the main quarters doors. Without her use of the technology earlier in the day she likely wouldn't have noticed it, so out of practice -- but now, with the last strength she had left, she reached out with her mind. Eyes, facial furrows, and tendril grooves lit up white. She wasn't sure if the metal she reached out for telekinetically would be enough to penetrate the door to her room so she could use it against Aangad, but she was certainly going to try.

It didn't help, it wouldn't help. The limited amount of neuroflux mesh that he'd used to come in would do nothing to hinder him. But the sight of Niwayiva trying to fight back enraged him further, until truly, there was nothing left of the Aangad she once had fallen for, his body only housing rage. He yelled obscenities, cursed her in two languages, called her every horrible name under the sun, until finally, his second hand, which before had been bruising her wrist in an effort to weaken her retaliations, joined his first around her neck, adding to the pressure and making it impossible to get any air at all. Now, Niwa's time was truly nearing its end, and not even Aangad dared disturb the severe quiet with foul words as he listened to her gasp and cough and struggle with the horrid determination that had consumed him fully. Even now, he lacked the self-awareness to realise what he was doing to someone he had supposedly once loved, consumed by self-righteous hatred for this creature that would disobey him, refuse her place beneath him and attempt to stand up in defiance of his natural authority. Reason was gone. To him, right now, there was only one thing that mattered, and that was death.

As the commander entered the quarters, through the neuro-fluxed outer door to Niwayiva's quarters, he quickly swept his vision left and right, phaser drawn and ready. As he stepped in to let Chief Fives slowly filter behind him, he cleared the living room of any life signs. As he did so, the Aenar closed his eyes slightly as his senses came through, feeling the two larger life signs coming from the open doorway off to his left. The man gestured forwards towards the door silently, pointing out to fives as he stepped round, to get himself a clear line of sight through the door, just as Aangad tightened his grip on Niwa for the last time. It wasn't difficult for Ezran, being an Aenar he couldn't really see what was going on as much as sense the emotions coming off the two entities in the next room over, with a clear threat to life, it was as simple as two well-placed phaser shots center-mass, directly into the back of Aangad, as the security officer stepped forward into the doorway. "Starfleet Security! Drop her!"

The door opened about as soon as Five came up to it, which would've triggered a red flag if they were at all thinking rationally. The quarters had fallen silent— eerily silent. Deadly silent. Nononono— He couldn't be too late. He couldn't be. Had Niwa gone after all? Surely he would've seen her go? What if, what if, what if, what if— Ezran's signal alerted him back to reality and he moved to follow, a sick feeling curdling in the void his stomach had made itself. He nearly flew forward at the sight of the intruder with his hands around her throat, blinded by an inconceivable rage. "Get your fucking hands off—!!" Beaten to the draw, as the Security officer accompanying him fired two quick shots into the assaulter, stunning him. Five ducked straight past Ezran and to Niwa's side as she was dropped, black eyes wide with petrifying fear. His tongue felt thick and heavy in his mouth, hard to form words around, but he went for her hand, the other already to his combadge. "Five to Medical, prepare to receive someone for an attempted strangulation, not sure about other injuries but we'll be beaming in shortly. Hey— Hey Niwa, are you with me? Are you okay?!" (edited)

Aangad didn't even get a chance to react, his grip around Niwa's neck tightening minutely for a split second before he dropped to the ground entirely limp, letting go of Niwayiva at the same time.

The grey that had crept in at the corners of her vision had turned into a near-blinding white instead. Her own heartbeat pounded in her ears, although it soon became drowned out by the sound of ringing. Aangad had gone silent either way, seemingly content to watch her suffocate with both of his hands grasped around her neck. Bioluminescence to her tendrils died out as she lost her connection with the neuroflux that she had so desperately tried to use as a last resort against her former partner. The hand that she had upon Aangad’s wrist dropped, arm going limp and feeling leaden. Her eyelids became heavy, the world seemed so distant – and she was barely aware of two figures entering the room as the world turned to a complete, white haze. Hitting the floor must have jolted her back, the impact forcing her to inhale. It was all at once that her body realised that she could inhale again. Suddenly she was gasping, drawing in ragged, desperate breaths as her head still swum. Her throat burned with the effort and she found herself coughing between breaths, every inhale feeling like agony. With one hand she tried to push herself upright, disorientated and unsure of what she was doing on the floor, but her arm gave out again and her head hit the floor once more. A fuzzy figure with a shock of ginger hair swam into her vision, and despite her confusion, there was an immediate sense of comfort from their prescence.

As Aangad hit the floor, the threat was neutralised and the attention of Ezran immediately switched over to Niwa, she was conscious, which was the most important part. Her attacker hadn't done enough immediate damage and she would most likely be fine with medical intervention... As he turned, he slid his phaser back into his holster as he knelt down towards Niwa. "Niwa, it's alright. You're safe, don't pass out on us. Chief Five here is going to get you to medical to get you all the help you need, I've got things here. I've got more officers on their way to deal with this asshole over here..." He said, motioning back towards Aangad. "I'll take Keazayi back with me and make sure she's safe and looked after, she should be fine with me, she knows who I am." He said, as he knelt there with a gentle smile. "It's over, Niwa. You're both safe."

"I've got you. I've got you." Five wasn't sure who he was meant to be reassuring, himself or Niwa. Even so, he let out a sigh of relief that she was alive, that she was conscious and breathing, at least barely. He moved to support her on his shoulder so she wouldn't smack her head against the floor again. "Easy, Niwa, it's me, it's the Chief, I'm here... You're going to be okay. We're going to beam down to Medical and get everything taken care of." With how disoriented she was, he couldn't outwardly thank her for calling him in time. If he hadn't been here.... If he hadn't heard her... Even so, was it his fault she'd almost been killed? Or perhaps it was the man's intention all along... Not now. There were more important things to worry about it. Five fixed his arm around Niwa. Things certainly could have gone better, but he'd never been so thankful to be awake at the early hours of the morning. He'd have to give Holly a treat when he got home. "I hope they don't mind me in my pajamas and duck socks," he muttered with a half-smile, feebly trying to lighten the mood.

Words that were being spoken from beside her were becoming clearer as the ringing in her ears died down. Gentle words of reassurance greatly contrasted the tirade of obscenities and insults that had been thrown at her only moments earlier. She felt herself be propped up by one of these new arrivals – and so gentle was Fives’ touch, unlike that of Aangad’s, that she might have wept had she not been in a state of shock. Comforted by the presence of the two (and perhaps by Aangad’s figure being very much unmoving on the floor), Niwa took a moment to just breathe. Slowly, her awareness began to return to her. It still felt like her heart was beating at warp speed, and things still hadn’t quite caught up to her yet, but simply the oxygen returning to her brain did wonders. It brought clarity and understanding, being able to process what the two other officers were saying – but it also brought a realisation. Despite the fact that the threat had been dealt with, her eyes widened. “Kea-“ she started, voice raspy, and immediately broke off with a sharp wince at the way her throat burned with speech. While she had been in her quarters Aangad had been unsupervised. He could have done anything to Kea in that time. Instantly, Niwa was making an effort to clamber back to her feet, using Five for support. “Is she-“

"She's still in bed, I could sense her when I came in. She's fine. But I'll go and check on her now. I'll comm you both to let you know when she's safe." He said as he slowly stood from where he was kneeling. "Now you better get to sickbay to get checked over... Go on." As he stood, he made his way past Fives and out of the room, tapping his comm-badge as he did so. "I need more officers to Lieutenant Niwayiva's quarters for transport to the brig, one suspect stunned, one injured and being transported to sickbay."

"Hey, hey—" Five moved to hold onto her, just to make sure she didn't fall over with the effort of standing even with his help. Thankfully Ezran was quick to reassure her. Kea was fine. That was a relief, even if he already knew that. "Don't force yourself up so quickly, take it easy.." He moved to cradle her face between the palms of his hands, gently redirecting her attention. Hopefully his metallic arm wasn't too cold, he'd forgotten his gloves.. "Right now, we're going to get you to get checked out. We need to make sure you're okay. You could've — if we weren't fast enough..." He trailed off, expression grim, before shaking his head a little. "She's safe, and you're wonderful for worrying about her. But we need to worry about you right now, alright? We're going now." Their voice was soft, tender, but no less firm on the subject. Niwa's life had nearly been stolen from her before his eyes. He had to make sure she was okay. With that, Five touched his combadge, before using two arms to keep Niwa steady. His thoughts were still racing, thanking whatever space Jesus was out there that she had called him for help, even if not for... the intended purpose. Now all that was left to do was finish this whole mess. Part of him didn't want to leave her alone, at least until he got a look at the door to find out what had been messed with.. Maybe she'd be okay with Security posted outside of her door for a few days.. No time for that now, though. "Two to beam to Sickbay. Energize." (edited)