"Nuts and Bolts"

Tzyur carried a plate with food that looked like the content of a xenobiology lab. Other crewmembers gave it a wide berth. He spotted the lone chief engineer and approached.

“Ah, Lt. Cmdr. Achaea. May I?”

Without waiting for an answer he eased himself into the opposite seat.

"I've been trying to find you. Not socially, although that is an acceptable secondary objective." He smiled faintly. "According to my records, you have somehow managed to avoid your initial medical examination."

He speared one of the wriggling morsels with surprising precision.

"I'm curious how an engineer who insists every plasma conduit be inspected has been content to leave his own physiology unexamined."

Tyzur lifted his cybernetic arm.

“I know a thing or two about other people’s expectations. You’re a fellow El-Aurian according to your medical records, right?”

His gaze shifted downward.

“I was only a child when the Borg invaded. I don’t remember much of that time. But I’ve reconnected with some of our people since. I can certainly share some knowledge if you're interested.”

He put on a smile and continued stabbing his live Ktarian sand eels marinated in citrus.

Showing off his arm might not have been the best idea. A lot of Starfleet officers have Borg-related trauma.

“Apologies for the jumpscare, commander. You’re right, the Borg have taken a lot from both of us.”

Tyzur shifted gears.

“El-Aurains are medically quite fascinating. We have this hormone called chronitin. It accumulates chrontion particles and... You’re probably not that interested in the medical details. The point is it allows us to feel the effects of nearby temporal events, like humans that can feel the weather in their bones. It also affects the rate at which we’re ageing. This is why the Borg invaded our homeworld, they wanted drones with transtemporal awareness.”

He looked thoughtful into the distance.

“Our people also have a reputation for being good listeners. People tend to open up very easily. It can be quite handy when diagnosing patients. I’ve never figured out why that is.”

Tyzur smiled to himself.

"Identity is a strange thing. We spend centuries trying to understand where we came from, only to discover the more interesting question is who we've become."

His eyes returned to Raikon.

“So... would you be willing to let me schedule that examination? We can talk about El-Aurian history while I confirm you're as healthy as you seem to think you are. I promise not to keep you away from engineering any longer than necessary."

Tyzur gave a small, understanding nod.

"Apology accepted. You're hardly the first person to react that way, and I doubt you'll be the last."

He flexed the fingers of his cybernetic hand almost absent-mindedly.

"This arm is a reminder of what the Borg took from me. It's also a reminder that they didn't get to keep all of me."

He stood, collecting his tray.

"Since you're free until sixteen hundred, we might as well make good use of the opportunity. The examination won't take long."

A faint smile crossed his face.

"And if you decide halfway through that you'd rather hear about El-Aurian history than endure my lecture on chronitin levels, I can accommodate that."

He gestured toward the exit.

"Shall we?"

Tyzur matched Raikon's pace as they made their way through the corridor, his expression thoughtful.

"I've wondered the same thing."

A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"There are plenty of theories. Some of our physicians believe chronitin subtly influences the way other people perceive us. Others insist it's entirely cultural, that our people simply learn to listen before we learn to speak."

He gave a small shrug.

"Personally, I suspect it's a little of both. Whatever the cause, people often seem to feel... heard. Once that happens, they usually do the rest themselves."

Raikon's second question lingered between them for a moment before Tyzur answered.

"As for our lifespan..." His voice softened. "The honest answer is that no one really knows the upper limit. Our people have lost too many records, too many elders. We know we live for centuries under ordinary circumstances. Beyond that, certainty gives way to educated guesses."

He glanced sideways at the engineer.

"I find that when people ask about our lifespan, they're rarely asking about the number of years. They're usually wondering what those years will mean."

Tyzur regarded him for a moment, catching the shift in Raikon's expression. There was clearly a story behind those words, but he wasn't about to pry. Not here, and certainly not during a routine examination. He made a mental note to come back to it another time.

Tyzur considered the question as he moved around the biobed, preparing the diagnostic equipment.

"My mentor on my first posting was El-Aurian. We’ve built up a close relationship. He taught me what I know about our people."

He gave a small shrug.

"Other El-Aurians I've encountered have been rather private about our shared history. Some seem to have decided that surviving the destruction of our homeworld means they have little patience for dwelling on it."

He glanced toward Raikon.

"And perhaps you're right. Being a good listener doesn't necessarily mean we're good at listening to each other."

Before he could elaborate, the doors to the main medical bay opened and Tyzur looked up.

"Nurse Guilder."

He stepped aside from the biobed, giving the nurse a clear view of their new patient.

"Could you take our Commander's initial vitals while I pull up his medical records? He's overdue for his examination, so I'd like to establish a baseline. I'll leave the routine measurements to you. Try not to frighten him. He's already discovered that doctors can be surprisingly talkative."

Raikon was relieved a bit, running on coffee, few hours of sleep and sheer will he was worried that he might have been the one that needed a refit.

“Thank you Nurse Guilder! Please do schedule follow-ups for the crew.”

Tyzur glanced at the readings again.

“Your vitals are within nominal ranges Commander, but you have elevated stimulant levels and show some signs of fatigue. Nurse Guilder, do you think there might be some correlation between fatigue and the elevated chronitin levels?”

"I get it,i get it." holding his hands up. "Less coffee more sleep" he smiled.