Checking on the wounded

Posted on Mon Jul 19th, 2021 @ 9:07am by Lieutenant Kah'lyn Chiara-Rivers & Lieutenant Commander Croesus & Lieutenant Xalanth & Lieutenant JG Miaxi Etaalu & Lieutenant Fulvia
Edited on on Mon Jul 19th, 2021 @ 9:07am

2,719 words; about a 14 minute read

Mission: Episode 110 - An Endeavor in Discovery
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: MD1

ON:


"Thank you. No, you're the last to check in. I'm headed down to sickbay now to see how Lt. Xalanth is doing." Miaxi told one of the team who had accompanied Xalanth over to the Romulan ship that was still floating not far from the station. The Dragonian's landing in the middle of the station's bridge was becoming legend, not helped by the fact that the Power That Be had authorized a whole squad of security above the security who were already stationed in Ops. She had thought rumor on a starship was bad; it was nothing compared to rumor on a station. Well, that was for someone else to worry about.

Her worries had been mostly to do with the injured officers (only two) and the Romulans they had brought back from the Warbird, under arrest and in most cases hurt to some degree. Security on this station worked smoothly, pulling together to get escorts for all those injured enough to need medical help, and to make sure everyone made it to the brig. Miaxi had written down several names to make sure they got her personal thanks when things had calmed down slightly.

Now, it seemed, everyone who needed to be locked up was locked up, and all the security crews were accounted for. She glanced down at the PaDD in her hand, shook her head, and headed down to sickbay.

By chance Croesus loitered outside of Sickbay waiting for answers.

"What is Kah'lyn and our child's condition?" Croesus asked intensely.

The on duty nurse smiled as she looked towards Croesus. “They’re both doing just fine Commander, don’t worry we’ll call you if anything should change.”

Xalanth was up and about in the recovery ward reading a few messages from his mates and children. Hearing his second in commands footsteps he looked up and at the doors. " Hello, Miaxi how the station doing?" He enquired as she stepped in.

Miaxi had noticed the nurse and the anxious looking commander talking near the entrance. She had almost stopped to talk to him, but her first priority was Xalanth. "You're up!" she said, surprise in her voice and on her face. "I.. uh, the station is settling down. Rumor has turned you into some kind of legend, and we have an extra squad on deck one. The brig is getting full - okay, exaggeration, but there's more people in there than I've ever seen in a brig before. If you don't mind me speaking freely sir, you sure opened up a ...oh what's that Terran term? Oh yes, a hornet's nest. I haven't seen Fulvia. I thought she'd be down here with you. But I did pass an anxious looking half Klingon on the way in who has got to be Commander Croesus. I would love to get his viewpoint on all this." she finished, putting the PaDD down. "The reports I have so far. Can I just say wow?!"

Xalanth did his best, but even he couldn't stop a sly smile from spreading over his lips. " Just doing my job my friend. Fulvia's been to see me three times already and she's doing what will take her mind off this by making sure the warbird is empty and ready for towing out of the shipping lane."

"Ahh, I see." Miaxi said. "And what do the doctors have to say? Are you free to go or are they keeping you here?"

" They want to keep me here for another day or so just to be sure. Then I'm on light duty for a month or so." the lizard explained. He tirned one of the cards that had caught Miaxi's eye. A picture was on it of a male dragonian who was clearly related to Xalanth and a smaller skinner one. Judging by her bright blue eyes and pointed ear tips she was clearly his daughter with his first. Both were wearing his people's deep desert survival gear with his daughter proudly holding a tooth of some giant lizard proudly over her head. " My dad and my firstborn. They've just finished her test to see if she's ready for adulthood." He explained.

"That sounds like a really special time for her. Your whole family must be so proud." Miaxi said. She was going to have to learn more about his culture. "How old is she, and how did the test go?"

" Seven though with my people enhanced growth she's closer to fifteen years old in human terms. She passed the test. She'll be forging her own fang knife with the tooth soon." He said nodding over to the table which his own lay.

Miaxi's gaze followed his nod, and she moved to the table. She didn't touch the knife, but merely looked at it. "This is beautiful, Xalanth." she said, somewhat awed. "You each make your own?"

" As a sign of adulthood, we each have to travel into the desert and retrieve a yarven tooth. We use the tooth as the hilt and from that we forge a knife that marks us as an adult. " Xalanth said picking up his own. " My own knife is pathetic by some of the marvels that hang in the chamber of memories." He said turning over the blade which was the length of his forearm.

"That is... impressive." Miaxi said. She had never met anyone who had made their own knife. "I'd love to know more, but right now I'd better finish off a few work things. I need to meet Kah'lyn and talk to her if I can, and also, I think, talk to Croesus."

" She's using the bathroom last time i saw her." Xalanth said gesturing towards the bathrooms.

"Thanks Xalanth. I'll go find her. Would you like a daily report down here?" Miaxi asked with a smile.

" Yes and send me any paperwork you don't want to do." He said with a cheeky grin forming on his toothy face.

Miaxi laughed. "Thank you." she said. "I'll be in touch." With that, she walked out.

Croesus saw Miaxi exiting Xalanth room and he jumped ahead to speak to her.

" Lieutenant I am impressed with your work. You are a fine officer. Xalanth is a lucky lizard." Croesus greeted. " Can I go see him?"

Miaxi gave him a smile. "Thank you Commander. You can go see him, he's in good spirits, up and about. But I'd like to speak to you after I speak with Kah'lyn."

Xalanth had been reading over some of the reports when he heard Croesus footsteps approch. " Hello, there commander nice to see you." He said happily.

" Hello my friend. I had to check in on you." Croesus replied.

" Nice to see you as well my freind. " The lizard said raising himself up on his arms. " Have you spoken to Kah'lyn?" He enquired.

****

Meanwhile in Sickbay, Kah’lyn was disturbed by thoughts of what had happened. Somewhere inside her head the two parts of her psyche were starting to piece together. What is this? Where am i?

Don’t recognise your own mind Kah’lyn? The Romulan half of her psyche was stood looking at her. You’re a part of me, I’m a part of you and the sooner you accept it the stronger you’ll be for it!

Why should I accept you? You’re not me! You’re some fabricated extension of my mind created by Remans!

Maybe so, but I’m the part of you that’s always been there, giving you strength. Right now you need that strength! You know what must be done!

No... it’s not up to me! Kah’lyn’s body stirred as though she was in a dream.

Ohh but it is... accept me! You know you want to... I’m you, you’re me!

I... I don’t need you!

Yes you do! You need my strength Kah’lyn, it’s up to you now. You know you’ll never be safe until Miru is taken care of... he has to pay!

Back in the real world Kah’lyn awoke with a gasp as the two parts of her mind met. “I know what I have to do.” Now all she had to do was wait until the time was right.

Miaxi had not found Kah'lyn in the bathroom, so she snagged the nearest nurse and asked where the woman's bed was and whether she was allowed visitors, explaining who she was and why she was there.

The young nurse motioned towards Kah’lyn’s room. “You’ll find Kah’lyn right through there. Please bear in mind that she needs to rest.”

"I won't keep her long. Thank you." Miaxi replied, and headed over to the room. The door slid open, and she walked in, standing just inside. "Lt. Chiara? I'm Lt. Etaalu, with security. I'd like to talk to you for a moment if that's ok." she said softly.

Kah’lyn offered a smile as she motioned for Etaalu to come closer. “That’s fine Lieutenant, I’ve been expecting an interview with security anyway. Please feel free to take a seat” She motioned to the chair that Croesus used.

"Thank you Lieutenant." Miaxi said, sitting down. "I'm going to keep this short, because the nurses really want you to rest as much as possible. By all accounts, it seems as though you were not acting entirely of your own free will - that you were somehow brainwashed by your father or his subcommander. Can you confirm this?"

"I err..." Kah'lyn paused, fighting the urge to jump to her father's defence. "That's right. I was... brainwashed somehow."

Miaxi looked at her sympathetically. "I understand this must be difficult. Have you spoken about the concept of Romulan duty with either man, either as an abstract concept or as something you should be doing on a personal level?"

"Romulan duty?" Kah'lyn shook her head. "I want nothing to do with my father or my heritage! Not after this. They just wanted to use me."

"I'm sure you don't." Miaxi replied, shaking her head in turn. "I'm trying to see how far back they were manipulating you, and whether this was a far reaching plan by the Romulan government or not."

"Ohh sorry" Kah'lyn offered a smile. "This was the first contact I've had with any Romulans. I've never been to the homeworld."

Miaxi nodded. What a dreadful way to meet one's father: to have him decide he's going to use you. "My next question you'd probably expect to hear coming from a counselor but I'm honestly curious - are you having many issues with errant thoughts in your head?"

"I..." Kah'lyn froze, what was she supposed to say? "Some" she nodded. "It's hard when you've been a... Passenger inside your own mind. Watching yourself doing things that you're not controlling."

"I'm sure. That must be quite disconcerting. I hope the counselors on the station can help." Miaxi said. "There may be more questions, but the investigation seems very straightforward. I wish you the best." she had felt... something, hardly more than a gut feeling that Kah'lyn wasn't quite together, but as the woman herself had said, she did have errant thoughts. "Thank you for your time."

Kah'lyn nodded. "Thank you for coming to see me, I appreciate it. If you have anymore questions I'll be happy to help you."

"I'll remember that." Miaxi replied, smiling. She turned to leave, her mind worrying over that sensation. She shoved it to the side for the moment. She needed to focus on speaking to Croesus, and not making up mysteries where there were none.

Watching Miaxi go Kah’lyn had a nagging feeling that the woman was suspicious of her, not that she could really blame her.

Miaxi headed back to Xalanth's room, listening for whether Croesus was still with him or not.

Croesus was trying to cheer Xalanth up by telling a joke.

" Why are 10 plus 10 and. 11 plus 11 the same? Because 11 plus 11 are twenty two, I know keep my day job." Croesus replied.

Xalanth manged to avoid rolling his eyes, but the arrival of Miaxi saved him from that. " How's she doing?" He enquired.

"I'm not sure." Miaxi said with a frown as she entered the room. Not even Croesus's joke could get her mind off Kah'lyn. "I'm worried about her. Or of her. The two may be the same. We should keep an eye on her."

" No one would be right in her state after what she's been through. Trust me i know what it like to have something piloting your body whilst all you can do is scream from inside your skull." The lizard said bad memories of the dark collective surfacing in his mind.

Miaxi nodded, her face still troubled. "I don't blame her. I just worry. If you've been in a similar mind space, perhaps you should reach out to her, Xalanth. At least while the two of you are here, anyway. "

It was true, she didn't blame her - but she wasn't sure if she could trust her either. That niggling feeling in the back of her mind wouldn't let her. But she couldn't say anything either. Kah'lyn was the victim in all this, and she was not going to say anything against her, no matter what her brain flagged. Likely it was just because the woman had been brainwashed.

" I'll try, but what she needs most is the man she loves and father of her child to tell her it's not her fault." The lizard said looking over to Croesus.

Outside the room Kah’lyn was stood listening to every word, she hadn’t intended to eavesdrop but hearing her name mentioned she found herself routed to the spot wanting to know what was being said about her. Now she waited on tender hooks for Croesus’ response to Xalanth’s comment.

" I will do my best to reassure Kah'lyn." Croesus replied . " In fact let me go there now "

Kah’lyn breathed a sigh of relief and quickly retreated to her room before Croesus found her loitering in the corridor.

The door to sickbay slid open again as Fulvia entered the room. Out of her uniform and in a short light pink toga with hazel sandals she was almost unrecognizable. Stepping up to the desk she politely asked. " Excuse me is Xalanth still in his room?"

The young nurse on duty nodded. “Yes he is. You can visit if you’d like.”

" Thank you." She said as she headed for the recovery room. Xalanth had heard her footsteps and had already turned to see her as she stepped through the door.

They didn't need to say a word as she stood across and hugged him tightly feeling relief at how well he was doing.

Looking over at Miaxi she gave her a polite smile. " Hello there Miaxi. Keeping my knight in red armor informed on station matters."

"I am." Miaxi said, giving Fulvia a nod and a small smile in return. "I thought if I kept him aware of things, he would be more likely to follow the doctor's orders. I must admit, after what I heard from others, I'm surprised he's out of bed." she gave Xalanth a sly smile.

" He's very difficult to kill. " The magna roman said wrapping her arms around her husband.

" And I heal faster on my feet anyway." The lizard lied as he let out an ouch slightly at his wife's grip. She immediately loosened her grip. " Have we called for some ships to take the Romulan POW's away. We shouldn't have so many on the station at once." The lizard asked his XO.

"No, I hadn't thought of that." Miaxi admitted. "I'll take care of it." she made a note on her PaDD. "Would you like me to give you two some time alone?"

" We'd appreciate it." Fulvia said with a polite smile on her face.

" I'll get the reports filled out and back to you as soon as i can Miaxi." Xalanth replied

"Thanks Xalanth. I'll be in touch." Miaxi said. She turned to leave the room. She had hoped to talk to Croesus, but something told her that right now, his wife needed him more. She would catch up with him later.

{OFF}

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