Between Two Worlds

Posted on Sun Mar 24th, 2024 @ 6:41pm by Ensign Skye Vos & Lieutenant Roan Gaeta

1,849 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Mission 1 - Project Concord
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: Before the transwarp jump

Doctor Gaeta put the now empty plate into the recycler, glancing at the time. He had managed to do well with the staff in that sense. Medical check ups, getting the baselines. It was hard work but it was important work. Or so he told himself whenever someone got grumpy with him. He groaned as he rolled his shoulders, allowing himself to feel how stiff he was. He would have to do something. Run. Fight. Maybe a trip to the holodeck, if only to release some tension. Maybe swimming. It had been a while since he had done it. His eyes drifted to the next person on his list. Ensign Skye Vos. Helm. So he expected someone with quick reflexes if nothing else.

As the doors swished open, Skye was already talking before they closed behind her. "I can save you a lot of time and trouble. I'm absolutely fighting fit. I swam a mile just this morning, so..." she finally stopped, pushing her hands into her back pockets and taking a breath, her black hair swaying with the movement. "Nice to meet you by the way."

Roan watched her, raising an eyebrow before he smiled. "Nice to meet you too, Ensign Vos. Now, on the biobed. I'm sure you're a great swimmer but let's just have a look at you so I can get a baseline reading from you before you fly us into adventure."

Skye's shoulders slumped as she let out a heavy sigh, an eyebrow that held a Vulcanoid tilt to it arching at him. She did as she was told all the same, hopping up to sit on the bed, her hands drumming lightly against the edge as she watched him. "You look tired."

"Been a long day," Roan said as he walked with her, his eyes on the hands. "Computer, get me the readings from biobed two," he took the medical tricorder, meeting her eyes for a long moment. "And who is the doctor here?"

Skye tilted her head as she watched him with an arched eyebrow, as if to say 'ha ha'. "You have no competition. I'd rather deal with ships over people any day of the week."

"Well, I am the opposite, so we're good there," Roan said as he met her eyes. "So how are you feeling, Ensign? Apart from swimmingly good."

"Fine," she waved a dismissive hand, letting out a long sigh as she glanced around. "New ship. New crew. I've never been on an actual new ship before. It smells funny."

Roan chuckled at her assessment, giving a nod. "It's the scrubbers," he said, his voice soft. "A ship only has that much breathable air, but the design is to reuse it. So in theory, we'll never run out of it. Oddly, the newer the scrubbers, the stronger that smell is. It always reminded me of the smell of rain."

"I...don't think I remember what rain smells like," Skye admitted after thinking about it for a moment, shaking her head. "I've moved around a lot...there was a lot of space involved."

"Yes, the holodeck can't get the scent right for it. Not that anyone ever goes 'I want to walk in the rain on the holodeck'," Roan said and shrugged, scanning her. "Rain smells different from planet to planet anyway. Where I am from, rain smelled different depending on season. When the black rain comes, you stay out of it. It smells like...decay and ozone."

"Black rain?" Skye asked with surprise, leaning forward to him with sheer curiosity. "I've never heard of that before..."

"It's..." he paused, considering something for a moment. "It's black with soot and full of radioactive waste. You end up feeling rotten for a couple of days but usually you survive if you get it washed off." But by you, he meant his people.

"That sounds like something out of a horror holonovel," Skye replied bluntly, without missing a beat or stopping to think.

Roan met the eyes of the half-Vulcan and he smiled, because her honesty was refreshing. "Well, perhaps. But then again, every planet has a quirk. Look at Risa, without those environmental controls...no one would be relaxing there."

"And Vulcan will bake you alive," Skye quirked her head to the side, arching an eyebrow as she nodded with agreement to what he said. "You have a fair point," she admitted.

"I know it," he said with a chuckle, nodding. "Now, as your doctor, I'll generally be annoying you whenever I have the chance. I know you said you were good, but are there any concerns you have? Aches, pains, general annoyances?"

She gave a half shrug, shaking her head with a slight frown. "Not that I can think of," she replied honestly. But then, things like that came and went quickly to her. It wasn't the kind of thing she'd remember, or think to make note of.

Roan nodded, smiling at the words. "Well, you're healthy, so that doesn't surprise me," he said, watching the results. "I've not met many half-Vulcans." He opened it for conversation...if she wanted to keep it strictly medical, that was fine too.

"Same here," she replied, with more than just a note of dry humour as she rested back on her hands where she sat on the biobed, crossing her legs. "To be honest, I look at my father and my mother and I don't understand how that becomes, well...x-rated."

Roan looked at her with surprise before he laughed, then grimaced at a memory. "I grew up in cramped quarters. I never saw anything, but I heard my parents'...affection for each other. More than once. Trust me, not understanding is a lot better. Can I ask which...parent is Vulcan?"

"My father," Skye watched him with a small, wry smile, a foot pulled up onto the edge of the bed so she could rest her arm on the bent knee. "Story goes, he and my mother were friends. And then...he went into Pon Farr. I mean, they say curiosity killed the cat, I think my mother got more than that."

"Now that is an origin story," Roan said with a smile, shaking his head. "Are they...together?" It wasn't any of his business, but he was curious if the Pon Farr and expecting a child had changed their relationship.

"No....no, no, no," she shook her head emphatically, the idea of it clearly not computing. "Apparently mother was adamant she wanted me, but they decided to just remain friends. Although, I'm not sure if even that much remained for long."

"Must have been a fun upbringing," Roan said with a small smile that showed that he was pretty sure she had experienced many strange things growing up with that relationship.

"Try living with Vulcans that don't appreciate humour," she replied dryly, but shook her head, looking down to study her nails. "It makes teenage arguments hard too. Raging hormones when it's hot as hell," she chuckled softly.

"Not to mention that Vulcan emotions can be..." Roan stopped, to try and find a word that wouldn't offend. He gave up. "Deeper. Stronger. Maybe because the coping mechanisms for them are so extreme."

She chuckled softly at the way he put it, but she wasn't offended. She was self aware enough. She wrapped an arm around her leg so she could rest her chin on her knee. "I was seen as something of an abomination for my refusal to repress."

He looked at her, nodding weakly at it. "Must have been difficult," he said, even as he watched her closely. "Going against something that is so strong in Vulcan culture."

She gave a half shrug at that, casting her gaze down as she smiled weakly. "Well, I suppose the good thing about Vulcan emotions running deep is that I have enough stubbornness to get me to the Delta quadrant and back."

"Good, we can always plug you into the engine if it gets grumpy," Roan joked as he looked at her, smiling back. "You are in excellent health. I am quite jealous."

"Well, I could have told you that," Skye replied, but with a relenting note of amusement in her voice as she watched him with glinting eyes. "But doctors never believe you..."

"Of course we don't, we're all too bitter and cynical to believe another person would actually tell us the truth," Roan said, watching her before he grinned, having stayed serious as long as he could as he spoke.

"Except for when there really is something wrong..." she continued, folding her arms as she watched him with a look of near suspicion. "Then you have to try every which way to persuade them to take you seriously..."

His eyes softened as he watched her, a small smile coming to her. "To be honest," he said softly, moving to sit down. "I will always believe you if you say something is wrong. Same with any of the crew."

"I'll hold you to your word on that," Skye warned with an arched eyebrow, pointing a delicate finger his way.

Roan nodded with acceptance, meeting her eyes before he looked over at incoming readings. "Just getting your baseline nicely logged and you should be good to go. Unless you have any questions for me?" He looked at her, with a smile.

"Yeah..." Skye smiled wryly as she leant back on her hands, her legs crossing as her foot started to kick rhythmically. "Where's your notoriously bad and grumpy bedside manner?"

"Left it in my other pants," he said with a smile, raising an eyebrow. "But I can do a good impression of one if you find yourself missing the classic Starfleet treatment."

Skye arched a tilted eyebrow, looking him pointedly up and down as she crossed her arms. "No...no, I don't think you can..."

"No...I can't," Roan admitted as he looked at her, a small smile coming to him. "Perhaps it's best not to worry about that and take...each other as we are. For who we are, not what we do for work."

“Acceptable, for now,” she pointed a delicate finger towards him. “That depends entirely on how much you poke and prod me…”

"I was not planning on doing either today. In fact, you're done," he said, with a quick grin as he held his hands up to the side, palms towards her to show he was unarmed.

"Oh!" she hopped up onto her feet, stretching out in a show of having been kept cooped up for ever so long, even if it had only been a few minutes in reality. "Am I clear to fly then, doctor?"

"It was never a question about that," Roan said as he looked at her, with a smile. "I am just here to make sure that where we fly to doesn't do anything weird with our biology."

"Don't worry, my biology is already pretty weird as it is," the half-Vulcan, half-Human grinned to him and shrugged as if there was nothing to be done.

OFF:

Lt. Roan Gaeta
Ensign Skye Vos

 

RSS Feed