A World Away

Posted on Fri Aug 23rd, 2024 @ 8:26pm by Lieutenant Nixie Wilde & Lieutenant Roan Gaeta

1,506 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Mission 2 - Death is Only the Beginning
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: In the nebula

ON:

Sickbay had calmed down somewhat since their circumstances changed so brutally. Roan, and the medical team, had gotten it back in order. And he was trying to stay upbeat, to be pragmatic. His ancestors had experienced worse and survived. They had been forced to make a new life on a strange planet. At least here, there was a working ship, and hope. Hope to return home.

Not that he was sure what home was.

"Are you busy?" Nixie Wilde asked from the doorway, a slight wince to her features. She didn't make assumptions just because it seemed quiet. There must have been a lot for Sickbay to recover from, all things considered.

Roan looked at her, a slight frown coming to him. "Computer, reduce light by 30%," he said, having see the wince. He walked over to her, reaching to touch her arm. "And no, I am not. Come here, let's have a look at you."

"Thanks," she tried a smile as she moved with him to sit up on a bed, letting out a slight breath of relief at no longer being in motion. "Sorry, it's just a headache, but it's really starting to get to me."

He reached out to put his hand to her forehead for a moment, then to her temples. He rubbed gently, watching her. "When did it start, and describe the pain to me," he said, rather than getting the medical tricorder straight away.

"A few hours ago?" Nixie closed her eyes, letting out a long, slow breath as she tried to relax with it. "It was just annoying at first, but it's got gradually worse. Like...a hot knife in my temple, behind my eyes."

"Sounds like a migraine...can be triggered by stress," Roan said and let out a soft breath. "And many other things. Could even be the nebula..." he reached for the medical tricorder to confirm his suspicions.

"All I know is that it's very, very distracting," she had to admit with a sigh, keeping her eyes closed to enjoy the darkened light.

He nodded as he saw the results, placing the medical tricorder down. "Migraine are," he said and prepared a hypo. He pressed it against her neck, knowing it would ease her symptoms. "Stress can trigger migraines. And you're under a lot of stress right now. The Nebula won't help either."

Nixie let out a long breath, sighing as she rubbed her neck with a frown, letting her head bow forward with it. "No more stress than anyone else," she muttered, clearly not happy about buckling.

Roan watched her before he touched her arm, giving it a gentle squeeze. "I could also be the lights from the Nebula," he said lightly, a small smile coming to him. "I'd usually tell you to take it easy but chance would be a fine thing under the circumstances." He took a seat, next to her, thinking for a moment. "What's going on in your head, Wilde?"

"We've been out here five minutes and it's already falling apart. A man was murdered...on my watch," she replied quietly, the words so terse her jaw half clenched with them.

He frowned as he sat beside her on the biobed. He had heard about the murder. Not that he had seen the body. "You can only control your own actions, not those of others. Someone else murdered this man. You will find out who did it, and why. Justice will be served. It...may not seem like much, but this world is far beyond...life for life..." he stopped and repeated the words in the mix matched language of his planet. "Isheng musta isheng..."

Nixie watched him for a long moment before letting out a heavy breath, repeating what he had said in his own language, trying to match it well. "It makes me sick," she said quietly. "The idea that one of us would do it."

"People are capable of anything," Roan said quietly, looking thoughtful at it. "For reasons they rationalise to themselves. But we wear the same uniform...this should be a place where we are loyal to each other."

She tried nodding in reply, but despite the hypo having eased the pain off, it still made her slightly giddy and she winced with regret. "It's a betrayal of everything the uniform stands for. And cowardly to boot. I'll have their guts for garters when I find out who it was."

He watched her for a moment, reminded that this woman was a warrior. He had seen her type before. Natural born leaders, who said what they meant and their actions backed their words. "You will find out," he said softly.

Nixie looked across to him, holding his eyes for a long moment before giving a slighter nod. "Yes, I will," she replied softly but firmly. "How has it been down here?"

"Manic," he said with a small smile, shaking his head. "But I have a really good medical team. It helps a lot."

"Have you managed to get any kind of break yourself yet?" she asked pointedly, fixing her gaze on him; she was pretty darn good at spotting a lie at a hundred paces.

Roan shook his head, decided to be honest. "I can rest when things have settled a little. Or not at all. I am their Chief, I can't let myself fall to pieces yet. Or exhaustion."

"Well, even more reason to get some rest then," she replied firmly, but softened it with a slight smile. He was an adult afterall. A stubborn one, but an adult.

Roan chuckled as he looked at her, giving her a nod. "You keep an eye on me then," he said, studying her face. "If I start getting weird, you should...I don't know what...find a way to make me have a nap."

"It's called the stun setting," Nixie replied dryly with an arched eyebrow, pointing two fingers at him as if shooting. "Or I can do it the old fashioned way if you prefer? Bang to the head or too much to drink..."

"If only we had some eoji nuts..." he said before he smiled. "They're these nuts where I am from...they rot really quickly and once that had started, they become...hallucinogens. Eat too many and you sleep for about...72 hours. But in lieu of that, let's go with too much drink."

"How did you even figure out what you could and couldn't eat out in the wilderness of fallout?" Nixie asked with obvious curiosity, knowing by now his unique background.

"Generations before us tried and died," he said before he shook his head. "Outside of...the Polaris camp, it had been natural selection. Inside too, but we never saw it that way. We had an algae based diet and whatever seeds we could grow and rotate. When I was exiled to the Outside, I had to rely on the kindness of others to show me what I could and could not eat. If they had not accepted me, I would have been dead."

Nixie just stared at him for a long moment, in awe of such survival. It took several long moments before she recovered speech. "Makes our predicament sound easy as pie, hm?"

"I don't know, at least I was on the ground," he said with a smile, shaking his head. "This is...new. And I know I should be...afraid. But I am not, which I think means I should see a counselor."

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure a counsellor would have a field day with that," she agreed with a weak chuckle, shaking her head gently. "Thanks, Doctor, you've made me feel a lot better."

"I can make you feel even better," he said, with a sudden smile. "Join me for a drink later. My quarters. We can talk, drink and I have a hypo to sober us up should we go to red alert."

"Hm..." Nixie sighed as she considered it, wondering just how reckless it would make her. She decided, in the end, all things considered, she didn't care. "Sure, but only if you have quality stuff..."

"I do. Come see me after shift," he said with a smile, clearly meaning it. "If nothing else, a chance to safely decompress."

She pushed herself up to stand, rolling her shoulder as if to test the pull on her neck. "Well, who am I to argue with doctor's orders?"

"You better not," Roan said as he met her eyes and then nodded. "Bad enough I will have a Captain and First Officer ignoring my orders."

"I hate to break it to you, but Chiefs of Security can be mighty more stubborn," she gave a tsk sound, as if to say 'bad luck'. "I'll try and go easy on you, sugar, but I can't promise anything."

"Good, because where I am from...we can handle ourselves in a tight spot," he said and winked, leaning closer.

OFF:

Lieutenant Roan Gaeta
Chief Medical Officer

Lieutenant Nixie Wilde
Chief Security Officer

 

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