Confessions

Posted on Wed Mar 9th, 2022 @ 5:07am by Commander Sthilg & Lieutenant Etrara Khalten

Mission: Season 5: Interlude: Darkness Abounds
Location: Sickbay
1411 words - 2.8 OF Standard Post Measure

Sthilg was clicking his tongue aginst the side of his mouth as he went about his work. This current mission was a mess and like always sickbay was in organised chaos.

Still, he'd noted a task he still had to do. The new tactical officer was due for her medical checkup.

" Lieutenant Etrara Khalten report to sssickaby for your medical checkup." The gorn said into the coms as he headed to his office to prep everything.

It took a few minutes for the call to sickbay to register with Etrara. She was busy trying to get some order into her new quarters and had been trying to avoid sickbay as most people do. But, she knew she had to visit as she suffered from Ba’Ltmasor Syndrome for which she had weekly injections. She eventually found sickbay and wandered in. The CMO was a Gorn so she recognised him immediately and walked into the office, “ Lieutenant Etrara Khalten reporting as ordered.” She said, looking at the old kitbag on his desk which she focused on instead of looking at his face.

" Ah welcome." The gorn said warmly as he walked over and offered her his hand. Noting her eyes he gave a warm smile. " Yesss I ssserved in the KDF. Did any of your parents ssserve." He inquired politely and immediately regretted it juging by the look forming on her face.

“By that if you mean the Klingon who happened to impregnate my mother, I do not know nor do I care, his only hope would be that he died before I find him.” She replied angrily and then took deep breath. ‘‘I am sorry Doctor for that unseemly outburst.” She did not feel sorry however and the Klingon part of her remained that way.

" No my dear I'm the one to blame here. I'm over two hundred yearsss old I ssshould know better. " The gorn replied apologetically as he rubbed his head. " Ssstill ssshall we ssstart over. Would you care to lay down and we'll get thisss ssstarted." He said gesturing to the bio bed.

Etrara jumped up onto the bed and lay down. “I apologise again for my outburst, it was…..uncalled for you noticed my interest in your kitbag and replied appropriately.”

The gorn nodded. " Any injuriesss or ilnesssss not on your profile sssince your lassst ssscan?" He inquired. Looking up he gave her an inquisitive look. " The klingon who fathered you do you know hisss name? I have sssome old freindsss in the empire i could sssee if i could find him." he offered politely.

She grimaced. “Er yes, I fractured my left humerus, right clavicle, 3rd and 4th ribs, right pneumothorax, left fracture and subluxation of my right patella. Had an allergic reaction to nuts..I think that is.…oh no and a small skull fracture.” She paused. “I am sure that is all unless you count fractured metacarpals in my right hand.”

The gorn picked up a small hand held scanner and started running it over her body. " Why are these not on your file?" He politely inquired.

“I have no idea Doctor, following my service on the Prometheus I had some vacation time. I was free climbing on a mountain slipped and fell. I was hospitalised at Star Fleet Medical, then I fractured my hand practising Krav Maga. Nothing important really.”

" Well everything ssseemesss fine. I'll contact ssstar fleet medical and chance it up." The gorn explained as he stepped behind his desk.

She sat up and swung her legs off the bed. ‘I also suffer from Ba’Ltmasor Syndrome so require weekly injections, I hope that is in my records?”
She attempted some small talk. “How did you find life with the KDF sir?” She asked.

The doctor nooded. " It isss. I've assigned it to your replicator to remind you. Asss for the KDF I was there for over one hundred yearsss. I had sssome great timesss, bad timesss, sssome of the worssst times of my life..." He said fumbling at the holo disk around his neck. " Though I will be happy I have a proper medical bay. My old faculties were offen as big asss the reception area and I had to ssshare that with the warbirdsss cook."

She smiled despite herself. “I do commiserate with you, having to share quarters with the warbirds cook must have been quite stimulating at times? It is difficult for me to imagine being in one position for a hundred years. I would like to hear about your life there sometime?”

" We'll have to have sssome lunch sssome day and I can tell you about it." the doctor added. " If you want i could sssee if any of my freindsss in the empire have heard of your father if you'd like to track him down."

She did not even have to think about it. “Yes, thank you Sir I would very much like that. His name is J’recall Mok of the House of Duras, I never knew him but my mother told me he was a minor attaché on Risa, and that would have been thirty one years ago when I was conceived. Apparently as soon as he found out my mother was carrying me he ran!” Her anger suddenly bursting she hit the biobed with her fist creating a small crack. She looked at it appalled at what she had done but carried on, “I want to challenge him!”

" I know the family, though there isn't anyone on the empire who doesn't know of thossse weassslesss. " The gorn replied. " Knew a klingon by the name J'recall but he was of the house B'narak and he died nearly one hundred yearsss ago and abandoning children was certainly not his ssstyle."

“Yes the House of Duras has a long and sullied history and I am sure that abandoning a pregnant woman with child was no problem at all. Not that my mother should have been more careful. Unfortunately she committed suicide when I was a girl, so you see why I would like to find him.”

" I'm sorry to hear that. I've had to bury all of my biological family. My father, mother, brothersss, sssisstersss, wife and daughter. I know what it's like to losses sssomeone." the doctor replied calmly.

Etrara nodded, “I am sorry Doctor, the pain never leaves does it?”

" It never doesss, but I think that pain pussshes me to go forward to make sssure it never happens again." he replied as he looked at the holo imager around his neck. His massive hands gripped it with the care as if it was a small child.

She smiled tenderly, “May I see?” She asked.

The gorn carefully handed over the holo imiager. It was ancient yet still looked like it had come out of the box yesterday. With a click the blue hologram activates. The beautiful orion that the gorn had given his soul to appeared in a flicker blue light alongside the image of the daughter who had never lived.

She took it gently and looked into the eyes of the woman he loved. “She is beautiful, they both are. I can see why you keep this always close to your heart.” She gently returned it to him. For a moment there was silence and she could palpably touch his hurt even after all these years. She touched his sleeve. “I am truly sorry.” She said.

" Thank you." The gorn replied softly as he took it back and returned it to his neck. " I'll do everything I can to help you find your father."

She thought how much his gentleness belied his looks. “Thank you doctor, I hope we can have that coffee sometime?”

" We will. I sssee no reason on your ssscan to not be able to clear you fit for duty." the old reptile declared with a smile.

“Thank you Doctor, now don’t forget that coffee?” she began to walk away then turned back placing a soft kiss on his reptilian cheek, then left sickbay.

The gorn would have blushed if he'd been able to. " I won't." He called after her before he started to clean up his office for the next patient.

As she walked down the corridor to her next appointment she could not help but think of a love that had lasted for one hundred years and was still as strong. She wondered if in her allotted life span she would ever find something that special.