A foal, a horse, a bajoran, and a lizard on an ice ball.

Posted on Thu Mar 16th, 2023 @ 10:48pm by Lieutenant Commander S'hib & Commander Sthilg & Lieutenant Colonel Azhul Naxea

Mission: MISSION 0 - History Speaks
Location: Surface of Class P Planet
Timeline: 4/09/2397 - MD4
1297 words - 2.6 OF Standard Post Measure

The heavy footsteps of the Gorn echoed even as they trumped through the freshly fallen snow of the crew campsite.

He was already feeling and even the makeshift scarves he'd fashioned from one of his old lab coats were falling to stop his feet from chattering.

He stopped at the tent he was looking for tapping the top of the tentpole with his metal pipe to let the occupants know he was there.

He had a little girl to check on.

"Come in," Naxea called from inside. She was glad the tents had thermal heating walls that kept them at least tolerable inside the tent. Compared to the outside, it was toasty.

Unwrapping the rags he'd tied around his boots to keep the snow off the tent's interior the Gorn carefully undid one of the flaps before stepping inside. Even wrapped in his snow jacket and space suit lining the heat difference was incredible.

"Hello, Naxea. How are you feeling?" He inquired as he pulled the scarfs down from around his face.

"Still sore but doing a lot better," Naxea says as she looks at Sthilg. "Come in and relax a bit. Warm up some," she offered.

"How is everyone else?" S'hib asked from underneath a thin grey blanket, his eyes peering out briefly before craning his neck and head over Sle'anna, her tiny frame pressed against his bare chest with her hooves dangling out on top of his.

The old doctor let out a sigh. " Asss well asss can be given the current sssituation. We have the worssse casssessse in the runabout. I'm doing what I can, but there is only ssso much I can do."

"Do you need any help?" Naxea asked. "S'hib can help out better than I can if you need him."

"Sss'hib would do bessst here looking after his daughter. " Sthilg said his artificial arm turned to its scanning mode and he began running over the hybrid and her father.

"I just got her to sleep... I'm not going anywhere." He said with a sheepish smile, glancing between the good Doctor and Naxea.

Naxea sighed and shook her head at S'hib while grinning at him.. She knew he was miserable being on this frozen planet as Sequus was a much warmer planet with lots of deserts. She looked back at Sthilg. " How is she doing?" she asked after he had taken the scan of Sle'anna.

"Very well," the doctor said with a smile on his face. " Other than one redundant extra kidney ssshe'sss perfectly fine. Ssshe jussst needsss warmth, food and plenty of ressst."

"That's good to hear. Do you think her redundant kidney will pose any health problems to her?" Naxea asked. She had heard that in some species redundant organs proposed a health issue later in life.

"Nothing right now. I can remove it when ssshe'sss older." Sthilg said reassuringly.

"Thank you, Sthilg," Naxea replied. "Can I get you something warm to drink or eat?"

"That means sit down Doctor..." S'hib snorted as he wriggled his head free from the blanket, letting it fall onto his shoulders before tucking it closer around and cocooning Sle'anna. "Your hands need to be warm more than anyone else's right now..."

"Thank you, my friend," Sthilg said doing his best to sit down inside the tent. " Do you have any coffee?" He asked Naxea.

"Sure," she said before walking over to the small portable replicator. It ran off of a power cell and was used sparingly for items, namely stuff for the baby. She tapped a few buttons to program the replicator and a cup of hot coffee materialized. She picked up the cup that felt great in her hands, handing it to Sthilg. "Here you are," she smiled.

Sthilg took a few sips of the replicated coffee. It tasted awful compared to his homemade, but he put on a polite face not wanting to hurt their feelings. " Have either of you two been back to the ssship?" he asked

"Not yet," Naxea said. "I've mostly been overseeing the Marines here on the planet. I can do more good down here anyways since I'm not much of an engineer."

"Well, I'm going to be ssstuck down here looking after the wounded. Wisssh I could get one trip up. I'd love to sssee if any of my fresssh food ssstocks sssurrvived. " Sthilg added.

"Well, S'hib may likely be going back to the ship as Commander Taylor placed him in charge of Security aboard the ship while she is planetside," Naxea replied. "Maybe he can check on your food stores for you if he gets a chance."

"It's on the to-do list, unfortunately..." S'hib sighed as he huddled with his daughter, any sense of martial duty he had was rapidly dwindling like the heat in this damnable tent. "Though it is quite a long list."

"I can eat food that tassstesss like sssocksss for a while my friend. Priority for you ssshould be helping getting the ssship fixed so the little girl can go sssafley home." the lizard pressured S'hib.

Naxea kneeled down next to S'hib, grasping his hand into hers. "Just think, it's warmer on the ship than it is here," she teased him as she stroked his hand gently.

"I might be cold... but I've never felt warmer than right here, with the two of you..." he smiled, squeezing her handle gently.

"I know, but we unfortunately still have duties to attend to," Naxea said softly. "Not that you need to go right now." It made her happy to see S'hib caring so much for Sle'anna. It made her forget the crew they had lost. Her detachment had lost thirty Marines alone.

"I know... I'm gonna grab the next shuttle up, but until then." He sighed, curling up more with Sle'anna"

"Keep her sssafe both of you," Sthilg replied as he finished his coffee. " Now if you excussse me I have my roundsss to get back to."

"No worries on that," Naxea said as she stood and approached Sthilg. "And you make sure to take it easy and stay warm, ok?" she said softly, placing a consolidatory hand on his arm. "Delegate your responsibilities."

"She'll only ask you once nicely, so best do it." S'hib chuckled before leaning in and whispering something to Sle'anna about her mother.

"Oh before I go," Sthilg said fishing around in his pockets before he produced a small transparent tube. Inside was his missing tooth with a gornish simple carved upon it attached to a silver chain. " In my people beliefsss that a hunter getsss to keep a token from their first kill to let Sss'sssahrid watch over them. I though you could give thisss to Sssle'anna when ssshe'sss older."

Naxea took the offered tube with the gift inside. She took a moment to look at it before looking back at S'thilg, grinning. "Thank you, Sthilg. That's very thoughtful and I am still sorry that she kicked your tooth out. Will you get it replaced?" she asked.

"I can keep growing in new teeth for a long, long time my dear." The gone replied with a smile. A new tooth was already coming through.

"That is good to hear," she replied, giving him a small hug. "Well, if you must go, then stay warm and stay rested."

S'hib simply nodded, a hand waving lazily out of the blanket so as to not wake Sle'anna.

Naxea watched as Sthilg left the prefab shelter before the door closed. She considered herself lucky that Sthilg was Sle'anna's primary doctor. Naxea then turned and moved to sit down next to S'hib as he held Sle'anna, snuggling up against them both.

"Come on, you need to stay warm too." He shivered, lifting the blanket up and around Naxea with one arm, tugging her close.