The second stage of grief

Posted on Mon May 1st, 2023 @ 6:24pm by Lieutenant JG Miraj Derani & Captain Gary Taylor & Lieutenant Commander Aurelia Taylor & Lieutenant Commander S'hib

Mission: Season 6: Episode 2: Survival
Location: Shuttle caves
Timeline: Immediately after Miraj is carried away. (MD03 0030)
3314 words - 6.6 OF Standard Post Measure

S’hib's fingers scooped up the necklace he had dropped earlier, thumbing the crystal affectionately before pocketing it, trying his best to ignore her blood, its crimson staining his white coat.

He had no idea if Miraj would survive, the state she had been in when he found her was… there were no words.

=/\=“S’hib to all security teams, I need a perimeter around the shuttle caves, nobody is to have access until I say so, once that's done… have everyone returned to their tents… And keep an eye out for blood or anyone acting unusual, we just had an attempted murder.”=/\=

He slapped his comm badge and cut the feed, grimacing at the blood that he had just slapped over his chest... her blood, covering the Starfleet insignia. A symbol he had lost all hope in today.

But he had to get his head in the game, he had to do his duty. For Miraj.

So he blinked, long and hard. trying to compose his thoughts.

=/\=“And somebody inform the Commodore and Captain Taylor!”=/\= he snapped, quickly tapping his badge once more before turning and looking back at the pool of blood where Miraj had been left for dead.

The sight made his heart sink, and his skin burn.

How could anyone do this, they were a crew… a family, a herd! or so he had told himself… now he felt alone again, like how he had all those years back when he first joined the Elysium.

No! Stop, this wasn't about him, he snorted to himself, fumbling at his belt for his tricorder. Quickly flipping it open and scanning the environment, searching for residual DNA, hair, or anything that might help find who did this.

He squinted at the screen, examining the initial results with scrutiny before his attention shifted, his ears at first, flicking to the side. Then his whole head spun to the right, looking over the wing of the Queen Anne. “You two!” He bellowed loudly. “What in the dunes, get over here!” he added before slapping his tricorder shut, already storming around the Queen Anne towards them.

He was going to get answers, even if he had to shake it out of people.

The two hurrying towards him from the traffic control hut were a human with the flash of a 2PO on his collar, and a Vulcan man - practically a boy - who barely looked old enough to shave. "Sir?" The human asked. "What's going on?"

“I was about to ask you both the same thing.” He growled, pointing a finger at them with his tricorder bundled awkwardly underneath, straining under his grip.

“You were both what…” He mused as he looked at the hut, coming to a stop far closer than he normally did, all awareness of his size that he had grown accustomed to over the years seemingly absent. “A hundred meters… if that… and you didn't hear anything? Hmm?”

"Hear?" The Vulcan asked. The petty officer added, in the patient voice someone used when trying to explain things to a small child. "We're on traffic control. We have headsets, so we can talk to different people." The human was craning to look past the huge security officer, frowning.

“And it is also your responsibility to know who in the dunes is in this cave!” S’hib snapped, an audible creak of plastiglass and metal approaching their compression strength.

“Does authorised personnel only mean anything to you petty officer?”

"Sir," the man said, "We run like the main shuttle bay - if you need us, you can just turn up. This time of night we're mostly quiet, but the engineers still come and go as specialists or extra hands are needed, or taken off for R&R." He shifted uncomfortably. "We get plenty of warning on incoming things from the sensor net."

Crack

S’hib's fist squeezed, balled tighter and tighter as the tricorder fell apart. Parts clattered loudly on the makeshift decking beneath his hooves as his nostrils flared wide.

“Ensign Miraj Derani was just quite possibly murdered… right there!” He bellowed, spinning and pointing underneath the Queen Anne, sending the rest of the tricorder flying like confetti.

“The good Doctor is trying to save her as we speak, so I will ask you both… one more time… How did you not see or hear anything?” His last line was delivered with an unnervingly calm tone.

The two looked aghast. "Murdered?" The young Vulcan looked quite pale. "Who'd do that? How? Why?" There was a wobble in his voice, pitching it up slightly.

The Petty Officer gave his companion a concerned glance. "Solat, go back, check on those meteors, and keep an eye on traffic. Let Carly know we've got no LZ for a bit."

The Vulcan crewmen, Solat, looked to S'hib for permission to leave.

He nodded politely before turning and looking away, taking another moment to try and compose himself, inhaling deeply, trying to be calm.

Though his tail had other ideas, its long tendrils of woven hair thrashing about behind him like a whip.

"Sir," The petty officer took a deep breath before continuing. "I know this is awful, but we really didn't hear anything, or see anything. We were tracking a meteor shower that's passing awful close to the Elysium, and were talking to both the bridge up there and the worker bee crews that might have been affected. Our headsets are noise-cancelling so we can give and receive clear instruction." Finished saying his piece, he took an unconscious step back.

“I know! … I know…” he sighed, suddenly aware of his tone before falling back into silent thought.

“Have you seen anyone frequenting the cave?” He asked suddenly, spinning around. “Anyone coming and going with no real purpose… anyone asking for Miraj?”

The man shook his head. "Not tonight." A slew of expressions flickered across his face, weighing a course of actions... Eventually, he said. "Look, I'll be the first to admit the ensign wasn't good at being in charge, but she didn't deserve that. You might want to go and talk with Anish and Eric. They were particularly peeved when we first landed."

His ears pinned back against his head as the man said what he thought of Miraj, it would become quickly apparent this was a mistake.

“She is young! She will learn!” S’hib neighed loudly in his own tongue while taking a step forward, his thick Sequus accent far harsher than the universal translated version for which he normally relied on.

“You are her herd! She is your Matriarch, you give her respect!” He growled. It was a statement that was not exactly an order but clearly, something he wished to be followed.

The petty officer took another step back; across the space to the traffic control cabin, the Vulcan crewman came to the door, watching the two with concern. The human held his hands up placatingly. "Sir. I can see you're upset. But I assure you, no disrespect was intended."

Sequus eyes bore into him in silence before a heavy snort left his flared snout.

“Tell me where I can find Anish and Eric.”

"Well, Anish is on the bridge. But Eric is off shift. He's probably asleep."

“Where!?” S’hib shot back quickly, hooves pacing agitatedly. “I need to know where!”

The petty officer held his hand ups, half in surrender half in placation. "I don't know exactly. Somewhere behind the mess, I think."

“Gahh, contact him, now…” S’hib said, looking away briefly as his mind swelled with an idea. “Don’t mention what's happened, lie and tell him there's been a mistake in shift rotation and he needs to come in.”

There was an uncertain pause, then the human tapped his combadge. "Petty Officer Menedes to Ensign Kyler?"

Eric's sleepy voice came back through the combadge. "Kyler here, what do you want Menedes? Whatever it is it better be good. I was asleep." He grumbled.

Menedes looked at S'hib, eyes wide from nerves as much as the low light. "There's been a screwup up top and Carly can't come down and I need an officer on site, to sign off on the new rotas before tomorrow."

Grumbling, muttering can be heard but nothing clear. Then Eric's voice is back.

"Well, who screwed up this time? Let me guess. Princess Bubblegum." The disdain in his voice was evident. A pause then he added, "Never mind, I'll be there in ten minutes."

The look S'hib gave Menedes as the comms cut off was to put it simply, fury incarnate. "Is... that what you all call her?" The words left his lips, deathly void of any emotion despite the rage in his eyes.

Menedes took another step back. "No, sir." It was strictly true. There were other names too.

S'hib smiled at this, though there was no happiness radiating from it... "No, Of course..." He said while nodding gently to himself, looking away from Menedes and then back again... the silent rage bubbling up inside him becoming all the more apparent.

"Just him though, right?" He said inclining his head down. "Which is strange..."

He paused for a moment, rubbing a shaking hand over his snout and then into his mane. Blood, Miraj's blood staining more of his coat. "Because I'd have expected that kind of behaviour to be reported, but it's the first I'm hearing of it. Which means you're lying."

Menedes squirmed a bit, "Sir," he began, then decided better of it. "It's not like that, sir." Which was not entirely true either.

S'hib said nothing as his face twitched, muscles knotting together as he stared at Menedes, the metallic smell of blood on his snout burning in his palette.

Then, something inside him finally snapped and he began to walk forward. His pace quickened with every step until he thumped past Menedes, very nearly shoving him out of the way before breaking out into a full on charge.

Ahead of him was Bravo, parked and powered down next to Charlie. She was one of the few undamaged Type-9 shuttles the Elysium crew still had in their possession, at least she was until he tackled the port side of her cockpit.

Bravo lurched as he collided with her, over two and a half metric tons shifting and spinning a couple of feet with a loud and sudden screech of protesting metal.

Menedes was startled, looking aghast, but whether it was at the brute rage of the sequus or the damage to the shuttle, even he wasn't sure.

Solat sprinted to his side. "Should I stop him?" The young Vulcan didn't sound too sure about pitting his own considerable strength against the enraged horseman.

Menedes shook his head and reached for com, "Menedes to Commander Taylor, Captain Taylor, we have an incident in the Shuttle Cave. Commander S'hib is... very angry."

Bravo slowly came to a stop as they watched, the smooth plating denying his hooves any purchase despite his best attempts.

Captain Taylor's voice came back instantly, "An incident? Commander S'hib angry?" Gary questioned. "Alright Mr. Menedes, we'll be right there." He answered decisively, closing the link.

Lia was sitting in her temporary Security area when she heard the message, =/\="On my way, and keep out of S'hib's way for now!"=/\=

"Yes Ma'am, thank you ma'am," Menedes cut the line, and stepped back yet another pace.

Hooves thumped and slipped, trying to find something, anything to push onto while he grappled with the side of the shuttle, shifting it back and forth with an angry growl leaving his throat.

But then the frustration spilt out from him as he stepped back, screaming in utter abandon and completely forgetting himself.

He threw himself back at Bravo, his right fist clenching so tight that the tips of his hooves dug into his own skin.

Thump, Thump, Thump.

He jabbed at her side, pounding at the two-meter-long viewport with furious intent, the blows unfocused and wild.

Thump, Thump, Thump.

His fist bounced back with every blow, barely leaving a mark. but he did not relent, snarling and landing every punch harder and faster than the one before.

Thump, Thump, Thump.

Another, then another... then a crack, impossibly small. Again, blood this time... viscous and hot, sticking his fist and Bravo together with long splattered tendrils even as his arm recoiled.

Thump, Thump, Thump.

Another crack, bone and transparent aluminium alike, then again before finally a section of the viewport caved in on itself, the armoured glass shattering and coming apart with every subsequent hit, splattering blood over its concaved surface until finally, he slowed and then stopped. taking a moment to breathe with his fist still firmly pressed against her ruined viewport.

After a short moment of silence, of staring at the viewport, he moved back and looked down, eyeing up the damage as his bloodied fist trembled, flayed knuckles... exposed bone, at least there was plenty of ice around to stop the swelling he thought grimly while rubbing his wrist, gently testing if anything beyond the obvious was broken.

It was then that Eric's voice could be heard...loudly berating Menedes. "Alright Menedes, I'm here, you woke me up. I hope you're happy. What's the problem? What did Princess Bubblegum screw up with the rotations?

The NCO made a frantic 'cut it out' gesture with one hand, but it wasn't quick enough.

S'hib had already heard him.

"You!" He snarled while spinning around, hot steam bellowing out of his nostrils into the frigid cave air. "Come here!" He added, already clicking heavily towards him, his wounded fist still clenched at his side trailing blood.

Eric turned to see the enraged S'hib striding quickly towards him. "Me Commander?" He shrugged his shoulders, "Okay," and walked toward S'hib. "What can I do for you, sir?" He asked in a bored tone of voice.

S'hib was done talking, for the time being anyway. The only reply Eric got was an irritated snort as he bodied a stack of storage boxes out of his way, shoving them aside as if they weighed nothing and scattering their insides in a loud cacophony of shuttle and Elysium parts.

Eric watched S'hib in stunned silence as the assistant security chief knocked over neatly stacked boxes, spilling their contents across the cave floor and wondering just what was going on.

Menedes made another frantic gesture behind S'hib's back, trying shoo Kyler back out of the shuttle zone. "Go away!" he mouthed.

Eric looked at him. An annoyed expression on his face. "What? Go away? You called ME Menedes!" He angrily replied.

No sooner had he finished speaking was heaved into the air, two angry fists gripping tightly onto Eric’s overalls, the fabric straining and tearing at the seams.

“I know you’re not the one that did it…” S’hib snarled as he continued to march on, carrying Eric with his legs dangling three feet off the ground. “You’d already be dead if you had.” He spat, curling his top lip as he violently shoved the man against another shuttle, its hull pot marked by micrometeorites

Another snort, angry Sequus eyes glaring as he lifted Eric higher with as much effort as if he were lifting a small child.

“But! ...if I hear you call her that one more time,” He growled through gritted teeth, pulling Eric back down and bringing him closer until their foreheads were pressed hard against each other.

“I might just do it anyway…”

Arriving just as S'hib lifted Eric higher, Lia instantly responded. "S'hib!!! Stand down, NOW!!!" She moved quickly to her second-in-command's location, "What the hell do you think you're doing? Let go of him. Now!"

Gary had arrived just as Lia did and heard her command S'hib. He decided to add his voice to hers. "Commander S'hib!" His voice was like a rifle shot. "Get yourself together now!"

S’hib's head snapped to one side, turning to face the pair with a look that reminded them of someone else, someone from a different universe.

“NO!” He bellowed, turning in place to point at them both while keeping Eric firmly fixed where he was, propped up by a single bloodied fist scrunched at his chest.

“It's his fault this happened,” He shouted, his voice filling up the entire cave with an intensity none had seen from him before. “And the rest of them!”

His left hand flicked about to nobody in particular as he spoke, casting his malice towards seemingly the entire crew outside the cave.

Gary walked up to him, standing inches from the enraged Sequus. "Put him down now, Commander." His voice hard like their environment. "Then tell me what he and the rest did."

They stared for the longest time, the anger inside of him slowly slipping away... but only just. "Miraj..." He said with a grief-stricken tone, his arm relaxing and dropping Eric to his feet despite still holding on tightly. "She might be dead... I don't know, they just took her away. Sthilg's trying to save her, but..."

Gary's face softened at the news about Miraj. He looked at Eric his eyes hard, unrelenting. "Oh, my God. Tell me what you know." He pointed at Eric. "You keep your mouth shut. Until you're asked a question, Understand?"

Eric finally getting the message he was in a world of trouble shifted his shocked, terrified eyes between a Sequus that was ready to kill him and an Executive Officer that just might help him.

"S'hib, tell me. How do you know he's to blame?" Lia stood next to her 2i/c, even though he towered above her she didn't fear him. "By the sands, tell me how you know this person is guilty of the offence you claim he's committed?"

"It's not what he's done..." He huffed before looking directly at Eric, his eyes glaring into the man as if not entirely sure. "It's what he's said... what all of them have been saying." His words growled out his nostrils like a constant drum beat, the imminence of death lingering if only to be a warning.

"They blame Miraj for us being here," He continued, turning to look at Lia and Captain Taylor. "When she's the only one that can get us back!" He snarled, his temper flaring once more as he pushed his weight against Eric.

"S'hib, ease down and let him go," Gary repeated and continued. "I know you are upset. We're all upset by this attack on Miraj. If they said that then they are mistaken, not very bright and extremely short-sighted. Not what Starfleet expects from its officers."

Glancing at Eric, Lia shook her head. "S'hib, they're just dumb shits with nothing better to do than bump their gums. You're better than this, better than them. Put him down, you might catch something." She smiled at her assistant Chief, she knew S'hib was probably right but this wasn't the way to get justice for Miraj.

His throat rumbled long and deep as his grip tightened, ripping threads and stitching before finally letting go and walking away, snorting and shaking his head around as he thought about what next to do. "I need to go... I need to find out if she's..." He didn't finish, he just shook his head and walked off... heading for the mouth of the cave.

Looking first at the XO, then at the disappearing S'hib. Lia simply said, "Yeah Commander, you go. You're dismissed." She now turned to Gary, "Any ideas where the hell we go from here?"

Gary watched S'hib disappear, heading for the medical tent before he looked at Lia. "As a matter of fact, I do." He turned his head to lock his eyes in a steely gaze on Eric. "Alright Ensign. Explain, and leave nothing out."