Not In Kansas Anymore

Posted on Thu Oct 5th, 2023 @ 8:29am by Kerilia Dosivi & Teevs Dosivi & Senior Chief Petty Officer Fernando De La Rosa [Taylor]

Mission: Season 6: Episode 3: Far From Home
Location: Shuttlebay
Timeline: MD3 :: After Rescue Operations
1693 words - 3.4 OF Standard Post Measure

After the Spheia was rescued from the planet's gravity, it had been pulled into the shuttlebay so it wouldn't get dragged toward the planet again. The small ship, resembling a narrow trapezoidal shape, groaned as it settled onto its hardpoints, quiet whirring indicating that it was powering down. The hull showed signs of wear from years of use, but its port wing was a mangled mess of metal. A black piece of debris was lodged in the port engine, the cylindrical shape next to the body of the craft.

After a moment, there was a hiss as the hatch at the back of the craft released and opened, creating a ramp into the vessel. From outside the craft, the hatch led into what was clearly a storage room, since the only thing visible were crates of varying sizes. A couple of them had fallen over thanks to the debris collision, providing a miniature obstacle course if one were to enter the vessel.

Once Teevs was sure that the vessel would stay powered off, he stood and gestured for Kerilia to follow. The first thing that hit him as they navigated the storage bay was the change in air pressure. The air was breathable, but thin. It was thin enough that Teevs was out of breath by the time he got to the hatch. Glancing to Kerilia, he saw her practically gasping and said, "take slow... breaths. We've been in... atmospheres like this... before, remember?"

Fernando was standing at the rear of the ship as its rear hatch opened. A moment later an adult male and a girl it appeared to be a teenager came to the opening and looked around. "Hello!" He said brightly. "Welcome to the Elysium. I am your escort Senior Chief Petty Officer Fernando De La Rosa. You may step down. It is safe."

Looking out of the hatch, Teevs spotted the alien in a yellow uniform waiting for them. How intriguing that this species looked so similar. Minus the forehead ridge, they were nearly identical in appearance to the Lonia. Giving him a smile, he exited the craft and stopped at the foot of the ramp. He crossed his right arm over his left in front of his chest, his palms facing their escort, and gave a slight nod of his head. "Thank you for... your ship's hospitality. My name is Teevs Dosivi... and this is my daughter, Kerilia."

The smaller figure he gestured to was focused on remembering to breathe slowly so her body wouldn't think it was suffocating. Kerilia offered the greeting as well, though it wasn't as enthusiastic as her father's. "Pleased to meet you." Her lack of enthusiasm wasn't for any personal reason, rather she was distracted by her own efforts to keep breathing and the dull ache in her bandaged arm.

Fernando nodded, "A pleasure to meet you Mr. Dosivi and you as well Miss Kerilla." His eyes went to Keriia's left forearm and the bandage there. We'll go by Sickbay to get your arm taken care of." His eyes drifted to their ship. "Nice ship." He commented. "Looks a little worse for wear but we can get her fixed up for you." He paused as he looked at the pair. "Forgive me, I was going on. I am sure you have questions; we can talk while we go to Sickbay and then your quarters. How does that sound to you both?"

"That is a good plan." Teevs gave a nod of his head, a gesture for Fernando to lead the way, before gently guiding Kerilia along. The longer he was exposed to their atmosphere, the easier it became for him to adjust to it. "You don't have to repair my vessel, Mister Rosa. Saving my daughter and I is gracious enough."

Kerilia stayed close to her father as they began to follow the person in yellow.

"It is no trouble Mr. Dosivi, no trouble at all." Fernando assured him. He looked back at Kerillia. "When we get to Sickbay Miss Kerillia, tell the CMO, that means Chief Medical Officer or the staff about your difficulty breathing. No sense for you to uncomfortable if it can be helped." Fernando turned his attention to Teevs. "What about you sir? How is your breathing? Are you having difficulties as well?"

Kerilia gave a shy nod as she stayed next to her father.

Ah, good, they at least had the technology to adjust one's body to an atmosphere. "I am struggling a little, but it's manageable for now. Your air is thin, and our species is sensitive to atmospheric changes. We'll make sure to talk to your medical staff." As they walked, Teevs looked around, taking in the design of their vessel. "I have never seen a vessel like this before. Where are your people from?"

Fernando nodded, "Please do sir. There is no need for the two of you to suffer needlessly. I am sure the medical personnel can help you." He smiled at Teevs question, We're from the Federation. Its home planet is Earth, but we have Vulcans, Andorians, Betazoids, Bajorians and countless other species among the crew. As for the Elysium, she is the only one of her class. She's a beauty to be sure even if she is a little banged up."

The Federation? Earth? Teevs had never heard of these places before. "Huh... it's not common to see a ship with so many different species on board." He was very interested in learning about this ship and the crew. They were definitely not from any nearby sector, though, because many knew that going to Gadus, a planet so far away from anything, meant you were desperate. "I am unfamiliar with this 'Federation' sector. Where is it? Do all of the species aboard come from there?"

"Earth is in the Alpha sector which may not mean anything to you sir as we arrived here by accident. We had a collision with a quantum filament as we were trying to use our slipstream drive. The result is we ended up here, some thirteen million lightyears from Earth."

Fernando nodded at the question, "Most if not all members of the crew come from Federation worlds. We have a few Klingons and some Romulans who are not members of the Federation. But wished to join the crew for their own reasons." Fernando explained.

Kerilia took a moment to comprehend 'thirteen million lightyears,' and when it finally made sense her eyes went wide. "You're not even from this galasy." It explained why the ship design was so unfamiliar.

The knowledge that there was not only life in another galaxy, but many different forms of life, was news to Teevs. "Wow, you are a long way from home then."

Fernando turned to look back at Kerilia as she commented. "That is correct Miss Kerilia, we are strangers in a strange land. However, we're always ready, willing and able to help others if we can." He brought his head back to address Teevs. "We're a mighty long way from home sir and it is going to take a long time to get home. But I have faith in this ship, its command team and crew. We'll make it."

"You have a strong drive," Teevs said with a smile. "Especially in the face of a difficult future. I promise nothing yet, but I hope I can help make your journey a little easier, as appreciation for your vessel's actions."

Fernando nodded in agreement. "This crew will not let a little thing like thirteen million lightyears keep them from getting home." Fernando said proudly. He looked at Teevs. "I know the whole crew would appreciate any help you can provide sir."

Teevs gave a polite nod of his head before focusing his attention to the vessel. Even with some lingering damage, the halls looked the same, they felt never-ending... "How many... uh... levels, I suppose, are there here? It was shocking when we arrived here and saw the size of your ship."

Fernando gave Teevs a sideways glance. "You mean decks sir? The Elysium has thirty-seven decks. She's a gentle giant until you anger her and then she becomes a beast, but she'll get us home, she always has, and she always will sir. She just needs some TLC right now."

"Thirty... seven?" Kerilia asked, giving her father a confused look. This was a lot of information to absorb, and her head started to ache from the overload. The thin air wasn't helping, feeling like she was struggling against a sort of brain fog to keep up with the adult conversation. What she'd give for a good nap right now.

Leaning over slightly, Teevs noticed some mental fatigue starting to settle in and translated for her. "T'vai nek-hel." When he saw her expression evolve into understanding, he gave her a gentle smile before looking back to Rosa. He was a little confused by the way he talked about the ship, but he eventually gathered that what he was saying was intended to be positive. "What a remarkable vessel. I hope you can find something similar to this Tee Ehl See to make your repairs." As they approached the end of the hall, a set of doors at the end opened and two other uniformed people exited what looked like a very small room, too small to be used for any meaningful kind of storage.

Fernando was the first one into the lift. "Please step it is perfectly safe. This is what we call a turbolift or just lift for short. It is the quickest way to move between decks. I'm going to take you to Sickbay, it is on Deck 12. The medical staff will check you both out and give you something to help with your breathing. Once done here, I will take you to your quarters on deck 6." Fernando replied and continued. "Oh, I'm sure the engineers will repair your ship so that it is as good as new sir. Don't you worry about that." Saying that, Fernando spoke aloud, "Deck 12 please." An instant later the lift jerked into motion and headed for its destination.