Of fathers and daughtrs

Posted on Mon May 26th, 2025 @ 9:03am by Lieutenant Commander Alicia Kelea-Salik & Commander Sthilg

Mission: Season 6: Echoes of the Zynari
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: Prior to senior staff meeting
1045 words - 2.1 OF Standard Post Measure

Sthilg yawned to himself as he made his way to his coffee machine. Another long day. Poring the dark brown liquid into his cup, he quickly downed it before pouring himself another.

He felt a familiar pair of eyes on him without even having to look around. " Worried about your old man little one?" He said softly a smile on his face as he turned to look at his daughter.

“Always” Alicia smiled as she walked over to her father. “As a daughter should, plus I’m not sleeping any better than you are right now.” She stifled a yawn. “It’s had to sleep when you feel like you’re being watched all the time, plus I drift off then end up getting toyed with and woken up again.” She paused. “Sorry I didn’t come here to complain, how’s mum? She’ll be due to have the twins pretty soon won’t she?”

" Doing the best ssshe can." Sthilg replied letting out a sigh as he handed her a coffee. " I wisssh i could help her sssleep better."

“I can’t imagine what it must be like carrying twins, carrying one baby was tiring enough without the extra strain of a second.” Alicia paused. “I’m lucky to have my wonderful children, and my parents.” She offered a bright smile before taking a sip of her coffee. “I’m tired, more tired than I’d probably admit if you weren’t my father. How goes things here?”

" Asss well asss we can mange. " The lizard recutintly replied, giving his daughter the best smile that he could. " I've limited the amount of oprationsss the team can do per day. None of usss ssshould be operating in sssuch ssstate."

Alicia nodded. “These pranks seem harmless enough, but it’s making people feel uncomfortable and uneasy. Whoever our ‘guests’ are they seem to be averse to communicating any other way, and if you ignore them they just become more persistent. I’m worried just how far they’re willing to take these pranks.”

" Asss do i. What happnesss if I'm trying to do ssso....." Sthilg began before with a loud and angry buzz from one of the medical replicators said replicator began shooting out seemingly random items. A posted plant, a bottle of curry sauce, three copies of a left-footed shoe, a part toy followed by many, many more items.

Alicia ducked for cover as items came flying out of the replicator, the bottle of curry narrowly missing her head. “What in the hell…that’s enough already!!” She shouted into thin air. “You’re as bad as unruly children!”

Sthilg moved in front of Alicia, taking a bottle of tomato pasta to his jacket. Braving the barrage of items he pushed through before he bent down opened the replicator, and removed its power cells. With a buzz, it crackled out of life. Looking at the mess behind him he let out a sigh. " Are you okay, my dear?" he asked his daughter as he gestured to one of his staff to get a mop and bucket.

Just a fraction before Sthilg had moved to protect her Alicia had moved to take cover from the barrage of items, it wasn’t until after the barrage had died down that she suddenly realised she’d been hit by something. “Actually I err….I don’t think so..” she stood up with her hand covering a bleeding wound to her side. “I don’t know what hit me.”

A chirp of fright escaped Sthilg's lips as he turned and saw the blood on his daughters hand. " Right that'sss it I'm going to........" Sthilg yelled as he picked up his daughter and carried her to his office. The rest of his tone didn't translate, but the words fist and mouth did come through. Putting her down carefully on the biobed his arm switched to scanner mode. " Were lucky it's not deep and i can fix the cut it made in your vein. Jusst lay back my dear, and let dad fix it."

Alicia nodded and did as her father instructed. “This may not have been intentional, we don’t know barely anything about these entities.” She tried to believe what she was saying, but truth be known she wasn’t really sure herself.

Sthilg sprayed the wound down with disinfectant as his artificial hand morthed and a thin tendril reached inside. Drawing out what appeared to be a surgical scalpel, he winced. "You're lucky, dear, that could have been a lot worse," he said softly, squeezing her hand with his real as he began to fix up the damaged vein.

“I know, that’s what worries me” Alicia offered a smile as she sat still to let her father work. “I hope our guests are more careful around the children, I’ll be worrying about them all day long. I know the school staff will look after them, but…” she shrugged her shoulders.

" I know that feeling, little one. " Sthilg said gently, squeezing her hand as he kept up his work. " If any of the kidsss are hurt asss sssoon asss I've patched them up I'm going to put my foot up are guessst behind. "

"If you can locate their behinds" Alicia grinned as she kept still letting her father work. "Maybe our guests are more juvenile themselves."

That made the gorn think. " Juvenile....." He said out loud. " maybe they are jussst sssome young creaturesss."

Alicia nodded. “Exactly, which makes dealing with them more complicated.”

" Here'sss hoping their parentsss ssshow up sssoon to get them under control in that case." her father replied as he kept on working.

"Agreed" Alicia nodded. "As long as their parents aren't worse!" she offered a smile. "In the meantime I'm aiming to be more careful from now on."

" indeed. " Sthilg had just about finished his work. " okay that ssshould do that."

“Thanks father” Alicia smiled warmly. “I’ll remember to duck a bit more quickly next time.” She offered a wry smile.

"Take care, my little one." Sthilg said as he watched his daughter head for the door.

“I will father, and you too.” With that Alicia stepped out of sickbay, her mind firmly on protecting her children from their playful guests.