A Long Overdue Check-Up

Posted on Mon Oct 27th, 2025 @ 5:54pm by Lieutenant JG Damien Blackford & Commander Sthilg

Mission: Season 6: Episode 6: Conglomerate
Location: Sickbay
1455 words - 2.9 OF Standard Post Measure

Damien sighed as he glanced up at the clock on the wall of the Security office. His shift would be finishing soon, and then it was off to Sickbay. It had been too long since his last check up. What with all of the misadventures onboard the ship, he seemed to have somehow fallen through the cracks and hadn’t yet been called in.

But that was changing now. He’d received his summons, and had no way of getting out of it. Not that he wanted to, or even needed too. It wasn’t like he was scared of the doctor’s or anything. His father had been a Medical Officer all his life and had always pressed on Damien the importance of regular check ups.

The minutes ticked by, and soon enough the shift was over, and the next Officer on shift had relieved him. Making his way to the turbo lift at the end of the hallway, it was only a few minutes later that he was walking into Sickbay. “Hello.” He called out. “Doctor?”

Said doctor appeared a box of cleaning supplies tucked under one arm." One moment Mr Blackford. Are guessst made the food replicator ssshoot out sssome concoction from hell." He said calmly.

Damien looked over as the Gorn suddenly appeared. He couldn’t help but smile grimly, shaking his head. These guests were starting to make life difficult. What had started as harmless pranks were starting to escalate. The reports coming into Security daily were a testament to that. “Do you need any help cleaning anything up?”

" No, i just finissshed cleaning it up. Sssome mix of cheessse curry and fisssh sssauce. Ssstill let'sss get you ssseen to." he said with a smile.

Damien raised an eyebrow at the Doctor as he made his way over to one of the beds. "Cheese, curry and fish sauce?" He repeated. "That is... That is certainly an odd mixture." He grimaced slightly, shaking his head. "Have our guests caused you any other issues?" He asked.

" There being a right nuisssance. " Sthilg replied, letting out an annoyed humpth. " Ssstill what can thisss old sssaw bonesss do for you? "

Damien let out a humourless chuckle. “Yes. That does seem to be the prevailing opinion amongst the crew.” He said. “Well,” He continued. “It appears that in all the craziness that’s been happening, I’ve neglected my annual medical. So, I’ve come to remedy that.”

" Well let'sss get you ssseen to." Sthilg said as he lead the way to his office. "Any illnessssss or injuriesss not on your file sssince your lassst checkup?" he asked

Damien followed the doctor, shaking his head as they made their way towards his office. “Nothing major Doc. They odd bump and bruise, which is part and parcel of the job.” He said, chuckling softly. “And just the occasional bout of sneezes and sniffles.”

" That'sss good. Let'ssss get you ona bio bed and we will take a look inside you." The old lizard replied as he tapped the biobed with his hand.

Damien hoped up onto the bed, running a hand through his hair as he did so, looking around the medbay. After a few seconds, he looked back at the Doctor. "Can I ask you a personal question, Commander?"

" Off courssse." The old lizard replied with a warm smile

Damien stayed silent for a few seconds, as if debating whether or not to continue with his question, before eventually asking, “How does a Gorn come to join Starfleet?”

" A very very long ssstory." Sthilg said, letting out a chuckle. " To put it quickly before i was employed with ssstarfleet i ssserved asss a medical officer in the KDF for nearly a hundred years. During the dominion war worked with many fedration doctors and ssstarfleet medicle offered me a commissssion. I thought i wasss time for a change and here i am."

Damien chuckled, nodding. He vaguely remembered the Doctor mentioning his time with the KDF and serving in the Dominion War during his first check up, when he first arrived on board. “How does it differ?” He asked, “Working on a Starfleet vessel, compared to a Klingon one?”

" For one I'm not having to ssshare ssspace with the ssship's cook." The gorn replied with a chuckle. " The main difference is the tech level. Even the most advanced klingon vessssel was offend ten years behind ssstarfleet. Other than in certain areas. " He added glancing at his artificial hand.

Damien couldn’t help but chuckle. “You had to share with the cook?” He repeated, almost in disbelief. “Did that mean you knew what was being served before everyone else?” He asked, grinning slightly. “The hand is Klingon?” He said, raising an eyebrow. “It’s very impressive.” A few more seconds passed by, before he asked, “What happened to your hand? If you don’t mind my asking.”

Sthilg paused for a second before he finally answered. " I was a prisssoner of war in the pit during the Dominion War. After sssome federation persssonel ssstole sssome medical sssupplies to treat the wounded the warden decided to punisssh the Klingon prisssoner to try and divide the prissson population. I volunteered to take the punissshment. Which was the removal of one of my armsss. They took their time, bit i had the lassst life in the end." THe gorn explained.

Damien simply stared at the doctor as he explained what had happened, words momentarily failing him. His father had served in the Dominion War, but had always refused to speak about what he had seen and done. Which Damien had understood, and never pushed him for answers. “That was… a brave and honourable sacrifice.” He eventually said, but the words didn’t seem enough. “How did you escape?”

" I didn't. while they were cutting off my arm and ssscreaming at me to beg for mercy the klingon commandoesss who liberated the prisssion had begun storming the prissson. I remember the guard who cut my arm was wondering why i was laughing when a disssruptor round blew his own arm off."

Damien couldn't help but let out a short bark of laughter at the Doctor's words. "You must have some interesting stories." He eventually said. "Having worked with the KDF for so long."

" I do. I meet my firssst wife whilssst ssserving in the kdf." He said his voice dropping slightly at the end of that. " What about you Mr blackford any sstories of your own? ".

The question caught Damien off guard. “Me?” He asked, blinking in surprise, before shaking his head slightly. “Nothing that I would consider especially interesting. My years at the Academy weren’t anything special, except for the time I broke my arm.” He said, grinning with a slight shrug. “My training cruise was pretty normal. And my posting here on the Elysium is my first real assignment. And, well, you know how that’s gone.” He finished, with a slight chuckle.

" That mussst have hurt. " Sthilg said with a sympathetic smile. " Isss thisss what you thought you'd be doing when you joined ssstarfleet."

He chuckled, nodding. “Until that moment, the worst thing I’d ever done was sprain my ankle after misjudging a jump.” Damien mulled the question over for a few moments. “Yes.” He eventually said. “And no. I mean, I knew exploration is one of the main missions of Starfleet, but I wasn’t quite expecting the kind of exploration and missions we’ve undertaken. If I’m being completely honest, I certainly wasn’t expecting to be assigned to a ship like the Elysium for my first posting. I was expecting something like a small science vessel.”

" I'm sssure fate hassss a reassson for you to be here my freind." The gorn ressured him.

Damien smiled, nodding, before intoning; “It is the stars, The stars above us, govern our conditions.”

" And the bessst we can do isss trussst them." The gorn added.

Damien smiled, leaning his head back and closing his eyes for a few seconds, before opening them again to look at the Doctor. “So, what’s the prognosis then Doc? Am I gonna make it?” He asked, the hint of a smile tracing his lips.

" I sssee no reassson to not declare you fir for duty." The gorn replied with a warm smile spreading over his face.

Damien nodded, swinging his feet round to hang off the edge of the bio-bed. “That’s the kinda news we like to hear. Thank you Doctor. I always find it enjoyable talking with you. I'll try not to leave my check-up so long next time.” He said, chuckling slightly.

" I'll sssee you around the ssship." The gorn said with a slight wave as Damien left