A Familiar Voice Part 1

Posted on 16 May 2017 @ 1:36pm by Commander Luke Wyatt & Ensign Miraj Derani
Edited on on 24 May 2017 @ 12:31pm

2,345 words; about a 12 minute read

Mission: Episode 15 - Emanation
Location: USS Chaka - Medical Bay
Timeline: MD -44, 1145

[ON]

As requested, Miraj was brought back to the Sickbay on the Starfleet vessel for follow up scans of her Fusiform Gyrus, trying to be sure that the damage that had robbed her off the ability to recognise people wasn't spreading.

It was a straightforward procedure. All she had to do was lie back on the biobed whilst the arch did its job. It seemed a much friendlier procedure in the more familiar surroundings of a Starfleet vessel. Even the mustard trimmed guard assigned to her was less intimidating than the Remans.

She closed her eyes and let the arch tick, listening to the sounds of sickbay around her. There were several people here, but they were all behind privacy screens of their own, as their ills and injuries were dealt with.

Luke had lost a lot of blood and was still a horrible shade of grey. He had been reluctant to allow the remans do their job especially with what was happening with Miraj and Abbey and all he wanted to do was to clear it up between them and the command staff but whilst he was stuck in a medical bay on a drip that he couldn't even sit up. Now that he had recovered somewhat and was able to walk around he had found his way to Miraj. She looked so vulnerable laying on the bed with the arch scanning her head, he hated the incident that had occurred but couldn't blame Abbey for what she did. He stood staring for a while until he was approached. "How is she?" he asked the doctor.

The doctor, a severe looking Andorian, twitched an antenna at him. "Are you family?"

On hearing Luke's voice, Miraj couldn't help but smile. Luke's voice was the one she'd really been hoping to hear. Not being able to recognise faces, she'd feared him dead again. "Luke?" She opened her eyes. Her face fell a little. She didn't recognise the human man before her, however much she wished she could. But she knew that voice, and she knew from the way her insides were curling with excitement, that it had to be him. "Is it really you?"

Luke wanted to pass the doctor but he protested and though usually, Luke could have thrown the doctor across the room his injuries presented him incapable of such a feet. "It's me Miraj" He could see the confusion on her face and his heart knotted.

"Its alright, Doctor, you can tell him," Miraj told the physician, who frowned in in disapproval.

"Aquired Prosopagnosia from damage to fusiform gyrus. Head trauma there," the Andorian showed him an image of the bruise that had formed along the side of Miraj's head, just behind the ear, "has resulted in nerve damage through the areas of the brain that govern recognition. It may not be permanent, but treatment requires substantial neuroregenesis to take place, and that needs the more comprehensive facilities of a large starbase, or city hospital."

Luke looked from the picture to Miraj and this time no amount of barriers could stop him, he moved to her and took her hand in his "I'm sorry for what happened to you Miraj" He started, "I think I have a part to play in what occurred on the bridge" He bent down and hoped she wouldn't recoil and kissed her on the lips.

For a moment she was still, surprised, but then any doubts disappeared. She knew what kissing him felt like. The softness of his lips contrasting with the solidness of everything else. Oh, this was Luke in every fibre. It couldn't possibly be anyone else.

Her arms went round his neck, and she parted her lips, flicking at his own with the tip of her tongue, wanting to taste him, wanting him to taste her and be swept away in the sensations of it. Wanting-

The Andorian coughed. If a cough could have been done any more pointedly, it could have been used to stab someone.

Luke didn't want to stop, oh gods she felt perfect against him but hearing the Andorian cough he smiled if that was even possible to grin any wider, kissed her once more and straightened himself "Is she able to walk?" he asked looking over his shoulder to the Blue man standing in the room.

"She's perfectly able to walk. Though she does need to sit still to finish the scan." the Andorian gave a glare at the pilot. "There maybe some additional damage to the spatial processing centre that covers angles and distance. Her brain is not a typical, due to her hybrid nature, not quite Boslic, not quite Human, so she may not feel any ill effects. Only time will tell. Or if she starts walking into things."

Luke stifled a laugh and smiled at Miraj, her face always switching between happy and confused as she tried to register his face but only saw a stranger with his voice "Quick do what the doc says so I can take you away and get some much needed alone time" he said kissing her again so he made sure he didn't forget how soft her lips were.

She lay back, her lips stretched into a smile of pure delight. "Yes sir." The doctor touched the controls to finish the scan. "Though I don't thing there's much privacy in the brig."

The idea hadn't crossed his mind and his smile wavered. "I heard what happened. It is a very serious charge and one that won't be so easily swept away." He stood back while the scan was finishing. "Perhaps we can ask for leniency, after all you did warn us no matter how short of notice it was and perhaps we can confine you to quarters if they want you watched then I shall watch you" He paused for a moment "But you know I can't force anyone's hand in this matter" Luke pleaded.

"I wouldn’t ask." She twined her fingers with his and squeezed whilst the biobed ticked through the cycle. "I keep thinking I should have let Chorag gut me in the cargo bay. If I'd gone missing, that might have been a better warning."

He shook his head frantically. "Don't say things like that. It's a hard place to be in and it's unfair for anyone to judge you on that choice alone, we've all made mistakes over the past month and we'll all have to answer them, but right now let's make the most of it? I think we can get away with having you walk with me for a bit."

The biobed beeped, and the doctor gave an exasperated nod to say she could move. Miraj sat up and looked to the Starfleet security person who'd brought her from the brig. "What about him?"

Luke looked over his shoulder and only just noticed the security officer. Smiling he turned and walked over to him, he knew the young man and was pleased to see he had survived unscathed from the ordeal they had just witnessed. It didn't take much time for him to convince him to allow them some time together. The officer smiled shook Lukes' hand and went to lunch. "I've got you for the next 60 minutes and then you can have your shadow back," He said before adding "You've cost me some valuable time off miss," He said giving her his hand to help her out of bed.

She fell into his arms and rested her head against his chest. She remembered this as well. The solidity of him, the sense of strength and safety. She sighed and sniffed back a tear. The relief of actually recognizing something, finally, threatened to overwhelm her for a moment. "You're not going to get into trouble are you?"

He shrugged "I think anyone would agree that I am more than kicking your arse if you try anything and if anyone would get in trouble it would be me" Luke smiled holding her a moment, watching as the doctor excusing himself "Besides I think we both need a break and a walk is harming no one right now""

The thought of stretching her legs after so long in the brig sounded blissfull. She slipped her arm through his. "Take me away from all this," she was smiling, trying to make it a joke, but there was a wistfulness to it, as if he could make it so.

Luke nodded and allowed her to loop her arm with his, usually, he would be cautious as to who saw them but with so few crew left and the Chaka crew not knowing them he threw caution to the wind and embraced the freedom with Miraj. He started leading her towards the doors and out of the infirmary. "So, what's it like? Not knowing someone's face?" He asked sensitively.

"On DuJa'Q, it was terrifying. I had no idea what was happening. I thought Chorag had won for a moment. Everyone was gone. On the Romulan ship it was confusing. Now I'm getting used to it. I just have to check other things to see if I knew them. Some are easier than others. Like, if its a green female with fancy pips, it pretty much has to be Lirha. If its a cat girl, then its Mimi. It can't be anyone else. Humans are tougher. I'm relying on voice mostly. And now I'm watching closely for other things. Peoples shape, the way they move. distinguishing features. That sort of thing." She gave him an impish smil. "Do you have any distinguishing features I should know about?"

"None that you can see with my clothes on" He said teasingly as he kissd the top of her head. "But that will have to wait, for the moment lets just enjoy our walk I dont think were going to get many after this" He admitted sounding serious now.

"Well I've seen most of you with clothes off." Admittedly he had been in shock from a phaser burn and she was half drowned and mildly concussed, but it still counted. She remembered the sharp definition of his abs in almost lascivious detail. "There can't be many places left to look," she teased. She didn’t want to think about getting back to Earth. They may very well be split up. She might be thrown out of Starfleet altogether. Or worse. She pushed herself against him in a gesture meant to express reassuring and comfort. But she wasn't sure if it was meant to be for him, or for her.

He chuckled "I think I was mostly unconscious for that time and it certainly doesn't count" Lukes voice was light and teasing as they walked along the corridors of the Chakara enjoying the openness they were sharing and the freedom even though he knew it wouldn't last.

"So I have to examine you all over again?" There was a brightness returning to her voice as her troubles were temporarily smothered by a dream of a more pleasant future. "Gosh, that sounds terrible."

"It makes me sounds like a scientific experiment" He mused pulling her closer to his side feeling her warmth against him gave him butterflies. "One thing does bother me Miraj and I think I need to ask you up straight" He said with a shallow smile.

"Anything." she said without thinking about it. "And Galileo was a science ship. It would be in keeping with his spirit."

Luke stopped swinging Miraj around against his chest. "Our age" he said sighing, "Does it worry you what people will say? We're what twelve? Thirteen years apart? That's a big gap" He sounded more desperate than anything else praying that her response was what he hoped.

It was something that had never really occured to her. Okay the gap was well was over half her lifespan, but she'd never thought of him as old. Nobody with a eight-pack counts as old. Even though he (sort of) had a daughter not much younger than herself. "I'm used to older people. Mal is nine years older than me, and I've always hung around with him and his friends. And I've been his wingman since he was seventeen. Its not like I get squicked out by the idea of old people having sex."

Luke let out a sigh and chuckled under his breath "Well that's good to hear, I know it's such a silly thing to get caught up on but I had to ask." He said lifting her chin and kissing her softly on her lips.

She savoured his touch, but craved more. A good thing that came out of her encounter with Lirha. She now knew what she was missing and desperately wanted him to touch her the way Lirha had done, and set her skin on fire. And then the vice versa thought occurred to her. "You're not bothered are you? I'm almost young enough to be your daughter."

Luke shrugged unsurely, "I'd be lying if I said it doesn't bother me, but I think I can work past that nagging feeling especially if you're happy. I think that is all I can hope for." He mused.

"I'm fairly easy to keep happy." She tried to find something pithy to sum it up, and settled on quoting Masefield, "Give me a tall ship, and a star to sail her by." She looked up at him, her fingers stroking his cheek. "But my Sea and Sky isn't lonely. At least I hope he isn't."

He smiled "Of course not" He cupped her hand and leaned down to kiss her again gaining a few dubious looks from crewman walking by. "Come on, lets go find somewhere quiet. I don't feel like sharing you today" Luke said taking her hand and leading her away.

She followed happily, squeezing his fingers with hers. "I don't feel like sharing you at all."

To Be Continued

[OFF]

--

Ensign Miraj Derani
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Galileo

Lt Cmdr Luke Wyatt
SOO/3XO
USS Galileo

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