Seeing Stars

Posted on 19 Nov 2023 @ 12:06pm by Petty Officer 1st Class Ember Locksley & Petty Officer 2nd Class Leon Inaros

3,397 words; about a 17 minute read

Mission: Episode 18 - Cold Station 31
Location: USS Galileo-A - Deck 3, Sickbay
Timeline: MD 11, 1930 hrs

[ON]

Leon sighed as he walked into sickbay. He was off shift, but had decided since he couldn't get any rest he might as well get some work done. He stopped at how silent it was. Silent. Not quiet. Silent.

"Hello?" he stepped further in and frowned as he saw Ember on the floor. He rushed over, kneeling, his hand going to her pulse. Steady. "Ember?" he took a medical tricorder, starting to scan her. "Ember, can you hear me?"

For a few more heartbeats, there was no response. Then Ember's eyes flickered a touch and her split lips tried to open to talk...but nothing came out.

"Easy," he whispered, touching her cheek before he pulled a tray close. He took a hypo, injecting her. To clear her head. "You're okay. Concussion, bruising...but you're okay. I won't let anyone hurt you."

Ember tried to talk again and winced in pain, reaching to hold the side of her jaw. She blinked her eyes open, struggling to focus her swimming vision...but the recognition was clear. She tried to say his name on instinct, but it didn't all come out with the pain in her jaw, so she reached to take a hold of his arm instead.

"Easy," Leon repeated and took another hypo, with pain relief, pressing it against her neck. "Your jaw is badly bruised...I can take care of it. Let me just..." he took a hold of her, lifting her gently in his arms to set her onto the biobed. "Get you a bit more comfortable."

She let out a long, slow breath as the painkillers did their job, straightening up her vision into the bargain. "Lamar," she got out, using her sleeve to soak up the blood at her mouth.

He frowned, watching her for a moment before his jaw tightened. He moved to get the dermal regenerator, slowly moving it over her jaw. "Lamar did this?" he asked, his voice quiet. Anger boiling beneath the surface before he tapped his combadge. "Inaros to Security. Darius Lamar has assaulted a member of the medical staff, he's no longer in sickbay."

"Stark here," it was Gabriel's voice that came in over the comm, and there was a touch of breathlessness in his tone. "We're already on it, are they okay?"

Leon looked at Ember, meeting her eyes. "Receiving medical attention. Inaros out," he said before he continued to use the dermal regenerator on Ember. "What happened?"

Ember didn't actually look at him, but tried to stay still for him even as her hand went to her head to feel under the red hair. "Lamar and Ullswater wanted to go and eat. She left to get food but I insisted he had to stay. So he just..." she shrugged tiredly.

She didn't need his anger. Or his outrage. It was what kept Leon professional in that moment as he finished healing her. He reached to touch her arm, gently, putting down the regenerator. "He assaulted you," he said, watching her. "There's no excuse. I'm going to write up a report on it."

Ember sighed, but nodded, a slight and careful movement as she swallowed back the wave of nausea. "What's going on here, Leon? First you're assaulted on duty and now this..."

He frowned as he watched her, touching her shoulder for a moment. "It's out of hand. There's no safeguards," he said before he moved to gently bring some equipment over. He put it to her temples. "Let me just clear that concussion for you."

Ember didn't argue, feeling queasy enough to let him do it. "But then I want to go back to my quarters," she said quietly. "I want to get out of here." Not that shared quarters offered much peace and quiet.

"Okay," Leon said, his voice gentle as he let the wonders of medicine do its thing. "But you shouldn't be by yourself. I will come with you." He finished, taking a deeper breath. "Can you sit?"

"Yeah..." she took hold of his arm, using it as leverage as she eased up slowly, testing it out. She pressed a hand to her temple, letting out a slight hiss, but she felt better for being upright. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"You're not," Leon said quietly, watching her with understanding. "But still standing..." he offered his hand to her. "I'll take you to your quarters."

Ember took hold of his arm, taking her time to get back to her feet and feeling out her weight on them. She started to walk with him, letting out a long breath as she held his arm in the kind of way that made it clear that, at some point, she had been used to linking arms with someone when walking. "That place is unsafe," she said quietly but tiredly.

He walked with her, his jaw tightening at the words. Because she was right. "It needs to change," he said, in a quiet voice. "I haven't been in a place where I have felt like that and not been able to do anything with it."

Ember sighed, nodding as she patted the arm she held in a reassuring manner. "Petty Officers will look out for each other, hm?" she said with a half playful tone, even if it didn't quite have the lilt it would usually have.

"Yes," he said, looking at her before he looked down. "Got half mind to deck Lamar myself for this, but..." It wasn't done. It would be wrong, just pure vengeance. And that wasn't what Starfleet was about. "Violence begets violence."

Ember gave his arm a squeeze, smiling weakly despite the ache in her jaw. "First do no harm," she said softly, looking to him fondly. "Besides, he's not been right since he got back. You saw that up close and personal yourself."

"No excuse," Leon said firmly, meeting her eyes. "There's no excuse for it. There's reasons...but there is no excuse." He sighed and got her to her quarters. The doors opened and he touched her arm, squeezing it as he walked in with her. "I'm so sorry."

She shook her head gently, squeezing his arm warmly before moving to get some tea. "Thank you for the assistance...and not making me feel awkward while doing it."

"We in the I got assaulted in sickbay. My own sickbay club," he said with a small smile, watching her before he looked down. "We're a small club, the entrance fee is steep, but boy do we have fun rolling our eyes..."

Ember smiled softly at the words, motioning for him to sit down. "Come on, have some tea with me. I'm English, I promise it will make everything better."

"I'd like that," Leon said and took a seat, watching her for a moment. She was doing it and maybe it was something that helped her. A routine, a familiar sensation that she did no matter what happened. Tactile grounding.

And he would be right. Ember collected together a tray with a teapot, cups with saucers, sugar, milk and teaspoons. She warmed the pot first, swirling a dash of hot water in the pot by rolling it carefully between her hands, even if they were more tense than usual. She carefully spooned the tea leaves in, covering it with boiling water before sliding the lid on to let it brew. She carried the tray to the small table for him, setting a strainer ready over one of the cups. "Where I'm from, this solves everything. Shocked? Happy? Sad? Cosy? Tired? Cold? Hot? Tea."

"It's genius," Leon said with a small smile, watching her for a long moment. "It's a ritual. No matter what, it ties you back generations. I think it's pretty perfect to be honest. And I like tea."

"My family home is centuries old," Ember said softly as she sat with him, shaking her head with a small but fond smile. "The tea-set there was also antique, beautiful, it had these little violas painted on the side, it had been in the family for generations. I loved it when it was brought out. We would all stop, together, and take the time for those few minutes to listen and talk, whatever the occasion was."

Leon smiled as he watched her, awed by it. Did he have something that had been in the family for generation? Grey hair and permanent frown? No. Nothing. He had nothing like that. "Sounds beautiful, an occasion..." he said with a chuckle. "Something special to share."

"One day, I will go back to it, I'm sure," Ember mused for a moment, shaking her head, but carefully. "There's too many places to go for now though. The fleet is a means to an end for that. Even if this ship is claustrophobicly confining at times."

He watched her for a long moment before he smiled. "You have a pilgrim's soul in you," he suddenly said, with awe. "A wanderlust."

Ember smiled with a playfulness that betrayed she'd been found out. "It's how I grew up," she said softly, reaching to carefully stir the tea in the pot. "My parents would find sheltered native people out in the natural habitats still left in the galaxy. Jungles, mountains, islands...anywhere time had stood still and the people practiced an ancient way of life."

"Sounds beautiful," Leon said as he watched what she was doing. "But you had an ancestral home to come to, between the...exploring?" he asked, his eyes going to her face.

"Yes, mother's. Well..." she hesitated, her breath catching for a moment as she thought on it before moving to pour the tea carefully through the strainer. "I suppose it is mine now. It is always there, standing strong..."

"A touchstone," Leon said softly as he watched her, a slight frown coming to him. "I'm sorry for your loss." It seemed to weigh on her, the loss of her mother he guessed.

Ember looked to him with surprise before smiling softly, shaking her head gently as she poured the second cup. "Thank you, that really is too kind," she said softly, motioning for him to help himself to milk and sugar. "I must have been....17. We were living with an ancient tribe that still thrived in a tropical rainforest. My mother was trying to help them fight an illness that was taking hold. Both she and my father passed away from it. She was a biologist and he was an anthropologist. They were living their dream."

He frowned at the words, watching her for a long moment. And then he smiled, because he understood. "I...too grew up following my parents around. My father was a Marine Sergeant, my mother was a teacher. She went where he went, and I went with them. Never stayed anywhere longer than a couple of years." He stopped and added some sugar, stirring, before adding a splosh of milk. "You living your dream now, Ember?"

Ember was silent for a long moment, her eyes on her tea as the milk rose like a cloud of smoke through the dark liquid. "I am not entirely sure what my dream is anymore," she finally replied, honestly. "So that is why you joined the marines," she added with understanding. She had always thought it odd, that such a compassionate and cerebral man would have joined the marines.

"Wanted to make him proud," he said, with a small smile. "It was also a world I understood. I..." he let out a breath, shaking his head. "I still miss it. I suppose it is natural. I am getting used to...not being armed. To be with a patient all the way through the circle of care."

"It must be difficult though," Ember said quietly with a frown, lifting the delicate cup to carefully sip her tea. "Such a different frame of mind required. I am not sure which would be the most intense."

Leon met her eyes before he sipped his tea, closing his eyes at the flavour. Rich, warming. "I find it difficult," he admitted as he looked at her. "The emotional investment of long time care. And the weight of responsibility. But...I also love it. I love being at the other side of those doors, to be in sickbay and be part of things."

"And to see the results of your hard work?" she ventured a guess as she considered it. She felt it would be hard as a marine medic...patching someone up in the field, and then having to send them on. Not necessarily seeing how their story turned out.

He nodded, a smile coming to him that seemed to light his face up. "To see that connection and knowing they'll be alright. That we helped. It feels..." he tried to find a way of saying it that didn't make him sound like a complete narcissist. "Warm."

Ember nodded, wrapping an elegant hand carefully around the curve of the hot tea cup. "I get that," she said quickly, to alleviate any awkwardness. "No, I get that. It was the same when I worked in the hospital, back in England. You usually only saw your part of the story."

He nodded as he sipped the tea. "I feel a lack of..." he stopped and met her eyes. He didn't want her to take it personally. "Closeness, recognition, in the Medical department. It feels we are all so separate. Is that normal for a department?"

Ember shook her head with a weak, half smile, setting her cup carefully down. "I suspect it's because the team's so small. It means we're spread across the shifts, working on our own. On my other ships I worked with a team of medics on each shift."

"Ship size..." he nodded with understanding, watching her for a moment. "Is it strange to miss some sort of...connection?" Or friendship and trust.

"Yes," Ember said quietly, shaking her head without hesitation. "None of us are infallible. A second opinion in the room can save lives. And...well, we've both found how it can leave us vulnerable. And it means when you do have to come together to work as a team, you have a better idea of each others strengths."

He nodded as he watched her for a long moment. He reached out, to touch her hand. "I think from now on, when we are alone, we activate the EMH. But...I also think we don't do this alone. We should never be alone in sickbay, especially not with patients."

"I would agree, but I'm not sure how it will change," Ember shook her head with a weak, half smile. "Running on a skeleton staff is unsafe, but I don't see signs of it being remedied unless we get a new intake at the station."

"We could strike," Leon said with a small smile, a half-joke. But inside, he made a promise to himself. He wouldn't let her be alone in sickbay, no matter what it took. Not again.

"Oh could you imagine!" Ember laughed softly at the image it conjured, covering her mouth with a delicate hand. "Placards...marching...chanting...protest songs..."

Leon laughed, looking at her for a long moment. "I can do protest songs. Although I vaguely remember writing this essay at school about anti-war songs...must be some protest songs that weren't about humanity blowing themselves up."

"If you're going to San Francisco..." Ember sang softly with a playful smile as she leant back in her chair, stealing a gentle sip of tea between lines. "...Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair..." she laughed softly, setting her cup carefully on the sofa. "I'm sure there's some Academy Instructors who would have something to say about that."

Leon laughed warmly as he looked at her, his eyes gentle as he saw she had clearly...calmed down. And he knew she was a strong woman, she would be okay. She shouldn't have to though. She shouldn't have had to go through that and then have to shake it off that easily. It told him a lot about her as a person, her inner strength. But like anything, he suspected like him she would be more guarded on duty. "I suppose so," he said and cleared his throat. "I never did wear flowers in my hair. Ever. I feel maybe I was missing out."

"Oh definitely...flowers threaded in a braid or a flower crown can make all the difference to a day," she replied softly, sipping her tea with a small smile at the memory. "You...may want to grow your hair a little first..."

He smiled as he touched it, looking at her. "Longer than Marine regulations now," he said, playfully. "But can't braid it yet, so you're right. Maybe I should put some colours in it too, cover up the grey."

"Oh don't do that," Ember said quickly, shaking her head gently before reaching to pour him more tea. "It looks charming the way it is. So many other cultures wear their age-coloured hair as a sign of distinction and status. Humans can be ridiculous sometimes."

"Yes we can," he said with a quick smile, raising an eyebrow. "I suppose we do not wear it as a badge of honour. It just reminds us of things changing and truth is...we don't like change that much."

Ember was silent for a long moment as she sat back, sipping her tea for a long moment as she thought on the words. "Funny," she said softly, a weak smile on her lips. "I know that's true of most people, but...I've always been more scared of things staying the same."

"Why?" he asked, watching her for a long moment. He was relatively sure he could guess. People who were scared of things staying the same usually had things in that moment that weren't...great. If nothing changed, it meant there would be no improvement.

"There's always so much more over the horizon, why would you stand still?" she said quietly, setting her cup and saucer down with a soft smile. "Remaining...trapped."

"You have a beautiful way of looking at life," Leon said softly, awed at the way she spoke. "The heart and soul of an explorer."

Ember laughed softly as she looked down, colour touching her cheeks as she shook her head gently. "I caught the bug from my parents. Who knows, maybe if I'd have been in a different family, I'd feel differently. I was lucky. I know that."

Leon chuckled, nodding as he watched her. "It's important you know...to have that approach, if you're in Starfleet. Our mission is exploration."

"If I weren't here, I'd be out doing it myself," she admitted, shaking her head as he looked down with a soft laugh at herself. "Maybe I'll get my own little ship one day, see what happens."

"Travel the galaxy as an explorer but free agent," Leon said with a smile as he studied her. "If I had the skills to survive doing that, I would."

"Not tied to the flag of Starfleet then?" she asked softly, watching him with a small but knowing smile, and there was an easiness about her that suggested she wouldn't judge either way.

Leon let out a soft breath, watching her before he gave a small shrug. "I think I am," he finally admitted. "Tied to it. I was born into Starfleet. I joined the Marines, then regular Fleet. I am pretty sure I will die in Starfleet. There might have been a different path for me at some point, but...I have given too much to Starfleet not to...be connected to it."

"You have purpose," she nodded slowly, understanding what he meant, even if she was unable to understand the experience. "It's a powerful thing, Leon."

"It's all I got," Leon said softly as he met her eyes. "I chose not to have a family, focusing on my career. I made the decision to continue once the Marines weren't an option anymore. Starfleet is all I got."

"Never say never, Leon," Ember said softly as she sat back, smiling gently to him as she lifted a hand in a 'who can say' gesture. "Never say never..."

[OFF]

PO2 Leon Inaros
Nurse
USS Galileo-A
[PNPC Rice]

PO1 Ember Locksley
Doctor
USS Galileo-A
[PNPC Blake]

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