Voices of Sto'Vo'Kor

Posted on 02 Mar 2026 @ 5:36pm by Lieutenant JG Hovar Kov & Lieutenant JG Delainey Carlisle & Lieutenant JG Nusien

1,330 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Episode 21 - Helix
Location: USS Galileo-A - Deck 3, Sickbay
Timeline: MD 07, 0700 hrs

Previously, on What Lies Beneath (Part 4)...

With what he thought would be his final breath, he remembered all of the crew that he swore to protect, even those who swore did not need his protection.

"Greater love than this no man hath, that a man lay down his life for his friends."

With those words, Hovar fell.

Allyndra pressed her comm badge. "Prepare for site to site to sickbay."

The Andorian had been stabilized and if she made it through the next twenty four hours she would live. Not a bad day for Sick Bay or so Nusien thought, then his thoughts were interrupted by the XO's call. He tapped his comm badge. "Acknowledged Commander."

Nusien made his way to the surgical bed and signalled one of the nurses to join him. An emergency cart was brought to the bedside and he already held a tricorder in one hand. They were as ready as they ever would be.

And Now, the Continuation...

[ON]

Deck 3, Sickbay

Hovar's body began to materialize on the floor of the sickbay, a place where no sensible Klingon would find himself. Correction, a place where no honorable Klingon would find himself. In certain ways, Hovar would find himself in the same school of thought. Klingons do not care for their own safety, but to ensure that others would still be alive. Hovar was no different. He would rather give up a bio-bed for another crewmember than to ever be placed in a measure of importance.

However, Hovar could not move. His body betrayed him, feeling heavy in his mind. Fingers that held the consecrated hosts could not be moved. Legs that knelt down in humility would not budge. Lungs that would fill the chapel with the words of Salve Regina would not breath the breath of life. He tried to think of the Act of Contrition, but his thoughts failed him as there was something else on his mind.

However, there was something that changed his perceptions for only a brief moment. Something that felt like a snake was slithering through his body. It was not really on his body, but it was within his body, deeply within. It traveled up his leg, coiling itself around his spinal column, and resting right in between his neck. It coiled around his cervical bones. The Klingon could not say anything, but in his paralyzed vision, all he could see were various shades of red, a high pitched tone as if screaming within his brain.

Usually following transport, Carlisle gave herself a few moments to orient herself to her new environment, a habit developed from never entirely feeling comfortable with the process, but under the circumstances, it felt like she was moving even before she had completely materialized. She was profoundly grateful to have additional reinforcements, but still scrambled to conduct her own scans, needing to know exactly what was happening.

Nusien stood at the surgical bed where patients would normally materialize for emergency treatment. However, when he heard the sound of the transporter and had no patient he turned around to find the Ship's Counselor and Chaplain on the floor. The latter of which was sprawled out and had a number of injuries. Before getting a report Nusien initiated a site to site transport and Hovar placed on the surgical bed. Immediately he began scans. "Lieutenant Carlisle. Are you hurt?" He said as he scanned her with one of his hands. "Lieutenant Kov. Can you speak?"

“I’m fine, Doctor, thank you,“ Delainey replied, “but Hovar is in trouble and I don’t fully understand why…“ The counselor‘s voice trailed off as she checked and rechecked what she saw on the monitors. “I thought he was having some sort of allergic reaction after biting part of whatever it is that attacked him, but it appears a small piece of whatever it is that did so has infiltrated his nervous system.” She wasn’t a surgeon, but she knew enough to know that removing the tentacle just became infinitely more difficult.

Just as the Lieutenant finished speaking the bio bed let out a chime which brought Nusien's attention back to Hovar. "It seems that the redundancies built into the Klingon genome are attempting to..." His voice trailed off as he stared at the screen. Nusien had genuinely never seen anything like this before. "...Perhaps some sort of new hybrid. This was unheard of. It has wrapped around his brain stem and is trying to take control of the body. Quick Delainey we must get him into a stasis pod. There he shall remain until someone can make heads or tails of this. " He used her first name in the urgency of the moment Nusien forgot his protocol.

Delainey didn't need to be told twice. As shocked as she was by these recent developments, the desire to save Hovar was strong enough to cut through the surprise and push her to act. A few moments and another short transport later, Hovar was encased in a stasis chamber, her eyes scanning the readouts to determine if the settings were appropriate. "I don't wish to disrupt whatever healing process may have begun. Do these readings look right to you?"

Nusien looked at the screen. All were in normal parameters for a Klingon. He performed a scan of the entity that was within Hovar and confirmed that the stasis had seemed to have an effect on it as well. "Yes this seems as if it will be perfect. We will keep him here in Sick Bay for the next twenty four hours under observation. At the end of that if he is stable he will have to be transferred to the cargo bay to await transport to Starfleet Medical."

Delainey frowned. The thought of relegating Hovar to the Cargo Bay until they could ship him off like so much excess food stuffs or other supplies seemed wrong, but she knew there was no medical reason to keep him in Sickbay, and as long as he could be monitored remotely until he could be transported to Starfleet Medical, it made sense to keep him staged for transport there.

Still, she felt a lump form in her throat at the thought of sending him away. She hadn't known him for long, but he was the closest professional ally she'd had in her time aboard, even closer than members of the medical staff - although she felt a certain kinship with them too. She'd only just begun to mentor him and to be mentored by him, and now she feared she would never see him again.

Fighting to keep her voice even, she nodded and then offered, "Got it."

The ever so slight crack in her voice brought Nusien's attention. Emotions affect Edosians differently than most species. However, that did not mean that they were not sympathetic to others. "Lieutenant Carlisle, it is known that when in this state, if a person hears a familiar voice it can keep them grounded. Perhaps you should be this voice for Hovar. Further if it helps I am available should you want to talk." The tone of an Edosian's voice often did not relay the intent or emotion. Nusien hoped that she understood that he was sympathetic to her and wanted to help.

Delainey kept her eyes on Hovar a moment longer before turning to Nusien. Her voice was steadier when she spoke, but her eyes shone with emotion. "Thank you, Doctor. I think you're right. It would be good for him to hear a familiar voice...and, I appreciate the support." Delainey was not accustomed to receiving support, but she understood she was not an island. If having Hovar as a colleague had reinforced anything, it was that.

[OFF]

--

LTJG Hovar Kov
Chaplain
USS Galileo-A

LTJG Nusien
Chief Medical Officer
USS Galileo-A

LTJG Delainey Carlisle
Chief Counselor
USS Galileo-A

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