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Day 01 [1930 hrs.] A Doctor's Mechanic

Day 01 [1930 hrs.] A Doctor's Mechanic

[ PO2 Sithick | Main Sickbay Recovery Ward | Deck 11 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: Absinthe
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Sithick turned when she finally started to stir and actually smiled when she said that she was grateful for the save. If he could have he would have blushed but he lacked the biology needed for such an action. Instead he just brushed a claw along the side of his muzzle and chuckled his jaw clicking to show the rows of teeth as he smiled awkwardly.

The odd voice of his universal translator, a rather robotic yet feminine voice came out mixing with the sounds of his own much deeper more primal voice mixing the two together as he spoke. "I only did what any member of the crew should do."

He looked around having stayed with her long past the point where he would consider it appropriate he wasn't sure if he was supposed to leave or not. Technically his shifts were done, but the ship still had so much work to do. That said he didn't want to just leave the doctor even if at this point he had no real contribution he could make towards her care.

"You were down for an hour." Sithick said eyeing the clock for a moment before getting up from his seat. He offered an extended claw to the woman in bed. "Can you move? Or should I get a doctor for you, doctor?"

Re: Chapter XX: A Doctors Mechanic | Day 01 [1930]

Reply #1 –
[ Lahkesis Saugn | Main Sickbay Recovery Ward | Deck 11 | USS Theurgy ]  Attn: Kaligos
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"What any member of the crew should do, maybe, but in my experience some do not. Thus gratitude should be shown when such acts are done," Lahkesis replied with a smile. Her pupilless eyes studied him, trying to figure out his unique facial features and read the emotion they displayed. The majority of humanoids it was much easier, but on a Gorn the anatomical differences changed much and thanks to the scales it was impossible to see the blood flow causing slight color changes. It made it much more difficult to read the expression.

"And it should be noted that you had the opportunity to in fact take advantage of the situation. You did not, in these times of desperation and solitude many people have been pushed so much farther than their breaking point. It's like because of all the pain people have put up emotional walls to keep themselves from anymore pain. And thus they become less likely to care if they hurt someone else, so they feel a desire and they simply go along with it. For you to still consider the feelings of another shows your strength of character. Thus I am grateful it was you who rescued me. Someone else may have saved me only to assault me themselves."

She paused and blinked. SHe could tell her mind was not functioning at it's peak.

"An hour? Sounds like I was given an average dose, but it seems my body is not handling it as well as it could be. I will need to return to my Photoautotroph Pod in my quarters and ingest some mineral water to properly flush it out of my system, but I will likely need help in getting there. I doubt I will need a Doctor, though likely sometime in the next day or so Dr. Nicander will want to see me to ensure I am fit for duty," she went on seeming to speak mostly to herself, though also some seemed to be direct to him.

Re: Chapter XX: A Doctors Mechanic | Day 01 [1930]

Reply #2 –
PO2 Sithick | Main Sickbay Recovery Ward | Deck 11 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: Absinthe
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Sithick made a disgruntled clicking noise showing his dissatisfaction with the idea that any crew member would turn against their own in such a vulgar and needy fashion it was a little more than disgusting in his mind. Sithick shook his head when she said that many people would have just saved her to assault her later. He was sure that some would have, he knew that people were not perfect if this had been a Klingon ship certainly that could have been the case, but here on a Federation ship? He had never heard of things getting so bad.

In a way he could understand some aspect of it. The want or desire to have another. Or even to be close to another. He could understand where such an impulse would come from. "Gorn who are away from the hegemony often die or fall into the battle madness. It is not uncommon to find those who could not handle solitude among any tribe or people, but for me it is easy. I was born slave, I have always had nothing, Federation gave me something, gave me rank and allowed me to stay, thus I am happy to rescue."

"I can support you. Allow me to walk with you, others may try again I can protect." Sithick offered without much more of a second thought. Standing up he was more than willing to help the doctor get what she needed from her quarters. She was injured after all, and he felt obligated to show that not all were so cruel as to take advantage of another when they were down. He would tower over the doctor his claws sturdy to support her if she did take his offered claw it was firm yet gentle as he was delicate not to crush.

"I am sorry. When the men who attacked you spoke of breaking you, I attacked, and you were hurt because of me. I was not thinking in that moment. I only saw the anger. Had not felt that way since child." He tilted his head somewhat somberly for a moment. "On bright side men are dead, killed themselves when realized they could not harm me. Tried to stop them, would have been better to catch alive, but I care little for people who would try to break others."

Re: Chapter 03: A Doctors Mechanic | Day 01 [1930 hrs.]

Reply #3 –
[ Lahkesis Saugn | Main Sickbay Recovery Ward | Deck 11 | USS Theurgy ]  Attn: Kaligos
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As he spoke her pale blue eyes never left his face. She was still looking to understand it in a more than anatomical respect. She wanted to be able to tell at least something of the emotion of the being and she had been taught that the face was the way to do it. But his body language was different than what she was used to by quite a long shot and she could not figure it out easily.

"I was hurt because of them, any injuries I sustained in your rescue would pale in contrast to the injuries they would have caused if left to their own devices," she replied softly. She reached out and laid one of the pale hands on his much larger clawed hand. She had come to understand such simple contact was a way of offering a form of emotional connection. Physical touch was quite important to humanoids and she guessed the Gorn were much the same. "I cannot allow my rescuer to blame himself for rescuing me. And I am mostly alright now. Any effects that remain are from the emergency surgery, not the attack itself. I do not bruise like most do, it is simply the result of my physiology. And I believe the man who struck me intended to do enough damage to kill me."

"And if you would be so kind as to escort me to my quarters, I would much appreciate it. You may of course stay, it is well past meal time and if you have been with me since the attack it is the least I can do to offer you a few of my replicator rations," she said politely. She used so very few of her allotted replicator rations that giving away a few in exchange for some company did not bother her at all.

Re: Chapter 03: A Doctors Mechanic | Day 01 [1930 hrs.]

Reply #4 –
[ PO2 Sithick | Main Sickbay Recovery Ward | Deck 11 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: Absinthe
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When her hand touched Sithick he was immediately reminded about just how small she felt when he had carried her. He winced his eyes turning away and his back becoming straight as he tried to focus on anything other than the touch that was so alien and yet comforting. He didn't pull his hand away but he was also wary of the contact. He was worried, and slightly intimidated by the touch. It wasn't something he had ever encountered before and he was scared that he could break her.

Sithick would have walked her to her quarters at any point if she had requested it. The promise of food only made him more anxious to do so. He was uncomfortable in sickbay, Past experiances in these rooms had left him unsure of doctors. Some were fine, but others joked about dissection and trying to find out just what he was 'made of' He had learned to take these things in stride as few meant it, but he had never really gotten over his fear of doctors. Now he was escorting one, and he was still unsure about how that would go. "I have not eaten, but I also require a return to my own environment. If I were to stay within your quarters I would have to adapt the controls to suit my needs."

The itch was already forming along his back, and the longer he stayed in the dry accommodation of the ship, the worse that itch would become, till eventually his flesh would crack, dry, and bleed. The return to humid environment would prevent his flesh from molting off his muscles, but he did not want to impose such a fate on the doctor. After all Jaya had often spoken about how uncomfortable their shared quarters had been for her.

"I will happily escort you, but I fear that if I were to stay I would make you uncomfortable, but your offer for a meal..." He had never had such an offer given to him before. He knew what he the translator told him to say if he was to turn it down, but the look on his face said that he really did not want to turn down such a thing. "It is most appreciated."

Re: Chapter 03: A Doctors Mechanic | Day 01 [1930 hrs.]

Reply #5 –
[ Lahkesis Saugn | Main Sickbay Recovery Ward | Deck 11 | USS Theurgy ]  Attn: Kaligos
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"It should be very little problem. I assume you will need a more humid environment than the rest of the ship," she said thoughtfully. "I took the liberty of doing some additional reading on your species after our previous encounter." It had only been a few hours, really, but she had skimmed the file on a PADD while she had worked. "I believe it should be easy enough to configure my quarters accordingly. Though I hope you do not mind much solar radiation as my quarters have numerous solar lamps to allow me to absorb the correct wavelengths of light. I know they can be quite harsh on some people's eyes."

She gave him the kind of smile that to many would be welcoming. Perhaps it was the simple fact that he had rescued her, or perhaps it was because her only other friend on the ship was currently being held in the brig, but she felt like company and she felt like he would be perfectly suited to it. "I figure a bit of humidity might be good for me, and if you have to much trouble with the light I can move it to ultraviolet and that should be much easier on your eyes."

With great care she moved to the edge of the biobed, keeping her hand on his, her smooth pale skin making a stark contrast against his dark green scales. With great care she carefully eased herself off the biobed and to her feet. For a moment she stood still, allowing herself to feel out her balance. As a result of the anesthesia still in her system she was still unsteady on her feet, relying heavily on the hand she held to, his hand, to keep herself steady. The contact which had begun as little more than a simple form of creature comfort, was now a necessity of balance.

When she felt she was ready she looked to him and gave him another smile. "If you don't mind I think it best for me to keep ahold of you as my body is still treating the anesthesia as a toxin and has yet to filter it out," she explained in a still soft tone. "And I do not think I will be able to walk very far without help."

Re: Chapter 03: A Doctors Mechanic | Day 01 [1930 hrs.]

Reply #6 –
[ PO2 Sithick | Main Sickbay Recovery Ward | Deck 11 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: Absinthe
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Sithick hadn't expected her answer. To find out that someone had been reading about his species was a little creepy in all honesty, but he could see that it came from a place of genuine curiosity and good intentions. She was a doctor after all and if He were to ever suffer a critical injury for some reason he would need someone who knew more about his physiology so as to be able to put him back together again. When she mentioned her own habitiate needs he was curious about her in exchange.

"I noticed that you do not bleed, forgive me if this is forward, but I am unfamiliar with your species." He was very aware of the fact that the question came out awkward considering who was asking. Very few people had ever even seen a Gorn before, but that often meant that every new species within the Federation was new to him. As he spoke she got off the bed, and he was quick to lend his claw for further support as she took his hand with own her warm hand. He was fine with offering her the support she desired however his experiances with the last smaller creature he had helped came to mind. "Would you prefer if I carried you?"


She was certianly unique in that she had never seemed to judge him. Jaya had often described his quarters as a living hell, which raised the question of just how this one was so willing to enter his habitat or rather adapt hers to his needs. He was flattered by all of this, and had no problems with helping her walk. "I do not mind Solar radiation, it actually sounds rather nice. It has been a long time since I have been under direct sunlight, even if simulated."

Re: Chapter 03: A Doctors Mechanic | Day 01 [1930 hrs.]

Reply #7 –
[ Lahkesis Saugn | Main Sickbay Recovery Ward | Deck 11 | USS Theurgy ]  Attn: Kaligos
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To Lahkesis information was no more personal than the air. She had lived the majority of her life in laboratory settings, where nearly all she said and did was known to the majority of the staff. She was permitted no privacy and she was trained to believe this was normal. In some odd ways this made it near impossible to see how researching another species could be seen as odd or even inappropriate, she was curious, so she researched.

"I can walk, it will be good for me in fact to use my muscles," she replied with the sort of smile that showed the fact that she was in fact telling the truth. She began to walk toward the door of sickbay, though she took small steps and moved at a slow pace. This was to ensure if she lost her balance it would be easier to regain it with both her feet on the ground. She held his clawed hand loosely, though never let go of it. The feel of his skin intrigued her a great deal, though she made it a point to not move her fingers to much to show off her desire to touch it. Though she had a base temperature lower than most humanoids, his was even lower than hers, plus the texture of his scales felt... interesting.

"I'm not really like most people, biologically speaking I am much closer to a plant than an animal. I don't have blood, I have a fluid not dissimilar from tree sap, it is thicker so it moves slower through my body, meaning I don't appear to bleed," she explained as she walked. "It is why I require sunlight. I need it like most plants do. I also do not eat, I need only consume small amounts of sugar and mineral rich water."

"And as you may have noticed I even respond to trauma differently. Though usually not that severely. I do believe that main aimed to kill me, though to let me live long enough to cause me grievous mental and physical pain. I am most grateful for your timely arrival."

Re: Chapter 03: A Doctors Mechanic | Day 01 [1930 hrs.]

Reply #8 –
[ PO2 Sithick | Main Sickbay Recovery Ward | Deck 11 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: Absinthe
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If SIthick had not seen first hand what she was talking about than Lahkesis's words would have been rather confusing to the Gorn. However he had just spent an hour waiting for her to recover in a hospital bed, and had assisted the doctor in stopping what would best be described as bruised leaves. It almost made him think that she was fragile in some ways. Despite the fact that she was already up and running she felt frail to him, and the fact that she had nearly died on his part made him wary of her.

"I wish I did not need to eat. Most of our comrades are a little more scared of me so I tend to take my meals in private." He had tried to eat in the galley once, and had been uneasy with the amount of eyes that had set upon him. Still he couldn't exactly afford the energy credits to replicate all of his meals so he often found himself having to eat in public even if he was simply stared at. "I do not like the attention."

Of course he stayed close to her. Giving her all the support that she needed to walk even as she touched him, but it was clear from the fact that he seemed to refuse to grip her hand or add any real touch other than supporting her as well as his shoulders and how they were tightened it was hard for the creature to actually support her without fear of breaking her again. Even if she was insistent that his presence had only been helpful. "I am glad that I could help than." He looked down at his arm. "After the way you helped me, and my salad, I could not stand idle and watch someone else harm you. But really, i would do the same for any member of the crew. I just glad that no permanent harm seemed to be caused."

When he got her to the turbolift he was almost thankful for the small break from walking. "Where are your quarters." He said trying to remember the map of the ship. The Black Opal had very little in the way of footage, so this place was basically a nightmare for him. So difficult to navigate.

Re: Chapter 03: A Doctors Mechanic | Day 01 [1930 hrs.]

Reply #9 –
[ Lahkesis Saugn | Main Sickbay Recovery Ward | Deck 11 | USS Theurgy ]  Attn: Kaligos
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“Most humanoids have certain unspoken rules and customs for the dining experience,” Lahkesis observed quietly as she walked alongside the much larger creature. “To those who consume their nutrients in other ways it can be disconcerting to join them at mealtimes.” She had a number of encounters at the Academy around meal times where her lack of interest in food quickly became the subject of conversation and after a number of dishes that were supposed to be fine for her to consume she wound up spending a night in the medical facilities. She had long since made it a point to avoid socialization meal times if at all possible.

“Though I doubt your particular methodology of consuming food will be altogether distasteful for me. I assume because of your exposed teeth is is substantially more messy, but if you agree to at the very least help me clean, it should be fine.” She gave him a smile to let him know she was in some ways teasing him. She had observed enough relationships and read enough to know that some light teasing was expected in friendly relationships and she endeavored to do so, even if she was not altogether certain how it was done. She had a tendency to look at the world through a very clinical lens, even more so when she was damaged in anyway, and at the moment she was still quite damaged from the anesthesia alone. But she tried to be both polite and social.

“Where are your quarters?” Sithick asked as they reached the turbolift.

“Deck 7, near the Battle Sickbay of Vector 1,” she relied with as they stepped onto it. Only when she could effectively lean against the railing inside the lift did she at last release the clawed hand she had so delicately held since they had departed Sickbay. All medical personnel were housed somewhere on the same decks as the 3 sickbays, to ensure they could reach their stations and provide aid even in an emergency when the turbolift system went down, they would do no good with they got stuck in a lift or if they had to crawl through the jefferies tubes and risk injury in there.

"I think most humanoids are still bound in the mentality of predator and prey, so creatures vaguely reminiscent of that relationship tend to bother them. If it does not seem to rude to note, you have the appearance of a predator and your methodology of eating may drive that point home to them in greater detail,” she went on as the lift whizzed them through the ship. “I lack any such primitive impulses, biologically speaking. I still have a fight or flight reflex, but one could say I have more to fear from the creatures most humanoid do not fear, herbivores, than those they tend to fear, carnivores. I am neither. My kind, when it was part of a food chain, formed a symbiotic relationship with the animals around them. Only in more recent times has any Teslyliac duplicated a humanoid and we are still quite unique in the galaxy.”

As the lift doors slid open a non-commissioned officer, looking very under the weather, as some would word it, was there. “Ah, Doctor!” they said sounding relieved to see her. “I’m feeling a bit...”

“I regret to inform you I am not on duty, you will need to go down to sickbay proper to receive treatment,” Lahkesis said interrupting his chain of thought. She knew that as a doctor she was often expected to always be on duty, so she had adapted to telling people they would need to go to sickbay, cutting them off when the need arose.

“Um... yes, quite right,” the non-commissioned officer said and as they exited the lift, he entered and once more the doors slid shut.

“Not much farther now,” Lahkesis said with an odd sort of tired smile. They journey was quite tiring in her current state and she was looking forward to sitting down in her own quarters again.

Re: Chapter 03: A Doctors Mechanic | Day 01 [1930 hrs.]

Reply #10 –
[ PO2 Sithick | Main Sickbay Recovery Ward | Deck 11 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: Absinthe
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SIthick nodded as the translator spoke into his ear and tried to follow on what she was saying about the problems with eating around other people. He had already learned the fact that she was more of a plant than a regular human, though he was still looking at her body, She looked like every other member of the crew aside from the more vibrant pink coloring in her hair and pigmented flesh.

"I am not that messy, I have learned to use the fork and knife." Sithick's voice huffed slightly as his nostrils flared slightly. He did come to understand that she was actually a little bit right most people had avoided him at the galley and yet she seemed perfectly comfortable with him.

When she said that she would fear creatures that others would not however there was a soft sniffle noise that came out of his muzzle, his chest expanding rapidly in a way that one would assume they were choking, or even sobbing, before his head tilted back and a very deep guttural laugh came forward from the creatures throat so dry and alien that it seemed like the noise was never designed for his throat.

"I am sorry, I am imagining that your natural predator would be the ravenous Tribble." Sithick said giving the woman a broad smile. Not sure if he had offended her or not he walked alongside her and supported her.  When they came across another person trying to ask for medical help Sithick puffed up wanting to help push away the other as they were busy, but she handled the situation with more grace than he would have been capable of.

Sithick nodded letting her lead the way to her room, and when they arrived he walked her to where she needed to rest, closing the doors already feeling the all consuming itch, he went to the environmental controls. Raising the humidity to 80 percent, as he felt the itch breaking the skin along his back. Knowing that the shirt would only get bloody if he kept it on, he quickly went to pull off the shirt he was wearing. Letting his bare shoulders flex showing his scaled skin as he held his muzzle up to the vents that were adjusting the room to his preferred settings.

"You may tell me if my settings are offensive, I can leave if you have reconsidered." Sithick managed to keep his voice as polight as possible he was sure that rejection was just a hairsbreadth away.

Re: Chapter 03: A Doctors Mechanic | Day 01 [1930 hrs.]

Reply #11 –
At last in her quarters Lahkesis sat herself under one of her solar lamps in a quite soft and plush chair. She unclasped the first few latches of her uniform to expose more of her neck and even some of her chest. The light if the lamp shown on her pale skin and she relaxed a great deal. Under that light she was far more comfortable than under the lights of sickbay. There were only two places better, laying in a holographic beach in the holodeck or being under a real sun.

As the vents began to flood her room with warm humid air she could not help but smile. She understood then why most humans would object, and of course why she would not. Humidity didn't bother her, in fact as the Teslyliac plant itself was somewhat tropical it was quite likely very good for her. She had not experimented to much with it. She tended to keep her quarters at ship standard just for ease, if the new settings allowed her guest to feel more comfortable than it was all the better.

"It is quite alright. If it allows you to be comfortable than I will leave the settings in my personal database should you wish to return for dinner again sometime," she said with a soft smile, her very blue pupilless eyes gazing at him. He was alien to her and she was fascinated by him in the truest sense of the word. She did worry she was in some way rude, staring as she did, but now that he had taken his shirt off and she could see more of the patterned scales that covered his body she could not help but stare. She could still see the spot on his arm she had worked on, though it seemed her work stood out more than she had meant it to. Not that she had any way of the EMH had also done some work there it it was his work, not hers, that stood out.

"I dread to say my quarters are neither very spacious or heavily furnished. I have little need for either. But I have a standard issue replicator and you may use as many of my replicator rations as you like, I have little use for them aside from what little company I do get," she said with a relaxed smile, hoping she was being a good hostess, she had almost no one to visit her quarters in the entire time she had been on the ship.

Re: Chapter 03: A Doctors Mechanic | Day 01 [1930 hrs.]

Reply #12 –
Sithick ran a claw over his green scales scratching at his back. Itchy due to the fabric and dryness of the skin. The humudity would do it's work and he was glad that she wasn't complaining. Jaya had always hated his settings, but he had to remind himself constantly that this woman was not human either. She was different, in ways that he didn't really comprehend.  Being made mostly out of plant rather than meat.

He knew that being shirtless in someone else's room was vulgar and probably inappropriate but at the same time he could feel the itch crawling across his skin, and just needed to be free of the fabric if even for a little while. What was odd was the fact that he could feel Lahkesis's eyes on him and he did not mind.  "You have probably heard this before but I do wish to thank you for all that you did. You saved the life of my fruit today, and I do not know how to repay you. What's more my arm feels good as new."

"They may not be spacious but I like them, your place is cosy and I have slept in much worse places than this." He smiled or at least gave what counted for a smile, and walked to the replicator trying to think of what to order, eventually he settled on something protein and iron rich. Something he rarely afforded on his own. "Steak rare."

Watching the plate appear and finding a seat for himself in the small room, he just folded his legs and settled into a comfortable corner. In truth no one had ever extended such an invitation and it wasn't long before he fell into a silence unsure what to speak of, but rather looked up at the doctor who was still watching him. "You have questions? I can answer if you desire."

Re: Chapter 03: A Doctors Mechanic | Day 01 [1930 hrs.]

Reply #13 –
"I think at this point we are all but even on that, if I have become in your debt," Lahkesis replied as she shifted in her chair to direct herself to face him more fully. She kept her body more relaxed, keeping the solar lamp angled as to give herself as much light as possible. The effect was to make her skin appear all the more smooth and gave the effect of looking like a carved statue., her distinct pale skin only adding to the effect. "Mind you I pay little attention to such matters. We are crewmates, should we wish to keep track of who owes who what we must in turn figure out which is more valuable, you saving my life or me ensuring that your arm is repaired and your friend's wounds are treated. Personally I figure we should all help each other as long as we are able."

She smiled and tilted her head slightly at the notion of asking questions. She had not thought about such an thing before, mostly because she almost never had company and knew very little about how socializing in such settings was done. Of course at this point biologically speaking she already had most of her curiosity sated, now it was more about getting to know the person than the organism.

"Well, I know precious little about you, so we could start there, if you do not mind speaking more personally," she began, speaking softly. She was still unadapted to speaking personally often. She had little need to do it and had very few people with which to be personal with, her only real friend she now questioned how well she knew at all. "I would much like to hear about you, whatever you wish to share. And if you have any questions for me I can answer them as well. I know I am quite alien to most people."

Re: Chapter 03: A Doctors Mechanic | Day 01 [1930 hrs.]

Reply #14 –
Sithick blinked when she said that their wasn't any kind of repayment due. It was something he was still adjusting too, even after all these years among the Federation and having worked along side three different crews at this point it was still so odd to think that these people could do something just because and not expect any kind of debt  out of it. That was perhaps the most puzzling thing he had come across in his time with the Federation.

When she said that she wanted to know more about him he shifted  his but slightly as he sat and worked on eating his meal. despite the fact that he had said that knew how the fork and knife worked it had been awkward to set the plate down on his lap without a table, and a claw had proven much easier if only slightly messier to work with. He was glad he had taken off his shirt, he didn't want to loose yet another to blood stains after the incident where he had bisected a Romulan with his jaw.

"I was a slave once." It seemed the natural place to start every conversation that explained how he had come aboard the Federation. "Child Soldier, bought and sold only for battle. I killed many, but was smarter than other soldiers, when they needed someone to fix ships I had sturdy claws, and capable mind. I grew up on ships, moving from battle field to battle field. During the war I was sold to Klingon's and from their I was saved by Federation."

"My personal life most would consider boring. I work, and then I seclude myself away. At times I will listen to music, never had such a thing. Klingons make poor singers, and Orion's prefer if their slaves do not speak. Only learned language when they needed me to fix ships. Even then spoke only when spoken too, music is nice here many worlds find many voices. I am used to being alone, but I know it is not sustainable. Those left alone among slaves would fall into madness, Gorn are supposed to be social I have seen that many times."

In truth he was unsure why he was spared from the madness that had over taken so many others. Perhaps it was because he could take pleasure in his work fixing ships. Or perhaps it is because being alone didn't seem so bad now that he was apart of something bigger than just himself. Either way his yellow eyes were sad, and oddly reflective, he had only cried a few times in his life, but speaking of his past had always been the cause. Or rather the fact that he was almost always alone. "Not so bad anymore, I finally start to make friends among crew. Theurgy is my third posting, though I admit would not have chosen. I like smaller ships, they are more warm than this place."

Re: Chapter 03: A Doctors Mechanic | Day 01 [1930 hrs.]

Reply #15 –
As he spoke Lahkesis said nothing. She knew precious little of him and it seemed his tale was indeed a dark one. She of course knew of the Orion Slave Trade and the consequences of it, she knew how the Orion's had used the Gorn race, that alone was in her medical research in notes about encounters and how to treat wounds sustained in combat with the Gorn. In fact it had seemed like a good percentage of the research done was not so much on the species, but on the damage done by members of that species to members of others. In fact the research on the Gorn had been with them as a potential enemy, not a friend who would need care. All the result of them being used as a slave race, a weapon to be used.

Lahkesis had known all of this.

Yet this was different, in no small way because this was a person in front of her who had been consumed by that system. It seemed in small feat that he remained a good person as a result of it.

"I do not envy you of your pain," she said softly after he had finished speaking. "Yet I am glad it has led you here, I am glad to be able to get to know you." She gave him a polite smile. "And yes, this ship is quite large. It is my first posting, but I am familiar enough with smaller ships to be able to say that indeed this one is one of the larger ones."

She paused for a moment as she mulled something over. It was not in her nature to be overly outgoing, yet she found the person before her quite agreeable.

"If you wish you may come to my quarters anytime. If I am here I would request that you ring the chime, but if I am on duty it should be not problem for you to come in. I do not mind your preferred environmental conditions, though I may reset them to ship standard, when you are around I would not mind you adjusting them to be more comfortable." She gave him another polite smile. "That way you need not bother those who are not fond of them, and as a plus it would mean the CO2 levels would be slightly higher from having someone breathing in here."

Re: Chapter 03: A Doctors Mechanic | Day 01 [1930 hrs.]

Reply #16 –
Sithick had to wonder what it was with other creatures. Everyone who has heard his story has so far tried to extend some sort of grief as if he should feel bad about his past. While it was a lonely and isolated place, and not one that he liked to visit all that often he drew strength from those experiences.

"I would not be Sithick if not for my past, so I do not grieve. The name is one I picked for myself when I came to join the Federation. In my tongue it is an insult, it means 'foolish traveler' most Gorn do not travel they do not explore to do so is to be seen as stupid for the space beyond our boarders is never safe. I am proud to have explored, to have found the Federation and to join into that work statement. To seek out, and explore to be Sithick, I am content."

At the offer to join her on future occasions his yellow eyes seemed to brighten, his jaw tipping upward as more of his teeth came to bare in what he often mimicked as a smile. "Than you shall be my fruit? and together we shall be the Salad like the Jaya."

"What of you, why have you joined with the fleet of stars? Why be a doctor when you are a plant? What brought you to the ship?" He was curious now as he finished his meal and put down his plate, finding or replicating some napkins to clean the blood from his claws and jaw.

Re: Chapter 03: A Doctors Mechanic | Day 01 [1930 hrs.]

Reply #17 –
For a moment Lahkesis was not certain how to interpret his comment. The bits about fruit and salad seemed oddly out of place,  however she was pretty sure it was an error in translation, words had meaning meanings in many languages and sometimes for a machine there was no clear way to tell which meaning was meant. But still, in context, she could guess what he was referring to, a sort of bond akin to friendship.

"I will gladly be your fruit," she said with a smile, hoping the translation worked the same on both sides, if not she feared it would make little sense to him.

"I was born and for much of my life lived in a scientific facility," she began. She made it a point to leave out many details of her life, the more troubling aspects. "I am the result of an experiment in which modified human DNA was introduced to the Teslyliac Plant. In the beginning there were 7 of us, but only 3 of us wound up having stable genetic codes. After the facility was destroyed we were rescued by a Starfleet ship. I found the medical facilities on the ship where we were examined to be very interesting. It wasn't to long before we, my sisters and I, were medically cleared and made full citizens of the Federation. At which time we decided to join Starfleet. My sisters joined Engineering and Tactical, and I decided to study medicine."

She paused for a moment as she repositioned to get a little more light.

"I had always found medicine to be interesting and thanks to my unique ability to absorb information, I was able quickly go through the required classes. This is actually my first posting after I left the academy. Because of the uniqueness of me and my sisters we were each sent to different ship. I have yet to figure out if I got lucky or not."

Re: Chapter 03: A Doctor's Mechanic | Day 01 [1930 hrs.]

Reply #18 –
Sithick would have to check with Jaya exactly what was meant by a fruit, but he knew that they had to protect the cream, which in his mind was the ship. The ship was the topping, the crew the salad, and friends were the fruit, at least that was how he had interpreted Jaya's comments at the time. and since it was the first time anyone had shown him any kind of friendship he was more than happy to adopt the term for his own use. Now he got to be excited for the fact that he was a part of something bigger having more than one fruit at his side.

Sithick paused for a moment hearing Lahkesis's story hearing that her and her sisters were seperated reminded him of the many brothers of battle that he had left behind. Yes they had all been slaves, but they had still been his brood, and the only other Gorn he had ever seen. He pulled his knees to his chest for a moment resting his long muzzle on the curled position of his knees and turned towards her.

"You miss the family?" Despite the metalic sound of his translator and the feminine voice his posture and his own personal town the soft grumbles and growls that formed his speech made sure to convey that he felt somber. "I have not seen another Gorn since child."

Voicing the realization that he had been alone for so long was odd, because everything he knew told him that he should have fallen into the madness, and that being alone for so many years for a Gorn should be impossible. It also came with the stark realization that he was dealing with a female, but he wouldn't have a clue what a female Gorn would even look like.

"I believe that you are the lucky one. While I know what it is to be... one of a kind, here we can make a difference. While I do not like that my name may forever be... traitorous, I know that here we can make the difference we need too. Here we can change things, and perhaps one day, we will get to go back to the Starfleet that gave us a chance."

Re: Chapter 03: A Doctor's Mechanic | Day 01 [1930 hrs.]

Reply #19 –
"I do miss my sisters and I hope they are well. In truth this exile is the longest the 3 of us have been separated in our entire lives. I wish dearly that I could contact them, but such a thing would be a luxury I cannot afford right now. We are hunted and our hunters would not allow such things," Lahkesis said softly. "I have spent long hours wondering how they are and if they are well, but I can't know for sure."

She sighed and her eyes drifted, gazing into nothingness for a long moment. A dull ache formed deep inside her as she thought of her sisters and how long it had been since she had seen them. Most of the time she was busy, so such concerns were not often in the forefront of her mind, but when they did appear so to did the ache. She longed to be with them and the fact that she could not be made her feel like her heart would shatter. She yearned for her family and she knew she was not alone. She wondered how many other members of the crew had the same quiet pain that chewed at their insides. She had once considered writing a program to mimic them, if only in some vain attempt to not feel so alone, but sch an act would only leave her missing the real versions in the end.

And yet there was also members of the crew like Sithick, who had no family as such to yearn for, yet was isolated in his own way, the only Gorn on a ship full of other races. They were two of a kind like that she guessed. Thus when the moment of introspection passed she turned back to him, a sad smile forming across her pale features.

"I guess we are just special, the only ones like us here, far from any others. Me from my sisters and you for your race. It doesn't help matters that likely my sisters either believe me dead or believe that I am in some way involved in the treachery the heads of Starfleet put upon our shoulders."

She sighed heavily and turned her gaze to her solar lamp, the light shining brightly on her pupilless eyes. Unlike most humanoids she had no pupils to dilate to let in less light, instead the whole of her iris acted as a photoreceptor and it to was capable of photosynthesis, so bright light could not harm her in any way. She turned her attention back to him, the sad smile having slipped away to a look of mire sadness alone.

"Perhaps we are lucky in that we know there is something wrong, but I cannot help but think we are not so powerful as to change it. We can fight against it, but I fear this war is beyond the might of a single damaged ship and a very damaged crew."

Re: Day 01 [1930 hrs.] A Doctor's Mechanic

Reply #20 –
Sithick's head bobbed along slowly following the conversation as she spoke of her own family. He knew that what she was sharing was important, and he didn't want to disrespect her by interrupting. He cleaned his hands after having finished his meal, and even moved a little closer to Lahesis. She smelled odd to him, and with the conversation the sentimental moment the two were sharing it was a little more intense than he was used too. He didn't really know how to respond.

She was rather pesimistic about their chances, and he could understand that. He knew why she felt that they couldn't have a strong impact on the universe. They were just one crew spread out across the largest ship he had ever seen. At times this place was a little too massive for him, giving him a sense of Agoraphobia. For a creature that had spent most of his life working on ships not even a quarter of the size, stepping foot on a planet or leaving a ship was daunting, and this place had an actual green house used for growing trees.

Still she wasn't wrong. On the same note however he had one thing to add. "That's why we are here. I can fix the ship, you can mend the crew, and then nothing is broken and we have better chances."

"I will admit I don't know how we can make all of this right, but." He rested a claw on Lahkesis's leg. His hand long enough that he could had wrapped it around her thigh completely, but instead he just rested gently on her. "I have survived much worse battles than the one we are in now. Stay close, and I can protect."

Re: Day 01 [1930 hrs.] A Doctor's Mechanic

Reply #21 –
Under the light of her solar lamp Lahkesis could relax, yet she looked perhaps more frail than she normally would, like a lone flower is a vase under the light of a lamp. It was almost poetically sad. Her pale blue eyes studied him for a moment. "I have been in very few battles. In fact before I came to this ship I had only seen violence once before," she said softly. There was some hidden pain there. "Since I have come here I have seen people act in ways I had not thought any ever would. I have peered into the abyss and I think some part of me has been lost to it." Her voice seemed to shake with some repressed emotion as she seemed to barely whisper out the last few words.

She was very clearly still quite damaged from something, the darkness had crept into her mind, into her heart, and it ate away at her.

Unable to hold his gaze her turned her attention to the lamp and gazed up into it's light. Though for some looking directly into such a light would have been a bad idea, painful even, for Lahkesis it was relaxing, like a flower turning to face the sun. From the corners of her eyes tears welled up and slid down her pale cheeks. Unlike most humanoids her tears were not salt based, but rather had a fructose base which gave it a sweet fruity smell, similar to many of her bodily fluids.

She wiped the tear away with her sleeve. "Sorry," she said doing her best to smile, even though it was more of a sad sort of smile. "It's just... Difficult right now..."

Re: Day 01 [1930 hrs.] A Doctor's Mechanic

Reply #22 –
Sithick watched with intense yellow eyes as Lahkesis started to cry. He was confused not just by the smell, he had come to expect little things like that from her, but that she would try to hide her sorrow and even smile towards him, though it was a sad smile. He understood what it felt like to loose some part of you to the abyss, knew what it was to feel like you had nothing to live for. He could comprehend her sorrow, and moved a little closer to her.

He knew very little when it came to comforting someone. He was a soldier, a mechanic, but that meant he had spent more of his time killing others, or around unfeeling machines. His experiances with touch and the softness involved in intimacy was extremely limited, but he had been around slave owners long enough to know what they enjoyed when it came to consorts. He had read things on social interactions that showed him that touch was supposed to be a positive thing for most sentient species.

So Sithick just did what he thought he would have liked someone to do for him when he was sad and lonely. Something he had often seen, or more accurately heard about behind Jaya's closed door, on the many nights that he had been kicked out of his own room. He picked Lahkesis up. Scooping one claw under her rear to lift her and adjusted himself so that he was in front of the solar lamp. Then he placed Lahkesis firmly in his lap. her head didn't even reach past his chest when he did this. His crossed legs acting as a seat for her as he placed her down on top of him. he rested his long muzzle softly against the top of her head by lowering himself, and his arms softly cradled the doctor.

His scales were now more moist because of the atmosphere, and she would get to feel just how different his body was from skin, it was akin to a thick leather. His heart beat slowly, and his chest expanded with each breath which rolled down his nose. At this point she would be able to smell the scent of meat on his breath from his last meal, even though he was breathing through his nostrals. There was small amounts of saliva that dripped from his muzzle in the areas where his lips couldn't contain his massive teeth, which now dripped partly onto Lahkesis's head.

His arms held the doctor in a hold that would have been difficult for even Wenn to escape, but he wasn't trying to crush the doctor. Rather he was firmly holding onto her. Attempting his best to comfort her as one of his claws even rubbed along her back, lightly catching the fabric of her uniform and causing small holes as it dragged, the monster holding her offered no judgement. "Is okay to cry."

Re: Day 01 [1930 hrs.] A Doctor's Mechanic

Reply #23 –
Lahkesis Saugn was not small. At 1.88m in height she was taller than much of the crew and with a full figure she was the envy of many. But she was however quite small in the arms of the massive Gorn. Because of her unique life cycle she had not been a child for very long at all and had thus not been childlike in statue very long either. Instead she had developed quickly, as had been expected of her kind. Yet as she pressed her head to the slightly moist and leathery chest of her new friend, she could not help but think that if she had ever been a child perhaps this is what it would have felt like to be in her father's arms,

In the safety of that moment the tears flowed much easier and much more freely, the sweet fruity smelling liquid slid down her cheeks and down her long neck. Some splashed against the skin of the man that held her, but most did not. She felt truly safe in that moment, and that alone made the pain welled up inside her sting all the more. But she did not sob, she in fact made hardly a sound. Perhaps it was some in built need to contain herself, or some tiny bit of the detached professionalism she had once prided herself in, but she would not allow herself to break down fully, not here, not now.

With one hand she reached up and undid her uniform coat, shrugging it off and letting it slide. The under shirt was already open at the neck and it had shorter sleeves to allow more increased mobility in medical. She felt small and broken in that moment, yet in his arms she felt like she was safe in those feelings. Like nothing in the universe could harm her, parasites be damned, she was safe there.

She lifted her head and looked into his eyes, here pupiless eyes gazing into his. She could not have been more vulnerable to him and yet she felt safe in that. She reached a hand up and lightly touched the smooth scales of his face. The only hesitation in her touch was the fear of some possible rejection. The touch was almost intimate in it's own way, her fingers sliding gently over the smooth scalers. Once or twice her fingers got dangerously close to his sharp teeth, yet not even that seemed to scare her. Instead she saw a level of detail an pattern in those scales, she felt it in the tips of her fingers. She had never been so close to a creature with scales and they felt cool and smooth, yet textured. She marveled at the feeling.

"You don't mind if I touch you... Do you?" she breathed, almost afraid that he would push her away. In that moment, in that touch, the pain seemed to lessen a bit. And she found she wanted more of it. She did not know how much more though.

Re: Day 01 [1930 hrs.] A Doctor's Mechanic

Reply #24 –
When Lahkesis touched him, Sithick moved his muzzle so that her hand touch feel more of him. His eyes locked with hers. As she touched his face she would feel the way his jaw seemed to move subtly with each breath from his long nose.  It was strange to feel someone touching him, but not unwelcome, and it was pleasant to see her stop crying. The attention she paid him was different from anything else he had in his life, and her fingers felt smooth and different to his body. "I don't mind... Do you?"

With his question open his claw raised to brush the side of her face, and start exploring her. When she took off her uniform he swallowed reflexively. He had never been around anyone who would willingly take off their clothing around him. When they shared a room, he had seen Jaya in her underwear once or twice but that was because of the tight quarters, and the much higher tempature and she had often yelled at him for being around in those moments. This was very different, and though he couldn't place why she had taken off her top layer his confusion was outweighed by the fact that she was new and different, and didn't seem to shrink away from him. He used his open palm to explore her running his hand down her cheek and touching against her throat, brushing down her shoulder. The smooth skin of her body felt so much different from his expectations. She was warm, smooth, and yet he didn't really feel a pulse either.

Sithick had spent the majority of his life around humanoids that weren't Gorn. It had only been natural then for him to fantasize about the women and species around him as he had never even known what a female of his species would look like, having been far to embarrassed by the thought of going to a holodeck to find out. It had always been a situation of look do not touch, and now that he was both being touched, and felt his hand trailing over her soft T-shirt down her body to her exposed thighs, feeling what that was like against him he was encountering a new feeling that he wasn't sure of for the first time.

Sithick's pants had never really been designed with his body in mind. they were tight to his waist, and didn't really know what to expect when encountering arousal for the first time. His cock had always been held inside of his body internal and protected unless in use. So when the bulge started to rise up Sithick felt at first curiosity, and then complete and total embarrassment at his own body. The massive muscle making it's self known underneath Lahkesis, a quick thought of shame having run through his body. He had just an hour earlier saved her from near death from people who would mistreat and rape her, and now he was being so shameless. He felt like he could simply die, and not simply because the fabric couldn't properly contain it, with the head of the pale white organ actually sticking out of his uniform pants. "Sorry." He wanted to pull away, and hide, or at least make himself so small that he could vanish off the face of the ship. His green scales couldn't blush but the way he quickly put his hand over his face to hide himself and tried to pull away from Lahkesis were all indications of how he felt.
 
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