This one was for the May Challenge, but I guess the contest already ended....
Jessica Liu sat down at a desk in sickbay and sighed. It would be a first time she had settled down since the commotion with the 24th century Romulan vessel.
The Enterprise was now en route back to Earth; sickbay was filled with Vulcan survivors of a late planet.
Jessica shook her head, thinking those Vulcan survivors would have to find a new home, and start anew. She couldn’t fathom what she would do if Earth….and Derrick…
She perished the thought.
Earth was almost lost, but according to scuttlebutt, the cadet who was now acting Captain was the one who spearheaded a mission with the ship’s science officer to destroy the ship before Earth followed Vulcan’s fate.
Everything happened so quickly.
She wanted to contact Derrick on Earth, and see how he was holding up. Unlike herself, Derrick was assigned to Starfleet Command not a starship.
Jessica didn’t know whether or not she would continue on the Enterprise, as she knew Derrick wanted both of them to be posted together, somewhere. He even suggested asking for a transfer to a starship for himself, if she wanted to continue as a nurse serving on a starship.
Something to talk about when she returned, she thought. Also, she wanted to contact her mother, who resided in San Francisco’s New Chinatown.
Coming out of her reverie, she noticed a dark-skinned Vulcan child sitting up on a bed, a child that she recalled was brought aboard unconscious.
Grasping the tricorder from the belt she affixed to her duty skirt when the amount of patients grew during the attack, she stepped over to the boy, who looked about 8 or 9 in Earth years.
“Hello, there,” she greeted, checking the boy who wore the typical emotionless demeanor known of Vulcans. “My name is Jessica. You are S’ter, right?” Jessica remembered the name from the boy’s medical file. “It seems like you’re recovering. You suffered a minor concussion, but that should pass soon.”
Jessica wondered if her choice of words were appropriate, as this boy lost his home, and possibly family.
“S’ter,” Jessica started, lowering her tricorder, “how are you holding up?”
“I am Vulcan. Logic dictates that we cannot always decide our fate in life.”
“That is true, but it must affect you in some way, right?”
“I am Vulcan. I have control over my emotions.”
“Do you have any family?”
“A mother, father…and one brother,” replied the young Vulcan stoically.
Jessica believed the child was holding too much in. By her observation, S’ter seemed to almost be battling his emotions.
“Everything okay here, Nurse?” A voice asked from the side.
Jessica turned to Dr. Leonard McCoy.
“Oh, Doctor! S’ter seems to be recovering from his minor concussion.”
“Good, good.” McCoy lowered himself to S’ter, who remained emotionless; his eyes looking almost through Jessica and McCoy. “You’ve been through a lot, little fella. Be strong.” McCoy put a patted the boy on the shoulder, before turning to Jessica. “Nurse, can I speak to you for a moment?”
The two stepped a ways from S’ter.
“Does this young man have any family that survived?”
“I was wondering the same thing, sir.”
McCoy nodded. “Alright, I’ll see if we can get some more information. In the meantime, continue to monitor his progress. Vulcan or not, this type of circumstance can’t be easy on a child.”
“Yes, sir.”
As McCoy stepped away, Jessica approached S’ter again as a thought occurred to her.
Minutes later, Jessica bought over two fair-skinned Vulcan children to S’ter.
“S’ter”—Jessica designated the girl—“this is T’sera and”—she designated the boy—“is Solek.”
S’ter was silent.
“Solek and T’sera are brother and sister,” Jessica continued, “I thought maybe you might feel comfortable….
“S’ter…?”
“Live long and prosper, S’ter,” spoke T’sera.
“It looks like he still needs some time to himself,” Jessica spoke to the brother and sister. “Thank you.”
The two children went off, while Jessica approached S’ter with a concerned look.
“Would you like to have something to eat, S’ter?”
No answer.
“You’ll need something soon, little one.”
She felt awkward calling him ‘little one’ when she [and many other cadets] considered very young by many. At 19 years of age, she was thrusted into the battlefield, which asked her grow up even quicker, similar to S’ter.
“Maybe I can see if I can fix you a traditional Chinese dinner, S’ter. I know a recipe for a soup…”
She sighed, as the Vulcan child laid back down on his bed, hands across his chest, and stared at the ceiling.
Jessica went back to her desk to give the boy more time alone. She decided to take what little time she had for break to check messages, one which she found from Derrick.
Punching some buttons on a keyboard, one she cared about appeared on the monitor’s screen: An ebony-skinned male in his mid to late twenties, brown eyes, curly hair, and a calm demeanor wore the yellow tunic of command division; Lieutenant Derrick Riker.
“Hello, Jessica,” he greeted. “I hope this message gets to you. So much has happened quickly, but everything seems to have calmed down right now. The Earth disaster has been averted, but apparently Vulcan wasn’t so lucky. Anyway, I hope you come home safely, and I look forward to continuing our evening at Fisherman’s Wharf.
“Reply when you can, Jessica. I love you. Derrick Riker, out.”
“Well, I almost thought you were talking to my beau, ” a voice commented behind her.
Jessica looked up at a young blond haired, German nurse, Hans Werner…
“I didn’t mean to pry, Jessica,” he apologized. “I just noticed when I was passing by.”
She waved him off. “Don’t worry about it. Is Ronald on Earth too?”
Hans nodded. “Starfleet medical.”
“You’re welcome to check any messages after I’m done.. I’m sure he’s okay.”
Hans looked at her with concern. “You look beat.”
“S’ter, there,” she nodded to the introverted Vulcan boy. “He is alone. He won’t eat, or interact with anyone. I’m afraid for him.”
“Did you check the roster for all survivors?”
“Not recently,” she yawned.
“Listen, why don’t you go to your quarters. I’ll let Doctor McCoy know you’ve stepped out for some rest. I’m sure he’ll understand.”
“Thanks, Hans.”
The chime to her quarters sounded, as Jessica awoke with a start. She had been dreaming of her childhood home in Guangzhou, before she was called back to reality.
Her roommate, Thana, a fellow nurse from Andoria, was absent, which Jessica assumed because she was still on duty. Jessica hurried to the door, to find a security guard who wore Ensign stripes, and S’ter.
“Sorry to bother you ma’am, I was told by one of the nurses that you were in your quarters,” the security guard said “It seems this young man wanted to speak with you. I wanted to take him back to sickbay, but…he seems to have quite a grip on him.”
Jessica chuckled. “I’ll take it from here, Ensign.”
Jessica brought S’ter inside her quarters.
“Have a seat, S’ter,” she gestured to her bed.
As he sat, she leaned down to where she was eye to eye with the boy.
“Are you doing okay?”
His demeanor was somewhat un-Vulcan-like. He seemed tenser than before. Suddenly, S’ter jumped from the bed, and hugged Jessica, the young Vulcan’s strength surprising her even though the security ensign forewarned her.
Even more surprising was the hearing of sniffling.
She pulled him away and look at him, and found that he was indeed crying.
“It’s okay, little one. It’s okay.”
The ship’s comm system chirped: "Doctor McCoy to Nurse Liu. Please report to sickbay. Doctor MCoy to Nurse Liu. Please report to sickbay, and bring your young visitor with you."
When Jessica Liu and S’ter arrived in sickbay, two dark-skinned Vulcan adults stood at S’ter’s bed; a teenaged Vulcan boy, presumably their son, stood with them as did Doctor McCoy.
Jessica heard a slight gasp from S’ter, and bent down to face him, his back to the others; and a slight smile on his lips.
“I assume you have some familiarity with those individuals, S’ter,” Jessica stated.
S’ter gave her the Vulcan salute. “Thank you, Nurse Liu.”
“Live long and prosper, S’ter,” she replied.
“Thank you, Nurse,” said Dr. McCoy. “This is Seterek and T’Solier”—he gestured to the man and woman, respectively, then the teenaged Vulcan boy—“and Stol.
“We’re still getting our roster of survivors together, and I understand S’ter’s welfare was keeping you busy. There are others we need to tend to, but at least we’re able to get this family together.”
“Our gratitude, Dr. McCoy,” Seterek said, holding the Vuclan salute.
McCoy attempted to do salute in kind, but found his right hand wouldn’t cooperate.
“Carry on, Nurse,” said Dr. McCoy as he left to tend other duties.
“Yes, sir,” replied Jessica as she smiled at a rejoined family, and hoped that the other survivors would be so lucky.
S’ter
The Enterprise was now en route back to Earth; sickbay was filled with Vulcan survivors of a late planet.
Jessica shook her head, thinking those Vulcan survivors would have to find a new home, and start anew. She couldn’t fathom what she would do if Earth….and Derrick…
She perished the thought.
Earth was almost lost, but according to scuttlebutt, the cadet who was now acting Captain was the one who spearheaded a mission with the ship’s science officer to destroy the ship before Earth followed Vulcan’s fate.
Everything happened so quickly.
She wanted to contact Derrick on Earth, and see how he was holding up. Unlike herself, Derrick was assigned to Starfleet Command not a starship.
Jessica didn’t know whether or not she would continue on the Enterprise, as she knew Derrick wanted both of them to be posted together, somewhere. He even suggested asking for a transfer to a starship for himself, if she wanted to continue as a nurse serving on a starship.
Something to talk about when she returned, she thought. Also, she wanted to contact her mother, who resided in San Francisco’s New Chinatown.
Coming out of her reverie, she noticed a dark-skinned Vulcan child sitting up on a bed, a child that she recalled was brought aboard unconscious.
Grasping the tricorder from the belt she affixed to her duty skirt when the amount of patients grew during the attack, she stepped over to the boy, who looked about 8 or 9 in Earth years.
“Hello, there,” she greeted, checking the boy who wore the typical emotionless demeanor known of Vulcans. “My name is Jessica. You are S’ter, right?” Jessica remembered the name from the boy’s medical file. “It seems like you’re recovering. You suffered a minor concussion, but that should pass soon.”
Jessica wondered if her choice of words were appropriate, as this boy lost his home, and possibly family.
“S’ter,” Jessica started, lowering her tricorder, “how are you holding up?”
“I am Vulcan. Logic dictates that we cannot always decide our fate in life.”
“That is true, but it must affect you in some way, right?”
“I am Vulcan. I have control over my emotions.”
“Do you have any family?”
“A mother, father…and one brother,” replied the young Vulcan stoically.
Jessica believed the child was holding too much in. By her observation, S’ter seemed to almost be battling his emotions.
“Everything okay here, Nurse?” A voice asked from the side.
Jessica turned to Dr. Leonard McCoy.
“Oh, Doctor! S’ter seems to be recovering from his minor concussion.”
“Good, good.” McCoy lowered himself to S’ter, who remained emotionless; his eyes looking almost through Jessica and McCoy. “You’ve been through a lot, little fella. Be strong.” McCoy put a patted the boy on the shoulder, before turning to Jessica. “Nurse, can I speak to you for a moment?”
The two stepped a ways from S’ter.
“Does this young man have any family that survived?”
“I was wondering the same thing, sir.”
McCoy nodded. “Alright, I’ll see if we can get some more information. In the meantime, continue to monitor his progress. Vulcan or not, this type of circumstance can’t be easy on a child.”
“Yes, sir.”
As McCoy stepped away, Jessica approached S’ter again as a thought occurred to her.
*
“S’ter”—Jessica designated the girl—“this is T’sera and”—she designated the boy—“is Solek.”
S’ter was silent.
“Solek and T’sera are brother and sister,” Jessica continued, “I thought maybe you might feel comfortable….
“S’ter…?”
“Live long and prosper, S’ter,” spoke T’sera.
“It looks like he still needs some time to himself,” Jessica spoke to the brother and sister. “Thank you.”
The two children went off, while Jessica approached S’ter with a concerned look.
“Would you like to have something to eat, S’ter?”
No answer.
“You’ll need something soon, little one.”
She felt awkward calling him ‘little one’ when she [and many other cadets] considered very young by many. At 19 years of age, she was thrusted into the battlefield, which asked her grow up even quicker, similar to S’ter.
“Maybe I can see if I can fix you a traditional Chinese dinner, S’ter. I know a recipe for a soup…”
She sighed, as the Vulcan child laid back down on his bed, hands across his chest, and stared at the ceiling.
Jessica went back to her desk to give the boy more time alone. She decided to take what little time she had for break to check messages, one which she found from Derrick.
Punching some buttons on a keyboard, one she cared about appeared on the monitor’s screen: An ebony-skinned male in his mid to late twenties, brown eyes, curly hair, and a calm demeanor wore the yellow tunic of command division; Lieutenant Derrick Riker.
“Hello, Jessica,” he greeted. “I hope this message gets to you. So much has happened quickly, but everything seems to have calmed down right now. The Earth disaster has been averted, but apparently Vulcan wasn’t so lucky. Anyway, I hope you come home safely, and I look forward to continuing our evening at Fisherman’s Wharf.
“Reply when you can, Jessica. I love you. Derrick Riker, out.”
“Well, I almost thought you were talking to my beau, ” a voice commented behind her.
Jessica looked up at a young blond haired, German nurse, Hans Werner…
“I didn’t mean to pry, Jessica,” he apologized. “I just noticed when I was passing by.”
She waved him off. “Don’t worry about it. Is Ronald on Earth too?”
Hans nodded. “Starfleet medical.”
“You’re welcome to check any messages after I’m done.. I’m sure he’s okay.”
Hans looked at her with concern. “You look beat.”
“S’ter, there,” she nodded to the introverted Vulcan boy. “He is alone. He won’t eat, or interact with anyone. I’m afraid for him.”
“Did you check the roster for all survivors?”
“Not recently,” she yawned.
“Listen, why don’t you go to your quarters. I’ll let Doctor McCoy know you’ve stepped out for some rest. I’m sure he’ll understand.”
“Thanks, Hans.”
*
The chime to her quarters sounded, as Jessica awoke with a start. She had been dreaming of her childhood home in Guangzhou, before she was called back to reality.
Her roommate, Thana, a fellow nurse from Andoria, was absent, which Jessica assumed because she was still on duty. Jessica hurried to the door, to find a security guard who wore Ensign stripes, and S’ter.
“Sorry to bother you ma’am, I was told by one of the nurses that you were in your quarters,” the security guard said “It seems this young man wanted to speak with you. I wanted to take him back to sickbay, but…he seems to have quite a grip on him.”
Jessica chuckled. “I’ll take it from here, Ensign.”
Jessica brought S’ter inside her quarters.
“Have a seat, S’ter,” she gestured to her bed.
As he sat, she leaned down to where she was eye to eye with the boy.
“Are you doing okay?”
His demeanor was somewhat un-Vulcan-like. He seemed tenser than before. Suddenly, S’ter jumped from the bed, and hugged Jessica, the young Vulcan’s strength surprising her even though the security ensign forewarned her.
Even more surprising was the hearing of sniffling.
She pulled him away and look at him, and found that he was indeed crying.
“It’s okay, little one. It’s okay.”
The ship’s comm system chirped: "Doctor McCoy to Nurse Liu. Please report to sickbay. Doctor MCoy to Nurse Liu. Please report to sickbay, and bring your young visitor with you."
When Jessica Liu and S’ter arrived in sickbay, two dark-skinned Vulcan adults stood at S’ter’s bed; a teenaged Vulcan boy, presumably their son, stood with them as did Doctor McCoy.
Jessica heard a slight gasp from S’ter, and bent down to face him, his back to the others; and a slight smile on his lips.
“I assume you have some familiarity with those individuals, S’ter,” Jessica stated.
S’ter gave her the Vulcan salute. “Thank you, Nurse Liu.”
“Live long and prosper, S’ter,” she replied.
“Thank you, Nurse,” said Dr. McCoy. “This is Seterek and T’Solier”—he gestured to the man and woman, respectively, then the teenaged Vulcan boy—“and Stol.
“We’re still getting our roster of survivors together, and I understand S’ter’s welfare was keeping you busy. There are others we need to tend to, but at least we’re able to get this family together.”
“Our gratitude, Dr. McCoy,” Seterek said, holding the Vuclan salute.
McCoy attempted to do salute in kind, but found his right hand wouldn’t cooperate.
“Carry on, Nurse,” said Dr. McCoy as he left to tend other duties.
“Yes, sir,” replied Jessica as she smiled at a rejoined family, and hoped that the other survivors would be so lucky.
-end-
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