[G-QTRS] Lts. Skyfire & DeVeau, + Devlin: Better Friends Part 1

[chythar skyfire]

(( DeVeau’s Quarters, USS Garuda ))

:: The doctor had a few reasons for wanting to make a visit. Firstly, he didn’t want anyone to think he’d failed to follow up with a patient. Second, he wanted to make sure she was okay in light of the incident with Gabi and the drinks. Third, she shared a similar timeslip to him during the last mission. From what he was able to glean from the reports, in the opposite direction. And fourth, he didn’t want to be by himself. Devlin was good company, but there was still something missing: the human element. ::

:: With the canine at his side, he rang the chime to her quarters. She must have answered it in an affirmative for less than a breath later, the doors slid open to allow the doctor entry.::

:: As he entered the room, he glanced around curiously and saw that she was slowly rebuilding her collection of plants. Devlin ran in excitedly and barked a greeting, attempting to climb Alora’s leg playfully as he wanted to say hello. Immediately, Alora brightened and welcomed the canine into her embrace as she scooped him up from the floor.::

Devlin: Raff raff!

DeVeau: Hey there fellow, why all the excitement?  I’m afraid I’m fresh out of treats.

Skyfire: He’s just happy to see you. And I’m...I want to become better friends with you. :: He paused. He didn’t know how to continue for a moment. :: Things are… different somehow.

::Better friends?  Well, if there was a single thing one couldn’t have too much of, friends would be it in Alora’s opinion.  Skyfire was awarded with one of her smiles.  Even though it hadn’t been _that_ long ago since traumatic events, therapy combined with sleeping aids had helped substantially.  Wan expressions of pleasure had given way to their brighter and more usual compatriots.::

DeVeau: You’re welcome to come visit me any time, especially if Devlin’s with you.

::She couldn’t fathom really turning him away for any reason - at least, one didn’t come to mind at that moment - even if he didn’t have his dog with him.::

DeVeau: Cop a squat.  Do you want something to drink?

::There were advantages to having a replicator available.::

Skyfire: Hot cocoa, please. :: He took a seat on the nearby couch and tapped his leg. :: C’mere, boy.

:: Devlin ran a circle around Alora’s feet, then jumped up into Chythar’s lap. ::

Skyfire: I’ve been...I gave physicals to Core, Saveron, and Shandres. They’re all alive….despite what my eyes said.

DeVeau: Say...what?

::That made no sense.  Despite what his eyes said?  What did he mean?  There must have been a story and so Alora settled down on the other end of the couch and shifted so she was cross legged on the cushion.  Once settled, she placed the canine upon her lap and continued to give him a good rubbing.::

Skyfire: I saw them dead. All three of them. Fossilized and aged about ten thousand years. I..I slipped through time, into...the queen says you met her.

DeVeau: Wait...huh?  I met the queen?

Skyfire: You did. She said she recalled dreams of you. Or rather, she thought it was a dream. :: He paused, took a breath, then spoke again. :: I then had a second trip through time...which may’ve affected my neurochemistry.

::For a moment, Alora stared at Skyfire, then shook her head as if trying to clear away cobwebs that suddenly clouded her thoughts.::

DeVeau: Okay, one thing at a time...you said the queen met me?

:: He was bombarding her with information. His own account of the events was a bit sketchy. And he knew it. It was all in his first report, the one he originally filed. He hadn’t written up one on his second trip through time just yet. ::

Skyfire: OK. Sorry. :: He took a breath. :: Virah-Latyi. Queen of Pappelaxia. Told me she had dreams when she was little. 

DeVeau: Wait...when she was little?  ::Her eyes widened.::  Oh...that was _her_!  I didn’t know she was  a queen.  She was just a little girl…

Skyfire: What happened?

DeVeau: She had climbed a tree or something and was falling.  I caught her...badly.  That’s why I had the broken ribs and stuff.

:: Interesting that the broken ribs didn’t make it into her medical file, unless she was treated by Saveron or one of the other nurses. No follow-up had been done that he was aware of, so he took the time to ask before he continued. ::

Skyfire: Have you gotten them checked out since you got back? I don’t recall it in your file. 

DeVeau: Really?  I haven’t.  I got beamed back, sent to sickbay, healed up.   I was a bit sore ::The sudden regeneration of bone and tissue had a habit of doing that.:: ...but I’m fine now.

:: He nodded faintly and continued with his story, as unlikely as it seemed. It was going to be hell to explain to the DTI guys, when they showed up. ::

Skyfire: As I was saying...when we beamed down, we were in some kind of temporal fracture. And in that present, Shandres, Core, and Saveron were all dead. I’d heard from the captain that there was a bit of trouble with the transporter when they were pulled out, so it’s likely I saw their duplicates.

:: He scritched Devlin behind the ears, trying to calm himself as he took the offered mug of cocoa. ::

DeVeau: But he’s not dead.  Neither are Shandress and Core.

::So what was the explanation...duplicates.  That didn’t make sense either.::

DeVeau: What do you mean their duplicates?

Skyfire: :: had another sip before he spoke. :: As I said, there was a transporter malfunction. My guess is that the transporter beam de-materialized them and dematerialized them on the planet’s surface before the real ones were beamed out. Similarly to how Thomas Riker was created.

:: He had another sip of cocoa and Devlin gave a soft whimper. His master seemed lost in thought. The little puppy got up from CD’s lap and curled up in Alora’s, licking her hand in greeting. ::

**********

Lieutenant Chythar Skyfire

Chief Medical Officer

USS Garuda

Devlin the Beagle

Therapy Dog

Simmed by: Lt. Skyfire

&

Lt. Alora DeVeau

Chief of Science

USS Garuda