LtCmdr Skyfire + S. Moonsong: Homecoming Part I
Chythar Skyfire
((Earth, Leech Lake Minnesota, LlamaSong Farms))
((Time Index: 0945, morning after Pizza & Confessions))::Sasha Moonsong was standing on the porch of the old ranch house. Her hands were in the pockets of her jeans. She looked decades younger than her sixty-five years, but her black eyes were anxiously watching the road that led the the estate.::
::After hearing the details from her daughter, Sasha made arrangements and ignored any and all protests to the contrary. Chythar was coming home whether he liked it or not. Whether he knew it was home or not.::
::Chythar had gotten a haircut a few hours before being turned loose, till maintaining some aspect of the rugged smuggler but discarding the rogue pirate look he was forced to adopt. Clean-shaven but still handsome. Casual attire was the order of the day, mostly because he wasn’t able to replicate new uniforms before being packed on a shuttle. His tank top and jeans were their usual black in color, because most of his teal or blue got maimed during his year in...that one place.::
::As he walked up the long and dusty road to the estate, he gave a wave as he made his way up to the porch.::
Skyfire: Hello, Sasha. Pleasure to finally meet ye in person.
::Sasha flew off the porch and immediately took him into her arms, hugging him tightly. A half Betazoid, she was strongly projecting warmth and care as if he were one of her own children.::
Moonsong: Oh my poor cub...
::The hug, while not super-unexpected, did catch him off-guard. At least he was ready for the pounce, as Ris did this often in their holo-exchanges.::
Skyfire: Ah’m not actually dead, contrary to popular opinion.
Moonsong: ::She looped her arm through his and led him the rest of way to the house.:: That much is obvious. I don’t hug the dead. Far too disturbing.
::CD followed and managed a faint smile at the reference, though he realized all too well the fact that physicians run the risk of losing patients all the time.::
Moonsong: ::leading him inside, the house was large with an open floor plan.:: When did you last eat? Did you only bring the one bag? How long can you stay?
::The barrage of questions was also a bit unexpected, but then again he’d only communicated with Sasha in text form up to now. Perhaps it was the universe’s way of telling him to seek outside help from someone who wasn’t a pointy-eared Vulcan on the whole telepathy thing.::
Skyfire: First question, don’t remember the last time Ah had something that wasn’t an MRE. Second question, yes. Third question: three days before Ah’m required to put in an appearance for mandatory counseling and physical.
Moonsong: ::She had him drop his bag at the door and then moved them to the bright and open kitchen. She pointed to a stool at the breakfast bar.::: Sit.
::Far be it from him to argue with his newfound mother of choice, he obediently sat where she indicated.::
Moonsong: You need Raissa to counsel you, but that’s my opinion. You need family around you.
Skyfire: Ah know...Sal’s on the starbase, and Ris is on the Invicta.
Moonsong: ::Sasha began moving around the room, cracking eggs and chopping up herbs. :: So after the counseling, you can come back here, correct?
Skyfire: Ah don’t know. It may be an instant recall. Ah have no idea how long we’ll be in port.
Moonsong: ::she put skillets on the stove and began frying up thick slices of ham.:: Then you can stay home until they recall you, Chythar.
::He gave a noncommittal shrug. There was probably some merit to that plan, but at the moment he wasn’t sure what it was, exactly. He thought back to some of his earlier conversations with Ris, and recent monstrosities he was forced to witness over in hell.::
Skyfire: Perhaps. Ris mentioned some Lakotah rituals you might be able to teach me.
Moonsong: ::Putting bread in the oven to toast.:: Rituals for what, dear?
Skyfire: Meditation, specifically. Not sure how much you know about my unique situation, but Ah’m rated at T4/E6.
Moonsong: ::She began whipping up the eggs:: And what does that mean? ::She paused as she looked at him.:: Chythar… We run a llama ranch on Earth. Raissa told us you had a very difficult time for the last year and you need a place to rest.
::CD sighed and nodded slightly. Perhaps he needed to let the subject drop before Stripey chimed in with something not helpful. Explaining his rating to others was always a challenging prospect because he never knew how they would react to it.::
Skyfire: Ah’m telepathic without contact with any two-lobed species and empathic with any species without contact. Ah… ::He paused and tried to finish that with enough meaning that she understood.:: Ah sensed the deaths of over seven hundred people between the Triumphant and the Gorkon, with more than half of that being my own crew. Ah’ve never dealt with that much death before all at once, and don’t know how to block it out.
Moonsong: ::Sasha stopped what she was doing to stare at him.:: You are still feeling that?
::He held her gaze, unblinking and slightly afraid to admit it.::
Skyfire: Yes. Every single one.
Moonsong: ::She shook her head.:: You shouldn’t still be feeling that. I’m not the one to help you… ::She moved across the room to the vidscreen and placed a call.::
::Another face appeared, older than Sasha with definitely the same eyes and brow line.::
Aldron: =/\= Sasha? What’s wrong?
Moonsong: Mom, I have Chythar here. He just told me he experienced the death of over seventy five and it’s still with him.
Aldron: =/\= That should have purged from him by now… ::she looked at something off screen.:: I’ll be back first thing in the morning. Will that be all right?
Moonsong: ::Sasha looked at CD:: Will you be all right till morning?
::He gave a single nod, then clenched his fist from reflex. He usually did that in times of great stress when he didn’t have a pencil to fidget with. He didn’t want to give a more detailed account over the vidscreen.::
Moonsong: He says he’ll be fine till then, Mom.
Aldron: =/\= I’ll see you then. ::The screen went blank.::
Moonsong: ::Sasha returned to her cooking and then began to dish up a plate of herb flavored scrambled eggs, toast and ham.:: You need to eat. You are far too skinny. Then I’ll take you to your room so you can get some rest.
::It was true, he’d been eating MREs for the last year or so. They tasted horrible, and it was in no way a relief to know that he was on the skinnier side of his height and weight class. oO Time to hit the gym, I guess. Oo He nodded in silent agreement and unclenched his fist slowly. Once she placed the dish in front of him, he gave a quiet nod of thanks before eating it. His taste buds had been desensitized for so long eating MREs that he had to discover flavor all over again.::
::Sasha kept his plate full while he ate. She spoke of inconsequential things around the farm. The new designs for blankets, how wells sales were going. All things that didn’t require an answer from him. She wanted him to eat his fill and not talk. She planned to take advantage of the next few days to give him the rest he needed. Her daughter had not exaggerated.::
::She agreed with Raissa. Chythar had the look of a man who needed some place to call home and she and her family were more than willing to offer him that respite. There were plenty of rooms in the house and one of the guest rooms would become his on a permanent basis. Sasha had also been warned that he might find it overwhelming and have a little trouble adjusting. The older woman would take it as it comes.::
::Chythar sat in silence for five plates, eating whatever came onto it like it was going out of style. After eating the MREs for so long, he’d forgotten what food had even tasted like. Then again, spending a year in a foreign universe with no real food was a bit overwhelming. Stripey was oddly silent, and perhaps he had even died a little on the inside while he was over there. He didn’t know. Once the contents of the fifth plate were gone, he held up a hand indicating he was done. One thing Ris had not exaggerated was Sasha’s generosity. She had apparently accepted him as family, and all his strange little quirks.::
Moonsong: Did you get enough to eat?
Skyfire: Aye, Ah did.
Moonsong: Why don’t you take a shower and then lay down for a while?
Skyfire: Good idea… ::He realized that the last time he had a real shower was too long ago. He then cast a glance over his shoulder back to her.:: Which way?
Moonsong: ::She pointed down the hall that led to the back of the house.:: Down that way. Bathroom is on the right, there are extra towels in there. Your room is across the hall.
::He nodded and headed where indicated, making sure to grab a towel and retrieve his bag from by the door. If he was to shower, he wanted to wear something at least a little familiar, despite the fact it didn’t have beagle-fur all over it. The black sweats he packed were fine.::
::A half hour later, he emerged from the washroom clad in black sweats and a freshly replicated Starfleet Academy tee before he headed toward a random guest room. He left the door ajar, dropped the bag and lay upon the bed, not wanting to sleep but to definitely lie down and sort out the strange feelings he had going through his mind. With a sudden flash of remembrance, he propped himself up on his elbow and leaned toward the bag to grab his bottle of medication he was supposed to take in order to get to sleep. He quickly read the directions, popped two tablets dry and re-sealed the bottle, dropping it back into his bag. CD was not in any condition to argue with sleep when it came, but it was still a ways off.::
TBC
===
Sasha & Aldron Moonsong
LlamaSong Farms
Earth
As written by
Lt. Commander Raissa Moonsong
Chief of Counseling / Attache IEC
USS Invicta
=/\==/\=G239107RM0 =/\==/\=
&
Lieutenant Commander Chythar Skyfire
Chief Medical Officer
USS Gorkon, NCC-82293