LtCmdr Skyfire + Lt. Stoyer: What Happened?
Chythar Skyfire
((Starfleet Medical, San Francisco, Earth))
::Chythar had been released by Mark a few minutes before and was on his way to go visit his uncle. He hadn’t needed to be told who to check up on because in his mind there were only a few who he had to go bother in order to keep his own sanity, and at least one of them was a workaholic like himself whom didn’t know how to stay out of his domain. When he got to the room occupied by Lt. Stoyer, he gave a soft smile.::
::Cory had spent a miserable couple of days since returning to Earth. When Petra was arrested, Cory was held back from doing anything stupid by Chythar. Only his promise to stay in the hospital kept Cory there. He was cleared physically for duty, but he was avoiding the psych exam. He knew that is in his mental state he was be put away for a while. He was worried for his wife, his ship and his own sanity. Cory looked up when Chythar walked into his room.
Skyfire: Hey, Cory. You doing okay?
Stoyer: ::Irritably.:: About as well as I can. ::Changing his tone.:: How are you?
Skyfire: Lighten up! Work isn’t everything, mate. Ye ken that as well as me.
Stoyer: Chythar, it’s not the work. I haven’t seen the Gorkon since we got back. They will not let me leave.
::CD gave an empathic nod. He knew how that went, as he was ordered also not to work on anyone’s cases from the Gorkon either. He had stopped to check on one Kael Tam, now deceased. With a heavy heart, he sat down in a chair near Cory’s biobed.::
Skyfire: Ah know how ye feel, mate. Ah’ve been ordered not to work on any of the Gorkon’s crew we returned with, and Ah lost a patient. Again. ::Even as he said that last word, his voice filled with bitterness and sorrow. He hated losing patients. It wasn’t a good feeling.::
Stoyer: ::forcing a smile.:: I know you. The lack of work is wearing on you. Come let’s get out of here and get some lunch. I could use a walk. I have been staring at these 4 walls all morning.
::Lunch? Oh good grief, when was the last time he actually had something that resembled a meal? It wasn’t when he got back, no. He was sedated after they returned….eight, nine months ago? No, longer than that.::
Skyfire: Lunch sounds good. Anywhere in mind? ::He glanced down to Cory’s leg after he got up.:: How’s the leg?
::Cory slowly got off the bed and reached for his cane. His knee still throbbed, but is was easier to move around. Cory still had a limp, but it was less pronounced.::
Stoyer: The knee is getting better. The limp is getting less and less. As for lunch, since I still can’t leave the hospital how about the cafeteria? The food is not that bad for hospital food. Have you seen anyone else?
Skyfire: Not since...um. Yesterday. Mark’s been reactivated, and you’re the first one I’ve seen, so...I don’t know what’s going on.
::As they headed to the cafeteria, Chythar came to the realization he didn’t know what had become of anyone except the patient in surgery they were working on prior to being brought home. As he did a mental check of the emotions inside his head, he realized also he had a strong urge to check on Alex for some reason that he wasn’t entirely sure why.::
::That surprised Cory. He had not seen anyone also sense Petra’s arrest and his being sent to the hospital. That was part of his problem, the sense of being forgotten.::
Stoyer: ::looking at his friend.:: That surprises me. Why are they keeping us apart? Did we do something wrong, by surviving?
::Cory felt the anger creep back up inside him. He pushed it back down. Now was not the time.::
Skyfire: Ah dinnae think so, Cory. Ah was heavily drugged when Ah got here due to headache. Left me sedated and nightmare-ridden. ::He placed a calming hand on Cory’s shoulder.:: It’ll pass. You & Petra will come out of this with flying colors, mate.
::It was probably a hollow sentiment, given his lack of knowledge as to what the current state of affairs was, but it was the best he could offer. He was calm, except for needing to corner Chris and figure out what the bloody hell happened.::
Stoyer: I am sorry I didn’t come by and see you while we were on the Yarahla. Once I got the Gorkon ready to be towed and Petra told me about what happened I just wanted to spend as much time as possible. Maybe after lunch, between the 2 of us, we can get some answer or find some of the others.
::Answers? Well, it was a start. Cory clearly knew something he didn’t. Perhaps now was as good a time as any.::
Skyfire: No worries. While we’re on the subject, laddie...what *did* happen?
Stoyer: Well. according to her, the crew that found us were sent a signal to meet. They then planned to steal a starship and look for us. This is after Starfleet had given up on us. The crew was made up of diverse group. Civilians and Starfleet personnel. Now, they all have been arrested for grand theft, starship.
::As hard as it was for Chythar to believe that his uncle would be caught up in something like that, the fact Starfleet had given up on them made it a lot more believable, since he knew Chris’ reputation for stubbornness.::
Skyfire: So lemme get this straight: Starfleet loses hope & declares us KIA, then a ragtag group of interested parties clandestine-like steal a starship in order to pull us back, find us, then get arrested?
Stoyer: Yep. I know it looks like idiocy on the part of Starfleet, but they are going through with the court martials.
::Cory again felt the anger rise in him. All of the years that both Petra and he gave to Starfleet. They arrived at the cafeteria. Cory looked around to see if they knew anyone. Again, he did not see anyone from the Gorkon. He followed Chythar to the replicators::
::CD replicated himself a pizza and a cola, then headed toward an empty table. Nobody he knew was here, and the sensation he got to check on Alex grew a bit stronger for some reason. In his capacity as CMO, it was his job to check on the crew. However, per Mark’s orders, he wasn’t supposed to do anything of the sort. Besides, he was with a friend at the moment, so he pushed the emotions to the side.::
Skyfire: That’s just dumb.
::Cory got a bacon cheeseburger with a heaping pile of fries. He added a cola also. Petra would give him grief for his choice of lunch, but he missed good food for sooooo long. Cory followed Chythar to an empty table and sat down. Without a word he started into his food with a gusto. After a second he realized that Chythar had spoken to him.::
Stoyer: ::with a mouthful of food.:: Yeah, it is dumb.
::Cory continued to attack his food. It was good for hospital food.::
Stoyer: OK, Doctor Skyfire, how long are we stuck in here??
Skyfire: Your guess is as good as mine. ::He had a bite or two of his pizza and shrugged.::
::Truth be told, Chythar didn’t have a clue. He had less of a clue on that than he did on anything else going on.::
Skyfire: Ah have missed this, so much….
Stoyer: ::chewing happily.:: I have too. I have to be careful, I will eat this place out of food.
::CD had another bite or two and washed it down with his cola. His mind raced as he made a mental checklist of the other two people he had to see, and then a second list of the ones he had to call.::
::Cory finished his lunch and sat back. He had an appointment with a counselor, but he was deciding on cancelling it. Avoid it for another day. That was his thoughts.::
Stoyer: Chythar, I have a question. I have been cleared physically for duty, but the mental I have been avoiding. With everything that has happened and what is going on with Petra I do not think I would pass. Do you know any of the counselors here? Can you recommend one?
Skyfire: Not in SFM, no. I do know of a couple on the Gorkon, though. One is my counselor, Dr. Orrey. The other is LtCmdr Tobian Dalton. Both might have their hands full with other Gorkon patients, though.
::It was true, both counselors were probably booked solid trying to get the Gorkon’s crew cleared for mental duty so they could return to work. Tobian, at least, was the only one CD knew of who was likely to be working today, because he didn’t know Jansen’s schedule well enough to predict.::
Stoyer: ::dejectedly.:: Thanks. When I get back to my room, I will make the appointment and get it over with. I am not looking forward to it.
::There was truth in those words. Nobody was actually looking forward to “how are you?” and “tell me about your feelings” from those who were effectively prisoners of war in a foreign and Dominion-run reality. That was just crazy to think anyone actually *liked* counseling. And given Chythar’s past history, anyone who thought he wanted it was insane.::
Skyfire: None of us are, mate. Trust me, I still have to make a few calls and see some people. Two of those calls are to counselors who might not have seen the FNS.
::Cory realized that he was making excuses for not going and getting it over with.::
Stoyer:I don’t have anything else planned for the day.
::It occurred to Cory that he was lonely and had nothing to occupy himself and was getting the “I feel sorry for myself” stage.::
Skyfire: Well, I can hang with you a little longer, or watch while you call in to one of the counselors before I need to go check on things. I can also provide you with a book or two.
Stoyer: Thanks. The books will be helpful. I did not get any of mine transferred to my PADD before the battle and our escape. What engineering manuals I was able to access are sooooo dry. Give me a second to set my appointment with the counselor.
::Cory got up and went to a disposal area to get rid of his tray and food. Next he walk over to a terminal and call up the available openings for counselors. He flipped back and forth between a couple of them, before deciding on an older doctor, based out of SFM. He figured that the Gorkon’s counselors probably had their hands full..::
::While Cory was doing that, Chythar called up a few books on his PADD and transferred them to Cory’s library. The files were fortunately backed up in several places.::
::Cory headed back to the table to join Chythar.::
Stoyer: Well, I have an appointment later this afternoon. Since we have time to kill, you want to wander around and see if we can find anyone?
Skyfire:::as he put his PADD back in his pocket:: Gave ye a few of my favorite books from my uncle’s collection, which should provide more interesting reading. ::He glanced down at his chronometer.:: We could try for a bit, Ah suppose.
Stoyer: ::in a better mood.:: Great. Maybe we'll bump into someone.
::CD nodded and followed Cory through the cafeteria, eyes scanning for anyone from their crew. He doubted the “criminals” would be released for meal breaks while waiting for their trials, but it was a possibility. He still wanted to have a chat with Chris, but that could wait..::
Skyfire: Here’s hoping, mate.
END
===
Lieutenant Cory Stoyer
Chief Engineer
USS Gorkon
C239111CS0
&
Lieutenant Commander Chythar Skyfire
Chief Medical Officer
USS Gorkon, NCC-82293
History Team Co-Facilitator
Medical Duty Post Facilitator
Dear Doc Columnist
Podcast Script Writer
O239002CS0