Lt.(jg) Dr. Toz: Hey, Cuz!
Patty Boyle
(( Sickbay, Deck 5, USS Octavia E. Butler ))
Lhandon spoke kindly, and softly his Gaultan accent slipped through. Toz was impressed with the bedside manner he’d developed. Barney was clearly distressed. The entire phasing thing must have hit him harder than the rest of the crew that they’d brought back.
Nilsen: Hey mate, I'm Lieutenant Lhandon Nilsen. I'm the Assistant Chief of Operations on the USS Octavia E Butler. This is Dr Toz. She's the best damn doc this side of the wormhole. What's your name buddy, what's your role on the Dow?
Barney: Nilsen. Ensign Barney Nilsen. I’m… I was an engineer. No, I was in security. Yes. Transferred to security when we lost our chief security officer.
Toz: Lost? How? Was he phased like everyone else?
Barney: He was killed. I think. During the phase thing like you said. But we never found the body. I think.
Barney leaned back on the bed looking as if he’d just run a 5k marathon. Thankfully, Llandon turned the conversation back to where it had been.
Nilsen: Well would you look at that, we got the same last name. Not every day I meet another Nilsen out here. ::to Toz:: I'm guessing this is why you called me? I'd recognized me own accent a light year away.
Both Barney and Lhandon had seemed to share some of the same linguistic traits as Gault. Their voices had both been soft and their vowels had been gentle. It had seemed that both had also had their accents smoothed over just a little by the practice of Federation Standard. Once again, Toz found herself grinning. This was going to be fun -watching family discover each other. Sorta the way she’d found K’lotuS, her half brother.
Llandon was smiling with what appeared as great joy. Toz grinned widely. He’d just found a new family member. She knew him well enough now that she understood family was very important to him.
Barney: What’s happening? Am I okay? The phasing thing… Did you find the Dow? ::pause:: Of course you did. I’m here. What about the rest of the crew?
Toz: The Unity Dow was lost in the Oort Cloud and we, the USS Octavia E. Butler was sent out to find you… which we have. But we became phased between here and there. Like half in and half out of the Cloud. Well, to make a long story rather short since I don’t know all the particulars anyway, we managed to use the transporters to get ourselves phased back to… well, life. And we were able to get the Unity Dow back, too. You were the first to make it.
Barney: You mean we died and you brought us back? Then where did my cousin, Wilma, come from? Or go? She’s been gone a very long time. ::beat:: Just what’s going on here??
Nilsen: I know, I know, it's a lot to take in. We recovered the Unity Dow, as well as some of the crew, so you're safe now. We've left that system.
Barney: Okay. ::leaning back on the bed:: Okay.
Nilsen: Why don't you tell us what happened? And we can fill in any blanks you have or answer any questions.
Llandon remained calm and spoke with kindness. Toz was glad to see that he felt for Barney, whether he was a family member or not.
Barney: ::softly:: Wilma. She was my cousin. We played in a treehouse. Somewhere. She was killed in a shuttle accident. ::looking at Toz then Llandon:: So how would I see her? Did I really see her get phased? Or…
Toz: We don’t know.
Toz wondered if the counsellor could help. Giving it further thought, Toz decided it would be best to send this Nilsen back to the Dow and their doctor. She didn’t have any charts or files or records on the man. But there was one thing that she was curious about: Llandon’s cousin or not?
Nilsen: response
The very question Toz was thinking about.
Nilsen: response
Toz: If you played in a treehouse, was that on Gault?
Barney: I don’t really know. My dad was Henry Bales Nilsen. I don’t know who Wilma’s parents were. But dad’s brother was named Harold. I never met him. We were chased off Gault when I was a teenager.
Nilsen: response
Lt.(jg) Doctor Toz
Acting Chief Medical Officer
USS Octavia E Butler
T239801T14