Lieutenant JG Meris: Field Notes and Fang Marks
Meris/Brian
((USS Thor, Corridor, Deck 10))
The Thor felt steadier than Meris remembered.
oO Perhaps it is not the ship that has changed. Perhaps it is me. Oo
The J'naii helmsperson moved down the corridor at an unhurried pace, one hand absently rubbing just beneath the elbow of their uniform jacket.
When they had returned to their own body, the spider bite they received in the Ero’doth Temple had not bothered them at all. By the time their shuttle returned to the Thor, however, it had matured into a persistent throb. Now it pulsed in time with their heartbeat.
oO Of all the dangers we faced in the ascension temple, it is a spider bite that lingers. Oo
They adjusted their sleeve again, trying not to scratch it.
oO I will never hear the end of this if it leaves a scar. Oo
The Sickbay doors parted with a soft hiss.
Meris stepped inside and paused.
They had expected to find Taj’el at work. Taj’el had treated the bite on Sonoe and would know precisely what to do. Instead, the familiar scent of antiseptic and sterilized air greeted them along with a different presence.
((USS Thor, Sickbay))
Doctor Nera Ay stood at an empty biobed, reviewing the display above it.
Meris hesitated only briefly before stepping forward.
Meris: Excuse me. Doctor Nera? I was hoping you could take a look at my arm.
As they spoke, the pilot absently scratched at the bite through the fabric of their sleeve, then caught themself and stopped.
They rolled the sleeve back, revealing faint discoloration and irritation around the puncture site.
Meris: While on Sonoe, my arm was bitten by a spider. Doctor Taj’el treated the wound, but it appears to have worsened since we left the planet.
The corner of their mouth twitched upward. Their pale cheeks took on a slightly warmer hue, embarrassed that the injury had resulted from a moment of distraction.
oO Ascended beings... five millennia of wisdom... and I am undone by an arthropod. Oo
Nera: Response.
At Nera’s indication, Meris stepped up to the biobed and sat upon it, removing their duty jacket and folding it neatly beside them.
Up close, the bite looked angrier than they had admitted to themself. A subtle warmth radiated outward from the center.
oO I have faced non-linear ascended beings and crystalline harmonic collapse... and this is what brings me to Sickbay. Oo
Meris watched as Nera began their examination.
Meris: How did your away mission go? You were on Bythr, yes?
Nera: Response.
Meris nodded thoughtfully and flexed their fingers experimentally as Nera worked, noting the slight stiffness in their forearm.
Meris: I believe our mission to Sonoe will be classified as a success. We returned with five thousand years of knowledge from an ascended culture stored in our shuttle’s databanks.
A faint note of wonder colored their tone despite their effort to remain composed.
Meris: We did take some scans of the spider that bit me if you want to review them. They should be logged in Commander Saa's official accounting of our away mission.
Idly Meris wondered if the spider itself had returned with them as well. The last they'd seen, the arthropod had been knocked unconscious and sealed in a specimen bag before the away team had begun their trials.
Nera: Response.
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Lieutenant JG Meris
Helmsperson
USS Thor
A240207M14