A Desperate Flight

Posted on Sat Apr 26th, 2025 @ 7:14am by Rear Admiral Rebecca Talon & Lieutenant Gabrielle Mailliard

1,858 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Mission 9: When the Stars Went Silent
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: Two Days After the Battle of Vulcan

Rebecca’s eyes fluttered open to darkness. The ceiling above her was unfamiliar—cold, metallic, shadowed. The sharp scent of antiseptic filled her nostrils, sterile and suffocating. Beneath her, a thin mattress pressed into her back, every ridge and seam uncomfortable against her skin. Soft voices murmured in conversation somewhere nearby, too low to understand, like echoes in a dream.

Her head throbbed with a dull, persistent ache. Thoughts came sluggishly, swimming through the fog in her mind.

Where was she? How did she get here? What had happened?

Fragments of memory surfaced. The red alert klaxon, the ship shaking. The Dominion ships coming at them, their weapons blazing. They had been in battle. Vulcan...

Well, we're still alive, and the ship isn't currently under attack. It must have worked out, she thought to herself. Yet, something lingered in the back of her mind. An intangible churning in her gut that she had no right to know. The battle had not gone well. Was there a tension in the air? Did she pick up a conversation when unconscious?

A definietly familiar voice drifted on over.

"Ah, good."

Lavender's unique façade appeared nearby, surprisingly together given the circumstances although her black and purple hair was scooped back into a tight, efficient bun and her makeup was rather more subdued than usual. She started running some intrusively beepy tests as Rebecca was still taking grasp of her reality. Finally finishing, the doctor moved from the bio bed panel to be more easily visible. She looked tired, very tired, like she hadn't slept in quite a while, her green eyes noticeably bloodshot as they darted over Rebecca's form.

"You've been under a few days," Lavender explained in a low-key and measured way. "You'll be fine; I've healed all your injuries, but you'll need some time to adjust and get going again. So take it easy If you don't I won't hesitate for one damn moment to haul my butt back over here just to remove you from duty. Got it?"

Rebecca groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose, and closed her eyes. "Ohh... I feel like I got run over by a shuttle pod."

"Well, that's not too far from the truth. Any pain?" Lavender asked in a business-like manner.

"Headache. A bit of nausea, and just feeling like crap in general," Rebecca groaned. "The last thing I remember, I was on the bridge. The fact that we are on emergency power makes me think that we got beat up pretty bad, but it looks like Ri... uh, Commander Nalim held us together."

Lavender nodded sagely. "She did, just about. Don't worry about that right now, the X.O. is handling it. Rate your pain from one to ten, nausea from one to ten."

Rebecca winced, "Uh... six or seven... Four maybe on the nausea?"

"That much, huh," Lavender looked mildly disappointed and busied herself with a hypospray. She administered two different drugs to the Captain's neck with an expert touch, a brief pause for reconfiguration in between.

"That's a pain killer and an antiemetic. Both should subside shortly. Now. I know that you won't rest properly until you know what's been going on so I've asked someone to fill you in. She'll give you all the answers. I can't stay, I have a list of patients longer than a Delavian Giraffe's neck. But..." Lavender leaned in to look directly at Rebecca. "Hear this. You have been unconscious for two days, Captain. You were in theatre for hours. I get wanting to know what's happening, even though medically it's probably the worst thing for you right now, so fine, you'll be briefed. But if I hear of anything off from you like ignoring doctor's advice, going back on duty when you're not cleared or any of that other typical Captain bullshit I will remove you from duty like that!" Lavender snapped her fingers, making a few of the medical staff look in her direction. "Don't think that I won't. Got it?"

Rebecca snickered and instantly regretted it. "Fair enough," she said as she pushed herself upright, her head swimming, and she blinked to refocus her eyes. "You know, Doc, I'm not sure you'll get much argument from me."

"Oh, good..." Lavender returned slightly sarcastically. "It's almost like she knows what she's talking about isn't it. The painkillers will keep you light-headed and sweaty for a while. If you try to move or stand too fast you'll fall over, and then I'll have to come re-repair the repairs. So don't. With that..." Lavender waved someone over. "...here's the delightful Gabrielle to fill you in. If you need anything, call out or press the magic button. Hope you feel better."

With that Lavender turned and made her way out of sight, leaving only Gabrielle at Rebecca's side. Gabrielle gave the Captain a charming smile.

"Good morning, Cap-tenn. 'ow do you feel?" She asked with a voice that danced like dragonflies on a river in summer.

The captain stared at the other woman, taking her in. She seemed way too cheery considering the circumstances. Her mouth was as dry as a New Mexico desert, and she was desperately craving a coffee. "I've been better." The other woman chuckled.

"Forgive me for saying, but that much is obvieuse," she said, in a mild but noticeable French accent. "My name is Gabrielle Mailliard. For the momunt I am the ranking Counselleur aboard Denver. Can I get you anything?"

Rebecca raised an eyebrow. It seems that she was a little behind on current events... or the knock on her head did more damage than she thought. Sighing she rubbed her temple. "How about we start at the beginning. What's going on?"

Counsellor Mailliard stopped smiling for the first time since the two women had met. She scooped a stray strand from in front of one of her eyes and tucked it back neatly into her highly volumused dark-chocolate hair. Inside nervousness gnawed at her. This wasn't a good way to meet a starship Captain.

"As I understand you were on the bridge directing the batturle but the ship took some 'its, 'ad some damage. You were crushed by debris." This word being overtly French in origin was pronounced flawlessly with an airly nasal ending, typical of such words when spoken in the mother tongue. "The crew managed to get you 'ere in time for Doctor 'aigh to save you but... Commander Nalam is in charge. You 'ave been under for two days. In these two days..."

Gabrielle's eyes shimmered in the sickbay lights with some deep-set feeling, her ruby lips twitched as she controlled the emotions that threatened to burst through her calm exterior.

"We lost Vulcann," she continued, in a quieter more subdued tone. "We took 'eavy losses. The ship is badly damaged. All the ships that are left are badly damaged. Those that can 'ave retreated at warp back toward Earth. Those that can't... I 'ate to think... I'm sorry, Cap-tenn."

Rebecca's blood ran cold. The news hit her like a punch to the gut, knocking the breath from her lungs. Icy fingers crept down the back of her neck.

To hell with her promises to the Doctor —and to hell with the doctor's threats.

She slid off the bed, bare feet pressing into the carpeted deck as she tested her legs. Aside from the pounding in her head and some stiffness in her shoulders, she seemed mostly intact.

"Is the bridge still operational," she asked, her voice low but steady, "or did Commander Nalam move it to auxiliary control?"

Gabrielle looked shocked. She debated quickly whether to give the Captain the answer or to try to encourage her back to bed. Somehow, without even knowing Rebecca, Gabrielle came to the conclusion that she wouldn't be stopped. If she didn't give Rebecca the answer, somebody else would. Her lips parted to begin a response but she was quickly cut off by a raging M'talan.

"Fine, fine!" Lavender stormed over looking like someone had just slapped her grandmother and taken a dump on her buffet plate. "If you've decided a half-dead Captain hopped up on painkillers and stims is a better leader than your X.O., fine, who am I to argue? Only the fucking Chief Medical Officer which apparently means nothing around here. Here, take this." She thrust Rebecca's uniform at Gabrielle, a new, clean uniform, presumably replicated for precisely this eventuality, and without asking gave Rebecca another shot, passing the hypospray to Gabrielle after. "Give her one per hour, no more than another two max or she'll have a heart attack. If she has more pain, give her triptacederine. The hypospray is locked into single patient mode, it won't let you give her more than she can deal with. And you," Lavender turned to address Rebecca directly. Her demeanour changed instantly, the narrow eyes and frown replaced in an instant, her voice quiet, so as not to be overheard.

"If anyone can get us out of this mess, you can. Good luck."

Without another word, she turned and was flagged down by a nurse to help with some new situation.

Gabrielle exhaled a deep and calming breath through pursed lips.

"Auxilye-rie control. The bridge was dam-edged." She passed the uniform to Rebecca. "The crew will be 'appy to see you, Cap-tenn."

Staring at the uniform in her hand she sighed. She didn't have the energy to dress. Tossing it aside Rebecca stepped into the boots and pulled the black and grey wool jacket over the hospital uniform. She was aware of how ridiculous she must have looked, and at this point she couldn't give a damn.

"I wish I could follow the doctor's orders. I want nothing more than to curl up in my bed and sleep for a week."

Gabrielle nodded empathetically.

"I can imagenne. I think you are not alone in that."

The counsellor looked over her shoulder toward the C.M.O. who was now talking to another patient.

"She cannot set the exampul of breaking the rules in front of 'er staff. But I think she undairstands what's at stake or she wouldn't 'ave let you go. You know she 'as been reassigned? 'ospital ship. If we survive this she'll be Admiral of the quadrant I think. But for now..." Gabrielle held out an arm towards the Captain.

"You need 'elp to walk? Where do you want to go, Cap-tenn? Auxilye-rie control?"

"I got it," Rebecca said, her voice flat.

She was the captain; projecting strength wasn’t optional, especially now. Letting the crew see her as battered as she felt would only deepen the wound. Morale was already in the gutter after the shellacking the fleet took at Vulcan. They didn’t need to see their commanding officer swaying on her feet or slurring her words with the Counselor acting as some sort of humanoid crutch.

"I need to talk to the XO. That means auxiliary control."

"Let's go!" Gabrielle was smiling again, for some reason. "After you."

 

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