CaptainWacky
I want to smell dark matter
Doctor Slod almost lost his balance. It was the fourth time the ship had been hit by enemy fire. The shields must be coming close to failing by now, he thought. Certainly they were weakened. Slod didn't know which alien race was attacking and he didn't much care. He found it amusing that humanoid species, all so alike from Slod's point of view, hated each other and fought in space battles for trivial reasons. Those divisions were pointless. When Traxtor came, they would all be the same. They would all die together.
After making sure that Nurse Bombad was not watching (he could have dealt with her if she had been, but he'd rather not take the time), Slod interfaced with the ship's compute to find out what was happening. It was an ability none of the crew knew he possessed. Traxtor had granted him many gifts. He was somewhat concerned that the Kelvin could be destroyed and that he would perish. Slod's life meant nothing, of course, but his service to Traxtor was the most improtant thing in the universe. He could not let that end yet. And granted, he had a few side projects of his own going on. They meant nothing compared to his holy duty to Traxtor, but Slod did enjoy them in his own way. Perhaps he'd grown too attached, he thought.
The computer told him there had just been an explosion in Engineering and that Chief Engineer Baakon had been gravely injured. Slod smiled, a human expression he had been teaching himself to master. He'd wanted to have Baakon at his mercy for some time. His half human/half tellerite heritage made him unique aboard the Kelvin. To probe inside his half-breed mind would be fascinating and to take control of him and turn him to the service of Traxtor would be more of a challenge than anything Slod had ever faced. Of course it was highly possiblre that he wouldn't have the chance, as the computre told him that the Kelvin's shields had failed. They were at the mercy of the four Orion pirate ships that had attacked. The end could come at any moment. Slod found himself looking over to a transparent jar containing a lizard in the corner of the sickbay. He wondered if it could tell what was about to happen. He flashed it his parody of a smile.
But the end did not come. The ship's computer told Slod that three Vulcan ships had arrived just in time to save the Kevlin and the Orions had fled. The Kelvin was just outside Vulcan space, so it made sense. Slod felt great relief. He told himself he was feeling it not because his life was continuing, but because his service of Traxtor was continuing. He almost believed it.
He heard Nurse Bombad re-enter Sickbay from the lab where she had been working. "I hope no one was hurt!" she said.
"Yes, you do seem adverse to doing actual work," said Slod. "Be prepared, I have a feeling..." The Sickbay door slid open. Two engineers ran in, carrying Bakoon.
"I can't find a pulse!" said one of the engineers, frantic.
"Oh no, Rory!" said Nurse Bombad.
"This is no time for hysteria," said Slod, taking Rory from the engineers with surprising strength and placing him roughly on a bed. Slod could see just with his keen eyes exactly what was wrong with Baakon, but he made a show of scanning him with a medical tricorder. "Hmm," said Slod, as the two engineers waited anxiously.
"For God's sake, is he going to be okay?" asked one of them.
"Shouldn't you get back to Engineering?" said Slod. "They'll need all hands, you are one man down..."
"Why you alien son of a bitch!" said the other engineer, taking an angry step towards Slod. But before anything could happen, sickbay door slid open and Captain Robau walked in. Everyone, even Slod, felt his commanding presence.
"What's the situation?" asked Robau. The captain was not a man to be trifled with. Slod sighed.
"He is badly injured," he said, which was true. "Under any other doctor's care he would probably perish. Luckily I have a custom treatment for the kind of burns he has suffered."
"Very good," nodded Robau. "You two should return to engineering for now. I promise as soon as we know Rory's going to be okay you'll be the first to know." Slod resented this.
"Aye, captain," said the engineers. They took one last look at Rory as Nurse Bonbad gave them a sympathetic pout. Then they glared at Slod, as if to say they would hold him responsible if Bakoon died, and left.
"You should leave as well, you're not needed here," said Slod to Robau. The captain took a step towards the doctor. Slod didn't want to feel intimidated. His life belonged to Traxtor, a mere human like Captain Robau meant nothing. And yet Robau had a presence. He was dangerous. It was wise to fear him, Slod decided.
"I know perfectly well where I'm needed," said Robau. "And you would do well to remember our talks on your bedside manner."
"That's hardly important right now," said Slod. "I must begin Bakoon's treatment immediately."
"What is this custom treatment, exactly?" asked Robau. He tried to hide it, but he almost sounded suspicious. Normally a Starfleet Captain would trust his Chief Medical Officer without question. Why would Robau doubt Slod? He was right to doubt him, of course, but it alarmed Slod slightly. Many complications would arise in his plan if he was forced to eliminate the captain this quickly.
"It's a Katlitwack Empath Lizard," said Slod. "It can literally take the burns from Baakon, leaving no trace on his body, and transfer the pain and injury to its own body, despite the massive size difference between the two. It really is quite remarkable."
"But the lizard will feel the pain itself?" asked Nurse Bombad. "That would be agony."
"Oh yes," said Slod, darkly. "It will be in quite some pain. Yet that will mean Baakon is completely healed, and isn't that what's important?" He glanced at Robau as he said that.
"I'm not sure if this treatment is something Starfleet Command would approve of," said Robau. "And you should have told me you had this creature onboard. But if it's the only way to heal Rory...proceed."
"Aye, Captain!" said Slod, then flashed what he thought was a friendly smile to Robau. By the Captain's reaction Slod could tell that he had not yet quite mastered the human smile. Robau no doubt found Slod "creepy", as the humans called it. This amused Slod. Robau took one last look at Baakon, then nodded at Nurse Bombad and left Sickbay.
Slod took the lizard from its container. He stroked his fingers against it softly. A rush of images came to him, as he had known they would. He saw a human female, trapped, suffering an enternal torment...it gave him great pleasure to see her again. Slod knew her well. He began to reach into her mind...
"Aren't you going to connect the poor thing to Rory?" asked Nurse Bombad, concerned. In touching the lizard, Slod has forgotten everything else, forgotten even where he was.
"I was perparing the creature for the ordeal it is about to face," lied Slod.
"Can it tell what's about to happen?" she asked, amazed and a little terrified.
"No, it just needs preparing," said Slod. "It is not sentient, it is not aware, worry about it no more."
"Because you'd never hurt a sentient creature," said the nurse. Was she trying to convince herself?
"Anymore irrelevant questions?" asked Slod. "if this is all so upsetting to you, perhaps you should return to the lab and finish whatever pointless experiments you were running." Without warning, Slod slapped the lizard onto the side of Rory's head. Bombad winced.
"No, I want to see if Rory's going to be okay," she said. "And I want to learn your...techniques." Slod interrupted her with a sigh.
"My poor human fool, you will never be capable of doing so," said Slod, and he caught Bombad in his gaze. As she stared into his coal-coloured eyes, she found her sense of self disappearing. She became nothing more than a toy for Slod. He had first taken control of her two months ago, during a moment of emotional distress. He could now do so whenever he wanted. Any small resistence she had once shown was crushed completely. Her mind was his.
"All glory to Traxtor," she said.
"Indeed," said Slod. "Now return to the lab." She nodded and did so. Slod looked her body up and down as she went. For a human female she was very attractive. Slod knew Traxtor wouldn't approve of such thoughts...or rather, Slod's fellow Sentinels Of Silence would say Traxtor would not approve. How could they say what was in the mind of Traxtor? They knew Him no better than Slod. The Cult of Traxtor dominated the lives of the Sentinels of Silence. Most of them had turned their back on sexual feelings years ago, on any feeling but devotion to Traxtor. Slod was not quite like the others, he knew that. But itt was just a physical reaction, perfectly understandable after being around humans for so long. Nothing more. It wasn't like before...
With Nurse Bombad finally gone, he could finally reach into the mind of the lizard again. But first he applied the Denobulan burn cream to Baakon that would entirely heal his wonds in a matter of hours. He didn't need the lizard for that at all. He needed the lizard for something else entirely. He reached into its mind...and entered its mindscape.
She was standing before him. She looked almost exactly as he remembered her, not a day older...except in her eyes. They looked old and sad. He wondered if he was making her look like that or if she was doing it herself or it was some combination of the two. It did not matter. All that mattered was that she was still there, living in the mind of the lizard.
"Hello, my wife," Slod said.
After making sure that Nurse Bombad was not watching (he could have dealt with her if she had been, but he'd rather not take the time), Slod interfaced with the ship's compute to find out what was happening. It was an ability none of the crew knew he possessed. Traxtor had granted him many gifts. He was somewhat concerned that the Kelvin could be destroyed and that he would perish. Slod's life meant nothing, of course, but his service to Traxtor was the most improtant thing in the universe. He could not let that end yet. And granted, he had a few side projects of his own going on. They meant nothing compared to his holy duty to Traxtor, but Slod did enjoy them in his own way. Perhaps he'd grown too attached, he thought.
The computer told him there had just been an explosion in Engineering and that Chief Engineer Baakon had been gravely injured. Slod smiled, a human expression he had been teaching himself to master. He'd wanted to have Baakon at his mercy for some time. His half human/half tellerite heritage made him unique aboard the Kelvin. To probe inside his half-breed mind would be fascinating and to take control of him and turn him to the service of Traxtor would be more of a challenge than anything Slod had ever faced. Of course it was highly possiblre that he wouldn't have the chance, as the computre told him that the Kelvin's shields had failed. They were at the mercy of the four Orion pirate ships that had attacked. The end could come at any moment. Slod found himself looking over to a transparent jar containing a lizard in the corner of the sickbay. He wondered if it could tell what was about to happen. He flashed it his parody of a smile.
But the end did not come. The ship's computer told Slod that three Vulcan ships had arrived just in time to save the Kevlin and the Orions had fled. The Kelvin was just outside Vulcan space, so it made sense. Slod felt great relief. He told himself he was feeling it not because his life was continuing, but because his service of Traxtor was continuing. He almost believed it.
He heard Nurse Bombad re-enter Sickbay from the lab where she had been working. "I hope no one was hurt!" she said.
"Yes, you do seem adverse to doing actual work," said Slod. "Be prepared, I have a feeling..." The Sickbay door slid open. Two engineers ran in, carrying Bakoon.
"I can't find a pulse!" said one of the engineers, frantic.
"Oh no, Rory!" said Nurse Bombad.
"This is no time for hysteria," said Slod, taking Rory from the engineers with surprising strength and placing him roughly on a bed. Slod could see just with his keen eyes exactly what was wrong with Baakon, but he made a show of scanning him with a medical tricorder. "Hmm," said Slod, as the two engineers waited anxiously.
"For God's sake, is he going to be okay?" asked one of them.
"Shouldn't you get back to Engineering?" said Slod. "They'll need all hands, you are one man down..."
"Why you alien son of a bitch!" said the other engineer, taking an angry step towards Slod. But before anything could happen, sickbay door slid open and Captain Robau walked in. Everyone, even Slod, felt his commanding presence.
"What's the situation?" asked Robau. The captain was not a man to be trifled with. Slod sighed.
"He is badly injured," he said, which was true. "Under any other doctor's care he would probably perish. Luckily I have a custom treatment for the kind of burns he has suffered."
"Very good," nodded Robau. "You two should return to engineering for now. I promise as soon as we know Rory's going to be okay you'll be the first to know." Slod resented this.
"Aye, captain," said the engineers. They took one last look at Rory as Nurse Bonbad gave them a sympathetic pout. Then they glared at Slod, as if to say they would hold him responsible if Bakoon died, and left.
"You should leave as well, you're not needed here," said Slod to Robau. The captain took a step towards the doctor. Slod didn't want to feel intimidated. His life belonged to Traxtor, a mere human like Captain Robau meant nothing. And yet Robau had a presence. He was dangerous. It was wise to fear him, Slod decided.
"I know perfectly well where I'm needed," said Robau. "And you would do well to remember our talks on your bedside manner."
"That's hardly important right now," said Slod. "I must begin Bakoon's treatment immediately."
"What is this custom treatment, exactly?" asked Robau. He tried to hide it, but he almost sounded suspicious. Normally a Starfleet Captain would trust his Chief Medical Officer without question. Why would Robau doubt Slod? He was right to doubt him, of course, but it alarmed Slod slightly. Many complications would arise in his plan if he was forced to eliminate the captain this quickly.
"It's a Katlitwack Empath Lizard," said Slod. "It can literally take the burns from Baakon, leaving no trace on his body, and transfer the pain and injury to its own body, despite the massive size difference between the two. It really is quite remarkable."
"But the lizard will feel the pain itself?" asked Nurse Bombad. "That would be agony."
"Oh yes," said Slod, darkly. "It will be in quite some pain. Yet that will mean Baakon is completely healed, and isn't that what's important?" He glanced at Robau as he said that.
"I'm not sure if this treatment is something Starfleet Command would approve of," said Robau. "And you should have told me you had this creature onboard. But if it's the only way to heal Rory...proceed."
"Aye, Captain!" said Slod, then flashed what he thought was a friendly smile to Robau. By the Captain's reaction Slod could tell that he had not yet quite mastered the human smile. Robau no doubt found Slod "creepy", as the humans called it. This amused Slod. Robau took one last look at Baakon, then nodded at Nurse Bombad and left Sickbay.
Slod took the lizard from its container. He stroked his fingers against it softly. A rush of images came to him, as he had known they would. He saw a human female, trapped, suffering an enternal torment...it gave him great pleasure to see her again. Slod knew her well. He began to reach into her mind...
"Aren't you going to connect the poor thing to Rory?" asked Nurse Bombad, concerned. In touching the lizard, Slod has forgotten everything else, forgotten even where he was.
"I was perparing the creature for the ordeal it is about to face," lied Slod.
"Can it tell what's about to happen?" she asked, amazed and a little terrified.
"No, it just needs preparing," said Slod. "It is not sentient, it is not aware, worry about it no more."
"Because you'd never hurt a sentient creature," said the nurse. Was she trying to convince herself?
"Anymore irrelevant questions?" asked Slod. "if this is all so upsetting to you, perhaps you should return to the lab and finish whatever pointless experiments you were running." Without warning, Slod slapped the lizard onto the side of Rory's head. Bombad winced.
"No, I want to see if Rory's going to be okay," she said. "And I want to learn your...techniques." Slod interrupted her with a sigh.
"My poor human fool, you will never be capable of doing so," said Slod, and he caught Bombad in his gaze. As she stared into his coal-coloured eyes, she found her sense of self disappearing. She became nothing more than a toy for Slod. He had first taken control of her two months ago, during a moment of emotional distress. He could now do so whenever he wanted. Any small resistence she had once shown was crushed completely. Her mind was his.
"All glory to Traxtor," she said.
"Indeed," said Slod. "Now return to the lab." She nodded and did so. Slod looked her body up and down as she went. For a human female she was very attractive. Slod knew Traxtor wouldn't approve of such thoughts...or rather, Slod's fellow Sentinels Of Silence would say Traxtor would not approve. How could they say what was in the mind of Traxtor? They knew Him no better than Slod. The Cult of Traxtor dominated the lives of the Sentinels of Silence. Most of them had turned their back on sexual feelings years ago, on any feeling but devotion to Traxtor. Slod was not quite like the others, he knew that. But itt was just a physical reaction, perfectly understandable after being around humans for so long. Nothing more. It wasn't like before...
With Nurse Bombad finally gone, he could finally reach into the mind of the lizard again. But first he applied the Denobulan burn cream to Baakon that would entirely heal his wonds in a matter of hours. He didn't need the lizard for that at all. He needed the lizard for something else entirely. He reached into its mind...and entered its mindscape.
She was standing before him. She looked almost exactly as he remembered her, not a day older...except in her eyes. They looked old and sad. He wondered if he was making her look like that or if she was doing it herself or it was some combination of the two. It did not matter. All that mattered was that she was still there, living in the mind of the lizard.
"Hello, my wife," Slod said.
