Nearly home

Posted on Thu Oct 15th, 2026 @ 6:46am by Commander Sthilg

Mission: Season 6 - Episode 8- The Price of Home
Location: Cargo bay three
504 words - 1 OF Standard Post Measure

A faint echo filled the room as Sthilg went about his work. The low tune that escaped his lips was a low gorn tune of the long road home and how hopeless it felt.

Scratch scratch cratch went his finger along the padd as he ticked off another one. Click click click went the buckle as he checked they were still strapped down.

Scratch scratch splosh.

That took him out of his thoughts. Looking down at the body bag in front of him, he sighed, looking at the blue sludge which was leaking out.

"Oh, Ensign Salor, what a mess you've created," he sighed as he walked of to get a mop. The rows of rows of body bags seemed to glisten in the low light. The old gorn sighed again. He knew every name on each of the bags off by heart. Godess he'd been the one to seal most of them away.

Hopefully they'd soon be home, and he could hand them to the family waiting for them.

Another sigh escaped his mouth. Then he'd be dealing with all the pain. How come you didn't save them? How come they're still alive, and my son is dead?

You think after his many years he'd be used to it, but it never got any easier. His hands gripped the mop before returning to the mess. He drew a repair patch and slapped it onto the leak, stopping the trickle of blue slime.

How many times would he be doing this before they made it home?

It wasn't long before the mess was gone, and after that the gorns checked on the fallen. Sending the info to the computer, the gorn stepped out of the cargo bay and turned mourge. There was a hiss as it resealed, and the gorn let out another sigh.

His heavy footsteps echoed as he made his way across the rather empty ship. Many were currently working on the device that would hopefully get them home.

He paused, reaching for the cylinder around his neck; he unscrewed it, pulling out the image. It was still the same as the last time. His family, or what would be his family, looked back at him. He did pause and tap the smudge, which hadn't changed since the last time.

Resealing his echo of a future to come, he continued on till he reached the centre of his world. The Elysium sickbay swallowed him as he returned to his work, which surrounded him in the seemingly endless noise that only a Starfleet doctor could work through.

Medicine to send out, surgery to plan and patients to see. Busy, busy, busy.

And just as would be expected, the coffee machine had decided to play up.

He sighed as he looked at the mug with the small trickle of brown liquid staining the white mug.

Just another day in the position of the Elysium's chief doctor.

Letting out a small smile, he let out another soft sigh.

He wouldn't have it any other way.