The Power Of Life

Posted on 19 Oct 2021 @ 8:37pm by Commander Amelia Fox & Lieutenant Commander Aidan Datari & Lieutenant C'Tora Kuroka & Ensign Gwen Leighton & Lieutenant Ileyana Haistro

Mission: Picking up the pieces
Location: Bridge/Sickbay
Timeline: Current
1700 words - 3.4 OF Standard Post Measure

ON:

Amelia was sat in the Captain's chair as it was her duty watch on the bridge. She was thinking about Lieutenant Xu, hoping she was ok. She had heard of other Starfleet officers who had experienced rapid pregnancies but this one was really fast.

Suddenly the bridge lights flickered slightly.

Confused, Amelia looked up. "Something wrong with the power systems?"

"I can't see anything out of the ordinary Commander... I am detecting a similar energy signature from the other night though... This time it's not directed at the ship but it is a non localised emission from within the ship!"
Ileyana was just finishing her cover ships at Ops, even if she was now wearing the teal collar of the science division.

"Inside the ship?" Amelia asked concerned. "See if you can track it down."

Just then, Lieutenant Hawkins voice came over the comm. "Commander Fox we've got Xu, and she's in labour right now in sickbay"

Amelia let out an impressed whistle then tapped her comm badge. "Acknowledged Sickbay. Someone sure is in a hurry to be born. Please keep me informed. Fox out."

The bridge lights flickered once again and this time some of the consoles flickered also.

Amelia did not like this one bit. "Whatever it is, it's getting worse. Take us to yellow alert."

"Commander, we have a system wide power drain... I can't pinpoint its actual location. It is within the saucer section!"
Ileyana announced from ops, her fingers feverishly pounding on her console to try and track down the source.

Aidan pinched the bridge of his nose as he felt a surge of panic. "It's coming from sickbay," he said after a long moment, "but I can't verify the source. Yet, the drain seems to be coming from there.." He closed his eyes for a moment, reaching to rub his temples as a terrible headache seemed to wash over him. "Oooh I hate this," he groaned, "someone's terrified... I can just feel it... but why now.. of all the times, why now?"

Ileyana was herself fighting off images, flashes of something or someone that she had a familiarity with, something from her past or childhood. Kindness, generosity and flashes of flowing raven hair.
'Now is not the time for this Ileyana, push it aside and get on with your job!'

No sooner had she wrestled control back than the deck pitched throwing everyone off balance for a moment.

Amelia was hanging onto the Captain's chair for dear life. The deck stabilised again. "Take us to Red Alert!" She called out to Ileyana at Ops. "Try and supplement main power with auxiliary power." She looked now at Aidan "From sickbay you said? Could this energy be causing Lieutenant Xu's accelerated labour?" Before he could answer her, an image flashed in her mind, the image of the woman from her dream... and Amelia let out a loud moan as she almost doubled over in pain.

Her face filled with worry. "No....." She said to herself "No... it's not time yet."

"Could, yes... do I know for sure?" The Trill shook his head. "No, I'm not sure. I don't have enough data to even begin to make such a speculation." His face twisted, and he shook his head as if to shake of a feeling of utter agony. "Commander?" he queried, abandoning his station to run down to the command area. "Are you alright?"

Ileyana was next to move, having sensed the discomfort the Commander was in, grabbing a medical kit from the wall lockers as she went silently communicating with Gwen the need for Ops to be manned.

Wordlessly Gwen made her way to Ops and entered her credentials to take over.

"Here" Ileyana thrust the medical kit a Aidan while opening a tricorder to start scans. "Commander, it looks like she is going into labour!"
Once more the deck pitched, les violently than before but enough still to unbalance the crew.

Aidan gritted his teeth, holding the medkit while also struggling to keep himself to his feet. "Are transporters operational?" he shook his head. "No that's too dangerous with all these fluctuations. Let's get her to the ready room and make her comfortable there. Have sickbay dispatch a medical officer, and her mate... he should be summoned!" He wasn't going to have him miss the birth of his child, not like he had missed the birth of his own daughter.

Gwen tapped her combadge and informed Sickbay, "Medical is on their way." She said, "I'll have Security escort them as they're going to need more than a basic med kit."

Amelia was on the verge of tears as another sharp pain radiated through her abdomen. "It's too soon!" she said through gritted teeth as she accepted Adian's hand to help her out of the captain's chair. Beads of sweat were starting to form on her brow as she started to hyperventilate.

IN the midst of the chaos the com system chirped to life and a less than impressed C'Tora bellowed. " Bridge what the hell is going on? Are we under attack? The whole ship is bucking and I need emergency power to Sickbay or I'm going to lose this patient! I need power NOW to keep that bastard at bay!! "

As calmly and without being rude to her superior Gwen explained the current power flux. She looked to the engineering console behind her and asked if they could cut power to lower decks, anything - and a stressed nod was her response, "Hang in there Sickbay, we're going to try get you some more power."

Amelia let out another groan as she was led into the ready room and she lay down on the sofa, tears were now running down her cheeks "Please, please let my baby be ok." she prayed out loud as she dug her nails into the fabric and clenched her jaw to stop herself from screaming.

Aidan crouched next to her, holding her hand. It was the least he could do for her, with her mate occupied in sickbay. "It'll be alright," he whispered, not quite sure how to best comfort her.

Suddenly, Amelia saw a flash. It was that woman again... from her dream... smiling down at her. She managed to take a deep, ragged breath. "I think... I think it's passing," she said as the contractions seemed to lessen.

Aidan looked up at Ileyana, hoping she could confirm that. "Maybe you should stay here and get some rest," he suggested, "would you like for Sherlock to come and keep you some company? He can alert us if needed."

"Either way, one of us should be on the bridge... Commanders, I will head back out there!" Ileyana was thrown by the everything that was happening but also the sense of the familiar that seemed to be permeating everything and everyone. "Please excuse me!"

While she appreciated the offer, there was only one person that Amelia wanted by her side at that very minute. She squeezed Aidan’s hand and whispered hoarsely “Please…. Find… Syvar.”

"He's in sickbay, probably dealing with Xu's delivery," Aidan said, grimacing as his hand was almost crushed. "I doubt he can leave ma'am, but I'm sure he'll be with you as soon as he's able. You know duty comes first ma'am...."

Amelia nodded then grimaced as another pain radiated through her lower abdomen, but by no way as intense as the previous one. She hoped that this was not actual labour but, just to be safe, remembering from the birthing classes and information she had been reading, started taking slow deep breaths. Seeing the look of pain on his face, she loosened her grip but did not fully release his hand. She managed to smile at him. “Thank you for your help Aidan.”

She looked back to Aidan. “Something very strange is going on aboard this ship and, I think it has something to do with Xu’s child.”

The Trill nodded. "Then we'll be looking into that as soon as things calm a little," he promised.

Amelia took another deep breath and tried to calm herself. She realised that Syvar would be busy in sickbay, but she still would feel better when she could see him.

There was a little commotion outside the ready room doors, before they parted and a Vulcan in teal burst into the room. "Amelia!" he called out as he rushed forward, almost knocking the Trill at her side over in the process.

Aidan quickly scooted out of the way. "If I'm needed page me, I'll be on the bridge," he said simply, before affording them some privacy.

Seeing him lifted Amelia's spirits instantly and she reached out and took his hand. "I'm sorry I dragged you away from your patient, you know I don't like to cause a fuss." She took another deep breath. "Whatever that was hit me like a ton of bricks and I had a vision of that woman again... The woman from my dreams"

"C'Tora made me go," Syvar reassured her, "I felt what you felt, I almost passed out. C'Tora saw it and told me to get up here, he made it an order." He smiled as he took her hand. "I'm here now... did the lady say anything to you?"

Amelia shook her head. "In my dream, I saw... I saw our daughter as a young girl. She said her words were not for my ears but that she loved me and cared for me and gave me her blessing. Is our baby ok?"

"She is fine," Syvar reassured her, "but I think Doctor Kuroka should give you a more elaborate examination. You know as your mate, I'm not allowed to do that." He touched her cheek and smiled, before resting his bare hand on her abdomen. "But from what I can tell, our little girl is fine."


OFF:

Commander Amelia Fox
XO
USS Andromeda

Lieutenant JG C'Tora Kuroka
CMO
USS Andromeda

Lieutenant Ileyana Haistro
Assistant Chief Science Officer
USS Andromeda - NPC Higgins

Ensign Gwen Leighton
Security Officer
USS Andomeda

Lt. Commander Aidan Datari
Chief Science Officer

Ensign Syvar
Medical Officer
pnpc Aidan