House Call

Posted on Mon Jul 27th, 2026 @ 4:08pm by Lieutenant Commander Elias Ford

1,068 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Flashbacks and Side Quests
Location: USS Stargazer
Timeline: 2380

[ON]

The thumping sounds were becoming increasingly irregular through the bulkhead.

Ford was not entirely sure he had his uniform on right. He slapped his forehead to wake himself up, tapped the side of the medkit he had strapped on him.

It was 02:47. Chief Harriman was kneeling, his arm was reaching into an access port up to his shoulder. Eyes suggesting he was trying to do everything by touch.

In front of Ford, Z'Olvan stood flat against the bulkhead beside her door, ears pinned, tail wrapped tight around his own leg. Caitians did not sweat. But tonight, this one sure looked like he did.

"She is a Vulcan." he said, tapping his tail on the ground to get his attention.

"I know what she is." Ford brought the hypospray closer to his eyes, the dim lights of the corridor did not help. He adjusted the dose.

"What I mean, Ford, is that you need to be careful."

"Tsk" Harriman made a noise as something sparked. "Alright, ten seconds. It will open all the way."

The door opened all the way.

The irregular thumps became loud crashing sounds accompanied with screams of pain. Z'Olvan rushed inside with a leap in a single second. Ford followed. Before his eyes could even adjust to the light, something big came between the light and him. It crashed against the doorframe, inches away from his face. An entire wall panel assembly. Its electronic components spilled on the floor.

"NOW!" Harriman slapped his shoulder.

Ford jumped over the panel assembly, barely missing it. Vielar was in a state of shock, green all over her face. Her uniform torn and bloodied. The furniture was sent flying with ease as she flailed her arms around. With a final pounce, Z'Olvan brought Vielar on what remained of the carpet. She shouted pleas in a language he did not recognize.

Ford tried to position himself as Z'Olvan held her in place. He pushed the hypospray, aiming to hit her neck through her flailing arms.

The door closed with a hiss as she lost consciousness. He let out a sigh of relief, then realized his bottom lip was torn in half.

He dropped the kit and knelt next to it, it took several attempts before he got it to open. Blood made everything slippery.

"Stevens, report." Harriman did not tap his badge.

"All quiet, Chief." Steven's voice came through the intercom.

"E ore eh own ea oo" Ford was holding his mouth shut as he worked the regenerator on himself, his eyes were locked on Vielar.

"What?" Z'Olvan was in the middle of putting back in its place whatever was not entirely destroyed.

"She tore her own ears off!'' Ford was looking for them around the floor moving rubble and pieces of furniture.

Both Harriman and Z'Olvan dropped whatever they were doing and frantically joined the search.

"This is bad, Ford, very bad. She is supposed to join the away team at 08:00 hours" Stevens's voice was unnervingly calm over the intercom.

"Found one!" Z'Olvan brought one of the ears to Ford.

"08:00 hours? 08:00 hours, 08:00 hours. She'll make it, she'll make it." They could not move her to sickbay and they could not tell anyone. He had to do everything alone. He forced himself to slow his breathing down as much as he could.

He had to decide what to do first, he wasted too much time looking back and forth between Vielar and the kit. First, the bleeding. He decided. Even on a Vulcan, bleeding on the head usually looks worse than it actually is. Second, the eardrums. Third- he wiped his sweat with his brow. Managing only to dirty his face even more.

"I need more light, Chief" he exhaled.

Harriman touched the wall panel until the lights increased by about 20%. Ford was getting into a steady rhythm over the next couple of hours. Chief Harriman had already overridden the replicator and together with Z'Olvan were recycling everything on sight. Eventually the other ear turned up.

The eardrums were healing, he checked five and six times before attempting to reattach the ears. He had to remind himself to breathe as he did. His nerve decurler made a scorching sound as it stitched the nerve endings together. He was counting them down one by one, constantly consulting his tricorder.

By the time he was done, most of the room had been fed into the replicator. Ford was washing himself and calculating the medication Vielar would need. Harriman and Z'Olvan were whispering on what remained of the couch, with occasional additions of Stevens through the intercom.

Ford joined them, the talk was about what would come next.

"You should have him say something." Z'Olvan urged Harriman.

"Have him say what? The boy has less time in the fleet than I have in the mess hall." Harriman buried his face in his hands.

"Have me say what?" Ford asked. Harriman gave Z'Olvan a look.

Ford had a feeling he knew where this was going. The current scenario was mysterious signal from Gewa 10. The signal was real, a different ship had set up the source months ago in preparation for the Stargazer to find it. Vulcans are more sensitive than others to sounds and as Ford understood it the signal made several objects vibrate on a frequency audible by them, dogs and other species but not humans.

"Look." Harriman wouldn't have it. "We cannot report this, she cannot have another episode on her record. They will kick her out. She has nowhere else to go, Ford. They already expelled her from the Vulcan Science Academy. Twice."

"Harriman" Stevens tried to interrupt.

"No. Enough. She is supposed to join the away team with the first officer. And he is supposed to be the hero who solves the mystery. It is the quickest way to end this."

Z'Olvan hissed deeply out of frustration and disappointment. Stevens spoke up through the intercom.

"There is one thing I do not understand. Wouldn't it be easier to stun her?"

Chief Harriman grinned. "You don't see as much as you think, Stevens. I'll have you know it was Ensign Ford who decided against it."

"Oh?"

The room got completely silent.

''And why is that?"

"I-uh. Just" The words did not come easily to Ford.

"I...did not want the last thing she saw, to be us pointing weapons at her"


[OFF]

Ensign Elias Ford
Medical Officer
USS Stargazer

 

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