"It's a long story..."

[Sam_SemaJ 0]

"...It's a long story"

A Joint Log between Lt(jg) Sema'J and Acting Ensign Swan

SD 10803.24

 

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Sam Sema'J sat on a biobed sipping a glass of water and trying to breathe evenly. Swan came out of the back room after working on the autopsy of Ken. She looked around and saw Sam sitting on the biobed sipping at the water. She quickly grabbed a medicorder and walked over to him, puzzled that she was not aware that he had come in. "Mr. Sema'J? What brings you to Sickbay?"

 

He looked up as she approached. "Oh...I blacked out in a big crowd of people, coming out of the transporter room. Got a little to cramped and dizzy for me. I really wish there was something more permanent I could do about this. Miranda hasn't quite got a therapy routine down to deal with this yet. Speaking of, where is she." Sam looked around for Miranda as Swan began scanning him.

 

Swan continued her scans as she answered, "I believe she is on a break at the moment." As she finished the scan, she looked to his face getting that feeling again that she's not trusted by the crew. She lowered the tricorder. "If you like, I will call her for you. I know some crew still do not trust my ability to treat injuries and such."

 

Sam looked up at her, "Oh, it's not that at all. I'm sorry, please don't feel that way. I've seen you working with her, you're a dedicated study." He Smiled, "I'm always looking for her when I'm down here...it's not you. And I just need something to clear the fuzz in my head. There's no need to interrupt her break." Sam took another sip of the cool water and took a deep breath.

 

Katherine returned the smile. At least this one seemed honest as to what he said. "Very well. May I please have access to you medical file? This will allow me to pull up your chart so that I may get the correct medication for your trouble. I assume you have had issues such as this before, and Dr. Porter treated you for it?" She again looked to the medical unit deciphering what it was telling her.

 

Sam leaned over to the screen she was on, he hit the proper key and then punched in his authorization code, his medical file sprung up on the screen. "During the mission when we were stranded in that galaxy quite far away." Sam did not put together that this was the time Swan had hooked up with Arcadia. "I sustained heavy neural injuries in the line of duty. I was in a coma, and when we got back, was sent to SF Medical for treatment. I've since been returned to active duty. But I've been experiencing occasional problems with dizziness, visual acuity...that's perceptional of course," pointing to his implants, "and it's worse in tense situations, crowds, heat...etc. So I hope that about sums it up for you." He smiled weakly after giving her such a mouthful of information.

 

Swan cringed at the info and the timeline he gave her. She began to think back to when she gained access to the ship. Was this one of the ones injured due to the acts she carried out? She looked at the screen that had popped up in front of her. Had he known what happened with her in Engineering and with the other officers? Maybe he was playing this game to see how dedicated she was to treat the crew. Maybe this was a test. If it was she was not going to fail it. She scanned the chart for a moment and then looked back to Sam. "Mr. Sema'J. I think I can help you. It shows here that Dr. Porter has treated this before with a micro dose of Lentoline. I will administer the same dosage she did. If you would do me a favor and remain here for a moment I will get the medication for you."

 

Sam nodded, "That sounds about right. I can never remember the names of all those medications."

 

Katherine turned and headed for the drug cabinet. She was glad she had memorized the locations of all of the drugs. This made it a lot easier for her to get what was needed in a quick instance and especially in an emergency. Once she gained the intended drug she walked back to Mr. Sema'J while loading the hypo. "Mr. Sema'J You should feel better in a few moments." She then pressed the hypo to his neck and released the contents.

 

He waited patiently as she administered the hypo. "Thank You." He said as she finished.

 

Katherine smiled feeling a bit better that he allowed her to treat him without question. "I have to Thank you Mr. Sema'J, For allowing me to treat you and not asking that I leave you alone to wait for Dr. Porter. It means a lot to have the crew show confidence in my ability. I'm going to allow you to rest here for a short time. You are welcome to leave whenever you feel up to it. I will log the information into your file."

 

Sam furled his brow a bit. "You seem very apprehensive about the way the crew feels about you. Is it all right if I ask why? And seriously to clarify, I asked for Dr. Porter because we're very close and I like to see her every chance I get, not because I prefer her medical attention over anyone else's, beyond the fact that she's the treating Dr. for my condition. I'm sorry if it made you feel under-appreciated in any way."

 

Katherine hangs her head a bit. "I am afraid you may not wish to speak to me after this but since you asked I will explain." She turns, walks away from him a short distance and then turns leaning against the biobed next to the one he was sitting on. "Mr. Sema'J," she turns her head to the floor not looking at his face any longer.

 

Sam put his hand up, "Before you continue...Sam."

 

"Sam?" She looks up to him quickly with a puzzled look on her face.

 

"You can call me Sam. Mr. Sema'J was my father." He smiled, "Now, you were saying?"

 

She once again turns her eyes away and begins. "Sir? I am afraid I may be one of the reasons that you have become injured in the first place." She takes a deep breath, "I am not from this era. I am from the other Dimension. I am the one who sabotaged the experiment and caused all the trouble."

 

It was Sam's turn to be puzzled, "Wait...it was sabotage? I guess I had no idea. I wasn't really up on what happened, being that I was in a coma. So....how did you end up being a student of the good doctor here in sickbay? Wait...You were from that galaxy?? I'm sorry. You'll have to clarify the whole thing a little more."

 

Katherine wonders if this was a good idea to start telling him everything. She should have kept her mouth shut. He may never trust her again after she tells him what all happened. "I'm sorry sir. I should allow you to rest so that you may get back to your duties. Please rest for now. I will have Dr. Porter check in on you when she returns." Katherine didn't even wait for the man to reply but quickly rushed off into the back room once again.

 

Sam watched her rush off, totally lost. He got up without his cane, and just walked close to the wall to the supply room. "Ms. Swan. I really would just like to have a clear idea of what's going on. My experience with you consists of seeing you as a dedicated student of Miranda's in sickbay. And it can remain that way. Whatever past demons you have, you seem to have absolved them and are on the right track. As for this," he said pointing at his head, "I signed up for Starfleet knowing the implications thereof...I could have had an injury like this on any mission. Things have been closer calls when my daughter was aboard. I'm not one to lay down judgment on you. I'd sure like to understand the whole of what happened back in that galaxy...if anything."

 

She then continues, "Yes I am from the other galaxy. I was captured by the empire and made to work for them to keep my family alive. They wanted the experiment you had, The Phoenix Project, and I was to help Mr. Trenton get it at all costs." Katherine sinks a bit remembering the details. "I went to the lengths to even torture one of your engineers to get her to confess that she had done it. I was caught when I was trying to clear Mr. Trenton of him being the saboteur. That was my job on the mission. To take all the blame and not allow him to get caught. If I allowed him to get caught then my family would have been killed. At first I refused and they killed my brother right in front of me. They then brought my Father and Mother into the room and told me if I didn't do as they said that they would kill them also. I was behind a 2 way glass and my folks didn't know I was there. So I agreed. After I was caught, I asked your Captain to help me rescue them and he did." Swan now had tears in her eyes at the memories. "When we retrieved my folks from the Empire, My Father found out that I had helped the Empire and he disowned me. That is why I am here instead of there. I decided to take my chances with your government opposed to staying with my folks were I was not wanted. Your Captain has allowed me to work off my debt here in Medical as He and Dr. Knollwatcher had seen my ability to work with medicines and comfort those not feeling well." She looked at his face to see his expression not knowing how he would take all the information she had just unloaded on him.

 

Sam processed all this "...so...they were holding your family hostage...and you don't expect to be cut any slack, that being the case. Well, I have a family too. And it's not complete. I also have a family of sorts on this ship, and you're part of it. It's pretty heavy stuff that you got yourself into back then. But this is now. And besides. I finished a degree at the academy while I was stuck on Earth...so we can just pretend that your mission was to get me back into the academy, eh?" Sam waited for some hint of relief to cross her face. He hated to see her so broken up about something that had appeared to smooth itself over, at least in his mind.

 

She looked into his eyes noting his sincerity. "I am glad you see it that way. I'm afraid that there are others on the ship that do not see it that way. Most of the marines, of which I infiltrated their ranks, want to see me hung out and burned at the stake. I can't say as I blame them either. I would feel the same way after all I did to your crew and your ship. But I thank you for understanding." She once again turned to leave but had no place to go as she was cornered in the room and he was standing at the only exit.

 

Sam stepped aside, allowing her to exit the supply room. It occurred to him that his flight grounding and subsequent loss of his helm post were a result of her actions. But he did not want to lay any guilt whatsoever on this seemingly vulnerable shipmate. "Well, I hope you can feel a little more confident with the crew as time passes. I've actually got to get to engineering. They paged me quite a while back. Please have Miranda get a hold of me as soon as it's convenient for her, she'll what to hear what happened with me blacking out."

 

Katherine stopped after just passing him going through the door. "I will Sir. I will personally hand her your chart so she knows as soon as she returns. And Sir?" She says with a pleading look in her eyes, "Please do know that I am trying my best to make it up to the crew of the Arcadia for all my misdoing. And I thank you for your trust."

 

Sam put a hand on her shoulder as she passed. "It's Sam. Sir is for people in dress uni..." Sam realized he was still in his dress uniform. "Sir is for people who don't consider each other respected colleagues and maybe even...friends?" He tried as much as he could to put her at ease, not being able to stand the pained look on her face. "And we best be friends, cause I come here a lot." He said with a nod toward Miranda's office. "Now I've really got to get to engineering." He began heading slowly toward the sickbay doors, grabbing his cane on the way.

 

Katherine smiled slightly thinking that she just may be able to start making friends on this vessel. She called out to Sam as he got to the main doors of Sickbay on his way out. "Sam?" she paused.

 

Sam poked his head back in sickbay, "Yes?"

 

"Thank you, Sam I can use all the friends I can get. And please return in a day or so for Dr. Porter to recheck you." She then allowed him to see a big smile of relief.

 

"Will do." Sam returned the smile and then made a bee line for the turbolift. "Engineering." He said promptly as he stepped into it.

 

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