The Other Side of Silence (Part 1 of 3)

Posted on 15 Nov 2017 @ 4:46pm by Petty Officer 3rd Class Constantin Vansen & Verity Thorne
Edited on on 19 Nov 2017 @ 12:28pm

2,036 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Episode 15 - Emanation
Location: Earth - Starfleet Medical
Timeline: MD 35, 1000

[ON]

Petty Officer 3rd Class Constantin Vansen didn't dislike gravity. It was one of those things people assumed he did. 'Oh, you are on this medication, so you must hate gravity'. Nonsense. Constantin didn't dislike gravity. What he disliked was the oppressive feeling of the blue skies above him, the way the horizon curved, the...fresh air. It wasn't even a dislike, but he still wasn't used to being on a planet. He had lived here for seven years. And yet he had never felt as home as his first posting. He was now done with his second one and on shoreleave. For Constantin, shoreleave on Earth meant one thing: Starfleet Medical. Anyone who was on a daily dose of something needed to go there now and then for a check up. Constantin had a week's worth of it, so he had simply checked himself in. Meant he had a bed to sleep in, meals provided and got to sit around and relax. Currently, he was sitting in one of the chairs in the lounge, avoiding looking out the window at the scenery and instead focused on the PADD before him. Or tried to. He sighed as he lowered it, moving a hand through his brown hair.

"That was a big sigh," a dark haired man moved to take the seat nearby him, his movements slow and laboured. Verity Thorne smiled gently to him, holding on to the arm of the chair as he eased himself down, setting the stick against his legs.

Constantin looked at him, smiling gently before nodding. "Not sure why either," he finally admitted. "I suppose it is just sitting here and do...nothing."

"Bored, huh?" Verity chuckled, shaking his head softly. "I know that feeling. I'm ready to mount an escape plan. Know anywhere I can get a good shovel?"

Constantin smiled as he turned to face him properly. "Can't we replicate one?" he asked, glancing at the stick for a moment. So he was a patient then. "Or maybe we just need to find something to do to entertain ourselves? Someone recommended reading to me, but...I don't have the habit."

"Takes effort some days," Verity agreed with a weak, half smile. "I love it though. What are you reading? Or trying to, anyway...."

"It's called..." he brought it up, frowning. "The Hobbit. I was told it was good. I...haven't gotten past the first line though. I just can't imagine anyone living in a hole in the ground."

"Ah...but it's not a nasty, dirty hole...it's a hobbit hole, filled with comfort," Verity chuckled fondly, leaning a little to him in his chair.

"Hm...and I suppose you couldn't see the horizon," he whispered softly as he watched him. "I...don't read much. Manuals, if anything. Fiction is new to me."

Verity watched him with mild surprise for a long moment. He genuinely couldn't imagine a life without literature. "You're starting in a good place," he assured, nodding to the padd in his hands.

Constantin nodded weakly before he met his eyes. "I'm Constantin Vansen," he introduced himself, giving the other man a small smile.

"Verity Thorne..." he reached across to offer his hand to him, smiling gently. "It's nice to meet you, Constantin. A good Latin name there..."

"Runs in my family apparently," he said with a small smile, nodding. He took the hand, shaking it. "Nice to meet you too, Verity. You staying here a bit?"

"I've already been here too long. I'm hoping I won't have to stay much longer," he admitted with a slight frown, shaking his head at the prospect. "I've been earth bound too long."

"I know the feeling," he said softly, holding his eyes for a moment. "I can't wait to be reassigned. Anywhere. Don't care where as long as it is on a ship out there."

"A real spacer then, hm?" Verity asked with interest, resting his chin on his hand.

Constantin nodded weakly, smiling as he looked down. "Was 15 first time I set my foot on a planet. Or experienced real gravity."

Verity's blue eyes widened with surprise at the words, and he shook his head gently as he tried to get his head around it. "That must have been....so hard to adjust to this life."

Constantin shrugged before he stopped and chuckled warmly. "Honestly?" he met his eyes, his own blue ones warm. "I still struggle. I don't like planets. They feel unnatural. As does the gravity. But I am on medication for that. That's why I am here, so they can check the levels and make sure I am not damaging myself."

"And are you?" he asked softly with concern, glancing him over. "Damaging yourself?"

"Nothing that they haven't healed up," he said softly. "They're tweaking my medication now, so I get to wear this..." he pulled his tee shirt up a put, showing the sensor glued to his skin. "So they can monitor me. In case I get issues."

Verity nodded as he watched, not trying to hide his curiosity. "I've never thought about what havoc different gravity must cause on people."

"Usually it's not that big a deal...but I was born and grew up close to zero g. My bones aren't...as dense as yours," he said and smiled weakly. "My inner ear also gets...confused. Medication takes care of all that."

"It's pretty remarkable what they can do now, hm?" Verity nodded with a small smile, pleased that it didn't cause too much difficulty for the young man.

"It is," he said with a small smile, shrugging as he held his eyes. "Of course, I still don't like planets and would be more comfortable floating around repairing a ship, but I am weird and unusual."

"Is that what you do? You're an engineer?" Verity asked softly, looking to Constantin's hands, taking them in.

He watched him before he opened his hands, letting him see the slender fingers. "I suppose so, but I am in Ops, officially. I am...a bit of a mechanic, a bit of a general maintenance man."

"I have to say, I admire that," he admitted, freely, the easy smile showing it was true. "It's a real skill, to be able to fix things. It doesn't come naturally to us all."

Constantin watched him, blue eyes studying before he shot him a warm smile. "What about you?" he asked softly. "What do you do?"

"Well there's a question, what *do* I do?" he said quietly, smiling weakly as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm a Chaplain."

"It's an important job," he said softly, watching him with a warm smile. "I mean, anyone who hates counsellors go and see the chaplain."

"You would think so," Verity chuckle, a grin coming to him as he thought on just how difficult it was to get people to open some times. "I'm Starfleet, so I serve all."

"And on a ship, we all serve each other to survive," Constantin said softly, smiling gently to the other man.

"Some more than others," Verity pointed out, but with a gentle smile all the same, shaking his head.

"No, all equally..." Constantin said firmly before he smiled gently to him.

Verity just held his eyes for a long moment. He'd had so many doubts since leaving the priesthood. It had only been worse since he'd gotten ill and had to take medical leave. "Are you leaving on the same ship you came on?"

"No. I am waiting for transfer," he said and reached out, covering his hand with his own. "I think that they know I hate it on Earth so they force me to be here as long as possible with no real escape."

Verity laughed warmly at that, shaking his head firmly, his eyes sparkling. "You think they're that bad, hm?"

"You know who is in charge of transfer? A bitter little person whose only exercise of power is torturing us with things like that," Constantin said in a dramatic hushed whisper. "So that person is that bad, yes. That twisted and cruel..."

Verity laughed louder at that, the smile reaching his eyes as he leant back in the seat with the effort it took for the still recovering man. "Does he pick random victims? Or does he know who to torture?"

"He reads our files and if he doesn't like it..." he snapped his fingers before he tilted his head. "You okay?" he asked, touching his arm and giving it a light squeeze.

Verity nodded with a soft smile, letting out a long, shaking breath, the lightness of laughter still in his eyes though. "Yes. Sorry, I'm just tired these days. I can't wait to be fully back on my feet."

He smiled gently before he nodded, watching him. "How long?" he asked, shifting to move closer to him.

"I'm not sure," he admitted with a weak smile, sighing as he shook his head. "I'm getting pretty stir crazy though. I suppose that means I must be getting better, if I have the energy to get frustrated," he teased with a slight chuckle.

"Hey, it is a good sign..." Constantin confessed before he smiled gently. He watched him with interest, studying him. "Is it just weakness?"

"I'm...recovering," Verity said softly, shaking his head gently before squeezing the other man's hand in gratitude for his concern. "When I was ill...well, it caused some damage to my brain and nerves. I've was stuck in a bed for a long time. I've recovered a lot," he said quietly before nodding to the cane. "Still stuck with that thing for the moment."

He watched him before he smiled gently. "They have a zero g chamber here," he said softly, with a small chuckle. "Doesn't matter when you weigh nothing."

He watched him with surprise for a long moment before smiling gently, shaking his head. "I hadn't thought of that. It would certainly take the weight off."

"I have a session booked later. Why don't you join me?" he suggested, holding his eyes for a long moment. "If you can handle it though?"

"I'd love to. If I'm not intruding though," he added quickly with concern. He didn't want him to feel obliged to let a stranger tag along.

"Not intruding at all," he said as he smiled, searching Verity's eyes. "Company is nice. I haven't had that much of it lately."

"Same," he admitted quietly with a small smile. He'd not had many visitors. He was bored with his own worrying head as company. "Then I'd love to, thank you."

"Good!" Constantin smiled, nodding quickly. "Now, what room are you in? I can pick you up..."

"23 East," he suddenly chuckled, a shine in his eyes as he shook his head. "Are you going to pick me up in a nice hovercar?" he teased.

He laughed warmly as he shrugged. "Do you think a spacer like me could afford one? I'd have to build one from scratch..."

"Or like a teenager, borrowing one from his rich mate, or stealing Dad's," he chuckled softly, shaking his head softly.

He chuckled warmly, blue eyes gentle. "Don't have either of those," he said softly. "So i guess it will just be my and my legs picking you up. Does six work for you? We could go and eat afterwards?"

"Sounds great..." Verity took a breath, feeling lighter already for having something to look forward to. "Really, really great," he added softly, sincerely.

"Good," Constantin nodded before frowning as the strap on his wrist beeped. "Medical check up...full body scan..."

"Good luck," Verity smiled softly, reaching for the cane to push himself up to stand out of instinctive etiquette. "You'll have to tell me who you had afterwards."

"Why, so we can exchange notes?" he asked with a cheeky smile before it widened to a grin.

"Oh yes. I have been here long enough to know the doctors and nurses to look out for," Verity assured, but with a fond, well meaning smile.

"Alright...let's gossip," he said and reached out, to gently touch his shoulder. "See you at six."

To be Continued

[OFF]

--

Verity Thorne
Chaplain
[PNPC Blake]

PO3 Constantin Vansen
Operations Officer

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