SD 242303.06 | CMO Dr Claire Dunross | Au revoir Aires, Halò Enterprise

Posted on 242303.06 @ 7:06pm by Commander Claire Dunross M.D.

Mission: Nova Lux

The sickbay on the Aires had no outside view of the stars flashing by. Centered in the middle of the ship, as most sickbays were, Claire was reliant on her other senses for knowing they had dropped out of warp. She was told by an engineer on the USS Aires that sickbay, like engineering, was almost always centered in a ship for its protection after she protested never getting to see the 'outside'. The explanation made sense to her, but she still missed the sites of space. Her quarters offered a nice view, but she was so rarely in them and usually, when she was present there, she was either deep asleep or getting ready to leave them again.

She looked up from the station she was at, and saw her successor working hard at a station in the office she previously claimed as hers. Tillus Dohl was a tall, handsome Trill, with broad shoulders on a nicely built body. He had darker skin, caramel skin, and milk chocolate spots with matching eyes and black hair. She had enjoyed working with him for the past few years and they had become wonderful friends, she couldn't help but think that if they didn't work so closely together that there might be something else between them. She brushed off the thought and stood up from the station she was occupying, really just sitting in her old haunt for the final moments before she disembarked. Tillus saw her stand out of the corner of his eye and came to join her. "How do you do that?" He asked her with a quizzical look.

She smirked, her green eyes sparkling as she feigned knowing what he was referring to. "What is it you are referring to Tillus?"

He nodded, muttering, "You always know when we've dropped out of warp," as they jointly walked out of Sickbay, Claire glancing over her shoulder for one last glance at the place that had been home for the last several years. "Going to miss it?" He asked her with an air of sadness.

Claire felt her throat tightening a bit and her eyes threatened to fill with tears, she took and slow and deliberate inhale, her mouth hanging open slightly as she gathered her emotions. It was a tricker her mother had taught her many years ago, it was hard, almost impossible to cry with your mouth open. It seemed to work for both of them. "I will miss you Tillus, and Andrew, and Bertie, Ravonger..." She paused and chuckled referring to an Andorian who was very hard to get to know, "Even Othyl."

They walked slowly, neither doing it consciously but lingering on their last few moments together. She was already packed, her limited collection of worldly goods she kept with her was already in the cargo bay, ready to be transferred over when they docked at the station. Claire Dunross had grown a lot in her time on the USS Aires, maturing as both a Doctor and as a person. Her excitement for her new assignment was only dampened by the fact that she had to leave this one behind. "I feel like I haven't even heard half of your good Dohl stories." Claire smiled, though they seemed of similar age physically, the symbiont of the Trill was many generations older than she.

"You've probably heard too many of the same ones over and over again I'm afraid." He replied as they got to the docking hatch, she knew the Aires wasn't staying long at the station, just long enough for a few crew transfers and unloading of goods. Her mouth was agape again, not wanting to say goodbye to her best friend. She had already gone through this with many others on the crew, but Tillus would be the hardest to move on from. She hated this part of Starfleet, the loss, the moving on. However, the adventure and the discoveries they were part of couldn't be matched by many things she had experienced before.

She slipped her arms around his back, her face only mid-chest to him as she pressed herself against his warmth and he wrapped his arms around her in return. "You keep in touch." Claire chuckled knowing she had shed a tear or two on his tunic, "You know I will, you'll get sick of my frequent, nonsensical messages. Same level I send to RJ." She referred to her older brother whom he knew through her very well. "I guess I can handle that," Tillus sighed softly and smiled down at her as they both naturally pulled away from the embrace. "Take care." He swiped a stray tear off her face with his thumb and then quietly slipped away before either of them turned into a mess. Claire watched him go, taking a deep, cleansing breath, she composed herself easily, a skill many doctors had mastered. It was time to let Aires go. She pulled out her orders on a PADD and checked off the ship as its Chief Medical Officer for the last time. Claire Dunross was excited now to get on board her new assignment. In fact, once she went through the airlock berth and onto the station, it was all she could think about. There were not too many in Starfleet that didn't want a position on Enterprise.

Commander Claire Dunross
Chief Medical Officer
USS Enterprise-G