Nia was seated in the meditation area when he walked in. She watched the smoke trail rise off the incense stick without saying anything. Her white-knuckled grip on her knees as she sat cross legged on the floor were the only clues to her mood, though Torin could feel it easily through the bond.

He quietly took a seat next to her and watched the incense. She would speak when she was ready. He took deep calming breaths as he sat. Meditating was muscle memory to him at this point and he had to actively try not to slip into a meditative trance. It took a few minutes, but eventually she shifted and relaxed her shoulders.

"I'm not going to apologize for my reaction," she began. He took a moment to think before responding. He knew he had to tread carefully when she was in…a mood.

"Your reaction was understandable and your reasoning was valid. However, the time and place was not right." He spoke gently, hoping she could sense he was being genuine. "If we had brought it up then and there, we would have been acting out of emotions and we wouldn't have been taken seriously. Discussing this calmly is more likely to result in a productive outcome."

"But why shouldn't I react?" She turned towards him now, her eyes on his. "That was a dangerous situation we were in."

"It was. Your reaction was valid, we were placed in a dangerous situation due to their neglect. It is not the first time they have acted with bias and prejudice." He paused and watched her mull over his words. "However, dealing with the situation requires… delicacy. We will be spending a significant amount of time around them. Mediation requires us to act calmly and rationally. If we want the outcome that benefits us, we must take a step back and carefully choose how we move forward."

Nia deflated as her anger cooled when she realized he was right.

"You and your logic," She sighed. "Yeah, you're right." Nia leaned against him. "It's just so frustrating. I hate this bureaucracy and having to tiptoe around the issue rather than just confront them."

"I know." He wrapped an arm around her back. "It will be dealt with. I'm certain that intervention will ease the situation." Torin assured her.

"Or make it worse. I've seen plenty of bullies get worse because someone intervened."

"I would hope that Vulcan adults will be more aware of themselves than children of any race."

Nia had also seen bullies who were adults.

"Aside from confronting them directly, which is not advisable and I do not think will work, this is our only option."

"Yeah." She rested a hand on his leg. "I'm sorry for my reaction."

He lightly rubbed her back, silently telling her all was forgiven.

"I hope it goes well for us. I'm not sure how I'd cope with being an outcast on a colony so far from home." Anxiety bloomed in her chest as she gave voice to a concern that had been pushed back in her mind since their first night on the ship.

"That is unlikely. And even if it did, we have each other, Sevek, T'Laan, and the clan back home."

She chewed her cheek, only slightly eased.

"Once the storm is over I want to call home. I haven't called in a few days."Getting up suddenly, desperate for a distraction, she grabbed a deck of cards. "Let's play." She smiled. Content to do as she asked, Torin stood and joined her in the living room.


Things had been suspiciously quiet despite her meeting with Avarik about her suspicions of water in the cave. She wasn't sure what was going on behind the scenes, but she'd stake just about anything that there was water in there.

They'd fallen into a familiar routine that was only broken up by the unpredictability of the electric storms. She was also suspicious at the lack of interaction with Alieth and Sekev since she spoke up about how they'd been treating her. She didn't dare think it was over if the cool looks shot her way were any indication.

Dawn broke, just like any other day.

She fought back a yawn again and took a small sip of water. She'd had only a few bites of food, but she was full and the idea of eating more made her feel sick. As she put her water down, a tickle in her throat made her cough. The smell of the food made her stomach clench uncomfortably.

"Are you alright?" Torin looked at her as she cleared her throat and leaned away. He looked at her with clear concern as she not-so-subtly wrinkled her nose.

"Yeah, just a little tired. I think I just swallowed wrong." He looked dubiously at her barely eaten food as she pushed around the rice, piling it and mashing it back down again.

"I'll go to bed early tonight. I just need a good night's rest," she assured him. She forced down one more small bite in an attempt to satisfy his fussing over her. "Do you want the rest?" Nia held the bowl out to him hopefully.

"You need to eat. You hardly touched breakfast." He gently pushed the bowl back to her.

"I was a little sick this morning. I feel fine now."

When he still didn't take it she said "Okay, fine. The thought of eating more makes me feel sick. I don't want to waste the food."

"Perhaps you should talk to the doctor." Torin finally took the bowl from her. He paused and chewed thoughtfully, suddenly stopping to look at her. She sensed his sudden spike in anxiety.

"What?"

"You don't think perhaps.." He trailed off.

"Perhaps what?"

"Is it possible you are pregnant?" He asked. She froze at the thought.

"No. I've been taking blockers to prevent it, remember?"

"Yes. But your symptoms seem consistent with morning sickness in humans."

A look of disgust crossed over her face for a moment as she smelled the food. "I highly doubt it. Maybe I just caught a cold."

"You should speak to the doctor to rule out all possibilities."

"Maybe you're right…" she admitted. Her eyes burned slightly from exhaustion as she yawned again.

"And perhaps ask to leave early." He finished the food and set the bowl aside.

"No, I'm not that bad. I'll be fine."

"But you will speak to the doctor, yes?"

"Yes." She reached out and took his hand. His worry was clear on his face. "I'm fine." She squeezed his hand one time before standing up to return to work.

"Those born and raised on earth have a tendency to overwork themselves. Please take the time to rest when you need it."

"I will. It's just difficult since there's only 3 of us running the clinic."

As she reached for the door, she sensed Torin had not moved.

"Contact me if you feel worse."

"I will."


The clinic had been busy this morning, a few technicians had been injured repairing some equipment damaged in the latest electrical storm. A few showed symptoms of a cold, which Nia and Talok took note of as they began tracking any increase in illness for any sort of identifiable pattern. The symptoms were pretty consistent and Nia really hoped they weren't running into a chain effect of illness. The last thing they needed was an epidemic.

She'd started the day tired, but by lunch, she was exhausted. There were only a few hours until her shift ended and she would go to dinner as she desperately tried to keep her eyes open. There was a lull and Nia took this moment to take a test. Rather than risk getting found out and confronted by the doctor, she chose the traditional tried and true method of peeing on a test.

She had just messaged Torin she'd started feeling worse as an ache settled into her muscles. There was a tightness in her just as if she'd just gone running and couldn't quite catch her breath. She couldn't tell if it was from all the running around she'd done keeping up with the patients, or if she was catching whatever illness was starting to go around. Or… she looked at the test again, willing it to go faster so she could stop hogging the staff restroom.

Outside, she heard the doctor call loudly for her and she cursed her luck.

She went to the waiting room to see what was so urgent when she saw a young man from the desalination plant panting in the doorway. The words died in her throat when he straightened up. The arm of his uniform was ripped in spots and his front was covered in fresh blood that clearly wasn't his.

"Are you injured?" The doctor looked him over.

"He's coming… They-" he paused and took a deep breath, shaking slightly. "The creatures in the mountains are growing bold. Two attacked Skaan while he repaired the panels near the plant. He is being transported here now."

"How badly injured was he?" Nia asked.

"Very badly. He has deep cuts and bites all over. He's lost a lot of blood. He was in a healing trance last I saw him." The young man looked younger than he was; he looked wide eyed at them. In human years, she'd peg him for a fresh faced 18 year old.

"Wait here for them. Nia, go prepare a room. Sterilize it and prep equipment for emergency surgery, it is possible organs may have been hit. We need to be prepared. He will likely need stitches as well. I will go get blood for a transfusion." His eyes glanced over the young man covered in blood as he spoke.

"I tried to apply pressure and stop the bleeding after I moved him out of danger…We managed to kill one and the other fled…but.." She could sense his fear and anxiety.

"You did well. You need to sit and rest. I will page the other nurse on standby and have her check you for injuries." Happy to be told what to do now, he nodded and sat stiffly in a chair.

Without any more delay, she hurried to the emergency care room and began prepping it after she had put on her hair net, mask, and gloves. After sterilizing the room, she quickly double checked the table and set up the necessary tools on a sterilized silver tray. After double checking the heart and oxygen monitor, she was satisfied. Then, she heard the chime of the door opening again. Assuming it was their patient, she hurried out.

She could sense his pain before she saw it. Even unconscious in a healing trance, he couldn't fully hide it. He was pale and the bright green blood contrasted against his skin and made him look even more sickly. His suit was torn and ragged claw marks ran from his left shoulder down to his abdomen; deep marks sliced into his flesh where the wounds gaped open, likely to the bone in some spots. A bright green slice ran down from temple to chin, a gory flash of green against his rapidly dying skin. Several more gashes on his legs and abdomen were torn, and his arm was ragged from defensive wounds. He would be lucky to have full feeling and control in it again, with as deep as the damage ran. Blood soaked quickly into the cloth that another worker now pressed into his wounds.

"This way, quickly." Nia waved for them to bring him back to the sterilized room she'd prepared.

"Help me transfer him." Nia grabbed on one side of the sheet while the worker grabbed onto the other and together they carefully transferred him to the table without so much as a twitch. It worried her how limp he was.

She quickly attached nodes to him to monitor his oxygen, heart, and blood pressure.

"Vitals?" The doctor asked a moment later as he came in holding several bags of blood. One he kept out while the rest went into storage. He gave the patient a quick once over before getting the transfusion ready.

"Too low," he muttered when she told him. With a better view, Nia could see she had been correct. The claw marks were deep, cutting easily through the muscle on his face and arm.

She began cutting away his jumpsuit as the doctor ushered the others out of the room and stuck a needle in his arm for the transfusion. The man groaned a little as she jostled him slightly, pulling the fabric from him.

"We must work quickly, we cannot afford to waste this blood." Nodding, she cut as quickly and carefully as she could. Finally, she pulled the last bit of his jumpsuit from his chest and arms. With a wad of gauze in hand, she turned her attention to the longest and deepest cut on his abdomen.

With gritted teeth she wiped away the blood again and again as the doctor held a small up to handheld rapid repairer to the wound, speeding up the healing process as much as they could. Slowly, the bleeding stopped. It was the largest and most serious wound, he was lucky nothing vital had been hit, and Nia sighed in relief as his vitals remained low, but stable. Without a word, the doctor picked up a needle and dissolving thread and began to stitch the rest of the wound closed. They'd done what they could with the technology they had, but they were without luxuries on the colony. After, he covered the wound in a salve and gauze before moving on to the wounds on his arm and face.

"I need the small gauze pads," He instructed as he worked on a puncture wound.

"On it." Nia quickly went to the supply room.

She found what she'd been looking for and grabbed a handful. She must have turned too quickly, because suddenly the edges of her vision went black and she was lightheaded as she reached out and scrabbled for purchase to catch herself. Finding nothing but air, she stumbled down to the floor in a graceless heap. Forcing slow, deep breaths, she stayed down for a moment, but no matter what she did, the tightness in her lungs wouldn't abate even as her vision cleared. If anything, it had gotten worse since the afternoon.

They need me.

Pushing down the panic, she forced herself up, her aching legs protesting, and hurried back. In the back of her mind she could feel Torin probing her mind, worry obvious.

Was it dinner time already?

Focusing on the task at hand, she ignored him for now. He would understand.

It had been close, but he lived. He was lucky. Physical therapy would be necessary due to the muscle damage, but he was expected to make a full recovery. Unfortunately, the colony lacked unnecessary luxury items and he would have permanent scarring unless he went off-world to remove them.

But he was alive, and that is what she focused on.

Nia collapsed into the chair and let out a sigh. It was the first time she'd sat down since lunch. Dinner had come and gone and the sun sat low in the sky, nearly behind the mountains as a shadow cast over the colony. At the front desk, Alaron sat, having been paged to cover non-emergency care.

Again, she felt Torin through the bond, more urgently this time as he worried over her. She tried to send him reassurance, but she couldn't muster the strength in her exhaustion. Fatigue weighed heavy in her limbs, making her feel as though they were strapped down and immobile.

Maybe if I close my eyes for just a minute…

"Nia." The doctor's voice snapped her eyes open. Biting back a yawn, she sat up.

"Yes, doctor?"

"Go home. We will cover the clinic. I will contact you if we need more assistance."

"Are you certain?" The thought of going home to bed was enough to wake her up, but she felt guilty sleeping while the doctor stayed here even longer.

"You do not have to prove anything by risking your health. Go home and rest," he insisted.

She knew he was right, she was nothing but a liability at this point if an emergency came up. A large yawn interrupted her thoughts.

"You're right. Please let me know if you need me." Nodding, the doctor turned and went back to check on their patient.

"Oh, I do have one concern."

"Yes?" He stopped at the door and turned back to her.

"I haven't been feeling well today. I think I caught whatever has started going around." He paused as she listed off her symptoms and thought for a moment before responding.

"Keep an eye on it and come in if it gets worse. We will document it tomorrow. Please reach out if it gets worse or you have trouble breathing."

"Yes, doctor."

He paused and tilted his head for a moment, seemingly debating with himself. Nia was about to ask him if there was anything else he needed when he cleared his throat.

"Your….test was negative." He nodded. She furrowed her brows in confusion for a moment, her mind a little foggy, when she realized she'd forgotten about the test in the bathroom. Her face flushed hot and she took a deep breath.

"Um, yes. Thank you… doctor. Good night." She nodded, absolutely mortified. She turned and walked out as quickly as possible.

She was surprised how quickly night had fallen and goosebumps pricked her skin as the evening chilled. She thought about the animals in the caves and decided it best to get home quickly. Standing outside waiting for her, however, was Torin.

"Hey, sorry." She yawned again as she let the door swing shut behind her. She could sense his tension.

"Are you well? When I didn't hear back from you or see you, I was worried."

"I'm sorry. We got busy and had an emergency. Someone was mauled by one of those carnivores in the mountains." She glanced around. "Speaking of which…" She held onto Torin's arm and guided them towards home. Torin worked his arm away from her and rested his hand on her back as they walked. The contact seemed to ground him and soothe his anxiety.

"Is he alright?"

"He will live. He'll have scars, but he'll live." She paused, thinking back to the bloody mess, the shredded skin, the short, wet breaths-

"Are you alright?" He held the door open for her to the apartment building. She blinked a few times wondering how'd she'd zoned out and missed the entire walk home.

"Yeah. There was just so much blood." She walked inside and stretched. "I'm tired, but okay."

"Your symptoms are worse," he noted as she struggled going up the stairs. Each step felt like moving through knee-deep sand. He paused behind her.

"I'll bring you dinner."

"Oh, I'm not very hungry." She felt a small spike of irritation from him and she paused, surprised.

"Why are you-"

"I am not irritated with you," he explained quietly. He reached out and brushed his hand along her cheek. "You are exhausted and breathing abnormally. You have not eaten anything of substance today. I worry about your health."

Damn, he knows just how to get to me.

She smiled and took his hand in hers.

"I know you worry. I promise I'll attempt to eat. I'm not very hungry, but I'll try. I think I'm just getting sick." She looked around for anything prying eyes or ears before quietly adding "And I'm not pregnant."

"That is good to know. Go to our room and rest. I'll bring you food." Nodding, she held out two fingers. His face softened as he reached out and joined his with hers.

As soon as she was in the apartment, she kicked off her shoes, stripped off her work clothes, and curled under the covers in bed, too tired to do anything else. The ache in her muscles was noticeably worse. She felt like a lump or knot was stuck in her chest. She coughed a little before passing into a dreamless sleep.

And despite his best efforts, Torin couldn't wake her to eat. Instead, he laid down beside her and listened to her breath and cough with lines of worry etched into his face.