Nolan's eyes open. A pen light is being flashed into his eyes. The face of a young female medic fills the frame. Sounds are dampened, her commands are not understandable. He turns his head looking around. Emergency lighting casts dark shadows on the once bright bridge. While others being treated beside him go in and out of focus, medics bustle around him, moving wounded on stretchers and treating the lesser injured on the spot.
Nolan looks around aimlessly and numb as the dampened ambiance slowly turns into a droning bass which turns into partially legible words.
"Wha... What happened?" Nolan shakily asked and the medic sighed in relief as she continued, "You were knocked unconscious sir. I believe you have a severe concussion. Now lay..." Nolan pushes her aside and sits up surveying the bridge. Only emergency lighting was on. All the computers are off, and crew stumbled about the darkened bridge with medics assisting them.
The quickness of his movement makes him dizzy, the room rocks back and forth shifting focus wildly, and he begins to fall backward. The medic panicked, "Sir!" Nolan hits his head on the deck and the chaos fades to black.
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Darkness. Feeling weightless Nolan floats as stars slowly burn from the darkness. Specks of light spark alight, pulling tendrils of gases from the dark, countless stars of all colors and sizes coming to life in waves and flashes of fusion and energy. Gases flung from neutron stars growing from the ether forming nebula, stars growing into giants red and heavy, then collapsing from there' own mass and gravity in what seemed as seconds. Witnessing the creation of a universe forming and growing before his eyes Nolan was awe struck.
"My, aren't you far from home little one." a warm and profoundly powerful voice said behind him, Nolan turns to a form of brilliant light many times larger then himself, blinding his senses. He felt humbled, "Who?" was all he could muster in the presence of this being. "In time little one. Now you must wake." The being said, and before Nolan could mutter a sound he was flung from the being in streaks of star light, then black.
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Nolan hears the steady beeps of an EKG monitor and slowly opens his eyes to see the white polished ceiling and the scent of disinfectant of sickbay on his nose. He turns his head to see Valerie sleeping hunched forward beside the bed sleeping. "Is he going to be ok?" Nolan hears his wife talking to the doctor at his desk, "He's going to be fine. He's healing nicely from his concussion and his bruises are just about cleared up." Doctor Rosenberg told Leanne in a reassuring tone. Leanne sighed, "Thank you." The middle-aged doctor smiles, "Your welcome, now excuse me I have other patients to tend to. "Of course" Leanne replied. Nolan starts to fall back to sleep as Leanne starts to walk over, the beeping of the EKG like a metronome as he falls into a deep dreamless sleep.
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Nolan slowly opens his eyes as the EKG beeps the rhythm of his heartbeat. The room was darkened in the night cycle of the ship's lighting automation casting a dim blue around the parameter of the room and only tight spot lights casting light onto the doctor's workstation and the small table beside his bed. Leanne is sleeping in the chair beside the bed and muffled voices could be heard from beyond the fogged bulletproof Lexan doors of the sickbay. Nolan looks around him and sees a wounded ensign in the next bed over who glows with excitement, even though most of his body was bandaged from burns.
He struggled to make a salute, "Good to see you Captain." the ensign said with effort, Nolan returns the salute then places his finger to his lips with a soft shhh. The ensign nods and lays back on his bed. Nolan looks at his wife who's sleeping in the chair beside him. Her head was laying next to his arm. Nolan gently runs his fingers through her hair, she stirs from his touch and groggily looks up at Nolan's smiling face for a second before her eye widen, "Jim!" she lunges to embrace him.
Leanne's exclamation was heard by those outside of Sickbay and the doors opened as Doctor Rosenburg and Valerie quickly entered to see Leanne hugging Nolan awkwardly, "I was so worried!" Leanne continued, which Nolan just chuckled, "I'm fine, You didn't think I'll go so easily did you?"
She shook her head and Nolan looked at Valerie standing by the bed, holding back her emotions, "how's the ship?" Nolan asked. The room's mood sunk a little but Valerie answered him, "Not good honestly sir, while we aren't in immediate danger she took a beating."
Slightly concerned he looked to Doctor Rosenberg, "The crew?" The Doctor sighed, "A few major injuries, mostly bruises and fractures, some burns, but no fatalities." Nolan relaxed a bit, relieved, "Thank God"
Rosenberg interjected, "Let's let the Captain rest, we can give him a full briefing in the morning."
Everyone, reluctantly wished Nolan a good night and filed out of sickbay leaving Nolan to rest, but his mind kept him up processing his experience with the mysterious being and his damaged ship, eventually exhaustion took hold and whatever he has to deal with can wait until after he wakes up.