"The Living Afterlife"
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{Facets of life, reflections of the soul.}
- Unknown
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The news of the miraculous recovery of the ANUBIS' Chief Engineer had spread through the ship like an ethereal wave, reaching every soul regardless of age, background or religious belief. Many members of the crew of the SCARAB-Class ship had dismissed the news by simply claiming, without knowing the truth, that the man had never been dead or that the medical officer who had made the call had done so prematurely. Had these people known that it had been the ANUBIS' own computer through the physical representation of the EMH who had declared the man as being dead, maybe their opinion would have been different.
Other, more religiously devoted members of the crew believed that the recovery of Lieutenant Dawson had been the result of some divine intervention meant to give the man the chance he had been robbed of to perform the task or tasks that he had been meant to. For them the news of the Engineer's death had not been as important as the news of his return to life, and through such had elevated the officer to the status of a celebrity - that he wanted this or not.
Lastly, certain members of the crew who had long ago accepted that life was a finite state of being rejoiced in the news of the Chief Engineering Officer's return from a place that few people visited and returned from. One such Officer, who had been assigned to the ANUBIS only on temporary assignment, had been amongst those who had simply been happy to have Lieutenant Dawson still be amongst them regardless of the reasons or methods that had made this be so.
"How are you my friend?" The Oltharian asked as he approached the bedside of the ANUBIS' Chief Engineering Officer after having cleared his visit with the Chief Medical Officer. As much as Elan had wanted to visit the recovering man, the Robotics Engineer had not wanted to do anything that might have gone against the wishes of the Healer. After all this had been her domain and by respect for all that the Chief Medical Officer represented the Oltharian would do as she asked, both now and for the eternity to come.
"Feeling a little tired, but other than that I guess you could say that I'm doing pretty well considering what happened," David replied, not at all ashamed to show that he had been happy to see a gentle giant come for a visit. After having felt as if the entire universe had been against him, Dawson drew comfort in the fact that people seemed happy that he had not perished - at least some of them.
"Is there anything that I can do or bring to you?" Elan asked in his usual peaceful expression, his voice sounding as if it belonged to someone half the size and twice his age. "Doctor Summers mentioned that you would be staying here for a little while longer when I asked her if it would be alright for me to come and see you," the Oltharian added making David sigh. Knowing that he would be stuck in Sickbay for a while had been one thing, but to have it confirmed had been another matter, yet the Chief Engineering Officer of the ANUBIS did not sense the anger within him that he had expected to feel.
"No," David said after a lengthy pause. "I think it will be best if I just stay put and rest. Wouldn't want to upset the good Doctor."
"The Healer only wishes for your continued health," the Oltharian said, adding a bow of respect for the woman he had just spoken of. "A desire that is shared by many of us," Elan added figuring that David could use some emotional reinforcement to help him realise that he had not been alone, nor would be through his recovery.
"It is nice to know that there are people who care," David grinned before feeling a wave of fatigue spread through his body. It had only been hours since the Chief Engineer had been returned to life and his body had still be readjusting to that fact, requiring him to rest.
Seeing this the Oltharian thought it best to end the conversation now and permit David to get the rest he so obviously needed. "Rest my friend, there will be plenty of time for us to speak at a later time. Do not let your concerns cloud your thoughts and simply enjoy the spirit of life which flows once again within your veins."
"Thanks," David said with a warm smile, "I will."
Elan, after offering the ANUBIS' Chief Engineering Officer a deep bow of respect, left Sickbay and wondered how much this latest chapter in the life of David Dawson had changed him and those around him. Returning from death was by any definition a life-altering event - one that would not only change how David dealt with the universe, but also how the universe would likely come to deal with him.
Whatever these changes might prove to be though the Oltharian had already accepted one fact brought upon by this - that he would be there for David should the Engineer need him to be, as a friend, a spiritual guide or simply a fellow being with a deep love of all things relating to engineering.
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Lieutenant Junior Grade Elan Talak Fairborn 2005 post #475
Stardate: 60327.2130
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Sickbay
Francois Charette {f_charette@hotmail.com}
Robotics Engineering Officer
NEW ALEXANDRIA
