It All Started With Magnets

.40.

I woke up slowly, remembering bits and pieces and I expected pain but as my consciousness floated in, there was nothing. I cracked an eye open and swallowed against the slight dryness in my throat. I blinked again and then again as the room came into focus. There wasn't much I remembered aside from really hurting, crying, and telling Luke I wanted to go home, back to Torin. Which was mildly embarrassing now that I thought about it.

"Well if it isn't my favourite pink alien." At the familiar, if a bit booming voice I rolled my head to the side and smiled at Bav'ka. "How are you feeling?" She came over to the bed, patting my hand and I gave a relieved sigh as I was certainly back on Torin. "Good sigh or bad sigh?" There was a critical look on her face and I smiled again.

"Good sigh. Happy to be back." I was. I really was. I hated that I had basically failed the entire reason I was back to earth to begin with but at least on Torin I knew I was safe and people weren't going to shoot at me or try to kidnap me without warning.

"That's good. Your scans are all coming back clear, which we are ecstatic to see." Bav'ka moved off to the side and brought up a monitor with a wave of her hand. "We are just happy you primitive pink aliens use slug throwers rather than anything more sophisticated." At the teasing words she winked at me and I smiled back. "I think it's even luckier that the nanites were uploaded with your prior scans. They always run so much smoother when their data matches the patient. They brought you back to how you were when you came to Torin and I scanned you. With the exception of I left the scars." She pointed to my stomach with a wide smile, showing off her tusks. "Make a fine grog warrior out of you yet."

I gave another heaving sigh and reached down to touch my stomach, the blanket was in the way but there were no bulky bandages and despite a minor ache like I had a stitch in my side, there was nothing there that indicated I had gotten shot. "Did good work, doc. Barely feel it."

"Healed up that bruised shoulder of yours too. Your shields need work, they aren't good enough." She huffed as she said it and I smiled again. They really did but I was currently working with rudimentary knowledge and basics. I had kind of abandoned progress on the shields for the FTL engine.

"Fair enough. Kept me from being more damaged though." I shrugged and moved to sit up when Bav'ka reached over and pressed a large hand against my chest, holding me down without even looking at me.

"No. Not allowed to do that." She glanced over before tapping on the screen and the bed rose up against my back, carrying me to sitting. "We aren't going to stress those repairs unnecessarily." She pulled up a floating monitor in front of me and pointed at it. "This is the controls for your bed. Incline is here, resting is here. "She pointed at the controls and I nodded. "This is for warming and this is for cooling, and this is to call for someone if you need help." She pointed them all out and I nodded again. She waved her hand and the screen moved to the side. "Now that you are awake, I am going to get your visitors." With that she gave a firm nod and left the room.

I looked around and smiled at the rather elegant and art deco style of the room. The grog really did like their beauty in their buildings. There was a lovely window, the walls were a lovely shade of super pale blue with paintings hanging on them as well as plants. So many plants. Then again the grog loved their greenery. But it didn't look like a hospital room which I was thankful for.

There was the sound of thudding and Gal'rug skidded into the room. "If you ever do this to me again I will-" He cut himself off, looking frustrated and angry and just pointed at me.

"You'll do what, big guy?" I smiled at him before waving at him to come in. "I don't plan on doing that ever again if I can help it." Getting shot wasn't nearly as fun as the first time it happened and two was my lifetime limit. "Come here. I missed you." I beamed at him as he nearly stormed over to the bed and yanked a chair over, sitting in it all huffy and angry before he grabbed my hand and pressed his cheek to it with a huff. "You look ridiculous." He really did, all hunched over with his head tilted like it was because he didn't lift my hand up to rest his cheek against it.