Crossing the Ts

Posted on 23 Oct 2013 @ 3:49am by Commander Norvi Stace & Commander Allyndra illm Warraquim
Edited on on 23 Oct 2013 @ 1:03pm

1,226 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Episode 04 - Exodus
Location: USS Galileo: Deck 4 - sickbay
Timeline: MD06 - 0530

ON:

Norvi tapped on the charred and broken doors to the medical bay and popped her head through the opening. Despite having been discharged from the triage cargo bay the day before, the captain had asked Norvi to get a full assessment by the Chief Medical Officer since she had now been fully assigned to the Galileo crew. She smiled and looked through the wisps of hair that still fell about her face. She looked dreadful. But the last thing Stace had time to do was replicate a new uniform. The one she was wearing, ripped at the shoulder and sleeve and burnt across the chest, was wholly intact and wasting the ship's power supplies on vanity was not in the Trill's mindset.

She caught Allyndra's attention and walked in, nodding to her again. "Nice to meet you again, Lieutenant," she greeted her with, climbing over a fallen bulkhead. "This may not be the time, but the captain has requested that I take a full physical and I'm not needed on the bridge for another hour."

Allyndra was still directing people to here and there. They were trying to make a dent in the number of people here and make room for more, especially the lesser injured that they had to just triage and then send out. Slowly, and it seemed a miracle right now that supplies and energy had managed to keep the place going, they were sorting through things. She had to remind herself to send Engineering a big thank you.

She was just coming around the corner from dealing with one patient when she saw the research officer. "Ah, of course, let me see......" Allyndra looked around and nothing was currently open. She made a face and then waved a hand at Norvi.

"If you do not mind, the only thing open for a full scan is in the medical research lab. Come along this way." Allyndra headed toward the back of the main sickbay to the hall and down toward the medical lab. "How have you been doing?"

"Um," she hesitated, by means of only formulating her words, "Not so bad, thank you," she continued, forcing a smile to the doctor. In truth, all the woman could think about was an extended sonic shower and about twenty six hours' sleep. She subconsciously shot her slender hand up to the charred scorch mark and tear on her shoulder and then caught herself doing so. "I'm not in any discomfort," she added, reassuring Allyndra. "I just think that I'm tight and weary from the trauma. When I did manage to fall asleep in the cargo hold, it was only for brief spells of time with the comings and goings of crew and patients. But it's nothing rest won't cure."

She smiled and continued to follow Allyndra into the research lab. "The bed?" she queried, waling over to it and standing next to it. "I can't imagine this will take either of us long."

"I would hope not but we do need to make it formal. Now then, let's take a look." Allyndra indicated the biobed. Allyndra noted the mark and she wanted to investigate further not trusting that everything was just a case of exhaustion.

"So tell me what happened to give you that mark on your shoulder Lieutenant?"

In truth, there was nothing further to the injury than the scorch mark on the exterior of her jacket, and yet, she almost cradled it like it was a fresh, tender wound. Stace locked eyes with the doctor and, admitting more to herself than the inquirer, said, "It's just a little close to the bone, Lieutenant," without attempting a pun. "When my previous host's encounter with the Breen cost him his ship and his health, it was an explosion from a console to his chest. Unfortunately," she continued, her face solemn and expectant, "the memory still flashes into focus whenever anything is highlighted around that area. It's nothing more than an emotional vulnerability, I'm afraid."

"Oh? Oh! I should have inquired, you're joined then. I do apologize, my mind has been going in a hundred directions. Alright, well let's check the rest of you out and make sure nothing is wrong physically with either of you."

Allyndra set things up and began. "Now then, I wanted to thank you and the science staff for listening to the some of my wild thoughts."

"Wild?" Norvi questioned with an mock scoff. "Without 'wild' hypotheses, Lieutenant, Science and Engineering wouldn't advance. It's forward thinking like your weapon that moves us, as a Federation, into the exploration of the unknown." She smiled and hopped onto the, perching on the end of it like a child. "I think Pendleton is reviewing your data with Engineering as we speak. We need to be prepared to defend ourselves in ways the Borg aren't familiar with."

Allyndra nodded. "Thank you," she said quietly though the idea bothered he a lot. "Anyway, looks like everything is fine with you both. I do see that though that blood sugar is down a little. Tired?"

Stace looked about at the blackened walls of the medical lab and, as intact as it appeared, the weary signs of battle and conflict marked the walls. She raised both eyebrows and snorted her response. "I think we're all a little tried," she said, forming a smile. "Once this is over and done with, a nice trip to Risa is most definitely on the cards."

Allyndra had never been there but she had heard of it. In a way she loved the optimistic outlook the science officer had. She knew they would give what they had but she had a hard time looking that the resolution of this was not in their favour.

"Have you been there? What is it like?"

"In all honesty," Stace replied, a guilty look now crossing her features, "I have never been. Only a holodeck recreation of it." She smiled and then cast her mind back to think fondly of the experience. "I think it would do us all good to get away for a while."

"I could agree with that. Perhaps I may even be allowed a visit home. It has been sometime and I still miss it...." Allyndra let her thoughts about home trail off. The winds and tides called to her as did the dance of the suns and watching ring rise. It was always a stiff and formal time though when she was allowed home.

Allyndra put that away and followed with, "Everything is looking good with you and your symbiont."

Norvi smiled and nodded her head in relief. "I'm glad," she said softly, hopping down off bed and standing before Allyndra. "Well, it looks like I'm now officially on board, huh?" she asked, almost in eager anticipation.

"Medically yes you are, you are checked in with the Command and Counseling?" Allyndra asked as she made her medical note and then filed the scan away as a coming aboard one.

"Command, yes," she answered whilst nodding. "But not with counselling as yet. With the current situation, I can't imagine anyone's got time to sit with me to assess what's happened."

"They will. Good luck Lieutenant and again thank you for your consideration."

[OFF]

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LTJG Norvi Stace
Chief Research Officer
USS Galileo

LT Allyndra Warraquim
Chief Medical Officer
USS Galileo

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