Cooling down

Posted on 31 Oct 2014 @ 6:00am by Chief Warrant Officer 2 Tharia sh'Kari & Lieutenant Olsam Mott

1,720 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Episode 07 - Sojourn
Location: USS Galileo - Deck 7 - Calisto's Bar
Timeline: MD-25, 1600 hours

As Tharia entered the bar she looked around to find the reason for her visit this moment. She noticed she was one of the few dressed in uniform. That made sense as most people visited Calisto when they were off duty. Tharia wasn't. She had received a report of a crew member causing disturbance. On the other side of the bar voices were raised and Tharia went in that direction, assuming that was where he was located.

Naois was openly glaring at the bartender, who refused to give him the drink he wanted. Apparently, he was appearing to be drunk when all he had was that one drink. And to his knowledge it hadn't even contained alcohol. What he didn't know however, was that it had contained a small amount of lemon juice, which was enough to set him off on odd behaviour. Especially, combined with the early stages of his cursed condition. "I want my drink," he snarled, "it is just apple juice, I do not see a problem here."

The bartender just shook his head, spotted Tharia and waved her over.

Tharia took the stool next to him. "What is the problem, sir?"

"This one here is demanding drinks, and I think he's had enough and I want him gone from this establishment. Except he refuses to leave and if I make him, I'm afraid he'll just go ballistic."

Naois just shook his head. "But I do not want anything with alcohol or synthehol," he snapped, glaring to the woman who had approached. "I just want juice. Just plain apple juice, not that mix you served me before!"

Tharia lifted an eyebrow. And argument about a juice? "Sir, he has been very clear that he won't be serving you anymore. That's his choice. Now, will you please follow me? I'll escort you to your quarters."

The half-Vulcan doctor gritted his teeth, his blue eyes sparkling brightly. "No," he said. "I have every right to be here, and I am not drunk! I have children, I do not drink. I just want some time for myself, have a drink and enjoy the view of the stars."

She might not be a medical officer but she could understand very well why the bartender had called her. This officer obviously was having some kind of reaction to his drink, even though he had another opinion about it. And she hated it when people looked at her like she was a nobody. She took a step closer to him, trying very hard to keep her voice down and her temper in place.

"Mister, please don't ruin my evening and just come with me so we can find out what the problem is."

Naois sighed audibly, his defiance increasing. "I am not causing any kind of problem, I merely want a standard, non-alcoholic, non-syntheholic drink. Any scan will show I am not drunk." He had yet to raise his voice, having managed to speak in a fairly calm and collected manner so far. But his patience was wearing very thin, very quick.

"Sir, you do appear to be drunk. That's why you can't have your damn drink."

"Do you have a tricorder?" Naois countered irritably. "Take a scan.."

"Off course I don't have a tricorder with me." she said annoyed. "I normally don't need one when I get a disturbance call." He did have a point about the scan. "You know what? Why don't we go to see the doc. Because I don't know what up with you, but you appear to be drunk. So let's go to Sickbay to see why you appear drunk, but are not. According to yourself."

"If that is what it takes to convince you," the Vulcan growled. "But if I am correct, then you will owe me a drink."

"That's a deal!"

"I am not drunk," the Vulcan repeated, as he followed her, casting the bartender a glare over his shoulder. "This is pointless."

"What ever you say, what ever you say," Tharia said. "Let the doctors decide that."

"Which doctor."

== sickbay ==

Naois was visibly irritated as he was followed into sickbay by the security officer. He was also not inclined to call a doctor, instead waiting for her to get one.

Olsam heard the loud doors open and part, bringing him to his feet and around the corner out of the office. He smiled when he spotted Dr. Mercy, prepared to wave but then frowned when he saw the Andorian security officer looming behind the physician. What was this? Hadn't they had enough trouble with security lately?

"Hello, Dr. Mercy," Olsam said, approaching slowly and cautiously and keeping an eye on Tharia. "Here to pick something up? Taking a tour of the ship? On a date?" His eyes slid to the Andorian. "Under arrest?"

"She is under the impression I am intoxicated," the Vulcan grumbled. "I assure you doctor, I am not. I do not drink, especially not now!"

Tharia took a deep breath. She was really getting tired of this guy. "The bartender called me because you were causing trouble in the lounge. You show every sign of having too much to drink."

"Doctor, please scan me, show her I am not lying. Please!"

Olsam lifted a hairless brow in curiosity; a drunken Vulcan was a rarity, though not entirely beyond the realm of possibility. What seemed much more within the realm of possibility was an Andorian security officer clubbing a Vulcan in the back of the head to get him to pipe down, so he figured he should probably intervene.

"I'm sure it's just a chemical imbalance or something of the like," the Bolian said, giving Tharia a reassuring smile. He moved to the nearest medkit, popped it open and produced a medical tricorder. As he detached the sensor wand and moved close enough to Naois for a scan, he shifted his eyes back and forth between the pair. "So, are you like the bouncer at the bar? Or do you all just draw straws to see who gets to pick up the drunks? Or supposed drunks, excuse me." He grinned sheepishly at his colleague.

Tharia looked at the Bolian doctor and replied dead serious. "I was called by the bartender because of this mister here. It is my job to respond to distress calls."

"Odd," Olsam pronounced, frowning at the scanner. He shuffled over to the central console and called up Naois's medical records, glancing from the computer console to the tricorder and back again. The high levels of histamines certainly made sense now. "What were you drinking down there, lemonade? You know you shouldn't be having anything citrus. Look at you, you're a belligerent mess! Your biochemistry is just all out of balance now. And it's a wonder your throat hasn't swollen shut or you haven't broken out in hives."

"So he is drunk?" Tharia asked. She didn't understand a thing about all that medical mumbo jumbo, but it looked like a affirmation.

"I am not," Naois told her grimly, "as I already told you. I am suffering an allergic reaction to the drink that was given to me." He didn't so much as relax now that this was confirmed. "I need anti-histamines," he told Mott, "before this goes out of hand." He was referring to his 'other' biochemical imbalance, which was not so easily cured with a mere hypospray injection.

"Great," Tharia said cheerful. "Because that mean you are now in the hands of the doc. I'm a security officer, not a doctor. Good luck with him." she started walking to the door, glad to be leaving that very annoying man behind her.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Olsam said, motioning to Tharia. "You'll need to stay to give a statement for the medical record, if you don't mind. Now, what was I... Oh, right, an histamine antagonist. Let's see..." The Bolian shuffled over to the supply closet and began rummaging through the vast array of medications and hypospray vials. He picked out several and mixed them together in an antihistamine cocktail that should have been suitable for Naois's unique physiology. He loaded it into a hypospray and approached the Vulcan like he was a caged animal, likely to lash out at any moment. "I've got some hydroxyzine and a few other things here for you."

Naois clasped his hands behind his back and bared his throat at the doctor. "Go ahead," he said, "I am not dangerous doctor..." He hesitated briefly, glancing sideways at the security officer. "Not yet, but I assure you when that time comes, I will be sequestered in my quarters."

"Oh yes you will." Tharia said, feeling fed up that her escape had failed.

Olsam shifted his eyes from the man to the woman and back again, wondering what the animosity was between them. Old lovers? Bitter rivals? Distant relatives squabbling over who gets their great aunt's antique boudoir? He shrugged to himself and depressed the hypospray into Naois's neck, releasing the antihistamines into his carotid artery.

"Just give that a few moments, and then you should probably return to your quarters for some rest. Maybe the replicator can make you a non-citric version of whatever it was you were after," the Bolian suggested, smiling from Naois to Tharia. Seeing neither one of them smile, he cleared his throat. "Yes, well. Uh, security officer...?"

"Yes," she said grumpy.

"Right, Officer sh'Kari, perhaps you could see that Dr. Mercy gets back to his quarters safely? You never know who's liable to be in the corridors armed with lemon juice," Olsam said, chuckling at his own joke. It died down quickly. "Um... Yeah, you can just come back to give a quick statement afterward."

'I will," Tharia looked cold at the Vulcan officer. All this paperwork for an annoying, obnoxious guy that is allergic to citric. Citric! Who is allergic to Citric?

Naois held her stare for a moment, merely shrugging. He had told her he hadn't been drunk, and he was right. "You owe me a drink ma'am," he reminded her, smiling ever so slightly, before leaving sickbay.


OFF:
Lieutenant j.g. Naois Mercy
Medical Officer
USS Galileo
[PNPC T'Vanna]

Chief Petty Officer Tharia sh'Kari
Master-at-arms
USS Galileo
[PNPC Jaana]

Lieutenant Olsam Mott, M.D.
Assistant Chief Medical Officer
USS Galileo

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