Coming Aboard

Posted on Sat Oct 9th, 2010 @ 1:22am by Lieutenant JG Nykala Marstin & Lieutenant JG Lucy Carter

1,075 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Structured Shoreleave - Marchwiel
Location: Deck 5 Sickbay
Timeline: Some what current

ON:


Nykala glanced off and on at the PaDD in her hand as she excited the turbo lift and walked the corridor that led to Sickbay. She was reviewing the basic records of the medical staff under her command and strongly believed that to make a good first impression, she needed to know who she would be working with before she walked into Sickbay. Making the transition from one Chief Medical Officer to another was not always easy and Nykala wanted this switch to go smoothly.

As the doors to Sickbay opened and she scanned the main room it appeared to be deserted. Displeasure crinkled Nykalas brow. After a bit of walking around and checking the various facilities she noticed a lone crewman in the lab. Nykala stood in the doorway and watched what she assumed was one of her nurses run tests on a lab sample. After a few moments,lightly holding her PaDD at her side Nykala cleared her throat.

Nurse Maria Traho was indeed running tests. She was finding out if she could manufacture a new endorphin based perfume using the equipment in sickbay rather than using up her own replicator rations. She held the sample in front of her as she scanned its chemical composition with a medical tricorder and tutted as it still wasn't quite right. In truth, she had limited medical training and had not much of an idea what she was looking at.

She heard the crew member clear her throat and jumped, spilling some of the contents of the flask as she did so. "Damn!" she thought, but fixed a winning smile to her face before turning round. "Oh I am so sorry," she said, "I was just running through some extra tests on this, uh, DNA sample that the EMH asked me to take. I really feel that working in one's spare time is such a valuable thing to do. Have I done something wrong?" She put on her "little girl worried" face for effect.


Nykala smiled at the nurse. "It's alright. I'm Lieutenant Nykala Marstin the new Chief Medical Officer and you are?"

Maria put her flask down, hiding it skillfully from the other's view behind a pile of racks on the lab bench. "My name is Nurse Maria Traho." She didn't offer a hand. She flicked a large lock of her treacle hair over her shoulder and smiled but not with her eyes.

"Nice to meet you Nurse Traho." Nykala walked to the nearest console and began scanning the recent activity log for the department. It seemed that things were a bit more laid back as of late. The crew of the Ranger had just completed a difficult mission but they had been given recovery time and were on an easy run at the moment. Time to get sickbay up and running at full steam once again.

Nykala stood in front of the console with one hand on her hip and the thumb of her other hand absently rubbing back and forth over her bottom lip. For some reason the steady motion was something she had always done while thinking. With her back still towards the rest of the lab Nykala adressed Nurse Traho over her shoulder.

"It appears that the required physicals have fallen behind. Starting tomorrow I will have a new schedule for this department and I would like you to compile a list of crewman who are over due for their annual physicals. I'd like that report on my desk in an hour."

Maria felt horrified but thought quickly and smiled. "I am so sorry but I am not on shift until a few days' time. Oh, what a pity. I could really have made a differenc in here. You will have to ask one of he other nurses."

A little shocked and tacken back by nurse Traho's response Nykala turned from the console to face her. What she saw was not a subordinate but a woman who considered herself untouchable. Nykala considered herself a level headed person, well in control of her emotions and responses to people. In her line of work you have to be, but the attitude that Nurse Traho was displaying did nothing to help Nykala maintain her cool facade. "That was not a suggestion."

Maria still smiled at her superior but said, slightly more forcefully, "if you have a problem with that, Lieutenant, I suggest you take it up with Admiral Nield of Starfleet. I am only here for light duties and research purposes." She tilted her head in an apologetic sort of way and started walking towards the door, which opened.

Nykala watched in frustration as the woman almost, sauntered, towards the door and out of sickbay. Nurse Traho was one of the few people that had ever made Nykala feel completely out of control of a situation. Unwilling for Nurse Traho to exit, and leave Nykala with such a feeling. She uttered a warning just before the other woman was out of ear shot. "We will finish this discussion at a later date Nurse Traho."

Even the doors to sickbay seemed to make a statement as they snapped closed behind the exiting nurse. As the silence of sickbay enclosed around Nykala she realized that she was beyond frustrated, she was down right angry. She took a slow purposeful inhale and exhale to get her emotions back under control. Tearing her gaze away from the offending door that her eyes seemed to be locked too, Nykala walked toward her new office. If the rest of the medical crew reacted in such a manner Nykala was afraid that getting things in order was going to take longer than she had planned.

Running her eyes over her office Nykala spotted her chair and decided that sitting would be the best option for now. Taking a seat Nykala reviewed the list of medical crew on her PaDD again. Regardless of the nagging fear in the back of her mind that taking over sickbay was now going to be more of a challenge than anticipated Nykala began putting together a new duty schedule and sending notices to all of the medical crew, including Nurse Traho. They may not be ready and she may not be ready, but ready or not, here she comes.

OFF:


Lieutenant (J.G.) Nykala Marstin
Chief Medical Officer

Nurse Maria Traho played by Lieutenant JG Lucy Carter
USSRanger

 

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