Medical Bay Blues

Posted on Mon Dec 13th, 2021 @ 2:26am by Lieutenant Siora Carberos

Mission: A New Beginning
Location: Sickbay, USS Majestic
2512 words - 5 OF Standard Post Measure

There was something about Doctors that gave Siora pause. Sometimes she felt they knew more about her body than she did and for her that didn't sit well. She was not a fan of hospitals, sickbays but knew their purpose was important, vital to the functioning of worlds and ships alike. Ignorance would not serve her well on that front.

She had spent enough time in a hospital on her own world after her mission to that Borg sphere that went slightly awry. Even though it was a long time since it had passed it was still a vivid memory, images in her mind she would not quickly forget.

Siora walked into Sickbay and smiled at the woman who approached her. "Can I help you Lieutenant?" she was asked, the woman looking at her rank pips for the correct title.

"Yes, please. I am just here for my quick initial physical. I came on board recently and am just getting myself orientated."

"No problem." The woman nodded. "I'll see who is free. Wont be too long, just take a seat on one of the beds over there." She pointed before walking off.

A minute or two later a young looking Vulcanoid male approached her, tricorder already in hand. "Greetings," he stated, as light grey eyes seemed to take in the woman in front of him. "I am Doctor Lhaes Sommers... I've been informed you're here for your boarding physical but I'm afraid the nurse failed to give me your name, or position."

"You're tall... Doctor Sommers" Siora said as she trailed off a bit and looked up at the man, even from the bed his over 6ft frame seemed to tower over her. "Sorry, sorry. That's probably my fault, nor the nurses. I'm Siora Carberos, plan on being the Chief of Operations as long as you pass me." she gave a big smile and flashed her eyes at him.

Lhaes chuckled. "There's no need to be flirty with me ma'am," he offered politely, "if you're healthy I'm sure there'll be no issue in passing you. Meanwhile, since I don't seem to have your medical records yet.... are there any allergies I should be aware of? Any recent injuries?"

"Ma'am?" She feigned shock. "Please, Siora is fine." she smiled. "Starfleet at their ultimate best." she rolled her eyes. "I offered to bring them myself but no, can't have me walking about with my own private information. Breach of data protection rules." She had a minor little rant to herself. "Starfleet needs to loosen up a bit... but sorry, to answer your question, no. No allergies I have found yet, but still looking. As for injuries..." she said taking her jacket off to show her tank top underneath. She peeled off the right side strap to reveal a nasty deep scar just beneath her collarbone adjacent to the shoulder. "I got this over 160, I think. Was a long time ago..."

The injury was a reminder of sorts. When back in the Delta Quadrant she was part of a team that put a 'sleep' code in to the Borg Collective. Targeting a small sphere, they attacked with great ferocity tearing down their defences, beating back the drones with sheer determination and strength. During the attack Siora suffered an injury to her right shoulder when a Borg drone attacked her as she worked on a nearby node. In the attack the drone lunged at her with a knife-like implement entering her shoulder at speed and force. During the struggle, the implement snapped off leaving half of it in her shoulder.

"My parents taught me that calling a lady 'ma'am' was the polite thing to do," The Romulan explained, then blinked at her next statement. "Pardon? 160?" A look of confusion crossed his features. "You uhm... don't look much older than thirty...." had he missed something, somewhere? His attention was drawn to the scar however, and he studied it for a moment. "That looks extremely nasty...are you sure you don't want that treated?"

"Oh well at least you got that I am a lady." She smirked and flicked her pinkish hair over her other shoulder. "Yes, I am 285 years old on my last day of birth, Earth calendar anyway. I'm El Aurian." she offered him a small sliver of sanity back. "Don't worry, you're not losing your mind Doctor. As for treatment, no thanks. I keep it as a reminder." she said as she watched him lean in for further study.

"My mother said I should because its Borg technology in my body but I feel removing it would be disrespectful to those that lost their lives to Them, and if I am honest I feel I deserve the pain it sometimes causes me." There was occasions when it hurt, if she moved a certain way, if she had been doing a lot of lifting or moving that focused on that side, that kind of thing. She always had it in her mind that her code only angered the Borg and even though they were devoid of emotion, the Queen was not. She felt she had pissed her off and their annihilation was her fault. Young foolish thoughts, yes, but still they were hers.

"I can at least make it look a little less....irritated," he offered, "not remove the scar itself but at least remove the impression of discomfort. No-one deserves to be in pain, no matter what caused it. Trust me, I've been through my own fair share of it. There's nothing wrong with keeping reminders but they shouldn't hinder your performance."

"Okay, sure." Siora replied moving herself so he could get a better angle on it. "As long as the scar stays." she added watching him pick up medical equipment. "You are not Vulcan." she said in a statement. "Sorry. I get that vibe off you, but you do not look like most Romulans I have met. You're softer, less guarded."

"I'm guarded enough," Lhaes countered as he ran the dermal regenerator over her skin to take care of the deep-tissue damage. He worked it long enough for the deeper damage to be healed, but leave the surface lesion intact. "I grew up on Betazed, raised by Betazoid parents. I'm well able to keep a tight reign on my thoughts if needed, given my prior profession in intelligence, but as a doctor I'm not as guarded because I don't need to be. As for softer..." He chuckled. "Keep on my good side and you won't need to see my not so soft side."

Siora's eyes widened for a moment as she thought about that. "I don't see why I'd get on your bad side Doctor. I'm innocent in all things." she grinned. "That must have been something though, growing up and being raised by Betazoids. I hear they are very in touch with their emotions, or can be. Have to say I don't know them well enough. Good to know you were in Intelligence though, one of my sisters is as well." she said with a little annoyance given her previous assignment.

"The downside to all that openness was that my own telepathic ability wasn't discovered until I was in my early twenties," Lhaes confessed. "Touch telepath only though, and I do have empathic skill but it comes with a few perks since I was, what's the phrase? Late to the party? My sister would probably agree on the emotional part, she's very much a people person."

"I suppose they wouldn't have been looking for it so much in someone of a different species." Siora tried to somewhat guess to why, it was all conjecture of course. "So, as a touch telepath... I'm guessing that is just as it sounds then? You have to touch someone to use that telepathy? El Aurians have mental abilities too but we have lost a lot of that over the years after our planets destruction. We are also quite emotional when younger, around my age actually. As we grow older we reign it in and some of us even become wise, old and boring." she laughed softly to herself thinking of her older brother, Navum.

"Touch telepath, in that I have the same ability as a Vulcan, I can perform a mind meld," the Romulan answered slowly, his brows pulling together in a frown, "and it's not without danger either. Since I never trained properly as a child, it's not without danger to me. Which is why I use this ability only sparsely. As for empathy, I've no issue sensing strong emotions, but when I have to actively search for it, it's very draining to me."

"I'll remember that if you come at me if I reach your not so soft side hands raised for my face." she joked playfully. She understood his tone, it was dangerous and she'd been around long enough to believe anyone who spoke in such a manner. Empath she was not but you could tell a lot from studying behaviour of other species for a lifetime or two. "My people have the ability to release a pheromone that decreases inhibition. Almost like a truth pheromone. Once released those that come into contact with it usually start to tell us their hearts desires, their deepest secrets and fears. It can be quite revealing..."

Lhaes nodded. "A dangerous gift to have," he acknowledged, "and probably somewhat unwelcome at times. I trust you too tread with caution with this?"

"I do, sometimes you don't want to know people darkest moments, their failures but sometimes it is nice to hear hope in their voice when they tell you of their dreams. The excitement can be quite intoxicating..." she said reliving a memory. "We train from a young age to keep it controlled. Sometimes if we become distressed, hurt or angry we lose a bit of that control and the distraction is enough for the situation to change. We cannot use it on each other, and Orions have some resistance to it as well."

"What about more restrained species, like Vulcans?" Lhaes asked, clearly curious about it, "or highly trained people such as Tall Shiar operatives, or highly passionate such as Klingons?"

"On Klingons it has a more 'amorous' effect, with the opening of their mind comes increased passion and attraction. I know they do not have much inhibition as it is." Siora said as she reminded herself of old times since past. "With Vulcans it can take more time to take hold, they can be quite resistant and it takes much longer. It is the same with the Tal Shiar. Some say you cannot deny your biology and as much good as a highly trained mind is, if the body is infected with something the mind can only last so long."

"Is it not true for the opposite as well? The body can only last as long as the mind does." He gave her an almost challenging look. "I am Tal Shiar trained," he stated calmly, "how does it work? Can one know if you.. work your magic... on them?"

"My 'magic' is subtle." She smiled softly. "And a girl cannot give all her secrets away Doctor. Where would all my mystique go?" she laughed a little to herself. "Honestly though, I'm not sure. I am not on the receiving end of my pheromones. Some say it feels like intoxication, a relaxation state of being at total ease... others say it is like a niggle in their mind, a tickle or itch that fuzzes up their senses and the telling of their truths is the scratching of that." she shrugged. "I'm an engineer. I leave all that biology stuff to our scientists and doctors."

"I'm speaking from medical interest," the Romulan clarified, "I'm not asking for your secrets. The power of persuasion is a useful tool, to naturally possess. It's something I can only achieve by using specialized potions." He echoed her smile. "Though I suppose a man shouldn't reveal his secrets either?" The smile widened a little and seemed to reach his eyes, as they turned a little lighter grey. "Honestly though, I don't have a great many secrets. The fewer I have, the less chance I have of getting caught in a web of lies. Right?"

"Very right." Siora replied. "I am as open as a book in most ways." She said honestly. "I know you wanted to know the medical ways of how my persuasion works but honestly I do not know. Same as you I find the more lies you keep the deeper into darkness you go making it harder to find the light." she said rather colourfully painting a picture. "I have a cousin who is in Intelligence, I don't know how she does it."

"I used to be in intelligence, and I daresay it is a trait that can be nurtured if not trained. Similarly to blending in, which can be trained as well. Or the power of observation. I am of the belief that anything can be learned, with enough dedication and tutoring. Well... almost anything." Lhaes cast her an encouraging smile. "I have no doubt you will find your use for it, in your profession."

"Well when my hair is not pink I can blend in quite well. Short and sweet." She smiled innocently as her legs swung back and forth in the air like a child's would. "But I do like pink so I usually leave it as is... but as to working in operations... I don't think I can work my so called magic on the power systems of this ship." She thought for a moment. "Maybe the powerful people." she grinned.

"Possibly," the chief medical officer agreed. "At least you are certified fit for duty."

"I had no doubt." Siora smiled. "I've not been unfit for quite a long time. Did catch the Dunovulan Pox decades ago... that was awful." she said as a shiver ran through her body as the memory surfaced. "But as an older Human once sad I am as 'fit as a butcher's dog'." she said with a shrug. "Although, I've never understood the phrase, think I told him off for comparing me to a female canine.. Humans are strange creatures."

"I believe that falls in the same category as being as fit as a fiddle..." The Romulan shook his head. "Humans are indeed strange and confusing creatures. Anyway, you are cleared to resume your duties."

"Great." Siora said. "I'm sure there is a power conduit with my name on it somewhere." she skipped off the biobed and stood beneath the good doctor.

"Quite likely," the CMO smiled, waving her off. "Go on then," he added, "stop wasting my time." Yet, his grey eyes were sparkling with mirth as he shooed her off.

Siora began to skip off, or more walk with a little bounce. She was always like that, liked a little skip in her step... other people walked with such boredom and lets not even get started on their personalities. "I'll waste your time if its worth it Doc. Byeeee."