Check-up

Posted on 23 Apr 2024 @ 7:14pm by Lieutenant Commander Temerant Bast & Lieutenant Raviran Dattek-Winters

Mission: Enigma Variations
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: A couple of days prior to the Distress Call?

Temerant Lochees had never cared much for hospitals. An injury he'd sustained as a young child, no doubt too young to remember the details, and the recovery under the care of those who were somewhat lacking in bedside manners, had left him somewhat traumatized by doctors and nurses. It had made the Initiate program that much more challenging, since it had involved endless poking and probing in literally every orifice of his body and mind.

But now the presence of the Bast symbiont eased those feelings, bringing a sense of perspective and detachment to the experience. Lamora and Wilem had had such apprehensions.

He took a deep breath before entering Sickbay. It was calm, only two biobeds were occupied by crewmembers who seemed to be undergoing their yearly physicals. He nodded to them in greeting, and walked across the ward to the corridor in the back, leading to the Chief Medical Officer's office.

He peeked inside and saw Doctor Dattek-Winters hunched over her console. He tapped on the doorframe to announce himself.

Ravi started at the sound and looked up. She smiled broadly. "Commander?" she acknowledged Bast. (He was of course a Lt. Commander but it was the correct way to address him as simply "Commander").

"How nice to see you in Sickbay" she went on, rising from her seat and coming round the desk towards the XO, her boss, one step below the Captain himself.

Her big smile did fade a little and her brows creased together slightly, but with her semi-Cardassian features, it wasn't very discernible that she was concerned now. "Er... wait... Do come in Sir, let me shut the door for us to talk privately." she did this as she was speaking. "Is something wrong, Sir?" she asked.

"Not at all," said Bast, walking farther inside the Doctor's office, and suppressing the shudder he instinctively felt. "I just came to see how you were doing, how you were adjusting to the transition. I know the step up to Chief came as something of a surprise."

"You can say that again Sir" she laughed. "I would say a nice surprise, as that's what would be expected but to be totally honest with you, Sir, I really loved working with Devan and I miss him." she looked sadly around the room, briefly, for a few seconds lost in the memories of it as Elodin's office. She snapped out of reminiscing within a few moments and returned her attention directly to Bast.

"We're doing okay though" she went back to his initial question. "I've promoted Tiani up to ACMO and she's doing brilliantly, as I knew she would. We've had some upgrades - as you know of course - from when we were at DS9 and the new shiny bits are working well and a great improvement both in efficiency of everyone's use of time but also of assisting a lift in their skill-sets. New equipment always injects new enthusiasm and incentives."

"Everyone has received the proper training to use the new equipment?" asked the Executive Officer.

"Yes Sir" Ravi confirmed. "All the shifts have had time training but Shift Delta had to do theirs with the ACMO. I *will* be sure to run another quick recap past them though, the next time I can rota myself into their timeline."

"How is your new job going so far Sir?" she asked, doing her best to make him feel more relaxed as he was still looking very serious and tensed.

“It’s going well,” said Bast, smiling. “It does take some getting used to. It came as quite a surprise, especially so soon after being assigned to this ship. I know I can rely on an excellent senior staff, and Captain Bane is a great mentor.”

"Yes, he is" she replied.
A moment passed and then she added quickly: "..... in my personal opinion Sir, which you didn't ask for, so I'm sorry I interjected it" she realised she'd dropped the proper formality with that much too easy reply and attempted to pick it up again.

"Can I offer you a drink Sir?" she tried to re-establish the flow.

"Some other time," said Bast, with regret in his voice. "I'm on duty on the Bridge in ten minutes."

Ravi stood up. "ah, have I kept you too long Sir?" It was a rhetorical question. "Oh, do you have some free time for your next medical Sir, obviously not to right now, but maybe in a day or two, whenever you're next free?" She had seen him inadvertent shudder just before he had repressed it right at the beginning of his visit and due to having seen what felt like a thousand similar reactions to Sickbays in her past experience, she felt she might have a vague idea what she was seeing.

She suggested the medical just as Bast had his feet already on the escape route so that he could agree, in theory, and then find himself working towards the appointment nearer the time.

"I'm told I'm very gentle and I promise not to assault you with anything sharp or intrusive, Sir. It might make it easier for you to come and see me at any other time that you don't feel well if you get used to my Sterile smelling Sickbay for routine no problem things - and coffee or perhaps something a little stronger? as an incentive?" she purred, making herself as unthreatening as she could, a warm friendly smile on her face as she saw him out.

Bast smiled bashfully, fully aware that his discomfort with doctors was no longer a secret. "I'll be sure to make an appointment for next week. But you have to promise not to call me Sir in casual conversation. Temerant will do fine."

"Thank you for visiting Sir" she said as he left.

"Let me know if there's anything you need," he said before walking out of the Chief Medical Officer's office. As First Officer, it was of course his job to see that every department head had all resources they needed at their disposal.

He walked back across the medical ward, and headed for the turbolift, on his way to the Bridge.

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A post by

Lt Cmdr Temerant Bast
Executive Officer, USS Cygnus

And

Doctor Raviran Dattek-Winters
Chief Medical Officer, USS Cygnus