Damn Feelings

Posted on May 10, 2020 @ 10:21pm by Lieutenant Tulla Keiku
Edited on on May 10, 2020 @ 10:22pm

Mission: Dog Days Of Summer

“Damn Feelings”

(cont’d from “Boardroom, Part 2”)

=/\=

Location: USS PHOENIX
Scene: Bridge
Time: 0100


The Main Bridge was quiet, as the PHOENIX was in Starbase 56, but they still had to maintain a crew, even if it was a skeleton one. So the Lt. Byte had “The Chair” for the night. There was work to be done, reports to catch up on, upgrades to be made.

The turbolift doors opened up with a “hiss” and a clomping could be heard. A tall woman of Klingon descent made her way round and stood before the Android. Holding out the PADD she said, “Dr. Keiku reporting for duty.”

Byte tilted his head to the side as if surprised and accepted the PADD. Reading the PADD he said, {{Lieutenant Tulla Keiku, Medical Doctor. You’ve accepted the position of Assistant Chief Medical Officer.}}

Being with an Android was both freeing and weird; she felt nothing from him. No emotions; no rumblings of thought; no sensations. Most of the time, the half Betazoid felt her empathic sense was a burden, but it was her burden. The few times she didn’t have it...it was a strange sensation, akin to being alone in a holodeck.

Byte continued to look over her credentials and spouted it off to her, as Tulla unexpectedly used the time to probe her empathetic sense. No one was around. Oddly enough being around Byte was helping; the lack of mental energies was helping her. While it was not her favorite activity, it was an interesting experiment.

{{Lieutenant Tulla Keiku, Medical Doctor, did you hear me?}} Lieutenant Byte asked.

“Clearly not, my mind was elsewhere,” Tulla said with a slight frown, slightly thrown off for having been caught focusing on her empathic sense. “What was the question, Lieutenant Byte?”

{{Why are you coming on aboard at 0100?}}

“I was doing a late surgery on the Station,” Tulla admitted. “After surgery, clean up, and paperwork, it was late.” Even she knew not to admit that she volunteered for the surgery so she didn’t have to come on to the ship during the swing shift.

Byte considered that. {{By military time standards. as well as most Humanoid standards, anytime after 0000 upto and including 0800, would be considered early,}} he said without malice. Continuing on he asked, {{Have you found your quarters and are the quarters adequate?}}

“Yes to both,” Tulla answered.

Byte nodded. {{You are dismissed to continue pondering medical problems,}} the Android said.

“I’d rather not,” Tulla replied. “Thanks all the same.”

Byte took no offense to that, as he resumed his shift.

=/\=

Scene: Sickbay
Time: 1200


“What is that noise?”

Commander Sidney Bartlett rubbed his brow. “Doctor, I’ve told you...the computer has told you...there is no noise.”

Tulla growled at that and glared at the older Human man. Digging around the medical cabinet, again, she searched for the source of the noise. A mild, continuous humming wasn’t the worst sound; but it was something that wasn’t completely humanoid. Staring at the wall she frowned, “It’s just beyond here,” she announced. “I’m going to find it.”

Commander Bartlett just looked to the ceiling and said to no one in particular, “Why do they always come to the PHOENIX?” Looking back at the doctor he said, “You know we have actual work to do.”

Tulla stuck her head out of the medical closet. “The Marine has a case of halitosis and periodontitis; refer to the dentist and a toothbrush. The scientist has acute functional dyspepsia; tell her to eat slower and give her the recommended amount of simethicone. The engineer has dermal dysplasia; give the recommended nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug and tell him to stop taking the safeties off of the holodeck.”

Commander Bartlett blinked. “They’re your patients,” he pointed out.

Tulla, who had already gone back into the medical closet to tear it apart, called out, “I talked to them once; that was enough. For all of us.”

Eve Daziel, whose offices were on the other side of the Sickbay (and specifically the Medical closet that Tulla was tearing apart), walked into Sickbay with a colleague. “I had no idea Sickbaby was going to be so popular today,” she mused.

“I wished I had known it this morning,” Commander Bartlett smiled at Eve.

“Well I came by because I don’t want to be on the wrong side of our new aCMO,” Eve said. “Not after that notice that came out.”

Dr. Bartlett blinked at that. “What notice?” he asked.

Eve looked at Bartlett. “The one telling the whole ship they were due for a physical,” she said.

Bartlett looked over at the closet, where things were now flying out. “Dr. Keiku is...new,” was all he would say. Looking over at the people streaming in he admitted, “Does explain the steady influx we’ve had.”

“Hmm,” Eve replied, biting her lip.

Eve’s colleague sauntered up to the medical closet and yipped for attention. And while several medical tricorders, hyposprays, and auto-sutures came flying out, he ducked and danced around them. Finally, the Klingon/Betazoid appeared and said, “It’s here.” Looking down she glared, “It’s *you*.”

Captain Smooshy sat there with his tongue hanging out of his mouth and his mouth wide open as if to grin at the new doctor.

Eve just grinned as she watched the new doctor glare at the dog and the dog pant and seemingly grin up at her. It was the staring match of the century: Captain Smooshy happily drooling and staring off vs. the new part-Klingon doctor who seemed to be sizing him up.

“Doctor Keiku, much as I hate to interrupt this, we now have a Sickbay full of patients thanks to you,” Commander Bartlett said.

Tulla frowned at that. “No, we have a Sickbay full of patients because people think they should only go to Sickbay when they’re sick and not for routine care.” Shaking her head she found a medical tricorder on the floor that wasn’t too banged up, picked it up and stood up. “But I see your point, I’ll triage and you can tell them what idiots they’ve been.”

Bartlett just sighed. “Bedside manner,” he said in a tone that had Eve thinking this was not the first time he said this today.

“I’m a Doctor not a Counselor,” Tulla said.

“Actually I am a Counselor,” Eve pointed out. When Tulla whipped around to stare at her, Eve waved and said, "Eve Daziel, Chief Counselor."

“Good, I will triage, Bartlett can give the diagnosis, and you can reassure them that stupidity is curable,” Tulla replied.

Eve quirked an eyebrow at that. “I can what now?” When Smooshy yipped Eve gave him a look, “Don’t help her, you’re Counseling too you know.”

=/\=

NRPG: Sorry I ran out of steam but Tulla is aboard now and has sent out a notice that everyone is to come to Sickbay. And there’s flying medical equipment (yay!).

Note on Tulla’s empathic abilities: I figured with Byte, she wouldn’t feel a thing so I wanted to explore that in the first scene. And with Smooshy (in the 2nd scene) she would feel something but it wouldn’t be the same as with a humanoid, hence the description of a low humming. Hope that makes sense. But mostly....she doesn't care what you feel ;)

As for what the officers had:

halitosis and periodontitis -- bad breath and severe gum infection
acute functional dyspepsia -- indigestion
dermal dysplasia -- sunburn

=/\=

Sarah Albertini-Bond
Ambassador Xana Bonviva
USS ANUBIS

And

Dr. Tulla Keiku, Lieutenant
aCMO
USS PHOENIX