Reflex

Posted on May 26, 2017 @ 1:00pm by Ensign Sofia Andersson
Edited on on May 26, 2017 @ 1:00pm

Mission: The Romulan Way

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"Reflex"
[previous post was "So Be It" by Jerome]
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LOCATION: USS PHOENIX
SD [2.17] 0526.0958
SCENE: Sickbay

The PHOENIX was quiet, and as peaceful as this tranquility was, it felt strange, weird. The moment the ship had docked at STARBASE 56 an ominous aura had encased the ship as well as everyone in it. The announcement from Commander Crichton only confirmed what everyone had suspected and it could be narrowed down to a single word -- Romulans.

One did not need to be part of the Intel world to know about the Romulans. As a single entity, the Romulan Star Empire was a powerful force with a shadow that spread far beyond the limits of its borders. The Klingons had been made to feel the full strength of this and the Federation and its citizens remained on edge in fear of them being next.

The Neutral Zone had been established long ago to ease tensions, to offer a buffer so that both sides could have some room to maneuver without instantly causing an incident that would most certainly lead to a deadly conflict. In more recent history, the Romulans had tested the validity of the zone twice more in 2413 and 2429, forcing the Federation to prove once again that they were still there, ready and watching. Of course, those incidents had not helped in making the relationship between the two sides any easier, hence why the simple name of he race had been sufficient to cause some, like Ensign Sofia Andersson, get a chill the moment it was mentioned.

"Do you ever take time off?" Lynette said as she walked in, tightly holding her left hand with her right. "I was half expecting you to be on the starbase."

"Being here, cataloging and sorting is relaxing for me," Sofia explained. It keeps my mind from wandering too far, plus it means that I am here to take care of you. What happened?" The aCMO inquired having already reached for the nearest medical tricorder.

"I was in engineering and wasn't paying at much attention as I should have," the Ensign replied. "I guess that, unlike you, my mind was wandering."

Sofia smiled as she scanned the hands of her friend and roommate. "Well, this looks promising," the aCMO announced. "Scans are showing two hands, ten fingers and 54 bones. That means you can relax, your mind was not wandering all that far."

"Are you trying to be part of comedy night?" Lynette chuckled dryly. "I think I would have felt losing something. I just got too close to one of the superheated plasma conduits and burn myself."

"I thought I smelled something strange," the blonde haired medial officer grinned as she reached for a dermal regenerator.

"You are in one strange mood Sofia," the woman's roommate pointed out. "You are not usually the type to crack jokes like that, especially bad ones."

"Some of us have the luxury of allowing themselves to be injured," the aCMO chuckled. "Since it is part of my duties to fix those injuries, I have to find an alternate way to express my distraction and apprehension as to what we will be dealing with."

"The Romulans do have a way to get under your skin," Lynette sadly admitted.

"Maybe I should try to create an ointment for that," Sofia offered in return, forcing an oversized smile on her lips.

"Right now, I think your efforts at comedy are far more dangerous than the Romulans," the aCEO said before being made to wince as a single shot of pain travelled up her arm. "You did that on purpose."

"Did I?" the aCMO rhetorically asked, a smile dancing on her lips. "There you go," she added a few seconds later. "as good as new."

"You need to relax," Lynette stated to her roommate as she scrutinized the aCMO's handiwork. "Just a suggestion, but you might want to speak to Eve, but if you chose not to at last keep this in the back of your mind. Captain Kane knows what he's doing. Whatever trouble the Romulans will send out way, he will know how to handle it. It's likely one of the reasons why the brass is sending the PHOENIX in."

"I guess the size and power of the ship are just an added bonus," Ensign Andersson grinned.

"Stick to comedy," Ensign Ryan chuckled back. "I will leave the medical stuff to you and you leave the engineering stuff to me. Deal?"

Sofia burst out laughing. "Unless the ship's engines actually respond to medical instruments, I think that your job is safe from me."

"Thanks for the fix," Lynette smiled as she waved the not-so-long-ago injured hand. "I'll see you later tonight."

With her roommate out of Sickbay, Sofia found herself alone once more trying to keep her hands and head busy and realising that her friend had been right. The PHOENIX had not been an untested vessel with a fresh out of the academy crew. Both had gone through more than she could imagine and as mentioned, this had very likely been the reason as to why this had been the ship and crew selected for the mission.

Sofia simply needed to trust Captain Michael Turlogh Kane, something that she began to realise had not been as simple as it should have been. This had not been because of the man in command or anything that he might have done, in fact the reason for her hesitation in trusting had been from her own pass and experiences. The last time she had given someone her complete trust, he had used it and her to strengthen the political position of an organization that led to the death of far too many.

Not giving her complete trust had been nothing more than a reflex, one that she needed to address by herself. After all, being part of the crew of the PHOENIX meant that she would need to trust each and every member with her life on a daily basis, as they would trust theirs with her, this no matter what had happened or what they would come to face while dealing with the Romulans.

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NRPG:

Establishing Sofia's mindset for the start of the mission.

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Tiffany Reeve

Ensign Sofia Andersson
Assistant Chief Medical Officer
USS PHOENIX