Tribbles Swarm Sickbay

Posted on 03 Aug 2014 @ 7:20pm by Lieutenant Tuula Voutilainen M.D. & Jonah Chaparral M.D.
Edited on on 05 Aug 2014 @ 2:52pm

1,090 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Episode 06 - Legend of Souls
Location: USS Galileo - Deck 3, Sickbay
Timeline: MD8, 1300 hrs

[ON]

With Allyndra down on the surface and Abbey napping, under observation and stable, Tuula decided to attend to a critical matter: the tribble infestation in sickbay. It was slow going, piling tribbles onto her lap, rolling over to a biobed in the corner, and tossing the little buggers behind a quarantine field. Of course, they would always try to escape, rolling off her lap as she brought them over. She was quickly getting tired of it when the doors to the sickbay opened. Casually walking in was a man in civilian clothes who she had seen visiting sickbay before. They had never formally introduced, but judging by his dress, his demeanor, and his visits to sickbay for reasons other than to have his medical needs taken care of, Tuula figured that he must have been some sort of researcher or something.

"You there!" she called out from across sickbay. "Help me with these tribbles before I'm overrun in here!"

Jonah nodded quickly and headed her direction, "These damn things seem to be everywhere," he commented, "how can I help, where do you want to put them?"

"By that biobed over there, I've got a containment field set up." Frustration was evident in Tuula's voice as she placed a couple tribbles on her lap. "I'm Tuula, by the way," she added, offering her guest a handshake while clutching the tribbles on her lap with the other.

"Jonah," he said, shaking hands with her briefly before stooping down to retrieve some some more of the creatures, "you know I've just barely got here and I am already hating these things. I mean I know they're cute, furry and innocent, but they are still a pain."

"Well, you can't blame the tribbles for that. They eat and breed, that's all they know how to do." Tuula held an inordinately large pink one aloft. "And how can I stay mad at a cute little guy like you," she added, petting the tribble a couple times before placing it on her lap. A gentle coo emanated from the furball as it nuzzled itself up against her stomach.

He shrugged his shoulders at her antics. One or two tribbles was cute but an explosion of them was a nightmare. He chose however not to say anything.

"Anyways, Jonah, I've seen you come by sickbay a couple times; are you a researcher of some kind?"

"In a manner of speaking, I guess you could say that. I am a doctor. Epidemiology and pathology. A strange combination, but I like it. What about you?"

"Fascinating. I'm a doctor as well," replied Tuula, sliding her right sleeve up her arm to reveal a tattoo of the rod of Asclepius. "Specializing in surgery, and pretty much anything else this crew needs."

"I had a good friend in the Academy who was a surgeon. Best, steadiest hands I've ever seen, but I just never had the desire for it. For some reason I've always been inquisitive and fascinated by disease. Nice tat," he added, "I have one too, though it's in a rather more, intimate place on my body. I doubt you'd want to see it."

"Well, I have more than one," replied Tuula, adding a smirk as she rolled up her other sleeve. "This one is brand new, and yes, I've got some in more intimate places as well."

"A woman after my own heart. I think I could grow to like you," he said, "what are your other tats of?"

"Too many to list. I've got a phoenix here on my side," she turned around and held her hair aside, revealing the back of her neck, "the stars on my back, and," she turned around again to face him, "my chest piece," she said, unzipping her tunic and pulling her undershirt aside just enough to reveal a hummingbird and a harp. Though she was no exhibitionist by any stretch of the imagination, Tuula didn't mind showing off her ink. She was proud of her little collection. "Plus a few others, how about you?"

"Well, as long as we are playing show and tell, I guess it's my turn," he responded," but I'm afraid I only have two at the moment." Jonah was not a shy man by any means so he quickly pulled his shirt over his head. There was a dragon that started on his neck and went across his shoulder blades and another of a phoenix that started on his abdomen and disappeared beneath his belt.

"I see," replied Tuula as she moved in closer. "Nice linework," she said, admiring more than just the tattoo. As she examined the artist's work, she heard a crackle from behind and turned in time to see smoke coming from a medical replicator. "What now," she added, sighing in frustration as she made her way over.

Jonah was about to reply to her comment about the line work when he spotted the smoke too. Cursing slightly under his breath, his shirt still in hand walked around her. There were sparks coming out of the replicator console then a small fire. He used his shirt to put out the flames.

Tuula went for a fire extinguisher to assist. As Jonah popped off the cover of the replicator, Tuula was right beside him, blasting it with the suppressant spray. "I'm sorry," she said, looking down at the burn marks on the shirt in his hand, "I guess that shirt is -- Oh no, is that a tribble caught up in there?" she asked, seeing a ball of fur caught up in the wiring as the white residue from the extinguisher began to settle.

Jonah didn't mind losing the shirt, he had enough and he could always just replicate a replacement. He wasn't all that concerned about the tribble, though he hated to see anything die. "Is the tribble dead?" he asked.

"I hope not," replied Tuula, carefully reaching in to free it from the tangle of wires and conduits. As her hand made contact with its fur, the tribble came to life, vibrating and letting out an angry squeal. Tuula cupped it in her hands and gently placed the squealing tribble onto her lap. "He's alive, but he's very badly burned," she said, scanning him with her medical tricorder. "Third degree burns, the little guy must be in incredible pain; I may need to operate."

[OFF]

A JP By
Jonah Chaparral MC
PNPC Jared Nicholas
USS Galileo

Lieutenant (J.G.) Tuula Voutilainen, M.D.
Medical Officer
USS Galileo

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