Totally Routine, Nothing to See Here

Posted on 12 Feb 2015 @ 8:22pm by Ensign Arandon Khnailmnae Ph.D. & Commander Allyndra illm Warraquim & Lieutenant Tuula Voutilainen M.D.

2,003 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Episode 07 - Sojourn
Location: USS Galielo - Deck 3 Sickbay
Timeline: MD 43 1800 Hrs

ON:

His headache growing ever worse, Arandon found it fitting that his next stop would be sickbay. It was on the way back to his quarters and after getting his physical and perhaps something for the pain, he could go back to his quarters and take a nap. Or sleep for hours, many hours. Going down the corridor, he counted the doors as he neared sickbay. Mott had said four, on the left from their quarters. Standing outside sickbay for a moment, he took a deep breath before entering.

The Galileo's sickbay was linear in comparison to the other ones he had known in his time in Starfleet, and much smaller too. Likely on account of the ship's much smaller size than say, the Mars Terraforming Institute, or even the New Orleans ship he served his cadet cruise on. Looking around he saw Dr. Mott on the far end of sickbay, but instead moved towards a pair of women close by. One was Human, though in a wheelchair and the other... well the other was unlike anything he had seen before. "Doctors?"

Allydnra had come in early. She had wanted to start some of her research into gene manipulation. She had not given up on trying to figure out how the A'ksu of old had managed it but then they had not had to deal with cross species either. It was that sort of pleasant time of day. The hustle and bustle of alpha long over with, beta nice in the middle and not much to worry about. She had been chatting with Tuula over the upcoming inspection and making sure that sickbay was ready. It had seemed odd to her for such a formal thing to be going on but then what went on in the heads of the upper people was something she had yet to figure out.

She noticed the movement just as the familiar door swhoosh sounded and nodded her chin, "Looks like you have a customer Tuula."

"I guess I do," she replied as she pushed herself away from the medcart she was going through one more time before the inspection. She didn't want to give the admiral any excuse to start threatening people with phasers again. "Welcome to sickbay," she added as she spun herself around, a couple of errant dreads coming loose from her hair. "What can I help you with?" she added as she ran her hand through the black and teal hair which matched her departmental colours, placing the dreads back in place.

Arandon didn't see it fully before but one of the women was incredibly... colorful, in her look and attire. He could appreciate colorful attire and 'unique' looks, he saw plenty of that where he was from. At least she was color coordinated as well, more than some of the more tacky tourists he saw on Risa. "Yes, Doctor, I've just been developing a headache, usually I just take something but I needed to come in here anyway. I just arrived this afternoon." His words were a bit quick in his explanation but his tone was consistently calm.

"Ah, a boarding physical and a headache," replied Tuula. "Allow me to fetch your medical records; Allyndra, if you don't mind getting the biobed ready?" With that, she turned and propelled herself towards a data terminal.

Allyndra did not mind at all. Technically she supposed it was odd for a junior to give the senior orders but she did not hold to all that stuff unless in was absolutely necessary. She much preferred that everyone felt comfortable and that meant that each would get their jobs done. Here was about healing not command, that later was more for the bridge.

Tuula's change of hair colour had caught her earlier. She had at first thought that perhaps she was trying to imitate the bright blue metallic streaks in her own hair. There was probably another reason and maybe she could inquire about it.

Arandon sat down on the biobed and looked the incredible woman over. He felt like he had seen her kind before, where was a mystery. Perhaps he would look it up later.

"Relax," Allyndra said and using a delicate hand pushed gently. "Lay back, we don't bite here." She shot Tuula a glance and winked, "right?"

"Oh, of course not," replied Tuula, downloading the patient's medical file to a PADD. "Arandon Khnailmnae, 25 years of age, Romulan/Risan hybrid. Nothing out of the ordinary in his medical file; this should hopefully be a routine physical," she added for Allyndra's benefit as she took the PADD in her lap and pushed herself back towards the biobed on which he was seated. "Have you been having any medical issues lately? Aches, pains, anything out of the ordinary?"

He was familiar with the banter Doctors did back and forth, but if Mott was any indication of the mental state of the Galileo's medical staff, Arandon didn't know if he could trust them to be joking. Turning to the wheelchair bound Doctor, Tuula was her name apparently. "Just cramps and aches from the adjustment back to standard gravity, but I had time to adjust on the way here. I also got used to thinner oxygen, I'm a little bit more alert," he said, matter of fact.

"Adjusting to different gravities and atmospheres can be difficult," replied Tuula. "If you continue to have aches and pains, I can prescribe you a mild analgesic. Though, my professional medical opinion is that there is nothing like a good sauna session to take care of those kind of problems." Of course, being a Finn, Tuula saunaed religiously, and tended to prescribe it for all sorts of ailments. While the eggheads at Starfleet Engineering clearly failed to provide sauna facilities on the Nova class -- an inexcusable failure of design, as to Tuula a starship without a sauna was like a rowboat without a paddle -- she did have a holoprogram which was the next best thing.

Arandon was impressed with the woman's prescription. "How very homeopathic of you Doctor," Risa had more than a few of them and he had been to many of them as a child and later as a young man. The heat on top of heat in some places didn't suit him but it did help one decompress, especially when there was ice near by to provide a shock to one's system. "My people would agree."

"Tuula seems to think sweating to be therapeutic. Perhaps," Allyndra shrugged, "for those who can do that. I tried once her 'sauna' and it did not seem to have the effect that she described. It was pleasant for a bit but then I nearly passed out." She looked at the scan while she talked and then tapped Tuula on the shoulder.

"Take a look here, I am not sure completely about Romulan/Risian physiology but the dopamine and serotonin levels are high here in frontal and occipital lobes." Allyndra looked at Arandon, "Are you a sensitive sir?"

Arandon doubted she was referring to a facet of his personality, but he didn't know what she could mean otherwise. "That is...?"

"Have you ever been classed as have telepathic or extra-sensory perception?" Allyndra elucidated.

He nodded, that made sense, it was a curious word for it though, poetic. Telepathy was a part of him that was easily controlled now, but when he was a young man, it was the driving force of some very impulsive behavior, if one could believe it. "Yes Doctor I am a telepath."

"Ah...then that explains the readings. Tuula I think that perhaps our patient's headache might be due to elevated levels of neruotransmitter. See here..." Allyndra pointed to part of the scan. "There is an increase due to the elevated levels of neutotransmitter causing elevated neuropeptides and consequential imflammation of the meninges. About like one would get with a migraine."

"Perhaps an analgesic?" suggested Tuula, musing over the scan. "Or, better still, a psilosynine inhibitor such as Petoravax?"

Parts of the lingo went over Arandon's head but he got the gist of it, he hoped anyway. He was familiar with pharmaceuticals to some degree, compounds and chemicals from plants were key ingredients so he knew some names. He had also qualified as a medic during his time at the Academy. Neurology however, wasn't covered beyond practical applications, usually related to trauma, not the finer points of the biochemistry of psychokinetic powers.

"Interesting choice but might I suggest Olcegepant. That should inhibit the neutropeptides without impinging on the neurotransmitter uptake." Allyndra suggested and again looked at Arandon. "How much headache are you feeling? On a scale of one to ten with one being a minor irritation and ten the most excruciating pain you have ever had where would you rate your headache?"

"Localized, radiating points of five, constant three." Arandon stated plainly. It was like other headaches he had when he was getting used to the ambiance of thought around new people, perhaps it was also amplified by his anxiety, though he would never admit that.

"Olcegepant would probably take care of that," said Tuula, agreeing with Allyndra as she pulled out her tricorder and begun her standard scans. "Have you been having any other issues?"

"No, no, just the ones I mentioned," Arandon said in a distant, musing tone of voice.

"Hmmmmm. So, what brings you to the Galileo?" asked Tuula, trying to make a bit of small talk as she continued with her scans.

"It's my first deep space assignment Doctor," Arandon said without much emotion in his voice. He could do small talk too, quite well in fact.

Allyndra fell back into support role and figured out a dose while Tuula talked with the patient. She had the medication ready and discreetly placed it on a tray when Tuula was ready. She listened to Arandon but her old Counselor instincts kicked in with the tone of voice. While it might be small talk, she could not help but wonder if there was something else there. "You do not sound very excited about the assignment," she said.

"It's... just not something I picked Doctor," Arandon said softly. "My section chief on Mars requested my transfer, he wanted me to get some experience aboard a starship."

"Ah," replied Tuula, scanning the patient in detail. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary, but that didn't mean that she could be careless. After all, no matter how much crew members may complain about the perceived pointlessness of mandatory physicals, they did serve their purpose. "Well, you'll find there's never a dull moment in deep space; isn't that right, Allyndra?"

"Never? Well there are times of less intense work but overall once on mission it will be lively at times. I think you Section Chief made a good decision, always something good to have on the resume." Allyndra added. "How is the headache now?"

Arandon nodded. "Better, thank you Doctor...s," he added.

"You're welcome," replied Tuula, closing her tricorder. "Apart from that little headache there, you seem to be in good health. I think we can safely say that you are cleared for duty; Allyndra, do you concur?"

"Yes doctor, and welcome aboard Arandon," she said. Allyndra nodded to Tuula and moved off toward the office to update files. She had used his first name as was her wont in her sickbay.

Arandon got up from the bed, perhaps a little surprised by the lack of formality. Doctor Warraquim was a fascinating woman to say the least, as was her assistant, even without their unusual appearances. They stood in contrast to Mott, the flamboyant and rather expressive Bolian Arandon shared a room with. He could only hope that others on the Galileo were likewise tame and composed, if acceptably eccentric.

OFF:

LCMDR Allyndra illm Warraquim
Chief Medical Officer
USS Galileo

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

Ensign Arandon Khnailmnae
Botanist
USS Galileo

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