First Impressions...

Posted on Mon Aug 2nd, 2021 @ 2:58am by Lieutenant JG Katsumi Tanaka MD & Lieutenant Commander Hamish Brott

1,886 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Prologue: Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow
Location: Various | Bellweather Station
Timeline: Current

ON:

Katsumi sat in the two person shuttle watching as the USS Raymond grew smaller. She was about to take her first steps on her assignment, the one she chose, the one she hoped could be her home for now and give her the chance to explore not only her abilities but her deep self. She wondered what it was like. The shuttle would not dock of course it would transport her and her bag and the small crate she had that held her whole world. She understood that there was one person on the station, the CO so at least she'd meet him.

"Shuttle Pele to Bellweather."

Brott was sipping the foam off his frothy Delavian mocaccino when the communications station in ops came to life alerting him that the station was being hailed. Of course, proximity sensors had alerted him moments before that a small shuttle was dropping out of warp. The Bolian quickly sprung to his feet. "New people!" he explained as he overheard the message.

It had been a few days of agony, alone on the station after the last of the crew had left. He made his way over to the communications station. His big bald blue face gleefully, and a frothy chocolate milky mustache adorned his upper lip. "Bellwether Station here Pele," he responded audio only.

"We have Doctor Tanaka ready with us, the new station Doctor ready to transport over we'll be in transport range in three minutes."

"Peanutbutter hallelujah!" Brott shouted and bounced on his tippy toes, forgetting to mute the channel in his excitement. His cheeks turned a lovely reddish-purple in embarrassment. Oh stars oh stars...I cannot wait he thought to himself. "I mean Standing by, yes! Bellwether standing by."

Tanaka who'd heard the entire conversation had a horrified look on her face when the young Ensign turned to her. "Um.. ma'am?"

"Who was that?"

"I think that was the CO."

"Peanutbutter hallelujah?"

The ensign looked amused. "Yeah...seems exuberant."

"Can we go back to the Raymond?"

He laughed. "No ma'am."

She sighed and took a few deep breaths. "Okay...okay I can do this." She picked up her bag and put it on the platform next to the trunk. "Okay..."

"Ready?"

"No! Wait." She took a few more deep breaths. "Okay. Before I change my mind."

"Pele here. Transporting now."

Brott stood just inches away from the transporter pad in Bellwether's Ops center like a Terran canine waiting at the doorway for their owner to return. The transport had begun and the woman was taking shape. In a matter of moments, she would go from glistening to solidly be aboard the station. Hardly there yet and Brott was stepping onto the pad once the transport was complete. "Doctor!" he exclaimed and reached for the woman's hand kissing it. "Welcome to Bellwether Station oh my goodness what have you packed? An entire Sickbay" he teased as he grabbed the crate.

Her eyes widened. The hand kiss was a bit much...never one for unnecessary physical contact she took it all well. "Um...yes I'm the doctor....thanks." She looked at her trunk and bag. "Um...just stuff I need....some is for sickbay."

"Oh...you'll want to put some of that in the cargo hold I imagine," he said chuckling. "You Doctors are so funny. The 'sickbay'" he said using air quotes, "It is the station infirmary and not much bigger your living quarters. Three beds for patients, a console, some screens. Your predecessor used to call it..." he cleared his throat and imitated the posture of a Vulcan woman. "An illogical chop shop of medical malpractice."

"I see. That could be a problem. Let's go there first I wish to make a list of ops items that need to be done. I assume I will have an office?"

Brott made an uncomfortable noise that sounded like a leaking air hose. "Uh-" he winced. "Yeah, sure. Your predecessor had an office of sorts" he added as he started to lead the woman across the operations center. "The infirmary is right this way" he explained gesturing ahead of them.

As is your office he thought to himself. "Doctor Sutara used the medical storage room attached to the backend of the infirmary for her office. She had a desk but in there and a screen, moved her everyday tools and supplies into the infirmary and the rest to a cargo hold."

A horrified look crossed her face. Her lips pressed in a stress line. "Okay...okay sounds like she logically did an assessment and created an office. I can do that. But it has a door right?"

"You are Betazoid aren't you?" he asked curiously. "I was pretty sure I saw that when I glanced at your personnel file, and well," he said chipperly. "I don't forget the details" he added with a chuckle. "I thought privacy was a fairly foreign concept on Betazed...yeah it has a door. She made the Ops Chief put one on after I kept trying to stop in and socialize."

Smart Vulcan, she thought. "Okay good. I can work with that." She looked at the Bolian. "Yes, sir. Betazoid."

"Slow to a quarter impulse....full stop," he said quickly in succession. He gestured to their right where a strip across the door read: Infirmary He chuckled. "See, quick trip. You blink and you would miss it." The Bolian stepped forward and the doorway parted, revealing a peek inside. The room was practically a walk-in closet with three medical beds.

She held her breath as she walked in, partly because of the stale air. They'd have to do something about that. She looked around trying to take it all in. The silence stretched. "Okay," she said finally. "I can work with this." She dropped her bag on the floor. "If you'll kindly pop the trunk there in the corner to the right just past the bio bed I can take care of that." She walked over to the left where a huge read out screen stood along with a bio bed. That would be the surgical bed. There was a panel behind the head of the bed which folded to allow access it was unusual but..."Okay well this is the surgical bed I assume it has a steri-field?" As she asked her hands flew over the consoles. "Needs calibration but I can do that."

The Bolian let out a bellyful laugh that would rival the great Klingon High Chancellor K'mpec. "Now that's the spirit! Look at you just settling in. You are already practically at home." The Bolian then cleared his throat to get her attention as a door in the infirmary slid open. "That office I was telling you about."

She looked around. "Okay..." She walked somewhat unsure inside and then did a double take. The office space was tiny, yes, but it had a Secretary Desk with hutch. An old desk that basically folded down and hand three drawers on each side with shelves in the middle. The latch door folded down and underneath were three drawers in the middle with two small cabinet spaces. To the right was the screen the doc had put in a comfortable chair, that would need to be sanitized and two guest chairs. Item one, remove the guest chair. But everything folded up and gave her floor space that she could use for meditating. "Okay. I can work with this. A Secretary desk with a hutch! That's perfect. The previous doctor was a genius." For the first time, she smiled willingly. "I can work with this."

"Yes!" he shouted and gestured with jazz hands. "She did have this lovely secretarial desk put in here too though you'll likely be alone here in the infirmary. Doctor Sutara did not have anyone else...well except for... never mind" he said with a small pout and heavy sigh.

"Except what? The EMH?"

Brott winced and nodded. "Yeah, the EMH, but please don't try to activate it! You mustn't do that."

"Why is that? I shall require the assistance if we get busy."

Brott immediately lifted his hands as if calming down a repellent crowd. "I know I know," he said keeping her at bay. "But there will only be five or six of us on the station as crew at any given time. You can manage for the time being, but I promise you. I'll make sure at least one of the incoming crewmembers is at least certified as a field medic."

"Sir why can we not use the EMH?"

"The Emergency Medical Hologram is broken, Doctor," was Brott's immediate response. "Out of order, sorry," he added. "The Ops Chief stationed here before was unable to repair it, but I am optimistic our next one will be able to...just whatever you do, do not activate it."

This was ridiculous. She glanced at the control panel. "It reads that everything is fine with the EMH." She sighed. Perhaps if was the EMH personality but she preferred at temperamental EMH to an actual field medic. "Computer Activate EMH."

"Unable to comply. Emergency Medical Hologram activation restricted to level 10 authorization only" the Computer replied.

Brott gasped. "Doctor!" He shouted offended. "I can't believe...no! Just no. I have it restricted and for a reason. If you want to deal with a malfunctioning EMH be my guest, I'll lift the restrictions, but not until I'm far away from the infirmary."

That in itself gave her a wicked idea. "Very well then. For now I will leave it." She paused. "Where will my room be?"

He sighed. "Remind me to send you a copy of the French folktale 'Bluebeard' before you leave the station" he replied shaking his head. "Your living quarters is a shared suite with two other members of the crew, just head back towards Ops and take the other corridor marked habitat module. You'll find Suite Alpha and Suite Beta, one on either side and at the end of the corridor is my quarters."

"Shared! As in more then one person in a room?"

The Bolian smiled and clapped his hands. "Exactly! Isn't that wonderful, Doctor. You will be able to live with two of the crew and form a close personal relationship with them. I am sure you already knew that though given you specifically requested to be assigned here."

"No...I..." She turned slightly green. "I think I need to sit down."

"Oh have a seat. You must be so excited about being here that it's worn you out," added Brott happily. "You graduated with 98th percentile of your medical class. I was soooooo thrilled to have someone like you request this assignment. We normally oy get the bottom 10th percentile...they can be a bit difficult. Well, cheerio," he added.

The Bolian squeezed out the doorway. "I'm only a comm call away or if you are loud enough, just shout. The acoustics on the station are pretty good. You can hear almost anything."

Katsumi had the sudden urge to cry. This was going to take a lot of getting used to. As he left she tried to get some of her anxiety under control. It would be alright, it would have to be alright.

OFF:

 

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