Settling In

Posted on Tue Jun 23rd, 2020 @ 4:42am by Lieutenant Alexandra Alves MD & Lieutenant JG Aeryn Jameson
Edited on on Fri Jul 10th, 2020 @ 5:28pm

Mission: Death in Paradise
Location: Sickbay

Aeryn arrived at Sickbay expecting to find Doctor Ashshy but was surprised to see a new officer she hadn't met before and from the blue uniform she was a new medical officer. She smiled warmly as she approached her. "I don't believe we've met I'm Aeryn Jameson, Assistant Chief Medical Officer."

Alexandra was busy reading the information files the Captain gave her regarding the current misson, as well as trying to familiarize herself with her new department and the Pandora itself. Meanwhile, she was also trying to arrange a meeting with the ship's educational supervisor and get her daughter together with possible friends from her age.

"Ah, Lieutenant.", she stood up from her desk to meet the woman when she walked in, "It seems, you haven't been notified. Not surprising in all this chaos.", she said, "I'm Alexandra Alves, the new Chief Medical Officer."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Alexandra, please feel free to call me Aeryn. It gets a little silly throwing titles around after a while!" She grinned. "So it looks like Sickbay is becoming a female domain!"

"Pleasure to meet you too, Aeryn.", the doctor extended her hand towards her new colleague. The woman seemed really straightforward, which was definately something her department head on the Benecia was not. She definately liked this trait, which indicated that she and her new assistant were probably much alike in their demeanor. "Right. I believe, there's nothing a good team of female brainpower can't solve."

"Isn't that true!" Aeryn grinned. "Actually I have something that will require your expertise at some point" Aeryn looked at Alexandra. "I don't know how far you've got with reviewing personnel files but..." She pulled up the sleeves of her uniform revealing the extra Borg implants she'd sprouted when Tyson was aboard. "We had a....few problems with the nanites that maintain my Borg Implants, they went into overdrive and created more implants! I would like these extra ones removed at some point."

Straightforward, huh? Her new colleague is the dictionary defitinion of this term, Alexandra thought, as she looked at Aeryn's arm. Borg implants? Not exactly the most common problem one would ask her doctor about. That made her curious. "No... Unfortunately, I didn't have time to look into the personnel files yet.", she replied, "But I'll definately help, of course.", she added with a friendly smile.

"Sorry to be such a surprise!" Aeryn smiled warmly. "I won't go into intricacies now suffice to say I have one implant here..." She patted her hair above her right ear and a whole host of them in my brain stem and spine but none of them are removable. They're all a permanent part of me!"

"I see... And no problem.", the doctor said with a smile, as she looked at Aeryn's implant above her ear with a curious glance. "If you don't mind me asking... How did you get these?"

"I was assimilated by the Borg when I was a child. I only spent a few years with them fortunately before I was liberated but once you've been a part of the collective there are certain..." She ran her fingers over her implant under her hair "...implants that can never be removed. Both this one and those in my spine and brain stem are so well intertwined with my nervous system that trying to remove them would kill me. Hence why I have nanites, they've been reprogrammed to maintain my implants and keep them in good order. Doesn't mean they don't irritate from time to time though!" She grinned.

"Ah. I see. I see.", Alex said with a sympathetic nod. That story sounded horrible. A child kidnapped, tortured and assimilated by the Borg. If that'd happen to her daughter, she swore, she'd be willing to destroy the whole collective on her own. "I can definately look into the matter once we've done with this medical aid situation.", she then said on a friendly, assuring voice, "I had a classmate at Starfleet Medical, who's done some research on Borg physiology. And he owes me one for saving his butt on a horrible first date."

Aeryn grinned. "I can provide you with literature as well, I'm pretty well versed on my implants but unfortunately I can't be the one removing them! It doesn't tend to be something comfortable or easy to do so I'll have to be unconscious when they're removed. It's more of a surgical job hence why I hate it!"

"Alright, then.", Alex replied, "You can provide me with the necessary information.", she said, "And I can do the procedure." She's never done surgery on Borg implants, but she was sure that, with proper guidance, it's not something truly challenging for an experienced doctor like she is. "Anyways, I'd also like to ask for a little help.", she then said, changing the subject, "Being brand new on board... and in the midsts of all this turmoil... You might be able to help me familiarize myself with this ship and this mission a bit faster."

"We're here to do some investigating prior to the Pandora's withdrawal from the expanse. Most, if not all, Federation ships have already gone from the expanse. We're here only for as long as it takes to stay too long would be risky or so I hear anyway!" She shrugged her shoulders. "As for Sickbay I'll give you the guided tour of where everything is although I'm thinking it might be easier to label each cupboard so new staff can easily find supplies when they're needed especially in an emergency!" She grinned. "It takes a female mind to be this organised." She giggled.

"Yes, yes, I've been debriefed by the Captain.", she nodded. She didn't know how much Aeryn knew about the real intentions behind this mission, so, she didn't elaborate the matter further. "We need to coordinate the medical aid to the planet." She then smiled on her assistant's words about labelling the cupboards. "A female mind. And a Vulcan mind.", she said, "I'm gonna share you all my horror stories about serving under Doctor Sintar on the Benecia.", she added with a mischevious grin, "And I definately support the idea regarding the cupboards."

Aeryn smiled. "Sounds fun to me! Or should I be worried?" She gave Alexandra a quizzical look. "You're not the boss from hell kind are you?"

"Oh, no, definately not.", Alex laughed, "Also, I can be bribed. Especially with chocolate.", she smiled, "Ask my daughter."

"Oh don't mention chocolate!!" Aeryn grinned. "Haven't you come across the Betazoid love of chocolate!? It's like the best thing at the end of a long hard day!!"

"I wholeheartedly agree! Chocolate equals happiness.", Alex replied, "Even if it means booking some extra time in the gym."

"After a hard day it's my favourite thing to have!" Aeryn grinned. "I think we could talk about this all day but we'd never get any work done!"

"Do you by any chance know anything about soccer?", the doctor inquired with a curious smile, then shook her head, "Right, right. I was just trying to catch up on those supplies needed the medical aid."

"We can check on the supplies and to answer your question...no I'm afraid I know absolutely nothing about Soccer!" Aeryn grinned as she looked at her new friend and colleague.

"Surely. I've put together a list of supplies we need to transfer to the planet.", she picked up a PADD from her desk, and handed it to Aeryn, "In my heyday, I was able to do two hundred kick-ups in one stand.", she then said with a proud smile, "Nowadays, I rather let the next generation gather the soccer trophies in the family.", she added, referring to her little eight-year-old soccer star wannabe.

Aeryn smiled as she took the PADD. “It’s never really been an interest to me to me to be honest.” She waved the PADD. “I’ll get right on with this and I’ll see to it the supplies we have already prepared are kept together for shipping.”

"Oh, I'm quite sorry.", Alex said, feeling a bit guilty of babbling about things which probably doesn't interest her conversation partner a least bit, "I can get overwhelmed by certain topics.", she smiled, then returned her attention towards their task, "Alright. These supplies are essentially needed down there on the surface."

Aeryn nodded. "I take it that'll be your responsibility?" She looked at Alexandra. "I do need to pop over to the station, I have a gift to buy for Alicia for her other baby!" She grinned. "It shouldn't take me long and I'll come back and man Sickbay incase we're needed for anything.

"Oh, no worries.", she nodded with a friendly smile, "I fully believe that sickbay is in great hands with you.", she said, "It seems, this ship is just full of soon-arriving babies."

"It is indeed" Aeryn smiled. "The Captain's wife is due first followed by Krysia. I think the fact that she was expecting twins came as a shock but she was happy enough about it. After what people went through in the bubble, even though Starfleet sees it as a shared illusion, this has come at a time when healing was badly needed. I'm happy for them all."

"I've met with Krysia.", Alexandra replied with a smile, "Indeed it's such shock! But quite an awesome one.", she laughed, then paused for a moment, "I've also heard about this bubble thing. It must've been quite an immense experience.", she said, didn't even know how to phrase it right.

"It was...I was Counsellor at the time and Krysia was one of many who came back, as she put it, lost. She'd lived a lifetime as had most of those who'd returned and she'd had 2 children and a grandchild. She came back feeling like she'd lost everything although fortunately she & James discovered she was pregnant the whole time shortly afterwards. It's helped both Krys and James' recovery."

"I... I can't even imagine what I'd be like.", she mumbled, "All the psychological consequences and everything." She imagined seeing Veronica growing up, she herself becoming a grandmother or maybe even a great-grandmother, and then, suddenly it all turns out to be an illusion, and she's dragged back into reality. That sounds frightening.

"To be honest I don't believe Doctor Ashshy believed Krysia when she said she was coming. Given the emotion upheaval of pregnancy on top of that it May be worth keeping a closer eye on her psychological state just to be sure."

"Oh, yes, yes.", Alex nodded in agreement, "I'm sure she'll be alright and those twins will be the greatest gift of her life.", she said with a confident smile, "But in the meantime, I'll keep a closer eye on her."

Aeryn nodded. “I think she’ll be okay, she has James for support. I just thought it worth mentioning.” She smiled warmly. “Even a Counsellor needs Counselling sometimes.”

"That's true.", she returned the warm smile, "If you don't mind me asking, why have you changed from being a counselor to being a physiologist?", she then asked curiously.

"There was a change around of positions aboard the ship and the Captain needed an Assistant Medical Officer, test and the fact that Krysia is better off in her position as Counsellor rather than her previous position of Chief of Operations especially given her pregnancy." Aeryn smiled warmly. "I had the necessary qualifications and it saved the Captain any problems."

"I see.", Alexandra nodded,. Certainly an interesting career path, she thought. "I've been an Assistant CMO for four years myself. In fact, this is my very first assignment as a department head."

"Then it's a first for both of us!" Aeryn grinned. "I'm sure we'll have Sickbay running sweetly between us!"

"I'm pretty sure of that.", Alex smiled, "We're gonna make a great team."

Aeryn nodded and smiled. “Indeed we will.”

OFF.