If I could talk to the animals

Posted on Sat Jan 15th, 2022 @ 4:10am by Commander Sthilg

Mission: MISSION 0 - History Speaks
Location: Sickbay
1324 words - 2.6 OF Standard Post Measure

Most days Aspire had no problem filtering out the emotions of those around her. Granted, being able to do so took a lot of training and self-discipline, since "emotional screening" was contrary to the cultural practices she was raised in.

Today, Aspire was having difficulty screening emotions because she was really excited. Aspire had received additional training in neonatal care as part of her nursing training. She was worried however, that in light of her outstanding record as an emergency medical technician, she would never get assigned a ship or station big enough to have a dedicated maternity ward. The Elysium was big enough, though, that she might at least get rotated through nursery duty, even if she wasn't assigned there permanently.

Aspire also understood the Gorn who was the Elysium's Chief Surgeon was trained in both pediatrics and obstetrics. So she was hoping he would be more sympathetic to her assignment preference. With that hope in mind, Aspire entered Sickbay to report to her new superior.

Said chief surgeon was happily walking through his domain pushing the small holo trolly with the food for the sickbay animals. Seeing and hearing the door opening he plodded his heavy bulk over giving his best warm smile to the new arrival. " Hello there my dear you mussst be Assspire." He said warmly knowing they had a new arrival due.

"Commander Sthilg," Aspire beamed up at her new boss. "Yes sir, Petty Officer Aspire Golightly," she added, handing over the PADD with her orders and record. Aspire could tell the Gorn in front of her was in a good mood, which she hoped boded well for her.

The gorn took a brief look of the padd before pocketing it and offered his hand to her. " Welcome my dear. I hope you find thisss place to be a wonderful workplace asss well asss a home."

"I'm looking forward to it...Commander, do you prefer rank or title in your sickbay, sir?" Aspire asked.

" Sssthilg will do jussst fine my dear. That or doctor." the gorn replied warmly.

"Thank you, Doctor," Aspire answered with a smile. "I would prefer the use of your title, at least while on duty. And speaking of duty, Doctor, I am trained in trauma, both as a nurse and a technician, but I was hoping to spend time in maternity and the nursery, when possible. But you'll find me ready to plug in where necessary," she hurriedly added.

" Considering the children we have on board I'm sssure we can find sssomething for you to do. I'm jussst feeding the animalsss would you like to help?" The old doctor asked.

"Thank you, doctor, I would be delighted," Aspire answered, taking up station to the right of Gorn doctor.

The gorn gave her a smile as he pushed the trolly into the small room set aside for the animals. A chorus of hisses, happy chirping met the two of them. " It'sss okay everyone." the gorn said calmly to the room. " My dear can you take the yellow food and add it to the tanksss with the yellow ssstripesss. " he said to his new nurse.

Opening the yellow container, Aspire found it filled with what looked like dried...tadpoles? Whatever it was, it was a collection of freeze dried tiny amphibians.

The first tank with yellow stripes contained creatures about the size of gerbils from Earth, with features that looked to be a combination of gerbils and otters. As Aspire approached the tank, the "gerbil-otters" became especially raucous.

"Calm down, gentlemen," Aspire said gently, placing her hand on the glass wall of the tank. As if a switch had been flicked, the animals inside the tank calmed down.

"It's a little trick I can sometimes do with animals with simpler nervous systems," Aspire explained to the chief surgeon, as she put food in the tank of the "gerbil-otters."

" Wasssh your handsss after handling them. " the gorn calmly said as he dropped a piece of fruit into a very overgrown tank. The foliage rustled as the mango vanished. " The oil there hair producesss is a very ssstrong muscle relaxant, but it can be very irritating if it get'sss into cutsss or the eyesss."

"Yes, doctor," Aspire replied, moving over to the sanitation station. "Is there a significant difference between the replicated version versus the naturally harvested?"

"Twenty-five per cent more effective at pain relief ." the doctor replied calmly as he feed the next tank a shrimp-like species that glowed many colours as they devoured the fruit.

"is that a Calrissian chameleon?" Aspire asked as she moved to the next tank. "Their petrary gland secretes---" Aspire paused, before tentatively adding "---treatment for respiratory ailments, correct?"

" Indeed ssshe isss. Place the food on her right ssside. The girlsss having problems with her left eye due to her old age." The gorn replied. Walking over to the next tank he stopped before opening the red aquarium with a red danger marker upon it. " I'll need your help with thisss one ssshe'sss a biter."

"Of course, doctor," Aspire answered. The young petty officer put the food down as directed, before moving to join Sthlig in front of the red aquarium.

" I need you to open the top of the tank I'll then put the food in for her. Ssshe is a rather bad tempted creature." The doctor explained.

"Should I ask what type of creature she is, and why she is so bad tempered?" Aspire inquired as she began "reaching out" with her emotions into the tank.

" Ssshe'sss a dlanka eel." Sthilg said gesturing to the pair of glowing eyes in the tanks cave. " No idea why ssshe goesss for everyone who givesss her food. Her venom can be dissstilled into a near all-purpose anti-venom. "

As counterintuitive as it might sound, the emotions of animals were often more difficult to read than those of more advanced entities. Or at least they were for Anjurwan.

"Part of it is fear, " Aspire began, "Which makes sense, I suppose. If threatened, she really has no flight options. So everything is strictly fight. The other part..."

A rose blush came to Aspire's cheeks when she realized what the other base motive was for the eel's hostility.

"Doctor," Aspire began, a hint of embarrassment in her tone, "I don't know anything about dlanka eels or their upkeep, but the one in their is aggressive because...well, it might be a cyclical thing...Doctor, is there a possibility of getting her a male dlanka eel?"

The doctor paused. " I hadn't thought of that. Ssshe'sss been ssso aggressive I worried that ssshe'd kill any male we put in with her. Isss that what ssshe'sss been biting my arm over?" He said looking at the yellow eyes.

"As I said, part of it is because she has nowhere to run, and I don't know enough about dlanka eels to guess how she'd react to a male eel in her tank," Aspire admitted. "But yes, she does want one, even if only...temporarily."

" Well, I'll sssee about getting her one as well as extending her tank. Now you open the tank using the handle and I'll put in her food." The reptile said holding up the replicated fish.

Aspire did as directed, trying to send calming thoughts to the eel. Not that Aspire thought it would do much good. That was one agitated, frustrated eel!

Sthild arm shifted to add more artificial flesh as he lowered the food. Like a blue bolt of lightning, the eel shot out and flew straight for the food snatching it away with her powerful bite before she vanished back into her cave. " A quick little creature isn't ssshe." the doctor said nodding for her to close the aquarium lid.

"Definitely a lady you want to stay on the right side of," Aspire agreed.

" Indeed my dear." The old lizard replied with a warm smile. He liked her and she was going to do great here.