A pleasure to meet you

Posted on Sat Jan 7th, 2023 @ 3:12am by Commander Sthilg

Mission: MISSION 0 - History Speaks
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: Before current mission departure
1605 words - 3.2 OF Standard Post Measure

Eli, who recently arrived on the ship knew he wanted to see the Elysiums sickbay above all else. The Oberth class had an impressive array of clinics ranging from general practice to more specialised departments. However, the Elysium was a different kettle of fish due to its role within the fleet.

Elijah, dressed in his fresh medical garments and his new Lieutenant JG pips entered the sickbay in awe of the clinical cleanliness and impressive organization. He looked around to see where the chief medical officer, Commander Sthilg a Gorn might be hiding.

Said gorn was in his office filling out the last of the paperwork from the latest supply shipment. Hearing the unformilar footsteps on his floor he stop typing and step outside. Seeing the human in the uniform of his department the gorn put on his best smile and walked over. " Elijah Carmichael isss it? " He inquired.

“The one and only, you are Commander Sthilg, the chief medical officer and my new blss?” Elijah would be shocked if the Gorn and obvious chief medical officer said that he wasn't but he felt it was polite to ask rather than assume. He had met Gorn before the Academy but Sthilg was larger and older, while Eli wasn't intimidated he couldn't help but take in the man.

" The one and only." Sthilg replied with a grin. " It's nice to meet you." He said extending his hand.

Taking the Gorns hand Eli shook it firmly but not so that it was improper, "You have a really nice sickbay here. You'd even give Togo a run for its money! Then again it did have thousands of doctors making sure she stayed clinically sound" He joked, "Do you have any questions for me?" It was customary to get acquainted with your superior and offering to answer any questions was the easiest way, or so Eli felt.

" Thank you I like to keep my own little hospital ssspotlesssss." The gorn said as he lead the way into his office and gestured to the seat opposite his desk. " Coffe?" He inquired as he unclipped the flask from his belt.

With a nod, he followed behind the Gorn before verbalising his response incase he missed his gesture. "I'll take one sure" Elijah had first come across coffee at the academy, New Portsmouth had a slightly different variant but it didn't taste anywhere near as good as the bean juice. "

The gorn nodded as he poured two cups. " Sssuger or honey?" he asked

"Sugar, two please." Eli couldn't ever remember being offered honey with his coffee before and added it to his mental list of things to try before he dies. Which if all things went to plan wouldn't be until he was grey and old, well maybe not grey if he kept dyeing his hair.

The gorn nodded as he handed him his cup before taking his seat. " Ssso tell me about yourself Mr Carmichael." he said leaning back in his chair.

Taking the cup Eli sat down opposite and took a sip, the bittersweet symphony of warm liquid flowed down his throat settling in the pit of his stomach. "Well I've grown up around medicine, my father owns a clinic in a town called New Portsmouth on one of the border colonies. I and my three brothers and helped out until we left for college and the university before heading to the Academy."

Elijah took another sip of his drink and continued. "I spent a year on the USS Togo where I apparently did well after helping some twenty civilians to safety after a volcano eruption and was fast-tracked to here aboard the USS Elyisum. I think that sums up most of it in a very short two paragraphs?"

" Any casesss that ssstand out in your memory?" The gorn added as he took a sip from his own cup.

He nodded, "A couple, one that particularly stands out was actually back home when the townspeople began to show flu-like symptoms. I was young and just about to head to college but having worked with my father was helping out in the clinic. Eventually, however, the patients outgrew the size of the clinic and the mayor had to implement emergency aid. It would take 2 days before the first Starfleet ship could arrive and from what we had heard the illness was breaking out in the cities too which meant for 48 hours we had to fend and care for the ill ourselves."

Eli sipped his coffee, "The flu started out as normal cough and dizziness before patients began feeling ill and sensitivity to light, those symptoms were pretty quick to show which is when people came to the clinic. 6 hours after the first symptoms people began vomiting, extreme headaches and rashes which slowly turned to spots."

"The best we could do at first was treat the symptoms, try and contain the virus by wearing face masks, hazmat suits eventually. I remember being terrified but luckily the fatal symptoms didn't show till after Starfleet arrived and by then they were able to create a cure and immunization. There were very few deaths directly related to the illness but some vehicular accidents due to the dizziness etcetera."

" Lucky you. It ssspeaksss highly of you and your family of how well you handled yourssself." The reptile replied getting a kindred spirit from the young human even if his own first medical disaster had ended very differently.

"Thank you, I mean I really have my father to thank for my experience and desire to be a doctor, its a bit of a family thing." He shrugged, "What about yourself Commander? Any driving force behind being a person of medicine?" Elijah was always fascinated but what made people tick, he often wondered if he should have been a counsellor.

" Wasss the only thing I wasss any good at." the gorn said letting out a regretful sigh. " When I was very young a fedration ssship crashed on the colony world I lived on. It unearthed a virusss that wiped out most of the planet. I wasss apprentice to my villagesss healer and wasss one of the few sssuvivoursss. Been practisssing medicine ever sssince." he explained deciding to leave out the time travel escapade the crew had been on.

Elijah nodded along listening, “And you joined Starfleet? Despite it being a federation ship being the one that caused so much death?” In his true to self style Eli began asking what some may consider sensitive questions. It was one of his least endearing my qualities.

" Pleassse it wasssn't there fault they happened to crasssh onto my planet. Asss for me joining ssstarfleet you can thank the dominion war for that. Add in after one hundred yearsss in the KDF and I felt like I needed to ssstrech my legs."

The blue-haired doctor applauded the Gorns ability to see past something others may struggle with, history littered with examples of people blaming others for their misfortune whether intentional or accidental. "I only know what the dominion war was like through what were taught in school and what my parents told me. I hope we don't ever see anything like that again. Starfleet wasn't built to be a militaristic organisation but it seems the galaxy is full of threats."

" I hope ssso asss well. I only have one more real arm. " The gorn chuckled as he adapted his artificial arm into several of it's medical modes to demonstrate it.

Elijah hadn't known about the Gorn chief medical officer's arm and tried to hide his surprise. "I suppose at least you've gotten a bit of an upgrade, where did you get it down?" He asked curiously inspecting the arm from a distance. The arm was a very good likeness.

" The pitt. Curteosssy of one of the Vorta adminissstratorsss. He thought he could break the federation/Klingon alliance in the prissson. He failed badly." The gorn explained. He didn't need to explain what life was like in one of the worst dominion POW camps.

"It must have been tough," Elijah said mouse-like, "We studied some post-traumatic stress cases from other war camps and I don't think any of them scratch the surface of the pit." He tried a weak smile, "I for one am glad that you were able to survive and teach me everything you have to offer, I am very lucky!"

" Asss am I." Sthilg said looking over to the picture of his family. " I found a lot to live for in the federation. I never thought i'd be able to love again, but here we are. "

He considered the Commander a moment and decided not to pry on the loving part, "You and me both, well I best go meet with some of the other department reps. Who knew there were so many check-ins on a starship" Elijah paused, "Though a ship this size it makes sense that they go through the induction in-depth, don't want to get lost" He chuckled, "I would like to say thankyou and goodbye in a respectful way, is there some Gorn parting gesture?"

" If there isss I wasss never taught it but I belive a handshake will do. I look forward to working with you lieutenant. " he replied offering his hand.

Elijah smiled and took the Gorns hand, it was obviously not the same as a Humans hand but it wasn't as reptilian as he thought it might be, there was also power and strength within the hand shake. "Thank you again sir."

Lieutenant JG Elijah Carmichael
Assitant Chief Medical Officer
USS Elysium

Commander Sthilg
Chief Medical Officer
USS Elysium