In Search of Sleep

Posted on Sun Jun 22nd, 2025 @ 8:37am by Commander Sthilg & Lieutenant Commander Rin

Mission: Season 6: Echoes of the Zynari
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: MD 5 1330 hours, Immediately after "What is Nourishing"
1491 words - 3 OF Standard Post Measure

As promised, Rin promptly made her way to Sickbay after lunch. This meant missing the rest of her theoretical shift - although, in practice, her shifts tended to be fairly eclectic as necessity dictated. But Savar and Sylorik were correct. She was becoming more of a liability than a benefit. Besides, she was confident her department could, in fact, function without its chief for a matter of a few hours. Indeed, she would be a terrible department head if they couldn't.

One of the medical crewmen met her as she arrived. "What can I do for you, Ma'am?"

"I'm needing assistance with some diagnostics and optimizations of my subroutines," she explained. "I thought it prudent to forgo my usual regeneration cycles, considering how the Zynari have played with various systems and previous incidents where those cycles have been disrupted. However, it's gone on long enough I'm noticing some degradation in my performance."

The crewman directed her to a biobed. "I'll let Dr. Sthilg know you're here."

"Thank you," Rin replied.

The doors to Sickbay parted once more, admitting Lieutenant JG Sylorik. His was slightly slower than usual and there was a faint rigidity to his posture which spoke to the long hours he'd endured. His expression--as always--was composed, but the faintest line above his brow hinted at fatigue.

He did not immediately speak as he entered, nor did he acknowledge the medical crewmember until he intercepted him beside the central console.

"Doctor," the young man said carefully, eyes glancing down at the Vulcan surgeon's arm. "Respectfully, you are not on duty for another eighteen hours, per regulation. However--there's... blood on your uniform."
Sylorik lowered his gaze to the left cuff of his tunic. A faint smear of dark red stained the edge--no doubt a remnant from his earlier surgery, now dried and barely noticed. He looked at it impassively, "Not mine," he replied. "But noted."

With a brief nod, he stepped past the crewman toward the far corner of Sickbay, where a recessed alcove housed a row of lab coats and spare uniforms. As he passed the biobed area, he caught sight of Rin seated upright, her presence was composed and precise.

He paused, only for a moment, then nodded his head to her in greeting. "Commander Rin, I wished to thank you again for permitting Commander Savar and myself to share your table earlier. The conversation was... engaging."

His tone remained neutral, but the rhythm slowed subtly as he continued, "Should the opportunity arise, I would not be averse to sharing a meal again."

Rin smiled. "I quite enjoyed the conversation as well and would look forward to doing it again." After a slight uncomfortable pause, she added, "Will you be running my diagnostics?"

"No, Commander," he said plainly. "Starfleet Medical regulations prevent any member of medical staff from executing their duties following a shift in excess of eighteen hours. My current state of wakefulness has persisted for forty-four hours." He felt slightly disarmed suddenly, adding, "I'm sure one of my colleagues will see to your needs."

He left it at that, not lingering for a reply. Reaching the alcove, he unfastened his uniform tunic and slid it off in one practiced motion. Underneath, his undershirt was similarly pristine, though faint creases at the shoulder hinted at his long day in the surgical suite. He retrieved a fresh uniform top and pulled it over his head without ceremony, then turned to the nearby workstation where a scatter of data PADDs had accumulated in the wake of Sickbay's triage rotations.

He sifted through them in silence, fingers moving with precision over each device. One by one, he scanned their headers and file signatures until two stood out. They were marked with the names of two patients Sylorik had treated--one in triage, one in emergency surgery. As he lifted them, his eyes flicked--just briefly-toward Rin. He admired the way her gaze appeared stern but pure when she spoke. There was a precision to her words. It struck him that she carried herself with the poise of a Vulcan woman. Perhaps one who had not simply learned control but had integrated it into her being.

Rin watched Sylorik retreat. What an odd conversation, she thought. She had noted the change in his tone. It was subtle, but definitely perceptible. Something....private and personal. Was he... flirting? Surely not. Surely she was misreading him. Maybe her head was even more foggy than she thought.

" Take three a day if nothing changesss, come right back." came the familiar reptilian voice of the ship's MD as his door slid open and an ensign hurried out. Seeing his friend the gorn walked over " Rin what can i help you with?" he asked warmly.

"I haven't run my regeneration cycles in four days," Rin admitted. "I've been concerned with the Zynari interrupting its function, considering what happened with that glitch on the ice planet. But I've been reminded that my choice is leaving me in a reduced capacity, and it was suggested that I have you run diagnostics and then supervise my regenerative cycle."

"Of courssse my friend. Will you ssstep into my office? " he said camly as he lead the way.

"Of course," she replied, following along behind him and taking a seat once they reached his office.

Sylorik didn't notice Sthilg and Rin disappear and had returned his attention to the PADDs with renewed focus--or at least, the illusion of it. His fingers moved with their usual precision, but his mind had wandered several degrees off-axis. There were still files to review, outcomes to confirm, postoperative notes to finalize. And yet he was conscious--too conscious--of the presence a few meters away.

He exhaled through his nose, then moved a PADD exactly 2.5 centimeters to the left--its previous position had been askew, and that--at least--was a problem he could solve.

But what was this feeling?

There is a misfiring of neural expectation, he concluded as he reviewed the first PADD--though it remained unread on the screen. A transitory state. Induced by fatigue, dietary irregularities, emotional contagion.

He ticked through the possibilities like vital signs on a chart, hoping one might offer relief through classification.

You are sleep-deprived. You have not meditated since the second morning of the triage surge. Your water intake has dropped by one-third. These are known factors. These are sufficient.

And yet--none accounted for the flicker of awareness that rose over the last two hours upon meeting her. A tuning fork struck somewhere in the deepest valleys of his consciousness that resonated when she spoke. A sense of being aligned in some difficult-to-name way.

Sylorik drew in a deep breath and resumed scrolling through the patient report as if he could erase the last two hours by sheer force of will. You will meditate after this shift. You will increase the duration by zero-point-six hours. You will restore internal balance. You are not--

Sylorik was now dozing, his face resting upon a data PADD at the desk.


Sthilg was helping Rin onto the bio bed when he heard the snoaring. Looking around and seeing the snoozing Sylorik. He gave Rin an apologetic look. " Jussst lay ssstill and I'll be back in a sssecond." He said, grabbing a pillow and blanket before heading to the sleeping doctor. Gently raising his colleague's face, he slid the pillow under his head before draping the blanket over him.

Returning to Rin he gave her an apologetic look. " Sssorry about that."

"No apology needed," Rin assured him. "He's exhausted. We just came from lunch. He's the one who brought up me seeing you."

" Well my dear let'sss get you ssseen to. " The gorn said as he fired up the scanner. " Rin due you dream whilssst you regenerate?" he enquired.

"Yes," she replied plainly. "Why do you ask?"

"Professsssional curiosssity, my dear. " The gorn replied as he looked at the results. "You're definitely not meeting your regeneration ssschedule. I can prep a bed in one of the wardsss for you to hopefully have a sssucsefull regeneration cycle."

Rin nodded. "You may remember when one of my cycles was interrupted by a malfunction on the ice world, I had that terrible hallucination episode and nearly froze to death. So I've been hesitant about running it in my quarters with all of the Zynari interference with equipment. Supervision here is much appreciated."

" Well, my friend let'sss get you ssset up and sssettled in for a nice regeneration. " The gorn said leading the way out of his office and towards one of the wards.

Rin followed the Gorn, dutifully laying down on the indicated bed. The incident on the ice world had made her wary of this circumstance ever since. That fear still lingered, but she had to trust that the capable medical team could deal with anything that might arise. So she closed her eyes, immediately dropping into unconsciousness.