Chance Encounter

Posted on Sat Jul 28th, 2018 @ 5:15pm by Miran Lalor [Lalor] HRH & Cadet Junior Grade Triston Montgomery [Lalor]

Mission: Season 2: Mission 2: Just Breath
Location: Deep Space Nine - Promenade
Timeline: prior to boarding
2045 words - 4.1 OF Standard Post Measure

Estelle had arrived at Deep Space Nine a day earlier than she was supposed to report in and while she did not intend to spend the night on the station, she did want to look around first.

On the trip here, someone had told her that it was nothing special. It looked different but was the same as any other starbase otherwise. That was the opinion of someone who hadn't been to many different kinds of starbases, Estelle figured. Deep Space Nine was different from the start. The station even had a distinct smell.

She had bought a jumja stick at the promenade and was enjoying it while browsing shops. She was already carrying a bag that held a few new blends of tea she had bought. Bajorans had several she had never heard of before, and she just had to take them with her on the next voyage. Humming a tune, she followed the rich scent of someone roasting fresh coffee.

Ahead of her two young teenagers were standing discussing something with wild gesticulating gestures. One was a tall blond haired boy who while obviously arguing with the brunette before him, had been in some sort of scuffle. The brunette had one hand on her hip and was making a point very loudly.

"By the GODS Triston, you need a doctor! You cannot keep walking around like this!"

"Miri, if I do so, then my parents will find out and this will blow out into something bigger. It gives him what he wants!"

"MEN! Are you all so pig headed?" the girl asked. "Look I'll tell Pene.."

"NO you won't." He snapped back cradling his right arm. "You do not tell her anything!"

Neither saw the medical officer walking towards them.

"Yes, men usually are that pig-headed", Estelle remarked as she approached the arguing couple. It was her way of inserting herself into the conversation. "What's happened to your arm, boy?" She smiled at him and added, "I'm that doctor you don't want to be seeing."

Miran smirked at Triston. "His name is Triston Montgomery and he just got jumped by several of our classmates. And he tried to fight them off. But 6 on 1 is not a fair fight."

"Miran!" He hissed and then sighed. "Look doc its not that bad.."

"Looks broken to me", muttered the teenager beside him.

"I think the Ferengi have a signature move for six on one combat, it's called grovelling", Estelle joked. "Let me have a look? We'll see if we need to go to the infirmary... which should be just down the promenade here somewhere, I think."

Triston sighed and held out his arm. "It is," he replied having been on DS9 many times. "Look doc a painkiller will be fine.." he hoped.

Miran rolled her eyes. "Triston..." She groaned.

Estelle looked at the arm, applying gentle pressure with her fingertips, the reaction to the pain told her much of what she needed to know. "You're right", Estelle agreed sarcastically. "A painkiller will do. Your arm will heal at an odd angle and you might lose the use of your hand entirely, but I'm certainly not making your get surgery. That's your call."

He sighed and knew if he ignored it, Miran with her big mouth would nag him and tell on him. "Ok.. I give, you both win. Medical it is." He grimaced. "Do we have to tell my parents though?"

"Depends, how old are you?" Estelle asked. She looked around and quickly found the medical symbol above a doorway. "Let's go", she said, taking him by his good arm and leading him towards the infirmary. "I'm Estelle, by the way."

"I am 17... nearly 18." he said hopefully. "Triston as Miran said."

"Yes, I think we can keep it between the three of us, then", Estelle said, then raised her voice as she walked in. "I've got a broken arm here."

The nurse on duty looked at them and nodded. "I'll call in the doctor, he should be here in a few minutes."

"No need, I can treat this", Estelle said. She directed him towards the nearby biobed. "Hop up here and we'll have you fixed in no time."

Miran had followed them in, silently staying out of the way and watching them.

Triston hopped up onto the bio bed. "Sorry for being a pain, Estelle."

"Don't worry about it", Estelle said, putting down her bag by the foot of the bed. "Miran, you can stand over here, by his good side. Hold his hand if you want." She pulled a hypospray off a tray and filled it with a fast-acting anaesthetic, injecting Triston's injured arm at the shoulder. "Your arm will start feeling numb in a few seconds", she announced. "Tell me as soon as the pain's gone, so I can start setting the bone."

Miran moved to stand beside him but she didn't hold his hand. She crossed her arms instead. "Estelle, you have to report this don't you?" she asked ignoring the pointed look from the Teenage boy beside her.

"Pain's almost gone." He interjected trying to keep the subject off of the incident.

"You want me to report it, Miran?" Estelle wondered. "I think at 17, and with just a broken arm, that's not a big deal. If the parents had been bothered by this kind of thing where I grew up all the time... I might have had to look for different friends."

Estelle activated the biobed's scanner and started setting the bone, looking at the readout to make sure she got it at exactly the right angle. Then she engaged the osteoregenerator to fuse the bone back in place. "Good, stage one. Now..." She looked around. "If I were a protoplaser in a Bajoran infirmary, where would I be hiding?"

"He may be 17 but they are not his friends. they are a group of Bullies!" Miran muttered. "Picking on someone just because they don't like who he is friends with."

A nurse overheard Estelle and brought over the required instrument.

"Ah, thank you", Estelle said, applying it and watching the swelling go down. "Is this true, Triston? Should they be receiving an attitude adjustment?" She ran her thumb over the arm and frowned. "Hmm, a severed tendon. That's not good. I'll have to open you up." She took a laser scalpel from the shelf, as well as a dermal regenerator which she placed on the bed next to Triston for later. "I'll cut here, draw both ends of the tendon back together and use the autosuture to fuse it back together. All you need to do is hold still, okay?"

Triston nodded going slightly pale.

Miran took a breath and straightened her shoulders. "I believe they should be in the brig. But He won't let me report it to Commander Holmes."

"He is old enough to make that call, I believe", Estelle said, smiling at Triston. "Though, if you want my advice, there's no shame in seeking aid when they team up against you." She made the cut and spread open the incision. Thanks to the automatically cauterising laser scalpel, there was no bleeding to contend with. Estelle manipulated the biobed controls and two tractor beams shot out of the ceiling, grabbing the ends of the tendons and pulling them together. Estelle put the autosuture in place and watched it perform its magic, all under the sterilising field of the biobed. "You see how it's being mended?" She asked, showing him his insides.

"Yeah.. more used to the insides of other organisms than humanoid." Triston replied.

"All the more reason to look", Estelle chuckled. "Now, time to close up." She applied the protoplaser, then followed up with the dermal regenerator. "There, all done. Once the anaesthetic wears off, your arm will be sore for a few days but you should not be feeling any other effects." She smiled at both of them. "Now, with that kind of surgery, I might actually pass the medical exam this time around", she said in a way she hoped they'd take seriously at least for a few seconds.

Miran did and then her eyes went from wide to narrowed. "Humans" she said with slight irritation "And their sense of humor."

Triston smirked at her. "Erisians and their inability to understand it." He gave Estelle a smile. "Thank you for the help doctor."

"And I'd seriously consider making a report", Estelle told him. "Listen to your girlfriend. She's looking out for you. I can write up a report on your injury to add to your file. Well, once I've settled in on my new post, I'm sure I'll find a minute for paperwork."

"I am not his girlfriend" Miran said at the same time as Triston said,
"She isn't my girlfriend. Her sister would gut me alive."

Miran rolled her eyes. And then she looked at Estelle, "You are not stationed here on DS9?" she asked curiously.

"If I was, wouldn't you think I'd know my way around this place?" Estelle wondered. "No, this is my first time here, and I'm using it to stock up on exotic tea. No telling where the Elysium will be going, or when our next supply stop will allow me to top up." She chuckled. "I know, I've been called nuts before, when it comes to tea."

"The Elysium?" Both teens chorused. "Cool" Said Triston as Miran grinned at Estelle.

"The Ely is a pretty big ship.. you may need a map." She quipped.

"I spent some time coming here looking at schematics", Estelle said, putting the medical instruments back where she had found them. "I take it you're familiar with her? Civilian company on leave on the station?"

"The whole ship got evacuated." Triston said. "My parents are assigned to the Elysium. My mother is in Engineering and my dad is in science."

"Evacuated?" Estelle asked, "What happened?"

"no one knows.. well no one who is saying anyway." Triston looked pointedly at Miran who sighed.

She inclined her head to Estelle. "I don't know what is going on any more than anyone else. Pene is not talking about it. All I know is that she had a meeting with a Commodore she knew form her academy days and the next thing we are evacuating the ship."

"Hmm, getting a few days extra on this station isn't the worst thing that could happen", Estelle shrugged. "So, what are you going to do about your incident, Triston?"

Triston sighed. "It's a rather sensitive thing. The leader of the group's father is in Ship Security. And ..." he looked at Miran. "And Miran..."

She sighed. "It involved me and my sister is very protective of me."

Estelle nodded, some understanding dawning. "If you want to settle it yourself, I'll be happy to come along and make sure there won't be a repeat performance." She figured they wouldn't dare that with an adult present.

Miran shook her head. "No it's ok. They have gone off somewhere else and we should get back to our cabins."

Triston nodded. "I'll talk to my parents about it, and then see what happens then."

"Very well", Estelle replied. "One thing before you head out... do you know where I can report in if the ship itself is now empty?" She wondered where she'd be spending the night, too.

"Sure" Miran said with a smile. "Captain Lalor's office is just off the main promenade deck, near Quarks. And Dr Sthlig will most likely be in here soon enough."

"Very good, thank you", Estelle smiled.

Triston hopped off the bio bed and smiled back at the doctor. "Just a heads up.. the Chief medical officer? Dr Sthlig? He is a Gorn."

"And the Chief Engineer, he is a Wolf." Miran added with a grin. "We are not joking about it."

"Good to know, I'll know not to investigate the nightly howling", Estelle chuckled. She knew the CMO was a Gorn, she had looked up what was available on the medical personnel, but not much beyond that.

"Thank you again Doctor Estelle," Triston said. "Come on Miran, better get you back to your cabin before I wind up in the brig." He held out his arm and she smiling took it.

"Thank you Doctor" She echoed to Estelle. "Welcome to the Elysium."