snip

Primrose glared at the two security officers that helped him into sickbay. The brutishness of the crew was being noted. He had just barely escaped with his life from a terrorist attack and yet security was acting as if he was the monster. With each step from his diplomatic suites to sickbay, Primrose powered his well over weight mass onward thinking about all those he would order reassigned when he reached Starfleet command. Kelly and her cronies would pay for this debacle and he would probably get a medal for heroism based on almost being killed.

“Will you stop jerking me around,” he snapped to the man on his right with a scowl. “I could have a head injury and the way you have been pulling and pushing me could have easily made it worse.”

“Oh you have a head injury but stupid is not a medical diagnosis,” one of the security officers muttered under his breath.

“Careful son,” Primrose growled under his breath. “You are speaking to a superior officer.”

“No just one with more rank,” Kelly said suddenly replied standing outside her room. She was still pale and the bruises were starting to fade but many were still an angry purple and green dotting her body. She looked exhausted but that did not stop her mouth from working like before. “Get the hell out of my sick bay. There is a minute clinic on deck five.” Looking at the security guards, she nodded to them.

“You pompous little witch. I am a senior officer. You can’t just remove my medical care. I am injured and need treatment,” Primrose thundered. “And where is the damn doctor,” he bellowed looking around the room. “A man could die before he is saved.”

“We could only be that lucky,” Kelly took a few steps before realizing walking was not the best idea. Holding the edge of the table she balanced herself but didn’t go any further. The movement seemed to cause an instant migraine and bout of nausea. Still, Kelly was too stubborn to back down to Primrose.

Kelly Bordeaux
Captain Niles Primrose

Aurra was within earshot of the entire exchange. “I’m the damn doctor, Sir.” She said, rounding a corner. Her voice was calm as she studied the wounded officer. Mossy, green eyes examined him outwardly, assessing his condition. “I don’t think you’re in any danger of dying so let’s everyone calm down, alright?”

“Doctor you have no idea how intensive and traumatic my wounds are,” Primrose’s eyes narrowed and bore an icy stare. “Maybe you should examine me before pronouncing how fit for duty I am.” Just like the rest of this crew, none of them held any allegiance to Starfleet but only misguided hero worship to the harpy standing behind the doctor. “And do not tell me to calm down. I will tell you that if I had not been rescued by the security forces I might have bled out.”

A sarcastic snort erupted from one of the security officer’s noses as he struggled to maintain composure and not beat the man next to him into a bloody pulp.

“Careful Lieutenant.” Primrose’s warning was a barely controlled hiss. “Your entire department along with that gigantic green monstrosity you have for a chief is going to be thoroughly debriefed and investigated and if,” he let the last word hang like a threat, “it is found out that you flagrantly ignored securing the captain of the ship in a time of the attack every single one of you will be brought up on insubordination charges. You will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of Starfleet justice will allow. Starfleet Order 56: Section D, Paragraph 4-C– states that in a time of conflict, the senior staff will have protection by the security forces at all costs. So where were you?”

Kelly took another step forward but the security officer spoke for her.

Lt. Peter Parsons had had just enough to Primrose by this point. With Kelly standing it meant the slug’s reign of ineptness was soon over. “No, that regulation states that the captain and first officer could not be on an away mission at the same time. If by chance you are referring to Starfleet Order 192: Section A, Paragraph 3-B– which states that in a situation of an alien take over of the ship when the ship is carrying objects or materials vital to the security of the Federation, security forces will fall back to the bridge in order to secure the senior staff will have protection by the security forces so that they are able to complete the process self destruct while the other security forces continue to repel borders. You also could cite General Order 15 or what we fondly call the Kelly Clause: No flag officer shall beam into a hazardous area without armed escort but you Sir were not begging to be placed in the Promenade but safely ten decks above with an escape pod just outside your door.”

“Ma’am,” the other officer looked at Kelly. “Permission to brig him so that we can ensure his safety.”

“Permission granted,” Kelly leaned against the table with a wry smile.

Her gaze rolled over to Bordeaux. “And if you don’t mind, Captain, I’ll run sickbay and make decisions about patient welfare and treatment. Not you. Put him over there on one of the beds.” The last was to the security guards. She wasn’t about to send Primrose to another clinic when he was already in her medical bay.

“Jesus Kelly,” a voice yelled out adding to the chaos in the room. “I am going to have them restrain you into bed.” Dr. Lauren Shan had had enough of the past hour. “Go,” she snapped her fingers and waved Kelly back towards her room.

The two security officers nodded at Talisse and pushed Primrose slightly in the direction she indicated wearing a frown as Primrose ranted and blustered all the way there.

“You take him. I will deal with Captain Chaos,” Lauren said to Talisse with a small smirk.

Across the room, Primrose bellowed again. “Dr. Talisse what the hell are you doing just standing there when I am needing medical treatment.”

Grabbing up a tricorder, Talisse headed over to where Primrose was settling in. “I’m Dr Talisse, please explain how you were injured.”

—CMO Talisse

“I was stabbed and shot and as I tried to fight the defenders off I was struck on the head. I need a full battery of holoscans. Concentrate on my head where I am sure you will find cranial bleeding. I am going to need suturing of my stab wound and probably a cane. I will only be able to concentrate on bed rest for forty-eight hours so don’t think you can authorize any more.” Primrose reclined back like a bloated whale on the examination table hissing and moaning with every muscle movement.

Holding back the urge to roll her eyes, Aurra listened as Primrose listed his severe injuries. She understood patients being anxious about wounds and their outcomes, but this man was just a big baby. Was he in pain? Certainly, but he was being totally undignified as an officer with all the grandstanding.

Talisse would not need a tricorder to ascertain the extent of his injuries. The man did have a large knot swelling along his brow line however the placement of the bump would indicate he fell and hit his head on something rather than sustained a blow in fighting. His leg did have a stab wound that coated his pant leg but the wound was almost surgically precise. It had missed any major veins, arteries, or tendons. The only damage was to the muscle fibers which would easily be treated by a few sessions with a dermal regenerator. If she did cut open his pant leg, Talisse would notice a large bruise forming around his patella most likely from a fall where he hit his knee on the way down.

Captian Kelly Bordeaux
Captain Niles Primrose

Once her assessment was finished, Aurra gathered the supplies needed to treat the injuries. The first thing she did was give him a large dose of pain medicine in the hope that it would relieve his pain and quiet him down. After she set the dermal regenerator over the stab wound in his leg, she took a closer at the knot on his head to see if there were signs of rising intracranial pressure.

The last thing needing attention was a bruised kneecap. The particular way the injury presented, suggested Primrose had fallen and the knee had taken the brunt of his weight against the floor.

—CMO Talisse

Her scans would show that his injuries were mild. The stab wound was healing good as new as she used the dermal regenerator. The bump on his head was large but there was no sign of concussion or bleeding. His knee was probably the thing that was going to take the longest to heal simply because of the large bruise but there was no sign of tendon damage.

Leaning back, Primrose felt the pain medication relaxing him. “So tell me Doctor and don’t hold back. How many weeks will I be in rehab?” The conviction in his tone was firm and sincere.

Primrose

“None?” The knee was certainly damaged, but with the amazing things she could do in sickbay with medications and tools, he would be able to walk out under his own steam. Only time would heal it completely. What she’d gleaned from her examination was that he might need the assistance of a cane for a week or two and a mild pain killer here and there, but he would certainly be able to fulfill his duties on the ship during that time. From what Aurra had heard through the grapevine about Primrose though, he might not agree that his injuries were healed enough to leave sickbay.

—CMO Talisse

“None,” he snapped feeling the anger and rage boiling up inside him. “So you would maim me just to help your Captain cover up her incompetence?”

His comment hung in the air and only the sound of the pneumatic doors swishing open made him look at the entrance of the sick bay.

“Firstly, Captain Bordeaux is not incompetent and secondly, your injuries have been treated. The slice to your leg is healed. The blow to the head is just swelling, no intracranial bleeding or concussion so an ice pack is the way to go with it and I have treated your knee by disbursing the blood gathered in the large bruise there. It might still be tender for a few days while the left over swelling goes down, but the use of a cane or limiting the amount of walking you do and again, ice packs, you should be just fine.”

Jessa stopped almost as abruptly seeing Primrose in one of the med beds. Immediately her hand raised to the small metallic disc on her neck encasing her body in the armor suit she had used during the attack on the promenade. The suit covered the twelve-year-olds body with enough bulk and mass, Jessa could easily be mistaken for a security officer on the shorter side. Not a single piece of Jessa’s body was exposed and her face was hidden behind a helmet with a face shield. It was a complete and utter transformation from the 4‘11 inch 82 pound kid that has walked into sick bay.

“Oh for crying out loud why is he here,” O’Neill’s characteristic drawl filled the space as he looked at the CMO. His tone might sound affable enough but it wasn’t. The slight metallic-like chime of the suit engaging made him side-glance at Jessa. “I mean we just got her out of the damn suit and now look at her.”

The suit was going to become a problem. While Jessa seemed right now only using it for defense, every officer on board knew of the potential for it to be used offensively. They needed to find a way to get it off her so that she did not turtle up like a metallic porcupine the second she felt threatened.

O’Neill and Jessa

Looking from Primrose to Jessa, the doctor sighed. The last thing she wanted was the two of them making sickbay difficult for those working there or for patients stopping by. “That’s a good question, Jessa. Why are you here. Are you ill? injured?”

—CMO Talisse

“My title is Guardian Novar you will address me as such,” Jessa snapped out in an authoritative tone.

“Pardon me, Guardian Novar. I don’t know what possessed me to be so familiar.” Talisse said in a less than convincing tone. “Once again, why are you here?”

“I live here. What are you doing here?” Jessa was instantly on edge. After Rinker’s office, sick bay was Jessa’s closest thing to a predictable routine with predictable people.

“Easy there Optimus Prime,” O’Neill’s sarcasm came out thick. “Remember our little discussion and all your sessions with Rinker,” he made an exaggerated swirling motion with his hands at her body, “ about not being a dick ‘cause this look and attitude scream I am an arsehole so tone it down.”

“I don’t give a flying triff about what he says,” Jessa shot back.

The longer he spent around his pint sized charge the more he relied on his parenting skills rather than his security ones. Although this was the reverse of what occurred within his own house, it was worth giving it a shot. Giving her a sour look O’Neill reached up to his comm badge. =/\=O’Neill to commander Rinker=/\=

“What…what the varping are you doing,”Jessa stuttered no longer caring about Primrose or the doctor.

“Calling the good doctor,” Jack O’Neill responded nonchalantly. His outward appearance and tone were calm, but inside, he gave himself a secret high five.

“Don’t call him? Why…why would you do that?” Jessa felt her anxiety instantly red line.

“Cause you said and I quote I don’t give a flying triff what he says so let’s tell him.” O’Neill didn’t have clue if the man would answer or not. Heathcliff did seem to respond with an immediacy recently but the man had to sleep and shower at some point.

=^=You Rangggg....=^= Rinker growled out as if he were an over tired over paid butler. =^=How may this one serve you?=^=

O’Neill did not have to imagine the withering gaze Jessa was giving him from behind the face shield of her helmet. It was the typical self righteous teen tight lipped grimace and eye roll that came with knowing you had backed yourself into a corner with no way out. Normally Jack backed off with his boys at this time knowing he had won but Jessa needed a firmer hand. Just like in the academy. The only way at times to build someone up was to start from scratch. His wife would not approve of this approach but Samantha was not here to protest.

=/\= Jessa just lost her mind and since you are the head shrink I figured you could help her find it. How about I let her tell you=/\= Turning the comm over to her Jack waited.

Jessa clenched her jaw grinding her teeth hard. She had barely a handful of supporters left on the ship and couldn’t alienate them all. The larger problem was she was starting to actually care what Rinker, Ian, Jack, and a few others thought of her. This was dangerous and subconsciously Jessa knew the implications of it. Consciously she had to avoid them knowing this at all costs.

A week ago, Jessa would have snapped back her comment and held her ground. Now she was starting to feel regret about what she said. As the seconds ticked by, it was becoming more and more apparent Jack was taking a page from Rinker’s playbook and waiting her out. =/\=Dr. Lauren is not here and there is some other woman along with some other man. She wants to know why I am here? Why is it any of her business?=/\= Jessa was clearly agitated but also panicking by the unexpected. Her voice sounded slightly metallic due to it being processed by the speakers of her armor. As she spoke, Jessa moved closer to Jack instead of away from him.

“I am not sick. The Galactic Union has superior medical technology that far surpasses your leeches and bloodletting but thank you. I am here to collect a few of my things,” she pointed towards the small area that had been essentially her prison cell for the past week. “Why are you standing here. Where is doctor Lauren?”

Jessa Novar

GM

Aurra did not like chaos in her sickbay. Things were just growing more and more problematic since Primrose’s arrival. Now it looked like another person might be invited into the situation. She looked over at O’Neill who was speaking with said individual and listened to see what the Commander was going to do.

—CMO Talisse

Lifting his hand, Primrose gripped Talisse’s bicep and spoke in low tone. “She belongs in the brig and not here. You have the power to order her security team to remove her. I would suggest you do so.” His words were low enough only Talisse could hear. It was also clear he was hiding behind the rank and power of the CMO to do his dirty work.

Primrose and Jessa Novar