Posted Jan. 26, 2022, 10:44 p.m. by Lieutenant Junior Grade Haadok (Chief Medical Officer) (Trin S)
Posted by Ensign Alwyn Yarwood (Medical Doctor) in Sickbay - Ensign Alwyn Yarwood check-in on the USS Sentinel
Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Haadok (Chief Medical Officer) in Sickbay - Ensign Alwyn Yarwood check-in on the USS Sentinel
Posted by Ensign Alwyn Yarwood (Medical Doctor) in Sickbay - Ensign Alwyn Yarwood check-in on the USS Sentinel
Posted by… suppressed (11) by the Post Ghost! 👻
(Snip!)
Haadok led the young physician to a quaint office nestled between the examination and surgical suites. There, the doors hissed open to reveal a space adorned by a desk and monitor, vitals display, and glass shelves. If Alwyn were to peer closer, he might notice the curious artefacts on display. A redbat skull peered through hollowed eyes, strange stone carvings swayed without motion, an old stethoscope hung from the ledge, and a pair of leather-backed books leaned against the wall.“Have a seat,” Haadok cut through the silence. “Would you like something to drink?”
— Haadok, CMO
Sitting in the chair, Alwyn said: “Uh, I… I think I’ll have a Green Tea, Yunnan, please.”
Haadok lifted an approving eyebrow and moved to a small wooden boxed situated among her artefacts. Gently tugging open its lid, she sifted through and pulled two bags of Yunnan green and redspice tea from her collection. “If you asked for another variety, I may have needed to synthesize it,” she spoke flatly as though it were a tragedy. “Do you take cream or sugar with your tea?”
He looked around the room and saw some object he guessed to be Haadok’s personals belonging. He recognized the old stethoscope, even though he only see one in a history book, and he looked a bit longer on the strange stones and their strange movement. He wanted to ask about them, but he preferred to wait until the end of the meeting.
Doctor Alwyn Yarwood - Enseign
Tea in hand, Haadok moved to the desk and set Alwyn’s before him before settling in the opposite chair. “Your motivations for pursuing medicine suggest you’re driven and resolute,” she bobbed the teabag, “I respect that. Though it also implies you have goals. So, what do you expect from your assignment to the Sentinel?”
— Haadok, CMO
(OOC: I’m really sorry for the delay, I’ll try to keep up this time !)
(OOC: No worries!)Sitting in the chair, Alwyn noticed it was quite comfortable. He listened to Haadok before answering: “My expectations? Um, well, I want to help and heal as many people as I can.” He marked a pause to put an order in his thoughts.
“Even though space is a wonderful place to go, it’s also one of the biggest threats that await us. I don’t mean I’m scared about it, in fact, I love being in space, but many people are risking their lives by simply being aboard the Sentinel. And I want to keep them alive as long as I’m aboard the ship.
After his little speech, Alwyn just realized about the confidence he just put in those words, a confidence he didn’t know he had until he spoke. he tried to add: “Uh, but… I-I think it’s the goal of all the medical team, not just myself. Bu-but I don’t mean you don’t do anything at all ! No, I mean… Nevermind....” He let out a little sigh and leaned back on his chair
Doctor Alwyn Yarwood - Ensign
“We must maintain a degree of apprehension when engaging space,” she assured. “You put it well: folks are risking their lives by existing. Our line of work only ‘tempts fate’.”
Haadok considered him through half-lidded eyes, pursing her lips to dismiss a hint of an empathetic frown. “Yarwood,” she lifted her eyebrows, “breathe. You do not owe me an explanation. Here, you may speak freely without repercussions…” she hesitated, “…within reason, of course.” Her tranquil expression made it difficult to discern whether she was joking. “This is our opportunity to get to know one another. Understood?”
“I could bore you with the technicalities of your station,” Haadok lifted her mug, “but I am far more interested in what you want to know. So, do you have any questions?”
— Haadok, CMO
Alwyn thought for a second, but nothing came up in his mind. At least, not a professional question. “If… if I can ask you a personal one?”, he asked with hesitation, trying not to be invasive in Haadok’s life. Pointing at the desk, he asked: “What are those stones?” He knew it wasn’t really appropriate for a professional meeting, but he had to know.
Doctor Alwyn Yarwood - Enseign
“Of course,” Haadok peered over her mug, “what do you want to know?” She followed his gesture to the curious stone creatures that lurked atop her desk and nearby shelves. “I was an archaeologist before I was a physician,” Haadok untangled her fingers and carefully nudged a carving closer to Alwyn, “and these ‘stones’ are replicas of artefacts we uncovered on Alhm III. The Alhmin call them ‘Iqvk’ or ‘the devourers’.” She nodded to the engraving that transformed agate into a sinewy, plough-bearing creature with wild, vine-like hair and bulbous eyes. “They were worshipped as imp-like deities who cleansed the earth by swallowing harmful energy and manipulating it into something beautiful. Fertile soil. Plentiful harvests. Rain.” Haadok jabbed a thumb at the other stones, “but dark energy has an inebriating effect on the Iqvk that inspires mischievous and arrogant behaviour. They wager rainfall on precious metals, tamper with nutrients in the soil, and grow sluggish in their pursuit of pathogens. But the Alhmin knew the Iqvk were vain and used it to their advantage.” She tapped the stone. “They carved portraits of the Iqvk into agate—a stone known to entrap malignant beasts—and used it to capture them until sobriety restored their benevolence and the stone set them free.”
Alwyn nodded slowly, looking at the mysterious replica with amazement. He thought about the way Haadok described the objects and could have sworn he heard a bit of passion in his monotonous voice. But he decided not to raise the point, and continue to examine the little stone, trying to imagine them working.
“I doubt we have Iqvk lurking about the Sentinel,” Haadok concluded her impromptu history lesson, “but the replicas serve as a reminder of a past life. Did you bring any meaningful items with you?”
— Haadok, CMO
Alwyn raised his head at Haadok, and says with a bright smile: “Sure! In fact, if you are familiar with 3d chess, you’ve might hear of it. It’s his direct ancestor, classical chess, in two dimensions, and is from the 19th century. I had quite a struggle to restore it, but he is just like new !”
Doctor Alwyn Yarwood - Ensign
‘Familiar’ would be an understatement. Haadok had grown as close to detesting 3D chess as her logic-based mind allowed. Perhaps ‘dissatisfied’ was a better word? The game tested her resolve, presenting a spatial and interpersonal challenge. She supposed that was the nature of playing with an elder sibling who insisted on using the game for prosaic and often unsolicited advice. Perhaps 3D chess wasn’t the problem. “19th century?” Haadok echoed with slightly raised and impressed eyebrows. “How did you acquire the game?”
— Haadok, CMO
Alwyn grinned at the CMO’s interest. He says: “Long story short, I wanted to have a 3d chess game at home, and while I made some research, I discovered about his ancestor, the 2d one. And fortunately, my grandpa shows me an old chess plate that once was owned by his grandfather.” The doctor smiled at the memory when he held the dusty wooden plate, with the faded squares and colors.
“I made some research on the subject, and I tried to restore it the best I could. After a moment, he was like brand new! I finished it a year before I arrive here.”
Doctor Alwyn Yarwood - Enseign
Haadok listened with narrowed, attentive eyes. Though limited in her knowledge of human emotions, she detected a twinge of sentiment in Alwyn’s reminiscent smile. Vulcan doctrine made no enemy of pride, viewing it as an indispensable tool in the face of suspicion and dispute. Haadok suspected, however, that his smile was more than pride. Love, perhaps? Emotional attachment stemming from his connection to his grandfather? She pondered its meaning but found herself ultimately unsure. Human emotions were confusing and far too intricate to reduce to a simple word. Highly inefficient.
“Fascinating,” she muttered, “do you—“
[O]Nurse Broderick to Doctor Haadok.[O] The nurse’s hoarse and hurried voice bellowed from a tabletop comm-panel. [O]There’s a patient with a ‘debilitating pain’ insisting you check it out.[O]
Haadok didn’t need an encyclopedia on human emotion to detect the irritation in his voice. Something had ‘hit a nerve’, encouraging an agreeable man to bitterness. But that wasn’t so much her concern as this patient’s ‘debilitating pain’…whatever and wherever it might be.
[O]Thank you, Broderick. Tell the patient I’ll be with them momentarily.[O] She lifted her finger from the switch and glanced at Alwyn. “You are not scheduled for duty until 0800 hours tomorrow,” Haadok assured, “but I would appreciate a second opinion. Care to consult, Doctor?”
— Haadok, CMO
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