Science and Medicine Go Hand in Hand

Posted on Tue Jan 22nd, 2019 @ 9:15pm by Lieutenant Jane Sinclair MD, DVM & Lieutenant JG Neza Glenn

1,041 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Mission 0 - Christening of Legacy and Crew Arrival
Location: Science lab
Timeline: 2261.183 0945

Jane Sinclair has been walking the corridors searching for the Legacy’s primary science lab. She was eager to meet the Chief Science Officer, who hadn’t been down for her physical yet, but having looked at her file, Jane knew at least what she looked like.

She finally found the lab. The door slid open and Jane stepped inside. “Ensign Glenn?” Jane called out.

Glancing over her shoulder hearing the door open, Neza was surprised anyone came all the way down to the labs just to find her. But, she smiled none the less. “I take it you’re our new doctor?”

"That's right," Jane said, smiling back. She walked closer. "Jane Sinclair. Please call me Jane."

"Neza," she said with a grin, shutting down the information she was looking at and spun around in her chair. "What brings you down to the labs, Jane?"

“I thought I’d reach out,” Jane explained. “We’ll be working a lot together, I suspect. I’d want your or your department’s help on certain biomedical issues. Ecology, epidemiology, pharmacology, that sort of thing. And I reckon my team can help yours in matters of life sciences.”

Jane grabbed a nearby chair. “May I?”

Nodding, Neza cleared a few things off the part of the lab table that was in front of the seat Jane grabbed.

“In my last assignment,” Jane said, “the science and medical departments worked closely. We once worked together to identify and cure a plague on New Paris. We couldn’t have done it without collaborating. I’d like to start things off right, so I thought I’d come by and introduce myself.”

"Sounds as good as anything. I'm a fresh ensign so I wouldn't have ever thought of that. How they got me into this position, I have no idea." Neza shrugged.

“What do you mean?” asked Jane. “As a Chief? I’ve known one or two Ensigns who were department heads. It was usually because they were exceptionally qualified and came highly recommended.”

Neza tapped the pen thing she'd been using on the lab table. "That's the weird part. I swear there was another chief...but there never was. Not according to the ship's database. I just don't remember being assigned chief." She looked over and bit her lip. "Sorry, I'm rambling."

“No, it’s fine,” Jane replied. “Memory’s a strange thing. We can never really trust it.” She leaned back in her seat and crossed her leg. Her uniform’s skirt rode up a bit, but on her it went longer than most anyway, owing to shorter legs. “What’s your scientific area of focus, if you don’t mind me asking? Life sciences? Chemistry? Physics and astronomy? Planetology?”

"That's where I'm boring. In depth sensor analysis, with security training. I...might have had my security privileges revoked for a bit at the Academy." Neza smirked, "Short temper."

Jane smiled widely. “There’s a story there! I hope one day I’ll get all the details. But security training and science...that’s a useful pairing of skills, one you don’t see too often. I should think it would make you invaluable on landing missions. Probably one of the reasons you’re a department head.”

Shaking her head, Neza couldn't help but laugh. "It was all over the Academy. I had a broken jaw and hand..someone else had a broken nose. Wasn't top of my class or anything." She leaned back in the chair a bit. "But I'm not all that special otherwise."

“Nonsense,” said Jane. “You’ve not been down for your physical yet. Are you free now? We can walk down to sickbay together?”

"I...hadn't?" Thinking back, Neza raised an eyebrow. "Suppose you are right. I hadn't gone down because I thought I did that already." Turning away for a moment, she shut down the experiments. "Guess it is better than sitting here."

“Come on, then!” Jane stood and offered her hand to help Neza out of her chair.

Unable to contain a laugh, Neza took the offered hand and let Jane lead the way. “This has to be the most interesting way I’ve been take to sickbay...ever.”

"I find it works wonders!" Jane said. "Sometimes people hate coming to sickbay, so they need to be physically dragged in for physicals. Just be glad you're not actively avoiding me. I've become quite good at hogties." Jane laughed as the two women walked towards the turbolift. "So Neza, do you know anything fun to do aboard ship?"

"Hogties?" Neza cringed and let go of Jane's hand. "I will go willingly. Don't feel like being hunted down and pulled to sickbay." She leaned against the wall of the turbolift and shrugged. "Really don't. There's a nice selection of alcohol, the gym has some good equipment."

“Don’t worry; I only deploy the hogties when the person absolutely refuses,” Jane joked, before leaning in conspiratorially. “Or with their consent.” She winked. The turbolift arrived at the appropriate deck. “After you,” Jane motioned.

Stepping out of the turbolift, Neza smirked. "If they consent? That sounds...interesting." She led them down the corridor, knowing where sickbay was at least.

“So where are you from?” asked Jane. Their accents sounded vaguely similar, but she was pretty sure the Ensign wasn’t from Vega.

"Hmm? Oh, Southampton. Nothing all that special. Not that great of a life there anyways. Starfleet is a fresh start type of thing for me."

“For many of us, I think,” Jane said. “We’re almost there. After your physical is over, did you want to tour the medical lab? We have a Class 4 containment unit that’s perfect for handling diagnostic samples containing the deadliest pathogens.”

Neza grinned. "Class 4? I've only see those one other time before. Count me in."

They approached the sickbay entrance and stepped in. Jane was glad to be working with the young Ensign, who seemed to have impressed enough people to earn a department head position despite her age and rank. She did find it strange that both Neza and Cindy had strange memory lapses. It was probably nothing, but it was worth keeping an eye open for other instances of it happening.

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