Posted by Lieutenant Spenn (Chief Medical Officer) in Nala’s Medical Intake — USS Ark Angel

Posted by Ensign Nala Shai’Mori t’Liriena (Science Officer) in Nala’s Medical Intake — USS Ark Angel

Posted by Lieutenant Spenn (Chief Medical Officer) in Nala’s Medical Intake — USS Ark Angel
Posted by… suppressed (1) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Sickbay doors parted with a brisk, efficient chime.

Nala stepped through and immediately felt the difference.

The Ark Angel wasn’t quieter here.

It was busy.

The deep structural hum of the ship was still present, but layered over it now were sharper sounds: diagnostic tones chiming in uneven rhythms, biobeds cycling through readiness checks, carts rolling across the deck with soft but constant vibration. Voices overlapped not loud, but numerous, clipped and professional and moving too quickly for her ears to fully separate.

Her ears flattened partway on instinct.

Different loud, she registered. Not better. Just… narrower. More focused. No place for sound to dissipate.

She adjusted her stance, grounding through her feet, claws flexing subtly inside her boots. The air smelled clean, sterile, edged with antiseptic and recycled oxygen. Too crisp. Too precise.

She approached the duty station, posture straight, tail carefully controlled.

“Ensign Nala Shai’Mori t’Liriena,” she said, voice fast but steady. “Here for my intake physical.”

The nurse glanced up, nodded once, and tapped something into a console.

“Have a seat. I’ll let the doctor know you’re here.”

Then they were already moving heels clicking away, voice joining another conversation before Nala could even respond.

She blinked once.

“…Thank you,” she said to empty air, then turned and did as instructed.

The waiting area was functional. Clean. Bright. Too bright.

She chose a seat at the edge rather than the center, positioning herself so she could see the room without being surrounded by it. Her tail curled tightly around her leg, ears angled back not flat, just guarded.

Minutes passed.

A biobed chimed. Someone laughed softly somewhere behind a curtain. A monitor emitted a sharp alert tone before being silenced almost immediately. Each sound landed cleanly, distinctly, without blending no mercy for senses that noticed everything.

Nala focused on her breathing.

In.
Out.
Count the rhythm.

She kept her gaze fixed on a point along the far bulkhead, refusing to let her attention scatter. Her tail flicked once, sharp, then stilled again. She clasped her hands together, claws pressing lightly into her own skin just enough sensation to anchor her.

You’re fine, she told herself. This is routine. This is controlled. This is survivable.

Her leg bounced once before she consciously stopped it.

She didn’t look at the time.

She didn’t pace.

She waited.

And beneath the professional calm she maintained, the ship continued to hum and chime and whisper around her testing her limits without yet demanding she cross them.

ensign Nala

Spenn approached the waiting area with the next task on his list. Another check-in. “Is there an ensign by the name of Nala Shai’Mori t’Liriena present?”

Lieutenant Spenn
Chief Medical Officer

Nala’s ears twitched immediately at the sound of her name picked out of the surrounding noise faster than she would’ve liked.

She straightened from her seat, tail drawing in close behind her as she rose. The ship was loud this early in the day foot traffic, carts, distant voices but she had it bracketed, filed away into manageable layers. Uncomfortable, yes. Overwhelming, not yet.

“Yes,” she said, a little too quickly, then corrected herself mid-breath. “Yes Ensign Nala Shai’Mori t’Liriena. Present.”

She stepped forward, hands clasped neatly in front of her, posture crisp and by-the-book. Her ears angled forward in attentive politeness even as her tail gave a small, betraying flick.

Routine, she reminded herself. This is routine. Baseline scans. No surprises.

Her heart rate ticked up anyway.

She smoothed the front of her uniform without realizing she’d done it, then steadied her breathing, amber eyes focused and alert as she waited for what came next handling the noise, the nerves, and the moment all at once.

Ensign Nala

Spenn sensed nervous emitting from the ensign. Luckily, he remember his bedside manner. “Nervousness is illogical, ensign,” He told her bluntly, “Follow me.”

Lieutenant Spenn
Chief Medical Officer

Nala’s ears flattened hard this time, frustration flaring hot and immediate before she could rein it in.

“That’s easy for you to say,” she shot back, the words slipping out before polish or rank could slow them. “You’re used to all this noise.”

Her tail tightened reflexively, curling closer as she stood, claws flexing once inside her boots. She took a breath too fast then forced the next one slower, trying to pull herself back into control as she followed him.

“I know it’s not dangerous,” she added quickly, not apologetic but honest, amber eyes bright with strain. “But that doesn’t make it quiet. Or simple. It just means I’m still adapting.”

She fell into step behind him, posture still Starfleet-straight even as her ears remained pinned, the ship’s hum pressing in while she did her best to keep pace physically and otherwise.

Ensign Nala