Posted by Ensign Karina Niles (Doctor) in Meanwhile… on the Station (for those awaiting the ship)

Posted by Lieutenant Ky’Laria (Scientist) in Meanwhile… on the Station (for those awaiting the ship)

Posted by Ensign Karina Niles (Doctor) in Meanwhile… on the Station (for those awaiting the ship)
Posted by… suppressed (1) by the Post Ghost! 👻

Ky’Laria observed the woman for a moment; unfortunately for the young doctor’s attempts at concealment, her body gave away still more. Subtle changes in skin temperature and capillary dilation, respiratory rhythm, even chemical signals betrayed, to the Kuras’ understanding of humans, a wound perhaps slightly re-opened.

She pressed the call button for the turbolift, resolving to regale the human with all the details of how easily she could read her. It would be worth trying to avoid the context, however. Perhaps focusing on the capabilities of her spots… “I wasn’t referring to the difficulty,” Ky’Laria stated, bringing her tone down a touch to better align with the changes in the Ensign’s body language. “But the longevity. My people seldom obtain any kind of… certification? Until at least… r-r-r-r…” The odd trilling noise which she issued seemed, by her expression, to be a simple filler sound - a Kuras ‘hmm.’ “Twenty-one years is the shortest degree-like… thing, that we have. Twenty-five Earth years, in fact.”

Karina nodded. “We have such lengthy studies in some fields. And even in medicine, knowing enough and never knowing it all is a constant reason for learning. So I guess I will be learning for another 25 yrs as well. Though, sadly, life and knowledge are the only things we get. Not additional educational accolades.”

At the hanging of her name, Karina chided herself mentally. “Niles… Ensign Karina Niles. Call me Karina. Seems silly to be worrying about rank and position right now with the ship’s fate still unknown.” She quickly realized this woman’s rank was no trifling thing and found herself nearly stammering to correct herself. “I mean, my rank, anyway, Ma’am. Just call me Karina, or Doctor if you wish. I’m not the Chief of the Athena medical, but Doctor will suffice anyway.” She hadn’t gotten a multitude of degrees, but she had studied her backside off to get where she was.

She just hoped she hadn’t just offended someone who could snip that short in a heartbeat.

Karina
Doctor

The lift doors hissed open; the car was empty. Ky’Laria, who had been watching Karina unravel a little before her, glanced to the waiting lift and silently gestured for the doctor to enter first.

With a stoic expression, Ky’Laria stepped with ever-graceful motion into the lift, and the door hissed shut behind her. “Is it Starfleet that would have me reprimand you now for… being too informal? Or is that a facet of human culture?” For all the imposing presence, her voice had a genuine air of curiosity about it. Surely, ‘at home,’ a subordinate would simply have been better trained than to disrespect the hierarchy of command so, but this was not her home fleets and certainly not the same culture. For Ky’Laria, it was a strangely refreshing opportunity to learn again - and why could one not learn from someone a hundredth one’s age?

-Lt. Ky’Laria (Sci)

The Doctor stepped in and off to the side. She was learning to handle another species and culture she was unfamiliar at the same time she was being studied. It was a bit of an ‘under the magnifying glass’ type of situation she had been used to under the Heads of every hospital and location she had been in. So when she thought of it that way, she managed to calm down a bit.

When Ky asked about Fleet punishing her for informality, she let loose a soft laugh that at least seemed genuine and natural, even if just for a second. “I suppose they would. But only because we don’t know one another well enough for me to make such a suggestion.” She made the admission like only a true goody goody would do. Most would say no and save their skin, but Karina was honest and apparently willing to accept whatever came from such an admission. “May I ask, Ma’am, what should I call you? Perhaps the best course of action. Then I will know your rank and name and no need to worry about missteps in professionalism.”

“Quite,” Ky’Laria replied quickly; she had actually not intended to withhold her own identity for so long. She turned to face Karina, and with her ever-confident air stated, “I am Ky’Laria.” It was spoken as a single word, lightly as though with a lilt, just touching at the hard consonants between the melodious vowel sounds. “A standard of professionalism is sensible, especially when it seems we have some unplanned work to do.” At that, she gave a curt, affirming nod before facing forward again in the lift. “I have not specified a destination,” she muttered and quickly declared, “Crew lounge. Nearest.”

“A pleasure, Ky’Laria,” her pronunciation, while not perfect, was extremely close.

Being this close to Ky, Karina had the sensation of being close to a power of more than just rank. There was an aire about the woman that spoke of strength, control and the ability to handle anything that came her way. She had sensed it, in at least some degree, around most Command positional folks of nearly any race. It came with practice at being lead, leading and also making choices that left marks of strength on the person doing the choosing.

This woman had the aire of Command, even if she wasn’t Karina’s Commanding Officer.

Karina
Doctor

“You are obviously not part of my chain of command, and I see no reason to report your informality to your own. It would accomplish nothing, especially in the context of whatever perils they are experiencing in this very moment,” she offered, a hint of authoritative staccato to her voice. “I… won’t tell your boss, if you don’t tell mine,” she added much more softly, clearly sounding as though she were trying out the turn of phrase for the first time.

“I believe it is custom to address medical doctors in Starfleet by the title of ‘Doctor,’ rather than rank. That will make it Doctor Niles, then, since at least one of us is in uniform…” As she trailed off, Ky’Laria wore the tiniest smirk.

-Lt. Ky’Laria (Sci)

A sly smirk turned up the edges of Karina’s lips as the phrase was attempted. “Then we are agreed, it shall stay between us. And yes, Doctor Niles is more than sufficient. Even just Niles will work as well.” It dawned on her that Ky had said something that had struck her as odd.

“Unplanned work?” The two words holding a plethora of wonder and curiosity and not a small touch of excitement. For all her proper etiquette and decorum, one thing that got Karina’s attention was discovery. And this woman had just suggested something that the Doctor definitely wanted to discover.

Karina
Doctor

“Were you planning for your ship to disappear into the abyss?” Ky’Laria asked rhetorically in reply.

The turbolift slowed and then gently halted. Once the doors slid open, Ky’Laria stepped out first this time, glanced to each side, and said, “This way,” with a small hand gesture. “We have been handed an extraordinary challenge simply for the opportunity to report for, or return to duty,” she explained as her long strides carried her toward the door to the crew lounge. “And since we will never be able to obtain any lab time in a situation like this, all we have to work with are a set of sensor data on a terminal you’ve never seen the like of before, and…” She wore a grin bearing a hint of mischief as she stopped at the lounge entrance. “An astrophysicist you’ve never seen the like of before. After you, Doctor.”

The ‘nearest’ lounge proved to be no Ten Forward; it was more of a departmental break room, with eight tables, two replicators, and no bar host; it at least had expansive windows to the vast exterior of space, so one could watch shuttles mill about, or the occasional ship float by.

Lt. Ky’Laria (Sci)