Posted by Lieutenant Commander T’Aria (XO / Navigation Officer) in Sickbay – Is it Hot in Here?

Posted by Lieutenant Symar (Chief Medical Officer) in Sickbay – Is it Hot in Here?

Posted by Ensign Kastarak (Doctor / Counsellor) in Sickbay – Is it Hot in Here?
Posted by… suppressed (2) by the Post Ghost! 👻
(Snip/Bump because I accidentally submitted before I could see how much remained. Ooops.)

“Ever since… uh… the attack” he said, feeling a need to use a euphemism to keep himself sober, “my memories are extremely vivid, and they carry so much emotion, if you understand? I was there, you see, on Vulcan, as it happened, and managed to escape in a shuttlecraft. But I couldn’t save anyone, couldn’t bring anyone with me. I knew that instant that we decided to fly upward rather than homeward we had lost our families and friends. It was as if my choice had murdered them, however illogical it is, it is a constant in me, one that I have tried suppress for years. I can’t even remember how long it’s been, it is as if it was just a week ago. And I never could say good-bye, and I don’t know whether I want to? I feel I deserve this imagery, this constant reminder that I had escaped and not suffered the same fate as them.”

T’Aria yearned to reach out and say, ‘I know your guilt’ and ‘I grieve with thee’, but she could not find the words. Even if she had, they would sooner die on her tongue than reach him. T’Aria took a slow, choppy breath and leaned to gently squeeze his forearm, the softest of frowns barely touching her lips. Though she saw frowns and light touches exchanged between bereaved friends, hers came not from observation but instinct. It felt… right.

It did feel right, and safe. Kastarak felt safe in the touch from T’Aria, a connection, an intimacy that he had not experienced since a child, with his siblings. He felt the flush of love for his siblings, and remembered, how he, as the oldest brother, would have to take extra responsibility for the Vulcan upbringing. There were the twins, Selak and Tolk, seven years his junior. He walked them to school regularly during their first year. There was a special chilliness in the early mornings, and the sky would look blue only then, to become redder as the day got on and hotter. Sometimes Selak and Tolk would play with another. It used to warm Kastarak’s heart when their childlike curiosity and imagination had rocks and pebbles turn into animals and people. Suddenly the pebbles and tree cones were displayed, and now everything was a farm. Kastarak understood, but told them off, “it is illogical to imagine the pebble being a selat, go do your homework”. And he would always notice a shift in them as he had said those words. How he wished he could have given them something else. Was that would they remembered him of? How futile logic appeared now. Had they loved him as he had loved them? Would they have been old enough to understand?

Then there was Sabok, the very youngest, who was not allowed to even reach his first birthday, under the Earth calendar. Kastarak remembered how his mother would let Sabok suck milk out of her breast. It seemed like such a primitive and primal thing, as if Mother were a mere animal. But they were animals, evolved just like other animals, and it was logical. Breast-milk, Mother would say, would be the most natural, logical way of rearing an infant. There was not only the naturally occuring antibodies being transferred, but also the hormonal link. Just like with touch, but even more intimate.

Kastarak found it strange, and tried to find reasons for it to be illogical. He had also asked his mother to not feed Sabok in the presence of the others in the family. Displays of nudity, for whatever purpose, did not help the twins in their development of logic. They needed more rigidity and structure in their life, he had said, and Mother had disagreed.

What was it for T’Aria, Kastarak wondered. How had her childhood been? He wanted to ask, but at the same time, he did not wish to upset the moment of peace and intimacy. Emotions could bring peace, too, he now understood.

“You honour your loved…” T’Aria wavered when she noticed a dark figure sneaking into her periphery.

— T’Aria

Symar had still only told T’Aria about his true identity, so when he entered Sickbay, he had to maintain the usual stoic Vulcan persona he had upheld since coming on board the ship, “Commander, Ensign, is something wrong?”

-Lieutenant Symar: Chief Medical Officer-

When Kastarak saw Symar entering Sickbay, he saw Symar from outside his office through the glass panels.

“Yes!” he shouted from the floor, “do not enter this room. It’s contaminated. I’ve been trying to contact you, check your PaDD. Those messages are extremely important. We are sick with a Romulan virus.”

T’Aria struggled to her feet and turned her head to avoid his gaze, beelining for the medical synthesizer to inspect the progress of their treatment while Kastarak warned Symar of the threat he faced by stepping inside.

He felt frustrated and angry with Symar for having ignored them, for not responding to their pleas, their messages. He felt rejected by Symar and started feeling angry toward him. It was a good outlet, a good projection, and it took his mind off the Romulans for a while.

“Do not come in here!”

– Ensign Kastarak

She tapped the display, watching as a promising 89% popped onto the screen, apprising them that the first trial would be available shortly. There was no guarantee the drug would work, as it was little more than repurposed oseltamivir, but they needed to start somewhere. She nodded to Kastarak, “the drug is nearly ready.”

“Doctor Symar,” T’Aria reclaimed some of her impassivity and masked her disappointment, “there is a chance you were exposed to the virus. Are you experiencing flu-like symptoms or unusual fatigue?”

— T’Aria
OOC: Computer is dying, apologies for the rushed response!

bump for the boards

– Ensign Kastarak (Doctor, not yet a counsellor)

“I have not felt these symptoms thus far,” Symar replied with an arched eyebrow, “Kastarak, you must quarantine Sickbay immediately, Commander, will you join me in my office for a moment, do not fear about spreading the virus to me, it may already be in my system.”

-Lieutenant Symar: Chief Medical Officer-

“Sir!” Kastarak was practically shouting through the intercom, seeing Symar on the other side of the glass window. T’Aria and Kastarak had been inside Kastarak’s office for what had felt like hours now. Now, Symar was carelessly walking in, saying ‘don’t worry about infecting me’, asking T’Aria to leave quarantine, and instead extend quarantine to the entirety of Sickbay. Kastarak and T’Aria had been careful to keep it to themselves, quarantine their office, seal it off from the rest, and warn Symar and the captain of this.

Symar had deliberately gone against their medical advice, clearly communicated to him, and potentially spread the virus throughout the ship by not staying put. Kastarak felt blood rushing to his head, he felt rage rising from his heart upwards throughout his entire chest, thorax, and mouth.

“You must isolate yourself in your office now!” Kastarak commanded, “and T’Aria will not join you, until both she and you are clear from the infection. You will test yourself according to our guidelines!”

Kastarak turned to T’Aria, his face green with anger, speaking quickly and loudly: “Order him so, you’re his commanding officer. He may be at great danger, we must test him, and then us, before we can see each other. He’s acting completely illogically and irrationally!”

– Ensign Kastarak (doctor)