Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Jacen Mercer (Security) in First day and already Lost....just need to find sickbay!

Posted by Lieutenant Mykl Najjar (Chief Medical Officer) in First day and already Lost....just need to find sickbay!

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Jacen Mercer (Security) in First day and already Lost....just need to find sickbay!
Posted by… suppressed (6) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Jacen stepped off the turbolift, datapad in hand, and immediately slowed to a stop as he looked around the corridor.

He glanced down at the deck number displayed on his datapad, then back up at the corridor stretching out in both directions.

“Right floor,” he muttered to himself.

That was a good start.

Unfortunately, everything else looked almost exactly the same.

The Chernov wasn’t Jacen’s first starship. Far from it. Between his parents’ assignments and his brother’s service, he’d spent more time aboard starships than most people his age could probably count. He’d been aboard ships of different classes, different sizes, and even ships with completely different layouts and designs.

And somehow, no matter how familiar he became with starships, he always managed to get turned around.

Jacen sighed and started walking, checking his datapad every few moments to make sure he was still heading in the right direction. He passed several crew members, giving them polite nods as he went, though he resisted the temptation to stop and ask for directions.

He could find Sickbay himself.

Eventually.

After another turn, he finally spotted the familiar medical insignia beside a set of doors.

“There we go.”

He gave a small, relieved smile and stepped through the doors into Sickbay.

The familiar medical environment immediately surrounded him. Biobeds lined portions of the room, medical equipment hummed quietly, and several displays showed various medical readings. Jacen paused just inside the entrance, taking everything in for a moment.

He wasn’t sure exactly who he was supposed to report to, so rather than wander around and accidentally interrupt someone, he cleared his throat.

“Hello?” he called, raising his datapad slightly. “I’m here for my boarding exam.”

He looked around the room, waiting for someone to notice him.

“I was told to report to Sickbay when I arrived aboard,” he added, giving an uncertain smile. “Hopefully I’m in the right place this time.”

Jacen Mercer
Lieutenant Junior Grade
USS Chernov

“You certainly are.” Mykl said as she popped up from somewhere behind the reception desk. “Things are slow today so I thought I’d do a little extra cleaning and organizing of our equipment.” Raising her eyes from whatever had occupied her attention behind the desk, she set her eyes on the new Ltjg. Her first impression was that he was he was more than a little handsome with his light colored eyes and full lips.

“I’m Mykl Najjar, CMO of the Chernov, and you’re in luck as I have no other patients at the moment.” She stepped out from behind the desk and headed for a freshly sanitized biobed. “Have a seat up there. Do you have any files with you?”

Lieutenant Mykl Najjar
Chief Medical Officer USS Chernov

He smiled quietly, thinking to himself just how gorgeous the woman sitting across from him was. He immediately pushed the thought aside. There was no way he was going to say that out loud. He had enough sense to know better than to make things awkward, especially while she was trying to look over his medical information.

Instead, he reached for his datapad and handed it across the table to her. “Here you go. Everything should be on there.”

The datapad contained his complete medical history, including previous diagnoses, treatments, vaccinations, allergies, and other relevant information. At first glance, he appeared to be in remarkably good health. There was, however, one significant part of his medical history that stood out.

When he was ten years old, he had been diagnosed with brain cancer. It had been a difficult period of his childhood, involving extensive treatment and regular medical monitoring. Fortunately, he had responded well to treatment, and by the time he was fourteen, he had officially gone into remission. He had remained in remission ever since, with his follow-up examinations showing no indication that the cancer had returned.

Aside from that, his medical history was relatively uncomplicated. His allergies, however, were certainly unusual enough to warrant attention. He was allergic to bromelain, Talaxian homeopathy, and feathers.

He watched her for a moment as she looked over the information, then gave a small shrug.

“Yeah, the feather allergy is probably the weirdest one,” he admitted with a faint laugh. “You’d think feathers would be harmless, but apparently my immune system strongly disagrees.”

He leaned back against the wall, letting her continue reviewing the datapad. “Other than that and the whole cancer thing when I was a kid, I’m pretty healthy. I still have regular scans because of my history, but everything’s been clear for years.”

Jacen Mercer
Lieutenant Junior Grade
USS Chernov

As she read through the scans on the PaDD, Mykl bit her bottom lip. Brain cancer. She hadn’t heard of that one in years. “Congratulations on being in remission. It’s been…14 years? Outstanding!” Pressing a few buttons on the bed, she ordered new scans to compare to what was in his file.

“Were you exposed to anything dangerous or questionable on your journey here?” Eyes so dark you couldn’t differentiate the pupil from the iris settled on the Lt awaiting his answer.

Lieutenant Mykl Najjar
Chief Medical Officer USS Chernov

Jacen smiled, giving a small shrug as he settled a little more comfortably. “Thank you. Yeah, almost fourteen years now. Luckily, the treatment wasn’t too difficult, and I’ve been doing pretty well with it ever since.”

He paused for a moment, thinking over the question about possible exposure to anything dangerous. “As far as being exposed to anything particularly dangerous, though? Nothing comes to mind.” A mischievous grin slowly spread across his face. “Unless you count Stilton cheese.”

He gave a quiet laugh, clearly amused by his own answer. “I’m pretty sure that stuff qualifies as a biological hazard. One whiff and half the room starts looking for an escape route.” He shook his head, still smiling. “But no, seriously, nothing dangerous that I can think of. No strange plants, alien organisms, questionable substances, or anything else that would make you need to break out the quarantine protocols.”

Jacen Mercer
Lieutenant Junior Grade
USS Chernov

“Stilton cheese?” She looked confused. “I don’t understand—why would cheese be dangerous?” In truth, Mykl had never heard of it so knew nothing about the fact that you had to have a strong constitution to eat the stuff. She’d heard of Casu Marzu, a maggot infested cheese that supposedly had a creamy texture because of the worms’ treatment of it, but that isn’t what he’d mentioned.

She made sure to check the possibility that Mercer might have parasites, but was thankful that path of results came back negative. “Okay, well, these results say you are healthy and all test levels come back in the green. Wait…there is some inflammation in your left ear canal. You probably don’t feel any pain yet, but an infection is likely if left untreated.”

Najjar pulled a drawer out under the bed and got out a hypospray and vial of medicine. Once it was loaded, Mykl checked Jacen’s records again to make sure he was not allergic to the drug before placing the tool on the side of his neck and injecting it. “There, that should take care of it.”

She stood back and smiled. “I’ll inform the computer that you are cleared to take up your position in the crew. As soon as it processes the information, it will grant you all the clearances your rank and title are due. Did you have any questions for me?”

Lieutenant Mykl Najjar
Chief Medical Officer USS Chernov

Jacen raised an eyebrow, a mischievous little smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

“No, it’s ‘cause the cheese smells really bad…” he explained, trying—and failing—to keep a straight face. He paused for a moment before letting out a quiet chuckle. “Just forget it. Bad joke.”

He shook his head at himself, clearly amused by his own attempt at humor, before sitting up a little straighter on the examination bed. His expression softened into a genuine smile as he looked over at her.

“Thank you for seeing me so fast,” Jacen said sincerely. “I know you’ve probably got a dozen other things going on, so I really appreciate you taking the time to squeeze me in.”

He glanced around the sickbay before looking back at her. “It’s nice knowing I can come in here and actually get checked out without having to wait half the day.” He gave another small smile. “Even if I apparently have to subject you to terrible cheese jokes while you’re doing it.”

Jacen Mercer
Lieutenant Junior Grade
USS Chernov

Mykl rarely got a patient on one of the beds that made her think about something other than medical treatment, but Jacen Mercer inspired a personal twist for her with his good looks and easy laugh. “It wasn’t that bad of a joke. Anyway, there are worse cheeses. Have you ever heard of Casu Marzu? Look it up and tell me what you think.” She gave a small laugh. “And it was my pleasure to see you today. If you find you have any questions for me or any reason to return to sickbay, feel free to ask for me and I’ll oblige.” Wow! Had she really just said that to him? It was very unlike her to make the first move with a man, but it’s what just happened. Wait until she told Pic.

Lieutenant Mykl Najjar
Chief Medical Officer USS Chernov

Wyatt scratched the back of his head, a slightly sheepish smile spreading across his face as he looked at her. He gave a small laugh, still thinking about their earlier conversation.

“I’ll take your word for it on the cheese,” he said with an amused shake of his head. “I’m not sure I’m brave enough to test that theory just yet.”

He paused for a moment before his expression softened into a more genuine smile.

“Thanks, though. Maybe I’ll see you outside of sickbay sometime.”

Wyatt shifted his weight slightly, almost as though he wasn’t entirely sure whether he should say what he was thinking. After a brief hesitation, he decided to go ahead.

“My chair is always open in the mess hall,” he added. “Maybe we can talk some more. It’s probably easier to actually get to know someone when we’re not standing around in sickbay with you trying to keep everyone alive.”

He chuckled quietly at his own comment before continuing.

“I usually grab something to eat and find a quiet corner, so if you ever see me there, don’t be afraid to come over.”

He gave her another friendly smile, his tone remaining casual.

“Anyway, I should probably let you get back to work. Thanks again.”

Jacen Mercer
Lieutenant Junior Grade
USS Chernov

“Sure, no problem.” Mykl watched him go, a wistful sigh almost escaping her before she caught it. “Well, we’ll have to see where that goes. It’s a nice thought, though.” She said to herself as she returned to her daily duties.

Lieutenant Mykl Najjar
Chief Medical Officer USS Chernov