Ferrying Forth
Posted on Tue May 14th, 2024 @ 1:28pm by Commander Mariko Tao & Lieutenant Maya Canak
Edited on on Tue May 14th, 2024 @ 6:05pm
0 words; about a 1 minute read
Mission:
Episode 2 - The Sins of History
Location: White Stag, Empok Nor, Trivas System
Timeline: MD009 - 1000 Hours
The transport to Empok Nor had been uneventful and gave Mariko some good reading time. She always enjoyed sticking her nose in a real book and getting lost in its pages. She had found a bar/lounge called The White Stag, its bartender a strange bald man with an odd accent (Scottish), and it had a certain old world charm feel.
Again she was people watching and had a nice cup of green tea in front of her whilst she waited for the next transport to get ready for her to depart to the USS Artemis.
The trip to Empok Nor gave Maya plenty of time to catch up on some medical journals and to read a book. Before leaving her last assignment, she'd slipped two into her bag, knowing there would always be occasions when she was waiting for something. Her grandfather often said that printed books were a connection to the old world and should never be forgotten. But now that she was here, she wanted to walk around and get a good look at the station before she had to board a runabout for her trip to the Artemis.
A lounge called The White Stag caught her attention, as much by the décor as the name. She adjusted her messenger bag and walked in to see what sort of drinks were available and what sort of people were attracted to it. Bars were generally a good place to get a feel for the people who lived and worked in the area as well.
In walked a woman of the same size as Mariko, or as her best judgement decided. Dark hair, tanned skin and a smile that would light up the darkest room full of shadows. Sipping her tea she watched a few others enter and leave but the bar was still quite busy with most tables taken up by other patrons.
Maya looked around. The place was more crowded than she expected. Several people looked up and then away, except for one dark-haired woman who seemed to be watching her. She would have preferred a table alone to watch people, but in lieu of that, the woman seemed friendly enough.
She walked over to the other woman. "Hello. Do you mind sharing? There doesn't seem to be a free table."
"Of course not, please sit." Mariko rose to her feet as the woman sat down. Manners did cost nothing and she always felt respect for others to be paramount to ones character. "All I am doing is people watching anyway." she smiled softly. "I'm Mariko, nice to meet you." she bowed her head slightly from her seated position.
"Hello. I'm Maya." She smiled at the other woman, appreciating her old-world manners. "I actually came in here to people-watch and pass some time while I wait for my shuttle."
"Oh very nice." Mariko replied. "Where are you heading off to if you don't mind me asking?" she picked up her cup and took a sip of her tea.
A waitress came and took Maya's order. When she left, Maya turned back to Mariko. "I'm bound for the USS Artemis." She smiled. "I'm to be the new chief medical officer there." She was looking forward to the new opportunity and it showed in her smile.
"What a coincidence." Mariko said softly. "I'm heading to the Artemis as well to be her first officer." she added with a little less of an agreeable smile as one would expect. Whereas she was internally excited by the prospect, she was quite happy where she was and would have spent more time there before moving on.
"What a lovely coincidence. Do you know anything about the ship? I've looked it up, but there's not a lot of information available" Maya smiled. "Or it can be a lovely surprise."
"I know it is a Luna class ship that falls under the Starfleet’s Criminal Investigations Unit, but sadly nothing outside of normal information. Small crew, Captain Marc Kidd in command, and it is his first command." she highlighted that fact. "They are in the Badlands at the moment and recovering from an attack that sadly has injured their current first officer. I don't know their mission as its been classified so I'll find that out when we get there."
"I hope the injury isn't too severe. That's a difficult place to get help," Maya added, shaking her head. "But we should be there before too long and then we'll have a good look around." She didn't know any more than Mariko did and looked forward to having a good walk around the ship to get a feel for it and the crew.
"Sadly I heard he was put in stasis and transferred to a local starbase for treatment. I hope he recovers as I'd hate to be stepping on anyone's toes coming onto a ship he's been on a while." Mariko said with remorse in her voice for a man she'd never met. "But I look forward to seeing the ship even if it feels rushed that I go there."
"I'm sorry to hear that. Not that I have any doubts about the diagnosis, but I'm curious to learn more about exactly what happened." She chuckled. "Occupational hazard. Doctors, like others in the sciences, are deeply curious people. I think it's one of our better quirks." It was how many of the herbal medicines had been discovered, or so she believed from reading a number of ancient records.
"I get being curious." Mariko nodded. "I think we are always learning, that we can gain wisdom from the smallest revelation of information or the unlikeliest of sources. Being curious just shows you are open to new ideas and want to learn, to change and to challenge. It's kind of being like a diplomat, just with less petri dishes." she joked a little dryly.
"I don't know, I rather like petri dishes. Or I like what I can learn from them." Maya paused as the waitress returned with a cup of cinnamon tea and a plate of small cookies. "What did you do before becoming a first officer?"
"Diplomat." Mariko let out a soft chuckle. "I was Chief Diplomatic Officer on Starbase Hope. Primarily engaged with Romulans and those species around that area. I enjoyed it immensely and am quite sad to have left." she stirred a small spoon in her tea for a moment and watched the ripples. "What about you? Were you a CMO?" she placed the spoon back on the little saucer that it came from and lifted her cup for a sip.
"Assistant. This is my first posting as chief. I've studied herbal medicine for most of my life, so I'm hoping to be able to blend some of that knowledge with Starfleet procedures." She smiled at Mariko. "We'll see what the captain says about that first."
"I'm sure there will be plenty of people to experiment on." Mariko mused. "But you'll probably know that the only change from moving up is how much paperwork you'll have to do. As Assistant CMO you were still in charge of everyone below you so my advice is a well organised desk. PaDDS mount up."
"I wouldn't call it experimentation after centuries of documentation, but I take your point." She chuckled, knowing that many considered herbal medicine to be barbaric. Even in the Yucatan where her ancestors had used it for nearly 2,000 years. She sipped her tea and nodded. "I admit, I'm not looking forward to the additional paperwork. But this particular assignment was too intriguing to pass up. And I can take comfort in the knowledge that sickbay will have far less paperwork to deal with than the first officer."
"My people still cling to a lot of the older ways of doing things so I can appreciate different approaches to a common problem. Sometimes instead of an invasive treatment of a wound, a simple balm or remedy would suffice." Mariko responded as she tried to get into the head of a doctor but instead she was channelling Kikyo, her family's healer. "But yeah, I will be busy." she sighed. "Sometimes inner ship politics is more dangerous than being the mediator between a Romulan and a Klingon."
"I do not envy you that, but I'm sure your diplomacy will come in handy, whether it's dealing with personnel issues or ship captains. I've had to use diplomacy a time or two when dealing with recalcitrant patients, but I am fortunate in that I can often use a good cup of herb tea to smooth things over." Maya grinned. "The British still believe tea cures many things, though I am partial to the herbal variety."
"It never comes in handy at home." Mariko mused. "I guess that's why I'm so good at it out here... in comparison to my family those out here at least listen to me and look for my help." she shook her head of those thoughts. "In my culture tea is important as well. A tea ceremony is a spiritual process, deeply rooted in Zen philosophy. The process is aimed at bringing harmony and inner peace to guests, by allowing them to take a break from the outside world and focus on the simple, transitory moment of serving and drinking tea." she smiled as she looked at her own near empty cup. "Old fashioned notion for sure but even now I still find a cup brings me a peace I can't find in most other places."
"Yes. I've read a bit about your tea ceremonies, but I've never actually seen one. My culture still uses herbs. In fact, my grandfather used herbs in his practice. He taught me most of what I know, but there is always room to learn more, yes?"
"Definitely." Mariko replied nodding. "I believe that as well. When you close yourself off from learning new things you do nothing but stand still in a crowd."
"A nice analogy. There are many places where it is wise to stand still at times, but a crowd is not one of them." She smiled and set her tea cup on the table. "I'm thinking of the jungle and forests of my home. Standing still is a good way to truly appreciate them." She chuckled, remembering something she'd seen as a youth. "Running...now that could get you in a great deal of trouble if you don't know your surroundings." She shook her head. "And that is a very confusing comparison, for which I am sorry."
"Not at all." Mariko smiled a subtle smile. "Sometimes it is standing and admiring a vista, or as you said your jungles, that you truly feel connected to somewhere and ironically can also give you the perspective of being a small spec in a grand canvas." she paused for a moment. "But sometimes running through unknown surroundings can give you a thrill, a challenge... but I'm all for scanning ahead." she chuckled as she closed her eyes. "I always believe in being prepared."
"Look ahead to be prepared for potential pitfalls, then make the most of the ride." Maya smiled. "My grandfather insisted that I know about the jungle's hazards and how to survive if I ever got lost. He said you can't enjoy life without doing your homework first." She chuckled before adding, "He had a unique way of looking at life."
"Your grandfather sounds like a wise man." Mariko nodded as she agreed with man's wisdom. "I am a keen believer in homework." she chuckled also. "But I am what Terran American's would probably call a bookworm." she shrugged and checked a small watch on her wrist. "I am afraid I will have to leave you. I have an appointment with Commander Jax here on Empok Nor." she said rising. "This has been a pleasure doctor. We should do it again, and I will be sure to visit you for my medical and see how you are settling in when we are on the Artemis."
"I look forward to it," Maya replied. "And we should talk about books while we're at it." She gave the other woman a small wave. "Enjoy your meeting." She decided she would try a dessert and then do some exploring before it was time to board the shuttle.
A Joint Post By
Commander Mariko Tao
Executive Officer, USS Artemis
Starfleet Criminal Investigations Unit
Lieutenant Maya Canak
Chief Medical Officer/Medical Examiner, USS Artemis
Starfleet Criminal INvestigations Unit
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