Medical Reporting for Duty

Posted on Tue Sep 26th, 2023 @ 7:33pm by Captain Mitsu Sato & Commander Wesley Evans

1,164 words; about a 6 minute read

Wesley shouldered his way through the crowded terminal towards his destination. He tried to hide his disappointment as best he could, but it gnawed at him mentally. Having spent ten years serving as chief medical officer on an out of the way starbase station had made him contempt, of that he was sure, but when he had requested transfer to a starship he had expected something grand. He had honestly requested assignment to a Luna class ship, something bound for deep space and exciting discoveries. Instead, Starfleet had deposited him on the Eclipse, a tiny Nova class that most likely wouldn't ever leave Federation space.

But, a ship was a ship Wesley kept telling himself as he finally arrived at the transporter that was handling transport to the Eclipse. After waiting for his turn, he took his place on the transporter pad and sighed as he was beamed aboard the Eclipse. The interior seemed different than the Nova class ship that had served as a garrison ship to Starbase 821. That ship had been closed in and dark, while the Eclipse seemed streamlined and open, more akin to an Intrepid class in her design. Heaving another sigh, he headed to the bridge. He figured that would be a best place to start looking for the captain.

Having caught up on her paperwork and gone over the reports that had awaited her, Mitsu had decided to move towards the bridge. The design aboard the Eclipse was more streamlined than previous Nova class star ships, and seemed to be a more compact design based from an Intrepid class ship model. It also called for a smaller bridge crew to run the day to day bridge operations if needed, but for now there was a full bridge crew on duty. Mitsu sat in the command chair quietly observing everything, hoping her presence wasn't making anyone nervous.

Wesley arrived at the bridge and paused as he took it in. Clearly, he thought, his previous experience with Nova class ships was not going to be reliant on to compare with the Eclipse. The bridge looked like a smaller version of the Intrepid class, more streamlined and like everything else he had seen better designed. He finally shrugged off his surprise and headed over to the woman sitting in the captain's chair. She was a surprisingly attractive Asian woman who seemed to be quite capable.

"Commander Wesley Evans reporting for duty," he said.

Mitsu glanced up from the monitor screen mounted beside the command chair and smiled towards the commander standing before her. Standing, she offered her hand as she spoke. "Welcome aboard, Commander Evans. I trust your trip here was untroubled," she said.

Wesley accepted the captain's hand and shook it before answering. "It was long and boring, but 821 is a long way away and out of the way," he replied.

"Have you had a chance to settle in and inspect the medical facilities aboard yet?" Mitsu asked as she waved her hand to indicate that he should join her while stepping towards her ready room door.

"Not yet, I just beamed aboard," Wesley answered as he fell into step with her. "I was going to settle into my quarters and check out what few medical facilities this ship has tomorrow."

As they entered her ready room, Mitsu frowned slightly at the commander's choice of words, but she waited until the doors slid closed behind them before she turned and faced Evans. "Is everything alright, Commander?" she asked.

"I must be frank, Captain, this wasn't my choice of assignment," Wesley replied drily. "After ten years in some backwater station doing nothing, I requested assignment to a deep space explorer, and instead I'm sent here. Nova class ships rarely leave Federation territory, and I feel some frustration at my posting here. However, I will put my personal feelings aside and perform all of the duties of my station as required."

Mitsu felt her eyes widen somewhat in surprise, but she recovered quickly enough. She had expected some of the crew to not be happy in their assignment to the Eclipse, as her improvements weren't widely known. Commander Evans' directness had caught her off guard, however. She had known that he had spent the past decade assigned as medical chief on a starbase that honestly could barely be called such, and in his place she would be been upset at being moved to what seemed to be a similar posting.

"It will come as a surprise to you then to learn that the Eclipse isn't like the previous Nova class models, Commander," she said. "Due to improvements in technology and the ship's onboard systems, the capabilities of the Eclipse are much more expanded than other Nova class starships. It's not widely known, in part because some people at Starfleet Command think that the design improvements won't work, but we're fully capable of independent operations in deep space. Our duration and capabilities may be a little more limited, but I promise that you haven't landed on a run of the mill survey ship."

Wesley frowned just a little, but nodded. "I'm sorry if I seem to be a disappointment, Captain, I simply expected something different. I requested assignment to one of the new Luna class ships launching later this year," he said. "But, I will ask that I give the Eclipse a try, if only because I'm just a little curious as to these improvements."

"I can accept that," Mitsu said with a smile. "And I understand that you may not be happy at the fact that you requested a Luna and ended up being assigned to a Nova, but Eclipse is the most advanced of her class, and I believe she might surprise all of us."

"You might be right, captain," Wesley said with a nod. "I understand that my attitude may not be the best for a medical chief, but I will do my best. Who knows, I might just come around to enjoy being here."

"I certainly hope so, but I'm being a little selfish," Mitsu said. "If for nothing else than I don't want to have to find another medical officer. But all we can do is try, and as you said, you might just come to enjoy your time aboard the Eclipse."

"I can make no promises, captain, but I'll certainly give my word to keep an open mind and give it my best," Wesley said as he stood. "If that's all, captain, I'd like to get started in my duties."

"Dismissed, Commander Evans," Mitsu said. "And I certainly wish you the best in deciding your future. I, for one, certainly hope that it's here aboard the Eclipse."

Mitsu watched as the medical officer left her office before she leaned back in her chair with a thoughtful expression on her face. Certainly, it was clear that Starfleet Command had sent her an unusual collection of officers. She only hoped that they could pull together and become a crew.

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