A Calm, Blue Ocean
Posted on Sun May 3rd, 2020 @ 10:20pm by Lieutenant Min Seong & Lieutenant Sovar
Mission:
Mission 2 - Fallout
Location: Deck E - Sickbay
Timeline: MD 03 : 1120 Hrs
985 words - 2 OF Standard Post Measure
"Being irascible is a symptom, not a condition," Sovar protested. "Further, I contend that I am not irascible; Vulcans are not irascible. The crewman in question was mistaken in reporting it to you, doctor."
Sovar's eyes tracked Dr. Seong around the room, but he kept his movements to a minimum. He'd been summoned here on a "medical matter," which had turned out to be someone reporting his behavior to the ship's doctor. Evidently, someone had some completely unfounded concerns about the state of his mental health.
Min narrowed her eyes at the file she had called up on screen. A small sigh escaped her lips, frown forming. "While I would very much like to think that this is a simple cultural misunderstanding, I am going to take this report seriously. Surely you understand, considering our current predicament. I wouldn't want to let you go without some form of examination. If someone thought you... irascible, then that could easily lead to multiple conditions or illnesses. As you said, it is a symptom of something." Removing her attention from the file, she offered him a polite smile. "The sooner you let me do this, the sooner you can return to your duties. Is that agreeable?"
"I would return to my duties soonest by avoiding superfluous medical examinations and reporting to my duty station immediately," Sovar said, unable to help himself. Despite what he said, his body seemed to relax and concede to the inevitable. "Nevertheless, I am willing to indulge you, as the ship's medical expert."
"Good." There was a pause, as if Min expected Sovar to immediately decide this was all an inefficient use of his energy and he'd rather argue the point more. She turned to the screen. "Luckily, this process should simply be no more than a matter of checking your vital signs and making sure nothing is out of place. Seeing as someone suspected you having this symptom, I only intend to look for the most obvious causes of it, and possibly a few out of place. We're out in unknown territory, I would rather find out that Vulcans are more susceptible to some unknown bacteria now than later." She gestured to the bed. "Please, lie down. And how about you tell me what may have caused this crew member to believe you to have some form of condition? Were you two in the middle of an experiment?"
Sovar placed himself prone on the examination table and begin to recall the discussion with the crewman. "No, we were not conducting an experiment. The crewman in question is a member of the operations staff. I have been conducting an efficiency audit of the crew, and I was relaying inefficiencies in his work routine to him. It was valuable information."
Min gave pause, eyes on the console next to the bed. The hesitation was brief, as she quickly pressed the buttons necessary to begin the examination. "Is an efficiency audit of the Operations crew part of your duties? I know we're all pitching in to assist, but I hadn't thought we were supposed to ensure everyone's... peak efficiency like that."
"It is not a matter of 'duties,' doctor. An efficiency audit of the entire ship should be the concern of every officer, particularly at a time when the crew is operating under duress with limited resources. The greater our efficiency, the fewer resources we will consume. I have already uncovered several instances of profligate waste that accounted for a four-point-three percent drop in energy efficiency."
"... A... ah." Min's lips formed into a tight line as she made an attempt on neutrality. The whole situation seemed to click quite quickly. After a moment, her lips pursed with concentration at the readings in front of her. "Tell me, Lieutenant, is this your first posting upon a Starfleet vessel?"
"That is correct, doctor."
Min rose her brow at Sovar. Not at his honesty, she expected that. The whole situation was simply... humorous. She was fairly certain he would not share in her enjoyment. "Well, luckily for the moment, your symptom is simply from a miscommunication between how Starfleet works and how you've worked in the past. No medical issues, though I do highly recommend maybe stepping back from your efficiency audits."
The Vulcan looked thoroughly unconvinced. "So that I understand you fully, doctor... Are you suggesting that the ship should be less efficient in order to satisfy the emotional fragility of a Terran crew?"
"No." Min's lip twitched slightly, but she managed to keep composure as she explained. "I'm suggesting that maybe there are other methods to obtain efficiency than being so direct with the human members of the crew. If we're all going to be stuck with one another, Sovar, perhaps it's best if you... attempt to play along?"
"I should bribe them with sucrose-ladden confectionaries," Sovar said. It was a little hard to tell if it was a statement or a question.
Min let out a petite cough, biting down on her lip as she turned away to look at the console, as if it contained any sort of helpful information. "Some of the crew members might enjoy that, but some of them might find it degrading."
"I will contemplate the matter further, doctor. Thank you for your assistance. Have I passed your medical examination, or should I remain for further testing?"
"You pass my medical examination, so you're free to go." Min stated as plainly as she could, clearing her throat. "Hopefully we won't have any more encounters clearing you because crew members misinterpret your meaning."
"Yes, perhaps one day they will stop misinterpreting me," Sovar mimicked, as if to emphasize the fault lay with the crew and not himself. "It was agreeable to see you, doctor. Good day."
Lieutenant Sovar
Chief Science Officer
NX Atlantis
Lieutenant Min Seong
Medical Officer
NX Atlantis
