Time for Drills: Sickbay

Posted on 28 May 2020 @ 9:10am by Lieutenant Jennin Rhula & Commodore Harvey Geisler & Commander Terry Walsh & Lieutenant Commander Landon Milo MD & Lieutenant Commander Tivan & Lieutenant Avery Stuart Ph.D. & Lieutenant Lucas Abrams M.D. & Lieutenant JG Daniella Blake

2,212 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Sentience
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: MD 2 || 1600 hours

Once the ship was relatively safe inside the nebula and the squadron war games had begun, it was time for the drills that had been planned. Terry input the commands from his console on the Bridge and let the fun begin. All the while monitoring the progress of the drills along with the war games.


=== Medical/Counseling Department ===

In the Chief Medical Officer's office, the computer generated an avatar in the form of a Trill male. "Greetings, Doctor Jennin," it said to the officer in charge. "As you are aware, war game simulations were scheduled to begin today. In accordance with those, the ship has sustained simulated damage. As a result of the simulated damage, some personnel will be assigned simulated injuries for the purpose of time trials, testing personnel response, and knowledge of procedure during such events. Others will be responding to damage and medical emergencies. That simulation has begun. A number of personnel have suffered injuries throughout the ship. Mobilize your teams to handle triage and save the crew."

"Computer, can I delete the Trill visual subroutine from this program?" he called out. He'd just gotten rid of Kij and stopped having to report to the one in Science; the last thing he wanted was another Trill milling about. Even a holographic one.

"It was my understanding from the briefing that HASA stores customized user settings for each crew member," Tivan said, walking into Rhula's office unannounced. "Hello, by the way. Since there are unlikely to be any counseling emergencies within this simulation, I had hopes that you would allow me to shadow you or one of your teams to observe various members of the crew. Do you have any objections?"

"So someone is playing a joke on me," Rhula said. He wondered who would have the nerve to do that. "Computer, never make this thing a Trill. Ever."

He looked at the Vulcan woman. "Who are you? And don't just barge into my office." Right then, he was missing his lab.

"I'm Lieutenant Commander Tivan T'Yere Ysza'Vel of Vulcan, but Counselor Tivan will suffice." The Vulcan wore a canny smirk. "Forgive my intrusion. It just seems that we are amidst a ship-wide simulation, one which I am very much interested in observing firsthand. To reiterate my question, might I accompany you, Dr. Jennin?"

During the conversation, the avatar shimmered for a moment, before reconstructing itself as a Bolian male. "Your preferences have been saved. I shall not appear as a Trill when summoned by Doctor Rhula."

He stared at the holographic Bolian. "Did the Captain program you? He can't seem to get my name right either," the Bajoran said, frustrated. "Go away!" He turned attention back to the Vulcan woman. "If you must. It's a simulation, so it's not like you'll be in the way."

"Protocol dictates that I remain active and present for the duration of the drill," replied the avatar. "The data I collect will be made available to you, the senior staff, the Executive Officer, and the Commanding Officer once this drill concludes, along with an assessment of the medical department's readiness in accordance with Starfleet Medical's Disaster Response Policies implemented on December 13, 2389."

"Thank you, HASA," Tivan said with a satisfied smile.

Rhula tapped a few controls on his desktop terminal, activating the emergency medical alert recall/communication system, or EMARCS. EMARCS sent out messages to all medical personnel to alert them to report to their assigned duty stations for medical emergencies. Essentially, it was a medical version of red alert. The names of Medical staff blinked onto the screen as the computer contacted them. Milo. Abrams. Blake. Morrison. Ea'aln. Kal-Irdu.

"Do you have any medical training?" he asked of Tivan. "First aid course at the Academy, for example?"

"I am well versed in first aid, forensics, and wilderness survival," Tivan said, winking as she added, "so I can pitch in with field dressings or autopsies. Wherever you require."

Jennin shrugged and looked down at the chronometer on his desktop terminal. It would be interested in seeing how long it would take the Medical staff to respond to EMARCS.

Lucas, who had been in his quarters when the medical alert came through, made his way to his station and began to look over the equipment present.

Here we go, Dani thought as she reached for a tricorder and took position to begin triage. Since she was already in Medical, her response time was likely faster than most would have been.

Doctor Landon Milo had entered Sickbay and took a position near a biobed. It was not usual that his expertise was ever needed aboard a starship like the Black Hawk, but from time to time it did come in handy. He also was still the Assistant Chief Medical Officer.

Seeing the staff reporting in so quickly reassured Rhula that he wasn't an idiot for taking this assignment. Much of the staff was assembled in the main ward of sickbay now, so he decided it was time to address them. "Thank you for being so prompt," the Bajoran began.

And that was as far as he got.

Right then, reports began coming in from around the ship. The shuttlebay. The armory. The sensor room. Even one of the mess halls.

"Alright!" he said, changing gears and raising his voice. "Doctor Abrams, take a team to the shuttlebay. They've got at least one critical case; that could mean surgery. Morrison, go with him."

"On it, Sir," Lucas said as he nodded his head and moved to grab a medkit. He made quick work of checking its contents and adding anything else he felt might be needed, then rushed out of sickbay to get where he was needed.

Elijah Morrison, a second year resident, nodded and followed Abrams at a sprint.

"Doctor Milo, the armory. Take the Counselor with you. She's got field training."

Looking to Milo, all Tivan did was give an affirmative nod. She would follow his lead for now.

"Yes, Sir" Landon said with a quick nod.

"You're heading up triage in the main ward, Blake. Kal-Irdu, assist."

"Understood, Lieutenant," Dani said, rushing toward the main ward. She was sure they'd start seeing crew coming in in a matter of minutes, which meant they'd have very little time to prepare.

A Grazerite, Kal-Irdu was one of the more seasoned PAs onboard, having served in two major Federation hospitals prior to joining the Black Hawk crew. She gave an awkward nod, dislodging the cowl that covered her horns. She reached up and adjusted it before going with the head nurse.

Jennin continued to direct the staff, assigning them to various exam rooms and to respond to the different locations that had requested assistance. The dental suite was repurposed to be an additional ICU ward, if needed. He'd commandeered one of the transporter rooms to be on medical standby so his staff could respond faster, or critical patients could be beamed directly to sickbay.

He took a deep breath and waited for the next round of calls.

Seeing the Grazerite's deep breath, Avery recognized the feeling in the simple gesture. She saw the value in these drills, but it hadn't been that long ago some of them had been dealing with actual injuries in actual battle. Of course, it was better to know how they might deal with any potential triggers during a simulation rather than an actual life-and-death situation that reminded them of past traumas, but Avery knew it was only therapeutically appropriate to give people an opportunity to show their resilience when they felt ready to be tested, but what was Starfleet and what was therapeutic rarely mixed.

Turning to Kal-Irdu, she offered quietly, "Just point me where you need me."

"Ask Blake," the Grazerite woman replied. "She's running the show."

Avery was used to collaborating with any member of the medical staff in emergency situations and normally speaking, she teamed up with someone in the moment. That said, she respected the other woman's suggestion and respect for the chain of command. Striding towards Blake quickly, she offered, "Where do you need me?"

"Triage," the petite woman replied as she gave other personnel their instructions. "We're likely going to see an influx of patients, and will need all hands in deck. Severe injuries will take priority. Anyone with minor injuries, once they're treated, and if they have any kind of medical knowledge, we'll put them to work as well."

Rhula had just finished getting the last set of staff settled when a call came in from one of the Science Labs. He looked around and realized that he had managed to assign everyone to a role but himself. "I'll be right back," he told Blake, Kal-Irdu, and Stuart as he passed through the main ward. He picked up a medical kit and tapped his comm badge. "Medical transport to Science Lab One. Energize."

It wasn't long before injured began to make their way into sickbay. Dani began to bark orders to the others and grabbed a tricorder after designating three different areas for the seriously, moderately and minor injuries.

Avery stationed herself in the triage area, mentally preparing to move between the serious, moderate and minor injuries depending on the ever-changing needs during the exercise. Certainly, people with the most serious injuries would need to be treated first while those with more minor injuries could be stabilized and in some cases made to wait while they handled the more emergent cases, but as Blake had pointed out, anyone with minor injuries could potentially be conscripted to treat their fellow crew members, and as members of the crew who had observed any number of events in which extra medical help was not only appreciated but critical, Avery understood how important it would be to manage the tension between the two needs.

As the injured crew began to file in, she was struck by how seriously they were taking their roles despite it being a drill. Of course, any number of the crew were new and experienced the disasters many of them had aboard the Black Hawk and she was grateful for that. In fact, she was concerned that those veteran crew who had those memories wouldn't find a drill like this with simulated injuries terribly helpful for their psychological well-being. It was necessary to stay prepared for lots of potential events, and Stuart it was necessary to stay prepared for lots of potential events, and Stuart was also keeping an eye out to see if they were going to be any unintended psychological consequences from today's drills.

A Bolian man was brought into the triage ward. He was on his feet, but was assisted by a young Saurian. Kal-Irdu approached the duo. "What's the problem?" she asked.

"It's my leg," the Bolian said.

Kal-Irdu, knowing this whole thing was a drill, pulled out her tricorder and began to scan the man. "What happened?"

It was the Saurian who spoke this time. "We were working in a Jefferies tube and a set of doors malfunctioned. They closed right on his leg. Just below the knee," he squeaked.

"I see," the Grazerite replied. She summoned over an orderly to take over for the Saurian. "Help him onto the biobed."

The Human orderly complied and assisted the Bolian to maneuver up, onto a nearby bed.

"Can I stay with him?" the Saurian asked.

"It's best if you head to reception area. We're pretty busy here."

"Please?" the Bolian pleaded. "Bleep will stay out of the way."

Kal-Irdu looked at the Saurian. "Okay, Bleep. Have a seat right there," she said, pointing at a stool next to the biobed. She returned to attention to her medical tricorder. "Is Bleep short for something?"

"Nope," the Saurian replied. "Haqar's been calling me that since we first met nine years ago on the Farmington. He says my actual name sounds like something that Humans would want to censor."

The Grazerite looked up from her device, curious. "You have to tell me now," she said with a huge grin.

"Mut'hurphqr."

Kal-Irdu erupted in laughter. It took a solid thirty seconds before she had recovered enough to talk again. "That'd do it," she said, wiping tears from her eyes. "Bleep it is.

"It's a good one, right?" Haqar the Bolian said. "Poor guy had been chewed out by several NCOs before we met and I could explain it."

"Oh, I bet you have some good stories, Bleep. I'd love to hear them sometime."

"When this whole drill routine is over, the three of us should grab a drink," Bleep chirped.

Haqar nodded. "Whatya say, Doc?"

"I'm not a doctor," the Grazerite woman said. "But it sounds like a great idea. My name is Kal-Irdu. You can call me Kal."

Dani continued to triage patients as they came in, and only when they started to slow down did she move to another area to help out with those who required treatment. It wasn't often that they'd seen so many patients like this, and while this was only a simulation, it definitely helped when it came to real emergencies. Now, she, and the rest of medical, would need to wait for their CMO to report on things that needed improving.

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