Cold War

Posted on 31 Dec 2016 @ 11:52am by Senior Chief Petty Officer Mila Rasputin & Commander Jayla Kij

1,898 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Click Three Times
Location: Sick Bay
Timeline: MD 11 : 0930

After her miserable night, Jayla was even more miserable to be woken up by a red alert klaxon. After splashing some water on her face and combing her hair, she had rushed to Sick Bay, but the reports were that nothing much was happening. But, she was here, so she checked on her last remaining patient- Ensign Cai- and made her rounds to check in with the nurses and doctors.

Nurse Lane tried to tell her to go lie down, but after a few hours of sleep, she was feeling all right, so she decided to go get some paperwork done and headed towards her office.

Chief Petty Officer Mila Rasputin entered Sickbay at a brisk pace and saw the woman she was looking for heading into the Chief Medical Officer's office and changed her course. She had a stack of PADD's in her hand but one was missing and she intended to collect it.

"Excuse me," Mila said as she closed the distance between her and the doctor. "You are being Lieutenant Commander Kij, correct?"

"Yes," answered Jayla, trying to be cheerful. "What can I do for you?"

"I am needing report from Medical to be giving to Captain Geisler," Mila said as she indicated the other PADD's in her hand. "Every department has submitted except this one. Why is it being late?"

Jayla cursed under her breath. "Because I haven't done it yet," she muttered. "I'm sorry. I'm just... I guess I don't really have a good excuse. Everyone is overworked and underrested. I'm just completely useless, I guess." She had no idea how dead her voice sounded, but if she had realized it, she probably would have added a grin so the Captain's Yeoman wouldn't think anything of it. No need to worry other people with her problems.

"You and everyone else," Mila said. "They are running on as little sleep and as big a workload as well. Is not being excuse. What am I to be telling Captain? I am sorry, Captain, but Doctor Kij is needing nap before she is submitting report. Nyet. I am not going to be telling him that. I am just needing daily report before I am leaving here."

"I'll do it!" snapped Jayla. Then she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I'll do it, but it's going to take me awhile," she said, her voice back to its dead tone. Tell him I'm insubordinate if you want, I don't care."

The Russian Yeoman didn't blink at the Trill woman's snapping response. She had seen similar incidents all over the ship and waited a moment before she responded. "Nyet," she said. "I realize that you are having hard time, but you are not being alone. You are one person with department just as others are doing the same. We are all doing the same with what we are having to do. I will be informing him, but after I am doing you favor."

She went to the replicator and thought for a moment. "Russian Tea, Rasputin Fourteen," she said as it materialized in a cup with a small jar of jelly beside of it. It had a perfect hint of cinnamon and cloves, while offering a warm orange and tea flavor and Mila lifted it off the replicator pad and brought it to her. "You are to be drinking this."

"I don't need tea," complained Jayla. What she needed was to find out how to keep Belar from taking over her body and mind. In order to do that, she would have to either get to the symbiosis commission- not likely given their current situation- or search Gavara's memories- which would be painful. "What I really need I can't get," she muttered.

Mila set the tea on the Doctor's desk, anyway and turned to her. "What is it that you are needing?" she asked, curious and concerned at the same time. It was a part of who she was and she couldn't help it, but she was also relentless and rarely let something go without putting up a fight. Even the Captain had learned to relent to her and she wasn't about to let the Chief Medical Officer get away so easily.

Jayla glanced at Mila sideways as she began working on the report. It would take all together too long to explain the situation and the implications and what could be done about it. She went through a few sentences in her mind before she finally replied, "it's complicated."

"Complicated is fixing warp core with banana," Mila scoffed. "Or organizing Administration with no computer. Anything else is simple. Talk."

"It's not simple!" snapped Jayla. She clenched her jaw and took another deep breath. "I'll just say that I'd be lucky if I were simply going crazy," she said softly.

"Perhaps I should be making recommendation to Captain that you are to be relieved of duty," Mila said. "If you are not able to talk and are saying you would be lucky to go crazy, then clearly you are not being fit to take care of health of rest of crew."

"I'm fine!" Jayla insisted, still working on the report. She couldn't be relieved of duty. She didn't want to be alone with her thoughts. "I just need the right people to talk to," she added. "And they're in the alpha quadrant."

"So you are saying that none of hundreds of trained personnel on ship and starbases in Gamma Quadrant are not being qualified to talk to?" Mila asked. "Last time I am checking, we are having several counselors on board ship. They are not getting degrees from Starfleet to be acting like monkeys. I am having pet monkey and he is good listener, too."

Jayla glared at her. "I have an appointment with the counselor," she said. "But, I don't know if she'll know what to do."

Mila met the glare with a level look; she had been glared at by Captains and didn't flinch. "I would say that you are simply not using what you are having," she said.

"As I said," replied Jayla, "complicated." She was really not in the mood to attempt to explain symbiosis and the problems that could arise for a joined Trill.

Mila suppressed an urge to snort and simply nodded. "Then all is left for me to be telling Captain that you are submitting report late," she said. "Especially since you are in such good state to be running department."

"He'll have it in ten minutes," she said curtly. "And I don't need you telling me what state I'm in, thank you very much."

"You are not understanding me very well if that is what you are thinking," Mila said. "I am saying what I am going to be doing. I answer to one person on this ship and that person is Captain Geisler."

"Fine," said Jayla, going back to the report. "You do what you have to do. Now, do you want to wait here for this or shall I send it along when it's done?"

"I will wait," Mila said. "How is crew doing that is still here?" she asked.

"Fine," replied Jayla curtly. She was not in the mood to chit chat. She just wanted to get this report done and get this- this woman out of her office.

Mila went to the doorway and looked out on the rest of Sickbay. "I am sorry for what happened when I was here," she said quietly. "Was not a good time."

Jayla really wanted to blame her for what she'd done while the virus was in her system, but she knew it wasn't her fault. Nobody could be blamed for what they'd done. "Not your fault," she replied reluctantly, still working on the report.

The Russian brunette turned back and stepped a bit closer. "How are things being between you and Harvey since you are no longer together?"

"Haven't spoken to him in awhile," answered Jayla curtly. "But, I don't see how that's any of your business anyway."

"I am his Yeoman," Mila said. "I am knowing everyone's business. He is seeming to be very happy with Joey. We had much fun with balloons and water gun fight in his quarters together."

"Joey?" said Jayla, confused. "Who's- oh! But why didn't he just say he wanted to be with her?" The question was more for herself than anyone else. Stupid men! They could never say what they meant. Honestly! It's not like they'd actually had anything, after all. She shook her head irritably and went back to work. "Make up some dumb crap about needing time," she muttered with a roll of her eyes. "Not like I would've cared. Men!" And another eye roll.

"I am having very good man," Mila said. "He is saying what he is meaning and doing what he is saying. Not all are being the same. Anyway, you are right. Is really none of my business."

"I don't care about your man," snapped Jayla. "He can go-" she stopped herself quickly. "Never mind," she snapped again. "Just shut it, okay?"

"He can what?" Mila asked, her voice cold as she stared at the Trill with ice in her eyes.

"I said never mind!" Jayla growled through gritted teeth, glaring daggers at the Yeoman. "It's not his fault his girlfriend is annoying!"

"What? You are not being capable of finishing something you start?" Mila asked with her own glare. "Is not my fault that I am having to come down here to get report because you are not having it done on time."

"I'm. Working. On. It." Jayla steamed. "If you would be quiet for three more minutes, I could have it done and you could be on your way." And I wouldn't have to see your pathetic, annoying, spoiled little face anymore today! she thought savagely.

"A department head who cannot be doing more than one thing at a time? In Administration, I am doing many things at once. I guess it is simply case of being efficient," Mila said before she turned her back and headed for the door. "Be bringing report to me outside when you done."

Jayla desperately wanted to shoot something back at the little creep, but didn't want to risk keeping her here for longer than she needed to. She didn't want that- that woman in her Sick Bay any longer than she absolutely had to be here. She finished up her report quickly, transferred it to a PaDD and took it to the door, where she found the Yeoman waiting. "There!" she snapped. "Happy?"

"Da," Mila said with a sweet smile as she accepted the PADD. "You should be smiling more. I am hearing that patients are more comfortable with doctor who smiles. You are having pleasant day, da?" Still smiling, she turned and headed towards the exit.

Jayla glared at the Yeoman as she left Sick Bay, a look of pure hatred on her face that had never been there before in her entire life, but which wouldn't have looked out of place on Belar Kij's face. With a clench of her jaw, she went back into her office and locked the door, completely forgetting what it is she was going to do in the first place.

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