On Call
Posted on 02 Sep 2020 @ 11:29pm by Captain Corvus DeHavilland & Major Minka Mazur, MD (*)
Edited on on 02 Sep 2020 @ 11:35pm
Mission:
M1 - Emergence
Location: CIC Deck - Captain's Ready Room
Timeline: MD3 - 2250HRS
1685 words - 3.4 OF Standard Post Measure
Corvus drew her fingers over her eyes, trying to fight off the inevitable. She was doing her best to keep going but she was starting to lose the fight, and she could certainly understand why. For the third day straight she was operating on less than two hours of sleep. Sleep that she'd gotten every night since she'd arrived right here at her desk, at least one of those times when she just straight passed out and konked her head on the desk and at that point, just gave up and closed her eyes. In reality, Corvus didn't even know where her actual quarters were. Her seabag was sitting by the bookshelf to the left of her desk, waiting to be unpacked, right where she'd left it when she'd walked into her office for the first time. Naturally, part of her wanted to find her new quarters. To find her sanctum sanctorum, have a hot bath and warm bed and a good nights sleep but there was simply too much to do. Too much to be responsible for. Too much that could go wrong for her to waste valuable time on sleep.
Heaving a sigh, she got up from the chair, and walked to the replicator. "Computer, black tea, hot. Splash of milk," she ordered. The replicator created her request and she took it from the pad, walking back to her seat trying to take a sip. "At least this works," she commented to no one as she sat back down. Corvus took a sip, wincing as she turned her foot and felt a flash of pain. Setting her drink down, she leaned back in her chair and slipped her boots off. She tossed them aside and began massaging her right foot, leaning her head back in the chair. Just as she was thinking that this was a comfortable spot, her eyes slipped closed and she was out.
The door chime rang loudly and Corvus shot up in her seat, looking warily around the room for whatever it was that had just stirred her awake. As she did she realized that she'd been asleep; she'd passed out in the chair for who knows how long and some wayward sound had snapped her out of it. No sooner than she was accepting that, the door chime rang again. Her face turned a shade of white and she cleared her throat, "Come in," she called out, reaching for the hot tea to wake her up. It was bone cold.
With a hiss, the doors to her office opened and a blonde-haired woman stepped through walking somewhat awkwardly, at least to her expectation. As soon as she stepped around the chairs to approach the desk, she realized that the woman was very obviously pregnant. What struck her though was that the woman was wearing green - Marine green. That was odd to her because she hadn't yet called General MacTaryn and asked for his assistance. Not that he could have gotten anyone there that fast even if she had. The Marine compliment of the station wasn't due to arrive for some time yet so the fact that there was one in her office was all around odd.
"Evening, Captain," the woman greeted her, her voice high, loud, and colored heavily with a Polish accent.
"Evening... Major, is it?" Corvus asked. The woman gave a curt nod, "Why don't you have a seat, I'm sure that's uncomfortable."
"It's just a baby," the woman answered curtly, offering her a data PaDD, "I am Major Minka Mazur. Starfleet has transferred me to your command, Captain," she declared formally.
Corvus took the device, shaking her head, "To my Command, Major? Shouldn't you be at Falkirk or on the surface at Cerastes."
"I left Falkirk for this post, I was the Chief Medical Officer. I have been assigned to the same job here," Mazur explained, gesturing to the data PaDD, "You'll see the orders as well as the correspondence from Starfleet Medical requesting that I take this posting."
She read the orders quickly, then reread them, shaking her head. This couldn't be right. Marines belonged with the Marines, not with Starfleet. She didn't need some gun-toting, arm breaking bone Doctor. She needed an educated Physician who could handle the needs of a variant and diverse crew of Starfleet personnel. Hell, she didn't even realize the Marines had Doctors. Were they even trained the same way. The parade of questions was raging through her head and almost immediately it was overpowering what little control she had left. "Is... this a temporary assignment?"
"No," Minka answered, "Something wrong?"
Corvus put the PaDD down and sat down herself, a confused smirk on her face, "I asked Starfleet for a Physician to handle... a Starfleet and Civilian crew," she began. "Yes, there's Marines here. But..." she chuckled darkly.
"You're questioning my credentials?" Minka asked, her voice booming more than seemed right for a woman as small as her.
She looked at her, wondering if she was always this loud, but nodded. "The fact that Starfleet ordered you here, tells me I shouldn't, but I can't help it, Major. You're a Marine. Marine's don't have Doctor's," she explained, "How that worked out for you, I'm not sure. But I think I'd be more comfortable with a Starfleet physician."
"There is no training that a Starfleet Doctor possess that I do not. The Starfleet Marine Corps is allowed a small number of Physicians to train through Starfleet Medical. That means of the countless Corpsmen and Nurses the Marine's utilizes, only one percent is allowed through to train with our oh so welcoming Starfleet brothers and sisters. I met that standard. I studied at Starfleet Medical, obtained my credentials as a Physician and returned to the Corps to practice medicine," she declared hotly, "I've served at forward operating bases and worked on far more complicated medical cases than your standard Starfleet CMO's annual round of Tarkellian flu," she added sharply, "Find a Starfleet Physician comparable to me, Captain, and I'll prove just how much better I am," she now growled, "Being more comfortable with a Starfleet Physician is being more comfortable with second best. If that's what Starfleet wanted on their flagship station, they wouldn't have sent me."
Corvus glared back at the woman, rolling her tongue over her teeth. There was nothing specifically wrong with the woman's statement, it was the tone in which she delivered it, but then again she had called her out on the carpet. She rolled her neck over, considering her words, but Minka cut over her before she could utter them.
"When was the last time you slept, Captain?" she asked, cocking her head curiously, "Before I rang your chime," she added.
"How d-," Corvus started, catching herself and smirking at her own misstep. "I slept..." she cleared her throat.
"In a bed?" Minka added, qualifying the response needed.
She was not liking this new Doctor, not one bit, but damn had she read that spot on. Corvus swallowed her pride and answered, "More than three days."
Minka harumphed, "Is that really how we're going to start our time together, Captain? You questioning my intelligence and me relieving you of duty so you can rest?" she asked, folding her arms over her chest.
Corvus immediately thought to herself that she needed to take some time to sit with this woman, and learn how in the hell a tiny little thing like her could fold her arms and present herself as immovable as a Klingon warrior. "I have a statio-."
"Full of officers that can handle running it for eight hours, while you rest." Minka cut her off.
"Doctor, if you're going to make a habit of talking over me, we're going to have a problem," Corvus warned her sharply. The woman was infuriating, and her tired mind was scraping for a rebuttal. Maybe if she'd been doing this fresh, after a few hours rest, she'd have done better in shutting this tiny little piece of hellfire down.
"Captain, if you don't go and sleep right now, you and Starfleet are going to have a problem," she countered firmly, "Go find your quarters. Sleep at least eight hours, then let's try this again," she said, gesturing between them.
She wanted to tell her to leave, to shut up and leave her alone, that this was her station, her command and her responsibility but Corvus knew how that would end. Infuriating as the woman was right now, she had her dead to rights. The last thing she needed was a dust up the first week on station, especially over something like this. How many times had she practically dragged Captain Dansby out of his ready room to go get some sleep and how many times had he done the same to her. She knew Mazur was right, she just didn't want to admit it. She was too tired and too busy to be dealing with Marines, Starfleet trained or not.
"I don't need to rest," Corvus declared finally. "I am perfectly functional, Doctor. But I will take your suggestion and rest. As you said, not the best way to start our time together," she said with a tight smile.
Minka gave her a condescending nod (was it though, or was she just exhausted), and walked around her desk to leave. She grabbed her seabag and gestured to the door for Minka to go first. The tiny Marine stepped out, making sure Corvus followed her.
"Would you like me to walk with you, Captain?" Minka asked, one eyebrow twitched up.
"Doctor," Corvus shook her head, "I'm perfectly functional. I just haven't logged the required hours of sleep," she declared, stepping out into the hall with Minka.
"Of course you are, Captain. Fully functional," Minka nodded sagely.
"Glad we agree," Corvus smiled victoriously.
"Just a quick question," Minka smiled with fake sweetness that immediately set Corvus' face into a sneer.
"What's that, Doctor?" she asked.
Minka gave her an infuriating holier than thou smile and asked, "Are shoes no longer Starfleet regulation?".
