Bookish

Posted on Thu May 4th, 2023 @ 5:30am by Lieutenant Lydia Whitlock M.D. & Cadet First Class Pallas

Mission: The Goddess
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: Backpost -- Sometime before "Shuttle" posts
1462 words - 2.9 OF Standard Post Measure

The only thing Lydia enjoyed more than helping people heal from their physical and psychological wounds was teaching other people how to do the same. For her, it wasn't just a matter of ego or practicality, but mere enjoyment. Being around others as they discovered their own strengths and made connections with their own knowledge helped Lydia appreciate what she loved about her work, particularly on those days when she might have felt discouraged or otherwise burnt out.

That was why she wanted to make a point of introducing herself to Cadet Pallas. Merely being in the presence of such youth would prove to be an intriguing experience Lydia didn't encounter every day.

Pallas, for her part, was deep in it. Literally. She was up to her elbows in some kind of goo, which had a very specific purpose and which, for many scientific reasons that she understood but was too preoccupied to recount to herself in the moment, was completely necessary for doing the thing that she was doing at the moment. Which was something along the lines of trying to dissect this particular medical sample, which her fingers, hands, and arms were suspended inside a vacuum chamber, and covered in goo.

Such as it was, she did not notice the doctor approaching.

Naturally, it wasn't difficult to find the Cadet, but just as she was about to introduce herself properly, her brain took in the full picture before her and wondered if she should approach in sympathy or alarm. "Need any help?"

"Eep!" Pallas squeaked in surprise. It wasn't that she didn't expect anyone else to be in here, as it was a functioning Sickbay on a busy starship. But she had gotten so completely focused on the task at hand that she had lost track of the fact that anything else existed. Her singular focus now suddenly shifted, her hand slipped and she dropped the laser scalpel... somewhere. It was somewhere in this pool of goo. "Er, hello, sorry. I think I was maybe a little *too* tunnel-visioned there. Forgive me..." she looked over at the Lieutenant, pretty confident that she recognized her from the crew manifest. "...Doctor Whitlock, I presume? I would stand and salute, sir, but my hands," she shrugged at the mess that she was in. "If you have any ideas on how I can locate this scalpel I just dropped..."

"No need to salute. I think I should apologize to you for startling you. Complete focus on your work isn't a terrible thing most of the time," she added with a smile. Reaching for a medical scanner, Lydia opened it and programmed it to search for anything non-organic, taking a chance that a scan would reveal the location of the last scalpel. "I think you'll find what you're looking for 6 inches down and to your left."

Pallas nodded, carefully moving her hand to the suggested location, inching forward with care in case her gloves came across the pointy end first. With luck, it was the handle she felt, right where Dr. Whitlock had said it would be. "Thank you, Doctor. Who knows how long that would have taken me otherwise." The cadet moved the goo-covered scapel to a small rack, ensuring it was secure before removing her arms from the vacuum sealed gloves, stretching her fingers now that they were free from the uncomfortable covering. The cadet made to salute, but remembering what Lydia said, decided it would be more rude to disobey the request right after it was made. She stood at attention, though. "Cadet First Class Pallas," she introduced herself. "I suppose you already knew that. How can I help you, Doctor?"

"At ease,Cadet," Lydia replied, emphasizing her wishes with a wave of her hand. "I appreciate the deference , but when we are alone, it can just be Lydia if you like, or Doctor if Lydia feels too informal. I just wanted to come by and introduce myself and also see if I could help facilitate your learning while you're doing your medical rotation? I'm just curious if there are things you wish to explore while you're here... things besides well… That?"

"Yes, that," Pallas frowned. "I have to say, I am not fully sure how, given all the technology we have available to us in this day and age, why that is still the best way to do... that. Something about quantum mechanics, I am sure," she shrugged. "Thank you for seeking me out. My rotation so far through Medical has been a lot more exciting than I expected... um, no offense," she blushed slightly. "It is just that I did not expect to arrive in the middle of a search and rescue mission combined with high stakes detective work. Honestly, I would be very interested in learning about anything else you usually work on. Anything from physicals, unlikely and exotic space diseases, or medical research."

Lydia smiled, appreciating the Cadet's honesty about her initial expectations and yet her obvious enthusiasm to learn more. "No offense taken. Like any day in life, I can't promise they'll all be as exciting in any career. Some days I pray for the low-key physical or the low-key counseling session. That said, my time in Starfleet has been rarely ever dull, especially here. Tell me, what generally interests you? I don't just mean here in medical, but overall? I might be able to introduce you to some aspects of my work that might surprise you."

"I studied engineering and xenoanthropology at the Academy," Pallas shared. "I suppose those are my interests. My friends convinced me to go up for boxing after I punched another cadet in the dining hall. But other than that, I have been very focused on my studies and research, trying to learn as much and absorb as much as I could so that I could be as useful as possible by the time I, well, by the time I got here. I am not sure if that answers your question," Pallas wondered aloud. "I did not say why those subjects interest me. Engineering, because I like to figure out how put things back together that have come apart. And xenoanthropology... I suppose because I like to figure out why things have come apart the way they have."

It was an interesting way to describe the subject. Lydia would've said it was the study of how things came together or evolved, but it intrigued her to think about endings rather than beginnings. Of course, she wanted to inquire more about the circumstances under which someone had gotten punched, but the counselor in her resisted the temptation. Instead, she offered, "Knowledge of engineering has helped bring about many advances in the medical sciences. Off the top of my head, I can think of the artificial heart, prosthesis development, and the implementation of other adaptive technology for those who have been injured. Then of course, there's no getting around the fact cultural evolution occurs in large part because of physiological evolution as well. I'll be honest, I am no engineer or anthropologist, but what I can tell you is, working in medicine and working in counseling requires maintaining curiosity."

Pallas's eyes involuntarily lit up at the response. "Yes, Doctor! Exactly," she enthused. "I mean, that is what is so wonderful about all of these fields in Starfleet, the chance to figure things out, these incredible puzzles, whether they are derelict ships centuries old or a civilization taken over by its own AI, or figuring out how to keep the crew safe and healthy." The cadet grinned. "Is that why you joined the Medical Corps? For the curiosity?"

"I suppose that's one way to put it," she replied with a nod. "My parents were free spirits and content to live a simpler life. I wanted to help people, but not just by hauling cargo from here to there, but by doing something more. The hierarchy of Starfleet didn't bother me the way it did them because I knew I had the opportunity to do something bigger than me or just the three of us."

"Service," the cadet nodded in agreement. "That I can understand. It is the same for me. Even my fields of study at the Academy were the ones that I thought maybe would let me help those who are not able to help themselves." Like I once was, she thought to herself. "Speaking of help, Doctor... any chance I could ask for your help on this?" she pointed at the chamber where the strange goo sample was waiting for further processing. "I must admit that I have not gotten the hang of it yet."

Lydia looked back at the gooey specimen and then back at the cadet. She grinned. "Let's do it!"