09-07-2024, 01:26 PM
== Launch Day ==
The Chief Medical Officer set her coffee down on her desk and contemplated getting another one. This one was cold anyway. After a few moments she decided against it. It was a crutch, and while the caffeine was helpful too much would give her the jitters. A terminal beeped.
07:00. Time to address the troops.
Robin got up and headed out. She felt OK after getting some sleep after last night's bizarre briefing, which surprised the nurse quite a bit. She'd worried she was just going to toss and turn, but she'd been out as soon as her purple-haired head hit the pillow. Exhaustion really was the best sleep aid in existence. Too many long shifts began to wear at a person, but she felt like she had to make sure everyone in her staff was doing their jobs well.
It was time for her to put on her best brave "I'm a leader" face, whether she felt it or not. When she'd sat down at her desk there had already been three messages from her staff about Coleman's arrest. News traveled fast on this ship. It was likely that several crew members had seen Coleman being led away as the security team had headed off the ship. And they'd told someone, who had told someone else, and so on.
The nurse headed out of Sickbay to the Deck 7 recreation room that she'd appropriated for the meeting. Medical was one of the largest departments on the ship and was scattered across three sickbays, one large main and two smaller ones. There was just nowhere in the Medical Complex to accommodate everyone. Besides a couple of medics remaining behind in case any of the crew needed help, everyone from all shifts was here or was entering. The recreation room was packed, but at least it wasn't standing room only. A few doctors and nurses greeted her as she entered and walked to the small stage at the front of the room.
Showtime. I feel like I should open with a joke, or sing something.
Instead she just held up a hand and waited a moment for the noise to die down, which it did. Eventually.
"Thanks for coming, everyone. I'll keep this brief so those of you on other shifts can get out of here. I've prepared a mission briefing in your mail file that will go over where the Artemis is headed and why. No need for me to repeat it, other than to say it's a fairly routine monitoring mission. We will be near Cardassian space, so be aware that we could see battle. I'm not saying it's likely, but this is the Artemis. So expect the unexpected, as the old cliche goes. Those of you who haven't completed your safety drill updates get with Lieutenant Ramier and make sure you get them done in the next two days. No excuses, OK? We're not busy right now."
She paused.
"Shift changes have been made and will go into effect next week. I've tried to accommodate everyone as best I can, but that's not always possible. We're short-handed and it's just the way it is. If you absolutely can't deal with a change then get with either me or Doctor Sydesh. But this is a Starfleet vessel, and not everyone gets to work Alpha shift, so try your best to deal with it. Graveyard shifts are just part of life. I'm going to rotate people every few months so everyone gets the fun experience of being on duty at 0300."
That got a few polite laughs along with some grumbling. Robin didn't have any pity for those who didn't want to work late. She'd done so numerous times, taken countless graveyard shifts. Not only was it part of the deal with serving on a ship, she needed her largely green staff to be ready for sustained emergency treatment. In short, they needed to be toughened up so that when a crisis hit they weren't exhausted. After the Borg Megasphere battle the young Augment spent over a week with barely any sleep, and her genetic enhancements didn't include any ability to go without it. If anything she needed slightly more sleep than an unenhanced human to give her brain time to organize and rest.
"OK, addressing that giant elephant over there... yes, our First Officer, Commander Coleman, has been arrested. The rumors are correct. While I can say that the charges are serious I can't go into detail. So don't ask. I really don't have much more information than anyone else, and what I do know I can't say. The Captain will address us all soon enough, I expect. And I can confirm the other rumor. Captain Crawford has returned and will be commanding the Artemis."
Robin sighed as the medical staff mumbled before raising her hand again. She really did want that cup of coffee. It wasn't a lack of sleep, it wasn't her team, it was just that she was getting so tired of chaos. Captains being swapped, the First Officer and the Chief Engineer under arrest. Someone above was playing a chess game, and Robin couldn't see the board. She resented that even as she worried that someone was going to take her out next. If she screwed up there were those who would love nothing more than to kick the upstart Augment back down to her 'place,' a low-ranking nurse.
"Look, I know many of you are fresh out of the Academy or not much removed from it. This must seem chaotic to you, and it is. It'll get sorted out. Whatever happens we have a job to do. The crew needs us to provide care for them regardless of who is sitting in the big chair on Deck 1. You all know your jobs. Do them, and do them well. If you have a problem then don't hesitate to ask for help. Are there any questions?"
There were. Quite a few, but thankfully only a few probing for more information about the situation with the Crawford, Coleman, and Elias. Robin brushed them off and, after the third one, repeated that she couldn't and wouldn't say more. Her tone of voice ended that line of questions.
"All right. Make sure you're keeping up with your internal messages. It's time for this ship to finally get back out there and do what it was built to do. Dismissed."
The medical staff began wandering out, those who were on-duty for the morning back to their sickbays. Doctor Sonaalk, the Vulcan cardiologist, approached Robin. He was the most senior medical officer aboard, with more experience than anyone else on her staff... and more time in Starfleet than almost anyone on the ship.
"Commander Mayfair? A word?" Robin nodded. "Are you well? In recent days you have been showing signs of stress and fatigue."
"I... guess?" She knew how that sounded. "I do know I've been pushing myself. My vacation helped, but I'm right back into the meatgrinder again." The Vulcan probably found that term distasteful, but Robin was raised on a ranch. When she'd had a burger on her home colony it hadn't come from a replicator.
"There is no need, Commander. You have staff for this, and while most are inexperienced they are perfectly capable of operating without someone hovering over them. Delegate. It will give them experience in the organizational and management part of the job. Your enhancements may make you efficient at such tasks, but you are still human."
Robin blinked. He was absolutely right, and she hadn't seen it. In a way she realized she was behaving exactly like her green staff. She was as inexperienced at command as her staff was at being doctors and nurses. The Augment had been falling into the trap of micromanaging, merely because she could do so.
"You're right, Doctor. Absolutely right. I can't believe I didn't see it."
"Give yourself more time off. Let your staff breathe. Sydesh and Östberg have both shown leadership abilities, even if they have rather... forceful personalities. And when you are on duty spend more time as a nurse. Treat injuries and provide care. I believe you are someone who finds the most fulfillment in life caring for others. Am I correct?"
"You are, Doctor. You're a very wise man."
He shrugged, a rather human gesture. "It is simply logical."
And it was.
The Chief Medical Officer set her coffee down on her desk and contemplated getting another one. This one was cold anyway. After a few moments she decided against it. It was a crutch, and while the caffeine was helpful too much would give her the jitters. A terminal beeped.
07:00. Time to address the troops.
Robin got up and headed out. She felt OK after getting some sleep after last night's bizarre briefing, which surprised the nurse quite a bit. She'd worried she was just going to toss and turn, but she'd been out as soon as her purple-haired head hit the pillow. Exhaustion really was the best sleep aid in existence. Too many long shifts began to wear at a person, but she felt like she had to make sure everyone in her staff was doing their jobs well.
It was time for her to put on her best brave "I'm a leader" face, whether she felt it or not. When she'd sat down at her desk there had already been three messages from her staff about Coleman's arrest. News traveled fast on this ship. It was likely that several crew members had seen Coleman being led away as the security team had headed off the ship. And they'd told someone, who had told someone else, and so on.
The nurse headed out of Sickbay to the Deck 7 recreation room that she'd appropriated for the meeting. Medical was one of the largest departments on the ship and was scattered across three sickbays, one large main and two smaller ones. There was just nowhere in the Medical Complex to accommodate everyone. Besides a couple of medics remaining behind in case any of the crew needed help, everyone from all shifts was here or was entering. The recreation room was packed, but at least it wasn't standing room only. A few doctors and nurses greeted her as she entered and walked to the small stage at the front of the room.
Showtime. I feel like I should open with a joke, or sing something.
Instead she just held up a hand and waited a moment for the noise to die down, which it did. Eventually.
"Thanks for coming, everyone. I'll keep this brief so those of you on other shifts can get out of here. I've prepared a mission briefing in your mail file that will go over where the Artemis is headed and why. No need for me to repeat it, other than to say it's a fairly routine monitoring mission. We will be near Cardassian space, so be aware that we could see battle. I'm not saying it's likely, but this is the Artemis. So expect the unexpected, as the old cliche goes. Those of you who haven't completed your safety drill updates get with Lieutenant Ramier and make sure you get them done in the next two days. No excuses, OK? We're not busy right now."
She paused.
"Shift changes have been made and will go into effect next week. I've tried to accommodate everyone as best I can, but that's not always possible. We're short-handed and it's just the way it is. If you absolutely can't deal with a change then get with either me or Doctor Sydesh. But this is a Starfleet vessel, and not everyone gets to work Alpha shift, so try your best to deal with it. Graveyard shifts are just part of life. I'm going to rotate people every few months so everyone gets the fun experience of being on duty at 0300."
That got a few polite laughs along with some grumbling. Robin didn't have any pity for those who didn't want to work late. She'd done so numerous times, taken countless graveyard shifts. Not only was it part of the deal with serving on a ship, she needed her largely green staff to be ready for sustained emergency treatment. In short, they needed to be toughened up so that when a crisis hit they weren't exhausted. After the Borg Megasphere battle the young Augment spent over a week with barely any sleep, and her genetic enhancements didn't include any ability to go without it. If anything she needed slightly more sleep than an unenhanced human to give her brain time to organize and rest.
"OK, addressing that giant elephant over there... yes, our First Officer, Commander Coleman, has been arrested. The rumors are correct. While I can say that the charges are serious I can't go into detail. So don't ask. I really don't have much more information than anyone else, and what I do know I can't say. The Captain will address us all soon enough, I expect. And I can confirm the other rumor. Captain Crawford has returned and will be commanding the Artemis."
Robin sighed as the medical staff mumbled before raising her hand again. She really did want that cup of coffee. It wasn't a lack of sleep, it wasn't her team, it was just that she was getting so tired of chaos. Captains being swapped, the First Officer and the Chief Engineer under arrest. Someone above was playing a chess game, and Robin couldn't see the board. She resented that even as she worried that someone was going to take her out next. If she screwed up there were those who would love nothing more than to kick the upstart Augment back down to her 'place,' a low-ranking nurse.
"Look, I know many of you are fresh out of the Academy or not much removed from it. This must seem chaotic to you, and it is. It'll get sorted out. Whatever happens we have a job to do. The crew needs us to provide care for them regardless of who is sitting in the big chair on Deck 1. You all know your jobs. Do them, and do them well. If you have a problem then don't hesitate to ask for help. Are there any questions?"
There were. Quite a few, but thankfully only a few probing for more information about the situation with the Crawford, Coleman, and Elias. Robin brushed them off and, after the third one, repeated that she couldn't and wouldn't say more. Her tone of voice ended that line of questions.
"All right. Make sure you're keeping up with your internal messages. It's time for this ship to finally get back out there and do what it was built to do. Dismissed."
The medical staff began wandering out, those who were on-duty for the morning back to their sickbays. Doctor Sonaalk, the Vulcan cardiologist, approached Robin. He was the most senior medical officer aboard, with more experience than anyone else on her staff... and more time in Starfleet than almost anyone on the ship.
"Commander Mayfair? A word?" Robin nodded. "Are you well? In recent days you have been showing signs of stress and fatigue."
"I... guess?" She knew how that sounded. "I do know I've been pushing myself. My vacation helped, but I'm right back into the meatgrinder again." The Vulcan probably found that term distasteful, but Robin was raised on a ranch. When she'd had a burger on her home colony it hadn't come from a replicator.
"There is no need, Commander. You have staff for this, and while most are inexperienced they are perfectly capable of operating without someone hovering over them. Delegate. It will give them experience in the organizational and management part of the job. Your enhancements may make you efficient at such tasks, but you are still human."
Robin blinked. He was absolutely right, and she hadn't seen it. In a way she realized she was behaving exactly like her green staff. She was as inexperienced at command as her staff was at being doctors and nurses. The Augment had been falling into the trap of micromanaging, merely because she could do so.
"You're right, Doctor. Absolutely right. I can't believe I didn't see it."
"Give yourself more time off. Let your staff breathe. Sydesh and Östberg have both shown leadership abilities, even if they have rather... forceful personalities. And when you are on duty spend more time as a nurse. Treat injuries and provide care. I believe you are someone who finds the most fulfillment in life caring for others. Am I correct?"
"You are, Doctor. You're a very wise man."
He shrugged, a rather human gesture. "It is simply logical."
And it was.