Star Trek fiction: "Bio-Feedback"
Oct. 24th, 2009 12:17 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
eliyesTitle: Bio-Feedback
series: Andorians
summary: Shallan and Skyleaper give an exam to a young Vulcan.
"Doctor, your next patient is here," Nurse Skyleaper to-Ennien said, leaning in through the doorway of Shallan's office and flirting his striped tail.
Shallan looked up from her workstation, antennae coming forward with her surprise.
"He's early."
Skyleaper shrugged one shoulder with fluid grace.
"He's Vulcan."
The Andorian got to her feet with a rueful smile.
"That he is. Prep bed six, would you?"
Skyleaper stepped out of her way with a smartass "Yessir!" as she briskly strode to the waiting room. There were four people inside: two junior crewmen waiting on a friend, a Vulcan woman in severe civilian garb, and a Vulcan boy dressed much the same, except in sturdier fabrics. Ignoring the crewmen -- she'd already yelled at them, and their friend was still undergoing treatment -- Shallan fixed her gaze on the boy.
"Pera, son of Vonek?"
The boy stood quickly.
"I am he." His voice was clear, not yet changed to a mature range. He stood straight, good posture, not apparently favouring either foot. His colour was a healthy greenish-tan.
"You may address me as 'Doctor Shallan', or 'Doctor', alone. Come with me." And she turned on her heel and walked out. After the briefest of hesitations, the patter of light feet followed; the mother stayed behind. That was a good sign. Pera was eleven years old and had recently undergone his kahs-wan, according to the records forwarded from his father's previous posting. He therefore had a degree of legal independence, so it said positive things about their psychological states that neither parent nor child objected to being separated.
It also suggested that Pera's mother either hadn't heard the rumours about Shallan's supposed bias against Vulcans, or hadn't believed them -- or else just thought the Andorian's actions in the face of a berserking Vulcan attacking her subordinates were logical.
Shallan would called them "justified", personally. She hadn't broken anything she didn't later fix, after all.
Skyleaper had placed a step-up for Pera next to biobed six and was even now laying out an array of scanning equipment on a stand next to it.
Pera was apparently so diverted by the sight of the Sivaoan nurse that he didn't speak until he sat on the bed.
"I underwent a full medical scan six-point-eight-two days before boarding this ship," the boy said as the doctor and nurse calibrated equipment around him. "For what reason am I being examined again so soon?"
"The medical scanning equipment on this ship has been given upgrades which have not yet been implemented in the facility which did your prior scans," Shallan told him in a clinical tone. Skyleaper waved a question at her with his tail, ears and lips quirking at this deviation from her usual bedside manner. Shallan ignored him for the moment, speaking again to her young patient.
"Vulcans can control their bodies to a greater degree than can other Federation species, therefore it might be useful for you to be informed of the readings as we go through them. Do you agree?"
"Yes," Pera said with an audible touch of interest.
"If I use a term which you have no yet encountered in your studies, please let me know and I will explain," Shallan said gravely, and then began.
It was a lot like teaching a class in how to give an exam. Fortunately, Pera was a very quick study when it came to reading the displays, or else things could have dragged. As it was, it only took three times as long as normal. Skyleaper caught on quickly, acting as reserved and efficient as Shallan had ever seen him, even when Pera finally gave in and asked about his mobile tail.
"I use it for balance when running or jumping," the nurse explained, "and for expression; tail motions are an integral aspect of communication among my species. Also, it's prehensile and useful for picking up small objects." He demonstrated by using his tail to hand Shallan an empty hypospray.
"Fascinating," was Pera's conclusion.
They spent some time going over how a now fully healed partial fracture in one of bones of Pera's left hand could nonetheless be detected. Finally, Shallan loaded a PADD with Pera's DNA and brainscan information, giving this to him and inviting him compare them to the medical models in the Galaxy's databanks and forward her any questions his study inspired.
Pera's mother was waiting with what Shallan judged to be pointed calm. Shallan released her young patient with a simple, "Our scans are completed. Pera is healthy," and the Vulcans left, the child chattering about his experience with reserved enthusiasm.
"Why don't you act like that with the adults?" Skyleaper asked at Shallan's elbow. "It would probably make them more comfortable."
"I do, if they're in a lot of distress," the doctor confessed with a wave of her antennae. "But between choosing to serve in Starfleet and the Vulcan principle of IDIC, I figure the adults should be prepared to cope with me as I am."
With an amused ear flick, the nurse went off to see to other duties.
series: Andorians
summary: Shallan and Skyleaper give an exam to a young Vulcan.
"Doctor, your next patient is here," Nurse Skyleaper to-Ennien said, leaning in through the doorway of Shallan's office and flirting his striped tail.
Shallan looked up from her workstation, antennae coming forward with her surprise.
"He's early."
Skyleaper shrugged one shoulder with fluid grace.
"He's Vulcan."
The Andorian got to her feet with a rueful smile.
"That he is. Prep bed six, would you?"
Skyleaper stepped out of her way with a smartass "Yessir!" as she briskly strode to the waiting room. There were four people inside: two junior crewmen waiting on a friend, a Vulcan woman in severe civilian garb, and a Vulcan boy dressed much the same, except in sturdier fabrics. Ignoring the crewmen -- she'd already yelled at them, and their friend was still undergoing treatment -- Shallan fixed her gaze on the boy.
"Pera, son of Vonek?"
The boy stood quickly.
"I am he." His voice was clear, not yet changed to a mature range. He stood straight, good posture, not apparently favouring either foot. His colour was a healthy greenish-tan.
"You may address me as 'Doctor Shallan', or 'Doctor', alone. Come with me." And she turned on her heel and walked out. After the briefest of hesitations, the patter of light feet followed; the mother stayed behind. That was a good sign. Pera was eleven years old and had recently undergone his kahs-wan, according to the records forwarded from his father's previous posting. He therefore had a degree of legal independence, so it said positive things about their psychological states that neither parent nor child objected to being separated.
It also suggested that Pera's mother either hadn't heard the rumours about Shallan's supposed bias against Vulcans, or hadn't believed them -- or else just thought the Andorian's actions in the face of a berserking Vulcan attacking her subordinates were logical.
Shallan would called them "justified", personally. She hadn't broken anything she didn't later fix, after all.
Skyleaper had placed a step-up for Pera next to biobed six and was even now laying out an array of scanning equipment on a stand next to it.
Pera was apparently so diverted by the sight of the Sivaoan nurse that he didn't speak until he sat on the bed.
"I underwent a full medical scan six-point-eight-two days before boarding this ship," the boy said as the doctor and nurse calibrated equipment around him. "For what reason am I being examined again so soon?"
"The medical scanning equipment on this ship has been given upgrades which have not yet been implemented in the facility which did your prior scans," Shallan told him in a clinical tone. Skyleaper waved a question at her with his tail, ears and lips quirking at this deviation from her usual bedside manner. Shallan ignored him for the moment, speaking again to her young patient.
"Vulcans can control their bodies to a greater degree than can other Federation species, therefore it might be useful for you to be informed of the readings as we go through them. Do you agree?"
"Yes," Pera said with an audible touch of interest.
"If I use a term which you have no yet encountered in your studies, please let me know and I will explain," Shallan said gravely, and then began.
It was a lot like teaching a class in how to give an exam. Fortunately, Pera was a very quick study when it came to reading the displays, or else things could have dragged. As it was, it only took three times as long as normal. Skyleaper caught on quickly, acting as reserved and efficient as Shallan had ever seen him, even when Pera finally gave in and asked about his mobile tail.
"I use it for balance when running or jumping," the nurse explained, "and for expression; tail motions are an integral aspect of communication among my species. Also, it's prehensile and useful for picking up small objects." He demonstrated by using his tail to hand Shallan an empty hypospray.
"Fascinating," was Pera's conclusion.
They spent some time going over how a now fully healed partial fracture in one of bones of Pera's left hand could nonetheless be detected. Finally, Shallan loaded a PADD with Pera's DNA and brainscan information, giving this to him and inviting him compare them to the medical models in the Galaxy's databanks and forward her any questions his study inspired.
Pera's mother was waiting with what Shallan judged to be pointed calm. Shallan released her young patient with a simple, "Our scans are completed. Pera is healthy," and the Vulcans left, the child chattering about his experience with reserved enthusiasm.
"Why don't you act like that with the adults?" Skyleaper asked at Shallan's elbow. "It would probably make them more comfortable."
"I do, if they're in a lot of distress," the doctor confessed with a wave of her antennae. "But between choosing to serve in Starfleet and the Vulcan principle of IDIC, I figure the adults should be prepared to cope with me as I am."
With an amused ear flick, the nurse went off to see to other duties.
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(no subject)
Date: 2009-10-25 04:30 am (UTC)And, awwww! Shallan made nice with the kidling. :3
(no subject)
Date: 2009-10-25 09:16 am (UTC)She did! This story, more than any other I've got planned, shows where some of Shallan's personality is inspired by Major O'Mara, the Chief Psychologist in the Sector General book series. ;3 Generously leavened with Lifesaver from the Rockman X games and, of course, spiced with McCoy. Which I didn't quite realise until I'd written this. X3