Baseline Check-Up

Posted on Wed Oct 23rd, 2024 @ 5:10pm by Commander Ichiko Gail & Lieutenant Commander Calvin Morgan

Mission: Let The Games Begin
Location: Primary Medical

Ichiko made her way down to primary Medical, recalling that the files on her people were sorely lacking in key respects. The walk to medical was uneventful... Deck Four, Southern quadrant, sections six through thirteen.... Being able to provide medical attention to an athlete would be a fantastic gesture of good will, but it was also for the selfish reason that should Ichiko herself be injured seriously having an up to date medical scan on file would only help her.

How long had it been since her last physical? Eight months, six days...

As she walked into Medical, she had a soft smile on her features. She recalled fondly the last time she was here for her initial check in... "Early and willing? What a rare combination for someone to walk into sickbay with," was the first thing he said, and his bedside manner was professional and kind. She recalled his respectful nature, and her admission of her condition didn't phase him in the slightest. Discretion was always appreciated, though in the Federation that condition didn't seem to have the same stigma attached to it that the Empire put on it. Then again, the Federation seemed to have significantly less traumatic experiences attached to it. A pleasant parallel.

Sickbay had a certain ebb and flow. The department was in an ebb at the moment, slightly more quiet than normal. There were only a few people in the waiting room. The receptionist was quick to greet the Executive Officer, buzzing the Chief Medical Officer at the same time. The receptionist smiled at the Executive Officer, awkwardly for what felt like the longest moment of their life, before receiving a response from the Doctor.

"Ma'am, Commander Morgan will see you in his office. Do you know the way?"

Ichiko gave a soft smile and a nod, "I remember the way, I think." she joked, before heading back towards the Chief Medical Officer's office. It wasn't far, but so many people tended to dread the medical offices. She had become used to the doctors from a very young age. She tried not to think about it. That was impossible.

She arrived at Calvin's office, and gave a gentle knock-knock on the frame. "Doctor? I hope I'm not disturbing." a pause, "I realize I'm four months early for my annual." a joke.

Calvin chuckled, instinctively standing up as his gaze left his computer screen. Beside his desk, a white coat was hastily thrown over a coat rack. His uniform coat hung more neatly next to that. Calvin was in his teal uniform shirt, sleeves pushed up. "Commander, the pleasure is mine. One could never describe you as a disturbance. Please, have a seat." Calvin indicated to either of the chairs that sat off center from the desk. Calvin stepped from behind the desk and brought his chair with him. The three chairs formed a cozier meeting space with the desk as a side table for the Doctor, and not as a foreboding obstacle.

"I just finished rounds with a group of residents when the receptionist informed me you came to visit. They are always intriguing to listen to as they work through problems with their brand new views and logic." A pause, and a subtly more serious tone. "However, one would assume you have not visited to learn about resident rounds. How can I be of assistance to you?"

A soft smile as she took the offered seat, impressed at the manner and the motion. Usually a desk was a barrier, a mark of station. To abandon it in his own office was a glimpse into his mindset. Then again, Ts'usugi were raised to notice social and political cues.

"The last time we spoke I mentioned my neurological condition. Pleasant name aside, it might amuse you to know that the treatment on the books for my particular malady are to work with routines. Treating professionals are to dress the same as each other, look the same, and strive to limit the number of new memories and experiences the patient is exposed to." she offered. "Same clothes, same doctor, same day, every day. No news, no new experiences." she shook her head, "You can imagine why I opted against such treatment. I'll take madness with adventure over madness anyday."

Calvin nodded as he settled into the chair. He put his elbow down on the desk to rest his head on his hand, bringing his attention fully towards the fellow officer. "I cannot imagine it, and I don't doubt for a moment your decision not to do the treatment," He offered.

"So, you are correct, I'll be avoiding the routine." she smirked, "As for why I'm here, several fold. First off, my medical records on file could perhaps use an update post Koldaran incursion. Second, I think it would be a good gesture to keep the medical files on my people as up to date as possible in case one of our guests injures themselves and needs attention."

"I will happily update with whatever information you are willing to provide. Your people were incredibly cooperative and quite enigmatic at the same time during the incursion. I feel I was given vast knowledge, yet nothing at the same time." Calvin replied. "And of true need for the Ts'usugi file is proper medical etiquette. I would hate to take a simple situation for my staff and escalate it to something unneeded with an improper interaction. Bedside manner is just as important as anatomy. What else is on your mind?"

"The third reason is a little more selfish. I want you to take a look up here..." she tapped where her temple would be, if her people had them. "I'm experiencing flashbacks. Nothing detrimental or debilitating, and certainly nothing I'm not used to, but the frequency has become a little more, well, frequent of late. I don't know if I've run out of new experiences and now everything reminds me of something, or if there's actual damage up there that can be attributed to post-conflict trauma." she paused, of everything she had said thus far, that last point has a wobble of concern to it. A worry.

Calvin raised an eyebrow slightly. "Selfish has a bad connotation; an assumption of poor behavior. How does one take care of others without spending time to take care of themselves?" He let the thought settle down before he continued, his posture relaxing yet his focus staying the same. "I'm glad they are neither detrimental nor debilitating. A change though is enough to warrant looking into to ensure they do not get to the point of affecting you. Let me refresh on Ts'usugi neuroscience and we will set a time in a few days to do some scans." Calvin paused a moment before adding, "We can schedule it for a secondary lab if you'd prefer discretion on the matter?"

Ichiko paused. Gathering ones thoughts took a moment when they were in abundance. His reassurance of her decision helped ease her soul. She'd remember it, even if it was something she had the option not to. Confidence was always appreciated. At his mention of helpful enigmatics, she actually giggled, "We're trained in a sort of exacting response. In our history it served as the mantra of the messengers. They are given all the information to provide, and they provide all the information they were given. No inference, no speculation. In time, it evolved into precision responses to questions, and if more probing questions were needed they would follow. The current generation sees it as a relic of the past, and works towards slowly providing more and more information. The elder generation sees it as offering a bowl when a cup was requested." she softly shrugged, "I'm personally content with less, but I also very much love conversation."

"For bedside manner, you'll have your choice. One of the two teams are steeped in tradition, and will appreciate the direct and concise. The other is more flexible, and would probably actually appreciate a manner unbefitting a child of Ts'usu. In the end, you'll have the gift of being an outsider. Your attempt will be seen as respectful, and anything they'd take as rude or crass can simply be drafted as the first steps in a cultural exchange."

She considered something, "I dare say to some, the notion that you do not emulate our expectations might actually come across to your benefit. There are a few voices that are concerned that the Imperial presence looking to ally with foreign powers would mean the end of our cultural identity. That the notion of the children of Ts'usu would drown in the ocean of the galactic community." a pause, "Absurd, I know. Though, you not knowing how to respond, how to act, how to be a proper Son of Ts'usu would asway their concerns. Or at least, quiet them until the commercials."

Calvin nodded. "Then we show them our hospitality, and bridge any issues that arise as they do. That is easy enough. We will need to set up a triage area specific for the event, so I will ensure we have the proper people attending to the guests."

At his suggestion for a follow-up in a few days, she gave a nod, "Agreeable. Tell me the time and I'll arrange a meeting. As far as discretion... I don't want the crew knowing that I'm coming in for, worst case, a neurological degeneracy. Abigail, though, must be kept in the loop. No secrets between her and I." a nod. There was no wiggle room here. "If it's nothing more than just post-incursion shock, it should pass. If it's serious, she needs to be kept abridged of my condition."

"I'll reach out to schedule within the day once I know what I need set up and lab schedules. It'll be just you and me." Calvin stated as if it wasn't an abnormal request. "No ifs though. We'll see what's going on and take it from there. Not enough time in the day to play the what if game. I will talk to the Captain when needed, however I trust you to keep her in the loop until that point." Calvin smiled.

Ichiko gave a nod, "Thank you doctor. This sets my mind at ease." she relayed, "I don't like keeping secrets from the Captain, either in a professional vein or as a friend. I'll talk to her, once we know more about what is going on." she paused, "But meanwhile, I think it best to refresh the system on Ts'usugi physiology."

Calvin nodded. "Ts'usugi physiology, and whatever ailments we may commonly see. Do you have time to do that now? If so we can grab a console and get started."

"I certainly do. Let's begin." She offered with a nod. "Ts'usugi bones are more durable in comparison to human and similar, but any break we do suffer must be treated as a priority. Our bones contain crystallized calcium structures, and when a break does occur, it leaves shards." for some reason, Ichiko's ankle decided now was a good time to start hurting for no reason.

"Ah yes," Calvin responded. "Your ankle surgery is something I will not forget. That was a long solo surgery, and a fascinating cooperative surgery with your Ts'usugi Surgeons."

"So you shouldn't be worried about a break, but just for your foreknowledge. Common Kinetic injuries are contact bruises, friction burns, hurt feelings, and bruised egos on the lower end, and potential concussions, bone bruises, and sprains on the high end. At the extreme end of the injury spectrum would be a complete dislocation." at least, as far back as she could remember...

"The athletes do wear protective gear. Layered mesh with non-neutonian filling. Bear in mind that Kinetic is as much a sport as it is a show. If you see an injury but no one is coming to you, it's part of the show." she decided to draw the curtain back a bit.

"So stay back until they call for us. That's fine, I'd rather do that anyway. I'm sure they have their own medical team that will handle the little stuff. We are just going to be support for the big stuff," Calvin responded. "Do you happen to have any footage or records of some bigger injuries? And how the protective gear is best removed?"

"I can request some footage of some of the more direct injuries suffered. Generally the Kinetic Foundation reviews safety equipment after a major injury to see if it was the fault of the protective gear. If they can limit major injuries to a single occurrence, they try. Otherwise, well, it IS a contact sport." she offered, "As for removal of the protective gear to get to an injury, I'll ensure that the coordinators and medical staff they bring with give you a full briefing. You may be hanging back for most of the event potentially, but I can't imagine any scenario where they turn away professional help."

"The most important thing they'll show you is the signal. It's a quick and easy gesture the athletes will use to signal to the ref that an injury isn't part of the show. It'll be quick, something that isn't used in casual motion, and generally will be used at an angle the cameras won't directly catch. Before you ask, yes, there are user boards all throughout the Empire trying to track the silent language of Kinetic." she giggled, amused at the notion of trying to debunk a sport show.

Calvin smiled, "The truly interesting thing of exploration. The more different cultures and species we all meet, the more we realize, we all are pretty much the same." Calvin sighed softly, digesting the wealth of information already presented. "Medical will be ready to handle the event. I'll review what you send me and update the team on any particulars needed when the time comes. Is there anything else you think I'm missing?"

"If you're asking me if anything springs to mind, the answer will be yes." she said, half joking. "But I think that covers all the basics. Anything up to date will be handled by the briefing the medical crew will provide you and your staff."

She paused, eyes closed, a twinge of discomfort across her features before returning to the here and now. "The worst part. Everything reminds you of everything. Apologies." a pause, "And on that notion, thank you for your time in regards to my personal matter."

"My door is always open for whatever concerns you may have for yours or anyone's health. No matter how big or small it is," Calvin replied. "It's what I'm here for."