Ten Forward NPCs (
ten_fwd_npcs) wrote in
ten_fwd2015-01-23 08:45 pm
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
[Sickbay]: Round Seven Scans and Vaccines

If this is your first trip to Sickbay, you may be surprised to see that it's a fairly ordinary-looking hospital. There are no terrifying devices or humming machines you might see in a sci-fi thriller. The biobeds along the walls are equipped with biofunction monitors, but look fairly standard. Instead of silver trays filled with metal tools and sawblades, there are an array of small devices that look as harmless as cell phones. As for the staff, they're all well-groomed and friendly. As a matter of fact, all personnel look harmless. Well, perhaps excluding the sun avatar, but Trance Gemini is as skilled as the Starfleet officers.
If you're new to the ship, no doubt you've been escorted here by the security team. Nothing to worry about, the doctors just want to make sure you aren't carrying any viruses or are vulnerable to terrible space disease. Once you've been checked over — a quick scan from a tricorder and any necessary vaccines — you'll be free to go. Lollipops are optional.
"All right, step on in," one of them calls out as you enter. "Don't be afraid. It's just a scan and a hypospray, nothing to worry about."
[ooc: Sickbay is, as always, OTA! For new characters: tagging isn't mandatory but IC going to sickbay is. If you'd prefer to skip threading with one of our doctors, you can handwave that your character got a clean bill of health and a shot and were sent on their merry way. For those who are tagging: if you have a preference which doctor sees your character, please specify in the subject line of your tag who you would like (Simon Tam is not available this time). There is a post up in the OOC comm with more details if you have any questions.]
no subject
"Doctor Crusher, maybe I speak to you about some private matters?" His tone sounds too formal, almost wincing at the sound of his own voice but at least he doesn't sound as nervous as he feels. "I was told you might be able to help me with something confidential."
no subject
She doesn't recognize his face, which may mean this is his first time in sickbay.
"Please, come in and have a seat."
no subject
"Thank you." As he moves inside and sits down, he tells himself that this is no different than the other meetings he's attended. Except he's about to reveal things that are supposed to be forbidden. "Uh - How does confidentiality work here? Will whatever I tell you go into some sort of files?"
no subject
"Any medical information you divulge to me will be kept in a file, yes," she begins. "So that I or one of the other doctors here can treat you if you become ill. I take doctor/patient confidentiality very seriously, so there are varying levels of security. Some files only I can access, and the captain if there is an emergency."
Now she pauses, tilting her head to one shoulder. "What kind of information do you need to divulge?"
no subject
Letting out a quiet sigh, he knows he could be exiled for what he might have to tell the doctor but he can't lie. Who knows what they'd do to him if he doesn't tell the truth? He isn't even sure if there are other Shadowhunters in this world but if there are, they probably still believe in secrecy. "Where I'm from there are certain things you don't tell people outside your... kin. If you tell others you can be punished or exiled."
no subject
"The Enterprise is a Federation ship, and as long as you are here I can assure you that you will not be punished for anything you tell us," she says. "As a Starfleet officer myself, I'm obligated not to interfere with the customs of another culture outside the Federation. If, by any chance, someone else arrived from where you are from, what you tell me now would not be shared or used against anyone. I can promise you that."
no subject
Slowly, he begins picking at the hem of one sleeve. Would they strip his Marks for telling? It was one thing to tell a Mundane teenager about Shadowhunters, Mundane doctors would be another matter. "If my people exist here, the punishment could be severe if I'm studied by doctors."
no subject
There are people on this ship even now who are medical miracles. People with gifts and abilities, advanced healing, strength, agility; any number of these people could be a boon to medical science. But...
"No," she says firmly. "The information won't leave the ship. You have my word."
He did say he posed no threat to anyone on the ship, so that should remove the possibility of an outbreak.
no subject
He probably sounds foolish but Alec has only had healers or other Nephilim take care of him when he was sick or injured.
Finally, his hand stills as he comes to a decision. If he's going to be stuck here, he's going to have to cooperate and Doctor Crusher had promised. There's nothing more he can do. The Clave would have to understand that. "I'm not completely human. I'm part angel."
no subject
It goes against everything she believes in, as a doctor and as a mother. Beverly Crusher radiates passion for her job (and a stubbornness not to be cowed or bribed). She's trustworthy.
"I'm sorry," she says, after a pause. "Did you say you're part angel?"
no subject
Despite his worries, he gives her a small smile. "Yes. I am Nephilim." A hint of pride accompanies the word that even time with Downworlders hasn't completely erased. "Human and angel. There are some Mundanes - humans - that know about us but we're supposed to keep our existence hidden."
no subject
Still, it's no stranger than the idea that the boy before her now could be part angel, his closing remarks erasing any further questions on whether it could just be another race or species, perhaps a parent from the planet Angel I. Her brows knit.
"I have heard stories," she says slowly. "Long old stories, from millennia ago. I admit, I find what you're saying hard to believe. It's not something I thought possible.
The stories were just that. Stories.
"Have you already had your medical scans?" she asks.
no subject
At the mention of the stories, Alec gives Crusher a small smile. "Being on a space ship wasn't something I thought would be possible. All religions on my world are based on some truth. An Angel gave my people a gift, making us Nephilim." Which is a subject he'd like to avoid explaining in too much detail but the 'differences' from that gift might become important later.
"I refused to be scanned until I knew what would happen to the records. I think I'm basically the same as a human except there are certain changes because of the angel blood."
no subject
"Magic is not something we have here on the Enterprise under normal conditions, but as people have been arriving from different places — such as yours — it's something I have been forced to acknowledge may exist," she says, trying to mask her reluctance. "One thing is for sure, there is much in the universe we don't understand. But I'm willing to try."
She leans forward, clasping her hands together and resting her forearms on her desk. "All right. Let me explain a little about the medical scans, particularly the tricorders and biobeds."
She reasons that, being something he wouldn't be familiar with, it's better to prepare him for what the sensors may pick up, particularly given his fear of exposure. Tricorders are sensitive, and can read even minor fluctuations in a person's body; however, they were never designed for Nephilim. If he scans as a human, no doubt the readings will flag any abnormalities caused by the angel blood.
"I'd be happy to conduct your check-up myself," she concludes. "It can be done someplace where we would have privacy, so you wouldn't need to worry about others overhearing. But I assure you, you won't be mistreated while you are aboard."
no subject
Slowly, Alec begins to relax when he realizes it's not going to be like he expected. He's not going to be studied or dissected so he can be compared to a normal Mundane. She isn't going to hurt him or betray him. "I'd appreciate it if you would, Doctor. I should warn you that I have a lot of scars and Marks that aren't normal."
The mention of being mistreated causes Alec to think of something else that he's been worrying about. "May I ask you something else before you do the check-up? About society here and how they view certain things?"
no subject
"I'll need to learn what I can about you so I can give you the best medical treatment possible." Pause. "Assuming you ever need it. For that, I'd appreciate any information you can give me about your physiology, including the cause of any old injuries."
She isn't too worried about scars, unusual or otherwise. "Of course, I expected the question. Go ahead."
no subject
As he speaks, the glamours covering his Marks fall away. Most of them are covered by the sleeves of his shirt and by his pants but black Marks curl around his neck and the back of each hand has a black symbol. He explains those briefly, how they're used for healing and to improve skills. A gift from the Angel given to Shadowhunters. "Most of my injuries have been from fighting demons. The patterned scars are from my marks."
After mentioning demons, it shouldn't be so difficult to ask but Alec has been carefully slipping back into the invisibility he'd relied on before. "Where I'm from... It's not... acceptable to prefer... the same gender. There's someone waiting for me back home. I wanted to know if it's safe to mention him or if it's something I should hide."
no subject
"And these are all over your body?" she asks, hovering her tricorder near some of the exposed marks and making sure she has his permission to touch them. "Can you tell me what a Shadowhunter is?"
She can guess that it has something to do with fighting demons, but since the idea is so foreign to her it's better she be thorough.
When he begins to retreat again, she pulls her attention away from her readings and forces herself to listen to what he is saying. It surprises her, perhaps as much as anything else he's said, but once that wears off she smiles encouragingly and touches his hand.
"There's no need to hide your feelings here," she says. "Love is a beautiful and noble emotion, no matter which species or genders share in it. It must be difficult being separated from him."
no subject
He can't help being curious about if the device will show the Marks as something different. "The ritual ones help protect us from demons and other monsters." Monsters is an easier term even if it's not quite accurate. "Shadowhunters protect the world from demons and those who aren't human who would hurt others. We keep Mundanes - humans - never know that the things in the scary stories are true."
Smiling weakly at Doctor Crusher, he tries to absorb what she's said but it still takes time to process. "Most cultures back home aren't so accepting. They would have punished me for who I love." The becomes more genuine when he realizes she had said species even if he misses Magnus. "Because he's male and he's a warlock. We'd be accepted here."
no subject
"I see. So you're a guardian," she says, smiling. "Have you ever been seriously wounded or infected with something, and if so have you recovered fully or do you suffer with lingering effects?"
There are some cultures even in this age that could be likened to the one Alec is talking about, but Beverly doesn't think about them, let alone mention them. "You would be accepted here, absolutely. While I can't guarantee how every person would react to the idea of an angel or a warlock, there are all sorts of people in the Federation. You could find peace here, if you stay."
no subject
"I haven't been wounded lately." He'd been lucky during the last battle, but the doctor probably would want to know about the worst injury. "I almost died a few months back. A demon clawed up my chest. The claws were poisoned and I almost died from it. My boyfriend healed me. We haven't noticed any permanent damage."
Alec knows that he couldn't expect everything to be perfect but the idea that some cultures would think that it was normal for him to date Magnus awes him. "I wouldn't expect everyone to accept our relationship or to accept us but I hoped that someday there'd be places where it's all right." His expression falters as he thinks of Magnus. That he's not here and how much that hurts. Then a certain word catches Alec's attention. "If I stay?"
no subject
"I'm not sure we have much need for 'Shadowhunters' here. Unless you know what to do for our Q problem," she says lightly.
Though, with new people arriving every day, perhaps that will change.
"Do you know what kind of poison it was?" she asks, switching back to doctor mode. "And is that sort of thing normal for your kind? That is, are you — immortal?"
She pauses, realizing what must have caught his attention. "I'm sorry, I wouldn't want to alarm you but sometimes people do leave the ship as mysteriously as they arrive. We assume Q returns them to their proper places, since he's never shown a desire to harm anyone he's brought to the ship. We don't know for certain, however. I just wanted to assure you that if your lover did show up here, you wouldn't have to hide what you are. And you would be far from the only same-sex union on this ship."
no subject
"Q isn't someone I could deal with and there are rules that I promised to follow. As long as a Downworlder isn't hurting others, we let them live in peace." Even if he knew how to deal with someone like Q, from what Alec had heard, the being had never intentionally harmed anyone.
At the question about the poison, he shrugged. "Greater demons can poison their victims. It's part of what they are. We normally die of such wounds if a warlock can't save us." If Magnus hadn't been there... The thought was unpleasant, along with the reminder of the 'third person' who had been in their relationship. "Shadowhunters normally die young. Our gifts make us stronger and faster, but we weren't given immortality."
Hope and relief mixed together so that he wasn't sure which option he hoped for. There was a temptation to want Magnus on the ship, no matter how selfish that might be. But home with his siblings and friends. "I didn't know that I could go home. I thought I'd never see them again." Giving her a reassuring smile, he realized he could be patient if he knew that he'd be home eventually. "Thank you for giving me hope that if he does show up that we'll be safe and that I might get to go home someday."
no subject
"I'm sorry, that was a poor joke," she says, reaching out to touch his arm. "You don't have to worry about Q. In fact, I would recommend against it."
There's no telling what he might do, if given provocation. Just because he is playing nice now doesn't mean he hasn't harmed members of this ship in the past. She purses her lips, nodding as she takes in the medically relevant information, and then she's smiling reassuringly again.
"Trust me, Q or not the captain will find a way to get everyone home," she says, with utter faith. "We're not sure how yet, but if anyone can return you to where you belong it's Jean-Luc Picard. In the meantime, we just want you to feel safe here. We know how strange the situation is, but even though you're not part of our Federation you're still part of our crew."
And that makes everyone brought aboard as good as family. Jean-Luc wouldn't treat them as any less important than the next crewman. She pats Alec's arm, and draws in a breath. "So. If you'd like, I can finish your medical exam in private and clear you from quarantine, so you don't have to worry about others knowing your condition. Unless there's anything else?"
no subject
Considering her words, some of the tension in his chest eases. Someday, he'd get back to the people he cared about. "It's good to know that this isn't permanent. And that I'm welcome here." Eventually, he'd find a place for himself and learn to deal with the homesickness. "I don't think there's anything else." Dealing with Mundane medical procedures still seems odd but at least it's not like the things he's seen on TV. "Thank you for keeping everything confidential."