Preparing isn't the Same as Catching up.

Posted on Wed Aug 7th, 2019 @ 5:38am by Commander Talia Varen

Mission: Starbase 332, Where Are You?
Location: Sickbay Trauma bay 1
Timeline: 1600 hours.

Talia was just finishing up some routine checks on her patients that were still suffering the after effects of the virus that had held them all in quarantine for over a week. The virus itself was still causing problems for those affected- and annoying issues for those only exposed but without a viral count. She'd finish the cataloguing of her data and her collaboration with the infectious disease specialists on Vulcan and Earth later on, for she was herself still feeling run down from her own accidental exposure to the virus. The spots, itchy and purple on those with iron based blood, and black on those with copper based blood and the painful muscle spasms lingered on, and she was quite tired of them. It was making it difficult to focus on the task looming before her, though her Shift Chiefs had things well in hand as far as she was concerned. Her job was to ensure that every department was prepared for the onslaught of injured and dead that they were going to get in the attack that was coming. From her lab coat pocket came a ding and she muttered an expletive under her breath. She'd forgotten about her meeting with the command staff. The last time she'd forgotten a meeting it had been almost 5 solar years ago. Lost in the memory she leaned on the table,a tiny smile.

-5 years ago-
Talia Varen, skidded to a stop outside of starfleet Medical's main administration building. She'd been granted a brief leave of absence from the Tichonderoga, in order to take a series of advanced medical classes. She was being considered for a very prestigious position- as the CMO of a Starbase. It required a different mentality than one could have on a Starship by several orders of magnitude.

"What do you think makes you qualified for this position Dr. Varen? It's certainly not your punctuality..." A tall man with the spots of a trill and the bar of an Admiral stood before her. His disapproval of her lateness was clear in the sour- pinched expression on his face.

"No sir. Sorry sir. My specialty is Xenobiology and Comparative medicines," she nodded slowly. "As roughly a half-breed, it was important to me to be knowledgeable about what was safe medical practice for all species. My research, well...It's practically a novel right now, of scientific testing and experimentation. Dr's Keladry and Wyrcombe thought it was quite promising, and something I would better be able to continue in an arena like a starbase." Her hand came self consciously to the dark spots she still bore on her skin, an accident but still a visible sign of that research and the results of failure. "What would work on a Vulcan might kill a human for example - because of the differences in how the liver's function. The medicine that an Andorian could take safely or recreationally, could incapacitate an Klingon in full bellow as easily as you or I could bat an eyelash. I find it fascinating, if you'll pardon the overused term."

The man didn't look impressed in the slightest, and Talia opened her mouth to argue more. The scene popped like a bubble- disappearing from her minds eye when the scream of the proximity alarm she'd set tore her from her woolgathering. A quick glance at the monitor screen told her that more patients were coming in from the riots in the Docking Area. This was not the ideal time for another wave of casualties, but they had no choice but to meet each injury as it came. Civilians this time, probably some of the rioters themselves. How am I to prepare for the insectoid invasion- when the Captains are too hyperfocused on leaving to see the dangers we face, and keep trying to kill each other? How much more can my staff handle? The meeting with Zon and the rest would have to wait. She sent a brief apologetic thought to Leo, hoping he would pass it on to Zon, as she shored up her shields walked into the bloody scene that was her trauma bay.