Crewman Annamae Barberra - This Side of Andoria
Wil Ukinix
((Flashback - Gathering Center, Talaxian Colony, Idrustix - Evening, Day 8))
Annamae sat in the corner of the dining hall, slowly sipping her Leola Root Wine, while reading news from home on her PADD.
Home being Amity, not home being Earth.
She didn’t want to read *that* feed. The Earth news cycle was still dominated by the fallout from Frontier Day.
No, her news was solely selected from occasional articles from Kit Ivanovic, Arthur Summerside, and some of the community newsletters that some of the residents had put together, including the quaint one put together by some of the Talaxian residents who were in *love* with the Koala in the Blue Gums biome.
Marvoxx: Doctor Foyle? May I join you?
Annamae looked at the Talaxian, then gestured to the chair opposite her, before returning back to her PADD.
Marvoxx: I heard you did great at pre-calibrating the main power unit’s controls in sector A-4.
Barberra: Meh. ::shrug:: Someone had to do it.
Marvoxx: Not bad for a doctor. Or should I say, a crewman, Crewman Annamae Barberra.
Annamae’s eyes opened wide. Busted.
Barberra: Oh, no, that’s my twin sister. She um... she was embarrassed by our family after an incident with a chihuahua, so she disowned us.
Marvoxx: What’s a “chihuaua”?
Barberra: ::Points spoon at Marvoxx: *Exactly* what I said. Why should a little dog break up a family?
The Talaxian, with a little smile, just kept looking at her.
Barberra. Okay. Fiiiine. I am Annamae Barberra.
Marvoxx: Why did you give a fake name? I mean, nobody cares, you’re doing good work here. I’m just curious.
Barberra: Because... I just didn’t want to be myself for a while.
She paused for a moment, looking down ashamedly.
Barberra: I did terrible things.
Marvoxx: Oh nooooo, Annamae, you didn’t do terrible things, the Borg did. The changelings did. You didn’t.
Annamae sighed, and slightly rolled her eyes. With her soon, she placidly toyed with her soup.
Barberra: I know, but... ::shrug:: I can’t escape it was me that did those things that I did. But that’s not the worst part. I don’t have much memory of what I did, but I can remember some feelings. And I remember, for a split second, feeling *exhilarated*.
Marvoxx: What other feelings did you feel?
Barberra: What are you, a counsellor?
Marvoxx just simply folded one of his hands over the other, and looked at her with a friendly little smile and a shake of his head, saying nothing.
Barberra: ::sigh::... Horror. Despair. Concern. Outrage. But also... calm. Peace.
He nodded.
Marvoxx: Being in the Delta quadrant, I can tell you that there have been *many* Talaxians that have been assimilated. ::Blank stare at wall:: I’ve seen two be eliminated within seconds of each other. Friends. It was... like the life was sucked out of them. Implants popping out, firing tubules at me, trying to get me to join their collective...
Barberra: You got away?
Marvoxx: Well my name is Marvoxx, not Six of Fifteen, right?!
Annamae smiled for a moment, then looked away, sad.
Marvoxx: Did you have a designation?
Barberra: ::Sombre nod:: One of Eleven.
Marvoxx: Ooh, One! Leader. Well I’m not surprised, I’ve seen you naturally leading some groups in the colony build. What’s your posting?
Barberra: Science.
Marvoxx: Science! And yet you do so many engineering things.
Barberra: I could have... you know. Picked either. Or possibly medical. I’m pretty good at helm... Not sure about catering though. I mean, I cook a mean taco--
Barberra: Well, just as I thought. You’re many things, Crewman Barberra. The Borg didn’t take that away from you. ::pointing spoon back at her:: Just you remember that.
Annamae swallowed, and looked down. She could tell what the man was trying to do. It was a gesture... maybe even a *nice* one. Ugh. She looked at her soup, pondering, saying nothing.
Marvoxx: Oh, and by the way, I *am* a counsellor.
She looked back up.
Barberra: I’m going to kill you a thousand times.
Marvoxx simply smiled, then exaggeratingly took a mouthful of his soup, giving Annamae a simple wink.
Then something amazing happened.
Annamae let out a small *laugh* - stifled, quiet, and almost a series of scowls - but still a laugh.
Barberra: I hate you.
Marvoxx: No you don’t. C’mon. After dinner, join the rest of us. We’ve all been working so hard, let’s blow of some steam.
Annamae’s face returned to a serious expression. She studied him for a moment...
Barberra: You ever heard of “bingo”?
((End Flashback))
Barberra: You know the saying, absinthe makes the heart grow fonder? Well that’s nothing compared to the Leola Root Wine the Talaxians make on Idrustix. It will send your heart to another dimension.
Orrey: That is n…no, you know what I get the spirit of what you mean. Remind me to show you Ligonian Spiced Tea at some point. Isn’t as viewpoint shaping as Leola Root but will keep you warm and in place if the grav plating fails.
oO Ligonian Spiced Tea. Mental note made. Oo
Barberra: Sir, ::pointing at herself:: “Doctor Margerie Foyle” sometimes assisted at the temporary hospital in Paxala in an assistant nursing capacity.
She really, truly, wanted to help. She had learned the value of it on Idrustix. And now it was time to apply that learning to her Starfleet colleagues.
Orrey: Is it impersonation if you are among another culture. Interesting hypothesis.
She proudly smirked for a moment.
The reception area holodeck “Emilia” shimmered into existence. She gave a suspicious glance towards Annamae, before turning to Jansen.
Emilia: Doctor Orrey, a patient has just presented herself, it appears the stress of red alert has apparently triggered her labor.
Annamae’s eyes opened wide with delight.
Barberra: Nice! How far apart are the contractions?
Orrey: If she is walking still, likely far apart. ::nodding his head:: Thank you Emilia please inform her that we will be right along.
Doctor Orrey motioned for Annamae to join as he started walking. Annamae quietly clapped her palms together in wicked delight a few times.
Orrey: So you and Emilia have met before?
Barberra: Oh. Uhhh. Well, I did call her photon face. Something told me that I don’t think she appreciated it. Maybe I should “clean up” her memory cache--
Orrey: It would make sense that she remembers you. I programmed the holoreceptionist to mimic the species of whoever is coming in. It is one reason that the screen hides the area behind the desk until they stand up. When you enter the doors you are registered by your comm status and the receptionist changes. Since they are usually only active on third shift there are not many people who come in. It also gives us doctors a heads up as we know vaguely who we are treating.
Barberra: Huh. So answer me this. A Vulcan, an Andorian, and a Tellarite walk into a medical center reception in a space station in the Delta Quadrant. In what form does Emelia appear? Does she Tuvix it?
Annamae followed Jansen through an isolation field in an area labelled OB/GYN. He indicated to a compartment on one side of the door, so she could put on a freaking surgical gown! oO Oh yeah. Oo And it was red. Red! oO Amazing! Oo
Orrey: Have you ever attended a birth before?
Barberra: Not since my own.
Orrey: Realistically we need to move as fast as possible before things get violent. The surgical transporter is an extremely finicky piece of kit. If the station gets attacked we will have more time than we would on a ship but it still won’t be ideal.
Barberra: Aye, sir.
Orrey: As soon as we get in there and clean our hands I want you to ready a hypospray with a mixed half dose each of asinolyathin and morphenolog. It will help with both the pain and the spasms.
Annamae nodded, and sprung into action, following Jansen once again and stepped inside. The field immediately came back up.
Orrey: Exciting times to be bringing our little one into the world isn’t it?
Annamae looked at the mom-to-be and her partner, just as a wave of pain from a contraction rushed over her. oO Wild! Oo
C. Ortho: ::pained:: yeAh doc..iS..::relaxing as the contraction passed:: Is everything alright? The red alert and everything she is a couple weeks early still you said.
She reached her hands into a small alcove that the good doctor had just had his hands in. Blue light and the hum of a sonic cleaner “magically” cleaned her hands.
Orrey: Blood pressure is up but I don’t see any other problems that could be the pain. How is the pain?
S. Ortho: Like I am streaking through a field of Kaladian thorn flowers.
Jansen laughed as Annamae *rabidly* reached to mix the hypo with asinolyathin and morphenolog.
Orrey: Well, Ms. Barberra here is going to give you something to help with that while I get our equipment ready.
Barberra: Oh yeah. ::lifting hypo:: Asinolyathin and Morphenolog. Very soon you’ll be flying through a field of pink targhs. Ready?
The woman nodded. Annamae pressed the hypos, one after the other, into the patient’s neck and activated them. The gave a satisfying hiss as the chemicals were delivered into the woman’s blood stream.
Barberra: ::To woman’s partner:: Sir, I’d offer them to you, but she needs someone’s hand to break while she’s pushing out your new child. And I need both hands to assist Doctor Orrey here.
The partner simply let out a nervous chuckle-cough.
Barberra: It’s going to be fine. Doctor Orrey is not just a man with the healthiest, shiniest white hair this side of Andoria. He could deliver a baby elephant safely out of a Risian sea turtle.
S. Ortho: I’m... I’m worried, this is the worst timing.
Orrey/C. Ortho: Response
It was just at that moment that an alert informed the doctor that there was a medical emergency that had just arrived in the medical center.
Annamae simply glanced at Jansen, just as Emilia (in non-Tuvix form) fizzled into existence at the corner of the room.
Orrey: Response
Barberra: Excuse us, just a moment.
Annamae made her way with Jansen over to the hologram in the corner of the room, who spoke quietly.
Emilia: ::Quietly:: Two Starfleet Officers have just been beamed in, in critical condition. They were in the Magnolia and were attacked by a Trenvonn drones. There’s hundreds of them out there.
Barberra: Trenvonn?
Orrey: Response
Emilia: Not to mention the Kathesis Pact all lined up at the edge of our space.
Barberra: ::nervous look to Jansen:: Holy...
Emilia: ::To Jansen:: Doctor, they’re not in good shape.
Annamae glanced at the pregnant woman and her partner, who were both watching on, wondering what the hell the trio were talking about, and clearly nervous as hell. She then glanced back at Jansen, her expression remaining stoic, but her brown eyes showing concern. She wondered what the CMO would decide to do.
Orrey: Response
Tags/TBC!
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Crewman Second Class Annamae Barberra
Science Specialist
Amity Outpost
V239511WU0