[sb118-artemis] Ensign Tho'Bi - Full Responsibility

[Tobi]

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((Sickbay, USS Artemis-A))

  

The young Andorian ensign’s six foot 3 inch frame sat upright and still as a self-sealed stem bolt.  He had barely stepped off the transporter pad, when ship systems summoned him to sickbay.  As he sat, motionless, on the biobed, the Betazoid Doctor worked a dermal re-generator along the cut on his check.  The ensign had never gotten used to the idea, that his skin was being chemically coxed into accelerated growth.  The thought of his skin slithering and stitching itself back together send a shiver his spine. 

Swoosh!  The double doors to the Sickbay opened; so preoccupied was the ensign with the slithering and stitching, this entirely escaped his notice.  A human female dressed in the red of command entered; this too escaped the notice of the ensign.  The silence proved too much for the anxious young ensign.  He opted to fill it with the first thing that came to mind.

Tho’Bi: Have you read any medical studies into anxiety in Andorians and wonky antennae?  :: points at his antennae :: my antennae feel wonky when I’m anxious :: nods as he says this ::

Adea: Response

The woman remained unnoticed by the ensign; that is, until she spoke.

MacKenzie: Dr. Adea doesn’t often busy himself with the work usually left to the counselors. ::extending her hand:: I’m Captain MacKenzie, and you must be Ensign Tho’Bi.

Clump!  The young ensign’s feet hit the deck hard as he snapped to attention.  So rapid had his reaction been, he very nearly head-butted the doctor. 

Adea: Response?

Tho’Bi: Yes, Sir.  Ma’am.  Captain.  :: Shakes MacKenzie’s hand ::

Adea: Response

The captain smiled and nodded.

MacKenzie: A pleasure to have you aboard, Ensign. ::gesturing to the wound:: What happened there?

The ensign hesitated for a moment.  Some small part of him had hoped to have avoided telling the Captain, but he’d grown up on Starfleet vessel and space station; he knew very well honesty was the best, only course of action.  He’d heard stories of commanding officers understanding any number of infraction; often not without punishment, but nevertheless, with understanding and without malice.  Trust, however, was central to Starfleet and a necessity of any command structure aboard a ship or station.   

Tho’Bi:  :: stood to attention with his eyes fixed in front of him :: An altercation with two Andorian Imperial Guards.  They attempted to goad me into a fight by insulting my parents.  I lost my temper and shoved one of them.  The second of the two guards must have already had a Chaka blade to hand. :: looks at MacKenzie :: I take full responsibility for the incident and apologize.  I let the uniform down :: gaze returns to in front of him :: 

Adea: Responses

The captain listened intently.  The ensign made little attempt to read her reaction.  He would know soon enough.

MacKenzie: I see… Looks like Dr. Adea has done impeccable work repairing the wound, as usual.

Tho’Bi:  Yes, Captain.  :: turns to Adea ::  Thank you, Doctor.  :: gaze returns to in front of him ::

There was, of course, more to the story.  The seemingly effortless way in which the captain of the civilian transport rendered the two experienced fighters of the Imperial Guard unconscious; and that it had not been the civilian captain, but an Andorian Commander who, having beamed on board upon their arrival at Risa, made financial restitution for the infraction.  Not to mention the oddity that was the ship’s layout.

But in this moment, all those events seemed irrelevant to the young ensign.  He had made the mistake.  It was his conduct that was of issue; not the peculiarities of the civilian transport, crew and activities, therein.  He prepared himself for a punishment detail, at the very least. 

Adea/MacKenzie: Responses

TAG/TBC

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Ensign Tho’Bi

Engineering

USS Artemis-A

A240203T11