Ensign Sival: Connections
James Scott Schumann
((OOC: Okay, Tito. I’ll try. lol ))
(( Short Time Skip ))
(( Secondary Sickbay, Deck 20, USS Juneau ))
Sival was satisfied that he had the chance to explore a research opportunity on his first day on the USS Juneau. Sival had taken a recent interest in the amygdala, and the activities of some of the ship’s crew led him to ponder the relationship between the amygdala’s biochemistry and one’s environment. This had important implications, Sival felt, because mediators between the amygdala and the environment, such as medicine, behavior or outlook could inform how Starfleet trains soldiers to cope with stressful situations. It could, of course, have other implications as well. This was a topic that had grown close to Sival’s heart during his tenure as a psychiatrist, and it was a topic that he would certainly encounter in his new career. Indeed, this issue was a major influence behind why he decided to enroll in Starfleet in the first place.
However, Sival had been assigned as a medical officer, not as a psychiatrist where he could make the most effective impact.
Sival accepted the assignment. He was a doctor, after all, and he had spent decades working both in hospital and on the front lines as a MD. While it was true that he specialized in differential diagnosis of illnesses that other doctors could not identify, through the lens of comparative physiology, he always kept a general family medical practice open. Even when he moved into a focus on psychiatry, he kept that practice open. It grounded him. It reminded him why he had wanted to become a doctor - to help and to heal.
Thus Sival did not feel held back by his Starfleet assignment. It synched with the core of his being. He thought if he were to find a place in Starfleet as a psychiatrist, he would have to work his way up first. Sival was willinging to do this, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to make the best of the moment he was in now.
Sival wasn’t going to wait to ‘make a difference’. Was he being impatient? Perhaps. But that’s not the way Sival saw it. He saw it as that he had ultimately joined Starfleet to help soldiers suffering from PTSD, and if he could find a way to do that through his role as a medical officer, then he certainly would do it. He would just need to approach the issue from a different angle. Thus his current stab (surgically speaking) at the amygdala.
That Dr. Indobri gave him permission to pursue his research was a signal to him that he was making the right decision. She had allowed him to use the Secondary Sickbay office, not just as an area to work, but as a space to house his research interests. (It was important to Sival that he bring the question to her again for this specific point. She agreed.) She was even willing to arrange a duty schedule that would further facilitate him while still letting him perform his duty shifts in Main Sickbay. This was most accommodating of Dr. Indobri, Sival believed.
Because of this, Sival resolved not to spend too much time in Secondary Sickbay, as he was optimistic about his working relationship with Dr. Indobri, and he wanted to be in Main Sickbay enough to give opportunity for a professional relationship to develop. Sival’s human instincts told him that she was a consummate professional, and he could learn much from her. His Vulcan mind told him that it was only logical to seek out and learn from the experience of others.
Sival snapped himself out of thought.
He wondered how many seconds he had been sitting at the desk in the Secondary Sickbay office in contemplation. He looked in front of him and saw that he was still holding the PADD with his impressions and observations of the day’s earlier events. He wrote a note to draft consent forms that would allow him to obtain the crew members' bio readings for research purposes. Then he put the PADD aside.
His next task, which he technically could have left until tomorrow, was to sign Lieutenant Tito’s physical report and send it to Dr. Indobri. The two doctors had already discussed the report’s contents, now he just needed to write it up. He entered in the tricorder readings. He also put in the request for the records to be sent from the lieutenant’s previous post, which he believed was the USS Europa. He transcribed his oral interview with him, and he put in an order for a followup evaluation with Counsellor Tierney. He pressed the button that submitted the report for Dr. Indobri’s approval.
Upon pressing that button, Sival paused. He suddenly felt a sense of concern and compassion for Lieutenant Tito. While Sival did not know what he had been through, he believed he must have suffered some kind of hardship. Sival didn’t know why he believed this, but his human intuition told him that it was significant and meaningful. Not yet knowing how, Sival decided that if he could help this man, in even the smallest of ways, then he would.
Sival’s stomach grumbled. He was hungry - he had not eaten lunch. Skipping meals was something he tended to do when he lost himself in… well, himself. He recalled there was a socialization area that served food, including vegan, on the ship’s tenth deck. Seeing his work was done for the day, he made his way there.
(( Clanhouse, Deck 10, USS Juneau ))
Sival entered what was designated on the ship’s specifications as its mess hall and ‘Clanhouse’. Sival did not look into what ‘Clanhouse’ referred to, thus he was pleasantly surprised when he arrived. He found a space adorned with the decorations of what appeared to be one of Earth’s Native Peoples’ cultures. In the center of the room was a wooden bar with a mural painted with intricate patterns that resembled faces using red and black paint. Surrounding the bar were tables along the room’s perimeter, with some of the walls replaced by giant windows that looked out into space, as well as at the nearby Lightside Station.
Only a handful of people were in the room - most everyone must still be enjoying their shore leave on the station, Sival supposed.
He approached the waiter at the bar, and after the required discussions that all vegans have with their waiters, Sival selected the pasta, satisfied that there was nothing in it that an obligate carnivore would eat. He considered taking a water, but he had drunk water the day before, so he did not need to drink any liquid today.
Sival looked around for a place to sit. At first he thought to sit at one of the tables adjacent to a floor-to-ceiling window to gaze at the stars and contemplate the nature of the universe, but he then saw none other than Lieutenant Tito sitting at a corner table.
oO This might be an opportunity to befriend him. Oo
Sival walked in Lt. Tito’s direction.
Sival: Lieutenant Tito, would you mind if I joined you?
To Sival, the lieutenant was apparently intrigued, and he tried to express it in a respectful, Vulcan manner. He raised an eyebrow and showed a stoic expression. Sival was honored by this sign of respect. Perhaps his instincts were right about him after all.
Tito: Yes, I see the place is packed. You may sit, as long as you don’t bother me.
The lieutenant had already used this kind of ironic humour during their previous conversation in Sickbay. At that time, Sival did not understand, but Lt. Tito had explained how it was a joke. So, this time Sival was prepared. He attempted a slight nod of agreement to show that he was in on the joke and to communicate that he knew the lieutenant’s true intent was for Sival to indeed ‘bother’ him.
Sival: Thank you. There are not many people here, so I was hoping that I would find a companion with whom to converse.
Not the entire reason he sat down with Lieutenant Tito, but it was true enough.
Tito: And what is that to me? Can I ask you a question?
Sival was pleased. Lt. Tito had already taken an interest in him.
Sival: Absolutely. Apparently our conversation has already begun.
He noticed that the lieutenant smiled in a way that might have seemed almost sadistic, but since Sival had been having such a hard time interpreting Lt. Tito’s conversational style, he didn’t think much of it. If anything, he took it as a sign that the lieutenant was enjoying the conversation.
Tito: Isn’t there anyone more friendly that you can eat with? In case you haven’t noticed I don’t like people.
Sival understood this to be a philosophical question. Excellent! This was exactly the kind of conversation he was hoping to have with Lt. Tito. He was most satisfied.
Sival: An interesting premise, but an illogical one. I did not choose to sit with you because you are either friendly or unfriendly. As I said, I chose to sit with you for conversation.
Tito: Response.
Sival was a bit confused by the statement, but he gently replied.
Sival: I see. Actually, I find you to be a fascinating person.
Tito: Response
oO Keep trying, Sival Oo
Sival: Well, perhaps you could tell me a little about yourself? A favourite hobby, perhaps?
Tito: Response
TAG / TBC
Ensign Sival
Medical Officer
USS Juneau, NX-99801
J239808S11