Introductions and Chokladbollar (Part 2)

Posted on Tue Oct 28th, 2025 @ 11:51pm by Captain Erik Norsgaard & Lieutenant Tyler Malbrooke & Lieutenant Juliette Barnes & Lieutenant Patrick Ryan M.D. & Lieutenant Ayryn Trynn M.D. & Lieutenant Stormy Knight

2,062 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Wolf in the Fold: Hide and Seek
Location: Conference Room | Bridge | USS Thunderbird
Timeline: MD001 - 0800

Norsgaard waited until the Starfleet logo returned before he spoke. "He's downplaying things a bit. He's currently at Starfleet Medical undergoing a thorough workup. From what I understand, he's very weak."

The observation was an understatement. The infection, coupled by his determination to do too much, to soon had taken a toll and Ayryn was not entirely surprised by this decision. She was surprised by the commendation, although she entirely supported the one given to Lieutenant Knight. After all, she had done most of the work when it came to developing a cure.

Patrick exhaled softly, the weight of Rylan’s words settling across the room like static before a storm. He didn’t look at anyone right away—just at the now-blank screen—then down at his coffee as though it might offer some steadying clarity. When he did speak, his tone was measured, low, and unmistakably sincere. “‘Very weak’ is probably putting it kindly,” he said after a beat. “But that’s Rylan—he’d rather downplay a plasma burn than admit he needs a rest.”

Patrick straightened slightly, eyes shifting to Norsgaard. “Starfleet Medical has the right people for him. I’ve already been in touch with a few of the attending physicians there—old colleagues. They’re keeping me updated, and I’ll share what I can as things progress.” Then, quieter, almost as an aside, “He’s stubborn, but he’s in good hands. And if I know Rylan, he’ll find some way to critique their bedside manner before the week’s out.” A flicker of a smile softened the gravity of his words before he leaned back again, folding his arms loosely. “In the meantime, Captain, you’ve got a crew ready to work. And if there’s anything you need from Medical—support, status checks, or otherwise—you’ll have it.”

"Very good," Norsgaard said. "Given the recent medical situation on board, have you given thought to scheduling medical checkups with the crew?"

Patrick nodded once, unsurprised by the question. “Already in progress, Captain,” he said, folding his hands on the table. “After what we went through on Guran III, I didn’t want to wait for orders. Full medical exams are being scheduled for the entire crew — senior staff first, then department rotations. Nothing perfunctory, either. We’re running full-spectrum diagnostics: immune panels, neural scans, metabolic readings — the works.”

He tapped his padd lightly. “I’ve coordinated with Sickbay to stagger the appointments so it won’t interfere with operations, and my contacts at Starfleet Medical have already forwarded the latest clearance protocols for post-exposure monitoring. I’ll transmit the schedule to your office by the end of the day.”
A faint glint of humor softened his otherwise steady tone. “So, in short, everyone’s getting poked, prodded, and scanned whether they like it or not. And, if I may suggest, Captain — you’re first on the list. Saves me the trouble of having to track you down later.”

Norsgaard turned a pair of startlingly blue eyes on the the ship's Chief Medical Officer and chuckled. "You'll find I don't run true to the stereotype, doctor. I"m generally willing to be ... poked and prodded as you say ... as long as its within reason. As for the rest, good. Make sure that Operations has a copy as well. Resource management and all. Who's in charge of that?"

Stormy wasn't quite sure what to say about the captain--former captain's commendation, so she remained silent. While she appreciated it, she was far happier to have helped stop the plague and save the planet. She was sad to hear that the captain would need a long rehabilitation and wished she could have found answers sooner. She'd process this later. Right now, there was a new captain on board, and she wanted to listen to everyone--especially the new captain.

Tyler's initial thoughts at what Captain Gray had said was that he would miss the Captain, but he was not too emotional about it. Truth be told Tyler did not know the Captain all that well and now here was a new Captain to get to know. Great yet another physical. Tyler thought. It was then that he heard the Captain's request. "I am, Sir. Lieutenant Tyler Malbrooke, Chief Operations Officer."

"At least for the first time," Norsgaard said, "if you could all identify yourself when you speak. It would be a great help. Trusk ..." He looked around the Conference Room, surprised that his yeoman wasn't there and made a mental note to speak to the man later, "... will be scheduling meetings over the next couple of days, schedules permitting."

"For now though, we have work to do. Admiral Scofield has ordered us to rendezvous with the Gul Zelar of the CDS Ocett. They've 'found' some prisoners that we are to take back to Bajor. We don't know much about their condition at this point so, Doctor Ryan, you'll be responsible for overseeing their medical care. Think of it more as triage. The Bajorans are very insistent about them being the ones to do the debriefing and long-term care. Understood?"

Patrick gave a short nod, the professionalism settling easily over his features. “Understood, Captain. I’ll have Sickbay prepped for triage and isolation in case their condition’s unstable. Once we have them aboard, we’ll stabilize first, questions later.” He paused just long enough for a faint, dry edge to surface. “Hopefully the Cardassians’ definition of ‘found’ doesn’t translate to ‘barely alive.’”

"Indeed," Norsgaard said. "It's my understanding that they are ambulatory though not much else was given. To say relations between the Federation and the Bajoran people are ... uneasy ... would be an understatement. We must all be at our diplomatic best during this period especially since, as part of the deal, Bajor is releasing Cardassians prisoners that we'll be transporting back to the Ocett."

“I can’t imagine such an exchange was easy to negotiate,” Trynn mused, before turning her attention to Ryan. “Barely alive may also be indicative of the Bajoran's psychological health as well. I’m happy to support if needed.”

"I appreciate the offers to help," Norsgaard said, "and we all know what they've likely been through. But as I said, the Bajorans would rather handle counseling themselves. That being said, if there is anyone in distress, we can revisit this."

“Of course,” Ayryn nodded, taking a drink from the mug of coffee.

The Cardassians had a nasty habit of using their prisoners as medical guinea pigs or primarily as slave laborers so these people were probably going to be in bad shape either way. Daegan was curious though; why weren't the Cardassians returning these people themselves? They could try to ingratiate themselves by throwing some Gul to the wolves and bring them to DS9. Something just didn't sit right. "Sir, do we have a number on how many 'prisoners' we will be picking up?"

"The Bajorans have a Gul they've been hanging onto. Plan to use him in exchange for twenty of their own," Norsgaard said. "The Cardassians were hiding some of their high value prisoners, using them as slave labor in mining operations and the like. Where they had these people hidden is anyone's guess. Still, they want the Gul enough that they're willing to trade. There was some concern that they might have just executed them."

Daegan found it interesting that the Bajorans had Cardassian prisoners. Not knowing the particulars he found it odd. All prisoners were supposed to have been handed over at the end of the occupation. Were these Cardassians held secretly by the provisional government? Had they been recovered from one of the resistance cells that was still operating? If the first...that would mean, at least at some level, the Bajorans were no better than the Cardassian. That assumption he kept to himself as it wouldn't do anyone any good. But something definitely was going on behind the scenes. "Understood, and how many Cardassians will we be transporting to the Ocett?"

"As I said," Norsgaard responded. "One Cardassian officer. The Ocett's commanding officer, Zelar? I believe its someone related to him. The Bajorans are not forthcoming about where they had him or who was holding him. Only that they are willing to make the trade. Neither side trusts the other so ... the Federation decided to get involved. In the hopes of winning over the Bajorans."

Nodding, "Understood."

"Stormy Knight," the science officer said, identifying herself as the captain requested. "If they've been prisoners for a while, do we know if they'll need any special accommodations? Or will medical and counseling need to assess that when they board?" It would be nice to have that information so ops could get everything ready in advance, but if not, they might need to have some sort of process ready to determine not only their health, but any special needs when they arrive.

"As I said, Dr. Ryan can perform triage of course and its my understanding that they're all ambulatory." He sighed quietly as he leaned back in his seat. "It's a difficult situation. If they pass triage, then Lieutenant Malbrooke should have quarters ready for them, clustered together, and program the replicators to have a good Bajoran menu selection. Beyond that, I'm not sure what we can do. We'll have to see how willing they are to engage. Frankly, the events on Quasinon did us no favors with the Bajorans but I think we can turn things around; certainly I'd like to remedy some of that damage if I can but not at the expense of their comfort and well being."

Patrick gave Stormy a small, reassuring nod before answering, his tone steady and succinct. “We’ll know more once they’re aboard. Medical and Counseling will conduct immediate evaluations, physical and psychological. If any special accommodations are needed beyond standard quarters, we’ll flag it quickly and loop in Ops so adjustments can be made on the fly.” He glanced briefly toward the captain. “Until then, we prepare for the spectrum and adapt as the picture becomes clearer.”

Stormy smiled back at the doctor, appreciating the reassurance.

"We will make sure that the power is allocated. We will be standing by for any needs. Captain with your permission I would like to shut down all non essential systems. Keep that power in reserve for the time being should it be needed." Tyler took notes as he spoke.

“Juliette Barnes, Chief Engineer,” she said for the new captain’s benefit. “I do have a basic EMT training, so if medical needs any help at all, I’m available. You know, unless… something happens,” she added significantly. She didn’t want to voice what that something might be; superstitions ran deep, after all.

"Generally," Norsgaard said, "Medical maintains a list of those who can be pulled in to help as the need arises. Standard OP for shipboard emergencies. Dr. Ryan, do you have such a list and how long has it been since you've updated it?"

Patrick didn’t even need to check his padd. He answered without hesitation, a touch of dry pride in his voice.

“Updated last night, Captain. I refresh it any time there’s a crew change, transfer, or new face aboard—including cross-referencing Starfleet-verified certifications. Lieutenant Barnes is already on the auxiliary responder roster along with our other EMT-qualified personnel.”

He glanced briefly down the table and offered Juliette a small, acknowledging nod before continuing.

“If the situation escalates and we need to expand coverage, I can pull from that list immediately and assume triage command until additional hands arrive. You’ll have an up-to-date copy in your inbox before the end of the briefing.”

He folded his hands again, calm and efficient.

“In short, Captain—we’re prepared to mobilize the moment those prisoners step aboard.”

Julie nodded in agreement. Unless one of the prisoners gave off an EMP every few minutes, she wasn’t going to have many repairs to do, so assisting Sick Bay would at least keep her busy.

"If there's nothing else," Norsgaard said. "You're dismissed."

---

Captain Erik Norsgaard
Commanding Officer
USS Thunderbird

Lieutenant Stormy Knight
Chief Science Officer
USS Thunderbird

Lieutenant Ayryn Trynn
Chief Counselor
USS Thunderbird

Lieutenant Juliette Barnes
Chief Engineer
USS Thunderbird

Lieutenant Tyler Malbrooke
Chief Operations Officer
USS Thunderbird

 

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