Unsung Heroes

[Chirakis 1]

Unsung Heroes 

Dr. Pavilion nodded and stepped a bit closer.  “You get some rest as well, and that’s not a request.”
“Yes, ma’am,” said the captain with a slight grin.
                         ~Aegis chat 2 August 2019

It was a mutual agreement.  The doctor was just as worn as she, and yet she ordered the captain to retire to quarters. The captain could have easily ordered the doctor to do the same, but she did not. In essence, each could order the other off duty, hence the smile and, "Yes, ma'am."

It is generally understood that the chain of command aboard a ship, on a space station, or on any starbase ends with a captain, an admiral, or any officer who has been given the task of directing a crew.  This is not necessarily true.  

Case in point, although Captain Chirakis is commanding officer of Sky Harbor Aegis, Aegis’s chain of command does not stop with her.  One higher than she is often overlooked, and that is the station’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr Pavilion.  

At any time, with the concurrence of another command rank officer, Dr Pavilion could declare the captain unfit for command and remove her from that position. With that in mind, Kirel often spotted the doctor in stealth mode—worthy of an SI-5 operative.  The doctor would enter CnC, step to the side to watch or log onto a free console—similar to hers in the medical complex—and begin to work.  Stealth mode.

On this particular day, however, Kirel's blank stare at the tactical view screen verified her exhaustion and drew Dr Pavilion’s attention.   Aegean and Regulus would arrive sometime within the next 24 hours. At the doctor's orders, she left believing that she would only rest. Instead, she fell into a deep sleep.  In full uniform.  Only to awake fourteen hours later.

*   *  *   *   *

Having heard that Aegean was about to dock, Captain Chirakis stepped out of the command lift at the quarantine level.  A young security officer stepped next to her, SOP in such matters. At his request, Ltjg Yorkowski had just transferred from Starfleet Operations to Aegis. As soon as he was available,  Kirel tapped him for her security details. A third degree black belt Karate master did not belong behind a desk.

Within the quarantine area, a prominent medical officer wandered among her assistants, checking and rechecking equipment.

“How long has Dr Pavilion been here, Lieutenant?” the captain queried as she watched.

“She arrived shortly after oh five hundred, Captain.”

“Have you any idea why she came early?”

“Well, ma’am, she’s been walking through, checking everything, counting suits, checking scanners, verifying codes, examining contamination suits, shifting equipment, checking the radius of the quarantine, readjusting just about everything. She’s pretty damn meticulous, ma’am.”

Nodding slowly, she verified, “Indeed she is, Lieutenant.  Since five hundred?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Half an hour later, the crew of Aegean began to exit via the docking port and wander wearily toward the decontamination area.  The injured exited first.  Some walked. Aegis’s medical personnel approached others who needed assistance. Some stumbled, exhausted from the battle against what was now known as the rogue star.  Some were carried off.  Most had radiation contamination, many were disoriented, and a few had a look of disbelief that they had returned alive.  Kirel was all too familiar with their facial expressions.  What it would have been like to be burned in the gravity well of a star?  Would it have been a slow, agonizing death?  Would it have been a quick snap?  Would the radiation have gotten to them before they even felt the heat? 

 Dr. Sandero paused just outside the ship to page through her tablet, checking and rechecking her patients, making sure that all were accounted for.  Her blonde hair, normally twisted into an impeccable bun for duty, was somewhat frazzled.  Her face, so often admired by passersby, was pale and worn, and yet she pressed on, constantly watching for the slightest sign of crisis.  Though her exhaustion showed, she did not allow it to keep her from her duty.

As commanding officer of Aegean, Commander Coleridge exited last.  No doubt he had walked through Aegean to assure that no one had been left behind.  His exhaustion showed as he approached the senior officers and presented himself as though it were an ordinary day.  “File your reports by the end of the day,” he said, “but then I want you taking at least a day off before you go back on duty.”

From there, they were transported to the medical complex to be washed and given new uniforms.  As soon as Kirel received notice that all were well and accounted for, she relaxed, but only a little.  The crew returning was a different crew than the one that had left a few days ago.