1st Meeting on the Grand Tour Medical
Posted on 02 Aug 2025 @ 4:12pm by Lieutenant Commander Riah Amberlyn XMD & Lieutenant JG Halux-denari-vettaliin
Edited on on 02 Aug 2025 @ 6:38pm
1,530 words; about a 8 minute read
Mission:
Assignment: Arawyn
Location: Medical/Counseling Suite - Arawyn
Tags: counseling, medical
=/\= Medical Suite, USS Arawyn =/\=
The corridor lights aboard the USS Arawyn were subtly different from the Sarek’s—cooler, maybe a touch more clinical, with a faint hum underfoot that suggested tighter structural tolerances or newer grav-plate calibrations. Halux noticed such things, not out of habit, but because they spoke volumes about a ship’s personality. The Arawyn didn’t feel cold, exactly—but it was still unfamiliar. A vessel between moments, preparing to move forward. He could sense it in the way passing crew nodded—respectfully, but distracted, preoccupied.
His own uniform still felt new in places, the collar a touch too crisp, the rank pip catching faint glints of corridor light. He walked with measured confidence, hands at his sides, PADD tucked neatly beneath his arm. His breathing was even. Intentional. He wasn't nervous—not exactly. But there was a flutter of energy inside him, not unlike the sensation before stepping into a new counseling session: possibility laced with uncertainty.
Sickbay was just ahead, its doors parted by motion and the familiar scent of sterilization agents drifted out into the corridor—sharp, clean, and tinged with the faintest trace of bio-gel. Halux paused just before entering, lifting one hand to smooth down his jacket, then allowed himself one grounding breath before stepping through.
Inside, despite the cooler air temperature and the antiseptic odor, the atmosphere was warmer, perhaps because there were people in action present. Engineering teams were making final hook ups of equipment to power and networks. Delivery people steering hover-carts, moved supplies from the medical stores bay down the corridor to the various cabinets and closets where they would be used. They were being directed by the medical staff, mostly the technicians and aides who would be sorting and eventually stocking these shelves and cubbies themselves. There were other people in teal blue working uniforms busily consulting with computer systems engineers, assisting with testing to make sure each station met the needs of its intended users. From behind the low wall separating the medical administration area and the small waiting area where Halux stood, came a cheerful voice.
"Lieutenant Denari?" She was attractive, with a pleasant smile and blue eyes beneath blonde bangs that were perhaps a touch too long, as she swept them to the side. "Looking for your office or need acetaminophen for your headache?" she chuckled.
Halux offered a faint, amused smile at the greeting, the corner of his mouth lifting just a little higher in response. His gaze lingered briefly—just long enough to catch the way she swept her bangs aside with practiced ease, the quick flash of a genuine smile beneath it. There was an easy confidence in her tone, light but anchored, like someone used to making people feel at ease in unfamiliar places.
“I’ll take whichever one comes with a guided tour,” he said as he stepped further into Sickbay. He extended a hand, voice warm and even, “And please, 'Halux' is fine. 'Lieutenant or Counselor Halux' if there's a need for formality. No headache yet—but I’ve been told the first day aboard has its surprises.”
The humor in his voice was subtle but present, tempered with a kind of gentle sincerity. He let the moment breathe, allowing her presence to settle in his awareness—not just as a colleague, but as someone whose rhythm he’d likely come to know well.
"Dr Riah Amberlyn. Dr Amberlyn if you're being formal, or Riah if you're not, So, excited to meet you. Lots of questions. I spent time on Denobula during medical school. Had a wonderful time. Probably changed a lot since I suppose. Let me finish this note. This is the only computer in the whole Sickbay that's on the ship's network at the moment, while they hook something up. Then I'll give you the grand tour," she assured him.
Halux’s smile widened slightly at her enthusiasm, the cadence of her words drawing his attention more than the content at first. He folded his hands loosely behind his back and tilted his head just enough to signal attentiveness without crowding the space.
“And Riah it is, then. It’s good to meet someone who’s seen Denobula with their own eyes—most people only know the travel pamphlet version, with all the festivals and smiling cousins. Which, to be fair, is accurate...just not the whole picture.” There was a playful glint in his eye, but his tone remained smooth and easy.
He glanced briefly at the console, respectful of her focus, then added more gently, “No rush on the tour. I’m in no danger of getting lost in Sickbay—though I suppose if I do, I’ll be in the right place for it.”
It took only a minute to complete her message, and she stood. She, like many of her staff were in medical working uniforms. Amberlyn wore black pants and a black mock-turtleneck shirt, with her LtCmdr pips, and a teal lab coat with her name and Chief Medical Officer embroidered on the chest. It was not as informal as scrubs but more practical for medical work than a standard daily uniform. "Come on. Let's start this way."
She led him toward an entry to a short hallway to the left. Around a turn, they passed through what would be an antimicrobial scrubbing buffer and entered a surgical suite. "For some reason they designed this as a spiral with the center being reception and waiting area and the other sections sort of spinning off from there. This is the surgery," she entered the operating room proper, where two tables shared the middle of the floor. The curved walls covered with various bits of equipment and controls, monitors and diagnostic panels. "It surpasses the state of the art," she said, letting him look around. "Surgery is near the entrance, since if we have an emergency, and people are entering via the corridor, this is right there. Two tables in here and 4 in the outer suite for intensive recovery, each equipped to be surgical as well if we have a catastrophic event and need the space."
Halux followed her at a comfortable pace, noting the practical uniform design—not quite formal, not quite casual. Efficient. Like the tone she set. He appreciated that. As they rounded into the surgical suite, his eyes swept the room with quiet interest. The symmetry of the two central tables, the curvature of the walls, the integration of monitors and support panels—it was all laid out with the kind of intent that spoke to long design meetings and a healthy dose of trauma-informed architecture. His gaze lingered momentarily on one of the surgical fields, not with squeamishness, but with a sort of detached respect.
“It’s elegant,” he said, tone calm. “Clever, too, anchoring surgery near the entrance. High-stress access makes for low-friction.”
He moved slowly, deliberately, letting the room speak to him the way a well-organized thought did. Then, a small smile tugged at the edge of his mouth. “Though if it’s a spiral, I may actually need a map to find my way back out. Or perhaps a trail of hypo sprays?"
He glanced toward her, something quietly earnest behind his humor. “State-of-the-art is good. But I’ve learned it’s the people in the room who make it work. And, if I may make an observation, you sound quite proud of the place.”
She was quiet a moment, reflecting - seriously considering his reflection. She motioned around the room with her hand. "This is a dream. I had nothing to do with this design, but I am damn pleased with it so far. Proud? The only thing I can be proud of is myself for somehow getting here, for doing all the right things, and when I've done them wrong, dumb luck prevailed. I have not compromised or taken the easy way out. I've worked hard for 8 years in the Fleet for this. I did something right to be walking these corridors."
She paused before continuing. "It's like finally coming home after many years away. This space, it just sort of talks to me, especially when I'm alone here. It's like even before she was built, her soul was whispering my name, maybe your name too, and Captain Corbin's. You think I'm crazy?" She looked at him intently. "But maybe not," she added with an impish smile.
Halux let the silence stretch a breath longer, honoring the weight of what she’d shared. There was something deeply rooted in her words—something real. He didn’t interrupt, didn’t rush to validate or question. Just listened. When she offered that last smile and the word hung in the air, he tilted his head slightly. Not critical, but thoughtful.
“I try not to use the word ‘crazy,’” he said gently, with the kind of tone that invited reflection, not correction. “It’s a little too often used to describe the things people feel most deeply, just because others don’t understand them yet. And I certainly don't think you are.”
TBC
~~~
LtCmdr Riah Amberlyn, XMD
Chief Medical Officer
Lieutenant JG Halux-denari-vettaliin
Head Counselor
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