Medical Reinforcements Have Arrived (Backpost)

Posted on Fri Oct 31st, 2025 @ 10:38pm by Petty Officer 2nd Class Mai Ichihara & Lieutenant Kael Ryo & Lieutenant Minerva Zephyrin

1,285 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: The Next Myogi
Location: Main Medical
Timeline: After "The Future Has Arrived", Before “Plan of Action”

Lieutenant Minerva Zephyrin walked into main sickbay as she'd walked off the shuttle, eyes up and wary as she entered the doors. The phaser and swords on her hip were very conspicuous as not 'belonging' in the place, but the medical kit slung over her shoulder most certainly did. The security officer with her made herself almost vanish into a corner as the doctor's eyes slid across several beds filled with people and some that didn't have a bed. The clear officer types were busy tending to patients, but she caught sight of one enlisted that was on her own and quickly made her way over, unslinging the satchel from across her body, "Nurse, give me a status update." She said softly as she approached.

Nurse Mai Ichihara did not know the newcomer but she recognized and immediately responded to the authority that she carried. Not authority that came through commission or rank, but with experience and capability.

“Casualties continue coming in, so we don’t have an exact count,” she answered. “We’ve triaged twenty-nine so far but evidence suggests that number will double. Every medical officer, even the EMH, is working to move patients out but we’re struggling to keep up. I don’t know how many have died but it’s not zero.”

"As has been everything in this damned war." Minerva muttered, unslinging her medkit, "Well, I'm here to help, so point me in the direction of most need. I've been keeping Myogi's crew alive for the last few months, so I've gotten really good at it."

“Over here,” Mai said, bringing the newcomer to patients with severe abdominal traumas. “Bulkhead exploded, injuring these three. We’ve administered metorapan for the pain but they need surgery.”

The cacophony of sounds and screams seemed to reach a steady rhythm as the triage stages progressed. Kael’s eyes, scanning the chaos, caught a dissonant note: the glint of polished metal and the harsh lines of a phaser. "To wine, I raise my voice in song, how long is a human life?" he murmured to himself as he approached. It was not every day that he saw someone in a blue uniform so heavily armed.

"Ma'am I need you to identify yourself. And explain the state of your uniform" pointing at the weapons.

Minerva had already picked up a medical tricorder and was scanning the one that Mai had indicated would be the first on her surgery schedule, familiarizing herself with the injuries she’d be tending to. At the sound of Kael’s voice, she looked over and glanced up and down his person, “Lieutenant Minerva Zephyrin, USS Myogi.” She paused a moment, “A that is, not yours. And my question would be the same, why aren't you armed? We may be in a relative ‘safe’ zone, but the Iconians or their friends sometimes don’t give a good goddamn, and they couldn’t care less if you’re a medic or a combatant, Lieutenant.”

Like morning dew, days depart, so many already gone. He continued reciting internally.

"This is Starfleet Medical, Lieutenant. We do not fight. We triage, we treat. And we evacuate. If you want a fight you are free to join the marines. This is a sickbay"

"Then you're saying that Starfleet Medical is here to die. There are no non-combatants in this war, Lieutenant, only the dead and those willing to fight." Minerva shot back at him, closing the tricorder and facing him, "I say that because you sound like you're perfectly willing to see your people and patients murdered in front of you so long as you don't have to get your hands dirty. Heralds don't give you the luxury of time to evacuate."

“When you two are done sword-measuring, we have patients,” Mai called to the two competing Myogi CMOs. “Doctor Zephyrin, your patient is being prepped and will be ready for you in thirty seconds. Doctor Ryo, we have incoming.” She gestured to the door, which had just opened to admit three more injured.

Minerva tore her eyes away from Kael, making herself smile at Mai, "Thank you, Petty Officer, they're in good hands with me, I promise."

Kael did not tear his eyes away from Minerva. He answered with a voice low enough to not be heard beyond the two of them. "Not like that you're not, I'm not telling your patient's parents that he died because his doctor brought in foreign contaminants." He pointed to the left, the now dim-lit preparation area. "Large locker. Type 2 gloves, type 3 gown. 30 seconds, Lieutenant"

“Yes, sir.” Minerva stated, moving towards where he pointed, already unbuckling the sword belt, but leaving the phaser on, knowing it would be below the gown. She left the two blades, one broken, leaned up in a corner as she slipped on the front-wearing gown, reaching up, then behind her to seal it, then gestured to Mai to assist putting the gloves on so that she didn’t contaminate them with her hands, “Now, if you don’t mind, doctor, we both have patients to see to.”

''Right and wrong, pride and fall, all turn out vain'' he murmured in disappointment. "Good luck with your patient" He pulled his mask back on and stepped over the legs of a crewman who was resting with his back on the bulkhead as he made his way to the entrance.

Minerva watched him leave and shook her head before looking at Mai, "Pacifists. I hope that he doesn't learn the hard way that the universe and especially this enemy won't just let him be, like I have." She stepped over to the operating table and gestured Mai over, "So, Nurse, what we have here is an abdominal puncture with perforation within the bowel and a lacerated liver. While I work on inspecting the bowels and repairing those, can I have you go through and make sure that all foreign material in the cavity is removed? The liver can wait for the time being. If it comes down to it, we can resect that and it will eventually regenerate, but infection from the bowels will kill him within hours if we don't take care of it." The mask she wore crinkled as she smiled at the nurse, "And while we're at it, I do apologize for not asking sooner, but what's your name?"

“Mai Ichihara, ma’am,” the nurse answered as she, also freshly decontaminated, began scanning for foreign material. She had micro-vaporizer which she used to carefully remove any tritanium shards that her tricorder picked up. “I’ve been a nurse here ever since launch. Seems like years ago, but it was really just eight or so months. Three CMOs in that time.”

Minerva kept her eyes on the screen as she inserted the laparoscopic instruments and began to work her way towards the large intestine that she'd identified the worst of the damage to, "Well, Mai, what you really need is someone who can settle this department down. But don't think you're dependent on them, because you and your fellow nurses are the backbone of Medical. Doctors may have more of the technical knowledge, but without you, we can only help one person at a time." She finally got to the right area and began to close the gaping hole she found.

"Yes, ma'am," Mai said, smiling at the recognition of her work. Not that others hadn't, but it was always validating to hear.

With the additional help, they might even make it out of this mess.


END


Lieutenant Kael Ryo
Chief Medical Officer, USS Myogi

Lieutenant Minerva Zephyrin
Chief Medical Officer, USS Myogi-A

Petty Officer 2nd Class Mai Ichihara
Nurse, USS Myogi

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