SIM:Meanwhile, on the Mercury (Part 2)
The events in this SIM occurred on stardate 239106.14. Meanwhile, on the Mercury (Part 2)JP by Deliera and Rich ((Sickbay, USS Mercury)) Hendricks: I swear, I am *freaking out*. ::The Ferengi medical officer nodded as he continued his scan of the young hew-mon sitting in front of him. Elevated blood pressure. Tachycardia. Elevated respiratory rate. The man was a mess.:: Pok: I can see that, ensign. Here, try to relax while I finish the examination. ::He offered a grin, baring his sharp teeth, in an effort to comfort the patient.:: Pok: You’re safe here. Hendricks: No I’m not. ::He looked away from the grin, now even more uncomfortable than what he was before.:: Hendricks: Crazy people are after me. Because of one stupid mistake. And, look, I’m sorry for that, I’m sorry I made that mistake, but it’s not my fault I work in Starfleet - they can’t just come *after* me when I’m in deep space, right?! ::Hmmm, that didn’t sound good. Paranoia? Perhaps delusions or even hallucinations? Pok hadn’t seen anything on the ensign’s medical record about any previous psychiatric history, however.:: ::The doctor decided it was best to reassure the patient while he tried to figure out what was going on. He took a blood sample from the ensign.:: Pok: Try to breathe, ensign. Jackson, is it? Hendricks: Yeah. Jackson Hendricks. Pok: Where are you from, Mr. Hendricks? ::He laughed nervously. Where was he from? Oh, just the place that landed him in this trouble in the first place. Now he wished his parents had decided to move like they’d been talking about when he was five - would have meant he didn’t get into what he was good at. Well, he wasn’t really good at it, either - otherwise he’d not be in this situation.:: Hendricks: Earth. Vegas, specifically ::The Ferengi’s eyes went wide.:: Pok: Ahhh, *Las Vegas*. Beautiful city. One of the most holy sites on Earth. I made sure to make a pilgrimage once a year while I was studying at the Medical Academy. ::shrugs:: A shame they don’t let you play the games with real money anymore, but it’s still a sight to behold, isn’t it? Hendricks: Yeah. It is. It *really* is. So much so, it’s an addictive sight. Pok: Well, ensign, you just keep thinking about those beautiful showgirls while I go process your lab work. I’ll be right back. Hendricks: HA! Showgirls and lab work. Two very dangerous things. *I* might become lab work soon. Oh, won’t that be interesting for the security investigators! I wonder if they’ll leave my body in-tact or splattered all over my quarters?! OR WORSE! Flushed out the airlock! No one can hear you scream in space! Not even Starfleet! Ohh-hahahaha- Starfleet! As if Starfleet could protect me from *them*! ::The ensign’s heart and respiratory rate escalated again as the biobed monitors began ringing.:: Pok: Calm down, ensign! All right, this should make you feel better. ::Pok quickly grabbed an anxiolytic and injected it into his hysterical patient. It looked like the lab work would have to wait.:: Hendricks: Ahahaha-ahaha-haha-haaa. ::Slowly, the man seemed to tire himself before finally settling down.:: Pok: Okay. Why don’t we start from the beginning. First of all: who are *they*? Hendricks: Volkoff. He’s meant to be this all-mighty powerful Orion or something and I must have pissed him off because now I’ve got either him or some of his goons demanding their money back. It’s not *my* fault I got into the wrong game! Pok: Volkoff… can’t say I’ve heard of him. But how’d a Starfleet ensign fresh from the Academy get involved with such people in the first place? Hendricks: I was born and raised in Vegas, doc. I’m pretty into the gambling scene. Lost a game, and ran. Took a chance to run onboard the Mercury - hence I’m here. Pok: Just how much money are we talking about here? ::Uhhh . . . that was difficult to say out loud. The fact that he’d *lost* that much bruised his ego, let alone was probably going to be the end of him.:: Hendricks: Let’s just say that you could build a new family home out of latinum with the amount I owe them. Grandkids and all. ::The Ferengi’s eyes widened again.:: Pok: No wonder you’ve been having trouble sleeping. Hendricks: ::he laughed nervously again.:: Yeah . . . ::Before the two could continue their conversation, though, the doors to sickbay hissed opened, and the Mercury’s first officer Lt. Commander Gabriel Evanston approached them. He did not look happy.:: Pok: Good morning, commander. What can I do for you, sir? Evanston: You can tell me why my Science officer isn’t on duty. ::he glanced at Hendricks:: ::Jackson swallowed hard. Normally, getting chewed out by a superior officer would have terrified him, but now, he was a dead man walking.:: Hendricks: I’m sorry, sir! I, uh . . . wasn’t feeling well. Doctor Pok was just taking a look at me. ::The Ferengi nodded.:: Pok: Mr. Hendricks has been having some difficulty getting a proper night’s rest among other things. Evanston: This is becoming a habit of yours, Mister Hendricks. Your Academy record was impeccable - everything that’s happened over the last few days is telling me that you’re not ready to be aboard the Mercury. ::His Academy record? Ha! Who was that Jackson Hendricks? Where was he now? How had he been so stupid to allow himself to throw away everything he’d worked for . . . all for a game.:: Hendricks: Sir, please . . . I know I haven’t been meeting your or the captain’s standards. I, uh, I mean . . . I haven’t been meeting my own standards either. ::He stammered nervously. If they kicked him off the ship and sent him back closer to the core worlds, Volkoff would find him in no time! Worse yet, if he was discharged from the service, no one would ever notice if he went “missing”. His only chance was to stay on the Mercury and away from the established trade routes.:: Hendricks: Please, sir, just give me another chance. I won’t let you down! Evanston: I hope not. Because you’ve only got one. Hendricks: Yes, sir. Thank you, sir. ::With that, the commander marched out of sickbay, leaving Pok to reattend to his patient.:: Pok: Ensign, pardon my... intrusion into your personal affairs, but perhaps you should consider speaking to the captain about the situation. Or at the very least, the counselor. Hendricks: The counselor seems nice. Very spotty, but nice. Pok: Hmmph. Indeed. ::The Ferengi thought wistfully about what those spotted legs might have looked like. She’d have made a fine showgirl in another life.:: Hendricks: Yeah. That sounds like a plan. ::Something in the man’s voice though made Pok doubt he’d follow through.:: Pok: Well, I hope you do. In the meantime, I’ve prescribed you some medications: both for sedation and relaxation. At the very least, the rest should help you attend to your duties. Hendricks: Drugs. To help people relax. ::he sighed.:: Yeah. Seems like the only option right now. ::As the ensign got up, the short doctor gave the man a pat on the back before sending him on his way.:: Pok: Best of luck to you, Mr. Hendricks. I’m sure it will all work out. As they say, “the River will provide.” ::Jackson walked out of sickbay, numb. If the doctor meant the river will provide murderous Orions that wanted to rip him apart limb by limb, then sure.:: ---- Ensign Jackson HendricksScience Officer, USS Mercury & Lieutenant JG PokMedical Officer, USS Mercury & Lt. Commander Gabriel EvanstonExecutive Officer, USS Mercury |
