The saddest of duties

Posted on Wed May 6th, 2026 @ 8:14pm by Lieutenant Sylar & Captain Erik Norsgaard

1,915 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Friends and Traitors
Location: USS Thunderbird, Ready Room
Timeline: MD001 - 1935

Sylar and Petracca had worked swiftly and silently on preparing Ensign Jolley's body. They had then made a brief but accurate record of the events in the Shuttlebay and then of their treatment of the two Ensigns in Sickbay. Logic dictated that the Captain would wish to be informed of the death of a crewman as soon as possible, so, equipped with a PADD detailing his orders to report to Thunderbird, as well as the events of that afternoon, it was a dishevelled, pungent Doctor Sylar that made his way to the Captain's Ready Room. He waited outside the room, standing formally as the only concession to appearance. Vulcans value cleanliness as being a vital prerequisite for mental and physical discipline, so that, coupled with the fact that he had only been onboard for two hours, and had only been nominated as Chief Medical Officer an hour before that, made Sylar feel at a distinct disadvantage as he waited to meet and brief his new Commanding Officer.

"Doctor Sylar reporting for duty, Captain," he said as he entered, and stood formally before his new Commanding Officer. "It is also my duty to inform you that Ensign Chris Jolley of this crew died in Sickbay at 1837 this afternoon."

"Doctor," Erik said as he gestured for the Lieutenant to take a seat. Unlike many in command, the chairs were well-upholstered and designed for comfort. He knew some captains, his own included, who preferred them hard and decidedly uncomfortable, but that had never been his style. "What happened to Jolley," Erik asked quietly as he regarded his new officer.

Sylar inclined his head to acknowledge the gesture and the question. He handed the PADD, wordlessly, to the Captain and sat with graceful precision, remaining alert and straight. He placed his hands neatly on his lap. "At 1800 hours this afternoon there was incident in the Shuttlebay. Ensign Orfil Dara of Starbase 310, and Ensign Chris Jolley of the Thunderbird crew received substantial plasma burns when an EPS relay exploded in the shuttle they were travelling in. Both received triage from Lieutenant Petracca, the newly embarked Assistant Chief Medical Officer, and the medical staff."

He paused, but saw the Captain was waiting for him. Ensign Jolley’s condition was critical upon arrival. Cardiac function had ceased, and conventional resuscitative efforts were initially unsuccessful. Following an unsatisfactory response to airway stabilisation and regenerative intervention, I employed a directed telepathic technique to assist in the regulation of system regulation." He did not elaborate on the horror of Jolley's final thoughts. "Those efforts were, after an assessment of the degradation of the Ensign's neural function, unable to sufficiently regulate the effected physiology. The extent of cellular and neural damage exceeded recoverable limits. The intervention was terminated and Ensign Jolley died 115 seconds later."

There was a heavy silence. "Ensign Orfil Dara is stable and the prognosis remains favourable. He will remain onboard for the evening and will be transferred to Starbase 310 at 0600 hours tomorrow. I have a detailed recovery plan for him to discuss with the Starbase medical staff, a copy of which is at Appendix Six of my report," he inclined his head, slightly, to the PADD. There was something else, something that might not be entirely, strictly logical, but was the right thing to do. "The Assistant Chief Medical Officer’s actions were efficient and well-judged under the circumstances, Captain. She has made an agreeable beginning to her assignment here."

"I'm assuming Lieutenant Hale knows, he's Chief of Flight Operations, but do you know if Security and Engineering been notified," Erik asked as he accepted the PADD. "There will need to be an investigation of the incident."

"I understand from Doctor Petracca that Lieutenant Hale witnessed the incident," Sylar confirmed, "and I have filed copies of my report with both Engineering and Security. I will liaise with the Chief Engineer and Chief of Security immediately after this interview. From the post mortem of Ensign Jolley, I can find nothing unusual in the data that is evidence of facts outside of him suffering plasma burns as a result of incident in the shuttlecraft."

"The question is primarily what caused the explosion," Erik said. "I want to know if this is sabotage related to Maquis activity or just a tragic accident. Send copies of your report to the rest of the command staff and liase with the First Officer, Command Choi, who will be leading the investigation. And I'll want to be kept informed of course."

Sylar inclined his head once in acknowledgement, accepting the instruction without hesitation. “Understood, Captain.”

"Do you have any questions regarding your appointment as Chief Medical Officer," Erik asked.

Sylar raised an eyebrow; the Captain had, unusually for a human, 'cut to the chase', a quality to which he assigned the deepest of respect. He looked at his Captain for a moment, considering his response. “I do not require clarification of the role’s primary duties, the responsibilities of which are clearly defined.” He thought that he saw the Captain move to speak and interjected. "However, the conversation with Admiral Cadbury cancelling my assignment to the Belisarius and your orders to report here contained no detail on the departure of circumstances of my predecessor. In order to more efficiently manage the Medical Department, additional context could be," he paused, "useful."

"Those weren't my orders," Norsgaard answered. "I informed Starfleet that we were in need of a replacement for Doctor Ryan. As to the reason for his departure, it was of a personal nature and not relevant to the duties you are expected to perform for this ship."

Sylar noted the finality and the confrontational nature of the comment; he understood the need for privacy, but the Captain had not acknowledged that the question was logical given the Maquis infiltration of Starfleet, and if there was a controversial situation to be managed in Sickbay, that was Sylar's responsibility. There was a final question, and he decided to add it now. "I also request your direction on your expectation of our interactions." He paused, feeling that he had not been sufficiently understandable. The irony of the Vulcan being the less direct of the conversation was intriguing. "I have seen inefficient working relationships between command and medical, and, conversely, highly effective ones." He found himself thinking of the strong bond that he had formed with Admiral Cadbury. "In situations where medical judgement may conflict with command priorities, logic dictates that I would intend to act to preserve life."

Norsgaard leaned back in his seat, considering his answer, as well as the oddity of the doctor's statement. "I would prefer that our relationship not be adversarial, of course. I respect your position and your medical expertise; for the most part, I seek out the person in that role. However, I think it should also be said that while I encourage frank discussion, the final decision rests with me as the captain. Now, I have no intention of putting anyone in harm's way unnecessarily but sometimes, that's the nature of the job. At the moment, I have a difficult job. The Maquis know us. Some of them have been active duty Starfleet. And they use what they know against us. This ship's former captain was poisoned by his own counselor and is still recovering. We found Trynn at the bedside of the young Cardassian she tried to murder and yet, I didn't want her dead. I wanted Ryan to save them both. So, maybe I need you to explain to me where you think command priorities would conflict with your medical judgement."

“It was not,” Sylar responded, composed and alert, “my intention to create an adversarial dynamic. A clear awareness of what can be expected from me as your Chief Medical Officer establishes effectiveness. You have explained the command dynamic: final authority rests with you. The reasoning behind my statement was to ensure that my recommendations are understood to be grounded in medical necessity.” He paused, having barely moved during the interview. “It is also probable that circumstances will arise in which what I have heard referred to ‘a judgement call’ is required.” Sylar’s unfamiliarity with the term made him place a slight, awkward emphasis on it. “There may be situations when there is a requirement to return a crewmember to duty before a full recovery is made,” he said this evenly, “or where there is a decision to be made upon the allocation of limited resource. In such situations, medical ethics clearly dictate that I am bound to provide a candid assessment of the risk and possible consequences of a situation.” He held Norsgaard's gaze, but with resolve rather than challenge. "You will receive my unambiguous medical assessment. You will then exercise your judgment as Commanding Officer. That is logical."

"Logical ... and acceptable," Erik said. "I'm beginning to understand you a bit better. There is one thing." He shifted slightly in his seat. "Security. As I said, Trynn, ship's counselor, was a Maquis operative and we were caught unawares. We didn't know what she was nor has anyone figured out what type of poison was used on Captain Gray. That presents a problem for shipboard security and one that I'm going to be addressing with all of the department heads. The need for vigilance. At present, we believe there are no Maquis operatives on board but that could change. New people coming aboard or those already here being drafted to their cause. Keep that in mind and let me know if you discover someone who might be a problem."

Sylar nodded thoughtfully and he moved for the first time, steepling his hands as he considered the Captain's very valid point. "Indeed, and I see the possibility that Sickbay could pose an unacceptable vulnerability to the ship's security." He raised an eyebrow. "As I assume responsibility for your Medical Department I will have discretion to, as you humans say, 'set the tone' for the Sickbay staff." He lowered his hands, content with the response he was offering for command approval. "It is, as you know, standard operating procedure for a new Chief Medical Officer to review access protocols to pharmaceuticals, biotoxins, and restricted compounds. I will, as a matter of joining, be mustering and accounting for all medical equipment. This can be done in liaison with the other department heads and will be done in the context of the the threat." He had another thought. "As I have only met, as of now, seven members of the crew, one of whom is sedated in Sickbay, I have no preconceptions as to anyone, or anything. I will be vigilant."

"A good idea," Erik said, nodding thoughtfully. "I think we'll all have to remain vigilant. Were there any other questions?"

"No Captain, your orders and direction are understood."

"Very good," Erik said. "Then, I officially accept your transfer to the USS Thunderbird. Computer, make note that Lieutenant Sylar is now the Chief Medical Officer for this vessel. Notify Operations to assign him quarters on Deck 2."

"Recorded," the computer answered. "Lieutenant Sylar is now the Chief Medical Officer of the USS Thunderbird. Operations notified."

"Welcome to the Thunderbird, Lieutenant," Erik said. "You are dismissed."

"Thank you, Captain," Sylar said with a slight nod. He rose from the seat with graceful precision, smoothed his uniform unconsciously, and silently left the Ready Room.

---

Captain Erik Norsgaard
Commanding Officer
USS Thunderbird

and

Lt Sylar
Chief Medical Officer
USS Thunderbird

 

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