Star Trek: Starbase 777

T'Lira passed through the door to the sickbay, having found the way there as if it had been natural. She was the first arrived in, which was, according to the situation back in the medbay on the Starbase, unsurprising. She didn't waste a single moment, immediately heading to the main console to engage the systems. The lights of the sensors turned on in a brief fade-in, the biobeds ready to take patients at maximum capacity. She then began preparing the tools she'd most likely need for the rescues: to treat phaser burns, concussions, any number of traumas from mild to severe. She had no experience with the organization behind this massive abduction, but she could understand tone and context: they were not to be trifled with...

M’Rish, fresh off of the shuttle that delivered him here and still a little spacey -sick from a bit of a rough ride, found himself thrown into the midst of chaos. He felt nauseous at the sight of all of these people, injured and scared. Hell, he felt just as scared as they did. “What can I do?” He approached the closest Lieutenant, the Vulcan woman nearby, “How can I help?”

T'Lira's eyes snapped to the Caitian both sharply and calmly. She was very focused, but somehow still open to helping―that was her role, after all. The fact she was brand new wasn't going to be an issue when it came to performing her duty. That remained the same, no matter where, no matter how. "Ensign," she said, her voice soothing in its serene confidence. "Have you been made aware of the situation? We are severely understaffed. I will require your focus at the best of your ability."

His eyes widened, and he nodded, albeit a bit hesitantly. “I— um— sort of? I know we’re missing a good amount of people. What do you need me to do?” (edited)

T'Lira stopped typing on the console, shifting to face the Ensign fully, with her hands clasped behind her back. She thought about this for a brief moment, her eyes sweeping the sickbay for a survey of its status. Then she looked back at the young Caitian. Judging by his facial expression and body language, it was obvious he was nervous, potentially not used to emergency situations like this. "Gather your equipment. Anything you might need to be efficient with a potentially large number of patients arriving in a short amount of time." She turned again, this time to face the sickbay, though her gaze remained on the Ensign. "What is your name, Ensign?"

He nodded, going to grab one of the emergency med kits from where he was taught they were stored. “M’Rish.” He said, opening it up and taking inventory, “It’s my first day, actually.“

T'Lira nodded. "Ah," she said―the nervosity now made even more sense. "Mine as well." She opened a few cabinets around the consoles, making note of where each tool was stored, making sure the supplies were easily on hand, and picking up a few back-ups to be charged while they could. "I am T'Lira," she continued while working. "Though I have experience in crisis situations, I cannot say I have any with the Tal Shiar. Do you?"

M’Rish picked up a roll of bandages, tucking them in his pocket as he kept searching. “I, uh—” He pursed his lips, “Can’t say I have much experience in general. This is my… first posting.”``` (edited)

T'Lira's gaze snapped again to the Ensign. What an unfortunate first day this was for an Ensign. "Well," she said as she pulled out an external charging station to keep close to the biobeds. "You are certainly being tested." She turned the charging station on before pressing a button on the main console to leave a quick status report to the bridge. Then she adjusted her smock and joined the Ensign by his side. "Such a sensitive situation is hardly ideal for an Ensign's very first day," she said, though her expression was still serene. "But I believe it will prove to be a unique learning experience. So tell me―Do you have any questions of what to expect?"

He looked over at her as she joined him. “It’s… it can’t be that bad, it’s just normal nurse stuff, but faster and more urgent.” He said, almost as if he was trying to convince himself of it, “And I have a lot to ask, but I don’t think we have time.”

T'Lira raised an eyebrow ever so slightly. "Any time is better than none. I will answer all I can." Though they were understaffed to a point she had rarely seen before, the sickbay was partially self-sufficient―and they could ony prepare so much before becoming overwhelmed, with only the two of them. So now, her priority was to make sure the Ensign was as prepared as possible.

He busied his hands with sorting out the supplies he could find, careful that his claws didn’t get caught on the bandages as he worked. “Is there a specific person I’m gonna be serving under?” He began, “Or is it just… doing the littler stuff?”

"As of right now, you will serve under me―though under normal circumstances, the command would go to the CMO." She moved to the other side of the biobed to face the Ensign instead of potentially being in his way. Almost absent-mindedly, her hands pressed a few buttons to adjust the biobed's settings further. "Today is exception―the future... will depend on the status of our rescues."

His heart nearly stopped in his chest at that. He felt his ears swivel to the back of his head, and his tail twitch behind him. “Okay.” He breathed, “That’s… no pressure. We got this.”

T'Lira tilted her head slightly to the side. "There very much is pressure," she said unhelpfully. "You must be ready to shoulder it, much like in an emergency room." She paused for a brief moment. "You have been trained for this―Remember what you learned, and I see no reason for you to fail."

He took in a shaky yet deep enough breath, nodding. “Okay. Thank you, sir.” He mumbled, “Sorry. One of the skills I got caught to manage stress was to try and put it against the grand scheme of things. Unfortunately, this, uh, is still very big when compared to everything else.”

Lira: T'Lira nodded. If there was one thing she could understand, it was this. Struggling against one's emotions. "Stress is the body's response to fear," she said, her tone softening a tiny bit. "And fear is a response to perceived danger. Left ignored, it only festers." One of her hands rested on the side of the biobed as she spoke. "So what do you foresee happening, that makes you on edge? You can tell me if you wish, without fear of judgement."

T'Lira nodded. If there was one thing she could understand, it was this. Struggling against one's emotions. "Stress is the body's response to fear," she said, her tone softening a tiny bit. "And fear is a response to perceived danger. Left ignored, it only festers." One of her hands rested on the side of the biobed as she spoke. "So what do you foresee happening, that makes you on edge? You can tell me if you wish, without fear of judgement."

He wrung his hands, hesitating for a moment while he rolled the words around in his head. “I don’t want to fail. Not during my first posting, that’s just gonna reflect on how I’m not ready.” He admitted, “In my file, there’s notes about severe anxiety and… things like that. If I can prove I’m fit for duty, it means I’m not just what’s in my file.” He picked up an empty hypospray, putting it aside and replacing it with a full one in the first aid container. (edited)

T'Lira nodded slowly, listening intently to the Ensign's response. Her gaze lowered to his hands as he kept working, as if hammering down his point with action. In a way, this was far from being a bad thing―everyone had different ways of coping with their emotions when under duress. But she couldn't help but remain stuck on a few words. "I understand. But I do have a question for you." She brought her hands again to be clasped behind her back. "In your opinion, what does failure mean?"

“I… I think it’s… making dumb mistakes. Like… not doing things right?” His voice pitched up, as if asking a question instead of answering one.

T'Lira nodded again. A clearer picture was forming in her head, but jumping to any conclusions so early would be illogical. "We fear what we do not know..." she said barely above a whisper, before picking up the tone. "Could it be, Ensign, that you struggle with a lack of comparable experience?"

He tilted his head, turning to face her. “That’s… a good point, actually.” He nodded, “Thank you.”

T'Lira simply blinked in acknowledgement. "Of course," she said, though she wasn't quite done yet. "You have done simulations back at the Academy. In my experience, they are quite similar to what you might encounter on the field. The only major difference being when you, yourself, get injured." A pause. "You might find it easier to deal with that what your brain tries to anticipate, however. Besides, you are not alone."

He offered a slight smile, and a nod, before continuing to busy himself with taking inventory of what they had in medical supplies.