Young Chiefs Meet

Posted on Tue Oct 14th, 2025 @ 3:17am by Lieutenant Aubrie Fox & Lieutenant Ilana Marquez

2,465 words; about a 12 minute read

Mission: Children of the Stars
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: Present

Aubrie stepped into the sterile confines of sickbay, a place she loathed. The clinical smell of antiseptic hung in the air, intensifying her discomfort. She rarely found herself here, preferring to tough it out during minor ailments, but today was different. A pounding headache throbbed relentlessly at her temples, a sensation she wasn't accustomed to and one that made her vision blur slightly. Each step felt heavy as she approached the medical bay, her brow furrowed in concentration, hoping the remedy offered within would provide some relief from the agony that clouded her thoughts. She looked around, looking for anyone who was not busy.

From the back, Ilana heard the swish of the sickbay doors open. She had been tending to her herb garden, which had been transferred for her lab posting. Ilana wanted to make certain that the transport had not caused the garden any shock damage. Plants could be very fussy sometimes. Then again, so could people.

Cheerily, Ilana came out with a warm smile and asked with her Peruvian accent, "How can I be of assistance?"

Aubrie blinked a few times, trying to focus on the voice that had greeted her. Her normally sharp expression softened just a fraction as she caught sight of Ilana approaching.

"Headache," Aubrie said simply, her voice low but edged with the usual firmness that came naturally to her. "Started about two hours ago—hasn’t let up since. Feels like someone’s trying to split my skull in half with a plasma torch."

She winced slightly, pressing a hand to her temple before continuing. "Didn’t hit my head, didn’t skip meals, no exposure to anything out of the ordinary. Just… came out of nowhere." Her tone carried a hint of frustration—Aubrie wasn’t used to being on the receiving end of medical care.

She glanced briefly toward the biobeds, then back to Ilana. "If you’ve got something that’ll make it stop so I can get back to work, I’ll owe you one."

Despite her discomfort, there was a flicker of dry humor in her eyes—an unspoken admission that she hated being there but respected Ilana enough to ask for help.

Ilana frowned slightly when she heard Aubrie's tale. "Well, we cannot have an engineer unable to work because of a splitting headache."

She reached into a drawer and pulled out a medical tricorder. "Tell me, what is your name? I am Lieutenant Ilana Marquez, the new Chief Medical Officer. I apologize that I have not been able to meet everyone yet, but I'm certain that we will have you in top shape in no time." Her voice was sincere and cheery as she chattered away.

"Also, are there any allergies that I should be aware of? Or other history of headaches?"

Aubrie managed a faint smirk despite the pounding in her head. “Lieutenant Aubrie Fox,” she replied, her tone clipped but polite. “Second Officer… and Chief of Security—at least when I’m not about to be taken out by a headache.”

She eased herself onto the nearest biobed, rubbing her temple with two fingers as she added, “No allergies that I’m aware of, and headaches aren’t something I usually deal with. Last time I had one this bad, I’d just spent three days in an emergency sim rotation with no sleep.” Her eyes flicked up to meet Ilana’s, a hint of dry humor in them. “This one doesn’t feel like fatigue, though. More like something’s… pressing behind my eyes.”

She let out a quiet sigh, glancing toward the tricorder in Ilana’s hand. “And welcome aboard, Doctor. I suppose this is one way to get acquainted—though I’d have preferred a cup of coffee in the mess over a medical scan.”

"Second officer?" Ilana asked, a little surprised, considering the woman looked about her age. When she pulled up Aubrie's chart, Ilana discovered that Aubrie was even younger than her. "Wow! And the Captain said that CMOs are supposed to be old men.... I wonder how you managed to get a second officer! You must have done some incredible things!"

"I would love to hear about them, but let's get you fixed up first.... Behind the eyes sounds like a migraine, but if you do not usually have them, let's double check," she continued as she allowed the tricorder to continue the examination. "When did you first notice the headache developing, and what were you doing at that moment?"

Aubrie gave a quiet, short laugh — the kind that came more from amusement than actual mirth. “Old men, huh? Guess we’re both breaking the mold then,” she said, managing a small grin before closing one eye against a spike of pain.

“As for the promotion…” She gave a slight shrug. “I’d like to say it was all brilliance and strategy, but honestly, it was probably equal parts stubbornness and being in the wrong place at the right time.” There was a glint of dry humor in her tone — humility laced with the kind of confidence that came from surviving a few too many close calls.

Her gaze shifted to the tricorder as it hummed softly. “The headache started… maybe halfway through my shift. I was reviewing tactical logs and updating security rotation schedules. Nothing strenuous, no bright flashes, no loud noises. It just… hit. Like someone flipped a switch in my head.”

She leaned back slightly, one hand resting on her knee. “It’s been getting worse ever since. If I didn’t know better, I’d think someone turned the lights up to warp nine in here.”

Despite her discomfort, she managed another smirk. “If this is what migraines feel like, I’ll take a firefight any day.”

"Well, it also could be a symptom of a stroke, a cerebral hemorrhage, or a concussion. However, as you did not take a blow to the head, that's not likely the answer unless you did that in the last 24 hours. Also, if it were a stroke, I would expect that we would be seeing more adverse symptoms by now. So, migraine does seem the most likely diagnosis. However, you have not said that you have had them in the past, so that is a bit more unusual."

Aubrie’s brow furrowed slightly at the mention of a stroke or hemorrhage, though she kept her composure — her instinctive calm under pressure showing even here. “Well, that’s comforting,” she quipped dryly, though the edge of tension in her voice betrayed the faint unease that flickered beneath her stoic demeanor.

“No, no blows to the head,” she confirmed after a moment. “The last 24 hours have been… routine. Boring, even. I ran a few phaser calibration drills, filed reports, and chewed out a junior officer for sloppy readiness checks.” She gave a faint smirk. “Hardly hazardous duty.”

Her gaze softened a bit as she added, “You’re right, though — this isn’t normal for me. I can take a hit, I’ve been through decompression drills, shuttle crashes, even that mess on Vega Colony — but this?” She lightly tapped her temple. “This is different. Feels like static in my head, I can’t shut off.”

Then, forcing herself to relax slightly, she exhaled. “So, Doctor, what’s the treatment plan? I assume it doesn’t involve medical leave and a stack of rest orders I’ll ignore?” The corner of her mouth twitched upward, a flicker of humor slipping through her discomfort.

"Well, since you already told me that you will ignore rest, let me ask a few questions: How much have you drunk today? Are you currently seeing anyone? Are you feeling any more stress than normal?"

Aubrie arched an eyebrow, half amused, half wary — the kind of look she often gave during interrogations when the questions took an unexpected turn.

“Well,” she started slowly, “if you mean water, probably not enough. Three cups of coffee, maybe one glass of actual water.” She gave a small, sheepish shrug. “Occupational hazard. Paperwork tends to breed faster than hydration habits.”

At the second question, she paused, the faintest hint of surprise flickering across her expression before she smirked. “You mean romantically? No, not currently seeing anyone. Between duty shifts and managing a team that keeps testing phasers on doors they shouldn’t, there’s not a lot of time for candlelit dinners.”

Her tone softened a bit at the final question. “Stress?” She gave a quiet, humorless laugh. “It’s part of the uniform. But lately… yeah, maybe more than usual. New security protocols, personnel changes, a few things on my mind I haven’t quite sorted through yet.”

She met Ilana’s gaze, her expression a mix of honesty and wry composure. “You think this is stress-related, then? Because if my brain’s trying to protest my schedule, it picked one hell of a dramatic way to do it.”

"Yes, I have to believe that stress is likely the cause of this migraine." Her lower lip went over her upper lip as she considered her next words. "Well, if you have no romantic interests, then sex for a cure is not likely to happen. Caffeine could help. So could a cold compress on the back of your head. Meditation would be highly recommended, as well as regular exercise. IF you would like, you could do yoga with me. It is a lot more fun when you do it in zero G."

Aubrie blinked at that, the blunt mention catching her off guard for just a second before she let out a quiet, surprised laugh — the first genuine one since stepping into sickbay. “Sex as a cure, huh? That’s… definitely not a treatment plan I’ve heard from a CMO before,” she said with a smirk, shaking her head lightly. “You don’t waste time sugarcoating, I’ll give you that.”

She rubbed at her temple again, though her expression had relaxed noticeably. “Caffeine, I can handle. I practically run on the stuff anyway. The cold compress—sure. Meditation…” she trailed off with a small grimace. “That one’s a work in progress. My brain doesn’t like sitting still for long.”

At the mention of yoga, her brow quirked, curiosity flickering in her eyes. “Zero-G yoga? That’s… new. I can’t say I’ve ever tried that before.” She paused, the corner of her mouth curving into a teasing grin. “If you’re offering, Doctor, I might take you up on it. Worst-case scenario, I float into a bulkhead and you get more patients to practice on.”

Despite the humor, there was a flicker of sincerity in her tone — a subtle acknowledgment that maybe, just maybe, she’d give the idea some real thought.

"What? If the bulkhead gets hurt, we need an engineer, not me," Ilana teased back.

Aubrie chuckled, the sound low and genuine this time. “Fair point,” she said, the faintest smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. “Though between the two of us, I’d wager Starfleet would rather patch up an officer than replace a bulkhead. Those requisition forms are brutal.”

She shifted slightly on the biobed, the tension in her shoulders easing as she met Ilana’s playful tone with one of her own. “You’re quick with the comebacks, Doctor. I can see why the Captain picked you to run this place. Most CMOs I’ve met get nervous when I start making jokes about ship damage.”

A pause, then a touch of warmth crept into her voice. “Still… I appreciate it. The humor helps. I’m not used to being the one in the chair, so having someone who doesn’t treat me like I’m made of glass? That’s… nice.”

Her gaze softened briefly before she added, with a familiar dry edge, “Though if I do end up trying zero-G yoga, you’re on damage control duty. Just in case.”

"Glass is easily broken. I can see that you are not," Ilana informed Aubrie. "Besides, you have to be of sterner stuff to come out here. There's so much unknown, and at any moment, our entire understanding of the universe can change. We have to be flexible by nature."

Ilana clucked her tongue against the roof of her mouth before continuing. "And, if you're not going to follow my instructions to the letter and do the advised thing, like rest, because you're a crazy workaholic, then I will work with you where you are at until you see that my way is better." The Doctor giggled and gave Aubrie a playful wink.

Aubrie couldn’t help the small laugh that slipped out — a genuine one, the kind that warmed her expression and made her eyes crinkle faintly at the corners. “Flexible by nature, huh? I like that,” she said, tone softening for a beat before the familiar dry edge returned. “Though I think ‘stubborn’ might be the word most of my team would use.”

She tilted her head slightly, studying Ilana with a mix of amusement and respect. “You’ve got spirit, Doctor. Most people would’ve given up trying to lecture me about rest by now.”

Her smirk widened just a touch. “But I’ll give you this — if you’re willing to meet me halfway, I’ll try not to make your job any harder than it has to be. Maybe even take that yoga offer seriously. Maybe.”

Sliding off the biobed with practiced ease, she flexed her shoulders, testing how she felt now that the worst of the pain had dulled. “You keep up that kind of persistence, and you’ll have half this crew actually following medical advice for once. That’s no small miracle out here.”

Then, with a faint, teasing grin, she added, “Just… don’t expect me to start napping on command. I’ve got a reputation to maintain.”

"I wouldn't think of ruining it. Call it our secret," Ilana answered. "In the meantime, be kind to the bulkheads." She snickered lightly, her pearly white teeth making an appearance.

Aubrie gave a short laugh, shaking her head as she started toward the door. “No promises, Doctor,” she said over her shoulder, a trace of warmth in her tone. “But I’ll try to keep the collateral damage to a minimum.”

She paused at the threshold, glancing back with a faint, appreciative smile. “Thanks, Ilana. For the help— and the humor. Both go a long way.”

With that, she stepped out into the corridor, the hiss of the doors closing behind her. The sterile scent of sickbay faded away, replaced by the hum of the ship around her — and for the first time all day, the pounding in her head felt just a little lighter.

 

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