Medical <> Operations
Posted on Fri Jul 31st, 2026 @ 2:00am by Lieutenant Commander Nathan Lake & Lieutenant JG Daniella Fox
Edited on on Fri Jul 31st, 2026 @ 10:54am
1,054 words; about a 5 minute read
Mission:
Mission 1: Through the Janus Gate
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: MD001 - 1100 hours
Daniella noticed that a new chief medical officer had come aboard. There'd been so many changes recently that she almost wanted to create a chart to keep track of them all. But she knew that it wouldn't take long for her to get to know the new department heads. Especially if she took the initiative and went to meet them.
So, when she had a break, she walked into sickbay to find the doctor and say hello.
Nathan had just finished addressing the medical staff. The briefing had been concise. They reviewed emergency triage protocols, prepared isolation methods if the unknown technology proved hazardous, and reviewed past chroniton experiences in the archives for any ideas on what we can do. The Janus Core represented too many unknowns for anyone to pretend otherwise.
Nathan gave the staff a break from the loaded discussion. As the nurses and staff dispersed to their respective assignments, he heard someone step into sickbay.
Nathan smiled.
“Commander Daniella, I presume?”
"Just Lieutenant. But yes, I'm Dani Fox. Welcome to the Resolute. It looks like you're settling in."
Nathan let out a quiet, self-deprecating chuckle.
“Oh, my apologies, Lieutenant Dani Fox”
He offered his hand.
“That’s what I get for trusting my eyes without my reading glasses.“
His grip was warm and confident.
“Nathan Lake. Though I suppose you’ve already figured that part out?”
She shook his hand and smiled. "Yes, but only because I walked into sickbay and looked for you." But it was easier for her to recognize a new face than the doctor, coming to a new ship. "How do you like the Resolute so far?"
Nathan smiled as they shook hands.
“I’ll admit, first impressions have been good.”
His eyes wandered briefly across Sickbay as he saw two nurses clean the bio beds they were assigned and one pharmacist in the back stocking medicines before returning to Ms. Fox.
“I’ve served on ships where you could feel the tension before you even stepped off the shuttle. Departments keeping to themselves, people still figuring out where they fit.”
He gave a small shrug.
“I haven’t felt that here. At least not yet. Although this Janus mission is giving me a little agita.”
"No, this ship is nothing like that. The captain wouldn't allow it," Dani replied. "But for the mission...yeah. This is different. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad one." And they wouldn't know for sure until they were in the middle of it. But the odds were in their favor.
Nathan nodded slowly.
“I’ve learned that when Starfleet starts using words like unknown, experimental, and Dominion in the same briefing…” He offered a faint smile. “…it’s usually wise to assume the day is about to become interesting.”
A quiet chuckle escaped him.
“As a doctor though, I find the unknown a little unsettling. At least in medicine, unknowns have a habit of introducing themselves at inconvenient moments.”
His eyes drifted toward the nurses working throughout Sickbay before returning to Dani.
"I get that. In operations, the unknown can really mess up your day. But that usually means finding a new way around a problem. I'm fortunate that I deal with ships, replicators, cargo, and supplies. In some ways, they're easier than medical problems."
Nathan smiled, appreciating the perspective.
“I actually like that.”
He folded his arms loosely as he leaned against the edge of a nearby biobed. A faint smile crossed his face.
He paused for a moment, remembering why he’d tried to catch her after the briefing.
“Oh, actually…I’m glad you stopped by. There was something I wanted to ask you after the senior staff meeting, but I lost you in the corridor.”
His expression became a touch more professional.
“Does Operations oversee transporter coordination and transporter locks during away missions?”
Nathan wasn’t entirely certain how the Resolute divided responsibilities between Operations and Transporter Control, and he preferred asking rather than assuming.
"Generally. Transporters fall under operations, as do communications, cargo, most repairs, and the quartermaster," Dani replied cheerfully. "Basically, engineering deals with the warp core and power, which is huge. Operations does all the little things. But it does depend on what the captain wants."
Nathan nodded thoughtfully, filing the information away mentally.
“That’s exactly what I needed to know. I’ve always preferred to confirm how a ship operates rather than assume. Every captain has their own rhythm. Every crew develops its own habits.”
His expression became more earnest.
“The reason I ask is that, if we are dealing with temporal or chroniton properties, I want the medical bay to have the ability to request an immediate transporter lock on any away team member. In case someone gets into trouble. That’s where I’ll need your help.”
"You should be able to do that now, but I can make the response faster. Maybe a code that will tell the computer to transport someone directly to sickbay with fewer words. That should help when things get busy."
Nathan accepted that option.
“That works for me. Whatever we need to do to work together and get our people home.”
"Yes. And if you have any suggestions, let me know. I might be able to make them work." She was always willing to try a new approach to see if it would help processes run more smoothly.
“Thank you very much,”
Nathan smiled as he got everything he wanted to make sure the mission was survivable and/or medical services were ready to everything they could to ensure everyone came back home.
"Well, if you ever need something repaired or upgraded, let me know. There are a number of people who like doing that type of work in operations, and I like to do what I can to keep my people happy." And Dani liked doing a variety of jobs if she could get them.
Nathan smiled, “Awesome, I’ll let you know. And thanks for stopping by. Sickbay will be ready for the mission.”
"Any time." Dani smiled as she got up to go back to her office. "Welcome to the Resolute."
A post by
Lieutenant JG Daniella Fox
Chief Operations Officer
USS Resolute
Lt. Commander Nathan Lake
Chief Medical Officer
USS Resolute
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