"Responsibility"
Posted on 01 Feb 2026 @ 2:49am by Lieutenant Commander Riah Amberlyn XMD
942 words; about a 5 minute read
Mission:
Lathira Shoreleave
Location: Large Conf Room, Medical Department
Timeline: After Shore Leave, After Jorik & Dunross Arrive
NOTICE:
WHO: ALL on & off duty Medical Staff
WHEN: 0810 hours – 2426.02.01
WHERE: Large Medical Conference Room
SUBJECT: To be announced
~~~~~~~
The room was arranged with 32 chairs facing a small oval table, around which were 6 chairs. Dr Amberlyn sat in one of the 6, quietly perusing her PaDD as the Medical staff entered the room and found a place to sit down. She directed the doctors to the table. Some arrived early, some spot on at 0810. No one was late.
Good, thought Riah.
The room was quiet, punctuated by a few curious whispers and an occasional soft laughter as people got settled. By 0815 everyone had gotten the vibe and there was silence.
Amberlyn stood and straightened her tunic with a gentle tug.
“Did everyone have a relaxing shore leave?” she asked. Her tone of voice was even, but not particularly friendly; her posture relaxed and confident. There were a few murmurs of Yes, Ma’am, but they were obligatory, not enthusiastic.
“I did too,” she continued. “And when I returned, I got 5 very credible reports that people ventured into Sickbay at one point in my absence, for some reason or another, and there was no one here. No one greeted them, no one asked what they needed. There was no one here. I want to know how that happened?” Her voice was smooth, unhurried.
The room was dead silent. Some of it was the silence of surprise, some the silence of dread, some the silence of guilt.
“I’m not going to say another word. I’m just going to stand here until someone explains to me how it happened that a Sickbay on a Starfleet ship, with 300 plus personnel, and a medical staff of over 30, was actually unstaffed at any time, any time,” she repeated with firm emphasis.
Dr Dunross and Dr Jorik sat on the left side of the table. They were silent, but not the silence of guilt. Dr Dunross had not arrived at Lathira at that time, and Dr Jorik had yet to check into the Medical Department.
It took less than 30 seconds for Dr Len McDavid to stand. “Doctor, I believe I must take responsibility for that as I was the officer in command of the Department at the time.”
Amberlyn nodded. “Yes, you are responsible, Doctor. Please remain standing. Now, who was the last person to walk out of the Department and leave it unattended?” The words hung for a moment.
Ensign Nissar Camparda, one of the nurses, self-consciously stood. “I guess I was, but I didn’t realize there was no one still in back,” he said in his softly accented voice. “I’m …. Sorry, Ma’am.”
“Anyone else?” asked Amberlyn.
CPO Lucy Engerman stood. “My scheduling was flawless, Dr Amberlyn. The Annex was open for exams only during Alpha shift. Staffed by the PA’s and two nurses……”
Amberlyn interrupted her. “I read the staffing schedule, Chief. The problem was not with the schedule.” The Chief started to sit, but the doctor stopped her. “No, please remain standing. As Office Manager, you are part of the supervisory chain that should have made sure not everyone walked out.” She looked around the room again. “Anyone else recognize responsibility in this situation?”
A young Ensign stood, a med-technician. “PO Willowby. I encouraged Camparda to come with me even though we knew Sickbay was on a short staff. There was a Tri-Level Damage Control Game Championship going on in here, and I knew Camparda was a master. We figured we weren’t that far away. But we didn’t realize there was no one on reception duty or we wouldn’t have left.”
Amberlyn nodded and took a deep breath. So, without telling anyone, you must have gone out the back door, through Counseling to get to here,” she stated.
Willowby nodded. “Yes, Ma’am.”
“Anyone else?” Riah waited.
A nurse and two orderlies stood and confessed they too had been at the Tri-Level Damage Control Game Championship, and three others stood but didn’t speak.
Finally, Dr Kim stood. “I believe I see your point, Ma’am. We are all responsible for the Department when we are on duty. We are a team, we are all representing Medical regardless of rank or title, and we need to take that responsibility very seriously.”
Riah nodded approvingly. “Thank you for that insight, Doctor. You are absolutely right. Everyone in this room should be standing, with the possible exception of Dr Dunross who had not arrived as part of Arawan’s crew at that time, though I am sure she does include herself in the spirit of this Department. While you were participating or watching the Tri-Level Damage Control Game Championship, a serious injury occurred in a jeffries tube on Deck 17. Dr Jorik happened to find himself the only person in the Department, lucky for that patient.
“My last question addresses those 5 people who found this Department empty, or as one person described it abandoned. That includes a doctor on this staff,” she looked at Jorik, then around the room.
Again, her voice was even, and not hostile. “Why didn’t any of them immediately contact the next step up in the Chain of Command to alert them that Sickbay was empty? Didn’t it occur to any of 5 people that it was a little unbelievable that Sickbay would be empty of staff? Everyone is responsible. I don’t EVER again want to find out this Department has been abandoned. Is that clear?”
“Yes Ma’am,” rolled through the room.
“You are Dismissed.”
~~~
LtCmdr Riah Amberlyn, XMD
Chief Medical Officer
USS Arawyn
&
Various NPCs
apb Kate
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