Casey at the Bat

Posted on Mon Apr 6th, 2026 @ 1:33am by Lieutenant Darla Kennings & Lieutenant Commander Casey Virel

668 words; about a 3 minute read

Mission: Episode 1: Shadows of Diplomacy
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: 1230 hours

As Casey Virel anticipated, the sickbay of the Scharnhorst was a hive of activity. It was midday, the customary period when most humanoid species paused for sustenance. Additionally, the vessel was in the process of integrating an entirely new complement; per Starfleet regulations, each incoming crew member was required to undergo an onboarding physical in the medical bay. Evidently, a significant portion of the new personnel had elected to complete this requirement during their lunch hour. The sheer volume of individuals was considerable enough that Casey briefly contemplated returning during the evening shift. Nevertheless, despite the influx of patients, the medical staff appeared to be managing operations with commendable efficiency, prompting Casey to remain.

After a brief interval, the majority of patients had departed from the medical bay. A staff member, introducing herself simply as one of the medical technicians, guided Casey to an unoccupied biobed and informed him that a doctor would attend to him shortly. Casey seated himself on the examination bed, allowing his legs to dangle freely as he swung them back and forth in a steady, rhythmic motion.

Darla walked through sickbay, twirling and half dancing her way through the rest of the staff. She hummed a few notes and tossed her padd, which sailed through the air and was caught by an orderly, who threw a fresh one back. They'd all established a good rhythm together and by this point, the constant rotation of patients was becoming routine. Darla walked up to the biobed and smiled at her next patient. "Hello, I'm Doctor Kennings. And you are?"

“Good afternoon, Doctor Kennings,” said the Ops chief with a small, lopsided smile. “Casey Virel, Chief of Operations. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

"Likewise," Darla said, smiling. "Well, let's get some baseline readings. Lie back and get comfortable." She opened her tricorder and held it ready.

As he had been instructed, Casey stretched out on the biobed. The polyfoam was more comfortable than most, conforming to the curvature of his body.

"Have you been on board long?" she said, scanning him slowly.

“Just since yesterday evening,” said Casey, listening to the soft and rhythmic whirring of the tricorder scanner. “I must say Doctor, I am duly impressed with the efficiency - and competency - of the medical staff. And I am not easily impressed.”

"Thank you," Darla said, smiling. "I want to take credit, but we've only just all started working together. They're a good team to begin with, thankfully. I'm lucky to have them." She looked at the biobed's monitors. "You're in excellent shape, Commander. And I'm happy to say, you are fit for duty. Any questions for me?"

Virel sat up, turning his body to the left and swinging his legs onto the floor. “Not that I can immediately…actually, yes. I have participated in several scientific studies regarding my hybrid Human and Lanthanite immune system. If you would be interested in those studies, I can have Starfleet Medical forward them to you. They might be helpful in any ongoing medical research you are conducting. One study last year was working on a vaccine for the Fostossa Virus.”

Darla raised an eyebrow. "I'd be extremely interested, yes," she said. "Thank you, Commander, for the offer." She smiled and tapped her padd. "You're free to return to duty, Sir."

“Always glad to be of help. One of the few perks of being a minor medical curiosity, I guess,” Casey said, turning toward the exit.

Tell me about it, Darla thought.

He gave the Doctor a slight nod in acknowledgment. “Thank you, Doctor Kennings. I will ask Starfleet Medical to forward those files to you as soon as possible. Good day.” Casey turned on his heel and headed toward the exit, feeling a little better knowing that he might be passively lending a hand in advancing medical science.

"Good day," she said, smiling he left. She put her padd down, letting out a breath. It had been a long day.

 

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