Sickbay was deserted.
It was 0332, the middle of the nightshift and Star was both surprised and relieved to find that nobody was manning the facility. It was clearly a breach of protocol but she couldn’t have hoped for a better set of circumstances.
Not wanting to push her luck by wasting time, she quickly made her way across the empty ward and to the section where the supplies of medical drugs for emergency uses were being kept.
Her hands were shaky as she checked row after row of vials and containers. And then she found what she had been looking for. Her heart almost jumped out of her chest, so strong was the feeling of alleviation that washed over her.
It was a small dose to be certain, less than three cubic centimeters, but it was enough to get her through the week and give her time to secure a larger supply. She tucked the vial into the waistband of her pants and closed the cabinet and darted for the exit.
A smile formed on her lips when the doors had come so close they parted for her.
“Can I help you, ma’am?”
Star froze inches away from reaching the safety of the corridor.
She didn’t turn around. Sweat pearls dropped from her forehead and into her eyes. She could not believe how close she had gotten to a clean getaway.
“I’m fine, thank you,” she said, her voice shaky and still refusing to face whoever had appeared behind her.
She heard footsteps. Then the cabinet door she had used seconds before was being opened. Whoever it was had seen her take something from it.
Star took a quick breath and turned on her heels to find a young man - a boy really, he couldn’t have been a year older than eighteen - peering into the cabinet.
“Actually there is something you could assist me with, Crewman,” she said with such deliberate force that the med-tech immediately paid her his undivided attention. “Are you aware of Starfleet regulations concerning the staffing of all essential starship facilities at all times?”
The crewman stammered. “I ... yes, I think I ...”
“Would you not say, Crewman, that sickbay is one of the most essential facilities to be found on a starship?”
“Yes ... yes, ma’am.”
She rolled her eyes. “So then imagine my surprise when I dropped in here no two minutes ago to find this essential facility completely abandoned. What if I had required urgent medical assistance, which I’m now extremely grateful I didn’t as your lack of a sense of duty would have put my life in serious peril?”
“I ... I just stepped out for a minute to ...”
Star never gave the hapless man a chance to explain. “I’m sure your excuse sounds perfectly reasonable to you, Mister, but somehow I don’t think I would have given a damn if I had been lying here bleeding to death.”
The crewman had absolutely no words to add. His face was sickly pale now as he simply stared at the captain with wide-open eyes, never even taking notice of Star’s profusely sweating face.
“I won’t mention your name in the log this time, Crewman ... ?”
It took him a couple of seconds to find his voice again. “Sadowski, Marshall Sadowski.”
“Very well, Crewman Sadowski. Consider yourself warned, I will not accept complacency on my ship.”
“Now, now, Captain, there is no need to scare the willies out of my staff. Especially if they’re just trying to do their job.”
Doctor Alan Newheiser had stepped up next to Star and gave her a tiny, crooked smile. Star for her part glared at the man with blatant anger.
Newheiser didn’t seem concerned. He walked to the still petrified crewman who appeared eternally thankful for his boss’ arrival. Newheiser put a comforting hand on his shoulder. “I’ll take it from here Marsh, why don’t you go and take a break?”
Sadowski nodded slowly and without making eye contact with the captain he swiftly slipped out of the room.
Star was too stunned to stop the crewman. She had never liked Newheiser, not from the first moment he had met the man. There was something off about him as he carried himself with an air of superiority even around the captain. As if he was running this ship instead of her.
Newheiser checked the medical cabinet. “Well, something appears to be missing.”
She swallowed hard as the doctor inspected the cabinet but quickly managed a more self-assured posture. It was an act. “If you excuse me now, Doctor,” she said and began to turn.
“Can I have a word with you, Captain. If you don’t mind?”
“Actually, this is not a good time.”
“On the contrary. This is the perfect time.”
Newheiser moved fast. Star had never even seen him coming and yet there he stood right behind her. She froze in mid-step when she felt his hand at her hips. He had located and removed the vial hidden there in one swift motion.
She turned around, trying on anger to deflect from his discovery.
But he simply gave her that smile again and then looked at the drug. “Ah, there it is,” he said and walked towards his office. “I believe you were quoting regulations to my technician earlier. Were you aware that it is a felony to remove controlled substances from sickbay without the expressed permission of the chief medical officer?”
Star’s head began to spin.
He stopped and looked at her. “Excuse me for saying this, Captain, but you look like hell. Would you like to talk to me in my office?”
She couldn’t think of a single thing to say. What was there to say, really? She had been caught red handed. There was no possible excuse for what she had done and revealing the truth, admitting that the captain of a Federation starship was no better than a common Orion drug junkie was simply not an option. She nodded slowly and followed him into his office where the doctor sat behind his desk and placed the vial in front of him as if to tease her with it.
“Yridium tricantizine is a very powerful narcotic, Captain, and a strictly controlled substance within the Federation,” he began to explain like he would to a child. “It is rarely used for medical purposes due to its strong addictive qualities. It stimulates the central nervous system to such an extent that it can lead to spurts of euphoria and hyper-activity. It also suppresses sleep and appetite. Prolonged use can lead to permanent cellular damage,” he added and then, interlacing his fingers, he leaned forward. “Did you know that symptoms of yridium tricantizine misuse include increased perspiration?”
Star stood uncomfortably in front of the desk. The whole situation felt a little bit like being called to the principal’s office for having been caught copying homework from another student. Except for the fact that the consequences she could be facing now were endlessly worse.
“I am of course familiar with your medical history,” Newheiser continued. “Due to a complication during your joining with your symbiont you suffer from a biochemical imbalance and you have been prescribed yridium tricantizine to correct this imbalance.”
Star moved towards the desk to take the vial. “So you understand why I need it,” she said but stopped short when Newheiser grabbed it before she could.
“I took the liberty to do some research, Captain,” he said calmly as he studied her frustrated expression closely. “As I’m sure you would except me to do in order to best serve the medical needs of your crew. What I discovered is quite curious. For example did you know how many cases I found in all the Federation in which a Trill, or any other species for that matter, was treated with yridium tricantizine to correct a chemical imbalance?”
“I’m certain you are about to enlighten me,” she said. She had wanted to sound self-assured but failed miserably when her voice croaked.
“Exactly one, Captain. You.”
Star had decided that she had enough of his games. She walked up closer to the desk and before Newheiser could blink she had snatched the vial out of his hand. “I honestly don’t quite see your point, Doctor. I need this drug, it’s a medical fact. Now I’m going to take this back to my quarters if you don’t mind.”
He shook his head. “You entirely misunderstand my concerns,” he said and placed a similar vial onto the desk, slightly larger than the first but filled with a differently colored liquid.
“What is that?”
“That,” he said and smiled again, “is hyperzine. Fifty ccs of it.”
Star looked befuddled. “I don’t understand.”
“Let me explain,” he said. “Curing a yridium addiction is extremely difficult, not to mention painful and time consuming. Hyperzine is a stimulant which has similar qualities to yridium. It doesn't have the exact same effect but it will counteract some of those nasty symptoms like that awful sweating. I’ve also taken the liberty to procure more yiridum so we can avoid any other embarrassing midnight rushes to sickbay.”
If Star’s eyes could have killed, Newheiser would have been on the floor, fighting for his last breath. “I don’t need your help.”
“Oh no? Tell me would you prefer then that I contact Starfleet Medical to advise them of this incident? I’m sure if they probe deep enough they’ll find that you’ve been far exceeding your prescribed dosage. Now that wouldn’t look too good on your file, I reckon,” he said, his grin widening like that of the Cheshire Cat.
Star walked very slowly, very deliberately back to the desk, placed both her hands on the surface and leaned forward. “Why are you doing this?”
“We all have our demons to wrestle. I suppose you thought you had left yours behind. Problem with demons, they have a habit to catch up with you when you least suspect it.”
Star stepped back. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
The doctor stood and brushed through his hair. “I think you know exactly what I’m talking about, Captain. And if I may offer you a piece of advice. I would do what has been asked of you without question. He has means to ensure that his ... associates pay the debts that they owe him.”
“You work for Altee?” She felt her fury rise again. “You tell that bastard that I owe him nothing.”
“Captain, do you really think that anyone ever truly stops working for a man like that? For that matter do you think Starfleet Command just gave you this ship because of your service record? You would do well in asking yourself a very important question. What do you stand to lose?”
She glared at him with a desire to jump over the desk and carve that smile off his face. Part of this was her drug starved mind but the other part was all her.
“I understand the anger you feel, Captain. Trust me, I’ve been where you are now. But I’ve long since accepted that the choices we make stay with us for the rest of our lives. You have made your choices and now you have to live with them.”
She calmed herself somewhat. “Are your here to spy on me then, is that it? Make sure that I’m a good little operative?”
“You are too cynical for your own good,” he said. “There is no great master plan unfolding here. Simply circumstances for which we all aim to be prepared for. Now we all have our roles to play. I keep you supplied with what you require so that you can do what he requires.”
“Shuun. He wants Shuun,” Star said quietly to herself.
Newheiser sat again. “There is no need to speak to me about the details. You do what you have to do, Captain, as all of us do.”
She fixed him with an icy stare. “Is that a threat, Doctor?”
He laughed almost good-heartedly. “Please, I wouldn’t dare to threaten the captain of this vessel. In fact you have nothing to fear from me. No, I’m not here to give you any trouble at all.”
“That’s good to know,” she said and headed for the door.
“I’m certain you’ll do the right thing. He does not forget his people, Captain. Whatever happens you”˜ll be taken care of, I promise you that.”
Star stopped once more before she had reached the exit. “Altee might think he owns me and I don’t know maybe he’s right. But there is one thing I’ve learned over the years working for him.”
“And what is that, Captain?”
“There are no certainties,” she said and left.