I Hate Big Bumps and I Can not Lie [BACK POST]

Posted on Fri Mar 23rd, 2018 @ 3:57pm by Fleet Admiral Donatella Figueroa & Lieutenant Aeryn Vinia

Mission: S01E02 D-8 With the Devil
Location: USS Musashi | Sickbay
Timeline: Prior to Boarding Party

With the heart of this mission fast approaching, the Captain of the starship Musashi was already planning and plotting. There was a lot to do even before a mission briefing could be conducted. She would need to meet with Commander Samuels so that they were at least on relatively the same base. She had to coordinate with the USS Perry which was checked off her list now, but that did not mean coordinating with them was finished. The two starships would need to work together in tangent when they arrived in Klingon space, striking the Klingon shipyard. Fig had her teams in mind, she had divided personnel in a manner which she felt would be most productive and lead to a better probability of a successful mission outcome.

One thing that she did need to get out of the way was one that had to delicately dance around with the Medical Department. She had set up a rather last minute appointment with Nurse Aeryn Vinia while Ship's Physician, Doctor Hill was off duty and supposed to be catching some well earned rest. The appointment fell under 'prenatal care' as the Captain was pregnant. There was still very little known about Klingons. What was the gestation period for a Klingon? One of the somewhat unknowns, but even if it had been firmly known...that was of little use for Fig's case. She was entirely human, the 'father' of the unborn child was Klingon, fully Klingon she presumed. There were no reported births of a Klingon/Human child, and deep down part of Fig wanted to keep it that way.

However, Commander Samuels and the Musashi's former Vulcan Security Chief had convinced her that this child had nothing to do with its father nor the circumstances of the pregnancy. It was innocent. Though being a mother had not been on Donatella's plans, and it still was not included in her future plans, she would protect the life inside of her to the best of her abilities because: (A) It was the humane thing to do and (B) She had taken a Federation oath when joining Starfleet, that she would protect all forms of life indiscriminately. Though the Klingons had been their blood enemies and the opposition in a war, it mattered not what the life growing inside her was, only that it was a life she was duty-bound to protect.

She walked into Sickbay in the middle of the night. It was calm and empty, but she had an appointment and knew that the nurse was holding down the fort. Prenatal care may have been the pretenses for the quickly scheduled appointment, but Fig had more up her sleeve and in her hidden agenda than just checking on the life growing within her womb. Fig needed this medical check-up to certify she was still in excellent health and in good physical and psychological condition to remain in command and perform her duties and responsibilities as Commanding Officer. Fig was determined to stay away from being put on maternity leave. She was not quite 'showing' yet, but she was on the cusp and could start feeling her uniform getting a little tighter in the midsection. She had discretely had the Ship's Serviceman adjust her uniform and loosen it up a bit in the appropriate areas to help mask her pregnancy. The crew of course knew already, but she still wanted to keep herself from looking unfit.

When she spotted movement in the far corner of Sickbay, a flash of blue caught her eye. There she is thought Fig. "Your midnight appointment has arrived" she said teasingly.

"And a good evening to you Captain." Aeryn quipped without turning around, stowing something on a shelf that had her stretching on her tip toes to manage. "Sickbay was built for tall spindly doctors, not so much for shorter nurses."

Donatella flashed a smile though she was not glowing with delight about the examination. No Captain really did when it came to visiting Sickbay for their own personal care. Heck, Doctor Hill was rather territorial when it came to Sickbay. "Evening, morning, whatever time it is" she replied. "I suppose I should get used to these sorts of midnight appointments and general restlessness. When this thing starts kicking, I am sure it will live up to the Klingon reputation" she said shaking her head.

"I look fine, right?" she asked a bit nervously. "I mean just looking at me, you cannot tell can you?" she continued inquiring.

"Do you look pregnant you mean? No, not yet. I'd imagine though that you showing isn't far off." Aeryn smiled softly and then opened the door to the smaller head nurses office. It was a softer place than the CMO's office. There was the expected desk and computer station, but also a plush couch and a bookshelf full of texts. "Have a seat and lets talk shall we?"

This is why I had the Command Nook added thought Donatella as she followed the Nurse into the office. They give the Head Nurse an office of her own, but the Captain just gets the Bridge and larger quarters with a work area she thought as she took a seat. "It probably isn't that far off. From my calculations of when the incident occured, I'm a few months pregnant. I've had my uniforms subtly altered in the midsection...just to loosen it a bit, but I know sooner or later I am going to plump up and be more than showing...I'll be a damn spectacle on the Bridge, and there's no way I can hide that from Admiralty" she said.

"The Doctor has been kind enough to play mum for the time being, but we are both running out of time. He's going to have to send off an updated medical report for me soon enough stating I am pregnant, and when the brass come knocking on my door expecting a perfectly human child, they are going to be in for one hell of a rude awakening" the Captain added bluntly.

"Are the circumstances surrounding your child's conception known to the brass, just not the fact that it resulted in a child?" she asked softly as she noted the bitterness, her reference to it as an 'incident' and had seen Dr. Hill's notes on the hybrid Klingon child that was growing inside the Captain. If she hadn't been forthcoming in her debrief it could make things quite sticky, especially if she'd never had any counseling specific to the rape.

The Captain looked at the woman and squinted her eyes. Good move thought Donatella as she felt Aeryn trvaerse the subject matter lightly, but with good precision. "Starfleet Captain gets abducted by the enemy and held for a few weeks...yeah, brass was well aware, Lieutenant" replied Fig. She took a deep breath and let out a heavy sigh. "It is a long and lengthy mission report that you may look through if you would like. The abridged version is much simplier. I failed. My ship was boarded, some of my crew taken and I do not leave anyone behind" she said firmly.

Fig shook her head. "I tried to conduct a rescue operation to rescue my crew. It was foolish move. Most of them were already killed by the Klingons by the time I mounted forces and came to rescue them. The rescue mission was exactly what the Klingons expected, we were ambused. I was taken captive with others of my crew and the Klingons barbarically slaughtered them in front of me."

Just when you think you're getting ahead in the universe- the Klingons do something like that "So, they wanted to break you." she said after a moment of silence. "They assumed you were a weak minded woman. And instead they created something no-one expected."

"Hardly" she said dismissively. "This was beyond sex and gender. This was personal" commented the Captain. She looked at the nurse and scoffed as she shook her head. "His name is Ke'gak, Commander Ke'gak, and we have a history forged in the heat battle. The war...I'm calling it a war regardless of what history will title it...The war was Federation politics and Klingon imperialism ramming heads in the seas of stars. Space was our colosseum and we were the gladiators. I had bested him a few times during the war causing him an agonizing pain of dishonorable humiliation. I sullied his House, killed his family, and after the war ended...Ke'gak was still thirsty for revenge. Though he may have called me every offensive name in the book regarding my sex and gender, it was not about my breasts. We did not meet in battle as human woman and Klingon man. No, we met in battle as two brazen starship commanders making beautiful barbaric history together."

That doesn't mean he didn't want to break you she thought but didn't say because she didn't think that would help her at the moment. Raising a hand she rubbed at the raspberry that rested between her brows. "Barbaric is an apt word. Didn't a human write something about War being hell? So I have to ask Captain, what is your plan?"

The Captain raised a brow. "There will be mission briefings held to go into everything in detail" she replied simply. "I cannot say too much right now, but I will tell you that there will be bordering parties sent aboard the Klingon shipyard. You will be assigned to one of these parties, Lieutenant. Doctor Hill will be remaining on the Musashi" Fig said with a quick mini brieifng. "Which is why I need a medical report that says I am in perfectly sound mind and that my physical condition is approved for an away mission."

"I did not mean with the mission. I meant for you personally. " Aeryn heaved a sigh and then raised her bright blue eyes to gaze at her captain. "You realize of course that it will be hard to convince anyone that this wasn't orchestrated entirely out of revenge. Even with my clearances."

"Consider it testing the waters" replied the Captain. "Nothing is official yet so do not go waltzing in making yourself at home, but that office..." said Fig gesturing to Dr. Hill's is close to being yours for a several weeks, if not a few months" teased Fig. "As acting Chief Medical Officer aboard. There's an epidemic on one of our remote colonies and Starfleet Medical is calling some of our best physicians to ship out. If things are as bad as the reports I have read, Dr. Hill's place is out there and not aboard my starship."

Aeryn's expression changed not one iota, but that tidbit of information had lightness filling her soul. She was to be the chief of the ships medical staff because there was no MD. That was a revelation, and a total paradigm shift for her. "I'll do my best to not let my ego enjoy that tidbit too much." she teased back a smirk hovering on her lips.

"Good to hear" replied Fig. "Now, how the hell does a Captain get physically cleared around here?" she asked almost seriously. "I am rarely ever late to a shift and if I am it is because some damn Admiral or worse, a Commodore has me tied up for several minutes. I eat healthy and exercise...basically I do my best. Aside from having this thing in my womb, I feel perfectly fine. If that helps speed things along."

Aeryn winced inwardly at hearing her call it a thing. They would have to speak in depth at some later time about her feelings about the child she carried, for it was clear there was no small amount of resentment there. Maybe Fig would be the kind of mother that fell in love with her baby after it was born. Even if it was a filthy halfbreed. She suspected that her own parents had said similar epithets about her when she was born, a cursed twin. "Well, lets see how your body is adapting to the hybrid pregnancy, and work from there."

The Captain nodded in agreement. Hybrid pregnancies were extremely difficult, and in some cases almost entirely impossible. She had never heard of anyone becoming pregnant with a Klingon child before albeit who in their right mind would fornicate with one of them? She most certainly had no desire to. "It hasn't killed me yet" she said somewhat optimistically. "Since we have gotten to this point, I think it has gotten used to growing inside of me. What concerns me is when it will be ready to come out and if I can handle that without it killing me" she added with notable concern.

"There is some truth to that. If you were biologically incompatible or there was something wrong with the fetus- it wouldn't have lasted this long. The problem arises in the fact that we know nothing of this sort of hybrid. What drugs will and won't affect it, what nutrients it needs to thrive, we just have no idea. So what I am going to do...is treat the pregnancy like I would a human one, until I can figure out anything better. I'll just be keeping a much closer eye on your blood electrolyte levels and cravings. Maybe we can steal a Klingon medical database while we're on the station..." That last was no idle threat- she would like to do so in order to understand Klingon biology. It could only help them to increase their knowledge.

Fig did not like the idea of maybe having to deliver this thing without any drugs. She figured birthing the child was going to be painful, but given they knew very little about Klingon physiology...maybe it was a possibility that she would have to give birth the truly old fashion way. "Right...well, I cannot make that a top priority, but we manage to pass by or it is on the way, then let's do it. Because, between you and me, Aeryn, I really do not want to have to give birth to this child like it were the dark ages."

"I'll run some simulations- because honestly I don't want you to either. That said, if it is required then I know many a trick for easing pain naturally. Benefit of my upbringing." Both hands raised in a symbolic gesture to touch the raspberry on her forehead. She'd been an outcaste- but she'd listenned and learned a great deal from her childhood. "Lets get some measurements."

Captain Figueroa smirked and took in a deep breath. "Quite an upbringing by the sound of it, Lieutenant" replied the Captain of the starship Musashi. "The last time a woman said something about taking measurements, she had green skin and got a little too touchy feely for my liking" warned Donatella, crossing her arms. "I take this entirely strictly professional and for medical purposes, Nurse" teased the Captain who in general was not overly fond of physical contact.

Aeryn made a rude sound between her lips and raised a blue eyebrow at the Captain. "For the purposes of the pregnancy you will have to get used to a little contact Captain. If I was going to proposition you, I wouldn't do it here. Professional boundaries and all that rot."

“I’m sorry Aeryn” apologized the Captain sincerely. She did not mean to be rude nor so defensive with her posture. “I haven’t quite gotten used to a touch since well...hey pregnancy” commented Figueroa. “Professional boundaries and all of that. Yeah, I get it” she said with a small smile. “But I’m the Captain so you’ll excuse me if I gossip a little. Seeing anyone?”

"You are allowed to be apprehensive about touch- especially given what you went through." Aeryn smiled back at the captain not able to help the giggle that escaped about the 'seeing anyone' comment. "And no, no one seriously. People find my species...different. We're not monogamous by any stretch of the imagination and quite enjoy dalliances with both sexes. Its something humans sometimes have issue with. And then there's the hair..." She giggled again as she stroked her fingers through it. Reaching back she got a measuring tape, and laid it gently upon the Captain's belly, one gentle hand finding the fundus of her uterus and marking the tape at that point.

The Captain would never admit to it, but did let out a giggle that led to a snort. “Hey, if someone can fall for a Denobulan or an Andorian, I am sure they could fall for you. There’s plenty of humans who dye their hair blue, green, and anything and everything in between” replied the Captain. “We accept people with blue skin, antennas, fur covered bodies, and ridges too. Don’t let that blue hair stop you” added the Captain. “I personally like it. I don’t have the looks to pull it off myself, but it suits you naturally.”

"Maybe blue isn't your color, but I'd wager that you could get away with any of a number of colors natural or otherwise. If I were doing it, I'd put metallic gold streaks in your hair to accent the color of your eyes. A nice deep red would make you glow as well." she commented, grinning openly at the captain's giggle. The ease it brought to her face was something to behold and Aeryn found she liked it. Maybe the Captain would become her friend as well as her commanding officer.

Donatella smiled warmly and nodded agreeingly. “You know that sounds quite nice. We might just have to have a girl’s night and try a few things with our hair” she said pleasantly. It’s not like me to let someone in like this, but there’s been something missing thought Fig. “How’s everything measuring up and looking?” asked Captain Figueroa.

Aeryn smiled at the easy acquiescence of the Captain. "It is measuring a little larger than a human pregnancy at this stage. It does seem healthy, and while it is depleting nutrient levels it is nothing that we can't supplement for you. I want to take weekly measurements on your electrolyte levels to be sure that nothing gets dangerously depleted. Do you have a drink flavor preference?"

The Captain could not help but to snort in response. “Does it come in wine flavored? A nice sangria maybe?” asked Donatella though she was not being serious. “If you can give to me in something sweeter like vanilla or root beer, that wouldn’t be so bad. If not, I’ll settle for a citrus flavor.”

"Vanilla is very possible." she said with a chuckle "I'll see about sangria in my next flavor mix, I've heard it's fruity. Never did try much in the way of Alcohol."

"Pity" replied Donatella with a teasing smirk. "All work and no play, Doc-" she was about to say Doctor but stopped herself. Interesting she thought with a smile. She did not want to refer to the woman as Nurse after almost calling her Doctor as it was potentially insulting. Instead, Fig averted that by using rank. "Lieutenant" she finished. "I'll take the vanilla. And as for sangrias, after this child is born, you and I are having a sangria night" added the Captain.

"That sounds delightful." Aeryn's smile was indeed delighted; though more with the almost slip of the tongue than the idea of drinking. Actually both pleased her, but the fact that she was being taken so seriously here as a medical professional was something that warmed ehr as she mixed the vitamin and flavor packet into simple capsules and handed them over to the Captain. "I'll mix you up a weeks supply and you'll come back at the end of the week for more. "

Politely, Captain Figueroa transitioned back into a more professional tone. "So, will you clear me for an away mission if I agree that this will be one of my last if not last mission off the ship? I will even have you with me the whole time to monitor my health. Does that sound reasonable?" she said almost bartering with the woman to let her go.

"This is a medical center, not a bargaining table." she scolded the captain gently, before putting up her hand to stay any argument "However, it does sound reasonable and I don't believe that the mission poses any more risk to you than any other confrontation we might have with the klingons. I would ask that you try to avoid hand to hand combat however."

Fig could not help but snort. "Sounding like a Chief Medical Officer of a starship already, Lieutenant" replied the Captain. "You're right though. This is not a bargaining table and it is about the only place aboard this starship where I am fairly powerless" confessed Captain Figueroa. "That's not a feeling that I like very much. I like being in command and in control. So, forgive me if I try to haggle you. You have my word that I will not be engaging a Klingon in hand-to-hand. I may have my hatred for them, but I also know there's no way I can take one even in my best physical condition. I will rely on my phaser to bring them down."

"Then I don't forsee us having any problems" her smile returned, warm and gentle as she looked across at the Captain.

Captain Figueroa nodded in agreement. "Nor do I, Lieutenant. And if you do not have anything pressing that you need to scan for, we both have boarding missing to prepare for" she said trying to wiggle free from the confines of the medical bay.

"No ma'am. You're fit for duty." It was all she could do not to chuckle at the ministrations of the captain trying to get the hell out of her sickbay. Her sickbay- what an ego trip.