Hypospray Jenga. A Physical.

Posted on 08 Jun 2026 @ 9:37pm by 1st Lieutenant Gavin Ross Dr. & Ensign Cael Maz

828 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: S04 Episode 02 The Hackers Backdoor (Incidentals)
Location: USS Tomcat, Main Sick Bay
Timeline: Current

[ON]

Gavin stood at the counter trying to stack a few empty hypospray vials into a little tower. He was doing alright until the last one. He set it on top real careful and the whole thing just slowly tipped over, vials rolling all over the deck.

He watched them go and let out a short laugh.

“Surgeon’s hands they said,” he muttered while getting down to pick them up. “Chief Medical Officer and I cant even stack five vials without making a mess. Real smooth, Ross.”

He was still crouched down grabbing the last couple when the doors opened.

Gavin looked up with a bit of a sheepish smile.

“Ensign Maz. Right on time. Come on in. Sorry about the mess, I was just testing how bad my stacking skills really are.”

Cael bent down and began to collect the vials, "Here, let me help," he said as he found a stray tray and began filling it. "Could be worse, I suppose. Could be a lot more."

Gavin straightened up with the tray, still chuckling a little as he set it on the counter.

“Thanks for the help. You’re already making a good impression and you’ve only been here a minute.” Ross grinned.

He leaned against the counter, giving Maz an easy, curious look.

“So... new guy for Raider 3, right? How’s the ship hitting you so far? First day jitters or are you already getting your bearings?”

Cael stood up and put the last vial on the tray. "Still too early to tell. Just got back from Earth so still getting my bearings being back on a ship again." Cael informed.

He nodded toward the biobed with a small smile.

“Whenever you’re ready, have a seat up there and we’ll get the physical out of the way. Any questions before we start?”

Cael shook his head as he moved toward the biobed. "Oh nothing comes to mind other than how's the day going for you, Doctor?"

Ross paused and cocked his head to the left slightly, off guard by the wonderful, kind comment. "You know. You might be one of the few crewmates who ask me how my day has been?" Ross felt complimented.

He paused, taking a seat on his stainless steel stool next to Cael on the bio bed. "My day has been good. I've had a few novel bacterial cultures from Ulyssis Probe in the McNara Nebula recently bloom. Very hard to propagate cultures from Nebula, usually radiation snuffs out all the goodies for us Medical Scientists."

He smiled. "How has your day been, Cael? Are you in a solitary quarters or double-bunk setup?" Ross didn't know what quarter arrangements had changed, if any, during the retrofit. Ross began utilizing his Mark VI Med Tricorder, scanning as they talked.

"My day has been alright so far. Just got aboard today; you're my first stop of the day. As for quarters, I am not sure if anything has changed since I was last aboard before the recall back to Earth." Cael confessed as he sat relatively still for the scan.

Ross chuckled softly the sound was warm and genuine as he fiddled with the tricorder settings. The little device gave off a soft rhythmic chirp while it kept scanning.

"First stop of the day huh I'm honored. Means I get to be the official welcome committee before anyone else grabs the job" Ross said with a grin glancing at the glowing screen. "Vitals look pretty much perfect."

Ross lowered the tricorder for a second and leaned back on his stool looking thoughtful but friendly.

"As for quarters the retrofit shook a few things around. You're listed for solitary on deck four section twelve B. Quiet spot with a decent viewport. If you'd rather double bunk or want a change just say the word and I'll ping operations for you. No sense starting your tour feeling all boxed in."

Ross smiled again tapping the tricorder to finish the last sweep.
"And hey thanks for asking about my day. Most folks just wanna know if they're cleared for duty. It's nice to talk shop with someone who actually listens." Ross gave Cael a quick approving look. "You're all set. Clean bill of health. Welcome home Cael."

"Independant quarters will do just fine. Gives me time to reflect on things and more storage." Cael said with a light chuckle. "And think nothing of it. You will see more of me than you might think, but in a rather good way." He said before standing up and began making his way to the door, "Thanks. It's very good to be back."

"See you around, Ensign Maz!" Ross gave an appreciative nod.

[OFF]

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