Lt. (j.g.) David Martel stopped in the doorway to Sickbay, his broad shoulders filling up the space and perhaps giving him an impression of having more height than his pedestrian height actually was. He took stock of the place. Cool grey walls and much more spacious and several more beds than a Luna-class. Not surprising given the much larger size of the crew.

He had a protective fondness for medical personnel, though he had to admit he was probably biased due to a very special person in his past. A rather sad smile crept across his face unrealized as it often did when Nikkira came to mind. He never could quite shake off his feelings about her, the reality of the situation notwithstanding. The smile was still on his face as he looked around for a doctor to get his physical done.

Across the room, Lieutenant Sienna Frisco handed the nurse the PADD with the remaining inventory check. She made her way over to him, saying, “Welcome aboard, Lieutenant Martel. Doctor Sienna Frisco.” She accepted his firm handshake, saying, “But you can call me ‘Doc’ or ‘Doc Frisco.'” She pulled his dossier on her PADD and said, “Looks like you’re due for your physical.” She gestured to a biobed off to the side.

David placed one hand on the biobed and vaulted himself to a sitting position and briefly studied the doctor. Doc Frisco was blonde, rather pretty and while not unfriendly, had a somewhat serious demeanor about her.

She grabbed a medical tricorder while he seated himself on the bed. “Your health history is good. There are no pre-existing conditions to worry about, ” she said. She began the scan, making notes on her PADD as the data transferred from the tricorder.

“Well, Doc,” David answered with a boyish grin and wry waggle of his head, “in the past, some have accused me of having brain damage, but I just write that off as slander.”

David was more relaxed here than with the Captain. He didn’t have the aversion to medical personnel many had. Engineers check a ship’s systems for problems, doctors do the same with people, and he’d rather catch a problem sooner than later. He watched the doctor as she worked.

Sienna slipped a hypospray into her hands, pulling samples for his bloodwork. With a quiet smile, she replied, “A formal reprimand from your academy days wouldn’t count as slander, Lieutenant.” She watched his blood pressure readings and heart rate vitals. “Since then, you seem to have reformed your ways. Not everybody finds the right way to channel that energy.”

David was about to quip, “I only hit him once.”, but managed to wisely clamp down on the words, turning them into an uncomfortable cough. David then winced and began to scratch the back of his head nervously.

Sienna’s quiet smile remained. “I’m also the executive officer. I have to review everyone’s dossier. Judgment on past transgressions isn’t in the job description, but awareness of what gets your warp core agitated is.” She tapped at the console at the bedside scanner and slipped her tricorder back onto her belt. “What do I need to watch out for when it comes to you?”

David’s smiled a thin smile and cracked his neck, “I think what saved me was the circumstances of that incident, ma’am. Valeriy Makarov is many things. Brilliant, eccentric, socially oblivious and irritating in a lovable sort of way, but the man couldn’t fight his way through wet paper. I was actually defending him. Witnesses corroborated that so…..like I said, sir, I got lucky.”

David sighed heavily as he met Sienna’s eyes and continued, “I believe everyone in a society has a part to play, sir. There are violent people and people of violence. I’m a person of violence. People like me defend people who can’t defend themselves from violent people so they can do whatever important work they need to do in peace.”

David powered on, “I don’t look down on Valeriy for not being able to fight; that’s MY job. HIS job is to advance our knowledge, which is infinitely more important than knocking heads. While people like me are necessary, people like you, doctors, scientists, engineers, you are the truly important ones.”, David finished with a slight chuckle, “I just happen to be the headknocker.”

David cleared his throat and looked away, suddenly embarrassed, and murmured softly, “Anyway, sir, that’s how I view the universe.”

Frisco was amused and amazed.  Dossiers only told so much, and letters of recommendation were about reading between the lines.  On paper, the lieutenant junior grade looked, at best, slightly uneven and, at worst, liable to start throwing haymakers.  She was learning that curiosity was a better path than snap judgment.  Martel was well on his way to proving her theory.  “You’re more philosopher than tactical, Lieutenant Martel.”  She chuckled, “Although that kind of thinking can sometimes save the day.” She handed him his PADD back having signed his medical review, “Your view of the universe isn’t wrong, by the way.  I’d qualify a slight modification to it – being a head knocker isn’t exclusive to a position.  Remind me to tell you some of my stories from my life on Vulcan.”  Her smile slid into a congenial grin, “You ever need backup in security, I’ve got some experience in the matter.”

David started in surprise at this, then snorted out a laugh.

“I will remember to be an EXTRA polite patient then, Doc.”, David slid off the biobed and headed to the doors deciding he may have misjudged the doctor a little. She wasn’t quite as serious as he initially thought.

“And now to meet Lieutenant Silveira.”, David thought to himself.

Sienna watched the man leave, feeling a quiet warmth in her stomach.  There was something subtly attractive about him.  Not even to pursue, but enough to sit in the back with some popcorn.

She sighed.  Now she was hungry.