Note pertaining to this chapter
For obvious reasons, it probably is mandatory on a spaceship for any new crewmember to meet with the doctor for a checkup. So I had this idea of Tali (along with Garrus and Wrex) meeting Dr. Chakwas while the Normandy SR1 is preparing to leave the Citadel for its first real mission.
By the way, I always wondered what a fully trained medical doctor was doing on such a small ship. But then again, this is 170 years in the future, so maybe doctors are a dime a dozen by then. Her job basically is to patch people up, so she certainly is more of a trauma surgeon than a Dr. House kind of doctor. But on a spaceship, I suppose the job also includes surveillance of the crew for infectious diseases, mental health, appropriate nutrition, regular immune challenges (especially on long trips), etc. Also, I doubt Dr. Chakwas gets enough real work on the Normandy to maintain her skills. To compensate for the lack of real patients, she must have access to some special training tools...
This episode is in Dr. Chakwas' POV. It was originally supposed to be the first chapter of the series, but I had an incredibly tough time writing it. A visit to the doctor is a rather straightforward thing and one would think it would be easy to write… Anyway, I tried very hard to make this interesting without losing plausibility.
Chapter 2: Checkup.
From her workstation, where she was processing small vials containing samples of turian blood, skin and saliva, Dr. Chakwas watched Garrus' back as he walked out of her sick-bay. That one was more cooperative. As the door closed behind him, her gaze shifted to her last patient, sitting on the chair near the desk by the entrance.
The quarian was looking back at her, arms crossed in front of her chest, one leg bouncing up and down in nervous energy. She's impatient, obviously. Pushing the thought aside, she turned her attention back to her task. She quickly stowed the samples in the freezer and wrapped up the last microbiology tests. Satisfied by the negative results, she initiated the station's auto-cleaning and sterilizing procedures, disposed of the few instruments she had used during the examination and started to prepare for the quarian, all the while reflecting on the latest developments.
The day certainly had been eventful, starting with Commander Shepard being made into humanity's first Spectre, quickly followed by him being given command of the Normandy in lieu of Captain Anderson. This had set things in motion, with Pressly rushing all over the ship, urging everyone to get ready for the possibility of a long mission to God knows where. Fortunately, amid all the turmoil, the commander had somehow found the time to send her a rather lengthy message, explaining the situation and telling her about the three alien recruits he was going to bring aboard. Since then, she had been frantically busy, updating her equipment, ordering additional chemicals for the medsynthesizer and her other machines, downloading new training software, refreshing her knowledge on krogans and trying to quickly learn the bare minimum on quarians.
Her xenomedical training, as per the still evolving Alliance policies, was thorough enough for turians, asari and salarians - she had the licenses and permits from the appropriate regulating bodies to prove it. She also had studied batarians and krogans as personal side projects shortly after the first contact war. But while she had had the chance to treat a fair number of batarians over the years, krogans had the annoying habit of regenerating… so she had had the chance to treat exactly - and only - one of these huge and fascinating creatures. It had been years ago… and her skills were rather rusty in that area to say the least. As the recent episode with Wrex reminded her however, the difficulty with krogans did not reside in the purely medical challenge, but in the patient's attitude.
Quarians however – she glanced again at the one near the door – were still mostly a mystery to her. The information she had quickly gathered a couple of hours ago would be enough to go through the upcoming basic checkup, but I won't be ready for anything beyond minor surgery before a couple of days… However, the discomfort of feeling so unprepared was largely compensated by the prospect of spending hours with her 'virtual surgeon™', training on simulated quarian patients.
She sighed at the irony of her situation, shaking her head at the same time. Just the day before, she had practically been complaining to the commander about how boring her job had become. And now that it had ceased to be boring, it all came at once in a big overwhelming lump. Be careful what you wish for… one of her mentors used to say when she had started in her career close to thirty years ago. …you just might get it.
She quickly checked her workstation and the adjoining bed one last time. Everything being ready, she turned to the quarian and signaled for her to come. Quarians are rare… She had seen the odd one here and there during her travels, but had never had the chance to actually talk with one, let alone have one as a patient. As the alien got up from the chair and approached, Dr. Chakwas observed her gait and the way her arms swinged. Her tight fitting suit gave way, under her knees, to some kind of boots covering her strangely curved legs – a little like salarians and krogans. Like many other species, she had three digits. Her 'shoes' showed two long toes projecting out in front, and a little third one on the side. From her quick anatomic update, she knew those were in fact thick claw-like things projecting from very short actual toes… Her visor was opaque, but the tip of her almost human nose could be faintly seen, between two almond shaped bright eyes.
Her observations were interrupted by the quarian's accented but recognizably feminine voice, which also had a slightly nasal quality. "So, it's finally the quarian's turn?"
She was a little surprised by the snarky tone, but chose to ignore it. This was not her first frustrated patient after all and, frankly, it was nothing compared to how the krogan – Wrex, she reminded herself - had treated her barely half an hour earlier. Trying to prevent escalation, Dr. Chakwas calmly replied "I regret having made you wait like that, but surely you understand that the krogan had to go first… and that dealing with your turian friend was barely more than a formal-"
"He's not my friend!" the quarian snapped back at once, crossing her arms in front of her chest and leaning on one leg. "He's just an ignorant turian, like all the others in C-Sec!"
Shaking her head slightly at such venom, Dr. Chakwas took a deep breath and tried again "Please try to look at it from my point of view. There are special issues with you that will require more time… I still think it made sense to keep you for last."
The quarian seemed to be processing this for a moment, her gaze fixed on the bulkhead behind the doctor. Quick to anger at any sign of discrimination, real or imaginary… Annoying but understandable reaction. Like everybody else in the galaxy, she knew of the quarians' bad reputation. However, she was not one to give much credence to such rumors and speciesist nonsense.
Finally, the younger woman's posture changed; she seemed literally to deflate, as if the tension that had built up inside her had suddenly been released. Looking back at her, the quarian made a brief movement with her arms and hands, the meaning of which was lost on her, and said in a tone that was much softer than before "Um… I'm sorry… I'm a little on edge and I overreacted a bit… Please accept my apology. …My name is Tali by the way."
She smiled at that, happy to see her patient changing to better dispositions. "That's alright... Tali. I'm Dr. Chakwas. From what I heard, I understand you had a rough time out there…" Extending her left hand, she patted the examination bed "Now, please sit here. The sooner we start, the sooner we'll be finished."
The suited woman nodded once and nimbly sat on the bed, leaving her legs dangling on its side. She looked around at the instruments and the room while Dr. Chakwas reactivated the station's console.
Navigating haptic menus, she asked over her shoulder "So… the commander told me you are on some kind of… pilgrimage?"
With what seemed to be practiced ease, Tali explained "Yes, it's what all quarians have to do when the time comes… going out in the galaxy, trying to find something worthy of being brought back to the flotilla, to demonstrate that one is ready and able to contribute as a full member of our society."
"Ok, I get it… a quest to mark passage into adulthood." Seems a bit extreme… did she say all quarians do it? She had to push the thought aside however, as an unexpected compatibility issue came up with one of the new software she had installed earlier in the day. Damn. She sighed as she opted to re-install it.
After a few moments of silence that probably felt increasingly awkward to her, the quarian observed "All human doctors I've met up to now seem to work alone… On the ship where I grew up, the medical facilities are always full of people. There are always several nurses and attendants to help…"
Still waiting for her console to resolve its problem, she turned to Tali and pointed to the ceiling above the bed, where a medical robot was in its resting position. "I've got a very precise helper up there. Also, some of the crewmembers are trained medics and would come to help if needed." She chuckled as she glanced at the younger woman "Maybe I should have called them to help me deal with the krogan…" Indeed, the large reptilian alien had been very difficult, challenging her at every step along the procedure and she had barely managed to keep her composure to the end of the ordeal. Chuckling again, she added "That was not the brightest moment of my career…"
Tali replied encouragingly "But you stood your ground at least… which is good. You should have seen how everybody was quick to get out of his way as we followed Commander Shepard around the Citadel…"
Dr. Chakwas smiled back at her patient, encouraged by the young alien's apparently genuine friendliness. "Ah… Thanks. But patients like these have a way of reminding me that I'm probably getting too old for field duty."
Tali seemed to look at her with renewed attention "…Old? I'm sorry… I would not have known. They did not teach us much about humans during my training before I left the flotilla. They mostly showed us how to differentiate between friendly and hostile facial expressions and body language. Even now, I'm still not entirely sure about the faces… humans always seem to end-up showing their teeth..."
Oh… Looking back at her patient again, Dr. Chakwas was struck by a sudden realization, and could not help but feel sympathy for her. Here she is, alone and far away from her home, completely surrounded by aliens whom she knows little about and whose faces are – at best - barely readable.
She smiled warmly at Tali, feeling an urge to do something to help. Moving closer, she made sure the quarian could see her face clearly. "Let me give you a few hints then… Who knows, this could come in handy sometimes. See those little wrinkles on my skin…" She pointed in turn at a corner of her own mouth, then at the outer side of one eye and finally at her forehead. "…they're probably the best tell of a human's age. Young adults have almost none, and then they just get more prominent with time. Very old people's faces are all wrinkled. Another sign of age is the hair…" She ran a hand through her hair while saying this. "…it tends to turn gray like mine."
Tali examined her face and hair with attention, nodding slightly at the explanations. Dr. Chakwas was enjoying the situation. "But some people will try to hide their age by adding color in their hair and cosmetics on their skin… So, sometimes it may be hard to tell." She realized that quarians, all suited up as they were, probably had a hard time telling each other's age. But she had no time to enquire as a soft chime indicated her console required her attention again.
Going back to it, she was happy to see that the previous issue had been resolved. Time to move on. Turning to Tali again, she asked "You must have a medical VI in your suit… Would you be so kind as to download an access code to my console? That way the ship's VI can interface with it and I can get your medical file up and ready."
"Sure, just a moment…" Activating her omnitool, Tali tapped a few commands and looked back at the doctor.
Dr. Chakwas quickly located new files on her system, translated from the quarian's envirosuit by the ship's VI. " There… I think it worked." Opening them, she saw biochemical and blood profiles, with all numbers apparently in the normal range. Looking at the rest of the data, she noted the quarian's age. Ah, definitely an adult… This will reassure the commander. Hell, at twenty two I had already performed my first appendectomy and helped deliver a dozen babies… Looking at the rest of the data, she found some additional biometric information and a complete set of imaging studies. For some reason however, the date was missing on the latter. Over her shoulder, she enquired "I see you had some basic lab analysis and scans done… How old are they?"
"About two months ago… mandatory medical exam just before I left the flotilla."
"My VI says it can work with them, even the scans." Turning briefly to flash a smile at the quarian, she added "That means I won't have to expose you to additional radiations for now…" She tapped a few commands on the haptic keyboard. "Any special condition or medication you have to take regularly and that I should know about?"
"None… Except for my…" She gestured at herself or at her suit, Dr. Chakwas was not entirely sure "…immune situation."
"Ah, yes… We'll have to talk about your suit… But first, I need to get some fresh blood samples… one tube for a baseline and to verify my instruments, and another tube for future reference." She took hold of an automated syringe and quickly placed two empty glass tubes in a receptacle, arming the contraption with an audible 'click.'
She approached the quarian, holding up the instrument in her right hand. "Could you please show me where I can get access to your blood stream… quarian suits are supposed to have built-in ports for this, no?"
Tali looked at her and at the intimidating syringe for a brief moment, then pointed to a small bulge on her left upper arm. With two fingers of her right hand, she did something to it that caused a small port to become exposed.
"You'll have to show me how to do that again…" said Dr. Chakwas as she inserted the tip of her instrument in the port's orifice. Pressing a button, red fluid started to flow up and, as the first tube filled, she continued "…in fact, you'll have to show me how to access your body underneath that suit. I hope it never happens, but in an emergency situation, I need to be able to do it all by myself."
Watching the syringe, where the second tube had already started to fill, Tali nodded. "I understand… It's not complicated. You just have to know where to find the latches…"
"Good." Having finished, Dr. Chakwas removed the blood-filled tubes and gently shook them to make sure the anticoagulant and other preservatives the syringe had added were well mixed. She then turned back to her console, placing one tube in a slot in one of the machines embedded in the bulkhead, and the other on a small tray. "The analysis will take a few minutes…" She took one of the smaller vials that were also on the tray and, with a pipette, proceeded to transfer the contents of the second tube in it. While doing so, she said "The commander said you were involved in a gunfight back on the Citadel…"
"I was involved in a few incidents, yes…" After a brief pause, she added "Apparently, he said many things about me... What else did he tell you?"
She smiled, remembering some of his words. "He said he was impressed by how skillful you are with a shotgun."
The quarian dropped her head a little at that "Ugh… I'm not sure I agree with that. I'm glad he showed up to that gunfight however… otherwise, I certainly would be dead by now."
"Ah…" She paused for half a second, thinking of Chief Williams and the recent incident on Eden Prime. "…He does seem to have a thing for damsels in distress."
"Damsels …what?"
Turning to her patient while putting the lid back on another small vial, Dr. Chakwas smiled. "I suppose it's a human thing… You know, asari are monogendered, turians are obsessed with discipline and just too square anyway, and I don't think either krogans or salarians would understand the idea…" With a finger that was not busy holding something, she pointed at the quarian's omnitool. "…Look it up when you have time… 'damsel in distress.' Who knows, maybe a quarian would get it." Turning back to her task, she finished filling the last vial, and proceeded with the labeling.
After close to a minute of relative silence, punctuated by small noises from the doctor's work and those coming from the machine still busy analyzing the contents of the first tube, Tali started shuffling a little on the bed as if uncomfortable and finally asked "…So …I haven't had time to ask anybody yet, but… Who is he? I mean I understand he is the first human Spectre and that would be enough to make him into a celebrity of sorts, but I have the impression he was already well known even before…"
Dr. Chakwas snorted. "Yes, he certainly was…" Quickly, she stowed the vials away in the freezer, then turned toward Tali. "He's been known for a few years as a hero of the Alliance… They even used him in a few publicity campaigns, showing him as an example of what humanity can do. Of course, that's propaganda... anyone would say that. But having worked with him for a little more than a week now, I would say that I'm inclined to believe most of it."
With obvious curiosity, Tali asked "So… what's his story?"
"Well… to be honest, you would probably find more accurate information on the extranet…" She paused for a moment and smiled "...but I'll tell you all I know while you show me how to deal with your suit." She pointed at the bed and went back to her console. "Please lie down, I'll activate the surgical decontamination field."
Tali reclined and, soon after, a transparent quarantine cover rolled out from the other side of the bed. Accompanied by a soft whirring sound, it quickly enclosed the whole bed and, as the bright light from the decontamination beam started to sweep the interior of the enclosure, Dr. Chakwas decided to start from the beginning. "Apparently, he grew on a farm on Mindoir, an agrarian colony…"
Later that day, comfortably installed in a sleeper pod aboard a human state-of-the-art ship that had just launched from the Citadel and was making its way toward a nearby relay, a young quarian woman was waiting for sleep to come. Exhausted by the events of the last few days, her stomach full of nutritious but tasteless paste, she was looking forward to what she hoped would be a refreshing sleep period, the first in a long time. Feeling her consciousness start the transition into slumber, she chuckled a bit as her eyes swept across the screen on the inner side of the pod's cover, where the result of her last extranet search was still displayed.
Damsel in distress
From: CitaPedia, the free Citadel encyclopedia.
The concept of the damsel in distress, or persecuted maiden, is a classic theme in human literature, art, and vids. She is usually a beautiful young woman placed in a dire predicament by a villain or monster and who requires a hero to achieve her rescue. This is thought to originate from the combination of the male/female dichotomy that is characteristic of the human species along with a few others in the galaxy, and the male-centric cultures that have long been (and still are to some extent) dominant on Earth, the human homeworld. The damsel in distress has long been a stock character of human fiction, particularly of melodrama. Though she is usually human, she can also be of any other species, including fictional or folkloric species; and even divine figures such as an angel or deity.
Considering what she knew of Saren and what she had learned about Shepard from the doctor and some additional extranet searches, Tali had to agree that her situation did fit pretty well with this funny 'damsel in distress' concept, although she had strong doubts about herself being beautiful. As her eyelids became heavier, her thoughts drifted a bit and she imagined other variants of the scenario. The last image in her mind, as sleep finally engulfed her, was that of Shepard's grateful figure as she triumphantly stood over a monstrous but now headless creature that had been threatening him, shotgun still hot in her hands.