“Apparently I am not the only one with an emergency patient…”, thought Alcyone as she arrived in the Valkyries sickbay. While her team of doctors, nurses and counsellors was well-trained and well-prepared, the sheer amount of people needing help was already bordering on being overwhelming. Which, mostly, had something to do with how things were coordinated – meaning that they really weren’t. They hadn’t been here long enough to liaise with the planets own hospitals and rapid response teams, and their own medical staff defaulted to the Valkyrie rather than anything else. 

“Middle-aged male, compression injuries to thorax and leg. I’ve cut off blood flow, vitals are stable for the time being.”, she told the doctor taking over Ick’s care. 

Alcyone handed over Ick’s medical data pad to Dr. Vena, who quickly scanned the information. 

“Good work.”, she said, evidently either not aware that Alcyone was their new CMO, or simply too busy to pay attention. Alcyone didn’t mind. “Let’s get him to bay three and prep for a full body scan,” Dr. Vena instructed, signaling to a nearby nurse who immediately began transporting Ick to the designated area.

As Brenann turned to attend to the next patient, she couldn’t help but notice the growing line of injured personnel and civilians alike. Sickbay was teeming with a mix of planetary inhabitants and even a few alien species, all victims of the recent disaster. The air was thick with the sounds of groans, hushed conversations, and the ever-present beeping of medical monitors.

“Over here!” called a nurse, her voice strained with urgency. “We’ve got a critical case – severe plasma burns. We need another set of hands.”

Alcyone wanted to rush over to the patient and help. The patient, a young woman in her early twenties, lay unconscious on the stretcher, her skin mottled with deep red burns. But her role on the Valkyrie wasn’t the same as it had been on the last vessel she served on. For a moment, she simply watched her team getting to work… 

“Get the coolant gel and prepare the regenerative wraps.”
”We need to stabilize her before we can even think about grafting.”

Alcyone took a deep breath, and slowly the chaotic environment around them seemed to fade.

“Alright, we’ve done what we can for now. Keep an eye on her vitals and notify me if there’s any change”
 

They couldn’t afford to dwell on any one patient for too long. The sheer volume of those needing care meant she had to keep moving, prioritizing, and delegating as efficiently as possible.

A sudden commotion at the entrance drew her attention. A group of officers carried in another stretcher, this one bearing a man with a jagged piece of shrapnel embedded in his abdomen. His face was pale, and his breaths came in short, painful gasps.

“Get him to bay one.” 

“Prepare for immediate surgery.”

“We need to triage more efficiently, this isn’t working.”, Alcyone said to no one in particular, which didn’t make her statement less true. They would have to make use of the planets resources and coordinate their efforts with those of the locals.