Chaos in a small package.

Posted on Wednesday September 28th, 2022 @ 9:08am by Lieutenant Commander Niali Deval Dr & Lieutenant Steven Edgeware

Mission: Shore Leave
Location: Science Lab & Sickbay
Timeline: Shore Leave

[ON]

-Science Lab-

Things in Penny’s life had not gone well. Once she was a Lieutenant head of a Starships Science department. Then her inability to keep her big mouth shut. Had caused her downfall.

Not only was she busted to Ensign. She was dumped off the ship at the next Starbase.No longer head of anything, with two strikes on her record.

The Oberon needed a Medic/Science Officer. So she applied and was allowed to join.

But what to do with the Wee one?

Her pet Chihuahua. She was not sure if pets were allowed on the Oberon. Her grandmother was to far away to take the dog. So she brought him onto the Oberon.

She had to keep him inside his carry kennel. Which he did not like. But Penny tried to check on him regularly. But with everything that had been going on. She had been busy.

Now with shore leave looming. Penny went to visit her dog.

“ Wee one. Sorry mummy had to leave you…..oh my!!” She said. Inside the Chihuahua was flopped like a ragdoll.

-Sickbay-

With Steven’s transfer to Science finally confirmed. He was finishing up his duties in sickbay.

“ Hello Niali how are you feeling?” He asked.

She draped herself over the biobed. “I hope you don’t mind I brought puss out for a walk with me.” The huge orange bewhiskered cat looked up at the doctor with his green eyes, debating weather to bite or lick him. He did not care for doctors, they were always looking to poke and prod him. Puss decided he liked him well enough and sat down, lazing across the floor enjoying his time in the sun being fussed over by the nurses. Niali sighed..“I still hurt like mad despite those hypos you keep giving me, but I suppose it’s a mental thing as well with Finchley disappearing like that. So, moving to science, congratulations….well I may have a trick or two up my sleeve yet.” She tapped the side of her nose.

Steven shook his head. It was a sad thing about Finchley leaving so suddenly.

“ Yes. But you need to concentrate on getting better. I am only sorry we did not pinpoint the problem with your wound sooner. But thankfully that is all sorted. My that’s a fine fellow you have there. What’s his name?” Steven asked

Niali smiled, here was a subject dear to her heart. “Well I thought long and hard over many days. I wanted to come up with something that purported to encompass his majesty and yet his vulnerability. Then it came to me suddenly, perfect I thought.” She scratched the huge feline under the chin. “Steven meet Puss, Puss meet Steven.”

Steven was just about to give Puss a head stroke. When the sickbay doors opened and a screaming banshee came flying through.

“ HELP PLEASE HELP MY POOR WEE DOGIE!!!” Penny screamed.

He looked at Niali and shook his head.

“Any idea why we have been lumbered with this one biscuit short of a tea break?” He asked her.

Puss immediately grew several inches in fluff and growled ferociously. He looked at the little snack lying on the biobed and sat there expectantly. Niali laughed at Stevens remark. “Well we seem to be a refuge for every damaged souls in the galaxy so why not one more.” She ran over to the screaming woman. “Be calm, tell us what happened?”

“ I I I went to check in on him and he was all floppy….” Penny cried

Niali picked the little body up and grabbed a stethoscope from a surprised passing nurse. She placed it over the dogs heart and listened, “there is a heart beat!” She exclaimed in an effort to reassure the screaming woman.

“ Again with the cyclops.” Steven slowly approached the bio bed. With its small body and large head. The little dog looked weird and a little creepy.Steven never really saw the appeal of Chihuahua’s.

Maybe it read his mind. Because suddenly the Chihuahua’s nose twitched. It’s small jaws began to tremble and a high pitched growl emminated. From its small body.

Steven looked towards Niali and was about to warn her , to grab Puss. When suddenly Edgeware gained a snarling furry glove.

“ Arrrrrrr!!!!!!” He shouted.

Puss yowled and launched himself towards the snarling furry glove that Steven now wore. His claws and jaws wide fur flew. Wee One barked, snarled and growled and the Doctor all but disappeared in a whirl of trouble.

Suddenly all Steven could see was a whirl of furry paws , small but sharp teeth and the sounds of barks and hisses. If the universal translator was able to decode it. Edgeware was sure it would be full of very rude words.

The Wee one had let go of Steven’s hand and was now using his arm as a shield. Puss swiped at the Wee one but missed. Instead it cut into Steven’s uniform.

“ HELP!!!” Steven shouted.

Niali leaped forward trying to corral Puss. She managed to scruff him and he went limp. She put him in the office gently and closed the door, wherein he jumped up to the window yowling loudly that it was not his fault and offering to fight all comers. “DONT JUST STAND THERE MCTAGGARD! Niali shouted as wee one was locked in a duel the dogs attention now fixed firmly on the doctors arm. “I think he found a girlfriend!” Niali couldn’t help laughing at his predicament.

Steven stared in disbelief.

“ The dirty little! MCTAGGARD UNLESS YOU WANT THIS THING CASTRATED.GET IT OFF ME NOW!!!!!!” Steven screamed

Penny rushed over and pulled the wee one of Steven’s arm. But the small dog wriggled violently in her arms. Making it difficult to hold him.He bit her hand making her drop him. Then the wee one charged at the window, Puss was behind. Head first.

Thump!” Eeeee……” The wee one went cross eyed and flopped to the floor.

“ Wee one!!!” Despite the dog bitting her. Penny rushed to its side.

Puss looked at Wee one lying on the floor and then at Niali asking for an explanation as to why his chase buddy had given up. Then he himself gave up and proceeded to lick himself.

Niali picked Wee one up gently and put him on the bio bed. She looked in his eyes and tried to check him out from a head injury point of view although she was not a veterinarian and had actually never seen a dog.

“I think he will be okay Ensign, however I cannot vouch for the Doctor’s clothes…now form an orderly queue and Let’s have a look at those wounds?”

Steven moved forward.

“ Computer erect a level one high security force field around the Wee ones bio bed please. It may not be out cold.” Steven said taking the front of the line. “ How’s Puss?”

Niall smiled, Puss is always fine, his feelings may be hurt though.” She pointed to the large marmalade feline who sat on the floor with his back pointedly towards them. “Right let’s look at that hand shall we, you know dog bites are decidedly dirty so you will need prophylactic antibiotics.” She dialed up a hypo, “any allergies?” She asked.

“ He bit me…” Penny said

“ Just little dogs….. sorry no. Not to my knowledge.” Steven replied

Niali depressed the hypo and cleaned his bites with antiseptic and applied small dressings. “There” she said.

“ He bit me…” Penny said

As if hearing his mistress the Wee One lifted its large head. It’s over large bulbous eyes where still crossed. He shakily stood then leapt at them. But he hit the force field and fell back on the bed. This continued for a while.

“ He bit me” Penny said

“ The dog is seriously one sandwich short of a picnic.” Steven said

“ He bit me” Penny said

“Now, did Wee one bite you at all Ensign?” Niali glanced at Steven a little laugh playing across her mouth. Puss could now be heard snoring loudly.

“ Well. Maybe just a wee nip. Yer feline must of unsettled him. He never acts like this normally. Ouch the poor little doggie.” She said

Niali cleansed her wound and gave her a shot of antibiotics. She looked kindly at her. “I am not at all sure what is going on with Wee one. As I said I am not a veterinarian but he shows all the signs of some kind of brain injury. Are you happy for me to treat him?”

Should Penny tell the truth?

There was some doubt as to the sanity of the Wee One. His mother Bright Eyes went insane just after the birth of her litter. She should of been put to sleep. But her owner , who was just as insane as her Chihuahua, was aloud to live. But after an attempt to take on a Klingon Targ. Became less able to bite people.

“ Well. His mother went bonkers.After he was born. As for other wee bairns? Well one became a red splat after attempting to fly after a wee bird. Plus he did develop a hatred of anyone dressed in pink. For a wee while.” Penny said

The Chihuahua continued to leap at the force field. He seemed to become more and more enraged. The high pitched snarl he made. Seemed to get higher and higher. Steven was concerned the tiny dog would have a heart attack.

“Computer introduce 2cc anesthezine gas into the forcefield biobed two” There was a slight hiss and, almost immediately the little dog flopped onto the bed and became still. Niali passed through and checked his vitals. “He’s okay Penny. I’m going to scan his brain and compare it with computer records of canine brains.”

It took only a couple of minutes to get the results. She whispered to Steven, “it looks like Wee one has had a stroke, any ideas on treatment or care? I think we should be loath the put him out of his misery but we may have to consider that.

“ What about our misery? Hmmm these results are marginal at best. Judging by the way it’s behaving there does not seem to be any lasting damage. We could remove it’s testicles that may cut down the aggression.” Steven said

The Wee One stopped leaping at the force field. Instead it stood on the bed and snarled at them.

“I don’t think you should have mentioned that in his hearing, they know you know look!” Niali pointed at Puss who was sidling up to Steven looking like a puffed up pizza pocket. “Puss, STOP” she said loudly. “Anyway why do you care you were done years go……unless. She picked up Puss. “Computer release forcefield.” She stepped through and placed Puss on the biobed with Wee one. After a few seconds of sniffing they settled down, curled up with each other Puss licking intently at Wee one’s neck.”

The Chihuahua seemed to calm down.

“ My goodness. I never thought I would see this up close in a canine. I knew they existed. McTaggard your dog is a psychopath. The most classic example of one I’ve ever seen. What do you think Niali?” Steven asked

“To be honest Steven I have never met a psychopathic dog, Penny has Wee one ever acted like this before?”

“ Well he does bite. One moment we could be have a nose nose cuddle and the next he nips my nose.” Penny said

“ There you see Niali a classic example.” Steven replied.

Niali found herself beginning to feel sorry for the little dog and his problematical mistress. “Well to be honest Puss is like that, one minute cuddling and then scratches me. Does he get exercise Penny?”

Penny nodded.

“ Oh yes he has a good run around the ship with me each morning. I like to jog around the corridors early in the morning. There is less people for us to bump into yer see. Plus he has his own little play area. But.” Penny stopped

Steven could sense there was something else.

“ But what?” He asked.

Niali had just been about to say that there seemed to be no problem then if he had not attacked another other crew embers and Penny was happy to keep him. She obviously love him very much and Niali suspected that Wee One had become a crutch for the demoted Penny. She looked at Penny. “But what?” She asked.

“ He really does not like his food. The replicators on the last ship did his food , just the way he liked it. But here there different. I have been trying other food stuffs.” Penny said

“ His diet. So was he like this on your last vessel?” Steven asked

“ No he was placid.” Penny said

“ I think we have the cause. His diet.” Steven said looking at Niali.

He looked at Wee One sitting curled up with Puss, a look of pure heaven in his bulbous eyes as Puss licked and licked. “You know I think Wee One is growing on me Penny.” She looked at Steven, “so what are we going to do about it?”

“ I think a new diet should be looked into. Obviously the Wee One is being effected by the food he is consuming due to his small size.” Steven was about to say more when his com badge chirped. He moved away.

“ That’s ok. I can go to the lab and sort that now.” Penny said

Steven returned.” Ensign Fralll has started to have cubs. I need to go and check things. McTaggard you’ll need to sort the Wee One out. I must go.” He nodded and left.

Niali looked at Wee One and Puss curled up and now sleeping. She smiled feeling desperately sorry for Penny and Wee One. She caught her and put her arm round the woman’s shoulder. “Anytime you feel Wee One needs some support I am sure Puss would be available. We can even organize play dates. Penny I don’t want you to feel alone on this ship, whatever went before is not carried onto the Oberon. You have plenty to give and we are now your family so you never have to be alone. I have to get to the bridge but you are welcome to stay here for a while.” Niali smiled and left.