Small Things, Done Well
Posted on Fri Mar 6th, 2026 @ 5:25am by Lieutenant Aelira Valan’thir & Captain Taliserra Tigran & Ensign Cameron Kore
2,297 words; about a 11 minute read
Mission:
Crisis at Zeta-294
Location: Sickbay, USS Wolff
Timeline: MD 002 - 1125 hours
The sound of happy giggling reverberated down a corridor of deck 7 as Lashell Tigran chased a toy down the long lane almost catching the elusive device several times, only a few paces behind her came her mother. "Keep going Lashell," Taliserra called out while programming the next destination for the toy.
Weaving around the corridor and past several members of the Wolff's crew Lashell managed to close the distance enough to take a dive at for the toy, landing with a soft thud on the floor and with both hands firmly wrapped around the small device. She rolled onto her back with a hearty laugh. "Got you."
"Great job, I'll have to make it harder next time." Taliserra smiled down at her daughter. "Now come on up off the floor, time to go and meet our new doctor."
Lashell sprang to her feet and took off further down the corridor, despite her young age she already had a very basic idea of where some of the rooms on the ship were though most of the corridors and doors looked almost the same, stopping just short of the room she thought was the right one. "Doctor." She said pointing at it.
"That's right, go on inside." Taliserra told her and stepped close enough to trigger the door sensor.
"Cam Cam..." Lashell called out excitedly and rushed to Ensign Kore the moment she saw her on the other side of the doors.
"Hi Lashell," Cameron replied as the young Trill/Human ran towards her, scooping her up into her arms and swinging her around a little before carefully placing her down on a biobed. "Good morning Captain."
"Good morning Cameron., is the chief here?"
"I believe so, reading up on the new crew probably." Cameron turned to Lashell. "Now you stay just there, I'll be right back." She headed for the office and poked her head inside. "Lieutenant, the Captain is here."
Aelira stepped out of her office at Cameron’s voice and immediately clocked the smallest person in the room. She didn’t speak straight away. She took a second, watching Lashell with quiet interest — the toy clutched in her hand, the lingering energy of a successful chase.
She moved closer and crouched down so they were at the same level, resting her hands lightly on her knees.
“Well,” she said, tone gentle but curious, “you look like someone who’s had a very busy morning.”
Her eyes flicked to the toy, then back to Lashell’s face. “Did you win?”
She waited for the answer, properly waited, the way people rarely did with children.
"I got it really quick." Lashell replied.
A small smile tugged at her mouth. “That’s good. We like winners in Sickbay.” She glanced around briefly, then leaned in a fraction, lowering her voice as if sharing a secret. “Actually… I could use some help today.”
Aelira gestured lightly toward the biobed. “If you sit right there, you can help me watch things. Sometimes kids notice stuff before grown-ups do.” A beat. “It’s an important job.”
Only then did she look up at Taliserra, acknowledging her with a soft nod and a hint of warmth in her expression. “Captain.”
Her attention slid back to Lashell just as easily. “You can tell me if anything feels different from last time you were here. No rush. Just… let me know.”
Lashell looked at her mother for a few moments then back to the strangely coloured woman. Eventually she shook her head slightly.
Taliserra smiled slightly at how Aelira interacted with Lashell, like she really cared about the young child. "She's lost a bit of her appetite the last week or so." She told her.
Aelira nodded once at Taliserra’s comment, already reaching for the tricorder — but she made a point of keeping the motion slow, unhurried. She let Lashell see it first, turning it in her hand so it didn’t feel sudden or invasive.
“Alright,” she said lightly, still crouched. “We’ll just have a little look. No pokes, no prods. You won’t even feel it.”
She activated the scanner and held it a short distance from Lashell, letting the soft hum fill the space as the non-invasive bioscan began. Her eyes moved between the readout and the child, not missing the way Lashell stayed still but alert, watching Aelira as much as the device.
As the data scrolled, Aelira felt the room as much as she read it.
Lashell’s emotional signature was bright but muted at the edges — not sick, not distressed. Just cautious. A child whose body had learned, recently, that something familiar could make her feel wrong. Confusion more than discomfort. Carefulness without the language for it.
Taliserra, on the other hand, carried a deeper current. Concern held in discipline. Love restrained by command habits that never fully switched off. The quiet fear of missing something important.
Aelira flicked her gaze up briefly, meeting Taliserra’s eyes in a way that acknowledged it without calling it out. I see it.
The tricorder chimed softly as she finished the scan. She powered it down and set it aside.
“Nothing alarming,” she said first, clear and steady. “Vitals are good. No signs of illness, no hidden reactions.” She glanced back to Lashell, her tone softening again. “Your body’s doing exactly what it should.”
Then, gently, to Taliserra, “Given what we learned last time — the seafood allergy — this makes sense. Kids don’t always connect food with how it makes them feel. Sometimes they just decide not to trust eating for a bit.”
She shifted her weight, staying at Lashell’s level. “You’re not in trouble for not feeling hungry,” she added calmly. “Your body’s just being careful. That’s actually quite clever.”
A small smile appeared as she leaned back slightly. “She’s not anxious,” Aelira continued, quieter now. “Just listening to herself. And she’s watching you too.” A glance to Taliserra. “Kids do that.”
Her attention returned to Lashell, warm and reassuring. “We’ll take it slow. Safe foods, no pressure. You tell us when you’re ready.”
Then, finally, she straightened and addressed both of them together. “Nothing here feels wrong,” she said with quiet certainty. “Just a family that’s had a busy few weeks and a body that learned a new rule.”
A softer smile followed. “Be kind to yourselves.” A beat. “That’s medical advice.”
"Very good advice." Taliserra said, "always be kind to yourself and to other people." She told Lashell.
Aelira smiled at Taliserra’s words, a quiet agreement in her expression as she watched Lashell take them in. She rested a hand lightly on the edge of the biobed, more grounding than clinical.
“I’d like to see her again in a few weeks,” she said calmly. “Nothing urgent. Just a follow-up. Kids grow and change fast, and it helps to keep an eye on how things settle.”
Her attention returned briefly to Lashell, voice soft and inclusive. “You can come back and tell me if anything feels different. That’s your job next time.”
Then she looked back to Taliserra, her tone shifting gently into explanation. “With Human–Trill genetics, it’s fairly common for things like sensitivities or allergies to show up later rather than early. Sometimes they stay quiet for a while, then surface as the body figures out how to balance both sides.” A faint, understanding smile. “The seafood allergy could simply be part of that — new, but manageable.”
There was no alarm in her voice, just reassurance grounded in experience.
“Most of the time it doesn’t lead to anything more serious,” she added. “It just means her system is still finding its rhythm. We’ll keep an eye on it together.”
She dipped her head slightly toward Taliserra. “You’re doing exactly what she needs. If anything changes — appetite, energy, mood — bring her back. Or even if nothing changes and you’d just rather be sure.”
Finally, she glanced back to Lashell, her expression warming. “And next time you visit, I might have another important job for you.”
Taliserra smiled slightly and stepped in to pick Lashell up. "What do we say to the good doctor?"
"Thank you." Lashell said with a gleeful smile.
Aelira’s smile warmed at Lashell’s gleeful thank-you, softening into something openly affectionate. She slipped a hand into the pocket of her coat and brought out something small, resting it on her open palm before offering it to the child so there was no rush, no surprise.
“For being brave,” she said gently.
It was a smooth little stone, no bigger than a thumbnail, naturally rounded and veined faintly with pale lines that caught the light when it shifted. Nothing ornamental. Just something meant to be held, warm from having been carried.
“You’re very welcome,” she added warmly as Lashell took it. “You did brilliantly today. Not everyone can sit still and pay attention like that.” A brief pause, her voice dipping just slightly, conspiratorial. “That makes you very trustworthy.”
Only then did she straighten, her gaze lifting to Taliserra as Lashell was gathered up. Her tone didn’t change much, but it steadied, carrying the same kindness without the softness she reserved for children.
“She listens to herself,” Aelira said quietly. “That’s a good instinct to have. It usually means she knows she’s safe.” A small, genuine smile followed. “You’ve given her that.”
"Thank you Aelira, it's not easy raising a child as a starship Captain and by myself." Taliserra smiled slightly. "My mother helps me so much but I can't rely on her forever."
Aelira’s expression shifted at that. Not pity. Not concern. Just understanding.
“No,” she said quietly. “You can’t.”
She stepped a little closer, not crowding, just present.
“But you’re not doing it alone either,” she added. “You have a crew. You have people who care about her — not because she’s the Captain’s daughter, but because she’s Lashell.”
Her gaze dropped briefly to the small hand now clutching the stone, then back to Taliserra.
“You won’t get it perfect. None of us do. Especially not when we’re balancing command and motherhood.” A faint, almost amused breath. “But she doesn’t need perfect. She needs steady. And she has that.”
A beat passed, softer now.
“When the time comes that your mother steps back a little, Lashell will already have learned something important from watching you. That strength and gentleness can live in the same person.”
She gave a small, warm nod.
“And if you ever need help — practical or otherwise — Sickbay isn’t just for broken bones.”
It wasn’t dramatic. Just an offer.
Then, lightly, to Lashell, “Keep that stone somewhere safe. It’s very good at reminding people they’re brave.”
"I will." Lashell almost beamed with excitement clutching the small stone to her chest.
"Thank you again Aelira." Taliserra said and turned to leave but stopped for a moment, ""When there is time, we should talk again, more privately."
Having kept mostly out of the way with her own work since Aelira was checking on the Captains daughter Cameron blinked several times, she knew what this more private conversation Taliserra was talking about would entail and she was surprised she was willing to talk about it with the new chief so soon.
Aelira held Taliserra’s gaze for a quiet moment after the words were spoken.
She didn’t ask what the conversation would be about. The captain had already chosen the moment to say it aloud, which meant the rest would come when it was ready. Pressing now would only crowd the space.
“Of course,” she said simply, her voice steady and warm. “Whenever it suits you.”
There was no curiosity in her tone, no attempt to read ahead. Just the same calm presence she brought to Sickbay every day. Some things needed patience more than answers.
Her attention softened again as she watched Lashell clutch the small stone proudly in both hands, the child’s excitement radiating in the way only children could manage without restraint. It drew the faintest smile from her before she stepped back, giving Taliserra room to gather her daughter properly.
“Have a good afternoon, Captain.”
Taliserra inclined her head slightly in acknowledgement before turning for the door, Lashell already chattering quietly as they left. The doors slid closed behind them with their usual soft hum, and the familiar rhythm of Sickbay settled back into place.
For a moment Aelira remained where she was, the echo of the interaction lingering in the air like the last ripple after a stone had touched water. Then she let out a slow breath and turned back toward the room.
Across the bay Cameron was still standing where she had been, clearly having watched the exchange without entirely knowing what to make of it. Her expression hovered somewhere between curiosity and mild surprise.
Aelira caught the look and the corner of her mouth curved faintly.
“Children have a way of rearranging the room when they visit,” she said lightly, as she reached for the tricorder she had set aside earlier. “Even when they’re only here for a few minutes.”
She moved back toward her console, the quiet focus returning to her posture as she picked up the thread of her work without fuss. Sickbay breathed around her again: the hum of systems, the soft glow of monitors, the steady rhythm of a place meant to keep people well.
And, for a little while at least, it felt like exactly the right place to be.
Lieutenant Aelira Valan'thir
Chief Medical Officer
Captain Taliserra Tigran
Commanding Officer
Ensign Cameron Kore
Nurse
[Pnpc Taliserra]
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