Continuing Education

Posted on Sat Nov 8th, 2025 @ 9:00pm by Lieutenant Lydia Whitlock M.D. & Lieutenant Commander Mel Torma

Mission: Just Another Day on Gladiator
Location: Lt. Commander Mel Torma's Quarters, USS Gladiator
2763 words - 5.5 OF Standard Post Measure

At the risk of being accused of not practicing what she preached, Lydia had decided to use part of her shoreleave to keep up with her medical continuing education requirements. Starfleet required every medical and mental health professional to earn continuing education credits on a regular basis to maintain their licenses to practice. Extensions could be given, of course, in the event of temporal excursions, combat, and other unavoidable events that seemed to come with regular Starfleet service, but eventually, every professional had to pay the piper, so to speak.

Normally, this solo self study took the form of reading and simulations that were pretty straightforward. Reviewing the guidelines, however, Lydia saw cause to seek assistance, and although she was excited to further her knowledge, she was also a bit nervous to make this particular request of one particular chief science officer.

For the good of science, she pressed the chime and waited.

Ears perked, in sync. The doorchime caught her attention. Attnetions. Mel stood up together, one form handling the dishes while the other started to approach the door. By the time the approaching half of Mel made it to the door the second had crossed the distance to join up with her first half. Watching a Dalacari cross a room could be a term paper in and of itself. The door swished to reveal Dr. Whitlock, which caused Mel to go through a quick mental checklist...

Shots? No no, all caught up.

Follow ups? Already scheduled.

Entrance physical? Handled two years ago.

"Lydia, hello!" she returned to her cheerful demeanor instantly, the mental rundown showing no lapses in medical appointments. "Come in, come in please. I just made some svarta but I can always whip up a fresh batch." Svarta was a Dalacari dish that the scientist had been frantic about replicating in the various systems when she was newer to the crew. Greener, they'd say. Due to the infinite complexity of the universe and the staggering odds of anything being the result of any venture, Svarta was exactly like Earth coffee in every way. Density, consistency, taste, what you could add to it, even down to the manner by which one would brew it. Even the TERM used to describe its creation was the same.

The only difference is that Svarta was blue. As to why that was, the universe still has mysteries. And that is good.

"Or if you're an azuraphobe I can make you terran coffee." she moved to allow Lydia the space to enter. Having a Dalacari as a friend could be overwhelming, and Mel was learning not to crowd.

"I'd love some svarta, if it's not too much trouble," Lydia replied warmly, stepping further inside . "Blue happens to be my favorite color in fact. I hope I'm not intruding, but I have a bit of a personal/professional favor that's a bit delicate, so I figured meeting in person was best."

"Of course!" one of the pair went to the replicator to conjure forth another mug of the blue caffeinated miracle. The other form remained present with her guest Lydia. "So, what was.... here you go.... on your mind? I love a good puzzle." she actually interrupted herself to hand over the mug.

Svarta. The Dalacari equal to coffee. It was warm, it was welcoming, and it was blue. In furtherance of the cosmic coincidence, it tasted exactly like the kind of coffee you'd get at a donut shop back on Earth. Where the flavor was tough to describe without using the word 'Coffee' in the description.

"You can flavor it how you will. I take it blue." she offered.

Lydia accepted the mug and could already appreciate the warmth in her hands. "Thank you," she replied, taking an experimental sip. Normally, she liked her coffee with a bit of cream and sugar, but because this was a new experience, she decided to try it in its own right. The flavor was not too bitter and Whitlock found it was particularly pleasing. "This is very good... A simple reminder to try new things from new cultures. Otherwise, we can't fully appreciate what we've been missing out on."

She paused, then decided to take advantage of her unintentional segue. "My request has to do with my required continuing education. As you may know, Starfleet Medical requires its healthcare providers to remain knowledgeable about the potential medical complications each member of the crew could encounter. Of course, some scenarios are more or less likely than others, but I'm of the belief that no new knowledge is wasted. One of my favorite areas of medicine is obstetrics, and I began to wonder what it would be like to treat a pregnant Dalacari. I'm sure I could gather some information on my own, but I wondered if perhaps you would help me create some clinical scenarios for the holodeck that would bring the information to life, so to speak?" She smiled weakly at her own apropos reference. "I'm not just looking for ways to work with the dry medical realities, but I'd also like to understand how your culture influences this particular medical care and life event. Like I said, I realize this is quite personal, so please feel free to say if you aren't comfortable."

Mel listened intently as Lydia laid out her request. It was honestly a well rooted, firm curiosity among Single Instance life as to how Binary Instance life continued. "It's a commonly asked question, I get it a lot. Single Instance life, no offense, is so curious about the goings on and day to day of binary..."

"... instance life that, well, I'm honestly surprised the request for a primer hasn't come along sooner." Mel admitted, "And no no, it's nothing that I can't ..."

"... handle, and it's not like you're asking ME to go through it for curiosity sake, no no." she giggled, in stereo. "We can have the Holodeck run a simulation..."

"... from conception to carry to c... contact? Commitment? Damn I need a word starting with C to match the alliteration." she giggled, "Okay okay, from Conception..."

"... to Carry to delivery. We can have the Holodeck use my medical records as a baseline and then instruct it further for the term." she offered. Mel seemed pretty excited about the prospect. "This..."

"... is going to be so exciting, there's finally going to be a reference for when everyone is like 'So how do Dalacari do it' I can say 'Like this!'. Oh this..."

"... is such a fantastic opportunity!"

Seeing Mel so excited naturally fueled Lydia's own excitement. "Thank you so much for seeing this in the spirit in which I intended it. I didn't doubt your understanding of my desire to learn, but I recognized if I was going to do that, it may involve using you as a baseline, indeed. I wasn't sure how you would feel about that. I'm sure you are asked all sorts of questions, some I'd fathom are presented more rudely than others, and I just didn't want to come across as one of those," she added with a chuckle. "I'm interested in the physiology and practicalities of providing this specific healthcare, of course, but I'm also interested in the cultural and psychological factors that need to be considered. You are unique, certainly, and while that will always confound and fascinate some people, your people still deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, no matter how unique or unexpected they are to so many of us."

Mel smiled across both of her forms, "Oh please, no no we're all explorers and scientists at heart. When we first ventured out into the stars and first encountered single instance life, we were absolutely..."

"... confounded. We honestly thought they were all broken. Oh that was a debacle." she giggled. "But no no, please. Ask anything, I promise to take it in the spirit of..."

"... discovery, rather than any form of mockery or slight."

Lydia laughed at the thought of being seen as broken. It was a reminder that what was normal depended on one's cultural perspective, and that all Starfleet officers needed to shift perspectives with agility. "I should have known you would understand. To answer your question, as I said, I'm not only interested in the physiological aspects of pregnancy and birth with your people, but also any rituals or other cultural practices I should consider."

"We're out of our tribal phase by quite a margin so the notion of rituals is gone." Mel chuckled, amused and having a bit of fun. "But the first thing to know is that despite what you think, only..."

"... one of us would carry the newborn. The other half becomes aggressive, very irritable, very temperamental. Protective, to a point. There are so many safety regulations in..."

"... existence today that such behavior isn't really needed anymore to safeguard the child and the part that is the mother, but it's something we can't turn off." she pointed out.

"So, culturally, Dalacari will placate the defender and let every interaction with the mother go through a kind of vetting process to show we're not a threat. Culturally we're quite...."

"... evolved and advanced, but when instincts kick in, Dalacari have been known to bite." she paused, and then hesitantly offered a smile that violated rule one: Don't Show Teeth To Prey Uplifts. Those were certainly teeth. Long, smooth, sharp, still designed for biting and tearing. Still predatory in design. The nightmare ended when Mel just returned to a regular, friendly, toothless smile.

"Worst of all, it's a hormone induced state, so the aggressor sometimes takes the snap before they take a moment to think. So, in the INCREDIBLY unlikely event that..."

"... I find a particularly handsome Dalacari, get swept off my feet, and find myself with their child just bear that in mind." she giggled. "As for the child, Dalacari births are always..."

"... twins, as you'd see them. Doctors and medical drones would ensure the safety and proper development of the child at regular intervals so that we could pinpoint any..."

"... issues and adjust, or terminate, before any life threatening issues arose." she smiled, "See, drones don't mind getting bit."

Lydia would be lying if she said the sight of the other scientist‘s teeth, didn’t elicit a primal fear reaction from her, but recognizing it for what it was, she was able to suppress any urge to flee. Taking a moment to center herself, Lydia considered the explanation. “I appreciate your candor. Despite our obvious differences, the protective instincts you speak of aren’t that much different than ours. in humans, it is not that uncommon for partners to experience many of the same symptoms their pregnant companions experience. It’s thought to be psychologically driven primarily, but I’m not convinced there isn’t some sort of evolutionary benefit as well.” She smiled, then offered, “I absolutely wouldn’t want to get bit and I wouldn’t want anyone else to get bit either. Is there something in particular I need to know about the vetting process required to approve anyone coming near the parent to be?“

"The short answer is, don't. Approach the protector at all times. Don't sneak up on them, don't try to get around them. It's odd how the defensive half's mind works during..."

"... the term. Though, understandable so. Sixty thousand generators ago, Dalacari were little more than voracious swarm predators. The female would go into heat and..."

"... initiate the mating process. Once she was fertilized, the entirety of the swarm she was a part of would go hyper aggressive in defense. Whelps would be born into the swarm mind..."

"... and then the pack would simmer down." she paused, "And if you think you don't want to get bit, sister let me say that *I* don't want to be the one with the mark on..."

"... her record, 'Nibbled on Lieutenant Whitlock'. No no no thank you." a pause again, "Having accidentally bitten my own tongue, let me tell you, it hurts!"

Lydia laughed. “I can imagine!“ She pretended to write something by hand and offered, “doesn’t want to bite others. I think that’s worth a few extra points on a psych evaluation, don’t you?“ Lydia was sure she had hundreds of more questions, but right now, she was simply enjoying just having a laugh with someone who not only appreciated her intellectual curiosity, but someone who was so easy to talk to. “is there anything else in particular you think I should know beforehand? Information about labor, and birth, perhaps?“

"Oh absolutely. At the very least, it's worth a passing grade to not test." a giggle from the pair. "As for anything else in the particulars, nothing that immediately springs to mind. Labor is as varied from Dalacari to Dalacari as..."

"... I imagine it is from Human to Human. Pregnancy is monitored to ensure proper development, so only a complete Dalacari is born. Welps are observed critically during the first..."

"... crucial hours after birth to ensure a healthy delivery and proper development. We test for a viable connection to ensure a complete Dalacari birth, and then we clean up the welps and..."

"... return the newborn to their parent. Birth itself is, well, messy. I haven't seen a society yet that's managed to remove that from childbirth, and I'm very worried about the removal of something so..."

"... intrinsic as that. Once childbirth becomes clinically passive, I'd feel that something empathic gets removed and replaced with a clinical feel. 'Push button, receive baby', I suppose."

Lydia‘s eyes lit up as though Mel had shared a delicious secret. “I feel exactly the same way and it’s nice to hear someone echo a similar sentiment. I wasn’t sure I could ever admit as much without sounding like a sadist to parents to be. Of course, I don’t enjoy seeing others in pain and naturally, I’m in favor of any support that promotes the health and well-being of parents and their offspring, even if that means gestation takes place outside of the body or even in someone else’s body. Still, and I fully admit this is a bit selfish, I’m not sure I would enjoy delivering babies as much if it was more… Anti-climactic? So much of medicine involves helping people manage tragedy and avoid death. Childbirth is its own struggle, but if all is well, at the journey’s end, there is more than just relief that things have returned to status quo, there is joy. Birthing people gain a sense of accomplishment and empowerment they didn’t know was possible. Seeing that transformation for me never gets old.“ Lydia smiled sheepishly, not surprised by her own passion, but that she had shared it so openly with someone she was just getting to know.

"In my studies I've discovered that as advanced as Starfleet medical practices are, we have the advantage over your facilities. Though, we're also far more at risk from..."

"...day to day life. Two sets of toes to stub, I guess." she offered, "Though the one thing we try to ensure is that the child is born in proper environs and with proper care from..."

"... moment one. Dalacari like myself prefer a slightly higher gravity than Earth and many Earthling settlements can provide. In lieu of a proper environment naturally, a simulation..."

"... can suffice, but we prefer a natural 'proper' gravity for our newest bornes to arrive in. Much like how you'd prefer to deliver a child in a single gravity, rather than say...."

"... microgravity. We came from a 1.3 gravity upbringing, and we prefer it that way." a pause, "Also, a bit of home means the medical facilities are adequate. No offense."

"No offense taken," Lydia reassurred. "Perhaps I can incorporate the proper gravity into the simulation itself. Even if it feels artificial for the mother to be, at the very least, it'll be good practice for any medical providers not used to those conditions." She considered for a moment whether she had any more questions before offering, "I think I've taken enough of your time for now. Would you mind if we get together again if a few days on the holodeck? I can show you what I have put together based on the information I have and you can offer critique?"

"Certainly, just be careful. When it comes to gravity, what's comfortable for me..."

"... could possibly be hazardous for you. Please be careful. Other than that, i look forward to..."

"... any future cross education collaboration." Mel offered cheerfully.