Luck of the Stars
Jul. 25th, 2020 08:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
esp_dragonv2Fandom: Noblesse
Summary: It started with Frankenstein chasing up the engineering officer, Muzaka Starr, for a late checkup. But there's something about the man that puzzles Frankenstein the more he interacts with him.
Notes: Space AU square for![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
trope_bingo.
:D
Going from fantasy genre to sci-fi, ahahah. This is more like a Star Trek au, ahah. It'll be much shorter than Gaining Strength, at just 5 parts.
Rating: G
Genre: General
Word count: 2,015
Status: Work in progress
Frankenstein narrowed his eyes as he scanned the cafeteria, searching for the yellow uniform of an engineering officer. He picked out a few, but dismissed them, continuing to search. He was looking for long silver hair.
Ah ha. His eyes settled on silver hair long enough to sit on even while it was braided, the youngish face accompanying it. Frankenstein was on the wrong side to see the distinctive scar that cut down Muzaka Starr's jaw, but the rest of him fit the profile Frankenstein had pulled up.
Frankenstein walked up to Starr's table and cleared his throat, making Starr looking up. Because he was watching, he saw Starr's eyes flick over the blue of his medical uniform, jumping to the white of his doctor's jacket, before finally going up to his face.
"Mr Muzaka Starr?" Frankenstein said, seeing just how deeply the scar on his face cut, reaching halfway up his cheek. An engineering accident or something else? If it was the former, how hadn't Starr been able to access the medical supplies that would have stopped the scarring in time? Frankenstein hadn't delved too far into his medical record to know.
"Yeah...?" Starr said.
"Good," Frankenstein said, smiling. "I'm Doctor Lee - I've tried contacting you multiple times through your messages and comms asking you to come for a checkup, but you haven't responded to either." He could understand missing a checkup, but Starr hadn't been seen in years. Frankenstein didn't know how Starr had slipped through the cracks for so long, but he would rectify that mistake. "So I figured that I would seek you out personally." There had been a lull in patients needing to be seen to, and lunch was one of the easiest times to find someone on the ship.
"Oh, yeah," Starr said, rubbing the back of his neck as he chuckled weakly. "I'd been busy and kept forgetting to answer back."
"We're all busy here," Frankenstein said, stifling his sigh, "but making sure you're healthy is also important. As you're on your break right now, you can spare five minutes for a checkup."
Starr's eyes went wide, and while he opened his mouth, nothing came out.
Frankenstein raised his eyebrows. "Is there something I should know?" Starr's record hadn't mentioned an aversion to the medical bay or those of the profession.
"Heh, I'm afraid of needles."
He frowned. "We haven't used needles for decades." If Starr wasn't going to tell him the true reason, or try to deflect if something was bothering him, then that would make treating him more difficult.
This time, Starr laughed, picking up his tray. "Yeah, I know. I'm comin'."
Hmm, at least he wasn't trying to get away.
* * *
It didn't take them long to reach the medical bay, Frankenstein heading for the scanners straight away.
"How have you been feeling?" he asked, pulling up the screen as he heard Starr follow him in.
"All right."
"Sleeping well? Exercising?"
"Yep, and yep."
Frankenstein tapped in Muzaka's name, finding his medical file easily enough. "You were named after the Muzaka galaxy?" he asked, Muzaka stepping within the scanner's range. With Muzaka's family name, there must be a naming convention with at least his parents.
"Yeah, kinda."
Frankenstein arched an eyebrow. How did someone 'kind of' get named after one of the largest galaxies in the explored universe? But there were also so many languages that it may have been a coincidence that his name sounded just like it.
He waited for the scan to finish and the scanner's report.
"So! You been busy?" Muzaka said.
Frankenstein looked across at him. "Busy enough that I had the time to come find you," he said, amused. "But otherwise, the usual accidents and mishaps." Those were easy to deal with, and his patients walked out again after a few hours.
When Frankenstein looked back at the report screen, he frowned at a small jitter flicker across the text. While the machines were a few years old, they were still maintained and normally ran well. Maybe it was time to start look into what updated machinery was available now.
It settled after a second, and Frankenstein nodded, comparing Starr's current information with his previous scan. "Now then, everything seems to be in order, so you're free to go."
Starr broke into a wide smile.
"Next time," Frankenstein said, "please answer your messages straight away so you can choose a more convenient time for yourself."
Starr nodded. "Got it. Anyway, I gotta get back to work!" Starr all but ran out the med bay.
Frankenstein stared after him for a second before shaking his head. He double-checked Starr's data had saved, and then closed his file, going back to check on his patients.
* * *
"Doctor Lee."
Frankenstein paused at the comms call, nodding to Ateryi as he stepped back from the patient.
"Yes?" he said, walking towards the emergencies entrance.
"Sending Muzaka Starr over - accident in the engine room."
Frankenstein frowned. Where had he heard that name before? "Burns?"
"No visible lesions. He's conscious and responsive, but he got blasted into a console, so we'd rather he get checked out."
"Of course."
Frankenstein had barely arrived at emergencies when the teleport ring lit up over one of the beds there.
"No, really, I'm fine!" the man - aaah, right. Starr, the engineering officer he'd had to chase up a couple months ago. He was laying there, spark burns sprinkling his collar.
"Hey, doctor," Starr said, smiling weakly at him.
"I'd hope we wouldn't meet again under these circumstances," Frankenstein muttered as he bent over Starr, running his portable scanner over him.
"Heh, I'm sure you say that to everyone," Starr said, grinning.
Frankenstein glanced at him, a wry smile on his lips. "It's true." The less he saw someone, the more likely they were healthy. But Starr didn't seem to be in pain and was responding well to him.
The scanner screen jittered and Frankenstein frowned at it. The portable scanners were newer than the bigger ones, so shouldn't be wearing down already.
"What happened?" Frankenstein asked.
"Nothing much," Starr said, shrugging. "Just a wonky connection that made the console explode."
Frankenstein raised an eyebrow at him. "I was told it was strong enough to lift you off your feet."
"It was, but it just bruised me."
The medic's report came through just then and Frankenstein skimmed over the details, comparing to the scan's readout.
"Any other pain?"
"Nah."
Starr didn't seem concussed and everything was in order on the scan.
"Can I get up now?"
Frankenstein nodded, watching Starr push himself upright and then stand up. Starr was steady on his feet and took a few steps with no difficulties. "Am I clear to leave?"
"Yes. You are very lucky, Mr Starr," Frankenstein with a shake of the head, writing up a prescription of painkillers.
"Muzaka," Starr said, taking the tab with the information.
Frankenstein raised an eyebrow. "Mr Starr."
"Aah, come on - I'm not a patient right now!" Starr said, flapping a hand. "That didn't even count."
That was true... "Very well, Muzaka," Frankenstein said, giving him a small smile. Some officers responded better with their given name than their family name.
Muzaka beamed at him. "Great. I'll get back to work after pickin' this up," he said, waving his tab.
"See that you do," Frankenstein said, heading back into the wards. "If you start feeling any dizziness or being off-balance, come straight back here."
"Will do!" Muzaka said as he left.
* * *
"The engine's been using more energy recently and we're trying to figure out where the leak is," Filippo Marcelli said with a sigh as he followed Frankenstein in for his checkup.
Frankenstein frowned. "Is that dangerous?"
Marcelli shook his head. "It's the energy to power the engine, not the core." He paused. "She does seem to be working a little harder than usual though, probably because of the drain."
Frankenstein nodded as he turned the scanner on. "But no more accidents?"
Marcelli's eyes widened. "How did you - " He cut himself off with a soft laugh. "Right, of course your heard about Muzaka."
"Treated him for the accident, actually," Frankenstein said, the scanner humming.
Marcelli shook his head. "Muzaka's a really lucky guy and he's got the magic touch with the engine - she runs smoother whenever he's on shift, and if he's ever caught in an accident, he walks away from it with barely any injuries."
"I can certainly agree to his luck," Frankenstein said, nodding. Frankenstein had seen the injuries an accident like that could inflict on the body. To walk around without even a wince... "And your own checkup is done," Frankenstein said with a smile. "Everything looks in fine, so if there's nothing else you'd like to talk about?"
"Nothing."
"Then you can go." It was nice when checkups went smoothly.
* * *
Frankenstein hummed as he studied the plants in front of him. They had a blue sheen across its variegated leaves he'd never seen before and he couldn't wait to collect samples to study them properly.
"Oi!"
He looked up to see Muzaka walking over to him. In civilian clothes, Muzaka kept his hair unbound, and wore a loose-fitting t-shirt and trousers. The lack of sleeves revealed an even bigger network of criss-crossing scars over his arms. Those weren't due to an engine room accident... From fighting?
"You're still workin'?" Muzaka said, looking over Frankenstein's collection of sample bags.
Frankenstein gestured over his own civilian clothes as his answer. "These samples won't collect themselves, however."
"But you're on shore leave," Muzaka insisted. "You don't wanna explore or feel the sun not through a pressure pane?"
Ah, someone who considered their free time sacred. "I'm currently enjoying in the sun while I collect these," Frankenstein said wryly.
Muzaka crossed his arms, studying him for a second. "If I help ya collect samples, the faster you can stop and just relax?"
Frankenstein blinked at him in surprise. "You're offering to?"
Muzaka nodded, crouching next to him. "Scan, bag, then scan the bag, right?
Frankenstein's eyebrows shot up. "You've done this before." He handed his spare scanner to Muzaka. "Yes, exactly."
Muzaka shrugged, sifting through a different bush. "I've helped out on a couple expeditions."
It wasn't normal to ask engineering staff to help medical staff with research, unless the crew was really short-handed, hm. But maybe on a different ship, the boundaries between crewmates weren't as clear cut.
"Do you care about duplicates?" Muzaka asked, peering at the plants Frankenstein had already collected.
"No," Frankenstein said as he gathered a few samples. "It'll be good to have a variety of them."
"Got it."
Frankenstein watched him for a minute, making sure Muzaka was doing all right. After the first two samples Muzaka collected with no difficulties, Frankenstein turned to seek out what plants he hadn't gathered yet.
* * *
"Think we've done most of the immediate area," Muzaka said.
Frankenstein nodded, his bag much fuller than it had been an hour ago. The rocky outcropping he and Muzaka had found themselves on gave them a good view of the pink sanded beach below, other officers in the sand sprawled out on it or walking around in groups.
"Thank you," Frankenstein said. "You helped speed up the process immensely."
Muzaka grinned. "No problem. Now, come on, let's go enjoy the sun!" He hopped off the edge of the outcropping, making Frankenstein suck in a breath until Muzaka latched onto the side, climbing down with confidence.
He could start studying the plants right away but... Frankenstein peered over the edge, Muzaka gesturing him to come down. He double-checked his bag was secure and then started climbing down.
It would be nice to have a break for now.
Summary: It started with Frankenstein chasing up the engineering officer, Muzaka Starr, for a late checkup. But there's something about the man that puzzles Frankenstein the more he interacts with him.
Notes: Space AU square for
trope_bingo. :D
Going from fantasy genre to sci-fi, ahahah. This is more like a Star Trek au, ahah. It'll be much shorter than Gaining Strength, at just 5 parts.
Rating: G
Genre: General
Word count: 2,015
Status: Work in progress
Frankenstein narrowed his eyes as he scanned the cafeteria, searching for the yellow uniform of an engineering officer. He picked out a few, but dismissed them, continuing to search. He was looking for long silver hair.
Ah ha. His eyes settled on silver hair long enough to sit on even while it was braided, the youngish face accompanying it. Frankenstein was on the wrong side to see the distinctive scar that cut down Muzaka Starr's jaw, but the rest of him fit the profile Frankenstein had pulled up.
Frankenstein walked up to Starr's table and cleared his throat, making Starr looking up. Because he was watching, he saw Starr's eyes flick over the blue of his medical uniform, jumping to the white of his doctor's jacket, before finally going up to his face.
"Mr Muzaka Starr?" Frankenstein said, seeing just how deeply the scar on his face cut, reaching halfway up his cheek. An engineering accident or something else? If it was the former, how hadn't Starr been able to access the medical supplies that would have stopped the scarring in time? Frankenstein hadn't delved too far into his medical record to know.
"Yeah...?" Starr said.
"Good," Frankenstein said, smiling. "I'm Doctor Lee - I've tried contacting you multiple times through your messages and comms asking you to come for a checkup, but you haven't responded to either." He could understand missing a checkup, but Starr hadn't been seen in years. Frankenstein didn't know how Starr had slipped through the cracks for so long, but he would rectify that mistake. "So I figured that I would seek you out personally." There had been a lull in patients needing to be seen to, and lunch was one of the easiest times to find someone on the ship.
"Oh, yeah," Starr said, rubbing the back of his neck as he chuckled weakly. "I'd been busy and kept forgetting to answer back."
"We're all busy here," Frankenstein said, stifling his sigh, "but making sure you're healthy is also important. As you're on your break right now, you can spare five minutes for a checkup."
Starr's eyes went wide, and while he opened his mouth, nothing came out.
Frankenstein raised his eyebrows. "Is there something I should know?" Starr's record hadn't mentioned an aversion to the medical bay or those of the profession.
"Heh, I'm afraid of needles."
He frowned. "We haven't used needles for decades." If Starr wasn't going to tell him the true reason, or try to deflect if something was bothering him, then that would make treating him more difficult.
This time, Starr laughed, picking up his tray. "Yeah, I know. I'm comin'."
Hmm, at least he wasn't trying to get away.
It didn't take them long to reach the medical bay, Frankenstein heading for the scanners straight away.
"How have you been feeling?" he asked, pulling up the screen as he heard Starr follow him in.
"All right."
"Sleeping well? Exercising?"
"Yep, and yep."
Frankenstein tapped in Muzaka's name, finding his medical file easily enough. "You were named after the Muzaka galaxy?" he asked, Muzaka stepping within the scanner's range. With Muzaka's family name, there must be a naming convention with at least his parents.
"Yeah, kinda."
Frankenstein arched an eyebrow. How did someone 'kind of' get named after one of the largest galaxies in the explored universe? But there were also so many languages that it may have been a coincidence that his name sounded just like it.
He waited for the scan to finish and the scanner's report.
"So! You been busy?" Muzaka said.
Frankenstein looked across at him. "Busy enough that I had the time to come find you," he said, amused. "But otherwise, the usual accidents and mishaps." Those were easy to deal with, and his patients walked out again after a few hours.
When Frankenstein looked back at the report screen, he frowned at a small jitter flicker across the text. While the machines were a few years old, they were still maintained and normally ran well. Maybe it was time to start look into what updated machinery was available now.
It settled after a second, and Frankenstein nodded, comparing Starr's current information with his previous scan. "Now then, everything seems to be in order, so you're free to go."
Starr broke into a wide smile.
"Next time," Frankenstein said, "please answer your messages straight away so you can choose a more convenient time for yourself."
Starr nodded. "Got it. Anyway, I gotta get back to work!" Starr all but ran out the med bay.
Frankenstein stared after him for a second before shaking his head. He double-checked Starr's data had saved, and then closed his file, going back to check on his patients.
"Doctor Lee."
Frankenstein paused at the comms call, nodding to Ateryi as he stepped back from the patient.
"Yes?" he said, walking towards the emergencies entrance.
"Sending Muzaka Starr over - accident in the engine room."
Frankenstein frowned. Where had he heard that name before? "Burns?"
"No visible lesions. He's conscious and responsive, but he got blasted into a console, so we'd rather he get checked out."
"Of course."
Frankenstein had barely arrived at emergencies when the teleport ring lit up over one of the beds there.
"No, really, I'm fine!" the man - aaah, right. Starr, the engineering officer he'd had to chase up a couple months ago. He was laying there, spark burns sprinkling his collar.
"Hey, doctor," Starr said, smiling weakly at him.
"I'd hope we wouldn't meet again under these circumstances," Frankenstein muttered as he bent over Starr, running his portable scanner over him.
"Heh, I'm sure you say that to everyone," Starr said, grinning.
Frankenstein glanced at him, a wry smile on his lips. "It's true." The less he saw someone, the more likely they were healthy. But Starr didn't seem to be in pain and was responding well to him.
The scanner screen jittered and Frankenstein frowned at it. The portable scanners were newer than the bigger ones, so shouldn't be wearing down already.
"What happened?" Frankenstein asked.
"Nothing much," Starr said, shrugging. "Just a wonky connection that made the console explode."
Frankenstein raised an eyebrow at him. "I was told it was strong enough to lift you off your feet."
"It was, but it just bruised me."
The medic's report came through just then and Frankenstein skimmed over the details, comparing to the scan's readout.
"Any other pain?"
"Nah."
Starr didn't seem concussed and everything was in order on the scan.
"Can I get up now?"
Frankenstein nodded, watching Starr push himself upright and then stand up. Starr was steady on his feet and took a few steps with no difficulties. "Am I clear to leave?"
"Yes. You are very lucky, Mr Starr," Frankenstein with a shake of the head, writing up a prescription of painkillers.
"Muzaka," Starr said, taking the tab with the information.
Frankenstein raised an eyebrow. "Mr Starr."
"Aah, come on - I'm not a patient right now!" Starr said, flapping a hand. "That didn't even count."
That was true... "Very well, Muzaka," Frankenstein said, giving him a small smile. Some officers responded better with their given name than their family name.
Muzaka beamed at him. "Great. I'll get back to work after pickin' this up," he said, waving his tab.
"See that you do," Frankenstein said, heading back into the wards. "If you start feeling any dizziness or being off-balance, come straight back here."
"Will do!" Muzaka said as he left.
"The engine's been using more energy recently and we're trying to figure out where the leak is," Filippo Marcelli said with a sigh as he followed Frankenstein in for his checkup.
Frankenstein frowned. "Is that dangerous?"
Marcelli shook his head. "It's the energy to power the engine, not the core." He paused. "She does seem to be working a little harder than usual though, probably because of the drain."
Frankenstein nodded as he turned the scanner on. "But no more accidents?"
Marcelli's eyes widened. "How did you - " He cut himself off with a soft laugh. "Right, of course your heard about Muzaka."
"Treated him for the accident, actually," Frankenstein said, the scanner humming.
Marcelli shook his head. "Muzaka's a really lucky guy and he's got the magic touch with the engine - she runs smoother whenever he's on shift, and if he's ever caught in an accident, he walks away from it with barely any injuries."
"I can certainly agree to his luck," Frankenstein said, nodding. Frankenstein had seen the injuries an accident like that could inflict on the body. To walk around without even a wince... "And your own checkup is done," Frankenstein said with a smile. "Everything looks in fine, so if there's nothing else you'd like to talk about?"
"Nothing."
"Then you can go." It was nice when checkups went smoothly.
Frankenstein hummed as he studied the plants in front of him. They had a blue sheen across its variegated leaves he'd never seen before and he couldn't wait to collect samples to study them properly.
"Oi!"
He looked up to see Muzaka walking over to him. In civilian clothes, Muzaka kept his hair unbound, and wore a loose-fitting t-shirt and trousers. The lack of sleeves revealed an even bigger network of criss-crossing scars over his arms. Those weren't due to an engine room accident... From fighting?
"You're still workin'?" Muzaka said, looking over Frankenstein's collection of sample bags.
Frankenstein gestured over his own civilian clothes as his answer. "These samples won't collect themselves, however."
"But you're on shore leave," Muzaka insisted. "You don't wanna explore or feel the sun not through a pressure pane?"
Ah, someone who considered their free time sacred. "I'm currently enjoying in the sun while I collect these," Frankenstein said wryly.
Muzaka crossed his arms, studying him for a second. "If I help ya collect samples, the faster you can stop and just relax?"
Frankenstein blinked at him in surprise. "You're offering to?"
Muzaka nodded, crouching next to him. "Scan, bag, then scan the bag, right?
Frankenstein's eyebrows shot up. "You've done this before." He handed his spare scanner to Muzaka. "Yes, exactly."
Muzaka shrugged, sifting through a different bush. "I've helped out on a couple expeditions."
It wasn't normal to ask engineering staff to help medical staff with research, unless the crew was really short-handed, hm. But maybe on a different ship, the boundaries between crewmates weren't as clear cut.
"Do you care about duplicates?" Muzaka asked, peering at the plants Frankenstein had already collected.
"No," Frankenstein said as he gathered a few samples. "It'll be good to have a variety of them."
"Got it."
Frankenstein watched him for a minute, making sure Muzaka was doing all right. After the first two samples Muzaka collected with no difficulties, Frankenstein turned to seek out what plants he hadn't gathered yet.
"Think we've done most of the immediate area," Muzaka said.
Frankenstein nodded, his bag much fuller than it had been an hour ago. The rocky outcropping he and Muzaka had found themselves on gave them a good view of the pink sanded beach below, other officers in the sand sprawled out on it or walking around in groups.
"Thank you," Frankenstein said. "You helped speed up the process immensely."
Muzaka grinned. "No problem. Now, come on, let's go enjoy the sun!" He hopped off the edge of the outcropping, making Frankenstein suck in a breath until Muzaka latched onto the side, climbing down with confidence.
He could start studying the plants right away but... Frankenstein peered over the edge, Muzaka gesturing him to come down. He double-checked his bag was secure and then started climbing down.
It would be nice to have a break for now.