Take a break: read the Stardoc series!
The Stardoc series by S. L. Viehl is addictive. If you like imagining yourself as a kickass doctor who gets to learn and treat alien life forms of all shapes and sizes while trying to escape the clutches of a controlling parent, this is for you!
For full disclosure, I am still on the second one in the 10-book series. But I finished the first one in 2 days, so unfortunately, I am likely to succumb to a book hangover in near future.
Some text snippets from the first book
The subtitles are just for context
The tech
“We barter for whatever we can to supplement, which isn’t much out here. On each shift, three physicians rotate the two medsysbanks we have. Have to roll them on carts in and out of exam rooms.”
Diagnostic equipment on carts? What would be next? Fabric bandages? “Wonderful.”
Redefining who can be sentient
“Why not? It’s just a snail, right?”
“This ‘snail’ is reporting for follow-up treatment of antennae fungus,” she said, then gave me a rueful grin. “And happens to be a senior supervisor in the Saprophytic Administration Group.”
Slavery and talking cats
“My owner’s quarters are located in a parallel wing.”
“Your owner?” Now I was confused.
“I, too, am a companion. Like your Jenner.”
All at once I realized the necklace Alunthri wore was a collar, bearing standard animal inoculant and license chips.
Alunthri was a pet. A giant, talking, alien kitty cat.
There is a lot of very interesting biology
“I’m Dr. Grey Veil,” I said, facing the assembly. I was doing my imitation of Joseph Grey Veil, and that got me their full attention. I bet none of them noticed I was short, wet, or barefoot. “I’ve established contact with the pathogen. It’s not a disease. It’s made up of microscopic sentient life-forms who are native to this planet.”
How the main character thinks
Vertigo and sensory impairment, obviously related to the excruciating pain. Why? No injury or disease was apparent. It wasn’t possible to interview them, the symptoms only worsened when I — Hold on, I thought. They went crazy when I spoke, at the whine from my wristcom, when the nurse yelled.
Sound. Was it an exposure reaction? Too much input could theoretically do as much damage as an injury. My own ears could attest to that.
How hardworking she is
As for work, I never experienced a repeat of that horrendous first shift. There were times, admittedly, that ran a close second. In the weeks that followed, I devoted my spare time to reeducating myself as a physician. Between cases I often haunted Assessment with a scanner. After my shift ended, I downloaded the readings I’d taken into the terminal in my quarters. My nights were spent studying case profiles and medical abstracts from the FreeClinic database. It was time-consuming, but it would be stupid to rely exclusively on the medsysbanks. Especially with the way Rogan kept kicking them.
There’s a lot of action
Several weeks after I began working at the FreeClinic, I had my first experience providing treatment at gunpoint.
And some family drama
“I rose from my chair. “This is all very fascinating, but I just remembered I have to — “
“Sit down!” he said. Out of lifelong habit, I obeyed. “I am your parent. You will hear what I have to say.”
“Fine.” I could be dignified, too. “Go on.”
