Visitor Check-up

Posted on 16 Jul 2019 @ 2:03am by Commander Jayla Kij & Captain Harvey Geisler & Lieutenant Commander Landon Milo MD & Senior Chief Petty Officer Alexander Rylan

1,711 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Truth and Justice
Location: Sick Bay
Timeline: MD 1 | 1100

For the past week, Jayla felt as if she had been doing nothing but reports. That meant that nobody was sick or injured, which was a very good thing, but she also hated reports. And so, with the promise of something else a little more interesting to do, she snagged her favorite assistant- Alex, of course- and her ACMO to prepare for their guests’ arrival.

“So the captain wants another full physical on our guests,” she told him. “Not a bad idea anyway, as they were a bit malnourished and underweight. In any case, They should be here any minute.”

"Considering the conditions they were living under," Alex said. "They weren't too bad off. But they were wasting away. Rodent meat and whatever other scraps you can find won't keep you going forever. I think their water source was going bad, too."

“Which means pathogens could have developed since they came aboard,” she added, nodding. “Hopefully not, but I suppose we’ll see."

Let's hope not thought Landon when the word 'pathogens' surfaced. He had been a Pediatrician, but his studies had taken him into the realm of infectious diseases, and having had been a Chief Medical Officer in the past, he had, of course, encountered almost everything to some extent.

The doors to sickbay opened, allowing both aliens to enter the room under escort. Leading the way was the mute Boreriri, his pale, sun-deprived skin made him seem vampirish at first glance, and his thin frame suggested there was a long way to go due to the malnourishment he suffered. Atop his head was a single, large and bloodshot eye and two slits for nostrils. Behind him was his companion, the Triosian whose body was thinly covered in wispy purple hair. His frame, too, was slender from poor sustenance, and his hair thinning much like an older human going bald. Unlike the Boreriri, he possessed two beady black eyes, as well as a humanoid nose and mouth.

"And here they are," said Jayla cheerfully. "Right over here, if you please. I hope you don't hate me too much for the strict diet I have you on."

Both visitors eyed the medical staff suspiciously as they were escorted to a set of biobeds. Their cold demeanor almost made it seem like they preferred the deserted archive over the crowded ship. "More needles and tests?" asked the Triosian.

"I'm afraid so," answered Jayla apologetically. "We have to make sure your conditions are improving. Needles and tests are the best way."

The Triosian frowned, hearing the Boreriri's thoughts in his own head. "Surely there are non-invasive ways by which to do this? Though I must say, your facilities are cleaner than most we saw when we were younger."

"We try to keep it nice," agreed Jayla with a cheerful grin. "Hypo-syringes are less invasive than actual needles, but unfortunately, we still need to take blood and tissue samples. We'll try to keep it as non-invasive as we possibly can, I promise."

"We've returned to your house of needles, doctor," the Triosian coldly stated. "Believe me, it can't be any less invasive than it is now. Run your tests, and let's be done with this."

Jayla carefully suppressed a smirk as she pulled out her tricorder and began her scans. Truth be told, she enjoyed the company of grumpy people; they reminded her of Belar Kij. “Well, this is promising,” she said. “There is already a slight increase in mass. That means you’ve put on a little weight. It’s probably not much, but every little bit helps.”

"How much are you expecting us to gain while we are on board?" The Triosian asked, putting aside his disdain for doctors for now. "And when can we have a few more tasteful items programmed into the dispenser in our holding cell?"

"It's not a holding cell," Jayla pointed out. "But, I'll see if we can get you some holodeck time or something. And maybe one of the engineers can help you program the replicator. I'll pull a few strings," she promised.

Dr. Landon Milo was walking through Sickbay on his way with some samples to quickly run through the equipment available to them in Sickbay. He sighed mostly to himself, but it was audible. He looked at the Chief Medical Officer and smiled. "Why is it they always relate Sickbay to a holding cell? Do we need to change the decor in here? Would some color help?" he teasingly rambled. He looked at the Triosian "Believe me, Sickbay is like a grand resort compared to the actual holding cells" added Landon. Or the medical bay of a Defiant class starship for that matter he thought to himself.

The Boreriri affixed his gaze on the newcomer, especially since he caught an image of a smaller treatment room. At first, the alien was concerned that this would be their next destination, as the last thing he needed was another small space. The picture became clearer. While its construction was similar, the configuration was different. Was this a different ship? There was an emotion connected to the image, and that emotion belonged to the newcomer. It was a bit unclear, but the Boreriri interpreted a twinge of pain that the mind had associated to the place of healing. Why is this painful? the Boreriri asked by thought.

Landon stopped what he was doing when he sensed something. His senses were still numbed after the whole ordeal, but therapy was helping him regain his abilities. What he felt was somewhat intrusive, yet not hostile. He looked around and it was easy to hone in on the source when there was a question channeled to him by thought. It was the Boreriri. Please do not pry into my thoughts and feelings uninvited replied Landon swiftly by thought. It is difficult for me to communicate this way for long periods of time. I've been...damaged he tried to explain.

As his physiology lacked a mouth, the Boreriri was unable to verbally respond. Despite the request, the alien simply asked, Damaged? You appear well for a bipedal.

Basic anatomy, Landon. How else do you want to communicate... he reprimanded himself as the telepathy continued. Another species like us, a bipedal one attacked me through my mind and caused a lot of damage to my brain. For a while, I could not walk and I could not have this kind of conversation. Even now, doing so wears me out quickly.

"Is your medicine unable to help you heal?" the Triosian asked, speaking now for the Boreriri. For all of the strength he had seen from this massive ship and this group of aliens, both of the visitors now sensed the massive vulnerability they'd suspected all along.

Landon breathed a bit of relief. Verbal communication took a lot less out of him these days and that was greatly appreciated. "The Federation is made up of so many worlds and so many different cultures, different people with different bodies and abilities or lack of. Our medicine was able to help me regain my mobility, my bipedal ability to walk and move about; However, there was a lot of trauma to my brain, parts that I need...use for non-verbal communication among other things. It is still...healing" Landon tried his best to explain.

"Much like us and our malnutrition." The Triosian nodded before looking towards his companion as they shared a few private thoughts and still holding onto the fact that their hosts were extremely fragile, especially those with more complex physiology. "Tell us, spotted doctor... with so many species, how can this medical bay truly care for everyone?"

"Very carefully," answered Jayla with a grin. "Seriously, though, we all have specialties. We know the basics of every species- and it helps that most of them are quite similar to one another- and we have all studied in depth on three or four different species. For instance, I have studied humans and Trills for obvious reasons as well as Vulcans and Romulans. I've been busy studying Klingons of late as well. Maybe by the time I'm five hundred years old, I will be an expert on all species. Now, let's get those blood samples and we'll get you on your way."

In the end, they found that the two were doing much better. They had put on a couple of pounds each and were showing signs of better nutrition- new hair growth, fuller faces, brighter eyes, the typical signs. Also promising was increased neural activity. Overall, Jayla was happy with their progress. "Thank you for your patience," she told both of them. "And we'll see if we can't get some holodeck time or a visit to the ship's lounge approved to get you out of the guest quarters for a bit."

The Triosian gave the spotted woman a puzzled expression. "What is a holodeck?" he inquired.

"It's... um..." she hesitated, unsure of how to explain it. "It's kind of like a fantasy room- you can make it do whatever you want. Want to fight a hundred warriors and totally kick their asses? You can! Do you want to take a hike through a forest that's light years away? Go for it! It's pretty amazing."

"Interactive holographic technology," murmured the Triosian. "The power requirements alone must be massive. Nothing here ever managed to be constructed on a scale like that, but the archive did create something greater, the ability to project images into the mind, almost like experiencing a dream."

"Now that sounds fantastic," Jayla replied with a grin. "I think I'd like to try that. Anyway, you two can head back to your quarters now and as I said, we'll talk to the Captain." She nodded to the security escort, who stepped forward to take the guests back to their quarters.

"That technology remained at the Kalisa Archive," the Triosian said, sliding off the biobed and stood next to the Boreriri. "Enjoy your talk with the Captain. I don't have any hope that it will go well for my friend and I."

"Well, it can't hurt to try," Jayla replied with a grin. "Meanwhile, take care of yourselves."

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