Star Trek: Theurgy

CH02: S [D03|0600] An examination in futility.

September 17, 2020, 06:24:53 AM

AN EXAMINATION IN FUTILITY.

STARDATE 57653.74
APRIL 18, 2381
0600 HRS

[ Lt. JG Kate Foster | Medical Lab 02 | Deck 11| Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Argyros

Following what was already her third deep yawn of the early morning, Kate took a healthy swig of her raktajino; normally she’d hated Klingon coffee, but under these circumstances she needed a strong caffeine boost if she were going to effectively stave off the exhaustion of a long night. It had been a decidedly pleasant night, no doubt, but it had also come in advance of what was set to be, yet another day of double-duty spent in Main Sickbay. This was of course a given, considering the extraordinary situation that had erupted just two nights earlier, quite literally as a matter of fact. The entirety of the already diminished Medical Department was working diligently to accommodate the number of patients in need of their dutiful care, and there were still as yet others who needed some less invasive attention. For Kate, as the Chief Surgeon aboard Theurgy, her schedule was somewhat light at the moment, as any operations which mandated her skillset had already been seen to. Minor procedures could be well enough handled by her colleague Ensign Janteel, and the other members of the Surgical team, leaving her free to deal with emergency matters should they arise. In the meantime, it also meant that she was available to once again lend a hand in completing additional routine medical examinations.

Thus far, the list of names which had required check-ups never seemed to shorten. Sure, there had been quite a long backlog prior to her arrival, but the issue was further compounded by the continuance of new arrivals aboard the IKS Kajunpak’t. Having set her cup down, Kate selected a PADD from where it had lay upon the nearby console and began to review the personnel dossier of whoever was supposed to be her first appointment of the day. Though she soon realized that the file was surprisingly devoid of specific medical details and history. Something was amiss, she reasoned after having attempted to refresh the document a half-dozen times to no such avail. This conundrum was already presenting itself as something of a frustration for Kate, perhaps only amplified by how sleep-deprived she had become during her time aboard ship. The confounding nature of which prompted a rather exasperated sigh from her as she tilted the pate of her head ever so slightly in introspection.

“Thea, I’m trying to get the relevant medical data on a...” she held the PADD up in order to reference the name “...Lieutenant Jordan Koilos. But I keep getting nothing more than basic biometrics. Am I accessing the wrong file?”

[No, Doctor Foster. The file you have accessed is the only file of Lieutenant Jordan Koilos that I have in my database.]

Though she had expected the confirmation, she had hoped that maybe there would be an accompanying explanation as to why the medical log for one of Theurgy’s newest transfers had been so devoid of detail. But when no such explanation came from the AI, which would have surely offered one had it existed, Kate found herself rather confoundingly concerned over the implications. She hadn’t the fainted idea as to who Jordan Koilos was, other than he was a human-male, who held the rank of Lieutenant, and had been transferred to Theurgy late the previous evening. The only other data she had was his basic biometrics, which upon inspection she assumed were likely incorrect, as she doubted the man would actually wind up being two-meters tall and weighing in at over one-hundred and fifty kilograms. The exaggerated information spoke to there having been some form of deliberate misleading when it came to his file, which in turn made Kate feel a little nervous, as well as apprehensive about this examination.

Why so secretive?

“Thea, was there some kind of briefing that I miss in regard to this individual?”

[No, Doctor Foster.]

In her short time, Kate had come to appreciate the thorough conciseness of Thea, as even though the AI had a personality, she still exhibited the same professionalism of any shipboard computer when it came to relaying information. In this moment however, she found herself surprisingly annoyed at the woman who was essentially the soul of their ship. Not that it was her fault that there was no explanation at hand regarding this enigma, but she was the messenger in the matter, and it was something of an old adage to shoot said messenger. Or maybe the adage was you weren’t supposed to shoot the messenger? However it went, she found herself rather unreasonably annoyed at poor Thea, rather than whoever had warranted such abject scorn. “Thank you, Thea.” She spat back with a serious tone of condescension in her voice as her frustrations mounted. Though as she reached for her coffee once more, she realized how rude she was being, and how she was already starting the day off on the wrong foot.

Not a good recipe for how she might perceive the rest of it.

“I’m sorry, Thea.” She apologized timidly, taking a sip of her coffee. Though as only silence was returned, she soon found herself feeling somewhat uneasy, and let to wonder if maybe she had actually angered the ship. That thought in itself was horribly terrifying, but there was also the distinct possibility that she was acting rather crazily, and overthinking things. “Get a grip, Kate.” She said aloud to no one, bringing one of her delicate hands to pinch at the bridge of her nose, unaware of the fact that the time for her first appointment had come and gone, and that the door to the Medical Lab had in fact opened to allow someone in. Spinning around atop the stool that she was perched on, she soon laid eyes upon the man that had unknowingly interrupted her in the midst of a somewhat embarrassing moment, causing her to jump visibly in surprise.

“Shit!” she exclaimed aloud.

Re: CH02: S [D03|0600] An examination in futility.

Reply #1 – September 26, 2020, 07:25:43 AM

[ Lt Jordan Koilos | Medical Lab 02 | Deck 11 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Swift
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[The time is 0500]

Is it that time already? I could have sworn I just laid down.

[The time is 0501]

”Alright alright. I’m up. Cancel alarm.” First nights were always the hardest in new environments. Even safe aboard a Federation starship, Jordan had hardly gotten any sleep. He’d only arrived late the previous night and his quarters were…adequate. They lacked certain features he would have preferred. We’ll see if the good Captain honors my request. Sitting up and throwing the silken sheets aside, Jordan reached behind his neck and pulled the small device attached there off. It was thin, C-shaped, and made of distinctly Borg technology. A micro regeneration harness. It functioned somewhat like an alcove would have but was far more portable. It could direct his nanites repair and maintenance his implants, enhance regeneration times, and even provide him with a way to “rest” his body without truly falling unconscious or losing awareness of his surroundings. It was invaluable for the spy while on missions.

Koilos hated the fucking thing.

His head turned left and right, popping the stiff vertebrae. While the benefits were grand, the device was difficult to get comfortable with.  Sure, it could rejuvenate him, but his body more or less locked up while in use, leaving his muscles feeling stiffer than the day before. Somehow Klingon beds didn’t seem so bad in retrospect. At least he could escape into dreams with those. He threw his legs over the side, standing to begin a few stretches. ”Computer from my mark, begin countdown to replicate breakfast series 0-4-Charlie.” He began making his way to the bathroom.

[Acknowledged.]

”Mark.” Tossing the underwear he’d been wearing back onto the bed, entering the shower shortly thereafter. The sonic pulses, so general with their amplitude and wavelengths were boring. Drearily so. Not exactly what the new officer needed to wake up with. ”Computer access historical musical database. Play ‘Breaking Me by Topic featuring A7S. Set sonic shower to mirror tempo and beat.” The pulses cascading against his skin immediately changed beat, bouncing off his skin with a new and satisfying frequency.

”Yeah, right from the start,
You played with my heart
And I’ll be singing
La la la la, La la la la”

The xB’s head bounced to the sounds, continuing to stretch out his body. The combination was like getting a massage without the need to have some stranger’s hands on him.  When he was done going through his various combinations, he simply stood there, letting his head hang back, eyes closed as the cycle completed.

“You can do whatever,
I’ll be here forever,
Spinning ‘round inside this room”

Two minutes and forty-six seconds elapsed since the song began, the shower automatically shutting down at the conclusion of the music. Once completed the human stepped from the stall, feeling much better. He took a little time at the mirror looking himself over for any issues before cleaning his beard and hair up and getting dressed. By the time he reached the main living area, the replicator kicked on. A hot bowl of cream of wheat with brown sugar, a small bowl of blueberries and a cup of amaretto cream infused coffee materialized on platter. He took the offered food and ate happily. Koilos lost himself in the plate. Going from the grimy replicators onboard the Kajunpak’t to Federation units was like eating with gold pressed latinum utensils instead of wooden ones. The difference was night and day.

[The time is 0545]

”Acknowledged.” He responded, silencing the second alarm. A few taps on his workstation brought up his itinerary. Looks like I have my physical before anything else. Should be interesting. Wonder how much information was sent over.” Jordan already knew what the answer was mostly like. Nothing. They’d have practically nothing. The spy honestly preferred it that way. The less people knew about him, the greater his advantages in many a situation.

The walk was quick and so early in the morning there were few crewmembers wandering the halls. When he entered and checked in with the officer at the reception desk, he was right on time. She was polite enough, offering for him to take a seat while she fetched his doctor for the appointment. Declining, Jordan merely asked where they were. She gave him a few simple directions to the Medical Lab 02. Koilos thanked her and went about his way. The doors hissed open as he approached and he stepped inside. Sitting on one of the stools was a human female, around 5’5” or 5’6”, blonde hair, and fair skinned. ”Get a grip, Kate.” Was she talking to herself? Had she forgotten she was supposed to meet with him? For that matter, had she not noticed him standing there? Perhaps she had a hearing deficiency because Jordan was surprised anybody couldn’t hear the pressure release from ship’s doors sliding open. 

He didnt have to wait long though before something alerted her to the fact she was no longer alone in the lab. ”Shit!” The medical officer practically shouted. Apparently, he had indeed taken her by surprise. Not wanting to seem rude or further put her off, Jordan thought it best he diffuse the shock as quickly as he could.

”Doctor Katelyn Foster I presume? I’m here for my appointment. Have I caught you at a bad time?” Somehow the woman seemed familiar now that she was looking at him directly. Why was that?

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Re: CH02: S [D03|0600] An examination in futility.

Reply #2 – September 28, 2020, 01:51:25 AM

[ Lt. JG Kate Foster | Medical Lab 02 | Deck 11| Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Argyros

Bringing a hand to her forehead as she seemed visibly flustered by the surprise, Kate let her eyelids shut for a moment as she let her breath catch up from where it had suddenly jumped astray. Opening them once again, she lay her tangerine-gaze upon the man that was to be the subject of her latest examination and appraised him outwardly for an instant before standing to welcome him.

“Yes... sorry, I’m umm... ahem, I’m Doctor Foster. You just... caught me a little of guard.” She admitted, gesturing him to step inside of the Medical Lab with a wave of her hand as it left her forehead. He was taller than her, with a pale complexion, and a near pitch toned head of hair that only further accentuated his mysterious nature in her mind. “Please, come inside, Lieutenant. Umm... I was reviewing your Medical Record, at least what I was able to retrieve of it.” The sentiment shared was clear, as Kate took a step closer to Jordan, peering up at his taller frame before she turned back to retrieve a PADD from the console. “Considering how little information there is, I’ll need to do a thorough bio-scan, so that I have some record to draw upon in the event of emergency. But before we get to that, is there anything I should know in advance about your medical history?” Aside from his basic biometrics, Kate truly had little at all to go on. She hadn’t even been privy of his ex-Borg status, which would make for quite a revelation if Jordan so decided to keep such a thing from her prior to hopping onto the scanning table.

For the blonde Doctor, she punched up that Medical Record, which was decidedly absent of detail, and reviewed what little there was once more. She of course was ready to make adjustments and addendums where necessary, but part of her still held the suspicion that it was meant to be devoid of clarification.

Appraising the man once more for a moment, she felt a little uneased by his presence, though she couldn’t necessarily pinpoint what it was about him, beyond that of his mysteriousness, which was causing that discomfort. Maybe it wasn’t a matter of him, but more so a matter of her, and how strenuous the last ten-days had been. Aside from a few sparse moments in the company of some new friends she’d made, Kate had spent an overwhelming majority of her time aboard Theurgy in and around Main Sickbay. There were a litany of tasks which needed completion, and that was before the calamitous events of the previous 60-hours; of the nine-days she’d spent working, seven of them had been full-on double-duty shifts, and she was starting to feel the strain of it all. So it would have made sense for the strange instinctual sensation which was causing the hairs on the back of her neck to stand at attention to have been caused by all of it, yet there was still something about the Lieutenant that was convincing her otherwise.

“Umm... if you wouldn’t mind also stripping down to your undergarments for the bio-scanner. These updated models don’t require full... exposure... the way the old ones did, but extremities like the arms and legs can still lose definition due to the placement of the sensors.” She explained, not exactly for his benefit, but because she felt compelled to fill any permeated silence with as much noise as possible.

Affording him some measure of reassurance, Kate trained her gaze back unto the PADD in order to add any details he might so dictate for her.

‘If any.’ She thought to herself.

Re: CH02: S [D03|0600] An examination in futility.

Reply #3 – January 19, 2021, 01:27:12 PM

[ USS Theurgy "Thea" NX-79854 | Intercom | Medical Lab 02 | Deck 11| Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ]
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Before her patient began to undress, however, there was a chirp before Thea's voice was heard on the intercom.

[Chief Surgeon Foster, medical emergency,] said the voice of the A.I., "Lieutenant Commander Kai Akoni in the Recovery Ward. Artificial heart calibration failure. Emergency. I repeat, emergency.]

The late evening before, the Chief of Security had been thawed for surgery, and it had gone well. Spleen and heart replaced, and hours of dermal regeneration. Unfortunately, the heart wasn't properly dimensioned for the human male's considerable size, so one of the nurses had just discovered the problem, and Doctor Foster was the only one qualified enough to access the heart's program wirelessly and re-calibrate it.

"I... can come back another time," said the surgeon's patient, closing his jacket once more and stepping out of the way from the door.

[I will brief you on the way,] said Thea, and with a cursory chuckle, she added, [apology accepted, by the way.]

- FIN