Xenobiology 101

Posted on Sun Oct 28th, 2012 @ 2:40pm by Captain Vorn Krace & Chief Warrant Officer K'Vaal Th'raas & Lieutenant JG Nicholas Tenebroso

Mission: Heart of an Explorer
Location: USS Iapetus - Sickbay
Timeline: MD41 1300hrs

It was... odd being aboard a starship again. It was comforting in a strange way but odd at the same time. The last time that Ensign Thryskal'Skelniikan had been aboard a Federation starship was when it had abandoned the Mjolnir in an escape pod. The Ensign did not know precisely how long it had been since the destruction of the Mjolnir. It was entirely possible that only a few days had passed. It could have also been weeks, maybe months. As Thryskal was being escorted to the Iapetus's sickbay, it couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity with its surroundings as well as a sense of loss. All of the familiar faces it had come to know were gone. Here, on the Iapetus, Thryskal was being forced to start over and even then the Insectoid's future hadn't been decided yet.

<"Do you find it odd to see one of my kind among you, Chief?"> wondered the Xindi. There weren't many that trusted the Xindi even though over two hundred years had passed since the attack on Earth that cost millions of people their lives. While the Federation boasted 'Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations', Insectoid races were far and few between and many people judged its members wrongly based on old preconceptions.

K'Vaal walked slightly ahead of the Ensign, and turned his head slightly at his question. "Ensign, look at me, I'm a blue skinned humanoid with white hair and two antennae sticking out of the top of my head" he said with a slight tone of disdain. "Better question would be if I actually Care that there's an Xindi on board? Get a hold of yourself, it's been a long time since the Federation has even worried about your kind! Enemies become friends and friends become competitors!" K'Vaal added as they rounded a corner.

"Don't make yourself out to be an outsider and you won't be treated like one! You've got an exoskeleton and bulbous, multifaceted eyes and I've got these antennae and an exoskeleton!" he said with a smile.

<"You may be correct,"> conceded the Insectoid. Thryskal didn't really believe it was openly seeking confrontation with its peers, regardless of its instinctual aggressive nature. Due to its mission as a Xindi representative in Starfleet, the ensign couldn't really afford to alienate itself from those around it. Purposely or not. Its mission was vital.

<"And yet, I have found that some Humans have long memories. There are some who see differently than you do,"> it added as they arrived just outside of the ship's sickbay. When Thryskal had stayed on Earth during its Academy days, it was involved in a few unfortunate incidents with civilians. For the most part, the majority of Terran's had moved past the events of 2153. But not everyone.

"Humans are like little children: full of wonder and curiosity on the one hand, and like children, can be aggressive and spiteful on the other!" K'Vaal replied. "You'll find that here on the Iapet-, you do your job well and you'll get no problems from the rest of the crew! Start talking like you're the scion of your race and that nobody can understand what you're going through, and you'll quickly find yourself a pariah amongst the noncoms and officers alike!" he added.

Having reached their destination, K'Vaal crossed the threshold first and turned back towards Thryskal. "Come on now, don't be bashful, the doctor's right over there!" he said, pointing to the doctor.

Thryskal followed the Andorian through the open entrance. It then turned its head slightly towards the security officer. <"Your wisdom on the matter is appreciated."> It found the blue-skin's words to be quite refreshing compared to most other humanoids. This one said things as he saw it. If the ensign ended up staying aboard the Iapetus, there was no question of it doing its duty as that was a very important part of an Insectoid's life.

For now though, duty would have to wait for a few minutes. It was standard procedure on all Federation star ships that new passengers be given a thorough examination before they were allowed to roam freely on the ship. Although Thryskal doubted he would be given such privileges until the command staff were able to verify his claims about the Mjolnir, the ensign had no issue with following Starfleet's regulations.

Cautiously, the Insectoid approached the man at the far end of the room. When it was near enough, it spoke in its dialect. <"Doctor, I am here for my examination.">

Doctor Tenebroso looked up at the Insectoid sounds, followed closely by the computerized translation provided by the universal translator, and gave his usual welcoming smile. "Ah yes, our new guest. I've just received word that you would be coming here. If you could take a seat, please, I'll just need to look up a few things first." He indicated to the bio bed as he moved towards one of the consoles towards the middle of the room. In truth, the word of the examination had been a bit odd to him - after all, there aren't any other Federation ships out this far, and even if there were, species such as the Xindii were very uncommon to see as Starfleet officers - as rare as Klingons once were before the Dominion War, if not more so.

Tenebroso, like all other Starfleet doctors, studied xenobiology at the Academy, and was required to regularly keep himself updated on all new developments in the field in his role as a ship's surgeon, but he was the first to admit that he wasn't anywhere near familiar with Xindi insectoid physiology. Thankfully, the computers in sickbay came loaded with enough diagnostic programs that he only needed to briefly skim the basics to be able to perform a simple examination. However, if their guest was to stay any longer, he imagined that all of the ship's doctors would need to brush up on his species in case anything more serious were to require his presence in Sickbay.

Thryskal obediently did as it was told and walked over to the bio-bed before sitting down on it. It had to angle its body in a specific way in order to not sit on its gaster. Unlike the many people who disliked visiting Sickbay, or doctors in general, for their medical examinations, the Ensign was really in no position to make a fuss about it. As far as it was concerned, this was simply all part of one's duty aboard a Starfleet ship.

The correct diagnostic routines loaded into the bio-bed's control processor and the medical tricorder Tenebroso now held in his hand, the doctor moved back over towards his guest and began running the external sensor over Thryskal in the standard 'head-to-toe' motion, the larger of the Tricorder's multiple displays showing a step-by-step instruction on how to perform an examination on the species loaded in to it - thankfully, most patients weren't able to see the screen before it was switched over to display the data it had just recorded, as it was remarkable just how often medical officers had to use the in-built feature when examining a species that they weren't familiar with for the first time.

"Is it really necessary for you to hover around, Chief?" the doctor asked, directing his question to the Andorian security officer who had walked in with the ensign. Like most medical officers, Tenebroso never really liked it when Starfleet Security hovered around their patients. Once an individual entered sickbay, then their status changed to one thing and on thing only; patient.

K'Vaal at this point was appreciating the aesthetically pleasing lines of some of the female personnel who passed by him every so often. It took him a moment to register that he was being asked a question. "Doctor Ten-Bro" K'Vaal replied using the noncom's nickname for the medical officer. " I assure you that my presence here should in no way impede or distract you or your staff to treat the ensign here!" he began to say, his antennae undulating slowly as he spoke. "My boss, wanted the ensign here checked out before any future decisions on what to do next!" He said with a sheepish shrug of his shoulders. "Now since he's just arrived, protocol states that any and all visitors to the ship be assigned a Buddy, any concerns outside of my orders from Commander Gunning will simply have to be taken up with him!"

K'Vaal smiled and returned his attention to a passing nurse who caught his eye.

"Very well," the doctor responded, knowing from experience now that he was never likely to be able to rid anyone of their security escort until he was both a higher rank and doing a delicate procedure - on this ship, that would mean having to outrank Commander Gunning, which was extremely unlikely to happen anytime soon. "The comm channel didn't mention your name Ensign," he said casually, as he continued with the examination.

The Xindi remained unphased while the doctor performed his scans. It didn't find it shocking either that its name had not been revealed to the doctor as it had only arrived not too long ago. In that regard, it nodded its head slightly in agreement. <"I am Thryskal'Skelniikan although most prefer to call me Thryskal for short. My name will only get more difficult to pronounce as I grow older unfortunately. And what of your name? I do not believe that the Chief mentioned it on our way here.">

"Nicholas Tenebroso," the doctor responded. "Though most simply stick to 'doctor'. It's easier to remember," he said, smiling. "Now, unfortunately we're a little too far from Starbase 900 to be able to request a download of your most recent medical files, so I'm going ot have to rely on you to fill me in. Have you got any long-term injuries, illnesses or medical needs that I should know of? Any recent incidents requiring a trip to sickbay?"

Thryskal shook its head, signalling that it hadn't. <"I have not been required to visit Sickbay for some time, Doctor. Fortunately I have suffered no injuries or prominent illnesses in the past. However, depending on how lengthy my stay is here on the Iapetus, there may be a time when I will need to be secluded from the remainder of the crew so that I may create a hatchery and reproduce. Although this may not be for some time.">

Tenebroso nodded. He recalled a few scant facts about the most common reproduction practices of Insectoid species from the Academy, but didn't really want to push the subject for an exact time frame. "OK then, how about more recently? How long were you in the escape pod for, and how did you have to ration your supplies?"

Answering the first part of that question was going to be a bit more difficult for the Insectoid particularly as it couldn't recall the exact stardate of its final day aboard the Mjolnir. To make things worse, the chronometer aboard the escape pod had malfunctioned during the explosion and couldn't be brought back online. <"I am not certain. Maybe up to a month,"> it guessed, as much as Thryskal hated to do so. <"I ate and drank from the emergency rations that were available on the pod. My physiology allows me to go several days without food or water in extreme situations.">

The doctor nodded, taking in the information and continuing with is scans as directed by the tricorder. "Chief; I believe you were on-site when the ensign was removed from his escape pod. Can you tell me of any symptoms he demonstrated? Any signs of malnourishment or oxygen starvation?"

Turning back towards the doctor, K'Vaal smirked at the question "Doctor, upon our return to the Iapetus, we came directly to Sickbay!" he replied. "I've never seen an Insectoid before, I'm not a medical tech or even a dentist! We took some initial scans with a security Tricorder; noted that his carapace looked a bit dull, but hey that could be anything!" he added. "Oh right! the supplies on the pod were depleted for some time and he did say something about not having anything to eat or drink for sometime but hey, maybe your medicaltricorder can tell you more than I can?"

The Xindi nodded in agreement with the Chief's statement. <"It is my hope that I will be able to consume some sustenance very soon,"> it added. While Thryskal had managed to survive for as long as it did with the rations at its disposal, there was no denying that it was hungry and even thirsty. A nice meal had been a long time coming.

"Medical tricorders after the fact are no match for a first-hand set of eyes during the incident, Chief," the doctor reminded the security officer. Though most security systems were able to record everything that happened within their area for many years after their installation, the living body was not nearly so helpful in that regard, and any scans that he took now would only reflect the insectoid's current physical condition. Noting the ensign's comment however about needing sustenance, he motioned for a nearby nurse to go and prepare a hypospray. "Ensign; did you experience any dizziness, loss of vision or loss of consiousness either immediately preceding or following the opening of your escape pod? Any particular points of pain?" As the nurse returned with a hypo-spray, the doctor injected it into the insectoid's arm, allowing the base nutrients to give his body the jump start it sorely needed, and also preventing the body from reacting in shock when regular food was ingested later.

It was easy enough for Thryskal to remember those details as it happened a very short time ago. When the Starfleet Officers opened up the hatch of the escape pod, it was like the Insectoid succumbed to a tidal wave of light which in turn had caused it to react the way it did. <"The pod was cramped. I did not have much room to manoeuvre. I did not lose consciousness though. When the Chief and his friend opened the door to my escape pod, I initially thought that I was going to be attacked. I lashed out in aggression towards them and attempted to find a suitable place to hide. The sudden barrage of light made it difficult for me to see. My pod had been without illumination for some time, except from a few consoles. Luckily, the officers present recognized my distress and reduced the lighting in the room. Shortly thereafter I was able to see again.">

"OK, well as far as I can tell, you're going to be free of any long-term after-effects of your time in the pod, from a medical stand-point," the doctor said, snapping the tricorder shut and replacing its external sensor. "But I want you to refrain from jumping straight back into everything too rapidly. No intense exercise, and don't stare at any of the consoles for too long; build yourself up to it, and let your body re-adjust. I'd also like you to see the ship's counsellor at some point in the next few days; just so that she can check and confirm that there won't be any lasting psychological affects."

<"As you wish, Doctor Tenebroso,"> accepted the Xindi. Although Thryskal understood its own physical limitations, there was just no sense in arguing with the physician's requests. As little as Insectoids usually rested, the Ensign felt that maybe a day or so of rest would do a world of good in replenishing its energy. <"I will meet with the Counselor as soon as I am able.">

Looking up to the security officer, the doctor said, "Chief? I believe that the captain has seen to the ensign being assigned some quarters. Could you take him there please?"

As the two left sickbay, Tenebroso returned the tricorder to its equipment tray and cleared the insectoid diagnostic program, downloading the gathered data into the main computer for analysis.

---

Lieutenant JG Nicholas Tenebroso (NPC)
Medical Officer, Played by Captain Krace

Ensign Thryskal'Skelniikan
Helmsman

CWO K'Vaal Th'raas
Security Officer
USS Iapetus