Medical Assistance
Posted on Wed Dec 5th, 2012 @ 4:52pm by Captain Vorn Krace & Lieutenant Commander Sara Archer & Lieutenant JG Victoria Drani
Mission:
Heart of an Explorer
Location: Maltorra
As the two envrionment-suited officers materialised in the transporter beam, Krace's eyes immediately darted around to take in his surroundings. The area was mostly open, with a small town a little while off. Closest to them was a small collection of medium-to-large tents and a shuttlecraft.
"That's a Federation shuttle," Krace said to Archer, his voice clearly showing his surprise as the pair began walking to the scene.
Archer nodded, though it was hard to tell due to the suit. "Type 11. Judging by it's appearance, it hasn't flown in a few months. It looks like it's being used as a shelter."
Victoria Drani had finished dressing in her civilian brown pants and a tan tank top but stopped suddenly at sensing the presence of two more minds near the camp. Their thoughts were normal and organized. She kept reaching out to find more information, gathering images of starships, Starfleet uniforms, names, and offices. "Great, Starfleet has arrived," she said to herself, exiting the shuttle. Tro'val and Tavus had gone into the nearby town for more supplies a short while ago. She instantly took in the two environmental suit-clad figures approaching her. "What business does Starfleet have here?" she asked the duo with crossed arms and a stern expression.
Funny, Sara thought to herself. I was just thinking the same thing. She pulled out her tricorder. "She's Betazoid, Captain. Shuttle markings indicate that it originated from Starbase 221. She shows no signs of infection."
"I think the more pertinent question," Krace said, his voice filtering through the suit's microphone system as he silently accepted Archer's report. "is what business brings a Betazoid out this far in what appears to be a stolen Starfleet shuttle?" He deliberately failed to answer the unknown woman's question, knowing that if they were to get anywhere with her, he'll need to establish himself as the one in charge from the beginning.
"The shuttle isn't stolen," she said, taking a few steps closer to the duo. "It was given to me by the commander of Starbase 221 upon my resignation as the base's assistant chief of medicine. I'm Doctor Drani. As for my business here, this planet is my home. So I ask again, what sends Starfleet here to this planet? Surely, you can't be concerning yourself with these people and the current epidemic. Why would Starfleet care about these people?"
Sara silently checked her tricorder, linking her to the database on the Iapetus. Using the internal suit communication only, she turned to Krace and reported. "Captain, her story seems to hold up. There was a Doctor Drani serving aboard Starbase 221. According to her record, she did resign her commission."
Nodding to his intelligence officer, Krace turned back towards Drani. "As you should be aware then Doctor, Starfleet's primary mission is exploration. The Iapetus is on a deep space assignment to explore regions such as this which haven't yet been reached by manned missions. We made - what we thought was - first contact with the Maltorans, and they requested our assistance with the plague infecting their people." Truthfully, the captain couldn't help but become worried at the doctor's belief that Starfleet was above dealing with planetary epidemics and caring about the planet's population - Federation members or not, though he didn't allow this concern to filter through to his facial expressions.
"I'm surprised you accepted...but your help isn't unwanted. Oh, and you're safe from the virus in this area, so you're welcome to remove those suits. What do you know about the virus?" Drani decided to put her hatred of what Starfleet did--or rather didn't do to another species behind her for the good of the Maltorrans.
Deciding to show some trust to the doctor in an attempt to bridge a gap between them - Krace suspected that they would afterall need her local knowledge in order to bring a swift cure to this plague - Vorn reached up to break the seal and remove his helmet without waiting for a tricorder to confirm the doctor's words, and choosing to ignore once again her disdainful comment at the beginning of her latest statement. It was a calculated risk, but he reasoned that if she was free of the virus, then it was likely that what she said was true.
Free of the helmet and the suit's PA-like communication system, the captain answered the doctor's question. "Not much," he admitted. "We know of the symptoms, and the violent tendencies the infected rapidly develop. We also know that the spread seems to be artificially controlled." He held back on the information that his officers had imparted to him that the strain wasn't likely to be a local development - aside from it not being confirmed by his teams yet, he didn't want to lay everything bare to this woman that he had just met (or rather, found).
Sara removed her helmet as well. "We've heard that you've been working with the virus for some time. Have you had much success with a treatment? Do you have any information regarding a patient zero?"
"We've--my team and I--have had small success in treating the virus if it's caught within the first hour of infection. However, it seems like the damned thing is adapting to my methods, taking me almost back to square one. I've never seen anything like it. As for a Patient Zero, no. I only know it seemed to originate in the nearby city as those were the first reports that I heard of the virus spreading." She turned her attention back to the captain. "Artificially created...hmmm, I had thought the same but have been unable to prove it with my current resources. My team and I have tried to catch a live infected, but it's been near impossible. Once infected, the virus deadens pain receptors, higher brain functions, deadens the nervous system, making them seem almost to be the walking dead and making the stun setting on my phaser next to useless. So the only solution is death at the moment."
"What about physical trauma?" Sara asked, taking notes on her tricorder. "Have you been able to knock out someone who has been infected?"
"We tend to not let them get that close. The risk of infection is too high. Believe me, I've tried to get one alive, but it's damn hard with them feeling no pain and being aggressive."
"The Prefect has agreed to let us set up a temporary facility on the planet to help us study the disease enough to fabricate a treatment," Krace informed her. "Your data and your experience with the disease would go a long way towards speeding up that process."
"I suppose...but I'm only doing this for these people and then I expect you to move on." The resignation from Starfleet still stung as did all of those deaths Starfleet allowed to happen. Just then, she heard the sound of a vehicle approaching the camp. She turned to see Tro'val and Tavus returning from town with food and supplies. "And I'll need my two team members to assist."
"Agreed," Krace said, glad to have another pair of hands with knowledge of the virus on their side. "So long as you each understand that it is my people who are in charge, and that any issues with that are left at the door for the duration." Waiting only for a brief nod of acceptance, he then said "We'll give you some time to talk to them and pack your gear."
"Very well," she agreed as she turned and headed towards Tro'val and Tavus.
As the two officers walked in the opposite direction to the doctor to maintain some privacy for both, Krace talked quietly to his intelligence officer. "Tell Jordan to keep an eye on them," he instructed. "She seems to have a pretty strong disposition and set of preconceptions against Starfleet, so when we go back to the ship, I want you to look through our records for anything that might provide an explanation. I'll continue the work on the data we gathered from the Maltorans."
"Aye, Captain," Sara replied nodding. Really, she didn't need the order. She had already planned on doing the investigation anyway.
Captain Vorn Krace
Commanding Officer
Lt. Commander Sara Archer
Chief Intelligence Officer
USS Iapetus
Lieutenant JG Victoria Drani
Former Federation Doctor
