PNPC LT Yesfir Meyers - Integrity in Question
LT Tamio K'Wara
(( Intensive Care unit - Primary Sickbay, Deck 7, USS Artemis-A ))
The Intensive Care Unit was getting far too populated for Yesfir’s tastes. There was an ancient human proverb, that went something like ‘too many cooks spoils the soup’, and that was (in Yesfir’s experience) definitely the case for medical research as well. Miss Lorana’s assistance was welcome, and not something Yesfir was able to do much about given the Captain’s express orders to utilize her skillset, but with the addition of Roybertson Thaddeus Bancroft - what a ridiculous name - and Jaran Jira, she was starting to feel proper professional claustrophobia.
But alas, this was the reality she was forced into, and she had to make the best of it.
Meyers: Thus far, we’ve been able to establish a general progression of the mutations. The telepathic link bonding the Callisian Mutants together is the first thing to develop, based on the After-Action Reports submitted by the patients. While it is no true hivemind, it seems to have been a way to share strategy, sensations and knowledge across short distances with a smaller pack.
One of the patients, Lieutenant Junior Grade Imril, shared their experience and Yesfir placed a neutral expression on her face.
Imril: As I understand it from the after-action reports, the majority of the Callisians had mentally degraded to primal states. Which may mean that, individually, they could only communicate basic sensations and such across the link. The one that spoke through Vitor may have been capable of more.
‘As I understand it’, ‘may mean’, ‘may have been’... Yesfir liked unconscious patients more, she decided.
Bancroft: If there was greater capacity, it remained well hidden. What we observed was… rudimentary at best.
Lorana: It could be that you observed an evolutionary, genetic drift. A dominant emergent trait in this mutated Callisian. We have no way of knowing if this was their own primitive state, there is no evidence of that and unlikely we will gain that without healthy Callisian DNA.
Jaran: It seems like we should be able to extrapolate from our own control over the telepathic link enough to form a model of the descent of the Callisians. This could give us some greater insight into our own progression.
The focus of the group was was getting misdirected onto the Callisians themselves rather than the patients currently present in the room, and Yesfir crossed her arms as she tried to reorient the conversation.
Meyers: The current hypothesis is that the progression of the remaining mutations - the callouses, the bone deformations and the accelerated follicle growths - is hastened by continued use of the link. Observations made by Captain MacKenzie of both Commander Munro and Ensign Breys are that they seemed affected by the link in a way that was very disruptive to their normal functioning, while Lieutenant K’Wara made no such indication of your performance during the Ship repairs, Lieutenant Imril.
Imril: I’m a stubborn cuss.
Lorana: :: smiles :: I'm sure that's an accurate statement, Mister Imril but I'm more interested in your genetic makeup. Perhaps that's more stubborn :: turns to Jaran :: Yet, you remain standing. Yet, you both experienced telepathy with the others?
Jaran: My hypothesis for myself, at least, is that it is due to the evolutionary background of the Bajoran race that I am still largely functioning as before. Rather than the punctuated equilibrium of many races, we have had a steadier evolutionary path. It's not that I'm unaffected, just that it's working on a different time frame.
‘A different time frame’ that no one knew the length, progression or curve of, and as such, it was anyone’s guess when Jaran Jira would turn from a medical professional to an obstruction of proper protocol.
Imril: But it did, and does, take effort to isolate my mind as much as I’ve been able to. Has anyone considered bringing a trained telepath in to sever the mental link? Or dosing one or more of us with some kind of chemical psionic suppressant?
Bancroft: The concern with a telepath is that, without a clearer understanding of the mechanism, we risk reproducing the problem rather than resolving it – only this time with one additional patient.
Which was, obviously, not an ideal scenario.
Lorana: We look to containment. I'd go as far to restrict telepathic crewmates from exposure.
Jaran: Well, thankfully, save for the brief time we were all on the bridge together, I haven't been around any telepaths lately.
Meyers: ::raised black eyebrow:: Beyond the numerous Betazoid crewmen that walk the corridors every day, I am sure.
Another reason complete quarantine ought to have been the very first action taken, and Yesfir would make sure to note that in the paperwork she had to submit to Chief Morgan.
Imril: The only other thing I can think of that might be a factor, in my case, would be the Boraxian ritual and what it did to a particular part of my brain. Doctor Jaran could fill the rest of you in on that.
Bancroft: ::to Jaran:: Doctor – you were primary on that case. Would you walk us through it?
Every eye in the room turned towards Doctor Jaran, who seemed entirely ill-at-ease with the focus on them.
Jaran: Dr. Morgan had called me to be present during a Boraxian ritual that involved filtering energy through a strange crystal and into our Lt. Imril here. ::pulls up the scans of Imril's DNA from that mission:: As you can see, there is a foreign element in the DNA of their hypothalamus that was not present before the ritual. This was actually on my desk for further study once we returned from the Karnack, but I never got to it then.
Bancroft: Based on that, would we then say this may account—at least in part—for Lieutenant Imril’s ability to communicate with us, where the others cannot? ::turning to Jaran:: For clarity, Doctor – were you subjected to the same intervention?
Lorana: And you say these were crystals? Do we have a sample?
Jaran: I was not subjected to the ritual myself. I was merely present to take scans as it occurred. All the raw data is in the ship's computer, should you want to take a closer look. I do know that the civilian scientist on board, Samantha Richards, had been studying the crystals closely, so I am certain there is a sample onboard somewhere.
The mere mention of the redheaded Human who’d briefly made the Artemis her place of terror made Yesfir visibly scowl. If there was one thing she abhorred more than prestige hunters, who served only for their own glory and reputation, it was people who made light of the sacrifices most Starfleet Officers made on a daily basis.
Samantha Richards was one such person.
Meyers: Provided Samantha Richards was capable of following proper protocol on occasion, there would be logged samples in the Science Center.
Bancroft: That may represent a point of convergence – one we could leverage to deploy Commander Lorana’s therapies more effectively.
Lorana: I was thinking the same thing. I'd be interested in seeing the molecular construction of those crystals.
For whatever reason, Doctor Jaran seemed to find this situation humorous.
Jaran: Knowing Sam, there's probably one hidden somewhere in Sickbay.
Yesfir tried not to actively scowl at the redheaded Bajoran, but given the fact that Yesfir’s standard expression seemed to alternate between uninterested boredom and annoyed disapproval, she wasn’t sure she was able to do so.
Meyers: I fail to see how the flippant disrespect with which Miss Richards treated the sterility of our place of employment, and the primary health center of the entire crew, can be considered amusing, Doctor.
Evidently the tales of the redheads pranks had spread across the crew, as Imril responded to the conversational topic with interest.
Imril: ::Looking around:: I thought all the mystery rocks were found?
Bancroft: Response
Perhaps sensing the tense atmosphere, Miss Lorana decided to continue her line of inquiry instead of engaging any more with the current conversation. Sound choice.
Lorana: So, how open would the Boraxians be in sharing their information?
Imril: You’d probably have the best chance talking to the splinter group that broke off from the city-ship. They departed on a vessel called the New Hope.
Bancroft: Response
Lorana: Oh, so not very willing to share. Zealots are tricky :: looks to Imril :: We should run a full biomolecular scan. Whatever effect the Boraxian crystals may have had must still be present within their Bactrican DNA.
Meyers: I shall go procure one of the samples kept for logkeeping in the Science Center.
It seemed an obvious course of action, and would give her a much needed moment of silence. That sounded agreeable right about now.
(( Sample Archive 03 - Science Center, Deck 9, USS Artemis-A )) ((( OOC: Yesfir's absent from the ICU during the scans of the patients. Please refer to the latest 'Luxa Lorana' SIM for those tags. )))
Not for the first time in her career, Yesfir marvelled at the genuine quiet with which the Sample Archive was treated. No loudmouthed miscreants, no hypochondriac Bolians to complain about their sandwich ‘tasting odd’... It was part of the reason she’d opted for Pharmacology once a position had opened up.
She couldn’t wait to get back to the Pharmaceutical Development Laboratory.
Soon enough though, she had checked out one of the few Boraxian Crystals that the Yurum aboard the New Hope had left with them, filled out the necessary paperwork - as an officer should - and headed back towards Sickbay.
(( Intensive Care Unit - Primary Sickbay, Deck 7, USS Artemis-A ))
Yesfir came back to the ICU after the conclusion of the scan on Imril, while Miss Lorana was explaining the gene therapy research which had convinced Captain MacKenzie that she would make a good consultant for this particular case.
Lorana: My research and treatment is based on Genetic Targeted Therapy. Essentially, we locate the corrupted DNA at a micro cellular level and we replace it. That's a very simplified explanation.
Bancroft/Jaran/Imril: Response
Meyers: It is somewhere to start. And I presume the Boraxian crystal sample should be able to help with that?
Lorana: Yes, but that's only the first step. Once we've detected the corrupted cells we use healthy genetic coding from, in this case, another Bactrican or if we have a sample of Imril's DNA that is viable?
Yesfir was prepared to feel insulted at the notion that the Artemis Sickbay didn’t keep on top of their paperwork, but considering they no less than one year ago had their Assistant Chief stripped of rank for forging documentation, and one of their junior officers’ idea of fun was planting non-sterile material within Sickbay with zero care for the patients’ wellbeing?
Honestly, it was fair if their integrity was being questioned.
Meyers: I will cross-reference Imril’s medical documentation. Otherwise, the transporter logs should have full copies on file.
Bancroft/Jaran/Imril: Response
Lorana: The issue is, the treatment method needs to be adapted :: Luxa moves to the console and swipes several times :: You'll see that it's specifically used to target DNA or Sencha Wave radiation and Soliton Particles :: sad :: And that took almost a year of daily research :: looks to Commander Munro :: I don't think we have a year.
Meyers: We do not. At most, I’d say we have three weeks, and that is in the optimistic range.
And being ‘optimistic’ was rarely in Yesfir’s modus operandi.
Bancroft/Jaran/Imril/Lorana: Response
Meyers: If time is our main concern, it seems obvious that we must divide our efforts to speed the process up. Our two primary tasks are to separate out the mutating DNA codes contained within Imril and the others, and isolate them in a way that will allow us to replace them one by one, while also figured out how to isolate the component of the Boraxian crystals that has made certain elements of Imril’s physique resistant to the Callisian mutations.
Bancroft/Jaran/Imril/Lorana: Response
Meyers: As a Pharmacologist, my skillset lends best to working with the crystal components.
Bancroft/Jaran/Imril/Lorana: Response
TAG/TBC
PNPC LT Yesfir Meyers
Pharmacologist
USS Artemis-A
As simmed by
LT Tamio K’Wara
Chief of Ops
USS Artemis-A
A240006GS1