Lieutenant Ikaia Wong - Q and A
Ka Banning
((The Three Stripes - The Mezzanine - Amity Outpost))
Wong: So here’s what I can tell you - the planet is home to some remarkable life forms of which we encountered while we were there. Sentient bacteria. They operate in a purely symbiotic relationship with life upon the planet. Their hosts provide shelter for the bacteria while they protect their hosts from the radiation that bombards the planet. However, only telepathic species get this benefit.
Dro: So…in other words…
Wong: In other words a Betazoid population, in theory, should fit right in on Idrustix. However, immune responses need to be accounted for. So I’ve developed a medication that allows the bacteria to live harmoniously with their hosts should they decide to stay or leave. Anyone who comes into contact with this was treated for it.
Dro: Very thankful for that as well.
Wong: I know it’s an unexpected answer. But it’s also an accurate one.
Dro: A very clinical description of what happened.
Wong: Anyways, I’m not one to deny assistance or care to anyone. I’m always there to help as best as I can.
Dro: Help is a wonderful thing to offer to those in need. I wonder though if I could ask you to expand a little on something you said.
Ikaia tilted his head curiously. He wasn’t sure what Dro was going to ask him. He mentally braced himself for all the possibilities he could think of.
Wong: Sure. What was it that you had in mind?
Dro: Oh nothing at all protected, you mentioned that the bacteria protect their host from radiation if the host is telepathic, what if they are not? How difficult, in your medical opinion, would it be to protect non-telepathic visitors?
Wong: As far as I’m aware the bacteria, which I’m calling Lucia geobacter until they come up with what they refer to themselves as, seem to fare poorly in copper-based blood and Klingon blood is just too hostile for them to take root. So anyone with those blood types are going to have continue to use doses of lectrazine-hyronalyn to survive or other alternatives. However, tests with other blood types are VERY limited right now. We still don’t know which species that L. geobacter is going to protect and which it can’t
Dro: And there are no negative side effects to exposure to the bacteria for either type? What about the removal of the bacteria when leaving? Will transporters scrub it out, or is there a secondary inoculation needed?
Ikaia raised an eyebrow at the suggestion of using the transporters to scrub them out.
Wong: The biggest negative side effects tend to come from the body’s immune system not recognizing L. geobacter as benign. Therefore, I did have to create an inoculation that allows both bacteria and host to live peacefully with each other. I’ll admit, it was an unusual challenge. But I had to protect bacteria and the host.
Dro: Response
Wong: Now as far as how to ask them to leave once their hosts via the scrubbers, we’d have to do so ethically and safely for the bacteria. Meaning the scrubbers will need to be modified so that they aren’t harmed in the process if they need to be relocated.
Dro: Response
Wong: It’s a different way of thinking. We aren’t dealing with a disease. We’re dealing with sentient life. Something that at least with some of us has the capacity to communicate. To form memories. It’s why testing has been incredibly limited.
Dro: Response
Ikaia paused to take a sip of his drink.
Wong: In medicine, you spend so much time trying to eliminate the disease that when you finally come across a bacteria that can talk to you, it tends to shift things to more of a diplomatic slant.
Dro: Response
Ikaia leaned across the table slightly. His elbows resting along the edge of the table. His expression was curious.
Wong: So my question to you is this - why is it important to set up a Betazoid colony out here? It seems somewhat out of the way, right?
Dro: Response
Lieutenant Ikaia Wong PA-C
Chief Medical Officer
Amity Outpost
V239711IW0