Lieutenant Ikaia Wong - Play Money at a Ferengi Casino
Ka Banning
((Sickbay, USS Kepler, – en route to UAW territory))
Wong: I need you to be upfront from here on out, Commander. No holding back on anything no matter how minor. And as you’re doing so, please keep those you care about in quarantine in your mind. Now.... Are we in agreement?
Juriton: ::Quietly, annoyed:: I was meant to be lead scientist on the design of the Enterprise, and when it became clear the UAW were trying to rush the development of the entire fleet, I spoke up. Repeatedly. Issue after issue. I raised them. Eventually, they got sick of it, and told me to keep quiet. Reluctantly at first, I did. Then they stopped telling me about decisions they made, including about things like the gel packs.
He took a quick breath, then continued.
Juriton: ::Quietly under his breath, annoyed:: After a while, not speaking up became habit, it became pointless. When we first launched, I tried *again* to raise problems I was seeing and that we should return to dock, and was told not to be so political. I am a scientist, first and foremost, who has effectively been in a holding pattern in pit lane - despite, ironically, them making me a Commander and Senior Science officer, in recognition of my efforts.
“Political.”
That was an interesting choice of words. Ikaia made a mental note of it. It seemed as though Juriton may also be a victim in this situation too.
Juriton: ::Quietly under his breath, annoyed:: My cousin, a security officer, is in the overflow sickbay on the Enterprise. A nurse that I went to school and raced against in junior leagues with was one of the original patients. I have been tirelessly trying to find a way to stop this pathogen, from every angle with the comparatively limited technology we have, because of them and every other infected crew member. I do not and will not take responsibility for the UAW failures. So, even though we are both members of different science, defence and exploration bodies of our respective Governments, *Lieutenant*, I expect you to treat me with the same respect you would of any other Commander who’s trying to stop this outbreak with the constraints I’ve had.
oOYou’re making a mistake. You’re screwing this up…Oo
Ikaia stopped. Not out of shock. But out of something else. The science, in this case, absolutely mattered.
This was a medical emergency.
Juriton is a scientist. He was not a doctor.
Ikaia is the acting chief medical officer. He is a doctor.
In medical emergencies, he was in charge as long as the emergency was present on his ship.
They are on his ship.
Juriton: ::Quietly under his breath, annoyed:: So, are we in agreement on *that*, Lieutenant?
Juriton was on his ship.
He was a guest here.
And Ikaia was absolutely obligated to treat him with respect as he just had. However, this was very much like using play money in a Ferengi casino. Juriton did not out rank him in this situation. Ikaia could, if he really wanted to, drop on to him like a photon torpedo. But he wasn’t that sort of person. However, the other two officers in that room were. Iko, had she not been sick, could act as head of security and Juriton would be in a world of trouble. As for Varati, he had saved Juriton from the worst of her impulse control. But he couldn’t always predict how she was going to react to a situation. In short, this was some of the worst possible crew that Juriton could have pulled that with. Ikaia was absolutely going to let Juriton go for now. (They needed to work together as a team, after all!) He would remind him of said proverbial photon torpedo if this happened again.
He is, after all, the Big Koala.
And it was with that, Ikaia rejoined the group.
Iko: With that out of the way…
Varati: Response
Wong: Alright. Lay it on me - did you two find anything yet?
Iko: Now, if this thing is becoming a macrovirus…
Wong: The proteins are there. The key word is preventing it from mutating and becoming one. If that happens, they would be harder to contain.
There was at least one incident where a macrovirus lay within Voyager’s walls for years until it was accidentally discovered while being towed to its current site as a museum. He hated to think of what they would do with the Keplar.
Varati: Response
Juriton: If I may make a suggestion–
Before Ikaia could continue that thought, Iko’s coughing seemed to have ended in a violent yet colourful crescendo of stomach contents. Needless to say, Ikaia was going to have to summon a DOT unit to clean it up.
As for Iko, he was already rushing to her side before even thinking.
Juriton: Are you okay?
Wong: Iko, are you alright?
Varati: Response
Iko: Ahhh $#@%...
Ikaia flicked his glance at Varati.
Wong: Varati, can you get me an anti-emetic? It should be the hypo with the green band.
Ikaia grabbed for his tricorder and flicked it open with one fluid motion. He started scanning.
Wong: Hang on. We’re going to take care of this.
Varati: Response
Juriton: Your crew certainly does love cursing. ::shrug:: Hey, whatever gets your ship racing, right?
Ikaia flicked his glance at Juriton. Now certainly wasn’t the time to be making those sorts of quips.
Wong: Varati, can you please grab me that sample kit from off the counter as well? We’re going to need it.
If there was one very slim upside, Iko vomiting did produce some live samples he could look at.
Varati/Iko: Response
Juriton: Hello Ensign, what’s your name?
Yalrees: Talias-Gron-Yalrees is my family name, Commander. Yalrees is my given name.
(OOC: Yalrees is an NPC, anyone can write for them)
Juriton: When did you become infected?
Yalrees: 3 days ago, while I was working duty shift in cargo bay 3, commander ::coughs::
With the hypo now in hand, he pressed it into Iko. Hopefully, it would provide her some comfort.
Wong: Okay. That was the anti-emetic. How’s your stomach?
While Ikaia was working with Iko, he did keep an ear out as to who Juriton was talking to. It was one of the crew.
Varati/Iko: Response
Yalrees: Is... is that true about the-- ::coughs:: --DNA?
Juriton: You didn’t hear it from me.
It seemed like some of the UAW’s Enterprise didn’t know either. The key to this information was Juriton and given that he had lied through omission, he wasn’t exactly a reliable source. At least with being in close proximity to his crew.
Ikaia bent down to scoop up a sample of the vomit from the ground with the sample kit before the DOT unit got to it.
Wong: At least we now have one more live sample if there’s one small silver lining.
Varati/Iko: Response
Ikaia looked over his new scans. He bit his bottom lip as he looked it over.
Wong: Bad….
Varati/Iko/Juriton: Response
Wong: Bad as in the proteins are starting to stitch themselves together. As in we are running out of time.
As if this puzzle wasn’t already on a timer. They were against the clock.
Varati/Iko/Juriton: Response
Wong: What this means is that if this continues at the rate that it is, this will go from maybe having a macrovirus on our hands to absolutely having a macrovirus on our hands.
Varati/Iko/Juriton: Response
Wong: I estimate we have roughly four hours tops to find a treatment before it becomes a macrovirus.
Varati/Iko/Juriton: Response
Lieutenant Ikaia Wong MD
Acting Chief Medical Officer
Amity Outpost
V239711IW0