Ensign Ragh- Signs of Life
Ryan Augustyn
(( Cargo Bay– Svisivak -Tlugani Nebula ))
This whole mission seemed to be going well, or so Ragh thought. They had successfully secured the survivors and were in the process of going through the cargo to see what was salvageable. Easy enough..
Ragh: ::startled:: I am getting a life sign in.. ::looking around:: cargo bay 1. It's weak but it's there.
Ragh checked and double checked. A faint, barely registering life sign. Unusual they hadn't picked it up before, but not impossible.
Woolheater: Affirm. I’m reading it too. We might have someone crushed under these crates. ::Sam whistled, Navarro and Ionescu responded and came over:: Help me with these crates? Doc? I hope you aren’t out of miracles…yet.
Ragh: I'll give you a hand.
They came upon an untouched, large crate that appeared to have its own power supply. Unless there was a mistake, the life sign was coming from inside.
Woolheater: ::scanning with the tricorder:: The material of this crate is…or was…using a material to scatter sensor scans. But look, it’s been hastily applied. It’s good stuff, the kind pirates would use. I’ve seen it before on a previous deployment. But…its not perfect. They missed a few spots. Here. And here.
That would explain how they had missed it before. It was a lucky thing Ragh has stayed aboard the freighter, as there was no knowing what might be inside. A stowaway? Prisoner? It was unusual that Captain Luriaa made no mention of it. A stranger thought, did she herself even know?
The crew reactivated theirs helmets at Woolheater's order, and waited while he opened the doors.
Inside was what appeared to be a child like being. It was unclear at first glance what species but it was sleeping wrapped in a blanket. Ragh trades the wires attached to it up towards a small monitor. Different races had different baseline vitals, and that could be even more different for children. Ragh had to make a quick judgement call, but based on the just the obvious fact this child looked weak he could conclude the vital readings were indeed as bad as they looked. Ragh nodded to the team and bent down to examine the child. They were pale and diaphoretic. He placed a hand on their skin, they were clammy. That was a bad sign. He looked at the darkness around their eyes. They appeared to be sick and pushed to their limit. What was most unusual was visible puncture marks on their neck, probably from some type of needle. A clear hypothesis was forming in the Klingon doctor's head and he didn't like it one bit.
Ragh: :looking up:: This child is in very bad shape. It is highly probable they are being sedated and kept alive, barely, for whatever reason. I'm going to run a few scans and get a better look at them.
Woolheater: ::to the group:: I gotta call this in. =/\= Talents actual? We found another survivor. Inside a special crate. Its own backup power.
Ragh was again thankful he didn't have to handle that call, and knelt back down by the child. They appeared to weigh maybe 20 kgs. He calibrated his tricoder to get some blood test readings, and got a pinprick of blood; the child didn't even stir. Not knowing much about their internal biology, Ragh had to make some educated guesses. As expected, they were malnourished, that was no surprise, but something else caught his eye. Their white blood cells were wildly elevated. Curious. He had a hunch. He checked for particular antibodies present in the blood.. and found it.
Ragh: I think I found something. They seem to be being kept sick and just alive enough to harvest antibodies. I cross referenced it with the serum and it's match.
Knowing that, Ragh was able to figure out what he could safely give the child. Searching through his medbag he pulled out a hypospray, a quick acting fever reducer and applied it to their arm. He would need access to their makeshift medbay on the Talents to anything more. He pulled the blanket off and noticed they were attached to an intravenous tube leading to a small device on the back of the crate. This was getting too weird and they still had to think about the freighter falling apart around them.
Ragh: ::standing up:: I need to do further tests to 100% verify but I believe they are pulling the antibodies directly from this child to make the serum.
It sounded absurd saying it out loud but all signs pointed to this conclusion. But what now? They had to get them back to the medbay stat.
Greaves/JoNz/Luriaa: Response
Apparently something was happening outside the freighter. Hopefully it was not whoever did this returning. They needed to get back to the Talents immediately.
Ragh: :: concerned:: I fear we just ran out of time. We need to get her off the Svisivak.
Woolheater: ::to the team:: Target. Incoming. Hot. We’re leaving. Right now. Grab those supplies, Gunny? I help the Doc. You three gather everything you can that we id’d and haul ass back to the Talents. The kid is too weak to transport. We’ve got 5 crates of supplies, easy carry. The kid is a different story and it’s the Doc’s call on how we unhook her from…whatever this is.
Ragh: Let the day pass where you will call a Klingon weak! I will personally carry this and take responsibility for her safety until we get off this ship.
Ragh carefully pulled out the IV and applied a pressure bandage. He hooked a portable monitor to her chest and picked her up into her arms. Truth be told, the child was so light that Ragh could lift her with ease.
Ragh: ::to Woolheater:: Ready to go, Sir. =/\=Ragh to medbay, one more incoming. =/\=
Greaves/JoNz/Luriaa: Response?
Woolheater: =/\= Understood. We are on our way! =/\= ::to himself:: I'd like to see how 'Mama Cee' computes THIS variable!
The group of Marines and Ragh quickly made their way back to the Talents, carrying as much as they could. Thankfully the return trip was uneventful. Rath was too distracted anyways to notice if something would have happened. It felt good to be back on their ship. Ragh ran with the child to the makeshift medbay and was happy to see Serrano and the other medics at work as he requested.
Ragh: ::to Serrano:: We need to get this child hooked up to fluids and ::handing her his tricoder:: use this to formulate the correct antibiotic for her. I believe she has the disease this freighter was set out to aid. ::to the other medic:: Update on the patients?
Ragh listened as the man updated him on the status of the two freighter crewmates. He would need to perform the craniotomy sooner rather than later but he had questions he needed answered first. He went to find Luriaa and Greaves. They were in crisis mode as they figured out what set off the alarm but Ragh pulled aside Luriaa.
Greaves/JoNz/Luriaa/Woolheater: Response
Ragh: ::angrily interrupting:: What is the meaning of the sick child we found aboard your ship?
It was taking everything to contain his rage.
Greaves/JoNz/Luriaa/Woolheater: Response
Ragh: How did you not know? This child was being kept sick and barely breathing to produce the very serum you are delivering. On your ship!
Ragh knew he was speaking out of line and out of rank but he personally took this child into his care and he meant it.
Greaves/JoNz/Luriaa/Woolheater: Response
Ragh: That is.. plausible. ::to Greaves:: Understood, Sir. I will be in the medbay.
Greaves/JoNz/Luriaa/Woolheater: Response
_________________________________
Ensign Ragh
Medical Officer
USS Octavia E. Butler
O240212R13