Lieutenant Elor Letek - Tentacle-free treatment
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Lieutenant Elor Letek
Mar 31, 2026, 12:11:28 AM (yesterday) Mar 31
to USS Eagle
((Sickbay - USS Eagle-A))
As is well known, every coin has two sides. This was also true of most of the patients one encountered in the infirmary. Kettick was a prime example of this. A particularly pragmatic patient, he placed himself entirely in the hands of his medical colleagues and stoically endured everything necessary without complaint. On the other hand, Kettick belonged to a species with which many doctors, and Elor, in this case, were not very familiar.
Letek: As nice as it is that the wound is healing on its own, I’d still suggest we remove all traces of the foreign genetic material. Just to make sure tentacles don’t suddenly start growing on you, right?
The Remmilian gave a light hum from his position on the biobed.
Kettick: Unless they start acting independently from my control, tentacles would not even be that bad. But I concur. How are we to proceed?
Letek: With a very simple, old-fashioned method. We’ll irradiate the area. It sounds far worse than it really is, especially since we’re specifically targeting and killing only the foreign DNA.
Ah. Kettick paused for a second, and let himself consider the information.
Kettick: Oh. That's quite milder than I expected, my history of radiation exposure notwithstanding. Then again, I was thinking of what I would do to a piece of hull plating that were similarly affected.
Elor raised an eyebrow in puzzlement. Was Kettick comparing himself to a piece of hull plating? Yes, perhaps there were a few parallels between his shell and the hull plating of a spaceship, though only in the broadest sense.
Letek: Even though I wouldn’t necessarily compare your shell to hull plating... purely theoretically: how would you go about it?
It certainly couldn’t hurt to broaden his horizons, and maybe this little digression would actually lead to something?
The Remmilian rattled off the procedure as if it were a weekly occurrence.
Kettick: Remove the affected part and some more around as a safety margin, then sterilise the location with a plasma torch for good measure and seal the hole afterwards. :: The Engineer shrugged as he watched the Bajoran Medical officer prep his tools. :: Still what I would do if I were stranded in the field as a stopgap measure until I could get proper treatment, but your way is obviously superior. And can be applied to a wider spectrum of species.
The procedure wasn't all that different from what Elor had planned for him. Even though he had slightly more sophisticated options available in the sickbay.
Letek: We're not that far off from that procedure. Fortunately, we don’t have to cut anything out, but the analogy with sterilization using the plasma torch is roughly comparable to radiation therapy. And the sealing is also done afterward. But for emergency use, when there’s no infirmary nearby, this procedure would likely extend your life significantly. However, with my approach, you can expect less downtime.
Kettick clicked his mandibles in... amusement?
Kettick: I'm perfectly fine with less downtime. Waiting for the front half of my exoskeleton to regrow last time was quite inconvenient, if I have to be honest. And I suppose you have better things to do during this well-deserved shore leave.
Letek: Don’t worry, I’ll still have plenty of free time to take a trip to the beach on Bolarus IX. But okay, let’s get started.
Satisfied, he clapped his hands and fetched the necessary tools for the treatment.
Letek: First, we’ll start with the irradiation.
Kettick: Response?
He picked up the device for targeted irradiation and loaded the data on the foreign DNA so he wouldn’t accidentally damage healthy chitin during the treatment.
Letek: Watch out, this might tingle a little.
Kettick: Response?
During the radiation treatment, Elor kept a close eye on the scans to ensure he eradicated every last bit of foreign DNA. Once he was certain the first step had been successfully completed, he switched to the regenerator and allowed the chitin to slowly regrow.
A final scan with the tricorder confirmed Kettick’s complete recovery.
Letek: Like new. And even if it disappoints you a little: completely tentacle-free.
Kettick: Response?
Setting the equipment aside, Elor took a step back so Kettick could stand up again.
Letek: If there’s nothing else, I hereby release you to your free time. You should now be fully operational again.
Kettick: Response?
Out of courtesy, he accompanied the chief engineer to the door and said goodbye. He watched him go for a moment before returning to the infirmary and beginning to tidy up the treatment table.
TAG / END for Elor
As is well known, every coin has two sides. This was also true of most of the patients one encountered in the infirmary. Kettick was a prime example of this. A particularly pragmatic patient, he placed himself entirely in the hands of his medical colleagues and stoically endured everything necessary without complaint. On the other hand, Kettick belonged to a species with which many doctors, and Elor, in this case, were not very familiar.
Letek: As nice as it is that the wound is healing on its own, I’d still suggest we remove all traces of the foreign genetic material. Just to make sure tentacles don’t suddenly start growing on you, right?
The Remmilian gave a light hum from his position on the biobed.
Kettick: Unless they start acting independently from my control, tentacles would not even be that bad. But I concur. How are we to proceed?
Letek: With a very simple, old-fashioned method. We’ll irradiate the area. It sounds far worse than it really is, especially since we’re specifically targeting and killing only the foreign DNA.
Ah. Kettick paused for a second, and let himself consider the information.
Kettick: Oh. That's quite milder than I expected, my history of radiation exposure notwithstanding. Then again, I was thinking of what I would do to a piece of hull plating that were similarly affected.
Elor raised an eyebrow in puzzlement. Was Kettick comparing himself to a piece of hull plating? Yes, perhaps there were a few parallels between his shell and the hull plating of a spaceship, though only in the broadest sense.
Letek: Even though I wouldn’t necessarily compare your shell to hull plating... purely theoretically: how would you go about it?
It certainly couldn’t hurt to broaden his horizons, and maybe this little digression would actually lead to something?
The Remmilian rattled off the procedure as if it were a weekly occurrence.
Kettick: Remove the affected part and some more around as a safety margin, then sterilise the location with a plasma torch for good measure and seal the hole afterwards. :: The Engineer shrugged as he watched the Bajoran Medical officer prep his tools. :: Still what I would do if I were stranded in the field as a stopgap measure until I could get proper treatment, but your way is obviously superior. And can be applied to a wider spectrum of species.
The procedure wasn't all that different from what Elor had planned for him. Even though he had slightly more sophisticated options available in the sickbay.
Letek: We're not that far off from that procedure. Fortunately, we don’t have to cut anything out, but the analogy with sterilization using the plasma torch is roughly comparable to radiation therapy. And the sealing is also done afterward. But for emergency use, when there’s no infirmary nearby, this procedure would likely extend your life significantly. However, with my approach, you can expect less downtime.
Kettick clicked his mandibles in... amusement?
Kettick: I'm perfectly fine with less downtime. Waiting for the front half of my exoskeleton to regrow last time was quite inconvenient, if I have to be honest. And I suppose you have better things to do during this well-deserved shore leave.
Letek: Don’t worry, I’ll still have plenty of free time to take a trip to the beach on Bolarus IX. But okay, let’s get started.
Satisfied, he clapped his hands and fetched the necessary tools for the treatment.
Letek: First, we’ll start with the irradiation.
Kettick: Response?
He picked up the device for targeted irradiation and loaded the data on the foreign DNA so he wouldn’t accidentally damage healthy chitin during the treatment.
Letek: Watch out, this might tingle a little.
Kettick: Response?
During the radiation treatment, Elor kept a close eye on the scans to ensure he eradicated every last bit of foreign DNA. Once he was certain the first step had been successfully completed, he switched to the regenerator and allowed the chitin to slowly regrow.
A final scan with the tricorder confirmed Kettick’s complete recovery.
Letek: Like new. And even if it disappoints you a little: completely tentacle-free.
Kettick: Response?
Setting the equipment aside, Elor took a step back so Kettick could stand up again.
Letek: If there’s nothing else, I hereby release you to your free time. You should now be fully operational again.
Kettick: Response?
Out of courtesy, he accompanied the chief engineer to the door and said goodbye. He watched him go for a moment before returning to the infirmary and beginning to tidy up the treatment table.
TAG / END for Elor
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lieutenant Elor Letek
Medical Officer
USS Eagle
E240201EL2
Patients are asked not to die in the corridors.
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